Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Senator Michael F. Nozzolio Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Senator Michael F. Nozzolio - Article Example He also serves in the Senate finance and Senate Rules Committees, meaning that he and his colleagues have power over the budget of the State (Nozzolio) . Senator Nozzolio has over the past years been an active participant in the House of Senate, proposing bills and being involved in passing of these bills. For Example, in January 2014, he voted against the bill to implement and enforce a secure ammunition and firearms team. This bill was passed by the house. In May 30th 2013, Senator Nozzolio proposed a bill to the Senate House, the bill proposed an act to amend the law on environmental conservation. The motion brought forward touched on the authorization of hunting in the Wayne County (United state snate). He proposed that the Senate should revoke such an authorization once it expires in 2015 so that that part of the law is not renewed. Senator Nozzolio and other 61 members of the house voted yes to such an amendment and the bill was passed. Senator Nozzolio during elections made a commitment that he would enhance the job-producing small businesses project. He is now encouraging citizens to involve themselves in the small businesses and promote the already established ones by shopping at local businesses. He thus designated a Saturday called, â€Å"Small Business Saturday† where the locals and their leaders come together to acknowledge and appreciate the small enterprises that have been established locally to encourage people to shop locally (Nozzolio). He had also promised that he would try and reduce the burden tax payers have to carry to keep the country running. Therefore he has over the years been committed strongly to fulfilling this election promise. The previous the senator stated that there has been formation of a new move by the Senate to create jobs and mitigate the burden taxpayers have to carry. Senator Nozzolio was born and bred in Seneca County, and served in the senate for quite a long time.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Animal Extinction Essay Example for Free

Animal Extinction Essay Animal Extinction the greatest threat to mankind In the final stages of dehydration the body shrinks, robbing youth from the young as the skin puckers, eyes recede into orbits, and the tongue swells and cracks. Brain cells shrivel and muscles seize. The kidneys shut down. Blood volume drops, triggering hypovolemic shock, with its attendant respiratory and cardiac failures. These combined assaults disrupt the chemical and electrical pathways of the body until all systems cascade toward death. Such is also the path of a dying species. Beyond a critical point, the collective body of a unique kind of mammal or bird or amphibian or tree cannot be salvaged, no matter the first aid rendered. Too few individuals spread too far apart, or too genetically weakened, are susceptible to even small natural disasters: a passing thunderstorm; an unexpected freeze; drought. At fewer than 50 members, populations experience increasingly random fluctuations until a kind of fatal arrhythmia takes hold. Eventually, an entire genetic legacy, born in the beginnings of life on earth, is removed from the future. Scientists recognise that species continually disappear at a background extinction rate estimated at about one species per million per year, with new species replacing the lost in a sustainable fashion. Occasional mass extinctions convulse this orderly norm, followed by excruciatingly slow recoveries as new species emerge from the remaining gene-pool, until the world is once again repopulated by a different catalogue of flora and fauna. From what we understand so far, five great extinction events have reshaped earth in cataclysmic ways in the past 439 million years, each one wiping out between 50 and 95 per cent of the life of the day, including the dominant life forms; the most recent event killing off the non-avian dinosaurs. Speciations followed, but an analysis published in Nature showed that it takes 10 million years before biological diversity even begins to approach what existed before a die-off. Today were living through the sixth great extinction, sometimes known as the Holocene extinction event. We carried its seeds with us 50,000 years ago as we migrated beyond Africa with Stone Age blades, darts, and harpoons, entering pristine Ice Age ecosystems and changing them forever by wiping out at least some of the unique megafauna of the times, including, perhaps, the sabre-toothed cats and woolly mammoths. When the ice retreated, we terminated the long and biologically rich epoch sometimes called the Edenic period with assaults from our newest weapons: hoes, scythes, cattle, goats, and pigs. But, as harmful as our forebears may have been, nothing compares to whats under way today. Throughout the 20th century the causes of extinction habitat degradation, overexploitation, agricultural monocultures, human-borne invasive species, human-induced climate-change increased exponentially, until now in the 21st century the rate is nothing short of explosive. The World Conservation Unions Red List a database measuring the global status of Earths 1. million scientifically named species tells a haunting tale of unchecked, unaddressed, and accelerating biocide. When we hear of extinction, most of us think of the plight of the rhino, tiger, panda or blue whale. But these sad sagas are only small pieces of the extinction puzzle. The overall numbers are terrifying. Of the 40,168 species that the 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have assessed, one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of e xtinction. The peril faced by other classes of organisms is less thoroughly analysed, but fully 40 per cent of the examined species of planet earth are in danger, including perhaps 51 per cent of reptiles, 52 per cent of insects, and 73 per cent of flowering plants. By the most conservative measure based on the last centurys recorded extinctions the current rate of extinction is 100 times the background rate. But the eminent Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson, and other scientists, estimate that the true rate is more like 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate. The actual annual sum is only an educated guess, because no scientist believes that the tally of life ends at the 1. 5 million species already discovered; estimates range as high as 100 million species on earth, with 10 million as the median guess. Bracketed between best- and worst-case scenarios, then, somewhere between 2. 7 and 270 species are erased from existence every day. Including today. We now understand that the majority of life on Earth has never been and will never be known to us. In a staggering forecast, Wilson predicts that our present course will lead to the extinction of half of all plant and animal species by 2100. You probably had no idea. Few do. A poll by the American Museum of Natural History finds that seven in 10 biologists believe that mass extinction poses a colossal threat to human existence, a more serious environmental problem than even its contributor, global warming; and that the dangers of mass extinction are woefully underestimated by almost everyone outside science. In the 200 years since French naturalist Georges Cuvier first floated the concept of extinction, after examining fossil bones and concluding the existence of a world previous to ours, destroyed by some sort of catastrophe, we have only slowly recognised and attempted to correct our own catastrophic behaviour. Some nations move more slowly than others. In 1992, an international summit produced a treaty called the Convention on Biological Diversity that was subsequently ratified by 190 nations all except the unlikely coalition of the United States, Iraq, the Vatican, Somalia, Andorra and Brunei. The European Union later called on the world to arrest the decline of species and ecosystems by 2010. Last year, worried biodiversity experts called for the establishment of a scientific body akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to provide a united voice on the extinction crisis and urge governments to action. Yet, despite these efforts, the Red List, updated every two years, continues to show metastatic growth. There are a few heartening examples of so-called Lazarus species lost and then found: the wollemi pine and the mahogany lider in Australia, the Jerdons courser in India, the takahe in New Zealand, and, maybe, the ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States. But for virtually all others, the Red List is a dry country with little hope of rain, as species ratchet down the listings from secure to vulnerable, to endangered, to critically endangered, to extinct. All these disappearing species are part of a fragile membrane of organisms wrapped around the Earth so thinly, writes Wilson, that it cannot be seen edgewise from a space shuttle, yet so internally complex that most species composing it remain undiscovered. We owe everything to this membrane of life. Literally everything. The air we breathe. The food we eat. The materials of our homes, clothes, books, computers, medicines. Goods and services that we cant even imagine well someday need will come from species we have yet to identify. The proverbial cure for cancer. The genetic fountain of youth. Immortality. Mortality. The living membrane we so recklessly destroy is existence itself. Biodiversity is defined as the sum of an areas genes (the building blocks of inheritance), species (organisms that can interbreed), and ecosystems (amalgamations of species in their geological and chemical landscapes). The richer an areas biodiversity, the tougher its immune system, since biodiversity includes not only the number of species but also the number of individuals within that species, and all the inherent genetic variations lifes only army against the diseases of oblivion. Yet its a mistake to think that critical genetic pools exist only in the gaudy show of the coral reefs, or the cacophony of the rainforest. Although a hallmark of the desert is the sparseness of its garden, the orderly progression of plants and the understated camouflage of its animals, this is only an illusion. Turn the desert inside out and upside down and youll discover its true nature. Escaping drought and heat, life goes underground in a tangled overexuberance of roots and burrows reminiscent of a rainforest canopy, competing for moisture, not light. Animal trails criss-cross this subterranean realm in private burrows engineered, inhabited, stolen, shared and fought over by ants, beetles, wasps, cicadas, tarantulas, spiders, lizards, snakes, mice, squirrels, rats, foxes, tortoises, badgers and coyotes. To survive the heat and drought, desert life pioneers ingenious solutions. Coyotes dig and maintain wells in arroyos, probing deep for water. White-winged doves use their bodies as canteens, drinking enough when the opportunity arises to increase their bodyweight by more than 15 per cent. Black-tailed jack rabbits tolerate internal temperatures of 111F. Western box turtles store water in their oversized bladders and urinate on themselves to stay cool. Mesquite grows taproots more than 160ft deep in search of moisture. These life-forms and their life strategies compose what we might think of as the body of the desert, with some species the lungs and others the liver, the blood, the skin. The trend in scientific investigation in recent decades has been toward understanding the interconnectedness of the bodily components, i. e. the effect one species has on the others. The loss of even one species irrevocably changes the desert (or the tundra, rainforest, prairie, coastal estuary, coral reef, and so on) as we know it, just as the loss of each human being changes his or her family forever. Nowhere is this better proven than in a 12-year study conducted in the Chihuahuan desert by James H Brown and Edward Heske of the University of New Mexico. When a kangaroo-rat guild composed of three closely related species was removed, shrublands quickly converted to grasslands, which supported fewer annual plants, which in turn supported fewer birds. Even humble players mediate stability. So when you and I hear of this years extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin, and think, how sad, were not calculating the deepest cost: that extinctions lead to co-extinctions because most living things on Earth support a few symbionts, while keystone species influence and support myriad plants and animals. Army ants, for example, are known to support 100 known species, from beetles to birds. One of the most alarming developments is the rapid decline not just of species but of higher taxa, such as the class Amphibia, the 00-million-year-old group of frogs, salamanders, newts and toads hardy enough to have preceded and then outlived most dinosaurs. Biologists first noticed die-offs two decades ago, and, since then, have watched as seemingly robust amphibian species vanished in as little as six months. The causes cover the spectrum of human environmental assaults, including rising ultraviolet radiation from a thinning ozone layer, increases in po llutants and pesticides, habitat loss from agriculture and urbanisation, invasions of exotic species, the wildlife trade, light pollution, and fungal diseases. Sometimes stressors merge to form an unwholesome synergy; an African frog brought to the West in the 1950s for use in human pregnancy tests likely introduced a fungus deadly to native frogs. Meanwhile, a recent analysis in Nature estimated that, in the past 20 years, at least 70 species of South American frogs had gone extinct as a result of climate change. In a 2004 analysis published in Science, Lian Pin Koh and his colleagues predict that an initially modest co-extinction rate will climb alarmingly as host extinctions rise in the near future. Graphed out, the forecast mirrors the rising curve of an infectious disease, with the human species acting all the parts: the pathogen, the vector, the Typhoid Mary who refuses culpability, and, ultimately, one of up to 100 million victims. Rewilding is bigger, broader, and bolder than humans have thought before. Many conservation biologists believe its our best hope for arresting the sixth great extinction. Wilson calls it mainstream conservation writ large for future generations. This is because more of what weve done until now protecting pretty landscapes, attempts at sustainable development, community-based conservation and ecosystem management will not preserve biodiversity through the critical next century. By then, half of all species will be lost, by Wilsons calculation. To save Earths living membrane, we must put its shattered pieces back together. Only megapreserves modelled on a deep scientific understanding of continent-wide ecosystem needs hold that promise. What I have been preparing to say is this, wrote Thoreau more than 150 years ago. In wildness is the preservation of the world. This, science finally understands. The Wildlands Project, the conservation group spearheading the drive to rewild North America by reconnecting remaining wildernesses (parks, refuges, national forests, and local land trust holdings) through corridors calls for reconnecting wild North America in four broad megalinkages: along the Rocky Mountain spine of the contine nt from Alaska to Mexico; across the arctic/boreal from Alaska to Labrador; along the Atlantic via the Appalachians; and along the Pacific via the Sierra Nevada into the Baja peninsula. Within each megalinkage, core protected areas would be connected by mosaics of public and private lands providing safe passage for wildlife to travel freely. Broad, vegetated overpasses would link wilderness areas split by roads. Private landowners would be enticed to either donate land or adopt policies of good stewardship along critical pathways. Its a radical vision, one the Wildlands Project expects will take 100 years or more to complete, and one that has won the project a special enmity from those who view environmentalists with suspicion. Yet the core brainchild of the Wildlands Project that true conservation must happen on an ecosystem-wide scale is now widely accepted. Many conservation organisations are already collaborating on the project, including international players such as Naturalia in Mexico, US national heavyweights like Defenders of Wildlife, and regional experts from the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project to the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. Kim Vacariu, the South-west director of the USs Wildlands Project, reports that ranchers are coming round, one town meeting at a time, and that there is interest, if not yet support, from the insurance industry and others who face the reality of car-wildlife collisions daily. At its heart, rewilding is based on living with the monster under the bed, since the big, scary animals that frightened us in childhood, and still do, are the fierce guardians of biodiversity. Without wolves, wolverines, grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions and jaguars, wild populations shift toward the herbivores, who proceed to eat plants into extinction, taking birds, bees, reptiles, amphibians and rodents with them. A tenet of ecology states that the world is green because carnivores eat herbivores. Yet the big carnivores continue to die out because we fear and hunt them and because they need more room than we preserve and connect. Male wolverines, for instance, can possess home ranges of 600 sq m. Translated, Greater London would have room for only one. The first campaign out of the Wildlands Projects starting gate is the spine of the continent, along the mountains from Alaska to Mexico, today fractured by roads, logging, oil and gas development, grazing, ski resorts, motorised back-country recreation and sprawl. The spine already contains dozens of core wildlands, including wilderness areas, national parks, national monuments, wildlife refuges, and private holdings. On the map, these scattered fragments look like debris falls from meteorite strikes. Some are already partially buffered by surrounding protected areas such as national forests. But all need interconnecting linkages across public and private lands farms, ranches, suburbia to facilitate the travels of big carnivores and the net of biodiversity that they tow behind them. The Wildlands Project has also identified the five most critically endangered wildlife linkages along the spine, each associated with a keystone species. Grizzlies already pinched at Crowsnest Pass on Highway Three, between Alberta and British Columbia, will be entirely cut off from the bigger gene pool to the north if a larger road is built. Greater sage grouse, Canada lynx, black bears and jaguars face their own lethal obstacles further south. But by far the most endangered wildlife-linkage is the borderland between the US and Mexico. The Sky Islands straddle this boundary, and some of North Americas most threatened wildlife jaguars, bison, Sonoran pronghorn, Mexican wolves cross, or need to cross, here in the course of their lifes travels. Unfortunately for wildlife, Mexican workers cross here too. Men, women, and children, running at night, one-gallon water jugs in hand. The problem for wildlife is not so much the intrusions of illegal Mexican workers but the 700-mile border fence proposed to keep them out. From an ecological perspective, it will sever the spine at the lumbar, paralysing the lower continent. Here, in a nutshell, is all thats wrong with our treatment of nature. Amid all the moral, practical, and legal issues with the border fence, the biological catastrophe has barely been noted. Its as if extinction is not contagious and we wont catch it. If, as some indigenous people believe, the jaguar was sent to the world to test the will and integrity of human beings, then surely we need to reassess. Border fences have terrible consequences. One between India and Pakistan forces starving bears and leopards, which can no longer traverse their feeding territories, to attack villagers. The truth is that wilderness is more dangerous to us caged than free and has far more value to us wild than consumed. Wilson suggests the time has come to rename the environmentalist view the real-world view, and to replace the gross national product with the more comprehensive genuine progress indicator, which estimates the true environmental costs of farming, fishing, grazing, mining, smelting, driving, flying, building, paving, computing, medicating and so on. Until then, its like keeping a ledger recording income but not expenses. Like us, the Earth has a finite budget.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Glimpse into Nineteenth Century Brazil Essay -- Brazil History Histo

Esau and Jacob by Joaquim Machado de Assis portrays the tumultuous relationship between twin brothers, Pedro and Paulo, during the late nineteenth century; the twins symbolize the Brazilian political struggles during the transition from a monarchy to a republic. The brothers are emblematically born in 1870, â€Å"at the end of the Paraguayan War, a time when the Brazilian political elite split between conservatives and reformers† (xiii). The brothers fight; their most contentious arguments regard politics. Paulo is a republican and Pedro is a monarchist. The only commonalities the twins have are their love for their mother, Natividade, and their courtship of Flora. As an allegory, Natividade represents the old nation of Brazil – prior to the end of the monarchy – and Flora represents the new Brazil, which wavers between conservatism and liberalism. Both boys, and both political ideologies, vie for Flora’s affections, yet she, like the bud ding Brazilian nation, cannot choose between the suitors or the two political beliefs. In a pessimistic foreshadowing of the future, Flora dies without deciding between Pedro and Paulo, an ominous message from Machado de Assis regarding Brazil’s indecision to pick a definitive ideology after the fall of the monarchy. Despite Flora’s and Natividade’s dying wishes for the twins to cooperate, Pedro and Paulo are unable to cease their malicious antagonism, another grim reminder from Machado de Assis about the fruitlessness of political bickering and a warning about the future of Brazil. Why Read Esau and Jacob Unlike a conventional history book, the novel Esau and Jacob provides a personal glimpse of Brazilian society as it transitions from monarchy to republic. Joa... ...Empire and Stringing Together a Nation provides an integrated perspective of the complications of a divided Brazil during the fall of the monarchy. De Assis writes about the personal experiences and utilizes characters to convey the feelings and ideas of the time, Da Costa provides historical analysis as to why the monarchy collapses, debunks the myth of racial democracy, and Diacon explains how the two Brazils become one Brazil, a concept de Assis could not imagine. The three books depict a more complete image of Brazil during the fall of the empire. Works Cited Da Costa, Emilia Viotti. The Brazilian Empire. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill; 1985. De Assis, Joaquim Machado. Esau and Jacob. Oxford University Press, Oxford; 2000. Diacon, Todd. Stringing Together a Nation. Duke University Press, Durham; 2004.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Lingnan University Student Canteen Imc Plan

MKT231 Advertising & IMC LNU Student Canteen discussion Student answers will vary and the following is a suggested framework: Targeting Benefits Sought: Needs States| Brand Offer| Personal/Brand Purpose| The rest place for Lingnan Ren: a global village where we are all equal and creativity rules Historical background: Shi Jianru, one of its former LNU students, unsuccessfully tried to assassinate the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi. | Social/User Imagery| A friendly, youthful, energetic and comfortable setting.A safe haven for the free willed where everyone is equal. There is no deadline, no pulling ranks nor evaluations. No subjects are banned and only creativity rules. | Physiological/Functional attributes| Quick, convenient, economic and hygienic food and beverage services. A balanced mix of Asian and Western food items, authentic cuisines between HKD20-50 per head. | Multiple target groups should be identified. Three key target groups and their segmentation traits are discussed here using demographics, psychographics, relationship intensity and benefits sought:Student: Aged 18-24, limited affordability, prefer to spend money on experience and experimentation: e. g. hot items, travel, partying with friends. They are on the move all the time, plenty of hobby and interest but lack of time, patience and sleep. Food is a necessary routine and all they need is a temporary rest stop. Daily users. Most important user group in value and number, about 2000+. Teaching faculty and working staff: Aged 20+. Higher affordability. Comes in for lunch mainly, 12-2pm.Food is more than feeding hunger. Demand higher quality food and variety in choice. Daily users. Second largest user group in number, about 300+ and value. As they got more options and means to eat outside, their loyalty is lower. Residents living in the neighborhood/Visitors: Occasional users. Lacks loyalty. Not important group during the term but key opportunity during summer break. Lowest priority. Thus our d iscussion will focus on the student target group from now onwards. SWOT Analysis:Strength:Convenient location, Clean and CozyOctopus payment system, smart orderingFavorite place to meet your friendsGood value, $12-30 meals| Weakness:Limited choicesBad publicity due to unfriendly service| Opportunity:$6000 hand out from HK Gov'tStudents are experience driven: enjoy games ; promotionsStudents are keen on Mobile Apps. | Threat:Rising labor cost with min. wage| Positioning After considering the category drivers (low involvement, habitual repeat path driven by convenience and variety seeking), LNU unique product attributes, competitive landscape and student AIOs, the following positioning and perceptual map is created:Lingnan University Student Canteen is catering for Students who seek the quick, convenient, economic and hygienic food and beverage services with a friendly, clean, relaxing and comfortable setting because LNU canteen offers a balanced mix of Asian and Western food items, c ash free Octopus payment and Smart ordering system between HKD20-50 per head. It is better in value and more convenient over Fu Tai Chinese restaurant and Red Chamber cafe. Above all, it is a safe haven where everyone is equal. There is no deadline or evaluations.Your friend is here, your favorite music is in the air and your favorite dish is on the menu. Feel free to have a break! Perceptual Map IMC Objectives: Application of the SMART criteria and TFD framework against prioritized SWOT issues: – need to reinforce convenience and value proposition with friendly service – address need for variety with menu rotation driven by student inputs with exciting user imagery and brand purpose of LNU canteen – address bad publicity due to unfriendly service with value added promotion by proactive agenda settingInformational Achieve 95% awareness among all students on the new customer service offer i) no waiting in line pre-order service from 12:30-1:30pm with BBQ pork ric e ii) menu rotation three times per week iii) launch of tea break promotion via LNU student canteen facebook: free toast at 3:15pm for two drinks order within 30 days of launch of campaign. Attitudinal Achieve 80% customer satisfaction and My Favorite lunch place among daily student customers 6 months after the launch of campaign.Associate LNU canteen with the following attributes: FUN, Creative, Equal and student centered global village Behavioral Achieve growth of i) 15% in number of customers ii) 25% in afternoon tea break customers iii) 25% growth in average daily revenue among all LNU students by May 15, 2012. Strategies and Tactics As everything communicates, students are expected to deploy the four Rs of purposeful dialogue and four customer touch point concepts with the IMC strategies and tactics instead of grading students on creativity.The following discussions are for illustrative purpose than an exhaustive list. INTRINSICS/RECOURSE: Create easy access to duty manager to address performance issues with visible service pledge display at front service area. Proactive anticipation of student needs and wants by addressing variety seeking motive with menu rotation and reduce waiting in-line during lunch break at BBQ stand with pre-order service. COMPANY INITIATED/RESPECT: create promotions that add value to students – e. g. free finger sandwich for tea break of two and use of mobile media that student prefer.Examination period promotions: Buy one get one free coffee offer with meal box order. Active solicitation of student input to preference in menu items, music and promotion scheme through student suggestion scheme that reward constructive entries with prizes. Invite students to nominate most friendly canteen staff on monthly basis. Invite students to try new dishes of coming menu entries. Enhance meal experience with thematic promotions with special occasions: Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Anniversary celebration, Student society function and par ties etc.Example of promotion ideas: fund raising and food menu design competition for LNU societies. $10000 for the winning idea based on number of Facebook likes and purchases. Celebrate National days of different countries with special menu items and cater for the variety seeking needs. Invite student societies to stage creative or LNU event exhibits. Involve and engage real students on what they care and interested in. More research will be required. CUSTOMER INITIATED/RECOGNITION: facilitate student preference to give feedback with LNU student canteen FACEBOOK host page on anonymous basis.UNEXPECTED/RESPONSIVENESS: address negative publicity with concrete customer service pledge and put complaint into context with CAP. Message creative and Story Telling Format: As food and beverage items are largely low involvement, experience driven impulsive purchases. Demonstration in store and Emotional pitches are most effective. Media Strategies: Out of home and Interactive mobile phone m edia reflecting the student communication habits and mobile status. Examples of specific initiatives driven by rational and consistent target audience analysis will be rewarded with discretionary credits.Communication Mix: Priority should be focused on: Customer Service, Personal Selling and Packaging to reflect the service nature of QSR business and Habit/Repeat purchase pattern. On the other hand, Advertising, Promotion, Event Marketing, Publicity and Direct marketing will be critical for creating new consumption occasions with day parts beyond lunch and other special occasions like student party, society functions. Specific examples to illustrate these applications will be rewarded with discretionary credits.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Globalization: Good or Bad Essay

A tremendously contentious issue, globalization has been the center if much discusses and has raised a lot of questions. Some have viewed its procedure as helpful, while many others disagree that it produces adverse results and cost. Though, before the questions and apprehensions of globalization, it is essential to decide or rather describe globalization and all which is concerned. Although Ð ° fairly new term, dating to 1980s, globalization has been Ð ° historical process evident for over the last 100 years. Globalization specially encompasses many aspects for example trade, capital movement, stretch of information, movement of people. (Yager 2004) In the broader definition, globalization promotes effectiveness by utilizing each market and nation’s specialization; nonetheless, allowing people and economies to focus on what they do best. Globalization gives opportunity to each nation to access each others markets as well as to capital flow, technology, imports, exports, politics, and culture. However, as some countries continually reap the benefits and flourish others are falling short. (Guillen 2001) With any global process there are definitely risks and consequences to follow. It is certain that globalization led to Ð ° great economical growth but it is obvious that prosperity is not equal. Already advanced countries are the ones who have benefited most by globalization; nevertheless, this is not to say slowly developing countries have not prospered as well. However, the poorest regions such as in Africa and the former Soviet have not been able to keep up with the worldwide phenomenon. Low income countries have not integrated with the global economy because of policies and outside factors beyond their control. These factors are not fault of globalization; however, there has not been much effort to strengthen these countries financial systems. Globalization is lacking processes in which to increase trade and aid to the poorest countries which would help with integration of all countries-rich and poor. Furthermore, there are not only gaps between the rich and poor countries, but among the rich and poor within the countries which are benefiting from globalization. (Gladwin 2002) Comparative advantage and globalization The theory of absolute advantage was originally proposed in 1776 by Adam Smith. Smith’s theory was the first to explain the benefit of free trade. Smith felt that the hand of the market mechanism, rather than government policy, should determine Ð ° countries imports and exports. Free trade is achieved when Ð ° government does not influence trade through quotas or duties. Theory of absolute advantage, â€Å"†¦suggests that Ð ° country should specialize in producing goods in areas where it has an absolute advantage and import goods in areas where other countries have absolute advantages†. (Sherman, Steingard & Fitzgibbons 2002) The theory of comparative advantage, building on Smith’s theory, David Ricardo advanced the intellectual theory for unrestricted free trade by suggesting that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  it makes sense for Ð ° country to specialize in producing those goods that it can produce most efficiently, while buying goods that it can produce relatively less efficiently from other countries even if that means buying goods from other countries that it could produce more efficiently itself†. In short, the theory of comparative advantage suggests that opening Ð ° country to free trade stimulates economic growth. (Guillen 2001) Heckscher-Ohlin theory is Ð ° refined version of the work of Ricardo. Eli Heckscher and Bertil Ohlin, 20th century Swedish economists’ revealed one of the most influential ideas in international economics. (Brown, David, and Hunter 2004) The Heckscher-Ohlin hypothesis has been one of the most significant hypothetical ideas in global economics. The Heckscher-Ohlin theory suggests that the pattern of international trade is determined by endowments. The theory further reveals that, â€Å"†¦ countries will export those goods that make intensive use of locally abundant factors and will import goods that make intensive use of factors that are locally scarce†. (Stasavage 2005) Factors of Globalization The major drivers of globalization are the decline in barriers to the free flow of goods, services, and capital, technological change, communication, information processing, and transportation technologies. Examples of declining trade and investment barriers that will enable the free flow of goods and services can be seen in the reduction of tariffs and legal blocks which have prevented cross country business. (Gladwin 2002) These barriers were lessoned over the past decades facilitated by the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the move towards free market economies in China and Latin America. Reduction of these barriers has resulted in the current trend toward the globalization of production and the ability to see the world as Ð ° single market. (Yergin & Stanislaw 2000) Examples of technological change can be seen in the major advances seen in communication, information processing, and transportation technology, including the explosive emergence of the Internet and the World Wide We. Arguably the most important development is that of the microprocessor, which has fueled explosive growth increasing power and reducing costs there by exponentially increasing the amount of information processed by individual and organizations alike. (Guillen 2001) In the past three decades global communication has been enhanced by developments in satellite, optical fiber, wireless technologies, the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). Transportation innovations such as the jet aircraft, super-freighters, and the introductions of containerization have simplified shipment from one mode of transportation to the next; thereby increasing the speed and reducing the cost of goods shipped enabling organizations to expand the geographical area to which goods can be shipped. (Osland Dhanda & Yuthas 2002) Pros Productivity To begin with, globalization is creating Ð ° competitive advantage to companies which outsource labor work to cheaper countries hence lowering their costs. In this scenario both countries would be better of since the cheaper country would foreign cash inflows and the outsourcing country would have cheaper costs. (Gladwin 2002) Ð  problem with this practice is creating loss of jobs in the outsourcing country, but that is like saying Ð ° supermarket is laying of specific workers to hire more efficient workers therefore creating joblessness for the laid off workers. The workers will eventually get work in Ð ° field where they have â€Å"comparative advantage† in which is having an advantage among others based on specialization (in the simple sense). (Jepsen 2004) The same applies to Ð ° country as Ð ° whole when unemployment is on the rise; this will probably create Ð ° downward pressure on the cost of employment in the country and therefore having companies going back to hiring locals for the job since they now cost less and would then have the comparative advantage. Ð  second reason why globalization should be supported is that worldwide welfare is increased when each country does what is has Ð ° comparative advantage in, and this should come naturally as each company in Ð ° country individually finds the country to produce in that makes the most economic sense. (Brown, David, and Hunter 2004) This increase in welfare is accomplished because by definition when using comparative advantage each country is working in its specialization therefore each country is producing relatively its highest capacity. One of the greatest evils for the business/economic world is inflation and globalization helps limit inflation and this is due to competition in Ð ° bigger scale (worldwide) rather than just country wide. (Osland Dhanda & Yuthas 2002) Another reason why welfare will increase because of globalization is the fact that countries which have jobs given to them from foreign countries will now have more means to buying products from other countries all over the world therefore increasing the standard of living in all countries involved. Globalization spawns interaction between many different cultures which creates an understanding of populations’ ideologies and values towards one another. (Gladwin 2002) This creates more political stability as misunderstandings are less likely to occur. This can also be Ð ° problem as some extremists might be close minded to interaction and introduction of foreigners into the country which creates Ð ° bit of Ð ° cultural clash and some problems might occur such as revolutions against new policies and, in an extreme situation, war. (Stasavage 2005) Ideas and innovation Although in general globalization is Ð ° positive effect it still has its pitfalls. As previously discussed workers in the outsourcing country loose Ð ° lot of their jobs and unemployment is Ð ° serious problem to every economy. It is been said that one quarter of workers who have lost their jobs to outsourcing would still be unemployed 3 years from the time they were laid-off. (Sherman, Steingard & Fitzgibbons 2002) The workers who have not lost their job will probably be facing survivor syndrome which is the fear of loosing their job after Ð ° huge lay off has made around them and they haven’t been laid-off which has effects on the human’s health(heart problems) and productivity if they think there is no hope and they start lagging of. Exploitation of developing countries by developed countries is one of the major problems of globalization and it exists in two forms. The first type is using the labor force of Ð ° country for an extremely low price, in some cases old woman and very young children were used in the production of various products such as shoes and clothing. (Gladwin 2002) This issue was brought into attention in the late nineties with companies like Nike exploiting young kids to work for close to nothing and in horrid conditions in countries such as Indonesia. The second form of exploitation is when developing countries are forced to sell their products (coffee in the case of Brazil) at Ð ° very low price due to market fluctuations and the desperate need for income. Ð  cut in the production of one product in one part of the world would be highly felt in Ð ° whole different part of the world and that effect is highly substantial in primary products like oil. (Gladwin 2002) Inflation, jobs and outsourcing There are many advantages which Ð ° company could get from outsourcing its distribution functions. Ð  study which has been conducted in 1993 reported that Ð ° company could reduce 9% of its operating costs by outsourcing. When Ð ° company is outsourced its distribution function to world-class provider, it would reduce the cost of this function as the provider would be more efficient and specialist in this function. Also, by outsourcing non-core activities like distribution, Ð ° company could focus on its core activities and increase revenues. . Managers realize that by outsourcing their routine, nonessential operations, they can better focus on the core competencies that truly differentiate them from competitor. (Gladwin 2002) For example, Ericsson one, of the leading companies in the telecommunication industry, wanted to reduce its costs in the supply chain by finding Ð ° solution to its warehouses in Philippines. (Guillen 2001) Ericsson is always trying to reduce costs in different areas of business, this is including, the supply chain so as to save money and focus on Research and development. Therefore, Ericsson turned to Exel. Ericsson has leased the warehousing operation to Exel on Ð ° two years contract. Exel has provided Ð ° flexible service to Ericsson which has resulted in cost saving and made Ericsson concentrate on its core businesses. Before Ericsson has to handle the warehouse operation in-house but it was not the core competencies of the business. (Osland Dhanda & Yuthas 2002) Another advantage of outsourcing is the reduction of the need to invest in non-core business assets such as warehousing and carriers. This will allow the firm to make the capital funds more available for core functions such as research and development in the telecommunication industry. For example, Northern Telecom manufacture enterprise which is operating in 130 countries has outsourced its distribution service to Ryder Dedicated Logistic. The main reason for Northern Telecom to outsource its distribution function, it did not want to invest in non-core activities. (Yergin & Stanislaw 2000) The development and increasing implementation of outsourcing has not been without its problem. The cost escalation and lack of quality of service are two of the more frequent complaints from firms towards the third party, although contractors argue that these problems often stem from firm’s failure to be precise about what they want by outsourcing their distribution service. Clear objectives need to be set by and to achieve this high level of communication and understanding between firm and service provider must be established. (Sherman, Steingard & Fitzgibbons 2002) Cons Jobs loss The risk outsourcing is the impact of outsourcing on those currently responsible for management of the function is fundamental. If the service is outsourced, the management of the provision of the service from within the organization is radically changed from management of Ð ° function to management of the business relationship with Ð ° contractor. The lack of control posed by movement of this function outside of the organization is often seen as the greatest risk of outsourcing. Consequently, it needs to be cautiously planned and managed. In reality, the effect of outsourcing can simply be seen as Ð ° shift in focus from managing Ð ° function to managing Ð ° contractual relationship. Careful planning together with Ð ° contract written to provide for control measures such as performance monitoring, and good contract administration will minimize or negate any lack of control. (Gladwin 2002) Outsourcing now usually includes benefit transfers. Examples are transfers of staff, sale of existing equipment, and/or Ð ° transfer of existing contracts used in the provision of the service. It is common for specialist outsourcing companies to seek Ð ° transfer of existing staff to do the work. An organization can facilitate this process by allowing communication between staff and bidders about options for staff. Many staff views the opportunity to work with an organization that specializes in their field as valuable; others will prefer redeployment or simply Ð ° redundancy. (Gladwin 2002) Sometimes the sale, lease or sublicense of Ð ° site is also involved. It is therefore important that Ð ° complete asset valuation is undertaken as part of the process of defining an organization’s current service and preferred requirements. The organization must know what equipment and other physical property it has, including consumables, what contracts are currently used in the provision of the service and relevant details of those contracts. It is common for specialist outsourcing companies to seek Ð ° transfer of existing staff to do the work. An organization can facilitate this process by allowing communication between staff and bidders about options for staff. All these need to be considering when the company decides to outsource its distribution activities to the external agents. (Jepsen 2004) As noted, there are many advantages for companies who choose outsourcing as Ð ° means of satisfying their logistics need, but just as there are advantages there are also disadvantages. Outsourcing is based upon fundamental principles and, if those are applied at the outset of Ð ° relationship, the parties will most likely have an effective, successful relationship. But if the parties enter into an agreement that is not based on those principles, the result will be an unsatisfactory relationship and, probably, an early termination of the contract. (Karliner 2000)

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Bounty Trilogy essays

The Bounty Trilogy essays In 1932, Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall became best-selling authors with the publication of Mutiny on the Bounty. This story and its sequels are based upon the true story of mutiny and subsequent happenings on board an English naval vessel in the late 1700's. All of the accounts in this book have a historical basis but are pure fiction. The authors followed their successful first novel with the sequels,Men Against the Sea (1934) and Pitcairn's Island (1934). Mutiny on the Bounty gives the unforgettable historic account of the voyage of His Majesty's Ship Bounty in 1788 1789, and Fletcher Christian's mutiny against the captain of the Bounty Captain Bligh. Before the Bounty disappears into the South Pacific those who choose not to sail with Christian and his crew are left on Tahiti, where they enjoy a brief stay before being captured and returned to England for court martial. Men Against the Sea is the epic story of the nineteen loyal men who, with Captain Bligh at the helm, are set adrift in the Bounty's twenty three foot whaling launch. (p.303-305) To this day their 3600-mile voyage remains one of the greatest feats of courage and adventure on the open ocean. The third and final sensational book in this trilogy is, Pitcarin's Island, records the brave journey and fate of Christian, the mutineers, and a few Tahitians who find on the loneliest island in the Pacific Ocean. There they live out a tragedy of murder, betrayal vengeance, and drunkenness, leaving only one Englishman alive, Alexander Smith, to restore the peace, which he does by using the principles taught in the Bounty's bible.(p.685) These classic stories tell of exciting sea adventures, the pleasant and simple life of the pacific islands, and of romantic love stories between sailors and Tahitian girls. Many moral lessons are also taught in this book. And finally of power struggles in which good ultimately triumphs o ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Write Sarahs account of her relationship with Billy Prior Essay Example

Write Sarahs account of her relationship with Billy Prior Essay Example Write Sarahs account of her relationship with Billy Prior Paper Write Sarahs account of her relationship with Billy Prior Paper Write Sarahs account of her relationship with Billy Prior. You should aim to create and authentic voice of Sarah, which builds on Barkers presentation of her character and captures aspects of the written chosen form, structure and language. This bloody train, how can it possibly take so long to get it movingAnd crowds! I just hate them! The constant crying of that baby just seems to irritate every nerve in my body, is it so difficult to satisfy a child, and keep it quiet!? This sickening feeling of being cramped up against bodies is beginning to make me feel as though I just walked back into that awfully retained hospital once again. And that revolting smell of body sweat, from the old man who was just inches away from, physical contact. Well. At least I managed, half suffocated and completely exhausted to spare myself a seat, squeezing me through the little space provided; I practically dragged myself into the nearest seat. Now having a space of my own after, finally catching my breath. Thankfully the trains finally moving, only realizing through the sudden knock of the track; and the clouds of black smoke that continuously belched into the sky. I sat surprisingly relieved, gazed out of the steamed window, searching for desperate need of help. Just as I felt the thought of Billy slip away from my mind; the depressed storm bellowed outside and I just couldnt help but think about our delightful adventurous day out, all the wonderful momentsThe beach, our own little trip up to the forest, and his sneaky venture up to my room. Ha, ha, he does make me laugh; showing his eagerness to climb up into the window, standing there pulling all the faces that you could possibly think of. Not realizing that I had laughed aloud and being stared at suspiciously by others that surrounded me. Yet I could not help restricting myself from the thought of Billys face, as he dragged himself up to my window; his cheeky face steadily modifying its color, putting that great smile back on my face. It was just like romeo and juliet. Except Romeo isnt such a War leaching person, its a shame really. When Billy and I met one another it made me feel like I actually exist in this world. He made me feel like I should appreciate myself. Hes such a polite, young gentle man. A bit forceful though, an I like it this way kind of man. He was ever so polite to me, hed given me a sense of sensitivity and warmth, and Ive never felt anything like it before. He made me feel secure, I felt like he had been another chance for me to put myself back on track; after what happened, I dont think I could accept another death in my life. But my attempts to persuade Mam didnt work. She couldnt accept the fact that I had found someone new in my life. I couldnt even convince her to say hello. It hadnt been such a good idea to have taken him to see Mam. Its not like she helped the situation anyway, that malicious woman! Theres nothing nothing thats she ever approves of me for. She just sat there goading him along like a bull! I really dont think that I could ever forgive her, not even if I tried! Who does she think she is!? She sits there with her cup of tea and rambles on about how theres no such thing as true love Judging him before shes even introduced to him, let alone knowing who he is! I knew it! I just knew that I shouldnt have taken him to see her! Yet he was so eager to see her, what must he think of me now? How could I be so selfish! I dont even know where he went; I just left him, my frustration just seeded through my veins, Just thinking how offensive Mam was, it just made me tremble all over the place. The fury in her eyes, her soft voice suddenly transformed to a shameful deepened tone. I couldnt bare to think how Prior must have felt. I feel ever so sorry for him. What must he be thinking? I continued contemplating about Billy, predicting how he must be so furious at me; whether he still wants me; what hell say to me when I see him. That is, if I see him. The train came to a sudden halt, only to continue this ghastly screeching sound as we approached yet another, wet, busy station; which predictably encouraged the baby to scream even louder. Its making my head ache, almost feeling although it was about to explode, into tiny little molecules. I was beginning to wonder whether Well. Can I actually handle the fact that Billy is ill? I mean. Well, Ive seen what hes like when he gets these horrifying nightmares. He cant control himself! His almost like another person. I dont think I could even possibly consider bringing my children up around something like that, and then theres his asthma attacks, he just doesnt know how to control it. Hes longing to get himself back to that godforsaken place to that pointless war out front. His illness is getting more severe by the day, and he just doesnt see it. I couldnt bear to handle the thought of bringing up his children while hes out there! Its suicideHe just doesnt understand it! He doesnt seem to appreciate what already has. When I come to think about it, maybe I shouldnt have been so harsh on Mam sometimes I understand why she was being so protective. I shouldnt have confronted her. Everything shes done for me, shes virtually saved my life. Keeping me inside all those nights away from them mean men. She was strict. Yes. Of cause, why wouldnt she be? But I see now. I see that I needed a mother like her, and that I took advantage of it all. I should be proud to have a mam like her. How do I know what true love is?Its not like Ive ever had the satisfaction of the true experience, is it?! Im just that typical, young, working class girl, living on her own, no children, no life, nothing! Just little,Sarah Lumb, the working class munition-ette worker! It isnt that bad is it? At least I dont go out wandering into a war, like young Billy wanting to get myself killed! Look at all them poor souls at Craiglockhart! Its dreadful to see so many, innocent, young men have half of their bodies blown to pieces! Just the thought of it makes we quiver. Its horrible. And yet, there you get people like these, sitting on the train; socializing, laughing along to pathetic, hideous jokes; its like lifes a fun, colorful game for them, strolling around like theres nothing happening! I just wish I could do something! Anything! I dont understand how life can still go on for these people, I know mine has long gone; the moment I left Billy. Ok. I know how silly it was of me to start rowing with Billy, but he brought it on himself, and seemed the right decision at the time. So I left, at that moment I felt his eyes follow me, as I left the house; I could see his shocked impression through the reflection of the mirror. I continued, not knowing where I was going. And here I am. I dont actually know where he is now, nor how hes going to get back. That is if he does decide to come back.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The History of the Compass and Other Magnetic Innovations

The History of the Compass and Other Magnetic Innovations A compass is an instrument containing a freely suspended magnetic element that displays the direction of the horizontal component of Earths magnetic field at the point of observation. Its been used to help people navigate for many centuries. Located in the same part of the public imagination as sextants and telescopes, its actually been in use for a lot longer than the sea voyages that discovered North America. The use of magnetism in inventions doesnt stop there, though; its found in everything from telecommunications equipment and motors to the food chain. Discovery Large deposits of magnetic oxides were found in the district of Magnesia in Asia Minor thousands of years ago; their location led to the mineral receiving the  name of magnetite (Fe3O4), which was nicknamed lodestone. In 1600,  William Gilbert published De Magnete, a paper on magnetism that details the use and properties of magnetite. Ferrites, or magnetic oxides, are stones that attract iron and other metals. These are natural magnets and are not inventions. However, the machines that we make with magnets are inventions. Magnetic Compass The magnetic compass is actually  an old Chinese invention, probably first made in China during the Qin dynasty (221–206 B.C.). Back then, the Chinese used lodestones (which align themselves in a north-south direction) to construct fortune-telling boards. Eventually, someone noticed that the lodestones were better at pointing out real directions, which led to the creation of the first compasses. The earliest compasses were designed on a square slab that had markings for the cardinal points and the constellations. The pointing needle was a spoon-shaped lodestone device with a handle that would always point south. Later on, magnetized needles were used as direction pointers instead of the spoon-shaped lodestones. These appeared in the eighth century A.D.- again in China- and between 850 and 1050. Compasses as Navigational Aids In the 11th century, compasses use as navigational devices on ships seemed to have become common. The magnetized-needle compasses used in navigation could be wet (in water), dry (on a pointed shaft), or suspended (on silk thread) and were used by voyagers, such as those traders who traveled to the Middle East, and were used by early navigators to locate the magnetic North Pole or pole star. Electromagnetism In 1819,  Hans Christian Oersted  reported that when an  electric current  in a wire was applied to a magnetic  compass  needle, the magnet was affected. This is called  electromagnetism. In 1825, British inventor William Sturgeon (1783–1850) displayed the power of the electromagnet by lifting nine pounds with a seven-ounce piece of iron wrapped with wires through which the current of a single-cell battery was sent. This device laid the foundation for large-scale  electronic communications, as it led to the invention of the telegraph. It also resulted in the invention of the electric motor.   Cow Magnets U.S. patent #3,005,458 is the  first patent  issued for a cow magnet. It was issued to Louis Paul Longo, the inventor of the Magnetrol Magnet, for the prevention of hardware disease in cows. If cows happen to consume scrap pieces of metal, such as nails, when theyre feeding, the foreign objects can cause internal damage to their digestive tract. Cow magnets keep the metal pieces confined to the cows first stomach, rather than traveling to the later stomachs or intestines, where the fragments can cause the most damage.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Answer the question from marketing point of view Essay

Answer the question from marketing point of view - Essay Example Faulty marketing strategy is what many consider as the core reason for its failure to draw the amount of customer it had targeted in the beginning. In such a situation the prowess of Apple's marketing strategy and the success of iPhone in getting a quantum hold over the market come into question. In marketing point of view, it can be conjectured that perhaps, Apple's strategy for iPhone in Europe and Asia has not been able to accomplish what it was supposed to. In my following statement I will discuss the merits and demerits of Apple's marketing strategy, where did they go wrong Their approach towards targeting Asian and European market is also a matter of concern now. The entire wireless industry awaited the advent of iPhone in the market. There was an unrestrained buzz concerning its grand arrival. Since Apple's iPhone is among the few other internet-connected multimedia phones it generated umpteen interests among the mobile users all over the world. One of the major reasons for such a craze about iPhone is its trendy, sleek and modish look. Adding to the outer appeal of the iPhone these smart phones are endowed with advanced features like 3rd generation wireless networking. Apple's iPhone has also been able get the attention of the gizmo geeks who are tempted by its ultra-modern features which include portable media player and visual voicemail. Those who love to flaunt advanced mobiles are easily attracted towards its multi-touch screen and a minimum hardware interface. Besides having an in-built memory of 8 GB the iPhones also have a large screen of 3.5 inches and a striking display. The mobile users and the lovers of modern gadgets were more inclined towards iPhones owing to their endless features that were not available in other mobile phones. There is no denial of the fact that Apple's iPhones were richly added with most advanced features and most of the mobile users were eagerly waiting for its advent. To many, iPhone is a wonderful innovation which offers internet services like, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. People started to think of it's a wonder machine which is a major achievement by Apple Inc in revolutionizing wireless industry. Delicate look of the iPhones and their intelligent features combine to make them irresistible among the mobile phone users. Their craze is perhaps much because of the prospect of owning something stylish rather than the interest of using a complicated gadget. Merits and demerits of the strategies adopted by Apple in launching iPhone: The craze for Apple's iPhones is attributable to the excellent marketing strategies adopted by the company. It can also be inferred that since Apple Inc emphasizes on the significance of innovation people all over the world expected to see something unseen and use something which was not known before. The USP of the product was undoubtedly its unique features and endless number of convenient services within that smart phone. It is also to be accepted that the marketing team of Apple strove hard to market their product in a most plausible way. Apple Inc was prudent enough to adopt Price Skimming method in the initial stages of its marketing. This is a marketing strategy in which Apple deliberately overpriced its products without bringing it down. Its tactics has helped

Friday, October 18, 2019

Raisin in the Sun - Response Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Raisin in the Sun - Response - Term Paper Example Racial issue was also on the rise during the same period. America began to see a trend of sexual equality. Self supporting women, who were often colored, faced more criticism since they were forced into unconventional gender roles (Weiss, 2000).This shift in gender roles was felt by the citizens of society and is evident in literature and art of that period. A sun Raisin in the sun responds to this gender role conflict in an explicit manner; gender discrimination and role conflict are apparent in dialogues of the male as well as female characters throughout the play. Gender Discrimination and Drift in Gender Roles Portrayed In the Play In the opening act of the play, the main male character of the story, Walter expresses his biased beliefs regarding the opposite sex and his frustration about losing authority in these words: ‘You don’t understand about making men feel like they can do something’. This clearly expresses the conflict and insecurity that the male memb ers in sex role transition face. There are many instances in the play that reflect prejudice against women, for example, at one point, Walter comments on women generally: ‘The world’s most backward nation of women!’ Similarly, stereotyping is also evident in the second act, where Walter is sitting with his friends, talking about women: ‘If there is anybody you cannot persuade to take a larger view of life, it is a woman.’ The play also reflects the biased attitude of male members of the 1950’s society towards a woman seeking a professional education, since it was not in accordance with the typical role. Walter says in the second act: ‘Aint many girls who decide to be a doctor’, and he also mentions in the third act that he clearly wants his sister married as soon as possible and he doesn’t care whether she becomes a doctor or not. The other main male character in the play, Asagai, despite being romantically in love with Wal ter’s sister Bennie, expresses his biased opinion of women in second act by stating ‘Just being loved should be enough for a woman’; implying that a woman should desire nothing more out of life. Female roles in the play are very strong and all three of them express the gender discrimination and sex role conflict in the society via different dialogues. Mama for example despite being a mature and strong willed person, is reluctant to travel alone to Europe and starts comparing herself with stereotyped white women who roam around, unaccompanied by their males. Ruth, Walter’s wife who is a bit more modernized than mama, shows the typical determination of a 1950’s woman by mentioning in the last act, that she will work hard to pay the installments no matter what: ‘I’ll work in all the kitchens of America, ill strap my baby at my back if I have to’. ‘A Raisin in the sun’ also depicts the power and strength of the predeterm ined gender roles. The women themselves find it difficult to place their selves or other women out of that prescribed gender role. Like at one point in the second act of the play, Mama says to her daughter ‘What do you mean by leaving the house looking like this’; which implies that the older woman finds it unconventional that a woman should go out while leaving the house in a mess, while the younger woman thinks it is normal to do so. The frustration of not

Who is Capable of Leading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Who is Capable of Leading - Essay Example As the paper declares leadership engages more than being able to obtain changes in behavior that flow from coercion linked to the possession of power or enticement linked to the ability to reward. Leadership involves the possession of qualities that lead others to want to follow the leader's directives, either because they feel obligated to do so, or because they desire to do so In other words, leadership is a characteristic that is voluntarily conferred upon a person by others and involves the ability of a person to engage the active and willing cooperation of followers. Leadership is, therefore, a process of influence that depends more on persuasion than on coercion. The ability to motivate group members, while clearly a key function of leadership, is not all that leadership involves. This essay stresses that leadership is also linked to the ability to set goals for the group that is vision; goals whose attainment facilitates the continued success of the group. In addition, leadership involves being able to structure the organization so that it can effectively attain those goals that is implementation. The several theories of leadership that have developed since the earliest history of organized societies articulate a wide variety of other criteria of leadership, making any simple definition of leadership incomplete. Leaders come in each size, figure, and temperament -- short, tall, neat, sloppy, young, old, male, and female.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Developing the Professional Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Developing the Professional - Assignment Example Dear Sir/Madam I am a postgraduate student pursuing my Master's degree in International Business from Lincoln University United Kingdom. I would like to be considered for the post of an HR PMO Officer in the organization. I am very interested in working in this field and would like to take this opportunity to put my ideas and skills into practice in order to develop myself along with the organization. I would like to make the best use of this opportunity and that is why I am applying to Vodafone for the post of an HR PMO Officer as I believe that, this platform will give me an exposure to a professional working environment whereby I will be able to learn and grow along with the organization. This job will be a perfect platform for me to put into practice my communications skills that I have developed over the due course of my life, thereby enabling me to interact with many people all over the world and to learn and know more about them thus enhancing my communication skills. While working with Ras Girtas Power Company and Doha Bank, I learned to provide assistance to my superiors and I had to work under strict deadlines. I had to schedule my tasks and report the status of every single assignment on a timely basis to my superiors. This is where I believe I can be of great assistance to the PMO lead where my major responsibility will be to support the PMO lead and other project and program management officers to deliver their projects within time, cost and quality.

Cloud Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Cloud Computing - Essay Example Cloud computing has the aim of hiding the intricacy of IT infrastructure administration from its users (Bahga & Madisetti, 2014). Simultaneously, the cloud computing platforms offer enormous scalability, 99.999% dependability, and high performance, along with configurability that can be specified. These capabilities are given at relatively low costs when compared to devoted infrastructures (Erl, Puttini & Mahmood, 2013). I present an impression of Eveready’s cloud services as well as pricing to be employed in the calculations. Eveready has two appropriate cloud computing services. Foremost, Eveready gives the Elastic Computing Cloud service. This platform charges every hour a running instance, and it provides examples with diverse compute power as well as memory (Bahga & Madisetti, 2014). This application meets the criteria for an excellent application in this course. To begin with, I am interested in the application. As an IT manager, I realize that the cloud computing was maybe the single most significant finding this century in my field. As a man database administrator, I am as well intensely interested in the challenges and successes faced by other men scientists. Second, in juxtaposition with EC2, Eveready will provide the Elastic Block Store (EBS) service. This service gives reliable and unrelenting storage with a high IO performance. EBS rates per GB of storage as well as for each million IO transactions. Eveready will also offer the Simple Storage Service (S3). This is a service to provide access via web services to unrelenting data kept in buckets (one-level of directories) together with meta-data (key/value pairs). S3 rates per GB of storage as well as HTTP requests relating to it. Persistent FS will offer a POSIX-compliant file system by means of S3 and is debatably less costly than EBS for largely

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Developing the Professional Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Developing the Professional - Assignment Example Dear Sir/Madam I am a postgraduate student pursuing my Master's degree in International Business from Lincoln University United Kingdom. I would like to be considered for the post of an HR PMO Officer in the organization. I am very interested in working in this field and would like to take this opportunity to put my ideas and skills into practice in order to develop myself along with the organization. I would like to make the best use of this opportunity and that is why I am applying to Vodafone for the post of an HR PMO Officer as I believe that, this platform will give me an exposure to a professional working environment whereby I will be able to learn and grow along with the organization. This job will be a perfect platform for me to put into practice my communications skills that I have developed over the due course of my life, thereby enabling me to interact with many people all over the world and to learn and know more about them thus enhancing my communication skills. While working with Ras Girtas Power Company and Doha Bank, I learned to provide assistance to my superiors and I had to work under strict deadlines. I had to schedule my tasks and report the status of every single assignment on a timely basis to my superiors. This is where I believe I can be of great assistance to the PMO lead where my major responsibility will be to support the PMO lead and other project and program management officers to deliver their projects within time, cost and quality.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Low risk 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Low risk 1 - Essay Example If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.   This means the Pope has no power to remit sins. Only God can remit sins. What the Pope can do here is only to declare to a person that God has remitted their sins. Therefore, when the pope offers the sacrament of penance, he does not effect the penance himself, but lets the penitent know that God has remitted their guilt. This shows it is only God, who has the power to remove a person’s sins. The Pope has no power to remove sin. What the Pope can do in this case, is only offer the sacrament of penance, after a person humbles and accepts their sins before the pope. However, the real penance comes from God. Canon law, including the penitential laws only applies to the living and not the dead. Therefore, the dead souls in the purgatory are not under the judgement of penitential canons. This means the Pope has no power to remit the penalties owed by the souls in the purgatory, since the penitential laws do not apply to them. Either way, in case the souls in the purgatory have any remorse, this is outside the power of the pope, and there is nothing he can do. This means when a person dies, they are released from penalties. The canon law then no longer holds them. The dead, by virtue of being dead are entitled to freedom from all penalties, and this release from penalties is owed to God, and not to the Pope. Therefore, the Pope has no power to free the dead from their penalties, as God is responsible for

Monday, October 14, 2019

Genetically modified organism Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified organism Essay Genetically engineered food is an epidemic all around the world. There are factors that make these types of foods undesirable for many reasons. Public opinions on how genetically engineered foods will effect the consumer market and farmers cannot afford the new seeds that are genetically altered. There are many cons of genetically engineered food that have long term and short term risks. Some risks have been found by scientists while other risks are still unknown and will remain so unless a researcher tests for them. These foods have become very common in America as well as other countries. Almost every grocery store in the United States carries a wide array of food that has been genetically modified. Most of the genetically engineered foods in markets are not labeled to tell consumers they were altered in any way. Environmental risks are also a concern for genetically engineered food. Different animals, including farm animals or insects can be harmed from genetically engineered food. Genetically engineered food has negative effects on the human population. Genetically engineered food was first introduced into society in the early 1990’s. Many people today do not know what kind of extensive research and development goes into making these types of foods. Sharon Palmer, a reporter, writes that genetic engineering is either â€Å"Doomsday tech† or â€Å"biotechnology for the future† (Palmer 1). The process of altering an organism completely changes the original organism and transforms it into something new. This new way of altering an organism’s genetic makeup bypasses common breeding methods used by scientists (Genetically Modified Foods 1). The process of creating genetically altered food usually involves â€Å"identifying the genes governing a desirable characteristic in one organism, and inserting them into another in the expectation that the trait will be transferred† (Genetically Modified Foods 1). Sometimes the process of creating these organisms does not work so scientists have to do the process over again until they get a transformed organism. In 1973 scientists were able to achieve using another organism as a vector which essentially was the beginning of the development of genetically engineered foods. Although genetically engineered foods were not fully introduced until the early 1990s, they were in the process of becoming what society knows today. Newer techniques have been introduced that make it easier for gene insertion. This new method is the use of DNA bullets where â€Å"microscopic metal beads can be coated with DNA fragments, and then â€Å"fired† from a miniature gun into the host cell, where DNA may integrate into the genome† (Genetically Modified Foods 1). A few of the genetically engineered foods are soybeans, corn, canola, cotton, squash and papaya (Palmer 1). There are many other foods that people see on the shelves in grocery stores that may be genetically altered but these are some main ones. Statistics show that â€Å"an estimated 70 to 75 percent of all processed foods in U. S.grocery stores probably contain ingredients from GE plants† (Palmer 6). Many foods have been genetically altered to make them â€Å"better† or resistant to herbicides. Despite the fact that scientists consider these foods to be revolutionary there are hidden consequences to the development of such organisms. The public opinion on genetically engineered food is that it is not a good improvement. Many citizens believe that the introduction of altered foods is going to have negative side effects on everything. People feel that genetically engineered foods should not be put on the market until they have had adequate testing (Current Issues 3). Many of the alterations done to food have not had extensive research conducted to find harmful effects that they might have on humans and animals. Any research that had been done usually had negative effects but scientists found a way to â€Å"throw out† the research so that it would not go against genetically engineered food. Andrew Simms states that the â€Å"evidence of harm is not evidence of the absence of harm† (Simms 1). In Simm’s article he describes how consumers do not need genetically modified food. Scientists brought genetically engineered foods into the market and advertised them as a way to help the world. Different techniques can be used to approach the issue of world hunger. Introducing these foods to third world countries can only harm them not help them. There is a high cost of development for making genetically engineered foods. Also there is a monopoly involved with these foods. There are only a few corporations in the United States that are developing genetically altered seeds. This in turn drives up the price of the seed making it more expensive and poor farmers cannot afford to buy them (Current Issues 3). Farmers have lost billions of dollars because foreign buyers do not want to buy genetically engineered foods (Kupfer 1). Many states have passed legislation against having genetically modified foods. States do not think that genetically engineered foods can help anything except make things worse (Kupfer 2). Foods are altered to have different traits that would normally take a few generations to make but with genetically engineering their DNA scientists are able to do a lot more. Scientist use genetic engineering to make crops or animals drought tolerant and be able to tolerate pests. Consumers do not want crops that are mutations. They want natural crops and animals. Other public opinions on worldwide hunger are that GM crops will not change it. â€Å"People go hungry because they’re either poor, powerless, both, or have no land to grow food on† (Simms 2). Public opinion on genetically engineered food is that they do not want it. Many factors have led people to choose not to accept genetically engineered foods into their lives. Genetically engineered food effects everything in a negative way. There are cons to the development and introduction of genetically engineered foods into civilization. There are many risks involved with these types of foods that are unknown to the public. Scientists try to cover up the experiments they had on genetically altered foods because they had negative outcomes. In one study scientists fed corn to rats and then checked the rats’ livers and kidneys, particularly males, and the study revealed adverse effects. In another study conducted on GM foods many of the mice that ate the food developed health problems or even died during the experiment (Current Issues 4). The introduction of genetically engineered foods has been linked to the rising levels of food allergies in the United States. Genetically modified foods can effect organic foods if they are processed in the same place. Allergic reactions are greater since genetically engineered foods have been introduced (Smith 1). There are many environmental concerns as well. Although long term impact is unknown many researchers can conclude some of the negative side effects. A few difficulties have already developed. Plants can cross-pollinate with other plants around them which may seem like a great thing but it is not. Some plants are engineered to be pest resistant which seems good but in all actuality those plants can cross-pollinate with the weeds around them which in turn makes the weeds stronger and become more resistant to herbicides. The cross-pollination of plants creates a problem for farmers who then have to spend additional money to buy more herbicide to kill new weeds (Current Issues 3). Another common modification is adding a gene called Bacillus thuringiensis which is a bacterium that helps that plant develop poison that kills pests such as bollworms and stem borers. This seemed like a good modification by scientists but in fact the plant emits these toxins into the environment and it is deadly to all insects, not just the pests. Reports have been shown that these toxins from the crops also killed a large amount of butterflies (Current Issues 1). U. S. Government does not require reviews on genetically engineered foods. Genetically altered foods are not FDA regulated either. Foods are being modified without having adequate testing and then put on grocery shelves. People are eating food that they do not know whether or not it is safe. There are many other potential concerns with genetic engineering like an organisms genetic makeup, anti-nutrients, viral DNA, antibiotic resistant genes, absorbing genes, and allergic responses. Many genetically altered foods have been used as feed for animals as well. These animals have shown effects on body growth, changes in blood, kidney, pancreas, liver, erosion and necrosis of the gastrointestinal tract, and alterations in reproduction, development and mortality (Palmer 6). There are many unknown risks of genetically engineered foods. Unknown long term health risks have not been identified and cannot be identified until researchers conduct more research. Genetically modified foods are not something people should rely on in the future as their base food. There are risks today and also many other unknown risks. Genetically engineered food is a hazard to the human population. This creation was introduced to try and stop world hunger, make food cheaper to buy and many other reasons. These issues have not changed because of the introduction of genetically engineered food. The effects these types of foods have on humans and even animals can be harmful. Research shows that there are long term risks involved with genetically engineered foods. Potential cancers, diseases, environmental changes, and possibly a rising cost in food are all negative factors of genetically engineered food. Genetically engineered foods should be eliminated from people and animal’s diets. Works Cited â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. † Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods. † The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2011. Kupfer, David. Genetically Modified Food Damages Trade with Other Nations. Genetically Modified Food. Diane Andrews Henningfeld, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2009. David Kupfer, The Genetic Resistance: Mendocino Is the First GMO-free County in the Nation, and I am Sure It Will Not Be the Last, Earth Island Journal, vol. 19, summer 2004, pp. 42-44. Copyright  © 2004 Earth Island Institute. Reproduced by permission. Palmer, Sharon, and Chris McCullum-Gomez. â€Å"Genetically Engineered Foods Update.. (Cover Story). † Environmental Nutrition 33. 7 (2010): I-6. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. Simms, Andrew. Genetically Modified Food Will Not Ease World Hunger. Social Justice. David Haugen, Susan Musser, and Vickey Kalambakal, Eds. Opposing Viewpoints ® Series. Greenhaven Press, 2010 Andrew Simms, World Hunger Needs a Simple Solution Rather Than Hi-Tech GM Food, Guardian, (UK), August 4, 2003. Copyright  © 2003 Guardian Newspapers Limited. Reproduced by permission of the author Smith, Jeffrey M. Genetically Modified Foods May Cause Allergic Responses. Food Safety. Judeen Bartos, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2011. Jeffrey M. Smith, Genetically Engineered Foods May Cause Rising Food Allergies, Institute for Responsible Technology, May 2007. Copyright  © 2007 by Virago. Reproduced by permission by Time Warner Books UK.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Sources Of Finance For Kfc Finance Essay

Sources Of Finance For Kfc Finance Essay KFC began with Colonel Harland Sanders. He discovered his penchant for cooking when he was only 9 years old. Through the years he grew up to become a personage the world knows as Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC. He reached celebrity status in 1952, when he decided to franchise his famous Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe blends of 11 herbs and spices to the rest of America. By the early 70s, that special recipe reached Malaysia. KFC Holdings owns approximately 27 Kedai Ayamas and 4 Ayamas Depots, making them the nations first branded chicken and chicken-based retain chain. KFC Holdings operates the KFC chain of restaurants in Malaysian, Singapore and Brunei (523 restaurants) and the Rasamas chain of restaurants in Malaysia (about 37 outlets). Sources of finance are where finance comes from. There are three kinds of sources which are Bank loans, Owners (share) capital and Trade credit . Finance is money which is a scarce resource. To obtain it, a business has to compete for it. Individuals, the government and other businesses all seek money to finance their needs. Those with money to lend will lend it provided the rate of return (interest), the risk and flexibility (how quickly the money can be repossessed) are consistent with their expectations. The word lend often implies to short-term; the word invest implies to long-term. Individuals or organisations that lend money, expect to get their money back, with a fixed annual return in a comparatively short time. Those who invest in a company become part-owners share holders. They expect regular payment of cash dividends (whose size varies with the companys success) plus an increase in the value of their shares. A major source of finance for many businesses is the retained profit from sales to customers. A business just starting up or one expanding rapidly has to raise its finance from other sources. There are three kind of finance question which relates the finance which the management should consider. Duration: for how long is the finance required? Cost: which source of finance is the least expensive? repayment: what level is acceptable Duration Duration depends on the reason the money is needed. No-one would take out a 25 year mortgage to finance the purchase of a personal HiFi. Few people would buy a house with a bank overdraft. Businesses apply the same principles of matching the purpose of finance with the source of finance. This makes sense all round. For the business it ensures that finance is guaranteed as long as it is needed. For the investor it ensures that adequate security is available for the duration of the loan as in the case of a 20 year loan secured against a property that will continue to have value for all the 20 years. Cost In general, businesses look for the cheapest source of finance. The easiest way to compare the cost of finance is to express the annual payment to lenders/investors as a percentage of the amount of finance provided. Interest on a loan can be expressed in percentage terms. So can the rate of return to shareholders. Return on investment in shares = Dividend per share, share price change since the start of year The rate of return expected by shareholders becomes the cost to the business of using this form of finance. Repayment A business should not get into a position where all of its profits are being swallowed up in interest payments. There is a real danger of borrowing too much. The same applies to individuals. Type of sources of finance: government purchase loan stock leasing venture capital hire purchase ordinary shares warrant retailed earning borrowings Ordinary Shares Ordinary shares also known as common stock or voting share is a share of stock giving stockholders the right to vote no matters of corporate policy and the composition of the members of the board of directors. Ordinary shares are issued to the owners of a company. They have a nominal or face value, typically of RM1 or 50 cents. The market value of a quoted companys shares bears no relationship to their nominal value, except that when ordinary shares are issued for cash, the issue price must be equal to or be more than the nominal value of the shares. Preference Shares Preference shares, also called preferred stock or preferred shares, is typically a higher ranking stock than common stock, and its terms are negotiated between the corporation and the investor. Preference shares usually carries no voting rights, but may carry priority over common stock in the payment of dividends and upon liquidate Preference shares may carry a dividend that is paid out prior to any dividends being paid to common stock holders. Preference shares may have a convertibility feature into common stock. Preference stockholders will be paid out in assets before common stockholders and after debt holders in bankruptcy. Terms of the preferred stock are stated in a Certificate of Designation. From the companys point of view, preference shares are advantageous in that:  · Dividends do not have to be paid in a year in which profits are poor, while this is not the case with interest payments on long term debt (loans or debentures).  · Since they do not carry voting rights, preference shares avoid diluting the control of existing shareholders while an issue of equity shares would not.  · The issue of preference shares does not restrict the companys borrowing power, at least in the sense that preference share capital is not secured against assets in the business. Loan Stock Common or preferred stock shares that are used as collateral to secure a loan from another party.  The loan will earn a fixed interest rate, much like a standard loan, and can be secured or unsecured.  A secured loan stock may also be called a convertible loan stock if the loan stock can be directly converted to common shares under specified conditions and with a pre-determined conversion rate, as with an irredeemable convertible unsecured loan stock (ICULS).   Retained Earnings Retained earnings refer to the portion of net income which is retained by the corporation rather than distributed to its owners as dividends. Similarly, if the corporation makes a loss, then that loss is retained and called variously retained losses, accumulated losses or accumulated deficit. Retained earnings and losses are cumulative from year to year with losses offsetting earnings. Retained earnings are reported in the shareholders equity section of the balance sheet. Companies with net accumulated losses may refer to negative shareholders equity as a shareholders deficit. A complete report of the retained earnings or retained losses is presented in the Statement of retained earnings or Statement of retained losses. The major reasons for using retained earnings to finance new investments, rather than to pay higher dividends and then raise new equity for the new investments, are as follows: a) The management of many companies believes that retained earnings are funds which do not cost anything, although this is not true. However, it is true that the use of retained earnings as a source of funds does not lead to a payment of cash. b) The dividend policy of the company is in practice determined by the directors. From their standpoint, retained earnings are an attractive source of finance because investment projects can be undertaken without involving either the shareholders or any outsiders. c) The use of retained earnings as opposed to new shares or debentures avoids issue costs. d) The use of retained earnings avoids the possibility of a change in control resulting from an issue of new shares. Borrowings Receiving something of value in exchange for an obligation to pay back something of usually greater value at a particular time in the future. Borrowings are divided into three terms. Short term lending may be in the form of: a) An overdraft, which a company should keep within a limit set by the bank. Interest is charged (at a variable rate) on the amount by which the company is overdrawn from day to day; b) A short-term loan, for up to three years. Medium-term loans are loans for a period of from three to ten years. The rate of interest charged on medium-term bank lending to large companies will be a set margin, with the size of the margin depending on the credit standing and riskiness of the borrower. A loan may have a fixed rate of interest or a variable interest rate, so that the rate of interest charged will be adjusted every three, six, nine or twelve months in line with recent movements in the Base Lending Rate. Longer-term bank loans will sometimes be available, usually for the purchase of property, where the loan takes the form of a mortgage. Leasing Leasing is a process by which a firm can obtain the use of a certain fixed assets for which it must pay a series of contractual, periodic, tax deductible payments. The lessee is the receiver of the services or the assets under the lease contract and the lessor is the owner of the assets. The relationship between the tenant and the landlord is called a tenancy, and can be for a fixed or an indefinite period of time (called the term of the lease). The consideration for the lease is called rent. There are two basic forms of lease: operating leases and finance leases. Operating leases Operating leases are rental agreements between the lessor and the lessee whereby: a) The lessor supplies the equipment to the lessee b) The lessor is responsible for servicing and maintaining the leased equipment Finance leases Finance leases are lease agreements between the user of the leased asset (the lessee) and a provider of finance (the lessor) for most, or all, of the assets expected useful life. Suppose that a company decides to obtain a company car and finance the acquisition by means of a finance lease. A car dealer will supply the car. A finance house will agree to act as lessor in a finance leasing arrangement, and so will purchase the car from the dealer and lease it to the company. The company will take possession of the car from the car dealer, and make regular payments (monthly, quarterly, six monthly or annually) to the finance house under the terms of the lease. Hire Purchase Hire purchase is the legal term for a contract developed in the United Kingdom. It is also called closed-end leasing. In cases where a buyer cannot afford to pay the asked price for an item of property as a lump sum but can afford to pay a percentage as a deposit, a hire-purchase contract allows the buyer to hire the goods for a monthly rent. When a sum equal to the original full price plus interest has been paid in equal installments, the buyer may then exercise an option to buy the goods at a predetermined price (usually a nominal sum) or return the goods to the owner Venture Capital Venture capital (also known as VC or Venture) is a type of private equity capital typically provided for early-stage, high-potential, growth companies in the interest of generating a return through an eventual realization event such as an IPO or trade sale of the company. Venture capital investments are generally made as cash in exchange for shares in the invested company. It is typical for venture capital investors to identify and back companies in high technology industries such as biotechnology and ICT (information and communication technology Franchising Franchising is a method of expanding business on less capital than would otherwise be needed. For suitable businesses, it is an alternative to raising extra capital for growth. Franchisors include Budget Rent-a-Car, Wimpy, Nandos Chicken and Chicken Inn Other possible alternatives can be used by KFCH KFC Holdings have been running their operation with all the types of source of finance as stated above. In order to further enhance themselves as well improving their investors relations, they can apply other kind of source to run their business KFC has not issue warrants throughout the financial year. Warrants are, in effect, options granted by the business that entitle the holder to subscribe for a specified quantity of ordinary shares, for a specified price at, or after, a specified time- usually several years following their issue. The business would usually issue the warrants in one of two ways, that is to sell them, in which case it would derive a cash inflow, or attach them to a loan stock issue as a sweetener or incentive to investors to take up the loan stock. Apart from that, KFC can even issue Employees Share Option Scheme at various options. An employee share scheme is one way to give employees a stake in your business and help  improve its performance. As employees normally have to remain with the business to get this benefit, share schemes encourage loyalty and can help you retain valued staff. They act as an incentive or reward and may also help recruitment. (Extracted from Business Link, http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074472937) In fact, KFC could even use hire purchase to source their finance. Hire purchase is referred to sales promotion device that creates customers purchasing power in the form of a fixed cost, fixed period installment loan, secured by a lien on the purchased item as the collateral. In case of capital equipment, the customer repays the loan from the earnings generated by the purchased asset (which otherwise would have remained unsold due to the customers lack of cash). During the repayment period the buyer has the possession and use but not the ownership (title) to the item. Only upon the full payment of the loan, the title passes to the buyer. Also called installment buying, it is a social innovation that expands the economy with additional income. (Extracted from Business Dictionary.com, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/hire-purchase.html) APPENDIX Share capital From the financial statement for the year 2008, KFC holdings issued 1,000,0000 new ordinary shares valued RM1.00 each for the year 2008 and 2007. . However, only 198,275 shares at RM 1.00 each was issued and fully paid. SHARE CAPITAL Number of Ordinary Shares of RM1 each Amount 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 000 000 RM000 RM000 Authorised At 1 January/ 31 December 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 Issued and fully paid At 1 January/ 31 December 198,275 198,275 198,275 198,275 Retained Earnings The percentage of net earnings not paid out  as dividends, but retained by the company to be reinvested in its core business or to pay debt. It is recorded under shareholders equity on the balance sheet. The formula calculates retained earnings by adding net income to (or subtracting any net losses from) beginning retained earnings and subtracting any dividends paid to shareholders: KFC Holdings recorded RM 316,703,000 of retained earnings in year 2008 compared to RM 257,611,000 in year 2007 for company. This shows that KFC retained their net earnings higher in year 2008 so that they can reinvest in its core business to pay its debt. Borrowings Borrowings are classified under short term borrowings and long term borrowings. KFC Holdings borrowed RM 20,000,000 in year 2008 while there were no borrowings for the year 2007 under company. On the other hand, KFCs long term borrowings amounted to RM 40,000,000 in year 2008 compared to RM 60,000,000 in year 2007. The total borrowings for the two years were RM 60,000,000 respectively. (Refer note: 26) The term loans granted to the Company are secured by the following: i First and third party charge over certain land and buildings as disclosed in Note 12(b) and Note 15 ii Deposits pledged with licensed banks as disclosed in Note 18 iii Corporate guarantee of the Company and a related company iv Debenture of a subsidiarys assets Company 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 Short term borrowings Secured Term loans 20,000 Unsecured Term loans 20,000 Long term borrowings Secured Term loans 40,000 60,000 Unsecured Term loans 40,000 60,000 Total borrowings Secured Term loans 60,000 60,000 Unsecured Term loans 60,000 60,000 Leasing KFCs leasing is analysed as long term leasehold land and short term leasehold land. The groups long term leasehold land notched RM 63,733,000 in 2008 compared to RM 63,868,000 in 2007. However, their short term leasehold land was RM 68,000 in 2008 while in year 2007, it was RM 73,000. Overall, their total leasing was RM 63,841,000 and RM 63,941,000 for the two years respectively. Leasehold land with an aggregate carrying value of RM30, 434,000 (2007: RM30, 822,000) are pledged as securities for borrowings. Group 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 At 1 January 63,941 62,687 Addition 1,830 Disposal (106) Acquisition of a subsidiary 722 Reclassification from property, plant and equipment 333 Amortisation for the year (822) (803) At 31 December 63,841 63,941 Analysed as: Long term leasehold land 63,773 63,868 Short term leasehold land 68 73 63,841 63,941 INCOME STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2008 Group Company Note 2008 2007 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 RM000 RM000 Revenue 3 2,179,788 1,730,371 97,220 88,000 Cost of sales 4 (1,064,548) (770,048) Gross profit 1,115,240 960,323 97,220 88,000 Other income 22,615 22,797 30,210 26,972 Administrative expenses (118,670) (109,061) (28,757) (22,713) Selling and marketing expenses (837,547) (712,109) Other expenses (6,622) (24) (2,310) (26,229) Operating profit 175,016 161,926 96,363 66,030 Finance costs 5 (7,559) (11,302) (2,887) (5,823) Profit before tax 6 167,457 150,624 93,476 60,207 Income tax expense 9 (47,107) (45,081) (9,522) (23,437) Profit for the year 120,350 105,543 83,954 36,770 Attributable to: Equity holders of the Company 118,535 1 04,269 Minority interests 1,815 1,274 120,350 105,543 Earnings per share attributable to equity holders of the Company (sen): Basic, for profit for the year 10 59.8 52.6 BALANCE SHEETS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2008 Group Company Note 2008 2007 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 RM000 RM000 Assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 12 615,059 529,658 19,750 19,908 Investments in subsidiaries 13 354,250 353,590 Investment properties 14 898 2,000 585 Prepaid land lease payments 15 63,84 1 63,941 Intangible assets 16 69,835 68,063 Other investment 17 4,500 Fixed deposits 18 6,324 6,324 749,633 674,486 374,000 380,407 Current assets Inventories 19 158,474 112,312 Trade and other receivables 20 128,112 78,972 222,742 156,642 Other investment 17 20,203 Cash and bank balances 21 97,985 140,358 6,797 11,826 404,774 331,642 229,539 168,468 Total assets 1,154,407 1,006,128 603,539 548,875 Equity and liabilities Equity attributable to equity holders of the company Share capital 22 198,275 198,275 198,275 198,275 Other reserves 23 47,705 50,963 22,080 26,560 Retained earnings 24 446,178 352,783 316,703 257,611 692,158 602,021 537,058 482,446 Minority interests 10,232 6,920 Total equity 702,390 608,941 537,058 482,446 Non-current liabilities Retirement benefit obligations 25 3,313 3,758 Borrowings 26 65,944 110,907 40,000 60,000 Deferred tax liabilities 27 31,602 25,036 107 444 100,859 139,701 40,107 60,444 Current liabilities Retirement benefit obligations 25 623 Borrowings 26 75,111 12,080 20,000 Trade and other payables 28 275,424 242,110 6,374 5,985 Current tax payable 3,296 351,158 257,486 26,374 5,985 Total liabilities 452,017 397,187 66,481 66,429 Total equity and liabilities 1,154,407 1,006,128 603,539 548,875