Introduction to Information Systems Essay

Abstract For my final paper I will Identify three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems, social networking systems, (CRM) customer relationship management, and (31) business intelligence. I wlll explain how an organization can utilize knowledge management resources to assist the company in running a successful business. will also explore knowledge management as we know it today. Knowledge Management Introduction Knowledge management is crucially important to any organization for resources which aids a company In providing its staff with the most accurate data needed in uch a competitive and fast passed time. We will explore three tools that aid us in knowledge management and learn how these tools are of great benefit to a successful business. We will also look at knowledge management as we know it today. Narrative sections There are three vital tools of knowledge management and knowledge management systems I want to explore. They are as follows: social networking systems, customer relationship management and business intelligence. Information technology aids knowledge management to provide up to date and ccurate data desired on a moment’s notice to companVs members. A knowledge management system is of great value for any organizations in everyday situations by enabling the employee access to other college’s documents and information. Knowledge management systems allow each staffs member the capability to stay organized and utilize figures and data from the organization. Being able to share this information throughout the company can help the organization in providing a better quality job that may even lead to improvements. Each business varies in the types of knowledge management needed to run its rganization trom documents, technology, networks, just to name a few. Each type ot knowledge managements can accommodate different business methods from push strategy; pull strategy, competence management to databases. You must first distinguish between the vast types of knowledge to understand the different kinds of knowledge management needed. Different fields focus on different types like explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, and embedded knowledge. sale or a great investment opportunity. A social network allows a company to interact with its customers and employees all around the globe. More businesses are growing by staying connected with its customers with Facebook and Twitter. Social networks give a company the capability to reach a broader audience via the World Wide Web. The larges social network site today is Facebook which a lot of companies are beginning to utilize. Social networks operate through person-to-person and social influence. Companies can target their customers through social networks and optimize their social outreach. Companies also have the capability to respond to a customer’s concern and engage in a meaningful connection with repeat and new customers. With the hundreds of networking sites to access, it can be a challenge to manage multiple social sites, but the opportunities are endless. Customer relationship management provides an inside look to its customer’s purchase patterns that help plan the organizations sales activities. CRM will allow a company to target customers and generate leads for their sale items. Customer relationship management allows the business the needed information to better understand their customer base, building a more efficient business relationship between company, customer and distributer. With such important information gathered, a company can deliver customer gratification while make the most of its profits. A business can utilize CRM software to focus on the customer’s specific consumptions and thus tailor to their needs. CRM software provides a company with a buyer history and preferences leading to potential buys. Shoppers buying patterns can help to cross sell other items. Shoppers can be made aware of available items of their preference making for an easy marketing strategy. Business intelligence is raw information gathered from a data warehouse to help ake effective business decisions. With business intelligence you can better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your company and stay competitive in todays market. With the proper information and good IT support a company can operate with good business intelligence. There are steps to properly utilizing good business intelligence. Gathering of information and incorporating existing information is the key to decision making. Data Marts are critical to help its members gain access to specific information needed. For better decision making, each epartment can access only the portion of information it requires versus being overwhelmed with unnecessary information. Being able to access the right information and the right time will help minimize errors of duplication and help run each department efficiently. Having the right software with good IT makes for a successful business. advantage of every source available to you. Your organization will run efficiently and with minimal inaccuracies. Focus on delivering up-to-date data for timely decision making.

Product Summary Essay

The commercialization of the internet proves to be a major opportunity of for business organizations in the global arena. It should be noted that this technology has allowed the creation of new business model where companies can become more efficient and generate more revenue by establishing online presence. The internet has become a venue where sellers and buyers meet for purchases. Some business organizations have opted to augment their brick and mortar strategies by having online outlets while still others have opted to solely operate online. Perhaps three of the most successful business organizations which utilized the advancement of internet technology are retailers like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart. All these industry players have gained the reputation of being the top in internet retailing both in the number of visitors and the amount of sales generated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I am given the chance to be a competitor of these giant retailers, I will utilize the individual strengths which they display while staying away from their weaknesses. In order to avoid direct competition from these already established players, I will specialize catering to a small segment instead of going after the whole market. This will help me in building the right image for the company and establishing public awareness for the product and service that I would offer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   eBay represents one of the purest market in the world today where buyers and sellers can directly transact with each other. The website is a very good place to buy products because buyers and sellers can negotiate on the price, payment, and other service. However, I believe that an online retailer should have a fixed price and rules when dealing with its customers. Before entering a transaction, the customer should be adequately informed on the price which is most acceptable in the exchange of product and service. The establishment of a fixed system of payment, delivery, and price will eliminate the necessity of having to answer queries for each customer when they find details to be unclear. However, I will consider the user-friendly and frequently upgraded website of the company in order to attract buyers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amazon is remarkable because of its being purely an online entity. What I will adopt with this company is its system of recording customers’ details which they can use in their future purchases. I believe that this is a very much essential value-added feature because it really makes customer more convenient as they don’t need to type information again and again. Amazon should also be applauded for its customers’ reviews which aids prospective buyers in making their purchase decisions. I will integrate this when putting up an online retailing entity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walmart is known as the market leader when it comes to price and quality. The company also extends this in its website which showcases all its affordable products. The website of the company is very extensive almost comprising its entire product line which it has in store. What I like about Walmart is the warmth of experience even in online shopping. Customer service is still very remarkable and consistent both in its outlet and its online store. This consistency makes shopping very relaxing in an online marketspace where customer emotions are not often considered. References Kotler, P 2002, Marketing Management, Prentice Hall: New Jersey

Geo 509 – Major Paper

Introduction The purpose of this report is to analyze and illustrate the geographical origins of eragrostis tef along with details of its global dispersion. The common name of the crop in Ethiopia is tef. It was chosen for its cultural significance and it’s importance Background In Ethiopia, about 4. 9 million acres of land is devoted to its production every year. From 2003-2005 production statistics indicated that tef accounted for about 29% of the land and 20% of the gross grain production of all major cereal cultivation in the country (National Research Council).Eragrostis tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae, and is species of Eragrostis. It contains about 350 species and tef is the only cultivated cereal (Seyfu). Its name tef is originated from the Amharic word yate-tef-ah, which means, â€Å"lost†. Since the grains are so small they are easily misplaced (Kloman). It is the world’s smallest food grain and is as small as a grain of sand. It also has quite similar traits to other grains such as quinoa and millet. Tef grows anywhere from 30 to 120 cm in height, with slim stems and long, narrow, smooth leaves.It is a loose or compact panicle. The really small grains are 1. 5 mm long, and there are about 2,700 seeds in a gram (Seyfu). The plant uses a Carbon 4 photosynthesis, which uses light efficiently while having low moisture demands. This gives the plant the ability to stand high heat and bright lighting therefore able to harvest in any unpredictable or difficult climate. Also the plant's resistance to diseases, pests, and heavy soils and it’s inexpensive costs to raise and very quick to produce give it special appeal (Tadele).Tef tends to thrive under growing condition from elevations that range from sea-level to as high as 2800 meters, and in various temperatures, soil, terrains and rainfall conditions (not where there is too much rainfall though) (Seyfu). Varieties of Tef * Magna (white) tef – This type is grown in the cooler seasons and is slow maturing. It is superior for grain due to its higher demand in the market. But it is blander in taste compared to the darker types (Seyfu). * Sergegna (mix of white and brown), kay (red), and tiqur (black) tef – This type is superior for fodder and is faster maturing.The darker the color the richer in flavor and nutrients (Seyfu). * Abolse tef – An improved strain being tested and studied currently in Ethiopia. It has shown good results in early studies based upon its yield and baking quality. There is no record of this new strain being distributed as of yet (Kloman). Due to its properties to survive and grow through harsh climates, Ethiopian farmers grow tef for either two purposes as a staple or as a standby product. When planted as a staple, they grow it as their primary component in their trade or business.So it is normally planted late and harvested well into the dry season. But as a standby, the farmers wait till their main crop suc h as maize or wheat shows signs of failing. They then plant a faster maturing tef such as the red or brown tef as a backup source of food in case of disaster. What also makes tef very attractive is that it is a grain that contains no gluten, at least none of the type found in wheat (Ingram). For this reason people with severe allergies to wheat gluten or health enthusiasts are buying tef these days.Due to the seeds small size it makes it difficult to plant and prepare the fields. It is difficult to get an even distribution of seeds and also the wind or rain can bury the seeding before it has spouted. Then separating, inspecting and grinding such tiny seeds is very strenuous and time consuming. History Tef is common all over Ethiopia and its major varieties were found only in that part of the world. Among with numerous other crops, the precise date and location for the domestication of tef is unspecified.But, there is no uncertainty that it is actually an ageless crop, where domestic ation took place. It has been documented by some historians such as Ponti that tef has long been cultivated in Ethiopia for its grain from some time between 4000 BC and 1000 BC (Engels); Shaw disputed that tef must have been domesticated before the introduction of wheat and barley to Ethiopia or else the tef, would have never been cultivated. The use of tef was quite crucial for the Abyssinians, since the amount of tef seed required to plant were hundreds of times smaller than that of wheat (Ingram).This productive potential and minimal time and seed requirements have protected them from hunger when their food supply was under attack from numerous invaders in the past. It was reported by Unger in 1866 that tef seeds were also found in the Egyptian Pyramid of Dashur in 3359 BC (National Research Council). Dried tef straws were suggested to have been used in the making of mud bricks used in the Pyramid of Dashur as well (Seyfu). The closest wild relative to tef is generally considered to be eragrostis pilosa this species is recorded as an annual growing weed from Eritrea and Northern regions of Ethiopia (Ingram).Vavilov has recognized Ethiopia as the center of origin and variety of tef (National Research Council). Due to the fact that several widespread and non-widespread species of eragrostis, some of which are considered the wild relatives of tef, are found in Ethiopia. Since the genetic diversity for tef does not exist anywhere else in the world except in Ethiopia, confirms that tef originated and was domesticated in Ethiopia. Production Areas of Ethiopia The regions of Shewa, Gojam, Gonder, Wello and Welega are the major tef-production areas (Seyfu). As can be seen in fig. these regions are concentrated in the central highland areas of Ethiopia. These areas suffer from waterlogging and these other parts of the country suffer from low moisture stress (Seyfu). The water logged soils of these regions seem to be a unique environment for agriculture since there i sn’t any other grain that can be grown in this environment. Tef is grown in almost all regions of the country for home consumption since it is the preferred grain. Local markets are also able to charge the highest price compared with other cereals, which is why farmers use it as their cash crop. There is going to be a map here) Global Spread James Bruce (1730-1794) was a travel writer and a traveller of Scottish decent. He travelled through Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) in search of the foundation of the Nile River; his discoveries were published in his 1768 book â€Å"Discover the Source of The Nile†. In his journeys he mentions of a grain called tef that was grounded and used in their diet as much, if not more than wheat. It is also said that Bruce had taken some grain back with him to a Botanic Garden in Florence, Italy.This led to the publication in 1775 of the first botanical description of the plant, which made tef known worldwide. But it would be The Royal Bo tanic Gardens, (Kew Gardens) located in the United Kingdom that would’ve been responsible for the distribution of tef seeds to various other botanic gardens in India and the colonies. In 1887, was the first issue of seeds and it was to India, Australia, and South Africa. The trials were set in the elevated portions of these countries and all places where maize and wheat cannot be cultivated. These trials were successful.Which led to the introduction of tef to other parts of the world such as: * Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania by Skyes in 1911 * USA, Malawi, Zaire, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Argentina by Burt Davy in 1916 The most effective trial was in the northern region of South Africa (National Research Council) . It was reported that the crop was very rapid in growth and was maturing in seven or eight weeks from the time of planting. When it normally matures between 80 – 160 days. Favorable Growing Conditions Sunlight – The length of sunlight should be between 11- 13 hours.Rainfall – The average annual rainfall in tef-growing areas is 1,000 mm, but the range is from  300 to 2,500 mm. Tef is able to resist moderate drought, but there should be three good rain days. Altitude – It can be grown from  near sea level to altitudes over 3,000 m. Most is cultivated between 1,100 and 2,950 m. Temperature – While tef has some frost tolerance, it will not survive a prolonged freeze. But it can tolerate temperatures as high as 50 °C (Ogadan regions of Ethiopia) Soil Type – Tefs' tolerance of soil types seems to be very wide. It performs well even on the black cotton soils that are notoriously hostile to crops and farmers.Patterns of Consumption Human Consumption Tef is a cereal grain that is usually grounded to flour that is mainly used for injera that is a popular fermented sour pancake, porridge and baked goods. Is often used in North America as a thickener for soups and stews. Alcoholic beverages are also made from tef such as tela and katikala. Due to its high mineral content, it has also been used in mixtures with chickpea soybeans and other grains for baby foods. Cattle Feed Tef straw is used as animal feed, especially during the dry season. Farmers feed tef straw preferentially to lactating cows and working oxen (Tadele).Farmers prefer tef straw to the straw of any other cereal because of its sweetness (which is appealing to the cattle), high nutritive value, high yield, rapid growth, drought resistance and ability to smother weeds. In South Africa various productive types have been selected for hay production. It has since been exploited in the USA. It has increasingly become abundant, and is growing in dozens of states. It is also predominately cultivated in Australia for these purposes as well. Ornamentals There has been a growing interest in Europe, the United States, and Japan to grow tef for its visually appealing features (Tadele).Since it stands straight, dense a nd has a orderly feature, often has multi-colored leaves and it’s open fluffy panicles, tef can be extremely eye-catching. Erosion Control The non-weedy features of tef give it the ability to serve as a good temporary ground cover. South Africans are now using tef as a â€Å"nurse crop† that quickly covers the ground and fosters the establishment of permanent grasses planted along with it (Seyfu). It is already being used in mixtures to protect opencast mine workings, stream banks, and other erodible sites in South Africa. ConstructionIn Ethiopia, tef straw  is the preferred binding material for walls, bricks, and household containers made of clay. Overall Impact Tef has increased in popularity in so many countries that the Ethiopian government has to instill routine bans of exporting this grain. During the lean season where the production of tef is minimal the exportation of the crop will increases prices for it inside the country. With this scarcity in effect tef g rowers outside of Ethiopia has increased tremendously. Currently there are many tef providers in the USA for human consumption and forge for livestock.Another influence in popularity is the shift in consumer’s nutritional habits. There has been an increase in vegetarians (tef is high in protein) and the increased awareness of gluten allergies (tef is a good alternative for wheat). Also the rise in Ethiopian immigrants and the related rise in the popularity of Ethiopian food have increased demand for this staple crop. Its not just Ethiopian migrates, it is everyone; Ethiopian food is becoming more mainstream. There are tef fields in the states of Oregon, Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Virginia.The US Agriculture Department and other institutions are in support of the cultivation of tef. Currently there are government grants offered to farmers in Kansas to cultivate tef on their farms (Kloman). Also the Univers ity of South Dakota and Cornell University have pushed for farmers in their states to start the cultivation of crop as well, for scientific research (Kloman). Other US institutions have been quite successful in their trials: * University of Nevada – They leaped at opportunity to begin a project to grow tef in 2002. In 2008 they produced 800,000 pounds of tef and in 2009 produced a million pounds (Kloman).The production was so successful that the university was approached by retailers from Ethiopia with a deal to buy as much as four million pounds. * Idaho – The Teff Co. is America’s largest producer of tef; it has been in business for 25 years (Kloman). Wayne Carlson, who lived and worked in Ethiopia in the 70’s as biologist, started The Teff Co. When he returned to the US he found that the climate and geologic region of Idaho was similar to that of Ethiopia’s prosperous regions where tef is grown. As the East African population of the US started t o grow significantly Carlson realized an investment opportunity.The Boston Globe reported in 2004 that he grows about two million pounds of tef grain annually (Kloman). Dun & Bradstreet Inc. (business information company) estimated its annual sales to be $1. 2 million (Kloman). Carlson reports this is still not enough to meet the demand. * To express just how competitive the industry has become. Carlson has recently pleaded guilty in April of 2012 for harassing a rival tef grower, Tesfa Drar, of Teff Farms in Minnesota regarding the production and distribution of their grains (Wax). Carlson was sentenced to a year’s probation. Nutritional ValueTef grains are nutritionally similar to wheat; but are actually more nutritious. The reasons for this may be due to the fact that since the seeds are so small they have a greater proportion of fiber (the nutrients are concentrated on the outside of the seed) and are almost always produced as whole grain flour. Tef is rich in energy (353 -367 kcal per 100 g) and its fat content averages to about 2. 3 percent (Seyfu). The grain reportedly contains 11% protein, which higher than that in maize or oats. The tef cultivated in the US though have been showing an even higher protein level of 14% on a consistent basis (Seyfu).These specific proteins should be highly digestible because it is high in the main protein fractions that are most digestible. Overall, it has an excellent balance of amino acids. Teff is higher than wheat in a dozen amino acids, especially the essential lysine, and slightly higher in such nutrients as potassium, zinc and aluminum. The mineral content is also good, iron and calcium are especially notable. The absence of anemia (iron deficiency) in Ethiopia where tef consumption is present is presumably due to the grain’s good iron content.The amount of calcium is equivalent to that of half a cup of spinach (Seyfu). It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is not commonly found in grains. Resistant starches are a newly revealed type of nutritional fiber that is either not digested or partially digested until it reaches the large intestine, where bacteria uses it for energy (Hopman). This is beneficial for blood-sugar management, which would be ideal for those suffering from diabetes. It is also beneficial for weight control and colon health. About 20-40% of the carbohydrates in tef are resistant starches (Hopman).Bibliography Seyfu, Ketema. Tef, Eragrostis Tef (Zucc. ) Trotter. Rome, Italy: IPGRI, 1997. Print. National Research Council. Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 1. Washington: National Academy, 1996. Print. Grains. Kloman, Harry. Mesob across America: Ethiopian Food in the U. S. A. New York: IUniverse, 2010. Print. Bai, Guihua, Mulu Ayele, Hailu Tefera, and Henry T. Nguyen. â€Å"Genetic Diversity in Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc) Trotter] and Its Relatives as Revealed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs. †Ã‚  Euphytica  112. 1 (2000): 15-22. Kluwer Ac ademic Publishers, 1 Mar. 2000. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. . Ingram, Amanda L. , and Jeff J. Doyle. â€Å"The Origin and Evolution of Eragrostis Tef (Poaceae) and Related Polyploids: Evidence from Nuclear Waxy and Plastid Rps16. †Ã‚  American Journal of Botany  90. 1 (2003): 116-22. Print. Assefa, Kebebew, Ju-Kyung Yu, Getachew Belay, Hailu Tefera, and Mark E. Sorrells. â€Å"Breeding Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc. ) Trotter]: Conventional and Molecular Approaches. †Ã‚  Plant Breeding  130. 1 (2010): 1-9. Print. Tadele, Zerihun. New Approaches to Plant Breeding of Orphan Crops in Africa: Proceedings of an International Conference, 19-21 September, 2007, Bern, Switzerland.Berlin: Stampfli, 2009. Print. Alaunyte, Ieva, Valentina Stojceska, Andrew Plunkett, Paul Ainsworth, and Emma Derbyshire. â€Å"Improving the Quality of Nutrient-rich Teff (Eragrostis Tef) Breads by Combination of Enzymes in Straight Dough and Sourdough Breadmaking. â€Å"Journal of Cereal Science  55. 1 (2012): 22-30. Print. Engels, Jan, J. G. Hawkes, and Melaku Worede. Plant Genetic Resources of Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print. Wax, Emily. â€Å"As Americans Embrace Ethiopian Cuisine, Its Farmers Grow More Teff. â€Å"Washington Post. The Washington Post, 31 July 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. .

Discuss The Impacts of Taxation

When a firm faces new investment opportunities (or to keep its functioning) which have positive net present values, financing needs come along. The options range from using cash generated from operations to simply forego the projects. If the company wants to take its projects, when its cash is not enough, it can raise new funds from equity or debt. This combination of equity and debt which a company decides to use is known as its capital structure. This paper is about how a firm ought to establish its debt/equity ratio, focusing in the advantages and disadvantages of taxes’ impact on this ratio. Capital StructureWhen referring to the capital structure of a firm, it is impossible to avoid Modigliani-Miller’s (MM) influential paper â€Å"The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment† (1958). Later, they published several â€Å"follow-up† papers discussing these topics. MM set the foundations of the modern theory of capital structure. MM first hypothesis was that, under certain assumptions, the firm’s value is invariable despite relative changes in its capital structure, thus â€Å"a firm cannot change the total value of its outstanding securities by changing the proportions of its capital structure. † (Ross, Westerfield and Jaffe, 2001.p. 401).This is known as MM proposition I. In a general way this proposition is saying that a company cannot do something for its stockholders that they cannot do by themselves. The MM second proposition implies that the use of debt for financing increase the expected future earnings, but this increase is coupled with an increase in the risk to equity holders, thus the discount rate used to value these future earnings also increases. As Fabozzi and Patterson state â€Å"the increased expected earnings have on the value of equity is offset by the increased discount rate applied to these riskier earnings. †(2003)Mathematically the propositions can be stated: Pro position I: VU=VL where VU is the value of an unlevered firm and VL is the value of a levered firm. Proposition II: rs = r0 + B/S (r0 – rb) where rS is the cost of equity, r0 is the cost of capital for an all equity firm, rB is the cost of debt and, B / S is the debt-to-equity ratio. But these hypotheses rely on a â€Å"perfect market† assumption. When imperfections are present into a certain market this hypothesis is misleading. Changes in a firm’s capital structure could change the firm value. One of the most important market imperfections is the presence of taxes.Capital Structure and the Presence of Corporate Taxes In the previous sections is stated that the firm value is unrelated to its capital structure, i. e. it does not depend on its debt/equity ratio. But when taxes are incorporated into the analysis this affirmation is not true, â€Å"in the presence of corporate taxes, the firm’s value is positively related to its debt. † (Ross et al. 2 001. ) Thus, the use of debt has an advantage over financing with equity. The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) â€Å"allows interest paid on debt to be deducted by the paying corporation in determining its taxable income† (IRC code 1963 qt.in Fabozzi and Patterson. 2003. P. 598) This benefit is known as Interest Tax Shield, due to the fact that â€Å"interest expense shields income from taxation† (p. 602). This is TaxShield=(TaxRate)(InterestExpense) Now is necessary to value this shield and see how this changes the firm value. Taking account of the expression above it can be said that whatever the taxable income of a company is without debt, the taxable income is now less in an amount equal to the Tax Shield in the presence of debt. This idea is also based in MM ideas.In other words, the firm value is: Firm Value = Unleveraged Firm Value + Tax Shield Value Going deeply, this statement implies that all companies should choose maximum debt, something that can not be seen int o the real world. This is due to the presence of bankruptcy and other distress related costs that reduce the value of a levered firm. As a firm increases its leverage position these costs increase. There is a point when the present value of â€Å"these costs from an additional dollar of debt equals the increase in the present value of the tax shield.† (Ross et al. 2001. p. 432)This is the debt level which maximizes the firm value. Beyond this point the distress associated costs increase faster than the firm value due to additional debt. Therefore, there is a trade off between tax benefits and the financial distress costs. There is an optimal amount of debt for each firm, and this must be its debt objective level. Presence of Personal Taxes In presence of personal income taxes could decrease, or even eliminate, the advantage of corporate taxes associated with debt financing.Despite this, if the yields due to debt and stocks cause taxes at the same rate that the personal taxes, there is still an advantage coming from corporate taxes(Van Horne, 1997). Merton Miller proposed that, in presence of both, personal and corporate taxes, the decisions about capital structure of a firm were irrelevant (Miller, 1977). Despite this, personal taxes have different rates; therefore, with constant risk, individuals who are in the lower rate bracket must prefer debt and those who are at the upper part of the scale must prefer stocks.Fabozzi and Patterson summarize this point as follow: 1. If debt income (interest) and equity income (dividends and capital appreciation) are taxed at the same rate, the interest tax shield increases the value of the firm. 2. If debt income is taxed at rates higher than equity income, some of the tax advantage to debt is offset by a tax disadvantage to debt income. 3. If investors can use the tax laws effectively to reduce to zero their tax on equity income, firms will take on debt up to the point where the tax advantage to debt is just offset by the tax disadvantage to debt income.The bottom line from incorporating personal taxes is that there is a benefit from using debt. (p. 603) Small Literature Survey In this section it will be summarized some opinions and findings about capital structure decisions and taxes. Panteghini in a work about multinationals capital structure found that â€Å"optimal leverage is reached when the marginal benefit of debt financing (which is due to the deductibility of interest expenses) equates its marginal cost (which is related to the expected cost of default).A strategy used is â€Å"Income shifting† which â€Å"raises the tax benefit of debt financing, thereby stimulating debt financing, and delays default. † (2006) Verschueren research about Belgian companies strategies showed that â€Å"The hypothesis that firms for which the tax advantage of debt financing is higher have higher debt tax shielding ratios gets only meager support: more profitable firms have lower debt ta x shielding ratios. † She found â€Å"no indications that avoiding agency conflicts of any type plays a significant role in the determination of debt tax shielding. † (2002, p.22)She states that these results are quite close to international research also. Graham and Tucker found a similar result â€Å"Firms that use tax shelters use less debt on average than do non-shelter firms. † There is also a potential problem which is that â€Å"under-levered firms may have â€Å"off balance sheet† tax deductions that are not easily observable, and which are therefore often ignored in empirical analyses. † (2005 p. 1) Irina Stefanescu arrives to a comparable conclusion â€Å"There is a general consensus that significant tax incentives are associated with corporate borrowing.Nevertheless, many large and profitable companies with a low risk of financial distress have relatively low debt ratios. † (2006) Stewart Myers, explaining Miller’s paper â⠂¬Å"Debt and Taxes†, theorizes about why firms are not â€Å"awash in debt†Ã‚ · An interesting point he states is that Miller’s model â€Å"allow us to explain the dispersion of actual debt policies without having to introduce non-value-maximizing managers. In the other hand he states also that â€Å"Firms have good reasons to avoid having to finance real investment by issuing common stock or other risky securities.They do not want to run the risk of falling into the dilemma of either passing by positive NPV projects or issuing stock at a price they think is too low†. (1980) Conclusion It seems that several researches have been performed in capital structure decisions. Although not all of them arrive to the same conclusion it gives the impression that the tax shields have positive impacts on firms value; and the presence of personal taxes do not eliminate this fact.In the other hand, findings that companies have not larges amounts of debt indicates that t hey might obtain some advantages from other sources, e. g. off balance sheet benefits. After 48 years since Modigliani and Miller’s paper appeared, it can be said that â€Å"however, much remains to be done before the cost of capital can be put away on the shelf among the solved problems. † (Modigliani-Miller 1958)

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Thirteen

Bonnie clutched the banana-nut muffin to her chest as if it was some kind of sacred offering. She just could not bring herself to knock on Matt's door. Instead, she turned big pleading brown eyes on Meredith and Elena. â€Å"Oh, Bonnie,† Meredith muttered, reaching past her, shifting the pile of bagels and the carton of orange juice she was carrying, and rapping loudly on the door. â€Å"I don't know what to say,† Bonnie whispered back, agonized. Then the door opened, and Matt appeared, red-eyed and pale. He seemed somehow smal er and more hunched into himself than Bonnie had ever seen him. Overwhelmed with pity, she forgot al about being nervous and launched herself into his arms, dropping the muffin in the process. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† she choked out, tears running down her face. Matt held on to her tightly, bending over and burying his head in her shoulder. â€Å"It's okay,† she said final y, desperately, patting the back of his head. â€Å"I mean, no, it's not †¦ of course it's not †¦ but we love you, we're here.† â€Å"I couldn't help him,† Matt said dul y, his face stil pressed against Bonnie's neck. â€Å"I tried my best, but he died anyway.† Elena and Meredith joined them, wrapping their arms around Matt from either side. â€Å"We know,† Elena said, rubbing his back. â€Å"You did everything you could for him.† Matt pul ed out of their arms eventual y and gestured around the room. â€Å"Al this stuff is his,† he said. â€Å"His parents don't feel like they're ready to clear out his things yet, they told the police. It's kil ing me to see it al stil here when he's not. I thought about packing it up for his parents, but there's a possibility that the police might want to look through his stuff.† Bonnie shuddered at the thought of what Christopher's parents must be going through. â€Å"Have something to eat,† Meredith said. â€Å"I bet you haven't eaten for ages. Maybe it'l help you feel better.† Al three girls fussed around, fixing the breakfast they'd brought for Matt, then convincing him to taste something, anything. He drank some juice and picked at a bagel, his head lowered. â€Å"I was at the police station al night,† he said. â€Å"I had to keep going over and over what happened.† â€Å"What did happen?† Bonnie asked tentatively. Matt sighed. â€Å"I real y wish I knew. I just saw somebody dressed in black running away from Christopher. I wanted to chase him, but Chris needed my help. And then he died. I tried, but I couldn't do anything.† His forehead creased into a frown. â€Å"The real y weird thing, though,† he said slowly, â€Å"is that, even though I saw a person running away, the police think Christopher was attacked by some kind of animal. He was †¦ pretty ripped up.† Elena and Meredith exchanged an alert glance. â€Å"A vampire?† said Meredith. â€Å"Or a werewolf, maybe?† â€Å"I was wondering about that,† Matt admitted. â€Å"It makes sense.† Without seeming to notice, he finished his bagel, and Elena took advantage of his distraction to slip some fruit onto his plate. Bonnie wrapped her arms around herself. â€Å"Why?† she asked. â€Å"Why is it that, wherever we go, weird, scary things happen around us? I thought that once we left Fel ‘s Church things would be different.† No one argued with her. For a little while, they al sat quietly, and Bonnie felt as if they were huddling together, trying to protect themselves from something cold and horrible. Final y, Meredith reached out and took an orange slice off Matt's plate. â€Å"The first thing we need to do, then, is to investigate and try to figure out if these attacks and disappearances are supernatural.† She chewed thoughtful y. â€Å"As much as I hate to say it, we should probably get Damon on this. He's good at this kind of thing. And Stefan should know what's going on, too.† She looked at Elena, her voice gentle. â€Å"I'l talk to them, okay, Elena?† Elena shrugged. Bonnie could tel she was trying to keep her expression blank, but her lips were trembling. â€Å"Of course,† she said after a minute. â€Å"I'm sure they're both checking things out anyway. You know how paranoid they are.† â€Å"Not without reason,† Meredith said dryly. Matt's eyes were wet. â€Å"Whatever happens, I need you to promise me something,† he said. â€Å"Please, be careful. I can't – let's not lose anyone else, okay?† Bonnie snuggled closer to him, putting her hand on his. Meredith reached over and placed her hand over both of theirs, and Elena added hers to the pile. â€Å"We'l take care of one another,† Elena said. â€Å"A vow,† said Bonnie, trying to smile. â€Å"We'l always watch out for one another. We'l make sure everyone is safe.† At that moment, as they murmured in agreement, she was sure they could do it. Meredith pivoted and stepped forward, swinging her staff down to strike at Samantha's heavily padded knees. Samantha dodged the blow, then jabbed her own staff straight toward Meredith's head. Meredith blocked the blow, then thrust her staff at Samantha's chest. Samantha staggered backward and lost her footing. â€Å"Wow,† she said, rubbing her col arbone and looking at Meredith with a mixture of resentment and appreciation. â€Å"That hurt, even with the padding. I've never trained with anyone so strong before.† â€Å"Oh, Well,† Meredith said modestly, feeling absurdly pleased, â€Å"I practice a lot.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Samantha said, eyeing her. â€Å"Let's take a break.† She flopped down on the mat, and Meredith, her staff balanced lightly in one hand, sat beside her. It wasn't her staff, of course, not her special hunting one. She couldn't bring her heirloom slayer staff to the gym – it was too clearly a customized deadly weapon. But she'd been delighted to learn that Samantha could fight with a four-foot-long jo staff and that she had an extra. Samantha was quick and smart and fierce, one of the best sparring partners she'd ever had. Fighting, Meredith was able to block out the helpless feeling she'd had in Matt's room this morning. There was something so pathetic about seeing al Christopher's things sitting there ready for him, when he was never coming back. He had one of those weird little fake Zen gardens on his desk, the sand neatly groomed. Maybe just the day before, Christopher had picked up the tiny rake in his hand and smoothed the sand, and now he'd never touch anything again. And it was her fault. Meredith squeezed her staff, her knuckles whitening. She had to accept that. If she had the power of being a potent force against darkness, a hunter and slayer of monsters, she had the responsibility, too. Anything that got through and kil ed someone in her territory was Meredith's failure and her shame. She had to work harder. Practice more, go out patrol ing the campus, keep people safe. â€Å"Are you al right?† Samantha's voice broke through Meredith's thoughts. Startled, Meredith saw Samantha staring at her with wide, solemn dark eyes, taking in Meredith's gritted teeth and clenched fists. â€Å"Not entirely,† said Meredith dryly. â€Å"Um.† She felt like she had to explain her grimness. â€Å"Did you hear about what happened last night, the guy who was kil ed?† Samantha nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. â€Å"Well, he was the roommate of a real y good friend of mine. And I was with my friend today, trying to help him. It was †¦ upsetting.† Samantha's face seemed to harden, and she scrambled up on her knees. â€Å"Listen, Meredith,† she said, â€Å"I promise you this isn't going to happen again. Not on my watch.† â€Å"On your watch?† Meredith asked mildly. Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe. â€Å"I have responsibilities,† Samantha said. She dropped her eyes to her hands. â€Å"I'm going to catch this kil er.† â€Å"It's a big job,† Meredith said. It wasn't possible, was it? But Samantha was such a good fighter, and what she was saying †¦ why would she think she was responsible for stopping the kil er? â€Å"What makes you think you can do it?† she asked. â€Å"I know this is difficult to believe, and I shouldn't even be tel ing you, but I need your help.† Samantha was looking straight into her eyes, practical y vibrating with earnestness. â€Å"I'm a hunter. I was raised to†¦ I have a sacred trust. Al my family for generations, we've fought against evil. I'm the last of us. My parents were kil ed when I was thirteen.† Meredith gasped, shocked, but Samantha shook her head fiercely, pushing Meredith's sympathy away. â€Å"They hadn't finished training me,† she continued, â€Å"and I need you to help me get better, get faster. I'm not strong enough yet.† Meredith stared at her. â€Å"Please, Meredith,† Samantha said. â€Å"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. People are depending on me.† Unable to stop herself, Meredith started to laugh. â€Å"It's not a joke,† Samantha said, jumping to her feet, her fists clenched. â€Å"This is†¦ I shouldn't have said anything.† She stalked toward the door, her back as straight as a soldier's. â€Å"Samantha, wait,† Meredith cal ed. Samantha whirled back toward her with a face ful of fury. Meredith took a quick breath and tried desperately to remember something she'd learned as a child but never had occasion to use. Crooking her pinkies together, she drew up her thumbs to make a triangle, the secret sign of greeting between two hunters. Samantha just stared at her, face perfectly blank. Meredith wondered if she remembered the sign correctly. Had Samantha's family even taught it to her? Meredith knew there were other families out there, but she had never met any of them before. Her parents had left the hunter community before she was born. Then Samantha, moving as quickly as she ever had when they'd sparred, was before her, gripping her arms. â€Å"For real?† Samantha said. â€Å"Are you serious?† Meredith nodded, and Samantha threw her arms around her and clutched her tightly. Her heart was beating so hard that Meredith could feel it. Meredith stiffened at first – she wasn't the touchy-feely type, despite being best friends with wildly affectionate Bonnie for years – but then relaxed into the hug, feeling Samantha's slim, muscular body under her arms, so like her own. She had the strangest feeling of familiarity, as if she had been lost and had now found her true family at last. Meredith knew she could never say any of that, and part of her felt like she was betraying Elena and Bonnie just by thinking that way, but she couldn't help it. Samantha pul ed away, smiling and weepy, wiping at her eyes and nose. â€Å"I'm acting stupid,† she said. â€Å"But this is the best thing that ever happened to me. Together, we can fight this.† She gave a half-hysterical sniff and gazed at Meredith with huge shining eyes. â€Å"I feel like I've made a new best friend,† she said. â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said – not weeping, not laughing, cool as ever on the outside but, inside, feeling like she was breaking into happy pieces – â€Å"yes, I think you're right.†

Poetry Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry Paper - Essay Example He sees both the roads and looks at them until the vision of his eye permits him to do so. The second stanza of the poem begins with the explanation of the poet for both the roads. He presents that both the roads do not hold much differences. The only difference in the two paths is that one of the roads seems to be less used and less travelled. He chooses this path for himself. In the third stanza of the poem, Frost restates his point that both the paths were almost the same and he thinks that he would come back to walk on the other path some other time. He then states that deep down he knows the fact that he will not get a chance to come back and walk on the other road. In the last stanza of the poem, Frost presents that after the passage of many years he will share his experience with other people and explain to them that he had a choice to opt between one of the two paths in the woods. He concludes his poem by saying that he will explain to the people the reason for his choice. Th e poem â€Å"The Road Not Taken† by Robert Frost has an important underlying theme and is not merely about the decision of Frost of opting for a path in the forest. The poem explains the characteristics of human nature and presents an important point that comes in the life of every human being which is the point of taking a decision. This is an occurrence which takes place in the life of every individual when a person has to opt for a decision. The two paths in the poem signify the point in a person’s life when he has two different options but he has to opt for only one. The analysis of Frost of the two roads in the woods explains human nature when every person analyzes the different options that are available to him so that he can choose what is best for him. The thinking of Robert Frost that he will come back to walk on the other road when he is well aware that he will never be able to do so also highlights an important aspect of the human beings. It explains the hap pening of the life of every individual as after a person makes a choice regarding his life; it is not possible for him to go back to that point and opt for another option that was available for him then. This is because one option that a person chooses leads towards many other happenings and it is not possible to go back to the first point and start from the scratch again. The poem also puts forward another very important aspect of the nature of human beings which is dissatisfaction. A human being does not get satisfied with what he gets and he always tends to think that had he opted for another choice for himself, he might have been in a better position. This ambiguity is presented in the poem when Frost also wills to walk on the other path but he knows that it will not be possible. Thus the poem carries important themes and messages. Works Cited Top of Form Frost, Robert.  The Road Not Taken, Birches, and Other Poems. Claremont, Calif: Claremont Canyon Press, 2010. Print. Bottom of

Integrated Marketing communications ( The Report should be about an Assignment

Integrated Marketing communications ( The Report should be about an insurance company) - Assignment Example Kuwait Insurance Company is the major competitor of BKIC. Having gained enough experience of functioning under changing market conditions, the company is positioned in a well manner to face the pressure with courage and confidence (Bkic, 2015). The major forms of cross-functional relationships which exist within the company are the relationship between the marketing, finance, human resources and technical team members. The association of all these functional areas play significant role towards the success of BKIC. The expertise from all these areas works towards the common objective of the company (Annual Report, 2014). There are various methods of internal communication such as memos, notice board, mail, face-to-face conversation and suggestion and complaint boxes (Smith and Mounter, 2008). Memos are used to communicate information among the departments of the firm. Various departments of BKIC such as the finance, marketing, human resources and operations discuss among them how to engage the employees by providing efficient training on the respective field (Bkic, 2015). Notice board is used to communicate important information to the employees. If any worker gets promotion, then their name is posted on the notice board. It makes them feel special and motivates them to put more efforts towards the betterment of the company. Mail is also considered as a significant form of internal communication method. Employees can make query on certain matters where they face problems and can get the clarification from the managers. BKIC has an apparent policy related to their communication with employees (Annual Report, 2014). Face-to-face conversation is regarded as one of the most important way of internal communication to enhance the engagement of employees. It helps to eradicate any type of misunderstanding which generally takes place at the place of work and therefore results in keeping employees for a long period. The

Gun Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Gun Control - Essay Example Gun violence has become very common these days and it is very important to get hard on gun crimes otherwise the situation will soon get out of hands. It is very important to get tough on gun violence because gun crime has increased at a significant rate in the recent past. People are using guns against each other in the US, hand guns can be found commonly and this is really a bad sign. It is also reported that most murders that take place in the US are carried out with the help of a firearm and in most cases it is a hand gun. â€Å"In 2005, 11,346 persons were killed by firearm violence and 477,040 persons were victims of a crime committed with a firearm. Most murders in the United States are committed with firearms, especially handguns.† (Gun Violence) These statistics are very alarming and it is more of a national issue, the recent statistics are even worse. It is really easy to get weapons and especially guns. It is very important to bring about a change and it should be done soon. It is important to ensure that people do not get their hands on these guns easily, it is sure to bring down the crime rate and especially gun violence. There must be stricter laws in place to ensure that people do not get easy access to arms, this is a certain way of bringing down gun violence. Gun control has always been a very debatable and a complex topic, law-abiding citizens are expected to follow the law but these days law has become a donkey on which the rich people ride.

There are myths surrounding creativity. The intangible nature of Essay - 1

There are myths surrounding creativity. The intangible nature of creativity does not lend itself to easy definition - Essay Example It takes place generally when the recent product plan is really implemented (Thompson, 1965). The author favours this definition because it makes creativity or innovation tangible as well as measurable relatively than a theoretical concept. In organization, innovation is observed as a relating process consisting of different stages. First stage is expressed as the commencement stage where the new proposal is introduced, authorized, and established for adoption. Next stage is described as the implementation phase which comprises of the changes in the actual management that happens in the company, as the modernization is placed into operation (Rogers, 1983). The aim of the paper is to explain the hypothesis of different models and theories on innovation and to focus on the fact that how innovation is important for the organization. This model is projected by Eric Von Hippel, which explains the type of innovation whereby the users originates the changes as well as carry out distribution and production. This model could also be relevant to the physical products. Innovation is reasonably viable to handle without a producer if three circumstances are satisfied: the continuation of an inducement for the users to create or innovate; the continuation of an incentive in order to disclose innovations; and the probability to allocate innovations at the low cost. This model describes interesting patterns of innovation that have possibly existed in certain areas but have not been observed until now by the specialists of innovation (Haddon, 2006). It proposed that the manufacture as innovator postulation is wrong; a new means to classify investors has been planned. It explains that the innovation of product could initiate from any one of the three distinct sources i.e. users, producers and suppliers; who are also considere d as innovators (Edquist, Hommen and Tsipouri, 2000). The main consequence is that the ‘distributed innovation procedure’

Ballistic pendulum Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ballistic pendulum - Lab Report Example Therefore, it rises to the maximum height allowed by their original kinetic energy In the experiment, the ball with mass m is fired from the spring gun with an original horizontal velocity v1. At time t= t1 , it collides with the pendulum with the mass M and the corresponding length L, which is originally at rest. At t=t2 the ball is trapped in the interior the pendulum. Moreover, the pendulum is at height h1 and the starts to move at the velocity v2 and swings upward. At t=t3 the ball is brought to halt at a height h2 by force of gravity. Initial velocity of the ball V1 is calculated by the measurement Through application of the Conservation of Energy to the ball-pendulum system amidst the two times t2 and t3, the time t2 is the instant subsequent to the collision and t3 is the instant that the ball pendulum combination stops at its underlying maximum height ( h2) Considering the projectile when there is no pendulum, originally travelling horizontally, the ball has a velocity v1 as it leaves the spring gun. Moreover, when it hits the floor it has travelled horizontal distance x and the vertical distance y. In case it takes time t, the basic emotion equations become x= v1t The pendulum was from the apparatus and the measurement of its mass was recorded using the triple beam balance. Mass of the steel ball was also recorded. The ball was placed in the pendulum’s catcher and the distance from the pivot to the balance of the pendulum and the ball combination was measured and recorded (L). The pendulum was reconnected and the ball was shoot so that it can get trapped by the pendulum for 5 times and the maximum angle was recorded. The angles were used to calculate the initial velocity for each one utilizing provided equations. Pendulum was removed out of the way and the ball was shoot and its landing taken into account. Black mat and the sheet of white paper were taped . The shoots were taken for 5 times in

Theories of the Atonement Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Theories of the Atonement - Thesis Example Secondly, man is sinful because Adam and Eve sinned. This unique position as federal head brought offspring where that sin was imputed. And, thirdly, no sinful person can atone for another person's sins; but only a sinless person can do it. The subjective assumption of the punishment of God in the New Testament seemingly under stresses the fact that there is room for clemency or forgiveness. However, if we look at both the Old and the New Testaments, God's justice and His forgiveness would seem two contradicting aspects of His person. In other words, it is quite inconceivable that God's justice and forgiveness can be reconciled or can exist hand in hand. This was depicted in the Old Testament where people saw the justice of God every time they fell into sin and were punished severely for it even at the very act of performing the blood sacrifice to appease God's anger. Part of God's creation, which, although perfect at one time, was yet disposed to be developed by man, for Adam was to care and till the garden. Here, too, the man Adam was to commence his own spiritual development which is why God endowed him with a free will. This unique position as the federal head, however, made it possible for Adam to make his preference. One choice to reach spiritual maturity was to train or develop his spirit through the exercise of obedience to the word of God, while his other choice was to lead man to reach spiritual maturity through the knowledge of good and evil. Adam would have still developed his spirit by recognizing the fact that all that is opposed to the will of God is an evil to be avoided and through voluntary resistance to such evil, to the full spiritual development or a godlike knowledge of good and evil. But by his eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam had to learn the difference between good and evil from his own guilty experience.

Project Management #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Project Management #2 - Essay Example These resources also include human resources, and so this would need facilitation of better management of people towards achievement of organisational objectives through the most economically feasible manner (Kyle, 1998). In this assignment, the pros and cons of systems approach in project management will be analysed in the following sections. For the concept of systems approach in project management to be clear, a project may be seen as a sequence of connected activities, which are both complex and unique. All these activities have a single goal to serve the organization. To meet the criteria of project related activities, these must observe a strict timeframe, must satisfy specifications, and must remain within budget. These sequence of activities are dictated by the technical requirements of the specific work, or in the other words, output is measured by the technical requirements and specifications. It is to be remembered that for any specific project, the activity parts are unique in the sense that under the given conditions identical parameters never repeat and they always vary in a random fashion, and project management is all about management and control of these random variables inherent in each piece of activities that constitute a project (Kerzner, 2009). Each project thus differs in purp... enging and it is calculated journey into unknown future; each step is fraught with uncertainty and risk due to invariable variations in one or more parameters, commercial, physical, or administrative angles. There are several types of such projects, and in fact all organizational activities may be placed in such formats. Taking examples from engineering, manufacturing, information technology, or scientific research, it has been observed that all projects enter into a timeline, despite indistinct beginning or end, although several key events mark significant points in the evolution of a project, namely, milestones. The time period spanning between the beginning and end point of any project is known as the life cycle of the project (Lambert and Lambert, 2000). It is very evident that the solutions to the best accomplishments of these projects from all angles are exercise of better controls and the best use of the available corporate resources. This means that most of the solutions lie internally than externally. The systems approach to project management is just another way to achieve the best suitable internal solution, where management principles are being restructured in a special manner and used in different techniques. While into a project, there are unique changes in situations both inside and outside the organization, and project management is one way to respond rapidly to these changes without altering the progress of the project. Clearly, this is a departure from the conventional forms of management strategies where the emphasis is on accomplishing the work (Wysocki, 2007). From common sense, thus, it appears that the process of project management will comprise of certain dynamic steps which include resourcing teams possessing expertise to execute actions

Another new assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Another new assignment - Essay Example According to the Big Five Taxonomy of personality, Arnold fits in the categories of extroversion (being an extrovert), highly agreeable and highly conscientious. People exhibiting these personality traits are proven to have high job performance in most, if not all occupations, and endeavors (in Arnold’s case). They conform to exhibiting enhanced leadership style, as well as higher job and life satisfaction. This can be exemplified by the number of times he set his mind and heart to pursue clearly defined goals and was able to reach or attain these goals (as a bodybuilder, an actor, and now, a governor). His personality traits such as his being goal-oriented, focused, driven, hardworking, thorough, organized, persistent and achievement oriented exemplify These traits, especially, his clear vision of how he wants to improve things (goal and achievement oriented) as well as his charismatic personality (conscientious, agreeable and being an extrovert) gave him the drive, determination and inner strength to get to where he is now. Arnold is also exhibiting a proactive personality which identifies opportunities, show initiative, take action and persevere until meaningful changes occur. Actually, his childhood experience of being treated harshly by his parents provided the impetus for him to strive and leave the environment where he experienced hardships. This experience challenged Arnold to go beyond his dreams and expectations in life. As governor, Arnold is already exhibiting Machiavellian style in his desire to win his constituents and persuade others to conform to his reforms and economic plans. He employs both referent powers, which is based on his charisma. With referent power comes personal power due to his sources of potential influences. In the case, it was stipulated that due to his being an actor, he was able to form a network of powerful friends and advisors, who he constantly seeks advice

Office Art Memo. Memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Office Art Memo. Memorandum - Essay Example Through the discussion in the memo, the CEO and the Vice President have been given the overview of why these pieces have been chosen and what they represent both to the history of art and to the corporate image. Acme Garden Supplies Memo To: Crispin Maverick, CEO From: (your name) CC: Blu Callahan Vice President Date: 5/31/15 Re: Office Art I want to begin by thanking you for this opportunity to curate the art that you want to use in your office space. After considering the possible choices, I have picked one piece of art to be the centerpiece of the works you will display in the outer office area that will serve as the focal point from which all the other pieces will be put into balance. The work I have chosen is that of George Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand-Jatte (1884-1886) (Figure 1). I believe that this post-impressionism work will have the elegance that the space needs to convey a message of both beauty and color. The piece has a dignity and an understated casual nature as there is the scene of the afternoon in which 19th century formalism is combined with the relaxed pose of the characters. The colors pick up the blue of the office decor, while introducing warm tones to complement and enhance the decor. As one looks at the Seurat, the pointillism with which it was created is subtle, and yet engaging. The painstaking detail of applying paint in small dots in order to create the impression of life creates a number of references to our business that can be further explored in the other pieces that are chosen. The pointillism, the gathering of the many people in the piece, and the natural environment of the setting all suggest a blanket of flowers, reflecting the nature of the company. The two pieces that will hang side by side behind the chairs to the left of the wall in which the Seurat will hang are Vincent van Gogh’s post-impressionism work Sunflowers (1888) (See Figure 2) and his work Flowers in Blue Vase (1887) (See Figure 3 ). The Seurat will be large scale, filling the space above the chairs, with the two Van Gogh’s scaled down to equal the same width with a generous space between them, but a reduction in the height so that they will be centered to compliment the Seurat. We will work with our supplier to get exact measurements in order to be cost efficient, but still meet the needs of the design of the space. In the offices of Crispin Maverick and Blu Callahan will be impressionist pieces that will complement the works in the outer office. The first piece that will be in Mr. Maverick’s office will be Gustave Caillebotte’s Jour de Pluie a Paris (1877) (See Figure 4). This piece will offer a sense of stateliness to the office, while also conveying a sense of protection as the umbrellas within the piece cover the people, keeping the rain from their clothes. As he is the CEO of the company, his position should be one that has the appearance of control and oversight. This piece will ha ve a large scale and hang to the left of his desk on a wall of deep burgundy over the black leather sofa that is already in the larger office space. In the office of Blu Callahan will hang two pieces of smaller scale, but that complement the scale of the Caillebotte that hangs in Mr. Maverick’

Global Development Politics Policy Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Development Politics Policy Brief - Essay Example How can the international society continue to maintain sustainable development of its population without inducing further effects of climate change? This question continues to remain a nightmare to experts in environment and economist, alike. Experts mandated to ensure practical climate change policies face this similar challenge. The policy options identified, discussed and proposed include applying costs and benefits analysis exhibition to the public. This, in turn, would inform the public on the effects of climate change on health and environment including the economy. Analysis and exhibition of climate change effects would evoke initiatives for early mitigation of climate change among the population. The second proposal is to ensure reduced level of emissions, on a global scale, would help address climate change. These include agreement on acceptable amount emitted by countries (Posner & Weisbach 2010, p.3). The third proposal is to find means that would change the human behavior and help reduce human causes of this global environmental threat. To sustain the ever-escalating human population growth rate and the ability to support their demands for natural resources, without inducing climate change-causing processes, we recommend initiatives that would correct human norms and behavior to control development. Situation brief Why should the world address climate change? The apparent pursuit to implement sustainable development raises concerns on the necessity to have a succinct policy regulation that control developmental effects. World organizations including institutions sets up by the United Nations face the challenge of ensuring developments that guarantee an uncompromised future. Climate change is among the major challenges that are at the focus of issues that call for redress and attention from the world community, through a united approach. Most conventions and treaties set by international bodies, since the 1972 meeting at Stockholm have climate change as one of the priority challenges. The scope of climate change implications on diverse sectors including the economy, food production and health makes it a grim issue that is better when addressed than left to escalate. Noteworthy is the concern that climate change implications are not region-specific but a matter that is all-inclusive of the entire world society. Scientists point at an alarming change in world temperatures and an anticipation of potential increase in ice melt rate. What are the challenges to existing climate change control policies? Existing policy initiatives to control the rate of emission have little, so to say, effectiveness. The policy frameworks available to suppress over emission from development activities, in developed countries especially, have failed. The carbon credit initiatives tend to assure the world population of insignificant influence and effects. Climate finance is another unsuccessful idea that has least impact in controlling climate change. T he current situation calls for a workable framework that would leave the world population staying in a clean atmosphere that is free of contamination and related effects. The high extent of uncertainty in predicting possible impacts of the alteration of world climatic conditions is the key threat to existing policies. Policy discussion Climate change economists

Shot answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shot answer - Essay Example Even invalid arguments can conclude something that is technically valid. If stated simply, all sound arguments are also valid arguments but not all the valid ones are sound. A sound argument comprises of reasons that are all valid and have true premises. However, a valid argument is simply a deductive analysis and may sometimes be based on invalid reasoning. John Wisdom believes the religion is more of a feeling related to the working of the universe while science is an explanation. He says that explanations can never be on the basis of what someone feels. Thus, he calls the two of them different. In contrast, Einstein believes the science and religion are interlinked and the religious attitude is the best motivation for people to carry on with the scientific research. That is why the best philosophers are the ones who understand the religion before they turn towards the field of science. Thus, he is of the opinion that the two can work together very well. There are three different kinds of arguments present. The first is the theism that says that there are enough evidences present around us to believe in existence of the gods. Secondly, there is atheism which says that there are countless evidences present for believing in the non-existence of god. Lastly, there is agnosticism which suggests that the evidences present are insufficient to support neither theism nor atheism. Anselm argues that he understands God to be a supreme being and that there is no possible force greater than God’s in this universe. However, he says that if the existence of God was only in the mind, then any being found in reality is surely to have greater power over the God who is only a figment of imagination. However, if we believe that there can be God is the greatest being then we must also believe that it exists as well. He objects that if Anselm’s argument is to be considered and accepted, then all other sound

Impact of Menopause on Women Sexual Function Research Paper

Impact of Menopause on Women Sexual Function - Research Paper Example Thus, the menopause topic is timely because the impact the changes have on the life of the woman are challenging and thus worth addressing. In this regard, this paper will evaluate the impact of menopause on women sexual function. The evaluation will be achieved by reviewing five articles with studies conducted about the menopausal effects on sexuality. The review will involve comparing the approaches and methods the researchers use to arrive at their conclusions regarding the menopausal impacts. Key words: Menopause, women, Impact, function, and sex Impact of Menopause on Women Sexual function Different scholars have varying perspectives of approaching the topic on menopausal effects on women sexuality but the overall point that brings them together is that it results into sexuality dysfunction. Menopause changes the life of a woman through altering her biological social aspects (Mattar, Chong, Su, Agarwal, Wong, & Choolani, 2008). The authors continue to point out that it is a time when a woman begins to know the value and function of sexuality. This is because sexuality is important for her health as well as well-being. Menopause according to Mattar et al. (2008) interferes with hormones responsible for sexual response and thus become dysfunctional. The impact of the dysfunction is challenging, devastating, and can result into severe medical issues. In support of Mattar et al. (2008), leventhal (2000) reveals that menopause can reduce libido in women, orgasm as well as reducing coitus frequency. He continues to point out that these impacts result from physiological transformations because of menopause although Levenathal (2000) also adds that depression as well as marital discord could also cause the problems. The author claims that women undergoing menopausal changes experience difficulties in their sexuality, especially if they experience depression or discord. Thus the effects worsen because other hormones are affected and influence the negative effects o r rather ameliorate the transformations. To be more concise, Leventhal (2000) adds that the changes that occur are mediated by estrogen. Orgasm is the most affected sexuality in these women because they experience delays in secretions. This is in agreement with Matter et al. (2008) that inability to reach organism becomes a major challenge in menopausal women. On the impacts, Mattar et al. (2008) argue that the sexual dysfunction can lead to diminished sex drive, inability to arouse, orgasm issues, and pain when performing sex. The authors argue that the condition is complex and is hard to treat. Similarly, Dennerstein, Koochaki, Barton, and Graziottin (2006) survey reveals the challenging impact of menopause on the women’s sexual function. The authors reveal that menopausal women have challenging issues with their sexuality, especially reduced desire for sex. Additionally, the women have complications during sex such as inability for secretion thereby making orgasm a nightma re. According to Dennerstein et al. (2006), the menopausal women develop a Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). The HSDD is common in almost all the menopausal women because the root cause is similar. The finding is similar to that of Mattar et al. (2008) and reveals that menopause impacts on women sexuality severely. The sexuality of older women is full of sexual challenges although some women have problems admitting it (Orner, 2005). The women experience some sexual urge although reduced in comparison to their youthful years but

Health Grades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Health Grades - Essay Example In most cases, the costs are connected to the increase in patient care because of taking drugs for a long time, for instance, higher generation antibiotics. It results in drug resistance that calls for further therapies that increase the cost through diagnostic interventions and investigations (Singh, 2012). I agree with Lisa Jaycox about the significance of health grades report outcomes to a nurse practitioner. The report explains that it is critical for a health professional to apply the current evidence-based data to perform procedures. The use of up to date procedures minimizes the rates for mortality and complication. In addition, a health professional should refer patients to surgeons when necessary, for minimally invasive surgery option (Nickitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2009). In addition, the report shows that effective and timely care reduces cost and mortality rates in six illnesses. The efficient care comprises of children asthma, heart attack, pneumonia, surgical, heart failure and emergency care. Moreover, the report gives the cause of deaths, readmissions and complication within one month which includes hospital-acquired illnesses and conditions. From this perspective, a nurse practitioner can participate in system care enhancements and implement the concept of ‘form foll ows function’ (King & Gerard,

Jack Shepherd Essay Example for Free

Jack Shepherd Essay ABC’s hit television series, Lost, portrays interesting characters. From all walks of life, the characters have one thing in common. They are all stranded on a deserted island somewhere off of the airline’s charted flight course. Forty- eight remaining passengers are thrown together as a result of this terrible plane crash, the literary complication. As the plot continues, they must all try to survive. A few of the survivors are badly injured, a few are hysterical, some are angry, and some are scared. No one appears to know what to do. Jack Shepherd is the protagonist who represents the hero of the pilot episode. Through indirect characterization, the writer presents Jack as a dynamic, round, and fully developed character. Jack Shepherd, as the protagonist, is a take-charge sort of guy who is the natural leader on the island, as illustrated by his actions early on in the episode. He calms a pregnant girl who is traumatized and having contractions, gives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an African American woman who has quit breathing, and he rescues, at the very last possible minute, a heavy-set guy and the expectant mother from disaster when he sees the plane collapsing. They are both unaware of the impending danger, and almost in superhero fashion, Jack runs down the beach and rescues them as the plane’s broken wing almost falls on the pair. The author presents him as an unselfish character who takes care of the needs of others first before seeking help for his own wounds. The Jones 02 author gives the viewers a glimpse into Jack’s background through his conversations with Kate, an attractive passenger, who sews up Jack’s wounds with a travel sewing kit. He tells Kate that he is a doctor, which explains his helping of the injured people on the island. Through this conversation, we learn that Jack, almost a superhero is a normal human being. He shows fear and vulnerability by telling Kate the story about the horrible experience that he had with the surgery of the 16-year-old girl. He shows strength by telling Kate his method for dealing with fear. The author is using indirect methods of characterization in presenting Jack’s personality, and doesn’t just tell the viewer about Jack. Through showing the viewer Jacks full range of emotions, the author presents Jack as a round character who is able to push fear aside. This character is the most developed character in the pilot episode. As a fully developed character, we know more (through his conversations and actions in trying to save the injured people), about Jack than we do any other character. His main traits are stability, leadership, and emotional stability in a time of crisis. Jack is a dynamic character who changes based on his experiences. He talks about how he never lets fear take hold of him anymore as he relates the story of the surgery mistake to Kate. He shares his method of dealing with fear, and she later uses that method for herself later in the episode. â€Å"I decided to give into the fear for 5 seconds and I counted 1,2,3,4,5,† (Lost) Because of this experience in the past, he changed. Therefore we can assume that he is a real character with real emotions who is affected by what happens around him. The author never becomes the simple narrator who tells the viewers about Jack. It is left up to the viewer to decide what kind of character he is based on Jack’s actions. This is indirect characterization. The main character traits of this character are caring, control and sense of duty to help others. His emotions are in control. The author or screenwriter reveals this when Jack goes off to himself to examine the situation. The camera pans to a shot where Jack is surveying the situation and catching his breath from all that has just happened. His facial expression reveals that he knows that the group is in serious trouble, but he knows he must remain in control. Jack is a â€Å"thinking† character who actively begins searching for answers. Through a flashback scene, the writer reveals to the audience through Jack’s eyes, the moments before the crash. The epiphany occurs when he realizes that something much more serious may be happening on the island, and they are all stranded in a very dangerous place. Jack Shepherd is the hero of the pilot episode. He confronts danger, takes charge, and begins to make decisions for the group. He does not let destiny control him. He seeks a solution to the problem, becoming a proactive leader. The author uses his presentation of Jack to show that he is a dynamic and round character who has caught the viewers’ attention, enticing them to tune in next week. Works Cited â€Å"Pilot Episode. † Lost. Abrams, Lieber, Lindelof. ABC. New York. 22 September 2004. Television.

Meaning of Life and Daffodils Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Daffodils Essay The person who is saying the poem is a person who hardly admires nature for its true beauty. 2. Occasion: A trip to the lake inspired this poem because there he saw all these daffodils by the lake and compared them to stars. 3. Audience: The audience for this poem are all those who do not appreciate the beauty of nature and more so to the well-educated. 4. Purpose: The reason Wordsworth wrote this poem was to express the beauty of all nature and how we take its beauty for granted. He is wishing to convey that we should acknowledge nature because we are nature and nature is in all of use. Also that we should admire its beauty before the image is gone and it’s too late. 5. Subject: The poem is about a man who takes a trip to lake and wanders around without a care in the world, like a cloud. Then he sees all these daffodils and compares them to stars. Later he returns to his couch to then realize that the scene was beautiful and that all nature is beautiful. 6. Tone: The author’s attitude towards nature is that he loves the beauty of it and how should admire its beauty. That it should take a â€Å"pensive mood† (Line 20; Wordsworth) for us to realize the beauty of nature, because we should always admire its beauty. Poem Analysis TP-CASTT 1. Title: The title seems to give off a sense of relaxation and a worry free feeling. Floating through life with no worries, like a cloud. 2. Paraphrase: A person is wandering around like a cloud does when it floats high over vales and hills. At a glance he sees a host of golden daffodils beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing. He compares the daffodils to the stars and how the flowers remind him of the Milky Way. The flowers stretch endlessly along the margin of the bay. He saw just ten thousand in one glance. The waves besides the flowers danced but they could not outdo the sparkling waves of the daffodils. A poet could not be happy in such jocund company. He gazed at the show but thought little of what wealth the show to him had brought. It wasn’t until he lay on his couch in a pensive mood that the image flashes before is inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude. Then finally his heart is fills with pleasure and dances with the daffodils. 3. Connotation: The author uses personification to bring to life the daffodils and to connect them with humans. â€Å"dancing in the breeze. † (Line 6; Wordsworth) This imagery gives us a sense that the daffodils are trying to communicate with us through â€Å"dancing†, and tell us that we are really no different than them. The author gives off a relaxed tone by making the speaker wander like a cloud, and we can also tell that the author loves the beauty of nature and thinks that we are connected to it, by what he has the speaker do in the poem. The attitude that the speaker has toward nature is that at first he doesn’t really admire the beauty of the daffodils until he lies on his couch and thinks about what he saw. The speakers attitude towards himself is that he doesn’t really see what’s so important about nature, until he really thinks about it. . Shifts: The poem shifts when the speaker says, â€Å"but little thought,† (Line 17; Wordsworth). It also shifts when he lies on his couch to think about nature. It shifts from a sense of perspective, because at fist he just examined the lake and saw daffodils, but it wasn’t until later, after he left, that there was more to the daffodils than just being plants. 6. Title: Now when I see the title is see that it is saying that the speaker is wandering though life with no knowledge about nature and its connection with life. 7. Theme: The poem is about a man who takes a trip to lake and wanders around without a care in the world, like a cloud. Then he sees all these daffodils and compares them to stars. Later he returns to his couch to then realize that the scene was beautiful and that all nature is beautiful. The theme of the story is that we just see nature as plants and trees and we do not admire the true meaning of nature. Once we do see the true meaning of nature and how we are connected, we are not around to admire its beauty in person because it’s too late.

Definition of Reading

Definition of Reading Definition of Reading Reading is a mental process. There are many definitions of reading. Reading is when someone looks into a written text and starts to absorb the information from the written linguistic message. In Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistic, reading is said as: Perceiving a written text in order to understand its contents. This can be done silently (silent reading). The understanding that result is called reading comprehension. Saying a written text aloud (oral reading). This can be done with or without understanding of the content. Other definition by Collins English Learners Dictionary is that reading is an act of looking at and understanding point. This is very true because reading entails the use of vision to understand several words in a sentence and make them meaningful. Same goes to each sentence in order to understand the entire text. Besides all the definitions from the dictionary there are also definitions made by several people. According to William (1984), he defines reading as a process whereby one looks at and understands what has been written. Rohani Ariffin (1992:1) in her book entitled Anthropology of Poetry for Young People defines reading as a highly personal activity that is mainly done silently, alone. There is a clear understanding that reading is something related to the activity of acquiring information and it is done either silently or aloud. Reading is an interactive process between the reader and the writer. Brunan W.K (1989) for instance defines reading as a two way interaction in which information is exchange between the reader and the author. Smith (1973) also shares the same attitude. This is proved by his line: Reading is an act of communication in which information is transferred from a transmitter to a receiver (Smith 1973:2) Despite all the definitions given, there is also definition of reading given by teachers as well as by students. According to Stallfter (1969), teachers define reading as: a complicated procedure. Readers read to get information from the printed pages. They should be able to pronounce and comprehend the printed words, signs, letters, and symbols by assigning meaning to them. As for students, they define reading which cited from Jensen and Petty (1918) as: where words go into your eyes and out of your mouth. They said that books are written with many adventures and time and time again there are spots where they say I know it! it is interesting to them as they open the book, words flow out and float across the mind In order for a person to be able to read, there is in need of other skill to support the reader while reading. Reading is a mental process as mentioned earlier so it needs other skills to be integrated with such as listening, speaking and writing. According to Chitravelu et. al (1995), reading is not a single skill that we use all the time in the same way but it is multiple skill that used differently with kind of test and fulfilling different purpose. This was earlier being stated by Thomas and Loving (1979) where they alleged reading as a communicative skills along with listening, speaking writing and thinking. Purpose of Reading Many or any people can read a text but hardly can understand what the writing was all about. This is because the reading was not providing any information to the reader. Why is this happen? This happened when the reader merely read the text without understanding the content. So it defeats the purpose of reading as a means to gain information. According to Mariam (1991) she proposed that a major avenue of learning is through reading. Yet, if we do not understand what we are reading, we cannot learn or remember it. Comprehending is a major concerned, then, of all teachers who use printed material in the classroom. Since reading is very important in learning second language, a great effort has been given to develop reading skill. Although many ways have been promoted in order to improve reading skill among students, reading is still something that is seems problematic. Students cant understand English text. These problems occurred because according to Noormah (2000) the students are lacking of vocabulary, hardly understand the words and less interest to English subject. Besides that, there are also several factors contributing to the diffident of this particular skill. Based on Sivaguru (2000) those factors are home, school and social environment. If the student is living in a family where English to them is a familiar language, frequently spoken by the members of the family then the student will have the advantage of being exposed to the language. Unlike student with no English familiarity in his family where English is seen as a bizarre language to be spoken, this kind of environment demodula tes his motivation to learn the language. Moreover, school is also one of the factors that contribute to the incompetence in reading. This is where the role of teacher in promoting the language to the students. Some teacher just might not fully use English during English class especially in the primary school. This is just because the teacher intended to suit her level with the students and as a result a lot of code switching is used. This early exposure to the lack of using English in class causes a serious impact when they further their study in a higher education level. To them English is not something important. Even if it does, they still can code switch as what their teacher did during their schooling period. Another factor is the environment factor. We are from what we come from. If the environment around us allows us to speak English for example to have colleagues who are willing to speak English, this would be a good drive. But what actually happen in the Malaysian society is that people are hesitate to speak English in public among friends, neighbors etceteras. Although the factors discussed are concerning around the speaking skill, but as mentioned earlier that all skills are related to each other. When the students are no longer interested to speak in English, their passions for the language will also deteriorating. These will also affecting their reading skills and their ability to understand English text. Models of Reading This study will be focusing on the students of a tertiary level. Students of tertiary level are different from students of a secondary school in reading purpose. Secondary school students read because they are forced to read by their teacher. It is hard to find students who do extensive reading by themselves. Students of tertiary level on the other hand read because they have to. They have to read to keep up with lectures and assignments. If they do not read, they will be left behind. There are three theories related and being use in this study. The first theory is the traditional view of reading (Dole et al, 1991). According to this theory, novice readers needs to acquire a set of hierarchically ordered sub-skills that consecutively build toward comprehension ability. Contained in this theory, the students have the ability to comprehend the texts by making sense of the words within the context of the sentence. According to Nunan (1991), being able to read using this view is being able to interpret a series of written symbols to the auditory equivalents as a way for the readers to make sense of the text they are reading and to reproduce the meaning of the reading itself. In other words, this process is called the bottom-up. The bottom-up reading is done step by step as mentioned by Mariam Mohamed Nor and Rahmad Sukor Abd. Samad (2006). The technique begins with the eyes identifying visual information in the materials and this technique begins with the identification of the letter and the sounds follows subsequently. Next, the identification of the lexical items is done through grapheme-phoneme correspondence and being put in the short term memory (STM). This is where the phrases, clauses and sentences are being constructed. This model requires an accurate comprehension, sequential identification of letters, words, phrases, clauses, sentences and the pronunciation. The other meaning of this view is that it is also a process of outside-in as mentioned by McCarthy (1999). To make it simple, the bottom-up model recommends that reading should begins from the low-level processing. The printed texts that being read by the reader can only be interpreted and understood by the reader himself. Apart from the definition given below, this traditional view of reading always been under attack because of the insufficiency and lacking one or more of the usual forms of grammatical inflection mainly the words and structure. The second theory is the three major types of schemata. The types of schema mentioned by Carrell (1984) are the linguistic schemata, formal schemata and content schemata which are related to the reading comprehension. The linguistic schemata refer to the existing knowledge that the readers have in vocabulary and grammar. It is the foundation for other schemata as it is essential in helping the readers to grasp and decode the text they read. If the readers do not have this schema, it will be hard for them to understand and to decode texts they read. The more linguistic schema the readers have, the easier for them to understand and decode what they are reading. The second schema is the formal schema. This schema has been explained to be abstract, encoded, internalized, and having coherent patterns of meta-linguistic, discourse and textual organization that are being used to understand a text. The reader tries to use any information that they have in order to understand and to comprehend the English text they are reading at that particular of time. But the formal schema offers less power in the reading process as mentioned by Carrell (1984). In this study, the formal schema helps the students to make relations between the background knowledge that they have with the new one that they just bumped into under the same topic. This is to help them in comprehending the reading English texts in the possible way as they can. The third schema in the schemata theory is called content schema. In other terms, this schema explains about the reader having the information or background knowledge on the topic that is being brought up in the texts they read. A language is not only the combination of vocabulary or grammar but it also involves the culture of the language and this is where the information came. With the content schema, it can complete the lack of language schemata and thus helps the students in comprehending texts and to be able to put aside any ambiguities and irrelevant words or sentences in the texts. The third theory used in this study is the affective filter hypothesis by Stephen Krashen. This theory involves the attitudes towards the target language and its relationship with the input achieved by the students. It shows that how attitude is very important in learning language. If the students have a very high or strong affective filter, they tend to have less input. If the students do understand the input, the input will not reach part of the brain that takes charge of the language acquisition. It is different to students who have low affective filter who will have the tendency to obtain more information and because they have more positive attitudes to the language they are learning, they are more open to the input they obtain.

Design of Search and Rescue Helicopter

Design of Search and Rescue Helicopter Proposal:Search Rescue Helicopter This report highlights the design process of a SR Helicopter system that can rival the competitors in the current market. In order to do so SysML modelling methods have been used to allow us to get a better understanding of the system and the problem at hand. To do so further research was conducted on the leading SR Helicopter in the market, to get an understanding of what type of features are expected from the system. After conducting some requirements capturing, key design features are created for the SR Helicopter. This is done by refining the requirements given to us by the customer/stakeholders. Engineering characteristics are then found from the key design features and represented in the association matrix. This leads on to tradeoff decision that need to be made to optimize the system and satisfy majority of the requirements given by the customer/stakeholders. Systems Design for Helicopters Through this report, we will develop a system design for a military search and rescue helicopter (SR Helicopter) that can be used in missions that is in hostile environments. Following on from this we will conduct a competitive analysis of the designed helicopter to its competitors. The baseline for the new system will be using an existing military helicopter, the HH-60G. 1.1 Background of the HH-60G Pave Hawk The primary mission of the HH-60G pave Hawk helicopter is to recover personnel from hostile environments. In addition, the helicopter also executes search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster relief, security cooperation, NASA space shuttle support and rescue command and control missions [1]. The HH-60G Pave Hawk has been used in the past for several operations, including the Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force and many more [1]. They have also been used to provide emergency evacuation for U.S. Navy SEAL teams in their operations overseas [1]. HH-60G Pave Hawk has not just been used for military operations but also for helping when natural disasters happen. For example, when there was an earthquake and tsunami in Japan, these helicopters were deployed to provide search and rescue within 24 hours of the disaster [1]. This illustrates how resilient these helicopters are already, so using this as the baseline of the system will ensure that the new system will have a solid foundation. 1.2 Aims The aim of this report is to use system design modelling tools to design and analyse a search and rescue helicopter that met the customers requirements. 1.3 Objectives Conduct some background research on the current systems in the market Refine the requirements given by the customer/stakeholders. Use SysML tools to design and analyse the system. 1.4 Further research Current Features on the HH-60G Pave Hawk include: communication and navigation that includes integrated navigation, global positioning and Doppler navigation systems [2] [1] Satellite communications [1] Secure voice and Have Quick communications [1] Can fit up to 12 troops and six crewmen onboard [1] Automatic flight control systems [2] [3] Night vision goggles [3] Infrared system that allows the pilot to see in low level light (limited visibility) operations [3] [1] Weather radar [1] Anti-ice system on the engine and rotor blades [2] The HH-60G Pave Hawk includes equipment such as retractable in-flight refuelling probe, 7.65mm or 50calibre machineguns and a 3600kg capacity cargo hook. As well as a cargo hook the Pave Hawk also has a hoist cable that is capable of lifting a load up to 270kg from 200 feet [1]. Most of these features are upgraded from the UH-Black Hawk. Which just shows how the HH-60G Pave Hawk is the leading SR Helicopter in the market in this moment in time. 2.1 Narrative A military search and rescue helicopters (SR Helicopter) purpose is to be a quick responder to finding a missing person or people. Naturally it will mean that the helicopter will have to travel at great speeds to reach the area that the missing personnel is assumed to be. But sometimes the mission commander (person who is in charge of the search and rescue mission) will receive new information on the location of the missing or injured people, which will then need to be relayed to the crew in the helicopter. Once the crew reaches their destination they need to have the technology onboard the helicopter that will allow them to locate the missing or injured person/people. This ranges from night vision goggles to radio systems. In some circumstances the missing people will have radios on them, which can be used to hail the helicopter. When the person or people are located the helicopter must be able to retrieve them from any terrain and have the space to accommodate them. In addition the helicopter will be tasked to go into hostile environments, which can put the crew and the helicopter its self through a lot of stress. The stress could range from subzero temperatures, storms and even bullets in a warzone. Usually the helicopters will be armed with weaponry that will defend its self from incoming fire from the ground and air. 2.2 Use case Diagram The use case diagram is used to allow us to identify the key requirements in the system. In addition, due to the fact that this use case is used for behavioural modelling, it allows the user to identify actors, relationships and the system boundary of the system. You can see in the figure 1 that there are multiple actors (stick figures) involved with this system. Initially there is a lot more but they are out of our scope in this moment of time. The use case in figure 1 starts off with the operational requirement, which is Conduct search and rescue in hostile environments, which then branches of into 4 other essential requirements such as Operate in hostile environments and Travel at high speeds. Figure 1: High level use case Moving on, another use case diagram was created, as seen in figure 2, which highlights the remaining functional requirements. At this stage, the use case method sometimes highlights requirements that are derived from each other. For example, from Identify person/people imperil, three other requirements were derived; Identify personnel at night, Long distance communications and Identify personnel in low visibility conditions. Figure 2 Low Level Use case The next stage will be to identify all the different requirements and sort them into functional and non-functional requirements. 2.3 Requirements Identification A systems engineer will use requirements to validate the stakeholders needs are satisfied by the delivered system [4]. Therefore a systems engineer should be able to understand the problem in different layers of perception [4]. Requirements identification also helps the systems engineer to check if he is creating the right system for the stakeholder. 2.4 Organise the requirements by Type The requirements start off with an operational requirement, which highlights the highest level. Usually the operational requirement would be agreed with the primary stakeholder which is derived from the narrative provided earlier on in the report. As well as the operational requirements, the functional and non-functional requirements are then also derived from the narrative. To do this, the narrative is re-written a couple of times, refining the information till the engineer has a set of functional and non-functional requirements [5]. It is essentially an iterative process where the system engineer continuously analysis the requirements and refines each requirement until there is no ambiguity in them. These refined requirements are illustrated further down in the report, in 2.5 Requirements Model. For this scenario, the Operational requirement would be: Conduct a search and rescue operation in hostile environments. The Functional requirements for this scenario would be: Locate person/people imperil Identify person/people imperil Long distance communication Operate in hostile environments Operate in wet conditions Store medical equipment Low unit cost Non-Functional requirements: Fit injured personnel onboard Recover injured personnel from elevated height Operate in hostile environments Operate in cold conditions Operate under fire High operating range High cursing speed High max speed These requirements were then placed into a SysML Requirements table, which allows us to put the required information in a table format. This makes the requirements much more representable and allows us to add in information regarding the requirements, such as, high cruising speed: Shall be able to travel faster than 200mph. The others can be seen in figure 3. It is at this stage were the non-functional requirememnts are added, to ensure that all the requirements can be found in one place. Each requirement is then given a piority rating (under the colloum risk) according to the importance of the requirement. Pioritisation was decided off the combination of the customers needs and how much of an effect the requirement has to the overall operational requirements. Following on from this, the key design features were decided and justified. This a critial section for systems engineers when they are deciding the likely trade-offs. The pioritisation and justifications are what influences the decisions on which trade-offs will be considered. Type Requirement Key Design Feature Piority Justification Non-Functional 1.4 Fit injured personnel onboard Shall be able to accommodate at least 8 people High The HH-60G Pave Hawk is the best helicopter for search and rescue at the moment, which can hold up to 12 people and the six crew members onboard. Taking into consideration this is when all people are healthy and not injured the stakeholders agreed that 8 injured people must be able to fit inside the helicopter. Non-Functional 1.4.1 Recover injured personnel from elevated height Shall be able to recover person imperil from an elevated height of at least 200 feet High The stakeholders wanted the system to have the cabalility to extract injured personnel from an elevated hieght. Non-Functional 1.5.1 Operate in cold conditions Should be able to operate at temperatures more than -30 degrees Medium The system must be able to operate in harsh weather conditions, which includes subzero tempreatures. The engines in the HH-60G Pave Hawk can operate efficiently in -30 degress [6]. As we are creating a system that should be able to rival the best SR helicopters out there, we decided our engines should be able to operate under the same conditions as the HH-60G Pave Hawk. Non-Functional 1.5.3 Operate under fire The fuselage shall protect the crew and vital mechanical parts from bullets less than a 50 Caliber bullet High As the stakeholder highlited the fact that this SR Helicopter would be used in the military as well as natural desasters, it is essential for the system to be able to withstand small arms fire and automatic weapons. This would be anything less than a 50 caliber bullet. Non-Functional 1.8 High operating range Shall have a range more than 650km High Currently the SR helicopter that has the smallest range is the black hawk helicopters, with the range of 592km. The coustmer stated that they would like the helicopter to rival thoes that are the best in the market as well as keeping the cost down, we decided that having the minimum 100km more than the lowest range out there, will give our system the competitive edge it needs. Non-Functional 1.9.1 High Cruising speed The cruising speed is more than 170mph Low Looking at the curising speed of the HH-60G Pave Hawk, which is at 184mph. This system needs to rival it as well as keeping the cost low. So the best way to do that is keep the cruising speed relatively close the to the Pave Hawk, but reducing it slightly to lower the costs. Non-Functional 1.9.2 High Max speed The max speed is more than 200mph High Looking at the max speed of the HH-60G Pave Hawk, which is at 220mph [1]. This system needs to rival it as well as keeping the cost low. So the best way to do that is keep the max speed relatively close the to the Pave Hawk, but reducing it slightly to lower the costs. Non-Functional 1.7 Low unit cost Unit Price shall be less than $40.1 Million High Analysing the market, the best helicopter (HH-60G Pave Hawk) has a unit cost of $40.1 Million. So keeping the price less than the Pave Hawk, will make it more appealing to the coustomers. Figure 4: Key Design Features Justification 2.5 Requirements Model (Relations) From the requirements table in figure 3, a requirements model was created showing the relationships between each requirement. As you can see in figure 5, all the requirements can be seen mapped back to the operational requirement. This shows the relationships between each of the requirements and how they are vital for the system to achieve its operational requirement. In addition, this tool allows us to highlight the requirements that are derived from other requirements. For example, in figure 5, requirement 1.5 Operate in hostile environments, has three other requirements that are derived from it. 1.5.1 Operate in cold conditions, 1.5.2 Operate in wet conditions and 1.5.3 Operate under fire. Something that should be noted is that these three requirements are not all functional requirements. Even though 1.5.1 is a functional requirement 1.5.1 and 1. 5.2 are both non-functional requirements. 3.1 SysML Block Definition Diagram (BDD) Block Definition Diagram is used to define the different types of physical units as well as intangible entities [7] [4] [5]. Furthermore, the BDD defines each blocks characteristic in terms of it structural and behavioral features [7]. The diagram can be used to plot the requirement constraints that have been identified previously in the report [4] [5]. Finally, the BDD allows the user to define the relationships between each block, for example the hierarchical relationships [7]. Figure 6 is the Block Definition Diagram for the SR Helicopter System, which as seen, has eight main blocks: Fuselage, Power Plant, Rotor Blades, Battery, Hoist Cable, Visual Software, Radio system, Armament. The Fuselage block is associated to two other blocks (which is represented with a straight line, that has no arrow at the end), Hoist Cable and Armament. The reason for this is because both the Armament and Hoist Cable is connected to the Fuselage. The reason for there not being a direct association line between these three is due to the fact that there is no signal flow between these subsystems. On the other hand, if we look at the Battery and the Fuselage there is a direct association line since the battery will power the lights and other electrical equipment inside the fuselage. In addition to the fuselage the battery also has a direct association line with the visual software, radio system, hoist cable and power plant. The reason for this is because all these subsystems need electrical power to work and carry out their operations. Each block has specific operations that it needs to carry out, in order for the overall system to achieve its goal. Visual software must be allow the pilot to locate and identify the person/people imperil (see requirement 1.1 and 1.2), in order to do so it has to have the capabilities to see in the dark, which means the subsystem needs to generate night vision display. By looking at the rest of the blocks it is now easily identifiable, of their purpose in the overall system and how each subsystem aids the overall system in achieving the requirements. 3.2 SysML Internal Block Diagram An Internal block diagram can be interpreted the complete opposite of the block definition diagram due to the reason that an IBD is a white box or internal view of a system block [4] [5]. The blocks in the BDD are represented in the IBD as parts. This just means that this diagram illustrates the flow properties between each subsystem. Figure 7 is the IBD for the SR helicopter system which can be traced back to the Block Definition Diagram in chapter 3.1. As you can see in figure 7, the power plant block has a port, which links to the Fuel flow property. This illustrates how the fuel is supplied from a different part of the system (Fuel Tank) that is outside of our scope. After receiving electrical power from the battery, the power plant (engines) can then ignite the fuel which then generates power. This power is then transferred to the Rotor Blades, which is not only represented with an association line but the Direction label indicates where the energy flow is going. So, from the power plant the power is going out into the rotor blades, which is then transferred into torque. This torque then generates lift, allowing the helicopter to fly. Moving onto another section of the diagram, the Fuselage has only one flow property, which is people. The reason for this is because the fuselage has one main purpose, which is to allow people to enter and exit the helicopter. Even though flow property is considered the flow of energy, in this case people are considered a flow of energy. The flow property people is then connected to the torque flow property of the hoist cable, as the torque energy lifts the people from the ground into the helicopter. Finally, if we continue analyzing the fuselage, you can see that the flow property is only linked to one other flow property, but there is still an association line between the fuselage and the armament. The reason for this is because we know that the armament in placed inside the fuselage so these two subsystems are connected, but as far as we know there is no flow of energy between them. Figure 7: Internal Block Diagram 3.3 Association Matrix In this section of the report we will explore the key design features that was provided by the costumer [5]. These key features are the ones that influence the system requirements significantly. To illustrate this, the key features were matched with its corresponding engineering characteristics, which allowed us to figure out the strength of their connection [5]. Figuring out the strength of their connection lead on to us deciding what the tradeoffs were. If we analyses figure 8, we can see that the engineering characteristics are categorized into five different sections: Helicopter Fuselage Amour Armament Power Plant The Helicopter category represents the whole system, which allows us to illustrate the relevance of each engineering characteristic with the overall system [8] [5]. For instance, the volume of the fuselage is affected by the height, width and length of the helicopter as well as the other engineering characteristics from the other sections. Looking at the Power characteristic, we can see that it is affected by weight of the armament, range and weight of the power plant, the material density of the amour and the weight of the helicopter its self. This indicates that this particular engineering characteristic needs to be taken into careful consideration when designing the system. Similarly, the Range of the power plant is also affected by a majority of the other engineering characteristics. Keeping these two engineering characteristics in mind, if we look into the key design features, we can see that Power and Range (of the Power Plant) affects quite a few of the key design features that are ranked at a priority of 5. Therefore, the tradeoffs we will be analyzing will be the ones highlighted in yellow. 3.4 Block Constraint Diagram From the previous section of the report (3.3), the key design features that have been chosen are Unit cost Figure 9, illustrates the Block constraint diagram created to determine the tradeoffs between the engineering characteristics. It does this by determining which engineering characteristic directly affect the key design features [5]. The blocks in figure 9 can be considered as functions, which is illustrated by the constraints subheading in the block. Using the, Unit cost 650km, the function of this is mathematically calculated with the combination of the variables; Fuel consumption, Fuel capacity, Weight, Engine Power, Helicopter speed and Air resistance. 3.5 Parametric Diagram Similarly, in a sequential viewpoint is used to help with the analysis of the tradeoffs. Figure 10 is a Parametric diagram which demonstrates the engineering characteristics that are used to calculate the range and unit cost functions [9] [4]. From the diagram and research, it became clear that if you increase the power of the engines the range of the SR Helicopter systems starts to decrease. Looking at the function of the unit cost, you can see that Engine Power is included in the function, meaning that if you decrease the Engine Power the unit cost will reduce with it. This illustrates the tradeoffs of the engineering characteristic and key design features. Further detail in how to optimize the tradeoffs will be done in the next section. Trade offs must be made to ensure that the system satisfies majority of the requirements that was stated at the beginning of this report. As stated in the previous section of this report (3.4), the parameters we will be focusing on when trying to optimise the tradeoffs are Motor Power, Unit Cost 650km. To illustrate where the optimal point will be between the three tradeoffs, a graph was created with all three parameters. Figure 11: Optimisation Graph The graph above indicates the area where the optimal tradeoff will be. This was calculated with the research information on the different engines that are used in the market and their outputs. You can see that two main competitors that were used, the UH-Black Hawk and the HH-60G Pave Hawk, are indicated with the red and blue lines. During the research, the motor power of each helicopter was looked up and compared to the range that they produced. After gathering enough data, a graph was created that would indicate the relationships between the findings. You can see that as the motor power increases the range of the engines start to increase after a certain point. In doing so the cost of the system starts to increase dramatically too. The report has explored how the current systems that are in the market, such as the HH-60G Pave Hawk and the UH-Black Hawk. Which allowed us to get a better understanding of what type of competitors the SR Helicopter will face. The next stage was to define the stakeholder and user requirements, which was achieved in the methods section. Creating the requirements table allowed us to verify and validate that we created the right system and the system that the customers asked for. To create the requirements table and other diagrams such as the BDD, IBD etc., SysML modeling languages were used, which allowed us to analys the system designed. Finally, the report comes to the following recommendations. Since the requirement was to keep cost as low but keeping the SR Helicopter in the competitive race in the market, the maximum cost for the SR Helicopter was reduced just below the Pave Hawk, at $38 Million. Reducing the cost meant that the motor power was also reduced, which in return reduced the range. The motor power didnt suffer that much on reduction but the range drop was more significant. Reducing the motor power by just 100 Shaft Horse Power meant that the range dropped from 900km to 730km. On the other hand, this is still acceptable as the requirements stated that the range had to be greater than 650km, which it is and with the shaft horse power being at 1,800 shaft horse power the engine can still reach maximum speeds above 200mph. [1] HH-60G Pave Hawk, , . [Online]. Available: http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104508/hh-60g-pave-hawk.aspx. [Accessed 15 3 2017]. [2] S. E. |. .-6. P. H. {{cite journal |last= Young |first= Susan H.H. and S. H. S. E. Young, 2008 USAF Almanac, Air Force Magazine, vol. 91, no. 5, p. 155-156, . [3] Airforce-technology Editors, Kable Intelligence Limited, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/sikorsky-hh-60g-pave-hawk-combat-search-rescue-helicopter/. [Accessed 8th March 2017]. [4] O. D. A. . C. Guillaume FINANCE, SysML Modelling Language explained, 7 October 2010. [Online]. Available: http://www.omgsysml.org/SysML_Modelling_Language_explained-finance.pdf. [5] D. N. M. C. Dickerson, Architecture and principles of systems engineering, CRC Press, 2010. [6] A. O. Hyg, Cold Exposure During Helicopter Rescue Operations in the Western Alps, 01 January 2003. [Online]. Available: https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article/47/1/7/131313/Cold-Exposure-During-Helicopter-Rescue-Operations. [7] T. Editors, Block Definition Diagram (bdd), [Online]. Available: https://www.threesl.com/cradle/help/System%20Modelling/other/bdd.htm. [Accessed 5th March 2017]. [8] P. H. I. A. P. D. J. Hatley, Process for system architecture and, 2000: Dorset House Pub. [9] D. W. e. al, Systems Engineering Handbook: A Guide for System Life cycle processes and activites. [10] Wikiwand Editors, General Electric T700, [Online]. Available: http://www.wikiwand.com/en/General_Electric_T700. [Acces