Thursday, September 19, 2019
Racism and White Privilege in the Education System Essay -- Finding Fr
Many people in the United States society believe that people of all cultures, races, and ethnicities are now on an even playing field. People with this belief support their logic with the argument that since equal rights for people of color and women have been required by law for some time now, we are all inherently as equal as claimed in the Declaration of Independence. Many believe that race is no longer an issue, a viewpoint frequently referred to as color-blindness. National polling data indicated that a majority of whites now believe discrimination against racial minorities no longer exists. (Gallagher, 96) Color-blindness allows a white person to define himself or herself as politically and racially tolerant and then proclaim their adherence to a belief system that does not see or judge individuals by the â€Å"color of their skin.†(Gallagher, 98) Many Caucasians in particular are of the opinion that because they listen to hip-hop or cheer for their favorite black, prof essional sports player that they are not racist. Still others believe that because they have a black president, we see black people in the commercial of products we consume, or enjoy television shows with black people that they are actually acknowledging race. In order to examine and dismantle this series of misconceptions, we will turn to the work of various scholars of social justice and privilege, including Peggy McIntosh, Patricia Hinchey and Johnathon Kozol as well as the story of Patricia J Williams. Through a careful examination of these works with the support of some key statistics, it is the goal of this paper to demonstrate the existence of a privileged and unprivileged America, despite the color-blindness many may profess to have integrated into their p... ...hools. New York: Crown Pub. McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege and Male Privilege. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women: Working Paper No. 189, 1-20. SueN. (2011, Nov 10). Thom Hartmann Program. Retrieved from Transcript: Thom Hartmann: The Big Picture: A "Race Based" Bake Sale? 26 September '11: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2011/11/transcript-thom-hartmann-big-picture-race-based-bake-sale-26-september-11 Wight, V. R., Chau, M., & Aratani, Y. (2010, Jan). National Center for Children in Poverty. Retrieved from Who are America’s Poor Children?: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_912.html Williams, P. (2010). Of race and risk. In Race, Class, & Gender: An Anthology (7th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth. Zinn, H. (2007). Why Students Should Study History. In W. e. Au, Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 1 (pp. 179-181). Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The Skeletal System Essay -- essays research papers
Chapter 7 I.Bone Structure A.     Bone Classification 1.     4 Classes – Long, Short, flat and irregular 2.     Example of a long bone- forearm and thigh bones. 3.     Short Bones are shaped like cubes 4.     Ex. Of short bones are in wrists and ankle bones 5.     Flat bones are platelike structures 6.     Ex of Flat bones are platelike structures 7.     Irregular bones vary in size 8.     Irregular bones vary in size 9.     Examples of irregular bones are those of the vertebra and some facial bones 10.     Round bones are also called sesamoid bones i.     They are small and modular and embedded in tendons ii.     Example is the patella (kneecap) B.     Parts of a long bone 1.      An expanded end of a long bone is an epiphysis 2.     An epiphysis articulates with another bone 3.     Articular Cartilage is located on the epiphysis 4.     The shaft of a long bone is called a diaphysis 5.     Periosteum functions t form and repair bone tissue 6.     Periosteum is a tough, vascular, fibrous membrane covering the diaphysis of a bone 7.     Processes provide sites for attachment of tendons or ligaments 8.     The wall of the diaphysis is composed of compact bone 9.     Compact bone has no gaps 10.     Ephiphysis is composed of spongy bone 11.     Spongy bone consists of bony plates called trabeculae 12.     A bone is composed of spongy and compact bone 13.     A canal called the medullary cavity runs through the diaphysis 14.     The endosteum lines this cavity and spaces of the spongy bone 15.     Endosteum contains bone forming cells 16.     The tissue that fills the spaces of the bone is called marrow 17.  &nb... ...ome osteocytes 11.     Periosteum comes from cells of the primitive conncective tissue that persist outside of the developing bone. 12.     Compact bone is formed by osteoblasts on the inside of periosteum 13.     Intramembranous ossification is the process if replacing connective tissue to form an intramembranous bone. D.     Endochondral Bones 1.     Most of the bones are these types of bone 2.     They develop as masses of hyaline cartilage 3.     Eventually the cartilage decompses forming periosteum from connective tissue that encircles that developing structure 4.     Blood vessels and undifferentiated connective tissue cells invade the disintegrating tissue 5.     Some of these cells become osteoblasts 6.     Ostoeblasts form the spongy bone in the spaces previously housed by cartilage 7.     Endochondral ossification is the process of forming an endochondral bone by the replacement of hyaline cartilage.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Financial Comparison of Ryanair and British Airways Essay
Ryanair is considered as the pioneer of the low-cost business model, while British Airways is constantly ranked amongst the world’s best legacy carriers. Both of these airlines are dominant companies in their segment with high passenger numbers and vast network coverage. Therefore the following question rises – how these airlines are different in terms of finance and which business model is more fruitful in the middle of an economic downturn? In order to find the answer a thorough financial investigation has been conducted relying on the data outlined in the airlines’ annual reports. In the first section of the report the emphasis is put on the current financial situation of the airlines, while outlining the existing sources of finance. These sources are investigated thoroughly in the second part. The final section evaluates the possible or available sources to finance future investments. Review of Ryanair’s and British Airway’s current financial situation Ryanair in the fiscal year of 2012 has generated a total of â‚ ¬4,390.2m operating revenue mainly through scheduled revenues. The company has increased its operating revenues since 2010 by â‚ ¬1,2bn primarily due to fare increases. In 2012 the total operating expense was â‚ ¬3,707m. This is also the peak in the last three years, mostly attributable to fuel and oil costs, which have almost doubled since 2010. Hence the net profit for the 2012 fiscal year was â‚ ¬560.4m, the highest in the history of the company. British Airways in the fiscal year ended 2011 December 31 accounted a profit of  £672m after paying the taxes. This can be considered as a significant improvement after 2010’s profit of  £170m. These figures do not provide enough in-depth information on the airlines’ real situation. In order to identify the sources of finance and the real position of BA and Ryanair further investigation with the use of ratios is required. Liquidity Current ratio is a liquidity measure that compares the liquid or current assets of the airline with its current liabilities. (Atrill, McLaney 2002) For the fiscal year of 2012 Ryanair’s CR was 2.1355, which represents high liquidity. Generally the higher ratio is considered to be the better. According to Morrell the industry general ratio is 1.00. This suggests that Ryanair is capable of financing its short term commitments towards banks and suppliers However, it must be noticed that the airline has significantly high cash reserves, namely â‚ ¬2.7bn. Such rate suggests for the banks and suppliers that the company is low risk for investment and has high liquidity, but also proposes that the cash is being accumulated to finance future aircraft orders or other investments. The fact that the cash reserves has grown with â‚ ¬1.2bn in the last two years also underpins these assumptions.(Morrell 2007) British Airways has a low current ratio of 0.7531. It points out the problem that BA cannot finance its current assets from its current liabilities. Thus, it can be assumed that the short term debts are financed through the more expensive long term loans. The company’s cash reserves are  £1.7bn, which is considerably lower in comparison to Ryanair’s reserves. This can result in higher interest rates as the airline is not considered as a safe investment for lenders. According to Moody’s credit rating company BA’s credit ratings were B1 and BB in 2011. Also being a legacy airline BA works with more third party suppliers like travel agents and these issues can mean that the pay-outs are delayed. It is important to note that Ryanair and the low-cost business model do not use travel agents. Performance and earning The operating margin gives an indication of management efficiency in controlling costs and increasing revenues as it represents the operating profit as the percentage of total revenues. Comparing to last year’s results, both airline’s ratios have remained flat, namely 14% for Ryanair and 5.2% for BA. It means that on every pound or euro BA makes  £0.05 profit, while Ryanair â‚ ¬0.14. However, the low-cost model seems to be more profitable, but it must be taken into account that they are also operating in a lower cost structure. Also, BA has managed to generate a positive operational margin as in 2008 and 2009 its values were negative. Return on Equity (RoE) is the net profit after interest and tax expressed as percentage of shareholder’s funds. BA has achieved a 26.2% RoE in 2011, while the same value for Ryanair was 16.9%. It means that BA is making more profit from the shareholders money. The shareholder’s money is only the one-third of BA’s asset, while Ryanair is half founded by the investors. Solvency Gearing ratio is a measurement of the contribution of long-term lenders to the long term capital structure of a business. Ryanair’s gearing ratio was 53.98% in 2012, which is considerably high for a low-cost airline. In other words it means that the company is financed half from borrowing and half from own capital. The lower the gearing ratio of the airline the greater the firm’s capacity to borrow more money at a lower interest rate, due to the lower risk to banks and lenders. Oppositely, BA has an even higher gearing ratio of 65.5%. Around one third of British Airways’ capital is funded by the shareholders, while the remaining is sourced from long-term loans and debts. The following table summarises the previously outlined performance and liquidity ratios of the airlines. BA( £) Airline Ryanair(â‚ ¬) 9,987 Total revenue 4,390.2m 672m Profit after tax 560.4m 0,7531 Current Ratio 2,135 63,80% Gearing Ratio 53,98% 570m Cash Reserve 2708m 26.2% ROE 16.9% 5.2% Operating Margin 14% Fleet commitments Ryanair Replacing the aircrafts is not only increases the airline’s prestige but can mean a significant reduction in operating costs as the new generation of aircrafts are much more fuel efficient or can carry more passengers than the predecessors. As the core of the LCC business model Ryanair only flies Boeing 737-800s thus reducing the maintenance costs significantly. The carrier has one live contract from 2005 with the American aircraft manufacturer that covers the procurement of 197 brand new 737800s for which the unit cost is $51m. (Ryanair 2012) ï‚ · Ryanair’s long-term debt for aircraft commitments, including current maturities was â‚ ¬3,625.2m at March 31, 2012. The airline has funded a significant portion of its acquisition of new aircraft and equipment through borrowings under facilities provided by international financial institutions on the basis of guarantees issued by Ex-Im Bank. At the end of fiscal year 2012 the carrier had a fleet of 294 Boeing aircraft of which 199 were funded by Ex-Im Bank guaranteed financing. Other sources to cover aircraft costs are Japanese Operating Leases with call options (30 aircrafts) and commercial debt financing (6 aircrafts). According to the bookings, 235 aircraft are owned by Ryanair, which are financed through long-term bank loans. Operational leases funded 59 aircrafts at March 31, which means that Ryanair operate these aircrafts, but does not own them. The aircrafts are leased to provide flexibility within the aircraft delivery programme. 55 aircrafts is being financed through fix-rate debts, while for the remaining 4 aircraft Ryanair is paying variable rental payments. Out of the 25 aircraft, which has been delivered in the 2012 financial year, 11 were funded through sale-and-leaseback financing and the remainder through Ex-Im Bank guaranteed financing. To convert a portion of the floating-rate debts into the fixed rate debts, Ryanair has used interest rate swaps and cross currency rate swaps. As a result â‚ ¬1,314.7m of the aircraft loans are remained at floating rates. The remaining â‚ ¬2,310.5m is in fixed-rate euro-denominated debts with the maturities of 7 to 12 years. On all of the above mentioned borrowings the weighted average interest rate was 2.9%. The effective rate is the rough estimate for the weighted average cost of capital. It is calculated by dividing the interest paid for the year with the long term borrowings. For Ryanair it is 3.01%, which is really close to their given figures. Accordingly their cost of long term borrowings is 109.2m, which can be considered as low. The low rate also represents trust from the lenders and investors. But, on the other hand it must be noted that at March 31, 2012 aircrafts with a net book value of â‚ ¬4.8bn were mortgaged to lenders as security for loans. This may be the explanation for the low interest rates. In general, Ryanair has been able to generate sufficient funds from operations to meet its nonaircraft acquisition-related working capital requirements. Between 2008 and 2012 March Ryanair had sold and re-delivered a total of 39 aircrafts and also the company plans to dispose 8 additional before March 2014. Ryanair may choose to dispose of aircraft through sale and or non-renewal of the operating leases as they expiree between 2012 and 2013. In the next year the company has a total obligations of â‚ ¬1,143.3m out of which the third, around â‚ ¬571.8m is â€Å"purchase obligations†, i.e. buying the remaining 15 aircrafts. Each of the aircraft loans have similar terms – maturity of 12 years from drawdown date and being secured by a first priority mortgage. The overall aircraft debts (â‚ ¬3,625.2m) represent around 80% of all long-term liabilities, hence if the airline is capable of paying these commitments Ryanair should be able to preserve its current financial status in the upcoming years. As it can be seen the low cost carrier Ryanair has built up a well-functioning system to finance all its aircrafts, including the 15 Boeing 737s that will be delivered in the future. Furthermore by currency swapping and low interest rates the company is in total control of its costs. British Airways The transparency of BA’s financial situation is significantly lower comparing it to Ryanair’s. This can be explained in two ways, either they prefer not to reveal their financial strategy and sources as it can provide valuable information for the competitors or the company does not have the adequate financial background to finance its long term commitments. British Airways has a completely different fleet to cover both its short- and long-haul routes. The fleet is owned by the company or held in finance and operational leases. The 245 aircrafts take up two thirds ( £5.7bn) of the company’s total non-current assets. Also, 95% of the overall revenue is generated through the fleet. The aircrafts comprise different sized jets from various manufacturers making the operational and maintenance costs higher. In the annual report of year ended in December 31, 2011 BA outlined its current fleet and future aircraft deliveries and options. These include 50 firm orders and 84 options. The new fleet is made up from A320s, A380s, Boeing 777-300s and 787s, which are expected to enter service between 2012 and 2017. Furthermore, in Note 13 the airline states that the cost of these aircrafts is going to be  £4.1bn. But, no other information is provided about the sources that will cover these expenditures, thus it can be assumed that the future cash flows contain relevant information on these funds, but they have not been published yet. (British Airways 2012) The non-current liabilities of loans, finance- and operational leases add up to  £4.904, which is 30% more than Ryanair’s â‚ ¬3.8bn total long-term commitments. According to BA the bank and other loans at the end of 2011 equalled  £1,324m, comprised of fixed- and floating rate loans.  £693m is in floating-rate debts, while the remaining  £823m is in fixed rate loans and bonds. The average interest rate for the fixed rate debts is around 6.5%, which is significantly higher than Ryanair’s 2.9%. The floating rate loans are generally determined to be 0,5%+LIBOR. The lenders consider the airline as a higher risk firm that is why the interest rates are higher. Generally, the loans are repayable between 2014 and 2018, with one exception none of the loans need to be repaid until 2014 and on. Such conditions allow BA to use the debt to generate cash in the next 2-4 years. BA uses finance leases and hire contracts to acquire aircraft. These leases have both renewal options and purchase options. The total finance lease contracts worth  £2.227bn and similarly like Ryanair, it consist of different currencies namely US dollar, Euro, Japanese yen and Sterling. The non-current side of these contracts are  £1.12b, but around half of this is due obligatory in five or more years. Four of the new 777-300s are being leased through GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS). The finance lease agreements are mainly in place to fund the existing fleet. Therefore additional leases are required, if the new fleet is wished to be funded through such construction. The operating leases for BA’s aircraft range from five years and some leases contain options for renewal. However, this type of contract accounts for only  £316m of which is  £253 is not payable within one year. Comparing to 2010 BA has halved its operational leases from  £635m, it can be assumed that company took the lease contract for an aircraft or more, which was expected to be delivered in 2011, but it has been delayed so the company terminated the contractual agreement until the new aircrafts are delivered. Accordingly, it can be assumed that operational lease commitments are going to rise in the next two financial years. Unlike Ryanair, British Airways does not provide any kind of information about the structure of the leases. The following assumption can be made though; BA offered worse interest terms with the loan contracts than Ryanair because of its weaker liquidity and performance. British Airway’s effective rate shows the same trend as its 4.301%. The company paid  £161m in 2011 as cost for long term borrowings. Financing in the short run As it has been outlined above, Ryanair has a current ratio of 2.1, which provides a solid base for the assumption that the airline is financing its short-term liabilities from its current assets and operational profit. In fact Ryanair could repay all its short term liabilities from its â‚ ¬2.7bn cash reserve and would still be left with â‚ ¬0.9bn cash. Moreover, Ryanair’s current liabilities are half of BA’s short run commitments. In less than 1 year Ryanair will need to finance 1,1bn for obligations, like current maturities of long term debts and purchase obligations. But then again, Ryanair has the capacity to pay these. BA is more interesting in the short run as the airline’s current ratio is 0.75. Logically the question arises – if the short-term liabilities cannot be covered from the operating revenue then how is it financed? Possibly the long-term loans are used in such case which is leading to future liquidity issues. The main problem is the â€Å"trade and other payables†entry which accounts for  £3,117m within current liabilities. But, from this total amount the real credit is  £1,457m, which is the money BA owes to creditors like suppliers and travel agents. The remaining are mostly prepaid flights that the airline will accomplish in the new financial year. Having the suppliers wait for their money is a way to improve cash flow. The cash operating cycle for the company has been calculated by dividing the trade payables with operation expenses (less employee costs and depreciation). The average pay out period for British Airways is 80.1 days, which can be considered as high and nevertheless it also shores up the liquidity problems of the airline. On the other hand, Ryanair makes these to the creditors payments within 22.1 days. Note 28 describes BA’s liquidity risk in more detail. The results suggest that within the next 12 months British Airways is going to need around  £2.203bn to finance all its commitments for that period. Where the money is coming from? This question remains unanswered, but it can be presumed that BA is going to need new sources to fund this  £2.203bn short-term liability combined with the  £4.1bn commitments for the new fleets. Shareholders’ equity and dividend policy Ryanair has significant retained earnings, namely â‚ ¬2.4bn, even though there was a â‚ ¬500m dividend pay-out in 2010 October and also a similar sized one is planned in 2012 November. Seeing the results and pay-outs it can be assumed that the shareholders are happy with the dividend policy and this can serve as a basis for future capital injections, if necessary. On the other hand BA’s directors declare that no dividend to be paid for the years of 2011, 2010 and 2009. Such dividend strategy can be explained by the airline’s current liquidity problems. Depreciation Both companies included their depreciation strategies in the annual reports. Ryanair states accounts the Boeings for 23 years, while British Airways calculate with 18-25 years of lifetime for their aircrafts. From these numbers it can be assumed to lower the depreciation costs the amortisation rates are underestimated by both airlines thus saving millions in the accounts. British Airways 50 2012-2017  £4.104bn 4.301%  £161m  £3.683bn  £4.904bn Data not disclosed 80.1 days 31 March 2012 Airline Fleet commitments (no. of aircrafts) Delivery date Capital commitments for new aircrafts Effective rate Long term cost of borrowing/year Total current liabilities Total non-current liabilities Total non-current liabilities for fleet Average pay out period Financial year ended Ryanair 193 2007-2014 ~$10bn 3.01% â‚ ¬109.2m â‚ ¬1.815bn â‚ ¬3.879bn â‚ ¬3,625bn 22.1 days 31 December 2011 Future financing Ryanair Through the analysis of the financial statements it has been revealed that Ryanair has a stable financial structure that is capable to fund the various liabilities in the short- and long-run. The remaining aircraft deliveries are funded through operational revenues and cash reserves. But, it must be kept in mind that the latest fleet contract is from 2005 and all aircrafts will be delivered by 2014. The next couple of months are going to be important in terms of long term strategy for Ryanair. The accumulated cash reserves point that the airline is preparing for some sort of investment. It can be the acquisition of Aer Lingus or the procurement of new aircrafts. The acquisition of the Irish carrier is currently delayed by the EU, but Ryanair is putting all the effort to buy become major shareholder in the firm, which would enable them to appear on the long-haul market through Aer Lingus. It also has been outlined in the annual report that Boeing has granted to give significantly lower prices for Ryanair in return of bulk orders, promotional and other activities. In other words, they are inspiring the airline to go invest into a new fleet in the middle of an economic downturn. In such case the shareholders might be willing to finance the new requirements as they are kept â€Å"happy†and also the airline has been maintaining a steady growth rate both in profits and network coverage. Banks are also aware of the securitized aircrafts also of the vast amount of cash reserves. This background could enable Ryanair to obtain loans with lower interest rate. Ryanair is aware of the favourable contract conditions with Ex-Im Bank as the carrier has stated that they expect any future commitments or guarantees issued by Ex-Im Bank to contain similar conditions. Any inability to obtain financing for the new aircraft on advantageous term might have an adverse effect on the business, operations and financial conditions. However, easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou calls for a slower fleet expansion plans in the next years as he believes that the annual growth is not equal with the number of aircrafts on order. Ryanair should also consider this perspective of growth as they ground 80 of their aircraft for the winter period. A great bulk of aircrafts without sufficient demand could destabilise the airline’s financial position and could make Ryanair to reassess its financial sources. (Rothwell 2012) British Airways Additionally to the current-liability problems (see above), the other main financial issue for BA is to pay for the new fleet. Like mentioned above the company has firm orders for 50 aircrafts for  £4.1bn and options for additional 84. The following question needs to be answered pretty soon – who is going to lend money for British Airways? How much is it going to cost the airline? ï‚ · The British flag carrier could try to increase its funds from shareholders money, but it can be assumed that due to the lack of the profitable dividend policy shareholders are not ready to invest more money into the airline. Also, BA belongs to International Airlines Group (IAG) which also incorporates the Spanish carrier Iberia. The problem is Iberia is making losses, thus even if British Airways makes profit this or next year IAG is going to use that money to reduce the losses at Iberia. In other words, the Spanish carrier is pulling British Airways back at the moment. Shareholders may consider additional funds risky, therefore BA need to show that it can preserve its leading position as a legacy airline. ï‚ · Cash can be generated by selling off assets or reducing costs. In December 2011 BA had only  £39m available-for-sale financial asset. The airline has different amount of equities in various companies – these could be sold as well to gain cash in the short run. By selling aircrafts, which are not necessary needed, the airline could generate income. It would not be unreasonable if BA focused more on the long-haul routes and would reduce the number of aircrafts (114) flying within Europe as the company may not be making sufficient operational profit on some of these routes due to the low cost carriers. The third option for the company to finance its future commitments is to obtain loans from banks, financial institutes or sovereign wealth funds. The latter is a possible solution as Chinese or Gulf wealth funds could be willing to inject capital into the airline, but the question is at what interest rate? The lenders know that BA is struggling with the payment of the shortterm liabilities and they are using the long-term loans, the â€Å"more expensive†money to fund the operational commitments, hence the interest rate for the credit can expected to be high. This would solve the liquidity question in the upcoming years, but such financial funding would also mean difficulties in the period after 5 years. However, if the carrier can continue its recovery from the downturn then there is a good chance for a financially stable British Airways that can pay all its liabilities. Financial and operational leases may work, but they would only relate to the aircrafts. Also, it can be assumed from the drop in the operational lease that BA has these contracts ready and sorted out, they are not just not live as the new aircrafts have not been delivered yet. Conclusion The report has investigated two different business model’s financial structure. Results show the quantity’s victory over quality. Ryanair can maintain its market leading position and increase profits from year to year. This is attributable to the steady and well-functioning financial and operational system, which enables growth, investments and also controls liabilities and aircraft commitments. The search for new financial sources is only necessary, if Ryanair decides on a fleet expansion plan and the airline cannot agree with Ex-Im Bank about future fleet procurement. On the other hand, British Airways seem to struggle with its existing funds hence new financial sources are required to survive the upcoming years. The decision on these funds is hard as in BA’s current situation none of them can be called advantageous. But, to choose the best solution financial advice is recommended for the carrier. Despite all the differences, the two airlines have one thing in common – the next twelve months are going to have a great effect on both carriers’ long term operations. Reference list ATRILL, P. and MCLANEY, E., eds, 2002. Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists Fourth edn. Pearson Education Limited. BRITISH AIRWAYS, 2012. Annual Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2011. British Airways. MORRELL, P.S., ed, 2007. Airline Finance Fourth edn. Ashgate.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Investigating Number of Stomata on a Leaf
Lab Design â€Å"Investigate the effect of a factor on the number of stomata of a leaf. †Research Question: How do differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf? Hypothesis Stomata are pores, typically found under the leaf (lower epidermis), that control the gas exchange of transpiration, where water vapor leaves the plants, and carbon dioxide enters. I predict that the stomatal density on high leafs is higher than on low leafs. During photosynthesis the chloroplasts in the leaf cells synthesize ATP from ADP as a result of exposure to light, while oxygen is produced as a by-product of the photosynthetic reaction.Carbon dioxide, which enters the plant through diffusion via the stomata, is needed for this process (photosynthesis) to occur. When the chloroplasts in the leafs cell is exposed to higher light intensities, more ATP is synthesized from ADP, while production of the by-product oxygen also increases. This increase in the rate of photosynthesis ca lls for more â€Å"fuel†, i. e. Carbon dioxide. So for a higher concentration of carbon dioxide to diffuse into the plant, the plant must grow a greater stomatal density (higher number of stomata).This will create a larger surface area for carbon dioxide diffusion, the excretion of water vapor (transpiration) and the large amounts of oxygen being produced. As the higher leafs are exposed to higher light intensities I predict the stomatal density to be high. Lower leafs are exposed to lower light intensities due to, for example, shading by top leafs, and will so have a lower stomatal density than high leafs. Variables Controlled: Type of plant- The type of plant that is going to be used will stay the same, i. e. controlled.The type of plant that is used for this experiment is called Quercus Ilex. Amount of leafs (10 ‘high' leafs, 10 ‘low' leafs)- the ensure fair testing the number of leaves tested from each variable will be the same. Apparatus used- Same set up eac h time. Microscope magnification (400x)- Magnification at which the number of stomata will be counted at is at a magnification of 400x. Independent Variable: Leaf Source- The leaf source regarding to the ‘high' and ‘low' leafs is the variable which will be changed to test the difference in number of stomata of the two variables.Distance between high/low leafs- The distance between the height at which ‘low' and at which ‘high' leaves were picked each time had to be of a minimum of 20cm to ensure plausible results. Lower epidermis of leaf used to count stomatal density- Because Quercus Ilex is a dicotyledonous plant, the number of stomata on the lower epidermis will be higher than on the upper epidermis. This is because dicotyledonous plants hold up their leaves horizontally, which directly illuminates the lower epidermis. So, to prevent water loss, fewer stomata will then be located on the upper epidermis. Dependent Variable:Stomatal Density of high leafs Stom atal Density of low leafs Apparatus/Material 10 high leafs 10 low leafs Clear nail polish Slides Pincette Microscope Clear Tape Calculator Method Find a leaf source that has a significant height from which you will be collecting your leafs from throughout the entire experiment. Determine a low area, of little height from the ground, on the source from which you will pick 10 ‘low' leafs. Repeat step 2, except that the area must be at an increased height distance of at least 20cm, to ensure a fair test and collection of ‘high' leafs from a higher area than that of the ‘low' leafs.Choose a leaf of which the stomatal density is to be examined but don't pick it off the plant. This is so that the plants photosynthetic process will not be disturbed which could lead to change in the leafs natural state and affect your results. Paint a layer of clear nail polish on the lower epidermis of the leaf and wait until it has dried. Use your tweezers to gently peel off the dried la yer of nail polish. Gently peel the area of dried nail polish from the leaf completely. You should see a cloudy impression of leaf surface on the piece of tape. This is the leaf impression. Place the leaf impression to a clean slide.Label the slide for identification if necessary. Focus the leaf impression under a microscope magnification of 40x until it is focused and observe the leaf impression. Find an area that is clean of thumbprints, away from the edge of impression, has no damaged areas or big leaf vein impressions in view. When focused, observe the impression under an increased microscope magnification of 100x and make sure it is focused. When focused, observe the impression under an increased microscope magnification of 400x, the magnification at which you will count the number of stomata, and focus.Count the number of stomata you see in the field of view and record the number in a table under the relevant variable (‘high' or ‘low' leaf). To ensure a fair test, repeat steps 9-13 two times by choosing a new spot on the same leaf to focus on. Use the higher number of the 2 repeats to find the average later on. Repeat steps 1-14 ten times for the 10 high leafs and 10 low leafs. Raw Data: How differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf One manipulation that was done to the raw data to help make it more useful for interpretation was the rounding off of ? Average # of stomata of ?Final?.. etc? , because firstly a stomata cannot be present in the quantity of a decimal and secondly, so that when drawing the graph all numbers have the same number of significant figures which will produce a neater and more accurate graph. Processed Data: How differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf Magnification: 400x Field of View (FOV) diameter: 0. 45 mm Radius (r ): 0. 225 mm Surface Area (SA)/mm? N (? r? ) : 3. 14 x (0. 225)? = 0. 159 mm? |Leaf |# of stomata of ‘High' Leafs per 0. 159 mm? 2 Stomata) | | |1 |2 |Final | |1 |39 |35 |39 | |2 |52 |56 |56 | |3 |32 |38 |38 | |4 |50 |40 |50 | |5 |37 |34 |37 | |6 |53 |47 |53 | |7 |45 |42 |45 | |8 |43 |50 |50 | |9 |53 |49 |53 | |10 |42 |39 |42 | |Average # of stomata of ‘Final' per 0. 159 mm?  ± 2 Stomata) | | | |46 | Graphs Graph including processed data trial 1 & 2 for High and Low leafs: Blue: # of stomata on High leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 1 Red: # of stomata on High leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 2 Yellow: # of stomata on Low leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 1 Green: # of stomata on Low leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 2 Graph including processed data ‘Final's results for High and Low leafs: High Leafs: Mean value line with value 46. 3, standard deviation: 6. 993 Low Leafs: Mean value line with value 26. 2, standard deviation: 2. 3 Calculations Difference in mean > 46. – 26. 2 = 20. 1 Difference in S. D. > 6. 993 – 2. 3 = 4. 693 Because the standard deviations are much less than the difference in the mean numbe r of stomata, it is very likely that the difference in the mean number of stomata between High Leafs and Low Leafs is significant. T-TEST Null hypothesis: The number of stomata on high leafs and low leafs are not different. The differences in the data sets are the result of chance variation only and they are not really different. Mean of # of stomata on High Leafs: 46. 3 Mean of # of stomata on Low Leafs: 26. 2 t=8. 63 Degrees of freedom= (10+10)–2= 18 Critical value for t=2. 101 (P= 0. 05) Conclusion
Sunday, September 15, 2019
For Understandable Reasons, the Founders of Sociology
Jessamy O’Dwyer 18/10/2012 Introduction to Sociology Mark: A- Essay Qs. For understandable reasons, the founders of sociology paid little attention to ‘’ environmental issues’’. However modern-day sociologists do. Discuss the sociology of the environment in terms of globalisation, consumption and sustainability. Introduction Over the course of this essay I will address the area of environmental sociology in two parts. Firstly, I hope to explain why the field of environmental sociology was not an area of relevance to the founders of sociological thought.Then in the second part of the essay I will go on to discuss the birth of the field of environmental sociology. Within this new subfield sociologists have written at great length about the many environmental issues facing the world today. Many of these issues are overlapping and interconnected. I will address three of these challenges I believe to be most acute; (1) Globalisation, (2) Human consumption , and (3) Sustainability.Sociology in context The founders of Sociology (Marx, Durkheim and Weber) paid little attention to environmental issues because they were not seen as relevant or particularly problematic to society at the time, and therefore were not considered as topics of significance to classical social scientists. Instead they focused on matters such as poverty, stratification, social inequality, class systems, industrial development, religion and government.The detrimental impact of human beings on our natural surroundings were not yet acknowledged and the â€Å"natural landscape was taken for granted, simply as the backdrop to the much more pressing and urgent social problems generated by industrial capitalism†(Glidden’s, 2007). The Emergence of Environmental Sociology It wasn’t until the late 1960s that environmental issues were first recognised as relevant challenges in the field of sociology. In the United States the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act highlighted the strain hat the environment was under as a result of human consumption, and the increased demands of agriculture and industry. This was one of the first written laws designed to lay down a broad national framework for protecting the environment (NEPA, 1969). The emergence of this subfield was a direct consequence of the growing interest in environmentalism in the 1970’s. I will now address the environmental challenges posed by (1) globalisation, (2) human consumption, and (3) sustainability from a sociological perspective. GlobalisationOne of the contributing factors that has magnified environmental awareness in the latter half of the twentieth century are the impacts of globalisation. Globalisation is a process where the amount of economic, social and cultural activity carried out across national borders is increased. The process of globalisation has significant economic, social and environmental implications, both positive and negative. It ‘ ’enables free flow of goods, capital and technology and thus it becomes a motivational force for nations to develop themselves and (can) create a more gainful environment in the world scenario’’( Alamar.K, 2010). While this growing flow of capital, technology and trade has arguably helped the developed nations of the world to expand further, this has often come at the expense and exploitation of natural resources in developing countries. For example ‘’the demand for hardwood and woodchips in developed countries, such as Japan and the Netherlands, accelerates deforestation, soil impoverishment and a loss of local biodiversity in less-developed parts of the world, such as Brazil and Indonesia’’ (Dreher.A, Gaston . N. 2008). The world has been recast as one big universal market place and whilst the benefits of this are many, it is also having a negative effect on our environment. Some of the other negative effects of globalisation on the environment manifest themselves in the increase in air traffic, cars, sea transport, waste and the ever rising consumption of water and fossil energy. These factors all have profound impacts on the environment ranging from local to global (Dreher. A, Gaston. N, 2008).Increased Human Consumption As previously stated in the introduction the issues of globalisation and consumption are interdependent. The increased ‘flow of goods’ made possible by globalisation has led to a greater international demand for consumer goods. Much of the debate surrounding environmental challenges centres on this area of changing human consumption patterns. Consumption refers to â€Å"the goods, services, energy and resources that are used up by people, institutions and societies’’ (Gidden's, 2001).There is a direct correlation between high levels of consumption and economic development. As economies have flourished particularly in developed countries, this in turn has resulted i n the average person having more disposable income to spend on luxuries after necessities. These luxuries come in the form of more food, clothing, personal items, leisure time, cosmetics, holidays, cars and so forth (Giddens 2001). In a lifetime the average person consumes tons of raw materials, which must be extracted, processed and eventually disposed of as waste.In industrialised countries it is becoming increasingly difficult to dispose of the enormous amounts of refuse. Landfills are fast filling up and many urban areas are struggling to find places to dispose of domestic waste. For example, a report released by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency for the year 2011 found that uncollected household waste was estimated at 128,000 tonnes, which is a matter for on-going concern given the likely hood that some of it may have been burned or dumped. This is a trend common to most if not all developed economies.The impact of deforestation is not always confined to the local area; it can also have regional and potentially more global effects (e. g. , global climate change). Human impact as a contributing factor to many regional natural disasters (e. g. Bangladesh floods in 2007) cannot be easily quantified. What is clear however is that we are witnessing major shifts in our natural environment. These changes are manifesting themselves at local level in uncultivable soil, desertification, water contamination and air pollution. SustainabilityThe modern concept of sustainable development has emerged gradually over the last 40 years. During this time individuals, communities, governments, and nongovernmental organisations (NGO’s) have developed an awareness for the importance of the environment and humans’ increasing negative impacts on the natural world (Hardisty. P, 2012). Sustainable development is defined as ‘’the use of renewable resources to promote economic growth, the protection of animal species and biodiversity, and the commi tment to maintaining clean air, water and land’’ (United Nations Our Common Future Report 1987).Sustainable development means that growth, ideally, be carried out in such a way as to recycle physical resources, rather than deplete and destroy them, and to keep pollution levels to a minimum (Gidden’s 2001). Currently a third of the world’s population live directly off their own local produce (UNDP 1998). These people’s livelihoods are entirely dependent on the land. Therefore this makes them extremely vulnerable to any environmental change. One example of these changes is soil degradation experienced in parts of Asia and Africa.As local populations grow, so too does the demand for increased agricultural output, which leads to over-farming (Giddens, 2001). More efficient and sustainable methods of farming need to be urgently employed so as not to completely exhaust the land for future generations. In order for sustainable development to make an impac t it requires individuals, businesses, multinational corporations and the government to commit to a policy of reform in how they consume resources and the methods they use to dispose of solid waste and manage air pollution.There is reluctance amongst many to adapt to sustainable development as they argue it will come at the expense of economic growth. Therefore the real challenge facing environmental sociologists is to find ways to convince or incentivise these individuals and organizations that sustainable development is the only way forward. Conclusion Over the course of this assignment I have explored the emergence of environmental sociology beginning in the 1960s.I have analysed three of the most urgent challenges facing scholars of sociology including globalisation, changing human consumption patterns, and sustainability. One thing that has become apparent is that these challenges are all interlinked, and therefore cannot be addressed in isolation. The effects of globalisation and changing consumer patterns are evident on both a local and global scale. In support of this argument I have endeavoured to provide both local and global examples of the impacts of these sociological forces.Clearly the relationship between humans and the environment is a complex one. Our increasing demand for raw materials is stripping the earth of its already scarce resources, and therefore this relationship is unsustainable, and in urgent need of rebalancing. The urgency and scale of these environmental challenges have meant that sociologists have had to redefine the parameters of classical sociology. If the environment was once merely a ‘backdrop’ to the study of â€Å"human social life, groups and societies†(reference), changing circumstances have dictated that it can no longer be side-lined.Instead, environmental sociology must be understood, appreciated and addressed with the same diligence a traditional disciplines of sociology. Bibliography Books: * G iddens, Anthony, Sociology 4th edition, Polity Press, 2001, Ch. 19, Pg 609-621. * Hardisty, Paul E, Environmental and Economic Sustainability, CRC Press, 2010, Ch. 2. Journals: * Alamar. K and Murali. N, Globalisation, the Environment and sustainable Development, Taylor and Francis Group, London 2010. * Alamar. K and Murali.N, Environmental Management, Sustainable Development and Human Health, Taylor and Francis Group, London, 2008. * Dreher. A, Gaston. N, Martens. P, Measuring Globalisation; Gauging its’ Consequences, Springer Science + Business Media, LLC, 2008. * Internet Resources: * National Environmental Policy Act, 1969 http://www. epa. gov/region1/nepa/ (accessed 7/10/12) * Environmental Protection Agency, Irelands Environmental Challenges and Priorities Report, 2012 http://www. epa. ie/ (accessed 4/10/12)
Saturday, September 14, 2019
History of the Retail Industry
Write the history of the retail industry chosen. JUSCO is the acronym for Japan United Stores Company, a chain of â€Å"general merchandise stores†(or hypermarket) and the largest of its type in Japan. The various JUSCO companies are subsidiaries of AEON Corporation Ltd. The JUSCO name was adopted in 1970 by a company originally founded as a kimono silk trader in 1758. Renamed AEONin 1989, it operates stores throughout Japan under JUSCO and other names and also has a presence in Malaysia, Hong Kong, mainland China, and Thailand.As of March 1, 2011, all JUSCO and SATY stores under the Aeon umbrella in Japan officially changed their names to AEON while all the JUSCO stores and shopping centres in Malaysia are fully re-branded into AEON since March 2012. However, JUSCO stores still operate in the Greater China region and some others. In 1985 the first JUSCO overseas store was opened, in Plaza Dyabumi, KualaLumpur, Malaysia, as a jointly-owned company with Cold Storage and three local companies. It was the first time that a Japanese company had entered into a significant joint venture in the Malaysian retail industry.JUSCO assumed total operational control of the chain in 1988. Currently. there are 20 AEON (formerly known as JUSCO) Retails stores and shopping centres are in operation in Malaysia. The oldest (though not the first) JUSCO store in Malaysia is JUSCO Taman Maluri in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. It opened on 30 October 1989. 2. List some products and services available at that retail business. Products -Coca Cola, Pepsi, 100Plus, 7-Up and other soft drinks – Junk Foods, Sushi, Fried Chicken – Shampoo, Shower, Toothpaste, and many other Daily necessities Services -FREE Gift with JUSCO J CARD Renewal â€Å"No Plastic Bag Day†at JUSCO -Jusco Home Furnishing Year End Stock Clearance Sale 3. Describe the Value Chain of the chosen retail industry (business receive raw materials as input, add value to the raw materials through various processes, and sell finished products to customers). Partnering with Vendor > Buying > Managing Inventory > Distributing Inventory > Operating Stores > Marketing and Selling. 4. Visit the website of retail business and discuss the information that would be useful to customers and clients of that business. AEON Company BHD. formerly known as Jaya Jusco Stores Bhd. ) is a leading retailer in Malaysia with a total revenue of RM3. 73 billion in the financial year ended 31st December 2009. The AEON group of companies consists of AEON Co. Ltd. , and more than 150 consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies. In addition to its core general merchandise stores (GMS) plus its supermarket and convenience store operations, AEON is also active in specialty store operations, shopping center development, operations and services. 5. Why the chosen retail business is known to be successful / not successful?The retail busi ness I’ve chosen is known to be successful. The reason why Jaya Jusco success in thier business is they have a very good principal. Regardless of how times may have changed, Jusco always serve the ‘ Customer First ’. The customers are satisfied, therefore they will go to Jusco again without any doubt. Secondly, the price are reasonbable and it is affordable by everyone in this big city. 6. Is the chosen retail business is a local based industry of international and who are the target market of this retail business?Yes, Jusco company is a local based industry of international. They aim all of the citizen as thier target market. Jusco company not only sells daily necessities, but also toys for kids as well. In addition, the kitchen stuff are for sales as well in Jusco company. Customers can even buy the clothes they like in Jusco. Therefore, kids, teenagers, adults, and old folks are the target market of this retail industry. 7. Describe thier Operations, and Ma nagement. Improving the quality of Jusco’s staff with OUM.On 4 August 2006, AEON Company BHD signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OUM (Open University Malaysia) for the Executive Diploma(in Trade Management, Human Resource Management and Retailing) Programme. AEON was represented by the Managing Director, Mr. Nagahisa Oyama and OUM was represented by Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Anuwar Ali. A welcome ceremony was also held for the first batch of 69 students. On 18 December 2006, 31 AEON staff members were awarded their Diploma in Management (Retailing) at OUM’s 3rd Convocation ceremony, held at the PWTC’s Dewan Merdeka.The 24 apprentice and 7 international staff members received their Diplomas from the Pro Chancellor, Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Hashim. Japan Trainee Program The 5th batch of trainees who successfully completed the Japan Trainee Programme returned to Malaysia on 17 January 2007. They are now all holding positions as leaders in their respective stores nationwide. The Japan Trainee Programme is designed to help selected leaders prepare for the ever-changing retail environment, by exposing them to overseas working conditions. One of the vital ways to enhance their knowledge and skills in retailing is by giving them some experience in AEON Japan.This programme also teaches them to be independent, in preparation for their future roles as leaders in the Company. The AEON Business School The AEON Business School is an intensive course for the benefit of merchandisers, store managers and deputy store managers organised by AEON. To celebrate the successful completion of the course, a special closing ceremony was held on 22 September 2006. 8. Why Supply Chain Management (SCM) and JIT is important in this business and how do this business retain thier suppliers and customers.Supply Chain Management deals with linking the organizations within the supply chain in order to meet demand across the chain as efficiently as possible. Why is supply chain management so important? -To gain efficiencies from procurement, distribution and logistics -To make outsourcing more efficient -To reduce transportation costs -To meet competitive pressures Just in time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs. Why is JIT so important? Reduced setup time -The flow of goods from warehouse to shelves improves -Employees with multiple skills are used more efficiently -Production scheduling and work hour consistency synchronized with demand -Increased emphasis on supplier relationships -Supplies come in at regular intervals throughout the production day -Minimizes storage space needed -Smaller chance of inventory breaking/expiring 9. Discuss on how quality is taken care in this business, you may explain in the context of ISO. Finding Employees with Ownership.Ownership is something that is easily recognized, but no t easily defined. An obvious illustration of ownership can be found in real estate. Generally when you own a property, you treat it with respect, keep it in good repair, and make improvements to protect your investment and increase its value. Many managers don’t know there is such a thing as ownership until they accidentally hire someone with it. Suddenly the sharp contrast between the employees with the owner mentality and the employees with the renter mentality becomes apparent.The newly awakened manager can now see that the quality of ownership brings with it the kind of proactive and productive behaviors that get things done and get them done well. Since employees with ownership are usually self-directed and low maintenance, managers find that they have few time-consuming supervisory hassles with them. Liking what they see, managers instantly want more of this ownership stuff, but since they’re not sure how they got it in the first place, they’re not sure how to go about getting more employees with it for the future. 10. Draw the layout of the retail industry.
Friday, September 13, 2019
How has the evolution of the internet and ethics changed the practice Essay
How has the evolution of the internet and ethics changed the practice of marketing communication - Essay Example eception doctrine has been relatively easier to substantiate compared to unfairness, and this is specifically applicable for electronic media (Johnson & David, 1996; Who’s Watching the Web, www.aaf.org/relations/onlineprivacy.htm). The current study seeks to evaluate the evolution of the internet and ethical and their implications on the practice of marketing communication. It presents the factors which are perceived as unethical by internet consumers, and the significant predictors of consumers’ evaluations of fairness and ethicality. The following section presents the review of related literature. The components of the unfairness doctrine suggest that an organization is in discordance only when â€Å"injury†is sustained as an outcome of the marketing communication under contention. A critical issue has been borne out of the tangibility of the requirements to justify injury, and the intrinsic intangibility of the internet. Particularly, this has reinforced the ability to concretely link an organization’s marketing activities on the internet to a monetary or physical injury inflicted on the consumers. This challenge has caused the FTC to dedicate substantial attention and energy to drafting standards for internet marketing communications, in that claims to consumers must be adequately justified through research. However, the issue remains regarding how such a policy that is drafted in the present will be transferable to unfairness issues in the future (McGrath, 1999). The FTC has very distinguished and specific principles and guidelines with regards to determining when marketing communications have committed a violation of fairness. The original policy has been drafted on December 18, 1980, with the intention of precluding â€Å"unfair†¦acts or practices in or affecting commerce.†Drafting a list that stringently expressed that all that is considered â€Å"unfair†would be unproductive due to very dynamic and fast changing market conditions in each industry.
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