To what extent does a social phenomenon, like the 2008-to-present Essay

To what extent does a social phenomenon, like the 2008-to-present economic recession, influence or cause health behaviors - Essay Example A personal experience with regard to the effect of the economic crisis on health behaviors provided me with a clear picture of this issue. I still clearly remember when a friend’s father lost his job and the stress of tough financial conditions almost drove him mad. He worked in a clerical position at a factory that went bust during the recession in 2009. My friend had two younger siblings, who were 4 and 8 at the time. And like all children, they too wanted to have the same things that everyone else their age at school had. And thanks to the gadget race these days, children do want a lot then they used to. There is the Xbox, the Sony PlayStation and of course, the latest offerings from Apple to drive everyone wild with consumerism. Pair that up with an empty pocket and a mounting sense of despair and helplessness, and anyone would go out of their mind. My friends dad drunk himself to oblivion, but thank fully he was rescued after family and friends recognized the signs of dep ression. Others may not be so lucky. Economic distress has a direct relation to mental and psychological problems, as I have witnessed around me over the past few years. It is conventionally believed that health-related behavior usually deteriorates during economic recession. But interestingly, research shows an altogether new picture. It seems that when economy weakens, the mortality rates also go down and physical health improves. This cannot be said about mental health as evidenced by the sudden rise in suicide rate. According to recent research, a 1 percent increase in unemployment rate leads to a 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent decrease in the number of deaths (Ruhm, 2009). There can be several reasons for this phenomenon. First of all people do not get to drive (to and from work etc) and as a result decreasing car accident related deaths. Interestingly, there is also a substantial decrease in the number of heart attacks. This risk is perhaps the most reactive to the changes in

Educating the Re-Educated Essay Example for Free

Educating the Re-Educated Essay During China’s Cultural Revolution young intellectuals, who were described as men and women that graduated from high school, were sent to the countryside to be re-educated and learn about hard labor. During their re-education men and women were pushed to their limits to endure hard labor. These men and women were also prohibited to have anything reactionary because it was against their Chairman Mao. In Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Luo and Ma, the main characters, are sent to Mountain of the Phoenix of the Sky to be â€Å"re-educated by the poor peasants,† but to their surprise they end up educating the peasants and the daughter of the local tailor, the Little Seamstress. Luo and Ma were two of the young men that were sent to the countryside and learn about labor. Although, these two young men only had a middle school education, it can be argued that their presence at Mountain Phoenix was contrary to their re-education. Instead of Ma and Luo being the students they became the educators and made a big difference in one of the characters life. Luo and Ma served not only as workers, but as educators. Although Luo and Ma only had a middle school education they were sent to re-education because their doctor parents were seen as enemies of the state. During their stay at Phoenix Mountain they befriended Four Eyes who was a young intellectual getting re-educated. Four eyes plays an important role in Luo’s and Ma’s education of the people. Four eyes possess a treasure trove of forbidden reactionary Western novels, which Luo and Ma desired and eventually stole. Ma and Luo stole the novels when Four Eyes was about to leave the mountain, they take the novels with them and fall in love. Another, person that plays an important role in Luo and Ma’s education of the people is the Headman. He sends Ma and Luo on trips to the city to watch movies. Luo and Ma are sent to watch the movies, but have to return and tell the movie to the people of the mountain. One of the most important characters is the Little Chinese Seamstress. Luo and Ma fall in love with her, but Luo stereotypes her and says she is â€Å"not civilized† enough for him. With this being said when Luo and Ma come across Four Eyes books they have the idea of educating the Little Seamstress and teaching her how to read. The books that the boys take from four eyes help them take their mind of where they are and what they are going through, but also help them improve the mentality of the Little Seamstress. The Little Seamstress has lived her whole life in the mountain and doesn’t clearly know what is outside of that area. When the boys read her the stories she imagines a completely different world than the one she is used to. The reader is able to see the impact the novels have on the Seamstress when she starts to make her clothes differently and starts d ressing differently. The Little Seamstress begins to wonder more what is outside of the mountains. She wants to know about other places and different people. When the Headman sends Luo and Ma to the city to watch a movie he does it with an intention of having them fail when they return to explain the movie to the people. To his surprise the boys come back and explain the movie better than anyone and the Headman sends them back every time so they can tell the movie. The boys go so many times that every time they come back they tell the movie better each time. They make the people feel as if they are right their watching the movie. The people become emotional and start crying at times, but that is just a sign that they are entertained by what they are hearing. The way they tell the story helps the people imagine what’s happening and feel the emotion of what’s happening to the characters. The movie telling becomes a way of entertainment for the people it’s a way of getting their minds out of their everyday tasks. The boys help the people think of new and different things every time they tell a movie. The Luo and Ma made a difference in the other people’s lives without realizing that they did anything. They changed the lives of the people listening to their movies and they changed the life of the little Seamstress. They educated the people listening ot their movies in the sense that they opened their mind to new things, to things that are outside of their surroundings. Luo and Ma may not have taught them how to read or how write but they opened their mind to new things. As the Etymology dictionary explains, to educate means to â€Å"bring forth and have a formative effect on the mind.† Luo and Ma made an effect in the people’s minds by telling them stories that they were able to visualize and feel. The biggest person they had an impact on was the Little Seamstress, they left a big effect on her that it made her want to change and become a new person. Without knowing what they did to her, they opened her mind to new things. The stories left her wanting more, in the sense that she wanted to see what’s out in the world without having to read about it. She not only wanted to read about it but wanted to experience it on her own. The knowledge they gave to her is most noticeable in the end of the novel, when she leaves. Without having the intention of making an impact on her mind they realized that they gave her more than just short stories and novels. Readers may argue that Ma and Luo did nothing other than what they were told which was to tell the movie, but Ma and Luo did more than just explain what happened in a movie. Ma and Luo acted out a lot of the scenes and tried to be as explanatory as possible. They even went a step farther and made â€Å"snow† appear in one of their scenes. Even though they acted out the scenes, people may still argue that one cannot educate others from just acting out a movie. It is true Luo and Ma didn’t teach the people any of the basic skills like reading, writing, and math, but they taught them how to visualize and how to explore a new world outside of theirs. Also, people may argue that they did not educate the Little Seamstress, that they only read her novels. Luo and Ma opened up a door to the Little Seamstress that she has never witnessed before. Reading her the novels let her imagine images from the novels that she would have never seen before or thought about. They let her imagine and wonder about new things. The Little Seamstress learned about other people, their lives, and what they think about. To her it was something new and out of the ordinary. Luo and Ma taught the people and the Little Seamstress to imagine and feel new things. They were like parents reading a story to their children before bed. In the end when the Little Seamstress leaves she takes notice that she learned something, but she doesn’t acknowledge she learned because of Ma and Luo. She says, â€Å"She had learnt one thing from Balzac,† in this moment she is acknowledging she learned something and that’s the reason she is leaving. If she had not learned anything she wouldn’t be leaving. The Little Seamstress acknowledgement of learning something goes to show that the Ma and Luo did not only go to Phoenix Mountain to get re-educated, but to educate the re-educated. Without acknowledging that their movie and storytelling would make a difference, the Little Seamstress leaving shows that they did more than just telling stories. They helped the Seamstress gain confidence in her and knowledge, enough to want to leave and explore what is outside of the mountain. As for the people they would tell the movies to they learned that there is more outside their mountain and they learned how to grow their imagination. Luo and Ma were sent to the mountain to gain new knowledge on hard labor, once they were their they did not just learn they taught. Bibliography * Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., Jan. 2001. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. * Sijie, Dai. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. New York: Anchor Books, 2001. Print. Outline Thesis: * Luo and Ma were sent to Mountain of the Phoenix of the Sky to be â€Å"re-educated by the poor peasants,† but ended up education the some of the peasents especially the little seamstress. Argument: * Describe what happens in the countryside like why the boys were sent their, how they got a hold of the books, how they met little seamstress and how they decided to educate her. * How the books help the boys with educating the seamstress * How the movie telling helps the boys educate the people * They made a difference without realizing they did anything Refutation: * People may argue that they didn’t do anything that all they did was follow orders of watching the movie and how does reading to a young lady educate her? Conclusion: * They educated the people without realizing they opened their eyes and imagination to a new place. It is most convincing that they did anything when the little seamstress leaves and says that what she learned is that a woman’s beauty is a treasure beyond price.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalophathy Essay -- BSE Prion Mad Cow Disease

Bovine Spongiform Encephalophathy Abstract: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is caused by a prion, which is an infectious agent comprised solely of protein. The prion is a degenerate form of a normal cellular protein found in the brain and in nervous tissue. It targets the normal protein and causes the normal protein to change its shape. When enough of the prion is produced, the cell dies and symptoms of the disease are expressed. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly known as mad cow disease, is an unusual disease in regards to the fact that it is not caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or any other organism. Instead the disease is caused by prions, infectious agents simply composed of protein. Prions lack nucleic acid and are composed of an abnormal isoform of a normal cellular protein. What this means is that the prions and the cellular proteins have the same arrangements of the amino acids; however, the prion is folded differently from the cellular protein. "They are much like the toy "Transformers" that intrigued little kids in the 1980s. A sphynx could become a robot; a bug could become a warrior. Nothing was added; nothing subtracted."(Ruth Levy Guyer, Ph.D., 1) The tightly wound alpha helixes (figure 2) of the normal cellular proteins are unfolded and turn into beta sheets (figure 1). (Ruth Levy Guyer, Ph.D., 1) Figure 1 Figure 2 Another feature of the prion is its ability to remain stable in extreme conditions. Because prions do not have any DNA or RNA like other infectious agents, they are very hard to deal with. Prions are extremely resistant to conventional procedures to inactivate them including irradiation, boiling, dry heat, and chemicals such asformalin, betapropiolactone, and alcohols. S... ...is a disease that runs in families and prevents people from sleeping, causes motor and emotional problems, and is eventually a killer. GSS was linked to two mutations in the prion gene in 1989. Prion fragments accumulate in the brain in structures called plaques. In Alzheimer's disease, similar plaques develop, but they are composed of fragments of a different protein. Works Cited â€Å"Prion† Wikipedia. 28 July 2006 . DeArmond, Stephen J., M.D., Ph.D., Safar, Jiri, M.D., Groth, Darlene, A.B., Prusiner, Stanley B., M.D. â€Å"Prions† Office of Health and Safety. 28 July 2006 . Guyer, Ruth Levy, Ph.D. â€Å"Prions: Puzzling Infectious Proteins† National Institutes of Health Office of Science. 28 July 2006 .

Chapter hw – law

P may recover, as this Is a breach of the contract. P, in agreeing to accept the pension, forfeited his rights to take another Job In the Industry. This is a legal detriment to P, the promise – one which did not exist prior to the formation of the contract. B- This is not enforceable. This is an example of past consideration, which is not consideration. P had already rendered the service at the time the company's promise was made. In other words, the service was not induced by or given in exchange of the promise.If the promise were in writing and acknowledged the past inconsideration, however, this contract would be enforceable. 3) This Is an example of payment on liquidated debt. Because D assumed a new legal detriment – that is, he would not only pay the originally-agreed upon $50,000, but also pay 9% interest on top of that amount – C is legally bound on his promise. 4) No, the debt is not discharged, as this is a matured liquidated debt and is only satisfied when the debtor completes his/her entire obligation – full payment.In addition, as NY GOLD 5-1103 states, a signature endorsing a check Is not legally sufficient for accepting a lesser amount to satisfy an existing debt. In other words, there must be accompanying documentation with the promise signature, indicating the acceptance of a lesser amount to satisfy the debt. 5) S may not recover here, as there exists accord and satisfaction in a disputed form of liquidated debt. In this particular instance, accord and satisfaction occurs when B sends a check for a Boniface disputed amount, based on the expert opinion that the refrigerators were damaged upon shipment.The acceptance and cashing of the check by S discharged the remaining debt by cashing the check. If S had indicated, under protest† or â€Å"without prejudice† when endorsing the check, he would have prevented accord and satisfaction from occurring, per New Work's interpretation of USC 1-207. 6) s may not recover. Because s signed a note, walling the additional SSL ,oho that was owed in the contract, he released B from his requirement to pay the full amount of the order. This satisfies the requirement put into effect by NY GOLD 5-1103. ) a- Barry Is entitled to the dilation $350, as Ann, the promise, did not incur a legal detriment by paying a lesser amount and Barry, the promise, did not obtain a legal benefit. Ann was under a pre-existing legal duty to pay the full amount of the debt, which is liquidated and undisputed. B- If Barry had provided Ann a signed receipt, then, yes, under NY GOLD 5-1103, the remaining debt would be considered discharged, even though there exists no consideration for the promise. ) This Is a case of unlimited debt, In which the payment amount Is In question accept a lesser amount, $7,000 ($6,000, plus the $1,000 on the promissory note), to settle the claim serves as valid consideration. If Barbara had indicated, â€Å"under protest† or â€Å"witho ut prejudice† when endorsing the check, he would have prevented cord and satisfaction from occurring, per New Work's interpretation of USC 1-207. 10) a- C will recover nothing here.By re-negotiating the payment terms, there is a new set of consideration at play, as D obtains a new legal detriment of needing to give his stamp collection, along with the new (stated) dollar amount – something which D did not have to include with his payment beforehand. B- C will recover the full $1,000 in this case, as the original $10,000 debt amount is liquidated and past due. Additionally, D did not incur a new legal detriment in paying a lesser amount, nor did C gain a new legal benefit. If C agreed in a signed writing to discharge the debt, then, yes, under NY GOLD 5-1103, the debt would be considered paid off. 12) a- C is only entitled to the $50,000 sum. The promise, O, does not obtain a new legal benefit, and the promise does not incur a new legal detriment. In fact, C was bound by a pre-existing duty to complete the Job for a total of $50,000, which he received. B- According to NY GOLD 5-1103, this would be considered a written agreement (substituted contract), which is valid. As a result, C would be entitled to the full $55,000 amount, even though there does not exist any new consideration.

Saya Robot

SAYA ROBOT ABSTRACT This Article describes an electronic mechanical machine with a Tele-operated android robot named SAYA. A robot is an electro- mechanical device which maybe appears as humanoid and it can performs tasks automatically. It may be done by using a remote control or a computer interface. The Branch of Technology that deals with Robots is called ROBTICS. It was found in the daily lives for example; the pet-type robot named AIBO, and a mental therapy robot and its effectiveness for elderly people. But the first uses of modern robots have been built by William Grey Walter in 1961s as industrial robots.THE ANDROID ROBOT SAYA After 15 years of research by Saya's developer Hiroshi Kobayashi, the Professor at Tokyo University of Science; Saya is being tested as a teacher and it is being trialed at a primary school in Tokyo. After working as a receptionist and secretary. Also the robot Saya already used as traffic wardens and one is even being developed to provide company to Al zheimer's sufferers. She can speak multiple- languages; also can express some basic emotions like surprise, disgust, smile, sadness. Because her face has simple structure and basically consists of mechanical frame and facial skin.SAYA THE ROBOT TEACHER In the classroom, there are Saya and some control equipment and the control system of Saya requires a compressor and electronic equipments. In the other side, there's an operation room with two monitors one of them is used for the control, and the other one used for the observation. Saya is able to assign tasks to students, as well as perform facial expressions to denote her current mood. She also able to catch students passing notes in class, as well as plagiarizing one another’s homework. The operator is able to hear students from the speakers and respond to students as well.THE MAIN PURPOSES OF SAYA ROBOT The robot's main purpose was to encourage children to be interested in science and technology; it's also expected to cont ribute to children's motivation to learn, in addition; it would benefit schools suffering from a shortage of human teachers. The robot was originally developed for companies who want to cut costs by replacing office workers such as secretaries and receptionists with an android. BIBLIOGRAPHY LIST – cdn. intechweb. org/pdfs/19461. pd – http://www. news. com. au/news/saya-robots-new-job-as-a-schoolteacher/story-fna7dq6e-1111119087968

Licencia de conducir para indocumentados en Maryland

Licencia de conducir para indocumentados en Maryland El estado de Maryland permite a los migrantes indocumentados obtener la licencia de manejar o, para los que no desean conducir, una tarjeta de identificacià ³n conocida o  I.D.  por sus siglas en inglà ©s. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre quà © pasos hay que seguir para solicitar la licencia y quà © documentos es necesario presentar. Asimismo, se habla de cà ³mo es la situacià ³n en otros estados y cul es el estatus particular de los muchachos indocumentados que se conoce como Dreamers, ya que para ellos el tema de licencia de manejar opera de otra forma. Cà ³mo sacar la licencia de manejaro I.D. en Maryland si se est como indocumentado Estos son los requisitos que hay que cumplir y la documentacià ³n que hay que colectar antes de examinarse de conducir: Prueba de haber pagado los impuestos (taxes) en el estado de Maryland por al menos 2 aà ±os.Un nà ºmero fiscal que se conoce como ITIN y que se solicita al IRS.Una carta certificada por la Oficina del Controlador de Maryland que puede solicitarse por internet.Un I.D. vlido y sin expirar, por ejemplo, el pasaporte o matrà ­cula consular.2 documentos que sirvan para probar residencia en el estado de Maryland como por ejemplo el lease de la vivienda, las facturas del pago del telà ©fono, cable, electricidad, extractos bancarios, etc.   Si no se tienen todos los documentos no se puede obtener ni el I.D. ni la licencia de manejar de autos o para bicimotos. Si la intencià ³n es solamente obtener un I.D. del estado, lo anterior es suficiente y ya se puede cerrar una cita con el Department of Motor Vehicles. Por el contrario,  si adems se quiere obtener la licencia de manejar entonces hay que tomar los tests. Exmenes para la licencia de manejar en Maryland El primer paso es estudiar el manual del conductor para autos y bicimotos. Se pueden tomar gratuitamente tests por internet para asegurarse que se sabe la respuesta.   Despuà ©s cerrar una cita para rendir el examen de conocimientos y posteriormente tomar el test de manejar. Para esto à ºltimo pueden darse dos situaciones: Si ya se tiene una licencia de manejar de otro paà ­s sin expirar y vigente entonces es necesario tomar una leccià ³n de tres horas sobre un Programa de Educacià ³n de Drogas y Alcohol y luego ya ser posible tomar el examen de manejar.Por el contrario, si no se tiene ese tipo de licencia es necesario sacar primero un Permiso de Estudiante, lo que en inglà ©s se conoce como Learner ´s Permit, y tambià ©n tomar un curso de Educacià ³n para Conductores. Sà ³lo luego despuà ©s se puede tomar el examen de conducir. Atentos para evitar estafas No es posible comprar la licencia de manejar. Mucho cuidado con las personas que aseguran que pueden obtener uno a cambio de una cantidad de dinero.   Los casos de fraudes a inmigrantes se pueden denunciar, aà ºn cuando se tenga estatus de inmigrante indocumentado. Pero en la situacià ³n actual es siempre mejor consultar primero con un abogado o una organizacià ³n de ayuda a los migrantes. Cà ³mo son las leyes en otros estados y Dreamers Estos son los estados en los que los indocumentados pueden sacar la licencia de manejar. Tener en cuenta que los Dreamers con la Accià ³n Diferida aprobada se rigen por otras reglas y pueden obtener sus licencias de la forma regular que aplican a los ciudadanos americanos y residentes permanentes legales. En otras palabras, pueden manejar en todos los estados. Derechos de los indocumentados Aunque seas indocumentado por ley tienes derecho a cobrar al menos el salario mà ­nimo, que varà ­a de estado a estado. En cuanto al tema de la legalizacià ³n en la actualidad existen  15 posibles caminos que existen en la actualidad para la regularizacià ³n de indocumentados. Hay que tener en cuenta que no es fcil y que depende de las circunstancias de cada uno. Si se cree que se puede calificar para alguna de ellas, es fundamental contar con un buen abogado migratorio que conozca las leyes a fondo y se conduzca con à ©tica. Si no se conoce, se recomienda pedir asesoramiento para elegir abogado a instituciones reputadas con buenas bases de datos. Finalmente, como asunto prctico destacar los  Ã‚  documentos que sirven para viajar por avià ³n dentro de Estados Unidos, ya que este es un asunto que preocupa especialmente a los migrantes indocumentados.

Typical Course of Study for 10th Graders

Typical Course of Study for 10th Graders By 10th grade, most students have acclimated to life as a high school student. That means they should be primarily independent learners with good time management skills and a sense of personal responsibility for completing their assignments. The goal of  high school coursework for 10th-grade students is to prepare them for life after high school, either as a college student or a member of the workforce. Coursework should also ensure that students are equipped to perform at their best for college entrance exams if secondary education is their goal. Language Arts Most colleges expect a high school graduate to have completed four years of language arts. A typical course of study for 10th-grade language arts will include literature, composition, grammar, and vocabulary. Students will continue to apply the techniques theyve learned from analyzing texts. Tenth-grade literature will likely include American, British, or world literature. The choice may be determined by the homeschool curriculum a student is using.   Some families may also choose to incorporate the literature component with social studies. So a student studying world history in 10th grade would choose titles associated with world or British literature. A student studying U.S. history would choose American literature titles. Students may also analyze short stories, poems, dramas, and myths.  Greek and Roman mythology are popular topics for 10th-graders. Continue to provide students with a variety of writing practice across all subject areas, including science, history, and social studies. Math Most colleges expect four years of high school math credit. A typical course of study for 10th-grade math will have students completing geometry or Algebra II to fulfill their math credit for the year. Students who completed prealgebra in ninth grade will usually take Algebra I in 10th, while students who are strong in math may take an advanced algebra course, trigonometry, or precalculus. For teens who are weak in math or who have special needs, courses such as basic mathematics or consumer or business math can fulfill math credit requirements. 10th Grade Science Options If your student is college-bound, he will likely need three lab science credits. Common 10th-grade science courses include biology, physics, or chemistry. Most students complete chemistry after successfully completing Algebra II. Interest-led science courses may include astronomy, marine biology, zoology, geology, or anatomy and physiology.   Other common topics for 10th-grade science include the characteristics of life, classification, simple organisms (algae, bacteria, and  fungi), vertebrates and invertebrates,  mammals and birds, photosynthesis, cells, protein synthesis,  DNA-RNA, reproduction and growth, and nutrition and digestion. Social Studies Many 10th-grade college-bound students will study United States history during their sophomore year. World history is another option. Homeschool students following a traditional curriculum will explore the Middle Ages. Other alternatives include a U.S. civics and economics course, psychology, world geography, or sociology. Specialized history studies based on a students interests are usually acceptable as well, such as a focus on World War II, European history, or modern wars. A typical course of study may also include prehistoric peoples and the earliest civilizations, ancient civilizations (such as Greece, India, China, or Africa), the  Islamic world, the Renaissance, the rise and fall of monarchies, the French Revolution,  and the Industrial Revolution. Modern history studies should include science and industry, the world wars, the Cold War, the  Vietnam War, the rise and fall of Communism,  the collapse of the Soviet Union, and world interdependence. Electives Electives can include topics such as art, technology, and foreign language, but students can earn elective credit for almost any area of interest. Most 10th graders will begin the study of a foreign language since it is common for colleges to require two years credit for the same language. French and Spanish are standard choices, but almost any language can count toward the two credits. Some colleges even accept American Sign Language.   Drivers education is another excellent option for a high school sophomore since most are 15 or 16 years old and ready to begin driving. The requirements for a drivers education course may vary by state. A defensive driving course can be helpful and may result in an insurance discount.

Speeding Up the Germination Process

Speeding Up the Germination Process Imagine you are the owner of a greenhouse which produces bedding plants. A customer orders 100 flats of begonia seedlings and wants to pick them up in a month. You begin to panic, as begonia seeds are sometimes slow to germinate and occasionally germinate unevenly. What Is Seed Priming? Your answer may be to obtain primed seeds. Seed priming is used by seed producers and growers to control germination. Mainly, seed priming is used to shorten germination time, which, as in the case of the begonias, is often desirable. The various seed priming processes have been carefully designed to allow for some of the early germination processes to take place, but not for the completion of full germination. Therefore, a grower can plant primed seed which has much of the germination process completed and expect early emergence. The process can also allow for more uniform, even germination of the treated seeds. It can also increase germination over a wider temperature range, and reduce disease incidence in seeds. In some plant species, priming is necessary, rather than merely desirable, in order to overcome seed dormancy. How Does Seed Priming Work? Seed priming allows for the regulation of the water content in the seed, either by soaking the seeds in water or in a solute; or, by exposing the seeds to water vapor. The seeds imbibe water for a predetermined time interval. After the time interval, the process is halted right before the first root, called the radicle, emerges from the seed. A high amount of water is needed for radicle emergence, so the priming process is ceased to prevent full germination from occurring. The primed seeds can then be dried and sown when ready. You may be wondering why the seed doesnt dry out during the priming process and become unable to germinate. If the process is properly controlled, the hydration treatment is stopped before the desiccation tolerance is lost. There is a limit for each plant species as to when the line between priming and pre-germination is crossed. Safe limits have been calculated as to the maximum length of time for which seeds can be primed. If the maximum length is exceeded, it can lead to seedling damage. Seed Priming Methods There are four common methods utilized for priming seeds: hydropriming, osmotic priming, solid matrix priming, and drum priming. Other methods are proprietary, which means they are trade secrets or patented, so someone would have to pay to use those methods! Hydropriming- Hydropriming is the simple soaking of seeds in water, although aerated distilled water is preferred. This process is especially useful in economically disadvantaged, arid crop growing areas.Osmotic priming- Osmotic priming, also called osmopriming or osmoconditioning, is the soaking of seeds in solutions containing chemicals such as mannitol, potassium nitrate (KNO3), potassium chloride (KCl), polyethylene glycol (PEG), or sodium chloride (NaCl). Plant hormones, which control or affect various stages of seed germination, or beneficial microorganisms (which help control fungal and bacterial disease) can be added to the osmopriming solutions.Solid matrix priming- Solid matrix priming involves the incubation of seeds in a solid, insoluble matrix, such as vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, or another highly water-absorbent polymer, with a limited amount of water, allowing for slow imbibition.Drum priming- Seeds are hydrated by placing them in a rotating drum into which a cont rolled level of water vapor is released. Who Benefits From Seed Priming? Seed priming is most often used for high-value crop seeds, but the steeping process of hydropriming has been used in arid countries to help overcome soil deficiencies and improve crop production. The disadvantages to seed priming include the fact that primed seeds are difficult to store in some cases, as they need cool storage temperatures- not to mention the fact that the process is a sometimes time-consuming extra bit of effort. However, in most cases, seed can be primed overnight, surface-dried, and sown the very next day. In cases such as the one involving begonias, outlined at the beginning of this article, seed priming can be a necessary and even simple part of growing plants.

Malinche Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Malinche - Research Paper Example According to Hampton,1 Malinche was born to chief Oluta, who was a member of the royal house of the Aztecs in 1502. 2 Her father died when she was still very young. According to the culture of her people, she was the sole heir of her father’s wealth and position as the chief. This, however, never happened. Malinche’s mother remarried and had a son with her stepfather. Her mother and stepfather then formulated a plan and sold her to slave traders, for her son to remain the sole heir of the throne. In her plan, Malinche’s mother took advantage of the death of one of her slave’s daughters. She blackmailed this slave and ended up burying the slave’s daughter as Malinche. 3 The slave was told to remain silent, or be sent away with the merchants who were buying slaves. 4 Not all sources concur on Malinche’s origin. However, it has been established by Joan Hershafield that she was a Nahuatl with the original name of Malimalli. Her province of birth was Coazacualco. According to the author, stories of Malinche’s slave life that led her to Cortes are contradictory. On the one hand, Lee Stacy presents Malinche as a member of the royal house of the Aztecs and the legal heir of her father’s throne as do sources in the previous paragraph. However, on the other hand, Hamptons contradicts that information, blackmails the family relations of Malinche, and argues that she was the daughter of a slave. The translation process was long-drawn-out, involving the Spanish, Mayan, and Nahuatl languages. When Cortes wanted to communicate with Nahuatl speakers, among whom were the influential Mexica or Aztec people, he would first tell Jeronimo de Aguilar, who would then translate into Mayan for La Malinche, who then further translated Cortes’ statement to the Nahuatl speakers, those reply was communicated by the reverse process. Due to this three-way interaction, the Nahuatl-speakers called her Malintzin. The Spanish upon he aring the natives calling her Malintzin, tried calling her the same, but their mispronounced version was Malinche. 5 Hampton tells us that La Malinche’s father placed a golden necklace around the little girl’s neck and said, â€Å"That this necklace will be the sign forever that shows you are a member of the Royal Aztec house, and your name is Malintzin.† 6 The Mexican citizens considered Malinche a traitor because she was Cortes’ mistress and was his translator. When she was baptized, she adopted a new name because she had no choice. Having been sold by her own mother into slavery, she had no choice but to obey the ways of slavery. Slavery led her into Cortes hands. Castillo, Bernal, Janet Burke and Humphrey tell us that Malinche that she was under captivity in Maya before being offered to Cortes as a war trophy by the Maya people. 7 Cortes wanted to conquer Mexico no matter what. It was one of his targets. Malinche,  therefore should, not be blamed fo r some other person’s political and personal interests. Appreciation should be given to Malinche for making negotiations possible. 8 Levesque suggests that Malinche willingly offered herself to Cortes, making her a betrayer to Mexico. 9 She is considered a representation of Mexico’s Eve, man’s first other and Christian history’

Conceptual framework for financial reporting Essay

Conceptual framework for financial reporting - Essay Example This made accounting standards haphazard, and many scandals could be witnessed (Alexander et al. 2007, p.150). This saw the introduction of ‘a conceptual framework for financial reporting.’ The aim of this paper is to examine what a conceptual framework for financial reporting is, and discuss the usefulness of such a framework. In addition, the paper will assess whether conceptual frameworks such as the International Accounting Standards Board for the preparation and presentation of financial reports has succeeded in achieving the stated objectives. What is a conceptual framework for financial reporting? The conceptual framework for financial reporting refers to a set of standards that public sector entities use to guide them in preparing financial statements. The standards in a conceptual framework establish the guidelines to be used in developing International Public Sector Accounting Standards, as well as other concepts that give guidelines about information that will be contained in financial reports (IASB, 2010). The conceptual framework focuses on the financial statements that business enterprises, including state owned corporations, should prepare and present annually in order to meet the information needs of users of financial statements (Zeff 2000, p.8). The IASC Board approved the Conceptual Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements in April 1989; the framework was later published in July the same year. In April 2001, the IASB adopted the framework (Bragg 2010, p.16). Why the Conceptual Framework for financial Reporting may be considered useful The conceptual framework for financial reporting can be considered useful based on the benefits derived from the use of such a system. First, use of the conceptual framework decreases the risk of inconsistency in financial standards. As such, the framework ensures that there is an objective that guides the preparation of financial statements by organizations (Barth et al. 2001, p.81). The conceptual framework is also useful as it incorporates a statement of the functions and roles played by financial statements. This helps to improve the process of setting standards, enhances consistency in financial reporting, and facilitates the development of future standards in the field of accounting (Barth 2008, p.1161). The framework can also be considered useful since it assists users of financial statements to interpret the information in financial statements. This is because it enhances understanding of the princ iples upon which the statements are prepared (Deegan, 2009). The conceptual framework of financial reporting can also be considered useful since it helps accounting bodies to review the International Accounting Standards already in existence. Moreover, the framework plays an essential role in assisting the IASC Board to promote the harmonization of accounting standards, regulations, as well as procedures that relate to the presentation of financial statements (Ellwood & Newbury, 2006). Another role played by the conceptual framework includes assisting national bodies that set standards to develop national accounting standards. The framework may also be considered useful as it helps auditors to form opinions on whether an organization’s financial statements conform to the International Accounting Standards (Greuning 2009, p.2). The conceptual framework also assists users of financial statements to interpret the information contained in financial statements, which conform to In ternational Accounting Standards (Macve, 1997). Critical Assessment whether conceptual frameworks have succeeded in achieving their objectives A look at the conceptual fr

Walt Disney Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Walt Disney Company - Assignment Example From this study it is clear that management and leadership development involves training employees on good leadership qualities and what it entails being a good manager. Employees get skills and lessons for team building because leaders ought to build teams and be good team leaders. Supervisory and organization skills are required to make a good manager as it enables one to create good business relationships, facilitating the meeting and also mentoring their junior employees.This study highlights that professional development involves taking professional courses and certification that help employees better their skills and be the best. Performance support systems and reimbursements to pursue job-related degrees help the employees to be more abreast with the modern world and changes that occur in the job market. Employees pursuing further studies mean that they get to qualify for promotions and also can move to companies where they get to advance their career status. With the developm ent of technology, any company would want its employees to have high tech computer skill to be able to operate the machines and computer they use at work. With new software coming up in production, the employees should be ready to use them and training in computer helps a great deal in this. The company offers mentoring programs that include internships, scholarships and programs to mentor startups such as the Disney Accelerator. Mentorship programs benefit not only the beneficiaries but also the company.

Retailing stores Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Retailing stores - Research Proposal Example This understanding remains an essential component in development of services aimed at providing sufficient customer satisfaction. The study comprises of a population of all registered retailing outlets with samples of hundred stores in each country. Stratified sampling shall be utilised in sampling of the selected retailing stores within the population. Data analysis and processing shall be undertaken manually through undertaking close reviewing of the collected data. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 2 1.1.Background 2 1.2.Statement of problem 4 1.3.Objectives 4 1.4.Research questions 5 1.5.Justification 5 1.6.Scope 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1.Introduction 6 2.2.Research hypothesis 7 2.3.Theoretical framework 7 2.4.Summary 9 2.5.Research gaps 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 11 3.1.Research design 11 3.2.Population 11 3.3.Sampling frame 11 3.4.Sample and sampling technique 11 3.5.Data collection procedure 12 3.6.Data processing and analysis 1 2 REFERENCES 12 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background Grocery stores across the world normally manage to market themselves through providing services aimed at satisfying the target market. Before engaging in the business of retailing outlets, business owners must understand the prevailing shopping trends among the target customers. This kind of understanding makes marketing an essential component of successful business operations for retailing stores. The factors affecting shopping trends in retailing stores vary significantly between different states. These variations contribute significantly towards the development of specific shopping trends among individuals residing in certain part of the world. Variations in shopping trends, therefore, become a fundamental element in determining the success of a retailing store located in different states. Increased globalisation of business operations continues to necessitate differentiation of business operations in order to suit the vario us customer requirements. A comparison of Saudi Arabian and British consumers of grocery store products could potentially reveal the existing discrepancies in the shopping trends in different parts of the world. The European and Asian continents remain some of the biggest target markets for retailing outlets seeking global presence. In Saudi Arabia for example, perceived selection risk remains a major determinant of supermarket patronage among many shoppers(Yavas & Tuncalp, 1984). In the European market, the British retailing sector continues to rank among the best based on management and attained annual profits. The emerging competition from international retailing outlets, however, continues to cause competitive threats for existing retailing stores(Steve & Sparks, 1994). The globalisation of retailing store business therefore, requires sufficient understanding of the target market and introduction of new services. This proposal seeks to provide an understanding of the prevail ing issues pertaining to global retailing store business. Clients in different countries have different concerns resulting in patronage with retailing stores. This research seeks to provide an analysis of the existing services resulting in patronage within Europe and the Middle East. As one of the most popular countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia becomes the best example to represent the rest of the Middle East. Britain on the other

Philosophies of the East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophies of the East - Essay Example Hinduism as a philosophic creed has had no known founder, and there are no standard set of doctrines other than those in the Vedas and the Upanishads, universally accepted by all followers, and this may seem a disadvantage when compared to Confucianism and Buddhism. But when seen closely, it appears that Hinduism grapples with concepts of a different philosophical significance than Confucianism, because Hinduism deals with the nature of creation itself, whereas the other deals with the Way, a Way of worldly human life on the material plane alone. Buddhism, of course had a founding father in Gautam Buddha, many of whose given precepts are strikingly similar to that of Hinduism. Hinduism accepts that absolute reality is One, the Brahman, the various gods, demi-gods and the entire creation is Its expression. The human soul Atman is a part of It but is separated from It by a veil of ego and ignorance in the samsara, the world. The more the ego and ignorance, the more the reincarnations, in each of which the soul goes through various kinds of physical and mental suffering due to his or her Karma, or action and desires. Good karma brings the soul closer to Nirvana, or salvation from the cycle of rebirths, and bad karma and material desires drag it back down into the cycle.It is good human action and lack of material desires that can achieve salvation. On the other hand, human suffering can be understood in terms of bad past Karma, or human actions in a previous life. The Atman works out its Karma in an atmosphere of Lila or Maya, the history of the world and humans, which is in fact an illusion. Human life, then, is the journey of the Atman wherein humans try to control both the mind and the senses and become Brahman-oriented in the hope of experiencing total fulfillment in oneness with God or Brahman. Hindu philosophy allows for various ways to achieve Nirvana and over the ages various philosophers from Nagarjuna, Ramanuja, Sankara and the modern day Aurobindo Ghosh have offered their own interpretations. Buddhism is quite similar in its approach. Buddha's concern with the cause of human suffering led him to determine the Eightfold Path of human thought, speech, action, contemplation and mindfulness which is the way human beings can be free of all desires and suffering and attain Nirvana. Moreover, upadana or "clinging to existence" should be relinquished because existence in this world is illusory, and it is important to achieve a silence of body, mind and word. But unlike Hinduism, Buddhism does not believe in a divine creator or in divine salvation; the problem of suffering is one that humans must cope with themselves. Confucianism, on the other hand, is not concerned with the other world or rebirths at all. Direct human action is the only way human beings can better themselves according to Confucius. Human beings can gain wisdom through experience and study, following a set of principles which dictate positive action, helping others, and gaining their respect in a non-coercive fashion. Confucius held that it is possible to become a superior man through constant practice of the principles he set out, and his philosophy had much to do with political codes and family life as well. Confucius did not feel that human life and existence is governed by a fixed and eternal transcendental principle that stands outside and above events and determines them: human

Retailing stores Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Retailing stores - Research Proposal Example This understanding remains an essential component in development of services aimed at providing sufficient customer satisfaction. The study comprises of a population of all registered retailing outlets with samples of hundred stores in each country. Stratified sampling shall be utilised in sampling of the selected retailing stores within the population. Data analysis and processing shall be undertaken manually through undertaking close reviewing of the collected data. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 2 1.1.Background 2 1.2.Statement of problem 4 1.3.Objectives 4 1.4.Research questions 5 1.5.Justification 5 1.6.Scope 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1.Introduction 6 2.2.Research hypothesis 7 2.3.Theoretical framework 7 2.4.Summary 9 2.5.Research gaps 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 11 3.1.Research design 11 3.2.Population 11 3.3.Sampling frame 11 3.4.Sample and sampling technique 11 3.5.Data collection procedure 12 3.6.Data processing and analysis 1 2 REFERENCES 12 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background Grocery stores across the world normally manage to market themselves through providing services aimed at satisfying the target market. Before engaging in the business of retailing outlets, business owners must understand the prevailing shopping trends among the target customers. This kind of understanding makes marketing an essential component of successful business operations for retailing stores. The factors affecting shopping trends in retailing stores vary significantly between different states. These variations contribute significantly towards the development of specific shopping trends among individuals residing in certain part of the world. Variations in shopping trends, therefore, become a fundamental element in determining the success of a retailing store located in different states. Increased globalisation of business operations continues to necessitate differentiation of business operations in order to suit the vario us customer requirements. A comparison of Saudi Arabian and British consumers of grocery store products could potentially reveal the existing discrepancies in the shopping trends in different parts of the world. The European and Asian continents remain some of the biggest target markets for retailing outlets seeking global presence. In Saudi Arabia for example, perceived selection risk remains a major determinant of supermarket patronage among many shoppers(Yavas & Tuncalp, 1984). In the European market, the British retailing sector continues to rank among the best based on management and attained annual profits. The emerging competition from international retailing outlets, however, continues to cause competitive threats for existing retailing stores(Steve & Sparks, 1994). The globalisation of retailing store business therefore, requires sufficient understanding of the target market and introduction of new services. This proposal seeks to provide an understanding of the prevail ing issues pertaining to global retailing store business. Clients in different countries have different concerns resulting in patronage with retailing stores. This research seeks to provide an analysis of the existing services resulting in patronage within Europe and the Middle East. As one of the most popular countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia becomes the best example to represent the rest of the Middle East. Britain on the other

Critical Success Factor Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critical Success Factor Report - Essay Example Apart from that, the study will also analyze the macro environment (political, economic, social, and technological) of Great Britain. Important aspects such as communication strategy, pricing strategy and customer services strategy need to be designed carefully to sustain the competition in the market. This report will examine each of these strategies required for the bathroom manufacturing company. The next half of the report will offer a brief introduction of the company. John Lewis: A Brief Overview John Lewis can be referred to as a chain of departmental stores that operates throughout the United Kingdom (UK). It was established by John Lewis in the year 1864. Presently it is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Initially the business started as single store operator, but during the year 1920 it established departmental store chain model through John Lewis Partnership (Davidmann, n.d). The partnership model emphasize on ownership of employee and their contribution as stakehol der to the departmental store chain. There are more than thirty eight thousand people working in the departmental store chain and each of them acts as a partner to the company (McCallion, 2010). The group has been ranked as one of the top five departmental store chains of Great Britain. This British departmental store chain has already opened thirty seven outlets and is planning to open few more within next 2 years. Customer Analysis John Lewis has established itself as premium departmental store chain in last 146 years. This departmental store has become a â€Å"cool† shopping destination for many people. Oxford outlet of the chain was founded in middle England in order to provide shopping solution to customers belonging to the central part of Britain. Marks & Spencer (M&S) is another favourite shopping destination for many people in Great Britain and is a strong competitor for John Lewis. Customers believe the ambience of the departmental store (John Lewis) chain is appeali ng and they like to spend more time in the outlet. Customers feel that lighting system of the stores is designed in such a way that it highlights each product separately. Any person entering the store can easily identify his/her favourite brand, thereby making the purchase decision easier. John Lewis has a customer base of people who like to shop for branded items. People belonging to higher income and middle income group are the major customers of the departmental store chain. Married couples and families also visit this departmental store chain to purchase different items. Customers prefer to shop for stylish items such as watch, designer clothes, bathroom items etc. Many customers perceive that after sales service is a critical factor behind the success story of any retail outlet. Employees working inside the stores are the greatest asset to the company. Employees own a percentage of shares in group’s business and they also earn a yearly bonus. Customer friendly behaviour and prompt after sales service made this British departmental store chain a preferred shopping spot for many customers. John Lewis also provides home delivery services for bulky items. Hence customers like to shop in this departmental store chain for aforementioned reasons. Ambience, customer service and availability of

Does School Prepare Children for the Real World Essay Example for Free

Does School Prepare Children for the Real World Essay â€Å"Getting a good education and make good grades no longer ensures success. † Because these would not merely help us to be a successful professionals. Not all things are being taught in school. Does school prepare children for the real world and ?. but rather the skills and knowledge you are able to apply with your income separates the lower middle class from the wealthy. study hard and get good grades and you will find a high paying job with great benefits for you to attain success in life. education is the foundation of success† â€Å"just as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. † Just as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life. For an individual to be a successful. The author tells us how to achieve success but with very disparate approaches Throughout the book, the author compares both fathers , their principles, ideas, financial practices, and degree of dynamism and how his real father, the poor, struggling but highly educated man, paled against his rich dad in terms of asset building. He compares his poor dad to those people who are perpetually scampering in the Rat Race, helplessly trapped in a vicious cycle of needing more but never able to satisfy their dreams for wealth because of one glaring lack: financial literacy. His rich dad, by contrast, represents the independently wealthy core of society who deliberately takes advantage of the power of corporations and their personal knowledge of tax. The book’s theme reduces to two fundamental concepts: a can-do attitude and fearless entrepreneurship. The author highlights these two concepts by providing multiple examples for each and focusing on the need for financial literacy, how the power of corporations contribute to making the wealthy even wealthier, minding your own business, overcoming obstacles by not fostering laziness, fear, cynicism and other negative attitudes, and recognizing the characteristics of humans and how their preconceived notions and upbringing hamper their financial freedom goals. For most parents today, they are having a hard time keeping their children in chool. But in light of our changing times, as parents, we need to be open to new and bold ideas. â€Å"life is the best lecturer in life† it does not require any moments of an indi Vidual but rather having it’s experiences in life. Some people may think of money that has been involve. But the more money you have it will put you into more depths. Always keep in mind of† knowing how to work for money† not â€Å"knowing how to ma ke money work for you. † â€Å"The more money you get, the more you spend. † If one is able to focus getting jobs that develop these three major skills sets, he is well on their way on the path to success. After sharing these main lessons of the rich, Kiyosaki goes a step further by addressing the 5 main obstacles keeping people from actually following through . first is Fear, Overcoming the fear of losing money. The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it. The difference becomes how a rich and poor person handles the fear. Wealthy individuals use failure as a teaching moment and aren’t afraid to fail. Second is Cynicism, This deals mostly with those around you. Follow your own path, because at the end of the day, wealthy individuals are a small percentage who go against the grain and don’t follow the crowd. Thirdly is Laziness, One must be willing to put in the time and effort to build up their financial knowledge. This means being selfish and taking time out to build one’s personal wealth. Fourth is the Bad Habits, it is Reducing expenses is easier said than done, but one must be willing to break those bad spending and investing habits in order to be successful. And lastly is the Arrogance, Always be willing to reach out to those who are successful and those you want to emulate. To become wealthy, it’s often a collaborative effort, bouncing ideas from prospective mentors. â€Å"Its not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, its what you whisper to yourself that has the most power! † it tells us of being a dependent individual. one must determine his/her life. By means of the application of business. Don’t lose hope, and move straight forward for the future ahead. let me give you an example to deeply understand these. Grace was a friend of mine. She was my best friend a long time ago. We had a promise of seeing each other again after 10 years. I’ve remember that she told that she would be a good doctor in a hospital. She always tell me that its her dream to be a doctor. We always spend time with each other saying our ambitions years from now. But years have passed, and life changes. She suddenly told me that she would stop after graduation and her ambition will go to an end because of some family problem. She told that her dream of becoming a doctor has come to an end. But as her best friend I’ve told her not to give up, and pursue her dreams. It must be a trial from god to see her faith and hope for him. And so she started again and start all over. Life is too short, so we must all enjoy what we have. And do even pursue more. â€Å"You’re only poor if you give up. The most important thing is that you did something. Most people only talk and dream of getting rich. You’ve done something. † in life, you must not give up. Every individual experiences a lot of things. Every time you fall, you must stand up. Face the reality. lways keep in mind that f you did something bad or good, you must not give up and not lose hope. Just don’t let it get to the point of hurting someone just for you to have a standard status in life. But as generations have passed, all people are know thinking of how to be rich. Richer in life. â€Å"Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success. † In our generation today, people know are always taking risk on their fortunes, some of them are gabling on their lives just to let their status in life ranked high. Every individuals always think of having competition with each other. They always want to be called the winner in terms of their competition. So know, things have change as times passes by, they are now afraid of losing in any kinds of competition. But in vice versa. Always keep in mind that every failure is a part of every success of every individual in life. â€Å"The love of money is the root of all evil. The lack of money is the root of all evil. † We all know that the possession of money by a person makes him/her evil. Every individual who loves money. ill suddenly turn to a bad person when he/ she loves money so much that even he is consequently starts to forget all about his/herself and even his/her family loved ones. When it comes to money, people take their own risk in life. Many people strive hard just to save dollars. Always remember money is a form of power. But what is more powerful is financial education. Money comes and goes, but if you have the education about how money works, you would gain power over it and can begin building wealth. if you want something, work for it. We all wanted thengs to satisfy us. If you’re the kind of person who has no guts, you just give up every time life pushes you. If you’re that kind of person, you’ll live all your life playing it safe, doing the right things, saving yourself for something that never happens. Then, you die a boring old man. Life is the best teacher of all. Most of the time life does not talk to you. It’s just that it all pushes you around. Each push is a life saying there’s something I want to say to you, wake up and face a new life. â€Å"Intelligence solves problems produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone. Every individuals have rights to have education. â€Å"Getting a good education and make good grades no longer ensures success. † Because these would not merely help us to be a successful professionals. Not all things are being taught in school. but rather the skills and knowledge you are able to apply with your income separates the lower middle class from the wealthy. study hard and get good grades and you will find a high paying job with great benefits for you to attain success in life. â€Å"education is the foundation of success† â€Å"just as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. Just as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life. For an individual to be a successful. â€Å"Emotions are what make us human. Make us real. The word emotion stands for energy in motion. Be truthful about your emotions, and use your mind and emotions in your favor, not against yourself. † God created man with his own image and likeness. He created humans all complete. Emotions can served as the principle and aspects in decision making process of an individual. True person can be associated as real, if he/ she has it’s own true feelings and emotions. lways remember to be truthful abouy our emotions and use it in a proper way. â€Å"In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk. † â€Å"education is the foundation of success† â€Å"just as scholastic skills are very important, so are financial and communication skills. † Just as what it is stated, education plays an important role in life. For an individual to be a successful. For most parents today, they are having a hard time keeping their children in school. But in light of our changing times, as parents, we need to be open to new and bold ideas. â€Å"life is the best lecturer in life† it does not require any moments of an individual but rather having it’s experiences in life. Some people may think of money that has been involve. But the more money you have it will put you into more depths. Always keep in mind of† knowing how to work for money† not â€Å"knowing how to make money work for you. † â€Å"The more money you get, the more you spend. †

Kolb learning cycle

Kolb learning cycle KOLB LEARNING CYCLE Abstract: In this assignment, we discuss about learning, Kolbs learning cycle and different learning styles. And we get lot of knowledge how to become a good learner. Learning: In that environment that we are usually not going there before, or not have any idea about their rule and regularities, in that point we need to learn about the basic information for our survival. That is called learning. To prepare ourselves for the new challenges of life, no doubt, it is little bite hard, but we have to follow the rule and regularities about the specific needs. Learning is the first step for doing anything in life, because without learning in life we are not be able to do anything in life. Kolb: Kolb is one of the most potent investigators in the field because he gives a complete theoretical picture. According to kolb, learning is the way where we can gain lot of knowledge through different experiences. The theory describes a way of making and placing the syllabus and points in very beautiful way and tell us how the syllabus will be teach and how student can learn lot of knowledge. It indicates that learning is cyclical, takes four stages, sometimes related to as detection, watching, thinking and doing. An important characteristic of the theory is that the different stages are linked with clear-cut learning styles. Wherever, they feel comfortable that is the first stage for them learning. In the case of student there are different tasks where student can pass one by one, and become more wiser with practice and knowledge. Teachers also have different styles of teaching to the students with different new ideas. So everyone have different stages of learning. Kolbs experiential learning theory is one of the master piece of educational theories in higher education, and it has is own place in the literature on geography in higher education in the UK. However, estimating from published literature and the result of this theory is not really good impacting or less well geographers in north America. This is fairly surprising given that Kolb is an American organisational psychologist, whose work has targeted lot of care in north America, specially in the education management and psychology literature. Kolbs cycle have had very good impact on the work of teachers and students and new learners. Kolbs learning cycle: According to kolbs there are four elements which complete the learning cycle and they are very important, because these elements work one by one and very smoothly, they will take place each other. 1- Activist: Pretending, homework, analysis. What is new, i am part of anything, problem solving, small groups give and take equal feedback, trainer should be a icon of a professional, in this case we should give the new learner to chance to learn his own way with some criteria for relevance of stuffs. 2- Reflector: Diaries, logs, thinking. I like the way to think about this training thought. In this case lectures are play very important role to know the really personality of the person by Jude performance. 3- Theorist: Papers, inferences. How this thing is part of other thing. Training thought, case studies, theory readings and work with your own ideas will give you lot of help. Including talking with experts, is not encourage. 4- Pragmatist: Same work, laboratories, notices. How can i get the real advantage of this work? Training thought, equal feedback is helpful. In this case whatever you want to do, you must have proper qualification of the relevant field and complete knowledge. Help from the perfection will be better and boost your career. Different stages in the cycle: Not doubt, Kolbs learning cycle have four elements and they have individual importance. But the main important thing is that they also have appropriate at different stages in the cycle. In 1988 Gibbs take a full advantage and research on Kolbs learning cycle in the field of educational practice. He gets the result that all the elements have very close relationship with each other on different stages. In setting out logical significances of Kolbs theory Gibbs indicates. It is not complete just to do, and not is it complete just to think. Nor is it enough simply to do and think. Learning from excises necessary demand the doing and the thinking. in an opening public talk: Stage 1 (CE): Students one by one read complete takes out from three or four books that represent factors of living in necessary. At giving them a substitute building material. Stage 2 (RO): IN groups of 5-6, students take interest in key questions, like does it look that these experiences were change made by gender. In this stage student need to look back on their reading and also try to focus for the next stage. stage 3 (AC): In that stage 30 minute lecture on the relevant topic give them the idea what is basic need for specific topic and it will be solve. Stage 4 (AE): At this stage student know how to be going forward and present their own ideas. Which is revenant to the all previous stages. In the next class session: Stage 5 (CE): In this stage, students show their ideas and compare with other idea as well. (experience) Stage 6 (RO): In this stage, students discuss questions that help them to improve their ideas. In this stage teacher play very important role to give the student proper guideline. Which really help them a lot in future. (reflection) Stage 7 (AC): This stage is very important because in this stage teach show the students or give them their result and according to the requirement. (conceptualisation) Stage 8 (AE): In this stage, students are able to write their views correctly and according to the point. (experimentation) At this position the work or lesson move to another topic, where Kolbs theory may be used again to base learning experience. At this time students will look back and use the way of analysis (AE), Second time, they move (CE). Hopefully they tell the people (RO), and might give view that if they read this theory (AC), they get the result at the end differently and their experience might be automatically changed by that learning. http://www2.glos.ac.uk/GDN/discuss/kolb1.htm Personal Review of learning: In my opinion, everyone has different learning styles. Some people are mostly visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learner. Actually, everyone learns by variety of elements or styles. But there is always one style is more predominant in each person. In that a person may can increase his learning power, with the help of his predominant style, and become a successful person in his field. Different people choose different ways of learning. But I always choose that way, which, I can fully understand before doing. It means I usually take the from the checklists and quizzes etc. And main important thing is that currently, I am student, so usually learn a lot of knowledge from books, internet, novels, newspapers, different articles and main important thing, I get lot of knowledge my teachers. If I want to choose or develop my best learning way, i will prefer quizzes or checklist. Like I will put some multiple choice questions to know the opinion of people, which help us a lot to create a learning style. For example: Q1: I like to study A: with other people like play games and learn B: In 5-6 people groups where I can listen other people views C: OR alone in a peace full place Q2: I recall thing best if I A: make lists and write them in a page or diary B: record the knowledge and listen C: write down and read them back Q3: I like to learn using A: Rimes and tones that I make up B: pictures and diagrams C: labs and presentation Q4: sometimes when no one is near me I will A: perform out information B: do something else which give me boost to do C: make a photo In my homework, which help me in my work. Q5: I recall things most when I A: read them B: hear them C: say them Q6: I Have problem to recalling thing if I A: cant take about in class B: just read it dont discuss in class C: cant take or write in notebook Q7: I recall A: looks B: names C: both names and faces Q8: when I study for a exam I like to A: I like to draw a picture, charts in my work B: read thoroughly C: make a scheme Well, I thought so I Can create that type of learning style in the future, which help us a lot to know the personality of the person. Then we can give the same task which he / she can easily solve. And become a good learn or successful person, in their fields. Conclusion: In this assignment ,we learn a lot of information about who we can become a good learn, in different ways. And become a successful in future. Plus point is that all the ways are linked with each other, in very beautiful manner. So it every useful source of become a good learner, and get lot of advantages. References: http://www2.glos.ac.uk/GDN/discuss/kolb1.htm http://www.sos.net/~donclark/history/kolb.html http://homeworktips.about.com Cottrell, s. (2003) The Study Skills handbook, Palgrave study Guides

Is the Tarnished Image of Northeastern Being Rebuilt? :: Journalism Journalistic Essays

Is the Tarnished Image of Northeastern Being Rebuilt? Boston - Northeastern University is expanding its campus and student body more and more every year. Just a few years ago it was just a small commuter school, now it is reaching close to the top 100 Colleges and University’s in the United States. The university’s enrollment is now up to over 20,000 students, both undergraduate and graduate students. Everything is not as peachy as it seems. Since 1990, Northeastern University has almost doubled its size. It used to be on just one side of the Orange Line. Now it goes all the way into Roxbury, Mission Hill, and Fenway. Residents in the area are a little angry that Northeastern University is coming into their neighborhood and pushing them around. â€Å"I haven’t liked what Northeastern has done ever since they came over the tracks,† said Randall Thomas, 51, a longtime resident of Roxbury. " In this neighborhood the rents are going up, the students are misbehaving, and the Northeastern police are hassling long time residents, instead of the students. They need discipline and Northeastern has to keep them in check,† said Thomas. Thomas talked about his years living in Roxbury, which is all 51 years of his life. He said the university has to work with the neighborhood. According to Thomas it is a long standing African-American Community that has its needs and the university should understand that and take that into consideration. According to city housing assessments, the price of real estate has doubled in some areas of Roxbury. The huge demand for property and the university’s growth has made the once poverty stricken area into a hot commodity for the university and real estate investors. One building in the neighborhood on Tremont was listed worth of $265, 500. Predictions for the end of the year 2004 have the estimated worth at about $394,000. That is a significant rise in one year. â€Å"Northeastern is taking over, their pushing the poor people out,† said Kenny Miller, 35, and a resident of Roxbury. â€Å"Roxbury residents fight to get their homes back, the damn condominiums they built, they’re taking over Mission Hill as well.† â€Å"The students are supposed to be our future leaders, they suck.† said Thomas, â€Å"Stop coming in our neighborhood, pushing us. Who do they think they are? Harvard or MIT?† On the contrary, Northeastern University feels that it is working with the neighborhoods to accomplish good for the community as a whole.

Luotang Power

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION1 QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS2 i. Quantity Variance5 ii. Price Variance6 iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance7 iv. Fuel Cost Variance8 v. Other Cost Variances9 5 PORTER FORCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 CONCLUSION12 INTRODUCTION Luotang Power was established by American companies who was selected bidders to operate a 600 MW coal-fired power plant project. This company was located in Hubei Province, China. Although this company wholly foreign-owned but they need to use Chinese- manufactured equipment. There are two main issues in this case study.The first issue is the positive performance of Luotang Power does not show in the financial results. Mr. Tan Min Yi was scheduled to make a presentation to the Board of Directors of his parent company, China Hua Tong Power about the results. Mr. Tan Min Yi is a general manager of the Luotang Power Company. He needs to review and investigate the financial results before presenting to the board the disappointing results. The second issue is about the quality of the coal provided by the supplier, Pingdingshan. Sometimes, the Pingdingshan will supply some of the coal with bad quality.They will send some of the coal contain high level of moisture. They need to take time to dry it and will cause additional costs to happen like storage cost. Mr. Tan wants to use a variance analysis method to better understand plant performance compared to the previous year. So, we will help Mr. Tan to solve this problem by calculating and prepare the recommendations to improve reporting and evaluation of the plant's performance. QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS As what have been introduced before, the Luotang Power CEO has to present the financial report to the board of director.But first he has to understand about the quantitative variance ana lysis. Variance Analysis is the analysis of performance by means of variances. This tool can be used to promote management action at the earliest possible stages. After a budget (based on standard costs) has been set, its usefulness lies in the review procedures which compare actual results against the budget. Variance analysis is the process of examining in detail each variance between actual and budgeted or standard costs to determine the reasons why budgeted results were not met. When the effect of variance is concerned, there are two types of variances.When the actual results are better than expected results given variance is described as favorable variance. In common use favorable variance is denoted by the letter (F). But when actual results are worse than expected results given variance is described as adverse variance, or unfavorable variance. In common it is denoted by the letter (U). There are very few plans that turn out exactly as planned. Even when the overall objective s of the plan are achieved, some, if not all components of the performance will have varied from the sub-plans or standards that make up the overall picture.So does the performance on the Luotang Power in 2011 which most of the variance is in unfavorable results. The variance analysis provides a framework for all business managers including Mr. Tan as one of Luotang Power directors to break down the overall performance of an organization, so that each individual element of the business can be isolated and analyzed in turn. The CEO facing problem with quantity variance, price variance, fuel efficiency variance, fuel cost variance and other cost variances. All these variance help him to explain about the plant performance throughout the year 2011 to the board of directors.Later, we will explain some of the variance that we have listed and all the problems related to â€Å"Luotang Power: Variance Explained† case study. This is the calculation of all variances. Variance | Calcula tion | Result| Quantity Variance| (3427351-3937377) x 0. 4219 = 215179. 97| Unfavorable| Price Variance| | Unfavorable | Fuel Efficiency Variance| [(346-347) x 0. 4219] x 3427351= 1445999387| Unfavorable| Fuel Cost Variance| (315612 – 320183)=5021| Unfavorable| Fixed Operating ; Maintainance Variance| (33178-39068)=5890(304090 – 348549)=44459| UnfavorableUnfavorable | i. Quantity Variance 3,427,351-3,937,377) x 0. 4219 = RM 215,179. 97 (UNFAVOURABLE) Based on the calculation above, we can see that amount of selling to HPPC had been declined in the year 2011 regarding HPPC produce electricity by itself. As we can see, Luotang Company never expects that demanding from HPPC will decline because looking at data, they make a bulk purchase on year 2010 and suddenly on year 2011, have dropped in demand. Ratio of coal consumed to net electricity generation| 2010| 2011| 347,000 X 100 % = 8. 1 % 3,937,377| 346,000 X 100 % = 10. 09 % 3,427,351 | Based on calculation above, we can see that in the year 2010, Luotang very effectively usage their resources accordingly to generate electricity, but in the year 2011, Luotang lack of usage of resources to generate electricity. | Excessive usage of materials that is usually a reason of unfavorable direct material quantity variance may be due to lower quality of materials, untrained workers, poor supervision. Generally, production managers are responsible for this variance.However purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials of lower quality to economize on prices. Where Purchasing Department purchases low grade direct materials at low prices to show a favorable material price variance, the material quantity variance is usually unfavorable due to lower quality of direct materials. ii. Price Variance The definition of price variance is the difference between the actual and standard prices of one product unit multiplied by how much input was used.The formula is: Price Variance = (Actual P rice – Standard Price) X Actual Quantity The price variance can be used by a business to assess the change between expected and actual input prices, since a positive price variance reflects an unfavorable cost rise, while a negative result indicates a favorable cost decrease. To adapt price variance to the type of business Luotang power it’s based upon the average price that electricity was sold to HPPC. The formula is: (Price per MWh in Current Year-Price per MWh in Prior Year) * Net Generation in Current Year From our calculation in price variance for Loutang Power we get amount RMB 6,511,9669.Since the amount is positive, that’s mean it unfavorable. Unfavorable show that Loutang Power unefficiency in managing its price and cost. We can see that demand from clients in 2010 is higher than others years because in 2010 the price is lowest. In 2009 is the highest price than its effect the demands. General Manager increases a little bit price in 2011, so the demand is decreased dramatically. This may also be caused by HPPC had its own electricity generating and produce themselves the electricity. Price is influence of the increase of cost, especially direct material cost.Luotang power must change the term of contract with the supplier. Origin contract is Luotang Power paid a fixed price per tonne. If staying with fixed price, the company must pay it although the coal quality has not reached the expected quality. Luotang Power purchase it with a large number, it’s a high risk because the supplier inconsistent provides the quality coal. So Luotang must buy the coal with a condition that if the coal is not meet the qualifications, it must be returned back to the supplier. Luotang Power must set the fix benchmark for the coal, so the supplier must follow it.If not Luotang Power doesn’t have to pay it, just return it. It saves the cost. So Luotang can set the price lower. iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance The meaning of fuel efficiency v ariance in this case study is the difference between the current year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold and the prior year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold. This is calculation how to find the fuel efficiency variance: (Mass of coal used per net MWh sold this year- Mass of coal used per net MWh sold last year) x MWh sold this year's x price of coal last yearFrom our calculation, for 2011, the fuel efficiency variance is –RMB 1,445,999,387. This show that this variance is unfavorable because the result in negative. We found several reasons that cause this to happen. The first reason is from an electricity demand from the HPPC is decreasing in 2011. This due to the HPPC have its own electricity generating units. The HPPC can produce the same electricity as the Luotang electricity. The second reason is because of the price that Luotang Power offer to HPPC. If you see in 2010, the price that the Luotang offe r is cheaper than 2011.Because of the increasing of electric price in 2011, the amount of electricity sold is decreasing. The other reason maybe for the quality of coal provided by Pingdingshan. Pingdingshan was required to supply low sulfur bituminous coal. If the Pingdingshan provides low quality of coal to the Luotang, the coal that can be used to produce electricity will decrease then, the production of electricity will be reduced. There is some recommendation that we will give to Mr. Tan to overcome this problem. We recommend that Luotang revenue does not just depend on the HPPC only.Mr. Tan needs to find other clients. Even it will cost to Luotang but it is will give advantage to Luotang’s long- term performance. The second recommendation is Luotang needs to lower the price of electricity if the company wants the HPPC buy more electricity from them. The last one is, the Luotang need too strict with the Pingdingshan regarding to the direct material, coal. If the Pingding shan provides them with a low quality of the coal, the Luotang needs to tell them or not to pay the expenses. The Luotang cannot let this happen.Although they can adjust the price but actually it will make the Luotang suffered loss in controlling their direct materials because they need to bear other cost in order to adjust back the quality of coal like the storage expenses. iv. Fuel Cost Variance In cost accounting, deviation between the actual cost and the standard cost. If the actual cost exceeds the standard cost, an unfavorable variance exists. A variance can be calculated for different cost items such as manufacturing costs (i. e. , direct material, direct labor, and overhead), selling expenses, and administrative expenses.The reasons for a variance should be identified and corrective action taken. Favorable variance can be defined as a difference between an actual cost and a budgeted or standard cost, and the actual cost is the lesser amount. In the case of revenues, a favora ble variance occurs when the actual revenues are greater than the budgeted or standard revenues. And unfavorable variance can be defined as the amount by which actual costs exceed the standard costs or budgeted costs. Also, the amount by which actual revenues are less than the budgeted revenues.After all of us do the analysis, we have found that this company having major problems in fuel cost, the fuel that Luotang receive from the Pingdingshan for this year have a low quality to compare from the last year. This has affected the production of the company. So that it brought the company a major problem that are decreasing purchase from HPPC. Analysis variance has shown that the fuel cost variance it just unfavorable. We have used the original formula, that are, Cost Variance = (cost this year-cost last year) x actual quantity this year.But we have modified the formula to calculate with Fuel Cost Variance = (price of coal this year-price of coal last year) x Mass of used per net MWh s old this year x MWh sold this year. So that we have found that Luotang have unfavorable variance. The cost is increased from the standard cost because the coal that receive from the Pingdingshan have a problem with its quality so that its take time to plant to generate or burn the coal. So that, its increase the cost with a lower quantity of production. From the analysis, we recommend Luatong should do fuel diversification.Fuel diversification implies the selection of a mix of electric generation technologies in a fashion that strikes a good balance between reduced cost and reduced risk. A long-term perspective as well as a short-term perspective can be taken on the fuel diversification problem. In a short-term perspective, the decision maker is limited to selecting power sources from existing alternatives. The construction of new generation plants and the associated fixed costs are justifiably ignored. The short-term problem translates in most instances to a scheduling problem.On t he other hand the long-term perspective on fuel diversity seeks insights that can help decision-making involved in the selection of new power plants. The long-term problem can be thought of as a resource- planning problem. Our focus is on the long-term perspective. Long-term fuel diversity has recently gained the attention of state regulators and federal policy makers. It has been argued that fuel diversity has the potential to advance several socially desirable objectives such as lower long-term prices, low price risk, less dependent on foreign sources of energy, higher power reliability and a cleaner environment. . Other Cost Variances The variance that related in this area are Coal Cost, Fixed Operating and Maintenance Cost, and Depreciation Expense. This is because in this case, only these three costs that have the useful information that help us to make an analysis of variance. Allocated cash costs are a type of expense that is clearly associated with and so can be readily assi gned to a certain business process, project or department. Allocated costs can be divided into two which allocate cash costs and allocated non-cash costs. Allocated cash costs are most probably things related to cash items.In this case it can be implemented in fixed operating and maintenance while allocating non-cash costs example is depreciation expense. The formula to calculate these two types of allocated cost is: Allocated Cash @ Non-Cash Costs = (Cost of volume allocated based on the quantity used – Actual costs) Related to the Allocated Cash Costs, in this case, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011 – Actual Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 5890 or can be denoted by 5890 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main factor that contributes to increase of act ual result is unmanageable plant management. This is including engineering, planning, accounting and cost of railway fee. While in Luotang Power, they only have depreciation expense that have a relation of Allocated Non-Cash Cost, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Non-Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Depreciation Expense 2011 – Actual Depreciation Expense 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 44459 or can be denoted by 44459 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main cause that contributes to increase of actual result is the standard cost of depreciation that have been planned is unachievable. In the previous two years, they recorded RMB 350320 in 2009 and RMB 349342 in 2010. The issue arises is why Loutang Power finance department decreases the standard cost significantly and unachievable. Our suggestion towards this company to minimize their unfavorable results is ma nage their plant in a very successful way and perhaps can decrease the unachievable amount of the fixed cost.Firstly, Luotang Power can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way. They have to manage the railway line regarding its fees, manage coal by maximizing the utilities of storage area, manage its boilers with a full efficiency of boiling point and so much more related to the site layout for 2x300MW Luotang Power Project. Next, they must take into consideration on achievable amount of the standard cost. It is essential to all standard cost setter to discuss among all of the directors and subordinates first before setting up the most accurate standard cost that can be used as a benchmark for a company. Porter Forces 1) Efficiency Based on data, we can see that Luotang Company doesn't have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing. They have made by their own estimated or standar d cost on year 2011 but when comes to producing the actual cost incurred more than standard cost. This is showing that they fail to manage their production either capability of the machine or weakness of management itself. 2) Bargain of buyer Regarding to theory 5 Porter Forces, their purchaser has power of deciding the price. When we looking at the information, Luotang depend more on HPPC as a buyer.So this made difficulties to Luotang to decide their own price although they have an efficiency in production. 3) Bargain of supplier As we know, supplier as the important agent to determine whether our company successful or not, because we rely on their capabilities to supply us with quality raw materials and reasonable price, also willing to provide us when we need. In this case, Luotang depend on Pingdingshan and recently reported that coal quality had deteriorated about 3 % from the expected quality. CONCLUSION Luotang Power Company is an international power developers to finance, d esign, construct and operate coal-fired power plant.However due to the nature of our business, we have a big problem about our supplier that have gotten changed on 2011. The supplier has supplied low quality coal to Luotang and that disturbs the progress of the production. That has caused decreases demand from a loyal customer. And its affect the financial situation of the company. Besides that, several recommendations should be taken to ensure a successful implementation of the system in our company. First of all, purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials that can define the quality of the material.Besides that, Luotang also change the term of contract with the supplier, need to find other clients not to depend to HPPC, Luotang also should do fuel diversification to make sure there are several suppliers, and Luotang can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way so that they can improve their management we ll. In addition, what we have found by concept 5 Forces in this company that their faces during their production. There are ; Luotang not have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing.Besides that, bargain of buyer that show their purchaser have power in deciding the price. And lastly, bargain of supplier that show there is a supplier that supply the raw material to Luotang. As a conclusion in overall, we can see that Luotang Power Company has a good performance in their production but it have decreased in year 2011 because there are several problems that unexpected, that come from the supplier and others. So that, Luotang should do in several ways to overcome the problem and prove it to the Boar of Directors. Luotang Power Table of Contents INTRODUCTION1 QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS2 i. Quantity Variance5 ii. Price Variance6 iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance7 iv. Fuel Cost Variance8 v. Other Cost Variances9 5 PORTER FORCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 CONCLUSION12 INTRODUCTION Luotang Power was established by American companies who was selected bidders to operate a 600 MW coal-fired power plant project. This company was located in Hubei Province, China. Although this company wholly foreign-owned but they need to use Chinese- manufactured equipment. There are two main issues in this case study.The first issue is the positive performance of Luotang Power does not show in the financial results. Mr. Tan Min Yi was scheduled to make a presentation to the Board of Directors of his parent company, China Hua Tong Power about the results. Mr. Tan Min Yi is a general manager of the Luotang Power Company. He needs to review and investigate the financial results before presenting to the board the disappointing results. The second issue is about the quality of the coal provided by the supplier, Pingdingshan. Sometimes, the Pingdingshan will supply some of the coal with bad quality.They will send some of the coal contain high level of moisture. They need to take time to dry it and will cause additional costs to happen like storage cost. Mr. Tan wants to use a variance analysis method to better understand plant performance compared to the previous year. So, we will help Mr. Tan to solve this problem by calculating and prepare the recommendations to improve reporting and evaluation of the plant's performance. QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS As what have been introduced before, the Luotang Power CEO has to present the financial report to the board of director.But first he has to understand about the quantitative variance ana lysis. Variance Analysis is the analysis of performance by means of variances. This tool can be used to promote management action at the earliest possible stages. After a budget (based on standard costs) has been set, its usefulness lies in the review procedures which compare actual results against the budget. Variance analysis is the process of examining in detail each variance between actual and budgeted or standard costs to determine the reasons why budgeted results were not met. When the effect of variance is concerned, there are two types of variances.When the actual results are better than expected results given variance is described as favorable variance. In common use favorable variance is denoted by the letter (F). But when actual results are worse than expected results given variance is described as adverse variance, or unfavorable variance. In common it is denoted by the letter (U). There are very few plans that turn out exactly as planned. Even when the overall objective s of the plan are achieved, some, if not all components of the performance will have varied from the sub-plans or standards that make up the overall picture.So does the performance on the Luotang Power in 2011 which most of the variance is in unfavorable results. The variance analysis provides a framework for all business managers including Mr. Tan as one of Luotang Power directors to break down the overall performance of an organization, so that each individual element of the business can be isolated and analyzed in turn. The CEO facing problem with quantity variance, price variance, fuel efficiency variance, fuel cost variance and other cost variances. All these variance help him to explain about the plant performance throughout the year 2011 to the board of directors.Later, we will explain some of the variance that we have listed and all the problems related to â€Å"Luotang Power: Variance Explained† case study. This is the calculation of all variances. Variance | Calcula tion | Result| Quantity Variance| (3427351-3937377) x 0. 4219 = 215179. 97| Unfavorable| Price Variance| | Unfavorable | Fuel Efficiency Variance| [(346-347) x 0. 4219] x 3427351= 1445999387| Unfavorable| Fuel Cost Variance| (315612 – 320183)=5021| Unfavorable| Fixed Operating ; Maintainance Variance| (33178-39068)=5890(304090 – 348549)=44459| UnfavorableUnfavorable | i. Quantity Variance 3,427,351-3,937,377) x 0. 4219 = RM 215,179. 97 (UNFAVOURABLE) Based on the calculation above, we can see that amount of selling to HPPC had been declined in the year 2011 regarding HPPC produce electricity by itself. As we can see, Luotang Company never expects that demanding from HPPC will decline because looking at data, they make a bulk purchase on year 2010 and suddenly on year 2011, have dropped in demand. Ratio of coal consumed to net electricity generation| 2010| 2011| 347,000 X 100 % = 8. 1 % 3,937,377| 346,000 X 100 % = 10. 09 % 3,427,351 | Based on calculation above, we can see that in the year 2010, Luotang very effectively usage their resources accordingly to generate electricity, but in the year 2011, Luotang lack of usage of resources to generate electricity. | Excessive usage of materials that is usually a reason of unfavorable direct material quantity variance may be due to lower quality of materials, untrained workers, poor supervision. Generally, production managers are responsible for this variance.However purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials of lower quality to economize on prices. Where Purchasing Department purchases low grade direct materials at low prices to show a favorable material price variance, the material quantity variance is usually unfavorable due to lower quality of direct materials. ii. Price Variance The definition of price variance is the difference between the actual and standard prices of one product unit multiplied by how much input was used.The formula is: Price Variance = (Actual P rice – Standard Price) X Actual Quantity The price variance can be used by a business to assess the change between expected and actual input prices, since a positive price variance reflects an unfavorable cost rise, while a negative result indicates a favorable cost decrease. To adapt price variance to the type of business Luotang power it’s based upon the average price that electricity was sold to HPPC. The formula is: (Price per MWh in Current Year-Price per MWh in Prior Year) * Net Generation in Current Year From our calculation in price variance for Loutang Power we get amount RMB 6,511,9669.Since the amount is positive, that’s mean it unfavorable. Unfavorable show that Loutang Power unefficiency in managing its price and cost. We can see that demand from clients in 2010 is higher than others years because in 2010 the price is lowest. In 2009 is the highest price than its effect the demands. General Manager increases a little bit price in 2011, so the demand is decreased dramatically. This may also be caused by HPPC had its own electricity generating and produce themselves the electricity. Price is influence of the increase of cost, especially direct material cost.Luotang power must change the term of contract with the supplier. Origin contract is Luotang Power paid a fixed price per tonne. If staying with fixed price, the company must pay it although the coal quality has not reached the expected quality. Luotang Power purchase it with a large number, it’s a high risk because the supplier inconsistent provides the quality coal. So Luotang must buy the coal with a condition that if the coal is not meet the qualifications, it must be returned back to the supplier. Luotang Power must set the fix benchmark for the coal, so the supplier must follow it.If not Luotang Power doesn’t have to pay it, just return it. It saves the cost. So Luotang can set the price lower. iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance The meaning of fuel efficiency v ariance in this case study is the difference between the current year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold and the prior year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold. This is calculation how to find the fuel efficiency variance: (Mass of coal used per net MWh sold this year- Mass of coal used per net MWh sold last year) x MWh sold this year's x price of coal last yearFrom our calculation, for 2011, the fuel efficiency variance is –RMB 1,445,999,387. This show that this variance is unfavorable because the result in negative. We found several reasons that cause this to happen. The first reason is from an electricity demand from the HPPC is decreasing in 2011. This due to the HPPC have its own electricity generating units. The HPPC can produce the same electricity as the Luotang electricity. The second reason is because of the price that Luotang Power offer to HPPC. If you see in 2010, the price that the Luotang offe r is cheaper than 2011.Because of the increasing of electric price in 2011, the amount of electricity sold is decreasing. The other reason maybe for the quality of coal provided by Pingdingshan. Pingdingshan was required to supply low sulfur bituminous coal. If the Pingdingshan provides low quality of coal to the Luotang, the coal that can be used to produce electricity will decrease then, the production of electricity will be reduced. There is some recommendation that we will give to Mr. Tan to overcome this problem. We recommend that Luotang revenue does not just depend on the HPPC only.Mr. Tan needs to find other clients. Even it will cost to Luotang but it is will give advantage to Luotang’s long- term performance. The second recommendation is Luotang needs to lower the price of electricity if the company wants the HPPC buy more electricity from them. The last one is, the Luotang need too strict with the Pingdingshan regarding to the direct material, coal. If the Pingding shan provides them with a low quality of the coal, the Luotang needs to tell them or not to pay the expenses. The Luotang cannot let this happen.Although they can adjust the price but actually it will make the Luotang suffered loss in controlling their direct materials because they need to bear other cost in order to adjust back the quality of coal like the storage expenses. iv. Fuel Cost Variance In cost accounting, deviation between the actual cost and the standard cost. If the actual cost exceeds the standard cost, an unfavorable variance exists. A variance can be calculated for different cost items such as manufacturing costs (i. e. , direct material, direct labor, and overhead), selling expenses, and administrative expenses.The reasons for a variance should be identified and corrective action taken. Favorable variance can be defined as a difference between an actual cost and a budgeted or standard cost, and the actual cost is the lesser amount. In the case of revenues, a favora ble variance occurs when the actual revenues are greater than the budgeted or standard revenues. And unfavorable variance can be defined as the amount by which actual costs exceed the standard costs or budgeted costs. Also, the amount by which actual revenues are less than the budgeted revenues.After all of us do the analysis, we have found that this company having major problems in fuel cost, the fuel that Luotang receive from the Pingdingshan for this year have a low quality to compare from the last year. This has affected the production of the company. So that it brought the company a major problem that are decreasing purchase from HPPC. Analysis variance has shown that the fuel cost variance it just unfavorable. We have used the original formula, that are, Cost Variance = (cost this year-cost last year) x actual quantity this year.But we have modified the formula to calculate with Fuel Cost Variance = (price of coal this year-price of coal last year) x Mass of used per net MWh s old this year x MWh sold this year. So that we have found that Luotang have unfavorable variance. The cost is increased from the standard cost because the coal that receive from the Pingdingshan have a problem with its quality so that its take time to plant to generate or burn the coal. So that, its increase the cost with a lower quantity of production. From the analysis, we recommend Luatong should do fuel diversification.Fuel diversification implies the selection of a mix of electric generation technologies in a fashion that strikes a good balance between reduced cost and reduced risk. A long-term perspective as well as a short-term perspective can be taken on the fuel diversification problem. In a short-term perspective, the decision maker is limited to selecting power sources from existing alternatives. The construction of new generation plants and the associated fixed costs are justifiably ignored. The short-term problem translates in most instances to a scheduling problem.On t he other hand the long-term perspective on fuel diversity seeks insights that can help decision-making involved in the selection of new power plants. The long-term problem can be thought of as a resource- planning problem. Our focus is on the long-term perspective. Long-term fuel diversity has recently gained the attention of state regulators and federal policy makers. It has been argued that fuel diversity has the potential to advance several socially desirable objectives such as lower long-term prices, low price risk, less dependent on foreign sources of energy, higher power reliability and a cleaner environment. . Other Cost Variances The variance that related in this area are Coal Cost, Fixed Operating and Maintenance Cost, and Depreciation Expense. This is because in this case, only these three costs that have the useful information that help us to make an analysis of variance. Allocated cash costs are a type of expense that is clearly associated with and so can be readily assi gned to a certain business process, project or department. Allocated costs can be divided into two which allocate cash costs and allocated non-cash costs. Allocated cash costs are most probably things related to cash items.In this case it can be implemented in fixed operating and maintenance while allocating non-cash costs example is depreciation expense. The formula to calculate these two types of allocated cost is: Allocated Cash @ Non-Cash Costs = (Cost of volume allocated based on the quantity used – Actual costs) Related to the Allocated Cash Costs, in this case, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011 – Actual Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 5890 or can be denoted by 5890 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main factor that contributes to increase of act ual result is unmanageable plant management. This is including engineering, planning, accounting and cost of railway fee. While in Luotang Power, they only have depreciation expense that have a relation of Allocated Non-Cash Cost, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Non-Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Depreciation Expense 2011 – Actual Depreciation Expense 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 44459 or can be denoted by 44459 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main cause that contributes to increase of actual result is the standard cost of depreciation that have been planned is unachievable. In the previous two years, they recorded RMB 350320 in 2009 and RMB 349342 in 2010. The issue arises is why Loutang Power finance department decreases the standard cost significantly and unachievable. Our suggestion towards this company to minimize their unfavorable results is ma nage their plant in a very successful way and perhaps can decrease the unachievable amount of the fixed cost.Firstly, Luotang Power can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way. They have to manage the railway line regarding its fees, manage coal by maximizing the utilities of storage area, manage its boilers with a full efficiency of boiling point and so much more related to the site layout for 2x300MW Luotang Power Project. Next, they must take into consideration on achievable amount of the standard cost. It is essential to all standard cost setter to discuss among all of the directors and subordinates first before setting up the most accurate standard cost that can be used as a benchmark for a company. Porter Forces 1) Efficiency Based on data, we can see that Luotang Company doesn't have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing. They have made by their own estimated or standar d cost on year 2011 but when comes to producing the actual cost incurred more than standard cost. This is showing that they fail to manage their production either capability of the machine or weakness of management itself. 2) Bargain of buyer Regarding to theory 5 Porter Forces, their purchaser has power of deciding the price. When we looking at the information, Luotang depend more on HPPC as a buyer.So this made difficulties to Luotang to decide their own price although they have an efficiency in production. 3) Bargain of supplier As we know, supplier as the important agent to determine whether our company successful or not, because we rely on their capabilities to supply us with quality raw materials and reasonable price, also willing to provide us when we need. In this case, Luotang depend on Pingdingshan and recently reported that coal quality had deteriorated about 3 % from the expected quality. CONCLUSION Luotang Power Company is an international power developers to finance, d esign, construct and operate coal-fired power plant.However due to the nature of our business, we have a big problem about our supplier that have gotten changed on 2011. The supplier has supplied low quality coal to Luotang and that disturbs the progress of the production. That has caused decreases demand from a loyal customer. And its affect the financial situation of the company. Besides that, several recommendations should be taken to ensure a successful implementation of the system in our company. First of all, purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials that can define the quality of the material.Besides that, Luotang also change the term of contract with the supplier, need to find other clients not to depend to HPPC, Luotang also should do fuel diversification to make sure there are several suppliers, and Luotang can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way so that they can improve their management we ll. In addition, what we have found by concept 5 Forces in this company that their faces during their production. There are ; Luotang not have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing.Besides that, bargain of buyer that show their purchaser have power in deciding the price. And lastly, bargain of supplier that show there is a supplier that supply the raw material to Luotang. As a conclusion in overall, we can see that Luotang Power Company has a good performance in their production but it have decreased in year 2011 because there are several problems that unexpected, that come from the supplier and others. So that, Luotang should do in several ways to overcome the problem and prove it to the Boar of Directors.