Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Microbial fuel cells and how cay they produce electricity Lab Report

Microbial fuel cells and how cay they produce electricity - Lab Report Example Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) signify an innovative method of procuring renewable energy in the era of energy crisis. Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is capable of growing in 50 days in MFCs, the organism is capable of partly oxidizing lactate to acetate with enhanced recovery of the electrons producing electricity. Electricity was generated with lactate or hydrogen on their complete oxidation through electrigens. The cells are attached to the anode, the electrode, thereby conserving energy for growth as the cell is capable of donating its electrons to the electrode. Introduction It is evident that fossil fuels are limited sources for energy on the planet and they are on the verge of exhaustion. Consumption of fossil fuel has augmented climate changes, enhancing temperatures, floods or droughts on the planet causing global warming. Burning involves consumption of oxygen, on flaming fossil fuels which are chiefly carbon, the gas evolved is mainly carbon-di-oxide and obnoxious carbon mono-oxi de. These two gases are hazardous and are chief pollutants. Therefore it is imperative to exploit other means and resources for the production of energy. The new source of energy is retrieved from microbial cells, which are biodegradable and environment friendly (Noam M, 2005). Present era witnesses the generation of electricity from biodegradable compounds, for instance pure chemicals and wastewater. Recently, the production of electricity from microbes paves the way for generating microbial fuel cells capable of producing electricity from complex organic wastes and renewable biomass. Wastes and renewable biomass are attractive sources of energy because both of them encompass natural carbon being fixed in recent times, thus impact on the atmosphere could be reduced. ‘A microbial fuel cells is a mimic of a biological system in which bacteria do not directly transfer their produced electrons to their characteristic electron acceptor’. (Rabaey K, Lissens G, Steven D, Sici liano S and Verstraete W. 2003). MFCs are able to generate electricity through oxidation of organic matter by means of bacteria. Electricity could be generated from a range of biodegradable substrates such as glucose, acetate, ethanol, butyrate, lactate and organic matter. The biggest advantage of MFCs is that they are capable of functioning at room temperature and can be designed to perform numerous functions at different temperatures. In addition, MFCs have also special enzymes to generate electricity. The enzymes produced by MFCs can produce high level of power (Lovely DR, 2006). Enormous factors influence MFCs, these are kind of microbe, type of the proton, resistance and chemical substrate. MFCs also can be coupled with wastewater treatment and thereby exploiting the metabolic potentials of the MFCs, as they are able to metabolize many carbon sources. Chief bacterial population associated with MFCs encompasses Aeromonas, Clostridium, Geobacter, Enterococcus and Shewanella. Ther e are four methods that make the electrons reach the anode they are- (1) Direct membrane associated transfer, (2) Nanowires (conductive pili), (3) Endogenous electron mediators (or electron shuttles) and (4) Exogenous chemical mediators (or electron shuttles). Nanowires plays an important role in the transport of the electrons. Nanowires might help electrons transfer from the bacteria to the metal oxides

Monday, October 28, 2019

I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay Example for Free

I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay Polonius statement, found in Act Two, Scene Two, reflects the symmetry and order of the society he lives in. He inhabits a world of certainty and medieval convention. The play can be seen to challenge the statement, both in the action and in the characters, particularly in the character of Hamlet himself. It is Hamlet, the renaissance man of the play, whose controversial attitude is constantly seen to challenge the medieval certainties that could still be seen in Jacobean society. Value was placed on duty to the monarch and to God; the institution of marriage was sacred and scientific reasoning was absolute and definite. All these things are challenged in Shakespeares Hamlet. The social and cultural climate of Jacobean society was such that certainties and conventions were held in high esteem- Shakespeares Hamlet is written in the context of, for example, the social hierarchy of the time, the medieval court, and religion. All of these are challenged in the play by both the characters and the plot. Even the very form of the statement challenges these certainties, for the couplet is a chiasmus- the symmetrical structure reflects the very nature of the society in which Polonius lives. In Shakespeares time society was beginning to ask some of the questions which Shakespeare addresses through the character of Hamlet. Most people embraced a rational, scientific line of thinking Elizabethans were not always heavily superstitious. For example, in Act one, Scene one, Horatio expresses doubt at the existence of the ghost: Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes. They also began to question the old hierarchy and the natural order of things- such as God and gracious king upon the dawn of the Renaissance. The idea of society as a fixed structure and everything being ordained in the world was indeed a strong certainty. Hamlet has a clear vision of things as they are he is a realist, a Renaissance man, unlike characters such as Claudius and Polonius who Shakespeare portrays to be lacking in vision. Shakespeare shows the court to be full of people who think that all these things are absolute simply because they have always been a certain way. Hamlet is also the main vehicle through which Shakespeare conveys his views. Hamlet has indeed been brought up with medieval and religious certainties too. Or that the everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self- slaughter. A modern audience may very well see Hamlet as being rather tame- a twenty-first century rebel would not acknowledge proprieties such as the divine ban on suicide- but Hamlet seeks more than revenge. He is a melancholy individual, who searches for the answers to some of these questions; through the title statement, Shakespeare challenges his contemporary audience and the modern audience to question these certainties too. Hamlets clear vision is in direct contrast to the other characters, in the sense that he is the only character who is prepared to question these certainties and to try and define, in a sense, what the true meaning of life is, what it is all about. Shakespeare challenges the statement of duty to God and king by implying, through the character of Hamlet that life is underpinned by something other than the monarch and the church. Hamlet is totally aware of the beauty of the world yet at the same time has a pessimistic outlook on the gifts of man as we are all destined to die anyway: What piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? The character of Polonius is underpinned by values such as duty to God and king- this is illustrated not only in Act Two Scene Two but also in Act One Scene Three: This above all : to thine own self be true, As it must follow the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man. This quotation illustrates a simplistic outlook on life. The main way in which Shakespeare challenges this outlook is, ironically, in Polonius death. In Act Three, scene four, Polonius is casually and ignominiously killed by Hamlet : O, I am slain. Polonius expresses surprise as much as anything, while Hamlet s words reinforce the irony of Polonius self- importance: I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune: Thou findst to be too busy in some danger. Polonius is clearly at home in this ordered society and shows a passive acceptance of the status quo. He has a simple medieval outlook on life and clearly values his duty to his God and king; however, he dies by ridiculous accident. Although throughout his life he has clearly endeavoured to serve these two entities to the best of his ability, he still dies an unnatural, brutal death. Shakespeare is therefore illustrating the irrelevance that these values have to life, both in Shakespeares era and now. The statement which Polonius makes in Act Two Scene Two about duty to God and King allows the reader to infer a lot about the character of Polonius and the world in which he lives- he does not seek new experience. These medieval certainties are also challenged in the character of Claudius. He is obviously not on the side of God- indeed, he seems to contradict the very reasoning of the church by the brutal manner in which he murders the king. It is ironic therefore that he seems to declare himself king by divine right as he actually dies with a guilty conscience: Theres such divinity doth hedge a king That treason can but peep to what it would, Acts little of his will. Here it appears that Claudius has conveniently forgotten exactly how he became king. Shakespeare is challenging the idea of kingship. He is showing the court to be full of people who think things are the way they are because they have always been done that way, such as Polonius, Gertrude, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The character of Claudius highlights the corruption of the medieval court. The intrigue and machiavellian machinations of the court are self justifying to all these people; for example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deceive Hamlet and go behind his back simply because they are serving their king. In Shakespeares time deception and violence were commonplace if they would benefit the king. Although Claudius seems to take the moral high-ground throughout the play he has no good intentions toward Hamlet at all. Shakespeares Hamlet also challenges the institution of marriage- it is shown in the conduct of Gertrude and Claudius not be a sacred union but a justification for excessive promiscuity. Hamlet is distraught by his mothers rapid re- marriage to his uncle after his fathers death: To post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets. Shakespeare invites us then to question the notion of a stable royal marriage, and the values that society had then and the values we have now. Hamlet is disgusted by their sexual excesses and, moreover feels he has been tainted by them: O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew. Shakespeare is challenging the morality of the royal marriage- the fact that Gertrude marries the kings own brother shortly after his death seems to suggest the absence of love. In Hamlet, the degree of emotion and true respect in marriage is shown to be weak- it is easily overruled by lust, as the ghost of the previous king states: Let not the royal bed of Denmark be. A couch for luxury and damned incest. Hamlet is an unconventional revenge tragedy- Shakespeare subverts the genre. Hamlet is reluctant to take revenge whereas Laertes is hot- headed, impulsive and ready to avenge the murder of Polonius: It warms the very sickness in my heart That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, Thus diest thou. Shakespeare undermines the concept further by showing that Hamlet is not in fact a coward- his ideas are slightly more subtle. He is indeed hesitant about avenging his fathers murder- he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius in Act Three, scene four, as he does not want to kill him in an act of redemption. This goes against the traditional idea of medieval and Jacobean revenge: A villain kills my father, and for that To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. This is a challenge to the genre because Hamlet is prepared to bide his time in order to achieve the perfect murder- he wont be spontaneous and impulsive. This is shown by the fact that he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius. Shakespeares Hamlet has a good degree of relevance to life in the twenty- first century. Although some of the major themes, such as the court and incest, are no longer applicable to modern life, we can relate to some of the underlying themes such as love, sorrow and resentment; we can relate to the emotional distress. Reasoning in Medieval Denmark where the play is set nor indeed in Jacobean society is not so different to our reasoning today- the majority of people today may not believe in ghosts but characters in the play, such as Horatio, and some people in Jacobean society do not believe in ghosts either. In Act one, scene five, Hamlet makes this very thought- provoking comment to Horatio: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. We have our certainties today- in the form of scientific reasoning; but our certainties are equally open and capable of being challenged. One of the main themes in Hamlet is death- we are still uncertain about what happens after we die. The character of Hamlet himself has a romantic, post modernist way of thinking; everything is relative and there are no certainties- only thoughts: Nothing is good or bad. Thinking makes it so. In a sense here Hamlet can be compared to the Romantics. Keats wrote in the context of Shakespeare: Twixt damnation and impassiond clay. (On Sitting Down To Read King Lear) This in a sense is what underpins Shakespeares Hamlet- the idea that whatever certainties are held in any given era will always be questionable, and open to discussion. Our certainties will always be challenged because nothing is definite, or absolute. This romantic concept is based on the idea that this is what life is about- challenging certainties in order to try and discover the ineffable truth about this world and the next.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Feudalism in Men With Guns Essay -- Men With Guns Essays

Men With Guns contains in it many of the essential ingredients for a feudalist economy, some being more explicitly demonstrated than others, but important and evident all the same. In a feudalist society, distinction between private rights and public authority oftentimes disappeared and local control tended to become a personal matter. Feudal leaders often took over the responsibility for the economic security of "their" territories and dictated how resources were to be produced and used. There was also generally a contract of some sort between the workers and the bosses, such that the bosses could then more easily count on the "faithfulness" and obedience of the workers. Under a feudalist system, the bosses are able to exhibit hegemonic power over the workers as the workers have few options or choices. As this film demonstrates, workers can either work, starve, and or be killed. There are really no other good alternatives, and thus the bosses can extract all monopoly rent and continue to exercise feudal exploitation. This absence of "free choice" is one of the most essential ingredients in separating feudalism from other types of systems, such as capitalism. Another characteristic of feudalism is that those in charge often hired other individuals to enforce their established rules and to keep the workers under control (for example Knights). Many of the above stated characteristics are present in Men With Guns. However, it must be mentioned that Sayles chose to focus less on the actual production processes involved in feudalism (as he did in Matewan), and instead give the viewer a more in-depth sense of the conditions that push people into the feudalist system and how it can be perpetuated. Through the viewing of the... ...er their conditions, as workers. Furthermore, unfortunately even with the formation of the union nothing is guaranteed. We see this in Matewan where the union was apparently unsuccessful in its mission. In Norma Rae we, as the viewers, can only hope that the established union would in the end prove to be successful. From all of this, therefore, we can assume that with nothing whatsoever in place, and thus the lack of information for the workers in Men With Guns, the workers would instead have to continue living a life without much choice under the feudalist system that was in place. Their choices being: starvation, being murdered, or living alone in the wilderness deprived of any of their traditional commodities, accustomed standard of living, or cherished culture. Unfortunately, many conditions presented in this film are still occurring and evident today.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

What Causes Conflict Between Adolescents and Their Parents

Introduction Conflicts in the family are usually considered as an undesirable symptom of a problem that need to be solved by family members. 1 In the family relationships, the parent-adolescent relationship represents an involuntary association, an imbalance of power and resources, and an obligation for the parent to function as caregiver. 2 While the presenting problem with most families is obviously parent-adolescent conflict. Adolescence is a period of increasing parent-child conflict and conflicts are thought to be rife and common during this development phase. In the puberty, Parents have the totally different interpretations of the conflicts against adolescents. Parents notice the disagreements caused from morality, personal safety and conformity concerns while adolescents consider them as personal choice. 4 This piece of work deals with the question what causes conflict adolescents and their parents. In the first part various issues causing the conflicts in families are introd uced. Building upon this, the next chapter concentrates on the analysing the reasons. And a final conclusion of the piece of work is given in the third part. 1. Cf. Samuel Vuchinich (1999) : p. 79 2. Daniel J. Canary,William R. Cupach,Susan J. Messman (1995) : p. 52 3. Cf. Lynn H. Turner,Richard L. West (2006) : quoted according to Riesch, Jackson, & Chanchong, (2003) : p. 150. 4. Cf. Lynn H. Turner,Richard L. West (2006) : quoted according to Smetana (1989) : p. 150. 2 Occurrence and Issues of Conflict Owing to that family members share the communal resources and so much time, conflicts are normative and inevitable. As the expressive form, usually family conflicts between parents and adolescents will behaved in a variety of ways like whining, complaining, yelling, crying to arguing, screaming and swearing, which ranged from giving up halfway during the chores to quarrelling and even fighting. 6 Those activities are undesirable in family harmony, everyone wants to live in a warm and so what should be done is to search for the reasons and then analyse them. The disagre ements and conflicts between parents and teenagers can be numerous and diverse. Difficulties associated with marital conflict or personal problem of individual family members lead to variable conflicts. 7 Ten main content categories which lead to conflicts were concluded and defined in Table 1 and the percent frequency of each part is given by Table 2. 8 (Tables are given in the Appendix) From these tables one can easily get the conclusion that doing chores, interpersonal relations, regulating activities and personality characteristics lead to conflicts the most frequently, accounting for 18%, 17%, 12% and 12% respectively. In addition, another research indicated that conflicts about chores and interpersonal relationships were more difficult to resolve than those about personal style. 9 5. Cf. Chris Segrin,Jeanne Flora (2005): quoted according to Sillarset al (2004) :p. 88 6. Cf. Russell A. Barkley, Christine M. Benton (1998) :p. 10. 7 Cf. Arthur L. Robin,Sharon L. Foster (2003) : p. 227 8. Megan R. Gunnar,W. Andrew Collins(1988) :p. 95. 9. Cf. Lynn H. Turner,Richard L. West (2006) : quoted according to Smetana, Yau, & Hanson, (1991) : p. 151 On the other hand, parents pay much more attention to adolescents` behavioral style, whereas the adolescents considered the restrictions on their interpersonal relationship as the chief issue leading to the conflicts. 10 Analysis the Reason The different values between parents and adolescents actually exist regarding to the tiny issues as discussed above and the differences always cause the disagreements. 11 During the adolescence, many adolescents refuse to accept the values and standpoints emerged by their parents. Disagreements related to different values finally develop into intense conflicts when both the two sides can not tolerate the other`s behaviour any more. 12 Recently, more attempts have been tried to explain the parent-adolescent conflict. The theory of transformation of family patterns of interaction is emphasized. 13 The theory illustrates that several years have been costed for parents and their children to establish an acceptable pattern of interaction, however, during the puberty of period, both the parent-adolescent relationships change because parties` evelopment, not just one side14. The adolescents are bound to get changes in both psychological and physical aspects. To be more specific, they begin to 10. Cf. Megan R. Gunnar,W. Andrew Collins (1988) :p. 94. 11. Cf. Patricia Noller,Victor J. Callan (1991) :p. 49 12. Cf. Clarence J. Mann,Klaus Gotz (2006) :p. 110 13 Raymond Montemayor (1983):quoted according to Morton, Alexander, & Altman (1976) :p. 84 14 Cf. Daniel J. Canary,W illiam R. Cupach,Susan J. Messman (1995) quoted according to Smetana 4 (1988) : p. 60 demand increasingly independence and less restriction. On the same time, they cultivate new cognitions and expectations as getting more contact to the society. 15 For the alteration mentioned, the former balance is certainly to be broken. Then the whole family members are going to endeavor to learn from their experiences in their patterns of communication , made a decision if they should adopt or change the family models and form an adjustment of the family system in order to achieve new equilibrium. 16 During this deconstruction and reconstruction 17 procedure poor communication easily brings on conflicts. 15 Cf. Daniel J. Canary, William R. Cupach, Susan J. Messman (1995): p. 59 16 Cf. Peter M. Kellett,Diana (2001) : p. 152 17 Cf. Raymond Montemayor (1983):quoted according to Boszormenyi-Nagy (1973) :p. 84 5 Conclusion The family are, for most of the adolescents, the communicative context in which they learn how conflict should and should not be done. The conflict permeate everyday communication in family experiences become powerful guideposts for how one can avoid and solve conflicts throughout one`s daily life. Some of the common reasons cited for parent-adolescent conflict are chores, interpersonal relations, regulating activities and personality characteristics. A lack of understanding and empathy between parents and adolescents is likely to disrupt family harmony and lead to conflict. It is easy to conclude that early adolescence is more stressful than late adolescence because parents are establishing new guidelines and parameters regarding to acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Conflicts will not abate until the pubertal maturation and change of relationship are complete, typically by late adolescence. The final result is the eternal change in the relationship that the adolescents are permitted to take participation in family communication as an adult. 18 18 Cf. Anita L. Vangelisti (2004) :p. 35 6 Bibliography Samuel Vuchinich (1999) : Problem solving in families: research and practice Daniel J. Canary, William R. Cupach, Susan J. Messman (1995): Relationship conflict Lynn H. Turner,Richard L. West (2006) : The family communication sourcebook Chris Segrin,Jeanne Flora (2005) : Family communication Russell A. Barkley, Christine M. Benton (1998) : Your defiant child: 8 steps to better behavior Arthur L. Robin, Sharon L. Foster (2003) : Negotiating Parent-Adolescent Conflict: A Behavioral-Family Systems Approach Megan R. Gunnar,W. Andrew Collins(1988): Development during the transition to adolescence Patricia Noller,Victor J. Callan (1991) : The adolescent in the family Clarence J. Mann,Klaus Gotz (2006) : Borderless business: managing the far-flung enterprise Raymond Montemayor (1983): Parents and Adolescents in Conflict: All Families Some of the Time and Some Families Most of the Time Peter M. Kellett,Diana G. Dalton : Managing conflict in a negotiated world Anita L. Vangelisti (2004) : Handbook of family communication 7 Appendix Table1 :Definition of ten main content categories leading to conflicts Table2 :percent frequency of ten main content categories leading to conflicts Table 1 8 Table two 9

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Wasted life in Dockery and son

Wasted life in Dockers and son BY Molls;Walls There is a quote by Helen Keller which states: â€Å"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. † I feel that this epitomizes what Larkin was portraying in the poem ‘Dockers and Son'; a feeling of regret and a wondering of what the ‘other door' might hold. It could be seen that the older door of happiness is Larrikin youth: a time of freedom, when they could be ‘unembarrassed' and live without responsibilities; unlike the duties that Larkin portrays parents as having InAfternoons : â€Å"†¦ An estate of washing†¦ † The fact that he Is looking at this old door so long represents how others' lives have progressed, such as Dockers, who has had a child; whilst Larkin has remained free and childish – an â€Å"unhindered moon†¦ † We see the reference to the doors themselves In Dockers and Son when he â€Å"†¦ Tried the door where [he] used to live/locked†¦ † The enjambment here emphasizes the fact that the door Is Inaccessible to Larkin, suggesting he realizes that he cannot change his past. The metaphor of the train is used throughout; â€Å"l catch my train† to symbolism his life, ND the track that he is on.The sound of train tracks is rather monotonous, suggesting that Larrikin own life is restricted by a routine which is the same as when he was a child and at school. (It is interesting that he is restricted by routine, something he always criticized parents for being. ) The locked is also on a separate stanza to make it feel final ; as if Larkin has set a path for his life to follow till the end, there is a sense of finality in it. The reader can understand that Larkin has a moment where he regrets how little he has achieved when he refers to â€Å"The Lawn spreads glazing wide†¦ The lawn perhaps is symbolic of lots of pe ople, as if each blade of grass is a separate identity, and together they are resplendent (IEEE. He is stunned at the achievement of others. Achievements of blades deriving from the dazzling', also carrying symbolism of fame and a spark. ) The fact that Larkin is ‘ignored' shows that he has continued on his path, without achieving anything of note, and thus feels that he has wasted his life. Larkin continues this idea of a wasted life in ‘The Kiddies'. In the poem, the death of the pet – something most children experience – teaches them bout death and the fragility of life.It is interesting that the children accept this death unaffectedly, yet in ‘Dockers and Son' Larkin dwells on the wasted life of â€Å"†¦ Cartridge, who was killed†¦ † Suggesting that the children are yet unaware of the potential that life has (as they themselves are but â€Å"unripe acorns†); whilst Larkin Is all too The reader can understand that Larkin has a moment where he regrets how little he has achieved when he refers to â€Å"The Lawn spreads dazzling wide†¦ † The lawn perhaps Is symbolic of lots of people, as If each blade of grass Is a separate Identity, ND together they are resplendent (be. E Is stunned at the achievement of others. Achievements of blades deriving from the ‘dazzling', also carrying symbolism of fame and a spark. ) The fact that Larkin Is ‘Ignored' shows that he has continued on his path, without achieving anything of note, and thus feels that he has wasted his life. Of how he could have wasted life in having â€Å"†¦ No son, no wife, no house†¦. â€Å". The repetition of ;no' emphasizes all that Liking lacks, as opposed to what he has, supporting the idea that he feels he has achieved little. The Kiddies†s epigrammatic evolve†, creates a satirical theme; as if the rapid purchase of the pet for the children as a pacifier, has led the mother to overlook the signi ficance that the pet is a microcosm of the children's future lives and the death they will witness. This looks at the mother in a patronizing way, suggesting she is unobservant for not realizing this; supported by Larrikin view of women as ‘unskilled' drains in Afternoons. In ‘Self's the Man', Larkin also devalues women by stating â€Å"†¦ Married a woman†¦ † Suggesting that to be female is to be a figure for the use of men, as opposed to an individual.Therefore the reader can gather that Larkin does not feel that he has wasted life in having ‘†¦ No wife†¦ ‘ as Dockers insinuates. The animals in ‘The Kiddies' themselves could also be a metaphor for family life itself. In Larrikin other poems like ‘Afternoons' and ‘Self's the Man' he explores how families restrict an individual, trapping them like caged animals into lives of routine: â€Å"something is pushing them to the sides of their own lives†¦ † The ‘something' we presume to be children, unnamed as society is reluctant to admit they are a burden.Paradoxically, it is obvious that the freedom of other animals, with â€Å"†¦ Dark†¦ Dam†¦ Earth and grass† is similar to the freedom Larkin expresses as a single man in ‘Self's the Man: † ‘ †¦ I'm the better man†¦ † Emphasizing the pessimistic view he has on family life. The imperatives used by the children ‘†¦ Get us†¦ ‘ shows how the parents become puppets for their children and are restricted, something that Larkin in Dockers and Son describes as a ‘habit' which takes over their life: â€Å"hardening into all we've got†¦ † Implying the Larkin believes now that he has not wasted his life, but rather saved it.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Top 5 Review Activities for Elementary Students

Top 5 Review Activities for Elementary Students Review sessions are inevitable in the classroom, and for many teachers, it can be a rather uninspiring exercise. Too often,  review activities feel boring and may leave your students feeling unengaged. But, it doesnt have to be that way. By choosing some fun and engaging activities, a traditionally mundane review session can become an active and inspiring session. Check out these five teacher-tested review lessons with your students. Graffiti Wall When students here the words its review time, you might get a bunch of groans. But, by turning the review session into a hands-on activity, students will be more likely to enjoy the exercise and even better retain the information.   Heres how it works: Place a variety of different colored dry erase markers on the front board(or different colored chalk if you have a chalkboard).Then give students a review topic, and randomly call about three to five students at a time to the board.The students goal is to think of any word that associates with the given topic.Students can write the word any way they like (sideways, up and down, backward, etc.)One rule you must enforce is that students cannot repeat any word that is on the board.Once all the students have had a turn, pair them up and have each student tell their partner about five of the words on the board.View pictures and learn more about this great  graffiti wall review activity  here. 3-2-1 Strategy The 3-2-1 review strategy is a great way for students to review just about anything in an easy and simple format. There are a few ways you can use this strategy, but often, the preferred way is to draw a pyramid. Heres how it works: Students are given a review topic and told to draw a pyramid in their notebook.Their goal is to write down three things they learned, two things they thought was interesting, and one question they still have. You can adapt this activity any way you want. Instead of asking a question on the top of the pyramid, students can write a summary sentence. Or, instead of writing two things they found interesting, they can write two vocabulary words. It is very easily adaptable.  View a picture of the 3-2-1  review pyramid. Post-It Practice If your students love the game Headbands, then they will love playing this review game. Heres what you have to do to get started. Provide each student with a Post-it note, and have them write down one review term on it.Then without the other students seeing the note, have each student choose one person to stick their note to their forehead.The goal of this activity is for students to go around the room and try to explain the term without using the actual term.Make sure that each student has the opportunity to go around the room and explain each term. Move Ahead of the Class This review game is the perfect way to incorporate teamwork while reviewing important skills. Here is how you play: Divide students into teams of two, then have students stand in a row where one student is behind one other.Use the squares of the floor as the game board and tape off a finish line.To play the game, have one person from each team face-off by answering a review question. The first person to answer it correctly moves ahead to the next square.​After the first question, the next person in line takes the place of the student who got the answer correct.The game goes on until one team crosses the finish line. Sink or Swim Sink or Swim is a fun review game that will have your students working together as a team in order to win the game. Heres what you need to know to play the game: Divide students into two teams and have them form a line and face one another.Then ask team 1 a question, and if they get it right, they can choose one person from the other team to sink.Then ask team 2 a question, and if they get the answer right, they may either sink their opponents team member or save their sunken team member.The winning team is the one with the most people at the end.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Historical Perspective

The Power and the Glory A Historical Perspective Graham Greene's novel of persecution of the clergy in the early 20th century is a study of sin, deceit, suffering, religion and politics. The story begins near the end of our hero's efforts to escape death by wandering throughout Mexico. The hero is the Whiskey Priest, so named because he was an alcoholic. To understand The Power and the Glory, one must have a bit of background knowledge about the violent history of Mexico. History of Mexico The history of Mexico is one fraught with civil war, dictatorships, revolutions and political intrigue. Religious persecution was a part of this history from the moment Mexico gained independence from Spain, which was in 1821. Mexico became a republic, but the country had no experience in self-government and the economy was seriously depleted. The economic decline was a direct result of this very independence. There was pervasive distrust of Spaniards, which lead them to leave Mexico. This virtually eliminated capital reserves and the working class. In 1824 a republican constitution was adopted, based loosely on the constitution of the United States. The Mexican constitution created a federal republic of 19 states, four territories and a federal district, and remained in place until 1857 (Murray). Of note is the fact that "Article I of the constitution established Catholicism as the only religion to be tolerated" states Murray. From 1824 until 1857 a number of factions and leaders were in power, all in contention for control. The Centralists wanted a strong central government in the vice regal tradition, a paid national army, and Roman Catholicism as the exclusive religion. The opposing faction, the Federalists, wanted limited central government, local militia, and nearly autonomous states. They were in favor of giving special status to ecclesiastics and the military and exempted them from various civil obligations. Then, ... Free Essays on Historical Perspective Free Essays on Historical Perspective The Power and the Glory A Historical Perspective Graham Greene's novel of persecution of the clergy in the early 20th century is a study of sin, deceit, suffering, religion and politics. The story begins near the end of our hero's efforts to escape death by wandering throughout Mexico. The hero is the Whiskey Priest, so named because he was an alcoholic. To understand The Power and the Glory, one must have a bit of background knowledge about the violent history of Mexico. History of Mexico The history of Mexico is one fraught with civil war, dictatorships, revolutions and political intrigue. Religious persecution was a part of this history from the moment Mexico gained independence from Spain, which was in 1821. Mexico became a republic, but the country had no experience in self-government and the economy was seriously depleted. The economic decline was a direct result of this very independence. There was pervasive distrust of Spaniards, which lead them to leave Mexico. This virtually eliminated capital reserves and the working class. In 1824 a republican constitution was adopted, based loosely on the constitution of the United States. The Mexican constitution created a federal republic of 19 states, four territories and a federal district, and remained in place until 1857 (Murray). Of note is the fact that "Article I of the constitution established Catholicism as the only religion to be tolerated" states Murray. From 1824 until 1857 a number of factions and leaders were in power, all in contention for control. The Centralists wanted a strong central government in the vice regal tradition, a paid national army, and Roman Catholicism as the exclusive religion. The opposing faction, the Federalists, wanted limited central government, local militia, and nearly autonomous states. They were in favor of giving special status to ecclesiastics and the military and exempted them from various civil obligations. Then, ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Biography of Jack Kilby, Inventor of the Microchip

Biography of Jack Kilby, Inventor of the Microchip Electrical engineer Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit, also known as the microchip. A microchip  is a set of interconnected electronic components such as transistors and resistors that are etched or imprinted onto a tiny chip of a semiconducting material, such as silicon or germanium. The microchip shrunk the size and cost of making electronics and impacted the future designs of all computers and other electronics. The first successful demonstration of the microchip was on September 12, 1958. The Life of Jack Kilby Jack Kilby was born on November 8 1923 in Jefferson City, Missouri.  Kilby was raised in Great Bend, Kansas. He earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois and a M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin. In 1947, he began working for Globe Union of Milwaukee, where he designed ceramic silk-screen circuits for electronic devices. In 1958, Jack Kilby began working for Texas Instruments of Dallas, where he invented the microchip. Kilby died on June 20, 2005 in Dallas, Texas. Jack Kilbys Honors and Positions From 1978 to 1984, Jack Kilby was a Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas AM University. In 1970, Kilby received the National Medal of Science. In 1982, Jack Kilby was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The Kilby Awards Foundation, which annually honors individuals for achievements in science, technology, and education, was established by Jack Kilby. Most notably, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on the integrated circuit. Jack Kilbys Other Inventions Jack Kilby has been awarded more than sixty patents for his inventions. Using the microchip, Jack Kilby designed and co-invented the first pocket-sized calculator called the Pocketronic. He also invented the thermal printer that was used in portable data terminals. For many years Kilby was involved in the invention of solar powered devices.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Decision Making in Hospitality Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Decision Making in Hospitality Industry - Essay Example According to Kolb (1983, p109) the central characteristics of an organisation is that they are problem solving systems, the success is measured by how efficiently they solve routine problems associated with survival and growth in a changing world. A hard problem is one which is well defined and structured and one where an outcome is normally predictive. Hard problems can be described as simple, well-defined, bounded and tame. Hard problems are where; the problem is known, objectives are clear, priorities are clear, knowledge base exists, limited people involved and can be treated as a separate matter, none or choice of clear solutions available, easy to measure success, often short term issues are involved and are of limited time scale. Examples of Hard Problems: data Analysis (trend, regression, distribution etc. Queue Modelling, Line balancing (Bottleneck analysis), Decision analysis and decision trees, Project Management techniques, Business modelling and forecasting, Route scheduling and location analysis, Production scheduling, staff scheduling. A soft problem is a problem which is complex in terms of structure, is not well defined, involve the social system: interaction of people and the outcome cannot be predicted. (After Hicks 1991). Soft problems can be described as Complex, unbounded, ill-defined and messy. ... Queue Modelling, Line balancing (Bottleneck analysis), Decision analysis and decision trees, Project Management techniques, Business modelling and forecasting, Route scheduling and location analysis, Production scheduling, staff scheduling. A soft problem is a problem which is complex in terms of structure, is not well defined, involve the social system: interaction of people and the outcome cannot be predicted. (After Hicks 1991). Soft problems can be described as Complex, unbounded, ill-defined and messy. Soft problems are where the problems are not clear, objectives are not clear, priorities are not clear, many people involved, affects other areas / departments, what to do is not known, difficult to measure success, often medium to long term issues, longer uncertain time scale. Problem solving: O' Loughlin and Mc Fadzeam (1999) suggest several approaches to problem solving: Cognitive Processing Individual Traits - theorists believe that individual perception may influence problem solving performance. Reasoned action perspective - focuses on the relationship between the intended behaviour during the problem solving process and the actual behaviour being observed Decision theory - a process whereby management chooses a solution to the problem from a range of alternatives using quantitative data analysis. Organisational trait - an attempt is made to explain organisational problem solving terms of an organisations physical attributes Group problem solving - in companies problems are solved in groups the result of group thinking. The process of solving hard problems: 1) Data Gathering: Data needs to be gathered on activities, resources, costs and constraints. 2) Generation of Ideas/ Plans: Activities needs to be prioritized. While

How do interest groups lobby the president and how successful are they Research Paper

How do interest groups lobby the president and how successful are they - Research Paper Example These could either be through individual membership or membership through organizations. The main aim is usually perceived to be the protection of a specific or a particular interest. This has generally made interest groups seem as self-interested and narrow; without any regard for public good. Also, it is commonly believed that an interest group as an organization has goals or policies that are similar and that their objective as an organization is to use their influence on the political process to give them the edge they need to achieve these goals. All these debates over lobbying and interest groups have brought confusion over the importance of interest groups and whether they are really important in a democracy or they simply exist to serve self -centered interest. To understand the truth about interest groups and their influence on the presidents an in depth study of the same is required. To explain the importance of interest groups in politics as well as the public policy making process, a number of theories has been developed and adopted by scholars. Theories such as elite, pluralism, disturbance among others have all been developed. In the early days of Republican form of governance, the unity, as well as the power balance of the nation was very much threatened by this interest groups, but federalist edict allowed the flourishing of these so called interest groups with the argument that a counterbalance would come from other groups that were equally self-centered therefore containing the effect of outside influence.1 The outcome of this was the spread of Republican form of government as opposed to a pure democracy a scenario that the anti-federalists totally disagreed with because in their view, diversity of interests in country that is very large in size was only recipe for precluding of the unity of the country. According to the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Absolutism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Absolutism - Essay Example wn on enlightened classes of those societies away from the Catholic Church and towards more individualistic and personal, as well as more direct forms of relating with God. The Reformation would then enliven and attract the Spanish and the French to religious participation, which would then in the proceeding age be used to control and to subjugate those populations via measures to impose discipline under the guise of religious activity. This would then pave the way for monarchies being facilitated in their drive to consolidate power and to stifle opposition from different factions of French and Spanish societies, having also endeavored to subjugate the religious hierarchies to the power of the monarchies (Pearson, 2010; Pearson, 2010b; Pearson, 2010c). The two courts emphasized grandeur and the projection of the power of the monarchy through architecture, through the patronage of the artistic outputs and the products of their culture, and through a projection of monarchical power via the attempt to grow their respective territories. Both emphasized for instance the grandeur of their bases of power, Philip II in El Escorial and Louis XIV in Versailles. Both also conducted their office with machinations designed to further strengthen their hold on power and to perpetuate their rule over the other stakeholders in their respective societies ((Pearson, 2010; Soylent Communications, 2014; PBS, 2014). One can say that it was the work of Frederick William in being able to consolidate power in Prussia and in being able to project and grow the power of Prussia over its neighbors in Europe, to transform the territory into a truly great European power, that allowed Frederick the Great, who basically inherited his father’s work and its fruits, to rule Prussia in an effective manner. Without his father it is doubtful that Frederick the Great would have been able to do his work unimpeded by the obstacles that his father had cleared for him, when it was his father’s turn to

Law of Business Associations Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Law of Business Associations - Coursework Example This research will begin with the statement that the question concerning the scope, form, and content of directors' duties is a long-standing problem in company law and corporate governance. The issue has proved to be one of the most challenging to solve. For a long time, the duties of directors have been derived from the common law, equitable principles, and legal provisions, mainly the company’s act 1985. According to Foster, some scholars believe that directors play a small role in smooth running of a company. Instead, the board is responsible for their company’s success. However, this is wrong in that both the boards and the directors them self plays a significant role in company’s success. Failure for any of them to perform as expected can lead to collapse of an organization. Although company law has been in existence for a very long time, the Companies Act 2006 received Royal Consent on year 2006. This review of company law was the biggest review of United Kingdom Company raw for a period of 40 years. The review project included a three year detailed investigation by government appointed party, a detailed research on the specific issue by the law commission of England, Wales, and Scotland, and an extensive public consultation on a number of technical issues. The act contained 1,300 sections and 16 schedules. The government will issue more material as regulations made under the act. The Act introduced a new legal right for shareholders to charge their directors in the company’s name.... The act has enabled company auditor to negotiate liability limitation with their customer among many other. In the need to modernize united kingdom company‘s law, two key issues were considered. First, should the law expect from the company any wider social responsibility, or should they be left alone to peruse the objective of making maximum profit for its shareholders. Secondly, should any legislation be more specific about the duties of companies’ directors. The changes made between this two areas, now form the basis for how the company and the outside world expects the director to operate and account for their action. Since the act center around the duties of directors to their companies, it therefore becomes very important to have a clear understanding of who is a director. A company’s director is the person to whom the laws look upon; to run the affairs of a company on behalf of its owners (Martin S.2005). A company is required to have at least one director. Conversely, a public company must have a minimum of two. This is because companies- artificial legal persons- cannot act for themselves- they need to act through other persons. This also applies to private companies that have one or two shareholders. The company must still give at least one director even where an individual is both a shareholder and a director. In such circumstances, the law will still see a technical distinction between the interest of the shareholders company owners and the company directors as the ultimate decision makers on behalf of the company. According to the act, all limited company should have a director. Bearing in mind that a company’s director is one who regularly makes most of the decisions relating to the company, it

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Oppression and Slavery Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Oppression and Slavery - Coursework Example Mental abilities of slaves are thought to be unequal to those of their white masters. What is worse, methods of dealing with them could sometimes resemble animal training ‘They are very grateful for good treatment if proper discipline and authority are kept up over them’ (The Farmers’ Register, 1837). Cruel punishments were regarded one of the most effective methods to maintain obedience ‘A powerful blacksmith named Hewes laid on the stripes. Fifty were given, during which the cries of my father might be heard a mile’ (Henson, 1877). As it is stated in the documents, slaves should be properly clothed, fed, and housed. Thus, slaves were not considered to be human beings. These were working units which required proper treatment and usage. What is more, slave-trade used to be a common thing in the Antebellum South. It could be used as an instrument of discipline which enabled slaveholders to manipulate Afro-Americans. ‘There was the fear that I mig ht be sold from those who were dear to me’, writes Lunsford Lane, a former slave (Lane, 1842). The main principle of attitude towards Afro-Americans may be summarized within the next sentence ‘the negro race is inferior to the white race’ (Fishel et al, 1976, 1970). What is more, the institution of slavery is posed as a remedy for black people. As stated by Fitzhugh, Christians are supposed to protect, support, and civilize black population. The author insists that to be a slave in the South is much better than to be a free laborer in the North. Finally, one of his statements seems to be a quintessence of cynicism and absurdity ‘The negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world’. These words illustrate how wild and inhuman customs of the southern slaveholders were. Remarks on Overseers, and the Proper Treatment of Slaves.

A mere stream of unconnected representations could not be called Essay

A mere stream of unconnected representations could not be called knowledge. As Kant puts it These perceptions would not then - Essay Example Therefore, Immanuel Kant implied that all posteriori judgments are because experience alone cannot be used to comprehend the meaning of something. It only means some judgments but not all synthetic judgments can be said to be posteriori since geometrical and mathematical judgments cannot be based on experience. This is because, they could not have been known from senses or experience. Kant consents that it is right for rationalists to argue that we know what we know or about things in this world with reason or certainty while empiricists are also correct by stating that such knowledge attained by certainty cannot be limited to truths by definitions nor cannot it be offered by experience. Instead, Kant argues that we know and understand about the world as we experience it in accordance with the unchanging and universally shared frame of mind. We reason or think about the world in terms of space, categories (like cause and effect), time, possibility, reality, and substance. That is to say that whatever people think or reason, they ought to think about it in certain manner (For instance, as having existing or not existing), not because that is the manner in which the world is, but instead that is the way that our brain or mind command experience. (Dicker, 2004). In sum, Kant argued that we cannot claim to have knowledge without sensation but sense alone cannot offer knowledge either. People cannot clam to know things about the world not because we go outside our mind to compare and contrast what we experience with reality outside it but instead, the world we know is already structured and organized according to certain innate pattern that is the human brain or mind. Knowledge is possible due to the fact that it is about how things appear to us in this world and not about how things are made. Therefore, reason offers us the form or structure of what we know while the senses on the other hand, offer the content or information. Kant arguments were that we can claim t o know about things we experience and structure in terms of mind’s form. For instance, soul or God and metaphysics cannot be claimed to known because we have not experienced them. In addition, Kant’s philosophies on theory of knowledge were that we would not be in a position to know if our concepts about the world are real or true. Further, it implies that we have to redefine what is true as that which we experience instead of that which senses or experience presents (Ameriks, 2003). In simple terms, Kant meant that human beings are limited to things as they appear thus either we will never at one particular point know if our concepts are real or true or if we ought to redefine what truth means. Kant argued that space and time are pure intuitions of human senses while ideas of physics such as inertia and causations are pure intuitions of human understanding. According to Kant, sensory experience is meaningful because the faculty of human sensibility evaluates and analy zes it thus organizing it in a coherent manner of space and time. These intuitions are the where human beings obtain mathematical knowledge (Gardner, 1999). Events that occur in time and space would have no meaning if it were not for human comprehension that asses and organizes perceptions and experiences according to notions such as causation which make the tenets of natural science. If space and time are the activities of the mind, then people might wonder what is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Oppression and Slavery Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Oppression and Slavery - Coursework Example Mental abilities of slaves are thought to be unequal to those of their white masters. What is worse, methods of dealing with them could sometimes resemble animal training ‘They are very grateful for good treatment if proper discipline and authority are kept up over them’ (The Farmers’ Register, 1837). Cruel punishments were regarded one of the most effective methods to maintain obedience ‘A powerful blacksmith named Hewes laid on the stripes. Fifty were given, during which the cries of my father might be heard a mile’ (Henson, 1877). As it is stated in the documents, slaves should be properly clothed, fed, and housed. Thus, slaves were not considered to be human beings. These were working units which required proper treatment and usage. What is more, slave-trade used to be a common thing in the Antebellum South. It could be used as an instrument of discipline which enabled slaveholders to manipulate Afro-Americans. ‘There was the fear that I mig ht be sold from those who were dear to me’, writes Lunsford Lane, a former slave (Lane, 1842). The main principle of attitude towards Afro-Americans may be summarized within the next sentence ‘the negro race is inferior to the white race’ (Fishel et al, 1976, 1970). What is more, the institution of slavery is posed as a remedy for black people. As stated by Fitzhugh, Christians are supposed to protect, support, and civilize black population. The author insists that to be a slave in the South is much better than to be a free laborer in the North. Finally, one of his statements seems to be a quintessence of cynicism and absurdity ‘The negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world’. These words illustrate how wild and inhuman customs of the southern slaveholders were. Remarks on Overseers, and the Proper Treatment of Slaves.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

How will technology and social media influence or change recruitment Essay

How will technology and social media influence or change recruitment and talent management in the future - Essay Example Social media has become a viable way of quick interaction between the recruiters and the candidates. The quality of staff members and their services in the hotel industry has a direct impact on the bottom line. Employees serve as the frontline brand ambassadors and their performance drives the true competitive advantage of the organization. To succeed, the employers need to recruit enthusiastic, accountable, and competent employees that should be kept motivated and engaged. To achieve this, many innovative firms are seeing the potential of improving the recruiting strategies with social media (Headworth, n.d.). The rapid advancement of technology and growth of the use of social media will bring drastic changes in the practices of recruitment and talent management in the hotel industry in the future. Historically, rates of employee turnover within the hotel industry have been remarkably high; turnover rates have been touching 50 per cent. â€Å"The American Hotel and Lodging Association has estimated that the turnover cost per employee is a minimum of $4100 per employee, and the American Management Association pegs this number at 30% of an employee’s annual salary† (Cobb, 2013). The high rate of employee turnover in the hotel industry can be partly attributed to lack of opportunities of training and development and inappropriate talent management that has led the employees to attrition and dissatisfaction. To combat the retention issues, hospitality organizations are in need of professional, motivated, committed, and developed graduates that would help them attain their immediate and long-term goals (Scott and Revis, 2008). The trends are expected to change for the better in the future. The continued growth of social media and technology has made room for the worki ng of more team activities and knowledge work remotely. Retention in the hotel

Monday, October 14, 2019

Exploring Equality and Diversity Essay Example for Free

Exploring Equality and Diversity Essay You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Name: Nichola Craven 1. What is meant by diversity? Diversity is the way that everything and everybody is different. We all have various qualities that make us who we are. We all have our own individual set of qualities and we may share some of these with others we meet or have nothing in common at all. Diversity may be visible as in age or colour of skin or not immediately noticed until we have spent time with someone, this could include their religious beliefs or sexual orientation. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: †¢Interests †¢Beliefs †¢Ages †¢Lifestyles †¢Personal, social and cultural identities. I live in an inner city council estate. Many people on the estate are interested in watching the local teams play football and rugby. There is a community centre nearby and pensioners get together to do light exercise classes and children take karate or cheerleading classes. Groups of teenagers take turns to use the basketball court. It is very rare to see children or anyone over twenty using the courts. Some parents let their young children go to the local park alone but others will only let their children play in the back yard. At the back of the estate are the Wash lands where many people will walk their dogs but some people who live here have never walked that way. There are many different beliefs, in terms of religion and family values. The largest religious group are Christians, and the second largest is Muslims. Most of the Muslims in the community do not drink alcohol. Most of the houses are homes to young families on low incomes. There are very few elderly people in the council houses. Most people are White British or Asian British in terms of ethnicity, although lately there are a large number of Eastern European families on my street. I have noticed that over the last two years that their English has improved greatly and we are now able to communicate better. Many people on the estate have full time or part time jobs although there is a high number of unemployed and many single parents who stay at home to take care of very young children. 3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community. Where people have different interests such as playing or watching rugby, they are contributing to the entertainment in the community for those who like to watch the matches. Also, the children and men who are in the rugby teams are keeping fit and learning how to be team players. The people who watch rugby also hold fund raising events to keep up with the maintenance of the clubhouse as well has regular charity fundraisers to help local charities. Neighbours who celebrate different religious festivals will share their experiences by inviting others to parties and this helps everyone gain knowledge of how different people live. My neighbour often brings various Asian cuisines for my family to try and shares recipes. 4. Give some examples to explain how diversity: †¢Enhances your life †¢Enhances the local community †¢Enhances this country. Diversity enhances my life the most when I spend time with my brother. He is engaged to a Hungarian lady who has a large family living in my city. We often have parties in the summer where we eat from a big pot of goulash which is cooked outside in a cauldron over a fire. The drink of choice is palinka, a kind of fruit brandy although I can’t say I like the taste much. We sing and dance to modern and traditional Hungarian music and it is overall a fun time that I can’t experience with my English family. I see how diversity enriches the local community the most at the primary school where I work. The majority of the children do not have English as a first language and are all from different backgrounds and countries. Despite there being so much diversity and language barriers, there is a sense of camaraderie where the children help each other and are learning to live with and accept people who are different. The ethos of the school is that every child is valued and should be given the same opportunities as each other. The introduction of a Pride event in the city a few years ago has created a once a year festival where people celebrate their differences in sexuality and way of life. There is always a big crowd and everyone has fun. I think it helps people to learn about and accept those who lead different lifestyles to themselves when they are given the chance to integrate at a large event such as this. Diversity enhances this country because there is always something new we can learn from each other. The integration of various nationalities, interests and personalities mean we can better understand others and join in with their celebrations and appreciate different cultures. Our experiences in food and dining are enriched by the opening of different eateries and by supermarkets offering a wide range of international ingredients to cater for an increasingly diverse country. 5. Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences. Respecting people’s differences means that we appreciate that others are different to us and just because we may not have anything in common or share their beliefs, we should accept them for who they are. When people do not accept others, it can lead to bullying, lack of communication and a general feeling of distrust. This can lead to unrest within communities. To be able to live in peace and harmony, everyone should realise that others have a right to be different. 6. For a person you know, describe the individual factors that make him / her who they are. Name: Defining factorsBrief description Physical characteristics A tall, well presented man in his early thirties. Emotions Very laid back, likes to help other people. Likes and dislikes Likes action films and playing computer games. Dislikes soaps and dancing. Values and beliefs Believes in God, doesn’t attend church on a regular basis. Family is very important to him. 7. Describe yourself in terms of: †¢Personal interests †¢Religion / culture †¢Geography. I enjoy reading, whether it is browsing the web or a book on my kindle e-reader. I enjoy socialising with my friends but my main interest lies within my family life. I love spending time with my three daughters, taking them shopping, to the park or the movies. When my husband isn’t working, we like to take the children and our dog for long walks. I am not very religious. I only go to church when occasion demands i.e. in the case of weddings, funerals or christenings. I attended a Church of England primary school and I still carry my beliefs and values from my time there and pass these beliefs on to my children. I live in Yorkshire on a medium sized social housing estate next to the city centre. The shopping centre, hospital and schools are all within walking distance from my house. 8. What is meant by having multiple identities? Give three examples in relation to people you know. Multiple identities are the way one person acts in different situations or with different people. Example 1: Sasha is a college student who likes to socialise with her friends and loves dressing in the latest fashions. When she comes home she changes into her jogging bottoms and old t-shirt and spends time with her little sisters helping them with their homework. Example 2: I take my children to visit my mum and we drink coffee and watch children’s TV and she does jigsaws with her grandchildren. When I visit my mum without my children, we drink wine and talk about adult things and listen to the music channel. Example 3: Claire is a single mum with two young children. Monday to Friday, she comes home from work, does the cleaning, cooking and looks after her children. At the weekend, the children stay with their father and Claire spends time with her friends going to the pub and having a good time in adult company. 9. What is meant by shared identity? Shared identity is where two or more people have one or more of a common characteristic. This could be that they enjoy watching football or that they come from the same town or city. They could be the same age or share the same taste in music. 10. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. An individual can belong to different groups by the fact that they have something in common with those people. An example is that of where a group of men are from the same area and they all go to watch a football match. If they were from Yorkshire and supported Leeds, they would be in that group of Yorkshire Leeds supporters. However, if they were not at the football match and were on holiday with their family, they would prioritise their identities differently. They would be from Yorkshire, and be fathers on holiday with their families. The football team they support may not even enter the equation in terms of how they perceive themselves or how others see them. 11. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities. I am mum to three children. Earlier this year I was a full time housewife with my youngest child in part time nursery. Now all of my children are in school and college, my role is less focused on being a housewife and I work in a school office. I find that now I work, my husband takes a more active role in the housework and care of the children, taking on some of my previous responsibilities. When the children are in bed, I take on administrative tasks for my husband’s plumbing business and become his book-keeper. At work, I am usually based in the office although I have to walk around school passing on messages and I have to look after sick children while we wait for their parents to take them home. When I get chance to see my friends, they see a different side of me as I like to make the most of my time away from work and other responsibilities and have a good time. They would say I enjoy a good time and I am a shoulder to cry on. 12. What is meant by stereotyping and labelling? When we first meet others, we can’t help judging them from our first impressions. If someone is wearing glasses, we may think wrongly or rightly that they are intelligent and studious. We may see two women together holding hands and we would think that they are gay. This is called labelling, when we pick out a characteristic and focus on it, drawing our own conclusions. Another example is when we see a woman pushing a pushchair. We label her as being a mother although she is also many other things. Stereotyping is where we make assumptions about people belonging to a certain group. An Asian friend of mine was shopping in the supermarket, and looking at cat food. A lady who was trying to be helpful tried to explain to her that cat food was not for human consumption and was shocked when my friend replied in broad Yorkshire that it was for her cat and she wasn’t thinking of eating it herself. This is an example of stereotyping people assuming that people who are from ethn ic minorities cannot read or speak English. 13. Explain why some people stereotype others. Stereotyping continues to be part of our society through the way families and social groups instil their beliefs on one another and the way that the media portray certain groups. When we see rioting on the news, we tend to see young people wearing hoodies to cover their faces. This leads to us thinking that all people who wear hoodies are dangerous when it is in fact not true. My daughter wears a hoodie and sometimes puts the hood up to keep her ears warm yet even though I know this, I still get scared if I see a group of teenagers in hoodies because of all the media stories. This is the case of the isolated behaviours within a small group that has lead to a stereotype. People will stereotype because they want to fit in with a particular group and will share their views on others. 14. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labelling can have on people. Stereotyping can lead to fear within communities. Old people may fear young people because of they see on the news that a teenager committed a series of muggings. Travelling communities may be made unwelcome in pubs because of a few isolated incidents of trouble. People may avoid those who suffer from mental illness as many murderers claim to suffer from mental illness. This leads us to stereotype all people with mental illness as being violent which is untrue. This could have a damaging effect on them and lead them to withdraw from society. People continue to be ageist in society. They label elderly people as just being old and not as able as they once were and don’t consider other qualities that they have such as being kind and caring. Many non physical jobs do not rely on age such as being a good teacher yet sometimes; recruiters will choose a young person because they assume that youth will make them better at a job. Ageism damages society because we are taking away the diversity and personal qualities that older people can offer and also, when we treat elderly people as being useless, they start to feel useless and may become depressed. 15. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society. Stereotyping is perpetuated within families, the way your parents and other relatives perceive things can be passed on to you and so a cycle begins where people carry on stereotyping. I remember growing up in a family where we stereotyped all gay men as being flamboyant and effeminate. This was also due to the way that they were stereotyped on television programmes in the seventies and eighties. The views of peer groups can also carry on stereotypes. Some people see jobless people as being lazy benefit scroungers. This may be true of some of them but a discussion with your friends where they provide an example of such lazy scrounger and shows such as The Jeremy Kyle show where people are often presented in a negative way will make sure the stereotype prevails. 16. Define prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice occurs when a characteristic of an individual or group is reacted to in a negative way. It is an incorrect and unfair assumption that is based on little or no proof. People can be prejudiced against many characteristics such as race, gender or sexuality and have negative views about or act negatively towards those groups. Discrimination occurs when prejudice means that someone is treated unfairly because they possess one or more characteristic. 17. Explain how people may develop prejudices. People can develop prejudices from a bad experience with an individual. If someone sat next to an unhygienic overweight person at school, they may think that every overweight person is unhygienic. Someone may be influenced by the views of relatives or friends who they respect enough to accept their views whether they are good or bad prejudices. If someone is around people who believe that their prejudices are just, they are likely to take them on board themselves and transfer those views to other people that they come into contact with. 18. Describe the following types of discrimination. Type of discriminationDescription Dual discrimination Dual discrimination occurs when prejudice is aimed at two characteristics of someone or a group. If someone is a single parent and is out of work, they could be negatively thought of by someone who has bad views on single parents and of unemployed people. Multiple discriminationThis is where someone is discriminated against for having several characteristics. An overweight lady in a wheelchair could obviously be discriminated against on three points, being overweight, being disabled and being a woman. Positive discriminationPositive discrimination occurs when people are favoured because they possess certain characteristics. An example is where a housing association prioritises ethnic minority families against others in the same situation. Discrimination arising out of disabilityDiscriminating against a disability can mean that disabled [people are not given the opportunities in life that more able people are such as access to employment or education opportunities. Discrimination by associationThis is where someone is discriminated against for associating with a person or group whom the prejudice is aimed at. An example is a mixed race marriage here prejudice is held against one partners race but both partners suffer harassment. 19. What is meant by the term protected characteristics? Protected characteristics are legally recognised areas where discrimination is likely to occur. They are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and beliefs, gender and sexual orientation. This are characteristics that everyone posses and the law is there to protect individuals from unfair discrimination. 20. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Give two examples to illustrate your point. Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated differently due to a personal characteristic that they possess. This could be an older person being denied the right of promotion despite being more qualified or equally qualified than someone younger than them. It could be that a woman mentions at a job interview that she has four children and the interviewer immediately says they would be unsuitable for the job because they would require a lot of time off. These examples are direct discrimination against older people and working mothers. Indirect discrimination occurs where certain groups of people are put at a disadvantage because their needs are ignored. This could be a lack of disabled access in a public building that means wheelchair users cannot make their way around. Another example is a workplace health and safety document being printed only in English when there are many workers who speak and read English as a second language or some who cannot read English at all. 21. Describe the effects that discrimination and prejudice can have on people. A main danger that arises from prejudice and discrimination is the kind of extreme hatred that causes people to be attacked and killed and in extreme cases, wars due to race, religion or sexual preferences. If there is prejudice within certain groups, it will lead to social conflicts and a less harmonious atmosphere. People who are discriminated against typically lose their sense of worth as they become more mistreated by other people and develope a negative view of themselves. If people are treated as second class citizens, they may begin to believe that they are. They will also distrust those who discriminate against them and this will lead to hostile environments. They will have a lower quality of life as they are denied promotions and training opportunities. Innocent people will suffer unnecessary anguish due to unfair discrimination. 22. Describe what equal opportunities means in relation to: †¢Education †¢Housing †¢Healthcare †¢Employment. Equal opportunities in education mean that everyone should be given the same chance to succeed no matter what their characteristics. In relation to schools, there may be single sex schools or schools that focus on a particular religion e.g. Church of England but this is not considered discrimination since there are plenty of other schools that cater for everybody. If someone is denied access to education, they are denied a better quality of life with better job prospects. It is important that everyone is given the opportunity to learn and achieve according to their abilities. It is against the law for landlords to specify that certain ethnic groups are not eligible to live in their properties. Equal opportunities in housing means that everyone should have the chance to live in homes suited to their needs and family size. If this law isn’t met, certain groups will lead a low quality of life and may well live in overcrowded conditions. Everyone is entitled to receive healthcare. Healthcare professionals should not prioritise treatment or refuse to treat someone on grounds such as skin colour or sexual orientation. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to receive healthcare and particular groups have a right to sensitivity. Equal opportunities in employment means that people should be recruited and promoted in relation to how well they can do a job, not be discriminated against positively or negatively in relation to their race or gender for example. Everyone should be treated fairly at work; equal pay should be given to those who do exactly the same job. 23. Outline the inequality problems that persist in terms of pay for men and women. A job should pay in terms of ability and attainment regardless of gender yet men are still on higher wages than women in many organisations. This happens when a woman is doing exactly the same job as a man or of a similar skill yet the man receives a higher wage. Inequality also occurs when men tend to get the highest paid jobs within organisations. 24. Identify and briefly describe two other signs of inequality. Inequality due to sexual orientation is common. Gay and lesbian couples have long been discriminated against in their quest to adopt or foster children or to get married. There are laws to prevent such inequality and in place of marriage, civil partnerships exist. Inequality can also exist in sport, where gender or disability can often cause restrictions to be placed. Less abled people should be given the chance to partake in and enjoy their chosen sport and sports played typically by men such as football and rugby made available for women to enjoy equally. Once you have completed this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Apply Smart Sanctions and Remove Saddam Essay -- September 11 Terroris

Apply Smart Sanctions and Remove Saddam    In light of our recent success in Afghanistan, the administration now has "Iraq on the radar screen," according to National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. Hopefully, increased attention on Iraq will reveal that the economic sanctions aimed at bringing down Saddam Hussein hurt vital U.S. national interests and seriously undermine our legitimacy abroad-all while doing little to achieve their original purpose. In the Nov. 28 Time Magazine article "Weapons of Mass Distraction,"   Eric Brown condemns Saddam Hussein-not economic sanctions-for the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. While Wang acknowledges that Osama bin Laden and Saddam have used these sanctions as an excuse for Iraqi poverty and as evidence that the U.S. is the "world's greatest terrorist and sponsor of terror," Wang rejects modifying the sanctions in their current form to avoid being influenced by such "pernicious propaganda." He argues that Western policymakers should instead worry about the "enormous threat" Saddam Hussein poses "to the sovereignty and stability of every country in the region."   Regrettably, the current sanctions on Iraq have been ineffective. The starkest indication came on September 11. Strong evidence suggests Iraq supported terrorist activities related to the attacks on that infamous day, sanctions notwithstanding.   Sanctions have also been ineffective in preventing Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs. He has repeatedly obstructed U.N. weapons inspections with few consequences. Since the Shi'ite uprising at the end of the Gulf War in southern Iraq, there have been few domestic threats to Saddam's power. In fact, the tribal divisions and demographics of Iraq-Kur... ...nt "smart sanctions" on Iraq to target Saddam and his military and WMD programs directly. This would involve unprecedented intellectual creativity on the part of policy makers, bureaucratic efficiency and coordination among parties, and, most of all, strong leadership on the part of the U.S. Second, we need to remove Saddam from power through external force. This was an option immediately after the Gulf War, and the international community missed their chance. However, in the aftermath of September 11, there exists another opportunity to form a coalition against the immoral Iraqi regime. There have been strong indications from ranking members of the Bush administration that this is their next preferred course of action. Such a move depends on the right mix of careful diplomacy and public relations, both of which would be well served by restructuring the sanctions.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Theme Of Death In Othello and A Dolls House Essays -- compare cont

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of death is present in many works of literature. It is given metaphors and cloaked with different meanings, yet it always represents an end. Every end signifies a new beginning, and every death gives rise to a new birth. Physical death â€Å"...is mere transformation, not destruction,† writes Ding Ming-Dao. â€Å"What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. What dies is only our human meaning† (49). Figuratively speaking, death symbolizes a change, an interruption or cessation of regular routine. In this sense, death can be viewed as a more positive occurrence, because change leads to new experience, which, in turn, leads to knowledge and a better understanding of life. The plays Othello and A Doll House both encompass the theme of death. While the former deals with physical death, the latter depicts a change, a transformation of a period of time and a way of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy. The villain gains trust by appearing honest and, taking advantage of being undoubted, implants false ideas into Othello’s mind, causing him to believe in an illusion that portrays the opposite of reality. Shakespeare shows, by setting his plays in either antiquity or modernity, the evolution of human thought. His characters in antiquity acquire things through war and conquest, and are hasty in action and judgement. In modernity, however, the characters live in a regime that practices acquisition through trade and commerce. Logically, the characters in modernity are superior to the ones in antiquity. They prefer trade to war, and display logic through their actions. Because Shakespeare set his modern plays in Italy or England, Othello can be classified as a modern play. However, there are some elements of antiquity present in it, such as Othello’s murderous act. Not being logical, Othello looks at the imposed circumstances only through Iago’s perspective, and is completely overtaken by the lies. Emilia’s opinion on the matter doesn’t make any difference, because his mind is already made up by the time he speaks to her. Thus, Othello’s ability to reason is not very well-developed. How strong was he really, when his faith in groundless implications created such a rift in his character during the temptation scene, that he ended up murdering his... ...d fallen in love with her image of him. With this realization, Nora â€Å"dies† in the sense that she is reborn with a new understanding of herself. Death is symbolized through the end of her ignorant days, her marriage to Torvald, and the life she had known. She is reborn through enlightenment, with a desire to discover and understand herself, before anything else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether physical or figurative, death adds a new dimension to Othello and A Doll House. Its presence gives the reader an eerie feeling and intensifies the depth of the plays. As readers, we wonder about the significance of death, and muse over what went on in the heads of Nora and, especially, Othello during the moment of truth. Nora believed in the illusion, whereas Othello was fooled into believing in it. They both went through a transformation, a step higher in consciousness, to a new beginning. Death is a link in the chain of life. Death as change or demise is often feared, because one doesn’t know what to expect. It is said that the best way to banish an enemy is to make it a friend. The concept of death, if understood, will unleash immortality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Friday, October 11, 2019

Coleco Case

STRATEGIC FINANCE COLECO CASE TOY STORY Coleco INC. Profile †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Name – Coleco Industries Time – the end of 1980s Industry – toys Market – USA Market share – the fifth-largest manufacturer in the USA Head quarter – West HartFord, Connecticut Production line – Cabbage Patch Kids Plush Alf dolls and puppets Couch Potato Pals Play sets (The Flintstones,Sesame Street, Sylvanian Families) †¢ †¢ Company`s issue – annual sales were behind expectations egative equity position of $84 million The challenge – to determine whether the company’s capital could be restructured in a way that would satisfy its creditors without diluting the stock any further than was necessary Product line Economy and Industry Analysis 1988 †¢ the economy – raising †¢ unemployment and interest rates – low †¢ demographic factors favorable †¢ interest rate is decreasing †¢ debt is becoming cheaper Economy Industry †¢ favorable conditions toy industry †¢ approximately 800 toy companies in the United States †¢ diversification for reducing sales and profit volatility – only for the biggest companiesSales of Coleco and its Major Competitors †¢ In millions USD 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 Coleco Hasbro Kenner Parker Mattel Tonka 200 0 Company Analysis Sales growth 40,00% 30,00% 20,00% 10,00% 0,00% -10,00% -20,00% -30,00% -40,00% 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Company Analysis Current ratio 3,00 2,50 2,00 1,50 Very fluctuating 1,00 0,50 0,00 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Company Analysis Debt ratio 1,4 1,2 High dependence on debt 1 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Company Analysis Net profit margin 0,15 0,1 0,05 0 -0,05 -0,1 -0,15 -0,2 -0,25 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Negative profits in last yearsCompany Analysis Return on equity 20 15 10 5 Non meaningful figures (Equity is negative) 0 1981 -5 -10 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Company Analysis Return on assets 0,25 0,2 0,15 0,1 0,05 0 -0,05 -0,1 -0,15 -0,2 -0,25 High Volatility of ROA 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 SWOT Analysis strengths 1)Experience in past of recovery from company`s crisis 2) Current ratio is satisfactory weaknesses 1) Sales reduction has resulted in losses that contributed to its negative equity position. 2)Negative or near zero sales growth in recent years. 3)Escalating dependency on debt. 4)Coleco’s capital position was uncertain. )Huge reduction in stock price. 1)The economy was entering its sixth year of overall strength. 2)Unemployment and interest rates at their lowest in years. 3)Demographic factors also were favorable; birth rates were increasing. 4)The toy industry had begun to consolidate. 5) Basic and technology-enhanced toys did well. 1)Of the approximately 800 toy companies in the United States, only the largest were able to minimize sales and profit volatility throu gh diversification. 2)Each companies fortune rose and fell with the strength of its new products 3)Lack of exciting new toy introductions opportunities threats ALTERNATIVES . â€Å"drifting† approach – hoping that products will do well 2. â€Å"merge† approach – hoping that there might be some value in the company’s assets 3. â€Å"equity† approach – to issue more shares at market price 4. â€Å"debts† approach – to restructure debts 5. â€Å"disengagement† approach – to go for liquidation â€Å"Drifting† Approach †¢ †¢ †¢ Net income for Coleco is negative ($105. 4mln in 1987) Net worth is also negative ($84. 9mln in 1987). Huge amount of debt ($620mln in 1987) †¢ †¢ †¢ Equity deficit ($84,3mln in 1987) No any new â€Å"blockbuster† products Low prospects for increasing the company’s sales based on its current product line Low possibility to recover inappro priate decision â€Å"Merge† Approach Coleco is not attractive in the sense of M&A deals: – big debts (total assets < total liabilities) inappropriate decision â€Å"Equity† Approach †¢ The company could issue more shares but the stock price is apparently small (Ex. 1) †¢ Coleco’s equity is negative through last two years 1986 – ($7. 6) mln 1987 – ($ 84. 3) mln inappropriate decision â€Å"Equity† Approach Ex. 1 Stock price High 1984 1985 1986 1987 Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 1988 Jan Feb 14-Mar $22. 250 21. 500 20. 500 11. 625 10. 750 11. 25 11. 000 10. 375 10. 250 9. 125 6. 000 4. 625 4. 250 3. 500 Low $9. 625 10. 125 8. 125 10. 000 9. 875 10. 250 9. 750 9. 125 8. 500 4. 250 4. 375 3. 625 3. 125 2. 625 Close 12. 125 16. 000 8. 375 10. 375 10. 500 10. 625 9. 750 9. 375 9. 125 5. 500 4. 625 3. 875 3. 500 3. 000 2. 500 167. 24 211. 28 242. 17 288. 36 290. 10 304. 00 318. 66 329. 80 321. 83 251. 79 230. 3 247. 08 25 7. 07 267. 82 266. 37 S&P 500 Closing Bond Prices 11. 13% $81. 875 82. 000 77. 750 76. 000 94. 000 75. 625 76. 125 72. 000 55. 250 50. 000 41. 500 41. 750 27. 000 14. 38% $90. 125 101. 875 100. 75 99. 500 96. 500 95. 000 95. 000 98. 625 96. 000 94. 375 68. 875 63. 500 50. 000 54. 125 34. 250 S&P longterm gov bond 40. 29 48. 93 58. 04 60. 69 51. 55 52. 42 51. 89 50. 40 47. 39 47. 17 50. 31 49. 89 51. 28 53. 67 52. 50 â€Å"Debts† Approach †¢ Coleco is dependent on debt through years (also successful ones) †¢ The company has a huge amount of total liabilities (in 1987 about $ 620 mln) †¢ No resources to pay debts (Negative equity, Assets are generally composed of Accounts receivables) †¢ Company by the moment already does not comply with the creditors requirements nappropriate decision â€Å"Disengagement† Approach The first reason for liquidation 700 600 500 400 300 Stock based insolvency 200 100 0 -100 -200 Debt Assets Equity â€Å"Disengagementâ⠂¬  Approach The second reason for liquidation Zone of insolvency cash flow contractual obligations 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 Conclusion We consider â€Å"disengagement† approach the best solution for Coleco INC, as the firm is a prime candidate for bankruptcy. THANK YOU FOR ATTANTION QUESTIONS

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Hampton Machine Tool Company Essay

From the point of view as the bank creditor, Jerry Eckwood, a determination must be made of whether Hampton Machine Tool Company should receive an extension of their original loan of $1 million, as well as an additional loan of $350,000. After research and careful consideration and extraneous research and forecasting, we, St. Louis National Bank, as well as myself, Jerry Eckwood, have determined to reject Hampton Machine Tool Company’s loan request, as well as the loan extension request. Based off of conducting a financial analysis, primarily on the cash budget, our forecasting has shown that Hampton Machine Tool Company would not be able to fully repay their loan of $1.35 million by the end of the year (1979). However, we have determined that Hampton Machine Tool Company would be able to fully repay their loan in January. Therefore, we are offering a proposal to extend the loan for another month, but with an increased interest rate. Not only will this allow you to repay your loans in full, but it will also provide you with the necessary funding that you are requesting. The re-negotiation of the terms of the loans would include the following: the deadline of the payment would increase to January, while the interest rate would increase to 1.75%. This will ensure that the loan will be repaid on time and will allow Hampton Machine Tool Company to purchase their new equipment to assist with operation needs. In order to make our decision, we reviewed Hampton Machine Tool Company’s financial ratios, as well as their cash budget. While analyzing the profitability ratio, it came to our attention that these ratios were unstable, but showed signs of significant improvement. The ratios that stuck out to us were the significant increase in operating profit margin and gross profit margin. This increase was based mainly off of the historical trend compared to the project financial statements. While the gross profit margin had its only decrease in September, we can safely trace this to the reduction of WIP inventory of $1,320 during this month. This reduction in WIP concludes that Hampton Machine Tool Company would be operating at a loss of -13% during the month of September. However, we must take into account that profitability will greatly increase three months  prior due to the backlog in inventory and customer orders. Therefore, we determined that Hampton Machine Tool Company would be an acceptable client to extend credit to. When determining liquidity, we based our determinations off of the project financial statements. These concluded that Hampton Machine Tool Company’s quick ration is currently below 1, and has been for some time. A quick ratio below 1 shows that a company’s liabilities are greater than its assets, which can lead to a greater chance of depending on inventory to cover some obligations for payment. Our main conclusion to reject Hampton Machine Tool Company’s offer was determined based off of their current cash budget. As shown in Exhibit B, we determined that Hampton Machine Tool Company would perform well once their equipment was improved with the loan. It was also concluded from this exhibit that additional borrowings would not be necessary to fund operations due to their potential ending cash balances. Exhibit D shows that Hampton Machine Tool Company would still have a possibility of a negative cash balance in December if they postponed paying dividends. When factoring in the December sales and the accounts receivable from them, Hampton Machine Tool Company would still be unable to fully repay the loan in December. Extending the loan to January would make the most sense, allowing them time to accumulate the appropriate cash to repay the loan in full. As stated above, our decision to reject Hampton Machine Tool Company’s loan extension request was primarily based off of their current cash budget. Our proposal is to extend the loan to January, with an interest rate increase to 1.75%. The acceptance of this proposal will grant Hampton Machine Tool Company excess time to repay the loan, which will simultaneously remove it from their liabilities. As for the St. Louis National Bank, we feel confident that providing an extension into January will allow Hampton Machine Tool Company sufficient time to turn profits and fully repay their loan. Along with this, the bank will receive additional payments due to the increase in the interest rate. Furthermore, if Hampton Machine Tool Company is unable to repay the loan in January, penalties would incur, based on the discretion of the bank and amount still owned by Hampton Machine Tool Company.