Team Creation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Creation Paper - Essay Example Inability to build up these two significant parts that ought to portray the characteristics of the colleagues will prone to affect contrarily on the undertaking. Another thought when choosing colleagues is the part of accessibility. This involves individuals who are adaptable and focused on the extend and can be promptly accessible are given inclination than chancers. Another thought in choosing the colleagues is that they ought to have something to add to the general venture. Colleagues are chosen based on the information and aptitudes they have about that specific venture. In a similar vein, these individuals should demonstrate an ability to coexist with the other colleagues towards the fulfillment of the objectives of the venture. Another methodology that can be utilized to choose venture colleagues is through the foundation of the members’ readiness to comply with the guidelines and the boundaries of the undertaking. The individuals who are not set up to learn or share the ir thoughts may not be proficient to be chosen as colleagues. b. A portion of the group building systems will be laid out in detail underneath. As a matter of first importance, an undertaking breakdown is the establishment for group building which encourages the venture administrator to relegate the ideal individuals to the correct task assignments (Morris 2008). This establishment phase of group building is worried about setting the vision, objectives and destinations of the group. This methodology is significant in group working in that it obviously spells the course whereupon all the individuals from the group ought to follow towards the fulfillment of the venture objectives set. The other methodology in group building includes explaining the jobs of the colleagues. This limits clashes and misjudging as every single individual from the group will know about the job desire in the undertaking. The other procedure of group building is fixated on setting up bunch standards that will shape the direct of all the colleagues. Deciding the undertaking forms is another key factor in building a venture group which will advance group cohesiveness. Elements identified with the group, for example, issues identified with association of the colleagues, correspondence, dynamic procedure also quantifies for compromise are a portion of the techniques that can be contemplated when assembling a task group. These variables assume a significant job as they are intended to guarantee that the objectives of the group are plainly spelled just as endeavoring to limit the odds of contentions in the group. c. Inside a various task group, expected zones of contention might be an aftereffect of negative conduct among individuals from the group where the individuals may differ with each other or the course of the group (Kerzner 2006). The significant reason for strife in a group is the part of assorted variety which incorporates such factors as age, culture, sexual orientation and work est eems. In certain occurrences, senior representatives may endeavor to defiant their lesser by ideals of status as far as age which is a reason for struggle. This can likewise go connected at the hip with the part of sexual orientation where now and again ladies might be looked downward on by temperance of their sex and sex. This is a significant reason for struggle where there is out of line treatment of the individuals from the group based on sexual orientation. Social factors in a various proje

Australia :: essays research papers

Australia Australia is the world's littlest mainland and 6th biggest nation. With proportionately more desert land than some other mainland, Australia has a low populace thickness. Lying totally in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia is limited by the Indian Ocean on the west and south and by the Pacific Ocean on the east. These seas converge on the north in the Arafura Sea between Australia also, Indonesia and New Guinea, and on the south in the Bass Strait. The coastline length, evaluated at 19,200 km (12,000 mi), is astoundingly short for so huge a region, an aftereffect of the overall absence of space. Significant gulfs other than the Gulf of CARPENTARIA and the GREAT AUSTRALIAN BIGHT are not many. A self-administering individual from the Commonwealth of Nations, Australia commended its bicentennial in 1988z. It is an alliance of five terrain states (NEW SOUTH Ridges, QUEENSLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA) and one island state (TASMANIA), just as two regions (AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY, NORTHERN TERRITORY). The nation's name gets from the Latin land australis incognita, which means "unknown southern land," which came about because of a disarray among Australia and Antarctica on early world maps. From various perspectives Australia is bizarre among landmasses. It needs significant help includes and has a high extent of dry land. The landmass' separation from different landmasses represents its one of a kind assortments of vegetation and creature life, what's more, for the presence of a Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) culture among the Natives. With the exception of Antarctica, Australia was most likely the last landmass to be occupied by people and the last to be investigated and settled by Europeans. It is the main mainland including a solitary country state. Dutch travelers initially located Australia in the mid seventeenth century. Capt. James COOK investigated the east coast in 1770 and guaranteed the land for Great Britain. In 1778 the principal settlement (SYDNEY) was established at a brilliant harbor on the

5 Ways to Get Your Student Loans Forgiven

5 Ways to Get Your Student Loans Forgiven As if going through college is not hard enough, graduation means there is another burden to be shouldered. This burden is that of repaying your student loans.With all the celebration that comes with graduation, you would think that life is about to get smoother. That you would look for a job and get one sooner than later.Earn a good income to sustain yourself and pay your bills, including debts like student loans.Unfortunately, things don’t always work as hoped for.You may go out there and find it a real struggle getting a job. What do you do? What happens when the 6-month grace period comes to an end?Pending bills can be a major issue, especially soon after college. And if you don’t get a job quickly, then stress starts building up. Source: Kemble FinancialLike many others, you may have been told that if you studied hard and passed your exams, you would get a good job.After that, you proceed to buy a home and raise a family.But if that good job doesn’t come along soon, all these can seem as nothing but wishes.But hope is not lost. At least not in repaying your loan.WHY SHOULD YOU SEEK LOAN FORGIVENESS?Today we’re telling you what you can do to reduce your student loan burden.Just like any other debt, these loans can weigh you down to the point of unmanageable stress.At that point, you may struggle to even make a good decision on a daily basis.There can be many reasons why your loan repayment is taking a toll on you.But whatever the reason, you need to deal with this debt.HOW TO GET YOUR STUDENT LOANS FORGIVENContrary to what many think, you don’t have to struggle with your loan if you can’t repay it. This does not mean that you should decide not to pay up what you borrowed.That would not be wise. It woul d deny many others an opportunity similar to the one you got.Imagine what would happen if all borrowers never paid back their loans.If you borrowed money to help you in your college years, the best thing to do is to pay back. This will help others borrow too.But in the event that you are unable to repay the loan, then there are ways of dealing with it. These are meant to help those who genuinely want to pay back but can’t.The reasons might be anything from unemployment to extremely low salaries.For this reason, various programs have been developed to help reduce your burden. We are going to look at 5 ways in which you could have your student loan forgiven.In some of these cases, you will have a certain amount forgiven so that your balance is greatly reduced. In other cases, you can get the full balance canceled.There are various options in the repayment of your student loan. The below video from Federal Student Aid has some helpful information about this. With that information, le t’s get into the loan forgiveness options.Alternative 1: JOIN THE MILITARYEver fancied being part of the marines? Maybe even the Navy Seals?A career in the military can be adventurous. It is also a sacrificial service as you put your life in the line for your country.But isn’t this a great way of serving your country?One things that gets embedded into the lives of service men and women is patriotism.These people are also always ready to serve.There are also many benefits of joining the military. And in the context of our discussion on student loans, this is another reason. Your career in the military can both pay for your college as well as repay your college loans.This happens under the Military College Loan Repayment Program (CLRP). This program has been designed to be an incentive for new recruits.And it’s an incentive that works very well. It can help you clear up to $65,000 worth of student loan debt.The different branches of the military have different payment terms and the amounts vary. The payments are made directly to the lender and start after you have completed one year in active duty.Eligible LoansIt is important for you to know that not all types of loans can be serviced by the CLRP.The below loans are the ones eligible for repayment:Stafford Student LoanAuxiliary Loan Assistance for Students (ALAS)Parents Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)Consolidated Loan ProgramFederally Insured Student Loans (FISL)Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)Perkins LoanAs a hopeful for the loan repayment program, you still must have certain qualifications. Some are general, i.e. they cover all the service branches.Others however are more specific to particular branches.For those specific to particular branches of the military, you just have to confirm when seeking recruitment.Qualifications for CLRPHere is what you need for eligibility into the CLRP:Be a first-time recruit enlisting for at least 3 years of serviceMust have a qualifying specialtyMust have a score of at least 50 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)If enlisting in the Air Force or Navy, you must sign up for a minimum of 4 years. If enlisting in the National Guard, the minimum duration of service is 6 years.Alternative 2: GET AN INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLANAnother way to get your student loan forgiven is by applying for an Income-Driven Repayment plan. This is the method many Americans are using to repay their college loans.This plan is helpful because it takes into account your income. It ensures that the repayment of your loan will not be burdensome.In your repaying, you can at least remain with enough to live on. Considerations of your family size are made to ensure a comfortable repayment.The amounts to be paid every month are determined by the amount of discretionary income you have. Discretionary income is the amount of money you have that is above the federal poverty level.The best part of using the IDR plan is that you get to pay the lowest m onthly amounts possible. And since your payments are based on your earnings, they can be adjusted if your income levels change.At the same time, some drawbacks exist. There are two which are the biggest. One is the need to annually re-certify your income status and eligibility.This process helps determine the amounts to be paid over the next year.The other issue is that interests are usually accumulating when using this plan.As much as your monthly payments will be lower, there will be more payments in interests by the time you’re done with the loan.Types of PlansThe IDR plan is an umbrella term for four different plans. They all are based on your income levels but individually, they have slightly different terms.The percentages from your discretionary income is different and so is the repayment period.Here are the different Income-Driven Repayment plans with some details about them.1. Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment PlanThis plan has payments capped at 10% of your discretionary income. The repayment period is 20 years. This is also the loan forgiveness period. Any loan balance after this period is forgiven.2. Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) Repayment PlanThis repayment plan also has its payments capped at 10% of your discretionary income. The payment period differs depending on the purpose of the loan.If the loan was for an undergraduate study, the period is 20 years. If for a graduate or professional study, the repayment period is 25 years.3. Income-Based Repayment (IBR) PlanYour repayments in this plan depend on when you took the loan. Loans taken before July 1st 2014 have a payment of 15% maximum of your discretionary income. Your repayment period will be 25 years.If you took the loan on or after July 1st 2014, the payment is 10% maximum of your discretionary income. The payment period will be 20 years.4. Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) PlanWith ICR, your repayment amount is 20% of your discretionary income. The repayment period is 25 years.Eligible LoansNot all loans are eligible for the income-driven repayment plan. In some cases, loans may need to be consolidated in order to be eligible. Here are some of the loans you can repay through the IDR plans:Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loansDirect PLUS loans taken by graduate or professional studentsFederal Perkins Loans (if consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan)Direct Consolidation Loans which didn’t repay any PLUS loans taken by parentsA more comprehensive list of eligible loans can be found here. The kind of loan you have will determine the kind of plan you apply for.While some loans are not eligible in some plans, they are in others.Alternative 3: JOIN THE PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMThe Public Service Loan Forgiveness program works a bit differently from the others.This is especially so considering that your loan balance could be forgiven after making 120 qualifying monthly payments. This means forgiveness after a repayment period of 10 years.The cave at however is that these repayment amounts have to be made under a qualifying repayment plan. This also has to be done while working full-time for a qualifying employer. You will notice that there are several terms in this description which need proper defining.Let’s look at these terms to ensure you understand how exactly the PSLF program works.Qualifying employer â€" a qualifying employer is basically one of three types. It may be a local, state or federal government agency or a not-for-profit organization which is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.There are other not-for-profit organizations which are not tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code though still qualify to be qualified employers.These are those which provide public services like public safety, early childhood education, public library services etc.Some of the employers who are not qualified employers include labor unions, for-profit organizations and partisan pol itical organizations.Qualifying payment â€" this is the due amount on your bill which is paid within 15 days of the due date. This payment is done while working full-time in a qualifying employment. The payment counts if it was made after October 1st 2007 under a qualifying repayment plan.If you are within the grace period or have applied for deferment or forbearance, you shouldn’t make payments.Such payments will not count as qualifying payments.For the payment to count, get the deferment or forbearance waived or let the grace period end.Note that the 120 qualifying monthly payments do not have to be consecutive. In cases of job loss, any payment done before a period of non-payment will not be lost.You can continue paying after you get another job or start working for another qualified employer.Full-time qualifying employment â€" this is either the definition of “full-time” as made by your employer or work which is at least 30 hours per week. Whichever of these two is greater , that is the full-time duration needed by PSLF.You might be working part-time for more than one qualifying employers at the same time.In this case, you could reach the full-time duration if the combined average time worked in the different employments total 30 hours per week.Time spent in some activities engaged by some not-for-profit organizations will not count towards full-time work.Time which is spent on religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing will not count as full-time work.Qualifying repayment plan â€" this is any of the repayment plans included in the Income-Driven Repayment plan. These have been discussed above.Eligible loansThe only loans eligible for PSLF are direct loans. If you have any other loans such as the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or the Federal Perkins Loan, these are not eligible. Defaulted loans are also not eligible.To make the FFEL and Perkins loan eligible, you will have to consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan.Below are the eligible loans for PSLF:Direct loansDirect consolidation loansDirect Stafford loansDirect PLUS loansNOTE: PSLF does not have a maximum amount to be forgiven. As long as you have made the required qualifying payments, you are good to go. These payments are also retroactive. If you have made 120 qualifying payments, then your loan can be forgiven right now.With PSLF, the forgiven amount is not taxable.Alternative 4: FILE FOR BANKRUPCYIf your situation is really bad and cannot afford to make any payment, you can file for bankruptcy. This process is not the easiest path to take.Filing for bankruptcy will lead you to the court where you’ll need to prove your inability to repay your loan.For the court to discharge your student loan, you’ll have to prove that repaying the loan will cause you an undue hardship.This means making your life and that of your dependents extremely difficult.Courts normally use what is referred to as the Brunner test to determine your eligi bility for a bankruptcy discharge. Through the test, it has to be proven that:Given your current financial situation, repaying the loan would make you and your dependents unable to have a minimal standard of livingThe current hardship situation will continue for a significant part of your loan repayment periodYou have put in the effort to try and repay the loanEven after filing for bankruptcy, it is not automatic that the court will discharge your loan.There are at least three possible determinations which the court may make. These are:The court may agree with you and fully discharge your loan. This means that you won’t have to make any repayments.The court may agree with you but decide that you can still pay some of the amount required. It will then determine the amount.Though agreeing with you on the difficulty in repaying the loan, the court might simply reject your request for discharge. In that case, it may require you to pay the loan under more favorable terms. These may inc lude lower interest rates and a longer repayment period.Alternative 5: PERKINS LOAN FORGIVENESSIf you have a Perkins loan, it can be canceled or discharged. Cancellation happens based on eligible employment or volunteer service. Discharge on the other hand, is only available under certain circumstances.For cancellations, the eligible employment and volunteer services include those working as:TeachersEarly childhood education providerFirefighterNurse or medical technicianSpeech pathologist holding a Master’s degree at Title I schoolVolunteers with AmeriCorps VISTA or Peace CorpsMost of the cancellations are 100% after 5 years of full-time working. For the AmeriCorps VISTA or Peace Corps volunteers, they get up to 70% canceled in 4 years.CONCLUSIONYou can pursue any of these avenues to get your student loan forgiven. If you’re fresh from college, this might be a good time to plan ahead.When you take one of these paths early enough, you know that not only are you working, but are a lso actively minimizing your debt burden.

Investment Portfolio Management - 6559 Words

|IPM Project Report | | | | | |Investment Portfolio Creation | |using | |†¦show more content†¦It’s actually a very simple quantitative stock ranking scheme. It uses return on capital and earnings yield as inputs. Return on capital is the metric that shows whether a business is a good one or not. Earnings yield is the metric that shows whether a company is cheap or not. Greenblatt suggests using these measures to identify good but cheap businesses, and buy them. That’s the secret behind the ‘magic formula’. In â€Å"The Little Book That Beats The Market,† Greenblatt calculated hypothetical returns for the 1988-2004 period. The magic formula returned an average 30.8% per year, while the market return was 12.3% and the SP 500 returned an average 12.4%. So this formula beats the market by 18% per year. The two things he looks at are earnings yield, which is how cheap the company is. A simple earnings yield would be the inverse of the P/E ratio or earnings to price. So, in other words, if something earned $2 and it cost you $10 a share, you’d have a 20% earnings yield. It uses a more sophisticated metric than just earnings, than just price. But the concept is the same. It uses EBIT–earnings before interest and taxes and compares that to enterprise value, which is the market value of a company’s stock plus the long-term debt that a company has. That adjusts for companies that haveShow MoreRelatedInvestment Analysis Portfolio Management1583 Words   |  7 PagesHere is the term paper on investment analysis portfolio management from 31st may to 1st august. Now you will see that we have collected stock information and calculate relative things to evaluate our performance. We think that if anybody want to invest in the DSE , this term paper can help them to make decision whether or not they will invest or not and what strategy should they follow. 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My Statement of Purpose for a Masters Course in Management...

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Those years were invaluable from a learning standpoint, as I was able to develop analytical and engineering skills I would use throughout my academic career. During this time period I initiated many projects, the majority of which included mechanical inventions, electromechanical devices and explorations of electronics. During this time I also began to develop an interest in computer networking and the study of the TCP/IP command set. Specifically I became fascinated with how the Blackberry could simultaneously send andShow MoreRelatedWhy I Learned Technical Management1100 Words   |  5 PagesStatement of Purpose Introduction Information is important. It is essential. Club it with technology and it becomes vital. Now, add management to the mix and we have a modern, futuristic way of life. Technology and management, both have been around for years now, but individually. While they are solid on their own, when we bring them together we have a true game changer. 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Not only have I gained valuable academic knowledge, but I have also learnt communication skills and how to apply them for the best outcomes in group settings. In fact, I already understand that hard work and optimism (qualities that did me well in my eleven years as a health care assistant in nursing homes for theRead MoreThe Importance Of Making Valid Decision And Strategizing On Business, Polity And Market Front Essay1271 Words   |  6 Pages1 I still remember the days in my universities as if it were yesterday. In those days I worked with lot of national and international organizations, which are working in varied sectors and bringing change by modern methodologies. In second year of my under-graduate, I founded a Non-Governmental Organization named Fep-Si (Forum for Empowering people through Social Innovation and Entertainment) and worked with another organization named Alexis Foundation as research associate for designing public policy

The Louisiana Purchase Free Essays

Describe the events leading to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803. Discuss the terms of the treaty and how Jefferson reconciled his strict interpretation of the Constitution with the acquisition of the territory. Before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the entire Louisiana territory covered what is today known as the Midwest. We will write a custom essay sample on The Louisiana Purchase or any similar topic only for you Order Now The purchase of the land was a monumental step in the expansion of the United States. Thomas Jefferson became the 2nd president of the United States in 1800 and assumed control in 1801.He envisioned a society of independent farmers that were free from the restraints of industrial towns and the mobs of European cities (Brinkley p. 181). In 1763, France lost control of the Louisiana Territory to Great Britain. Under the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800, France regained control of Louisiana in an acquisition that Napoleon Bonaparte hoped would become the heart of the great French empire in America (Brinkley p. 200). Napoleon envision a French empire that would control much of the trade and establish French dominance in the New World.All was not well within the French empire though; African slaves in San Domingo would revolt under the leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture in the West Indies. Napoleon would have to send an army to restore order in the Indies. This revolt was but the start of the problems of Napoleon realizing his ambitions in America (Brinkley p. 200). Thomas Jefferson had begun to reconsider his association with France after he learned of the secret treaty in which France regained Louisiana.Jefferson had become even more alarmed in the fall of 1802 when he learned that the Spanish intendant who controlled the Louisiana Territory had announced a new regulation (Brinkley p. 200). American vessels had long used the Mississippi River as a supply route to get cargo to New Orleans in order to load ocean bound ships for export. The new regulation revealed by the Spanish forbade the use of the route effectively shutting down the lower Mississippi. Upon learning of the new regulation, Jefferson sent his French ambassador to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans (Brinkley p. 00). His ambassador, Robert Livingston, took it upon himself to try and purchase the majority of western Louisiana as well. While Livingston was trying to acquire Louisiana, Jefferson had persuaded Congress to appropriate funds to expand the army and the construction of a river fleet (Brinkley p. 200). Jefferson wanted to give the illusion that the US had partnered with the British if the problems with France were not resolved soon. Shortly afterward, Napoleon decided to accept the United States offer to purchase Louisiana. On April 30, 1803, James Monroe and Richard Livingston signed the agreement with France for the purchase. The United States purchased Louisiana from the French for $80,000,000 francs ($15mil US. ). The US also had to promise certain exclusive commercial privileges to France and to incorporate its residents into the Union (Brinkley p. 201). The agreement stated that Louisiana would occupy the â€Å"same extent† as it had when France and Spain had controlled it (Brinkley p. 202). Thomas Jefferson was pleased with the acquisition of Louisiana but was unsure if he possessed the authority to accept the agreement terms. He was convinced by his advisors that with this treaty making power under the Constitution, that his acceptance of the agreement was justified. In 1803, the French assumed control of Louisiana from Spain and immediately transferred the rights to the territory to the United States. Louisiana was admitted into the Union as a recognized state in 1812. Brinkley p. 202) The purchase of Louisiana was a major step in the development of the Midwestern United States. Gaining control of the territory from France helped the United States regain the power to transport goods down the Mississippi River to get to the port of New Orleans. This was a big deal to the United States as New Orleans was the focal point of moving goods across the ocean for export.Bibliography †¢ Brinkley, A. (2007). American History: A Survey. Boston: McGraw Hill. How to cite The Louisiana Purchase, Papers

Cloud Computing Technology Cloud Computing Service Models

Question: Discuss about the Cloud Computing Technology for Cloud Computing Service Models. Answer: Introduction London Bikes Ltd. is a small and medium sized enterprise, also known as an SME, which is located in the heart of London. The company is into selling of high end bicycles that are specifically meant for city riding and also takes custom orders from customer. The company hosts a website internally and has a full-fledged database management system, which the company uses for customer accounts, orders and billing. The IT capabilities of the company are also used to manage the pay role of their workforce. The company has recently gained knowledge about cloud computing and it is planning to implement cloud storage in their business so that they could increase the level of customer services and satisfaction. The first priority of the company is to create a backup of all its confidential information on a cloud server so that it could be saved from any man-made or natural disaster. Therefore, this report is aimed at providing an introduction of cloud computing to the company and discussing it s benefits, along with some success stories and deployment recommendations. Cloud Computing In the past few years, we have seen some of the best innovations that the technology could have ever made possible. From virtual reality to robots and artificial intelligence, technology has shocked us in a great way and has also made out life simpler. One such innovation of technology has been cloud computing that has actually helped millions of small, medium and large business organisations in increasing the efficiency of their business operations. Cloud computing, in simple words, is an internet service that hosts and delivers online storage services [1]. It provides shared computer processing resources and data to information technology devices on demand. The concept of cloud computing has evolved in the past few years as companies have been able to save a lot of their operational costs by eliminating the need to maintain huge and costly data banks and shifting all their information and data on to cloud storage servers. Cloud computing was coined to denote computer infrastructure as a cloud from where business owners and individuals could extract data on demand from anywhere in the world [10]. Characteristics Of Cloud Computing Let us now discuss some characteristic features of cloud computing: Self-service Per-Usage Metering and Billing Multiple Backend Hypervisors Storage virtualization Interface to public clouds Virtual clusters Reservation and negotiation mechanism [10] Benefits Of Cloud Computing Let us now discuss some advantages of cloud computing, which can be enjoyed by the organisation once it implements cloud computing in the company: Cost Savings one of the main benefits of cloud computing is that it helps companies in saving a lot IT costs. Businesses, no matter small, medium or large, work in order to earn money, which can be done only when the operational costs and expenses can be reduced. With cloud computing sever in place, business organisations can save a lot of their expenses by eliminating the costs related to in-house server storage and application requirements [2]. Reliability Cloud computing is managed by service provides and hence, it is much more reliable and consistent that a companys in-house infrastructure. Cloud computing service providers provide uninterrupted services and also prevent business organisations from the loss of important information or data as the data stored on the cloud servers can be easily retrieved at any point of time. Cloud service providers provide 24/7/365 availability and in case of failure, the applications being hosted on the server can be quickly transferred to any available server [2]. Improved collaboration one of the most amazing benefits of cloud computing is that it provides improved collaboration amongst all the operational units of an organisation [3]. By implementing a cloud computing server in the organisation, London Bikes Ltd. will be able to create, view, edit and share information and data amongst all the operational units of the company without any hassle. With improved collaboration, the company will be able to provide better products and services to the customers [4]. Scalability/Flexibility another major benefit of cloud computing is its scalability or flexibility. London Bikes Ltd. would be able to easily scale up or scale down its operations and storage needs according to the demand of the situation. Rather than investing into the acquisition of new infrastructure, software or hardware [4]. Some cloud service providers have made their services highly flexible so that it can be tailored according to the needs of the customers. Service Models And Available Real-World Services Cloud computing is becoming increasingly famous in the modern day world as it is convenient, cost-effective, all time available and provides on demand network access to information and data whenever required. Cloud computing comes with three service models: Software as a Service (SaaS) In this service model, the customers are allowed to use the application of the provider that is running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are made accessible to the customer through a thin client interface or through a program interface [5]. Platform as a Service (PaaS) in this service model, the customers are provided with the capability to deploy a cloud infrastructure, which is acquired by the customer, but is developed using applications, languages, services, etc. that are supported by the provider [5]. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) in this service model, the customers are given the opportunity to gain access to processing, storage, networks and other fundamental computing resources. The customer is also allowed to run the arbitrary software that can consist of operating system and applications. The only thing that the consumer is not allowed to control is the cloud infrastructure [5]. Cloud computing is being considered as the next big thing and beyond doubt, sooner or later, it will eliminate the need of using large storage devices and heavy investments to extend storage spaces. As a result, there are a number of companies that have started providing cloud computing services to business organisations and individuals. Some of these service providers are: Amazon web services Amazon is one of the best cloud computing service in the market that provides a combination of IaaS and PaaS cloud services [7]. Amazon Web Services has a huge list of almost 70 services that span across a wide range including compute, storage, networking, application services, etc. Google Cloud Service Google too has been providing cloud services since quite a long time now. Googles Drive cloud storage has been providing storage solutions to millions of customers. Google also offers cloud computing services that are related to IaaS model. Googles platform includes a wide variety of hosted servers that allow computing, storage and application development that are run on the hardware of the company itself [8]. Cloud Computing And Virtualization Virtualization refers to the creation of a virtual version of something, such as a virtual version of a storage device, operating system, etc. Virtualization can be of many types, such as network virtualization, storage virtualization, server virtualization, etc. Virtualization can help in increasing the processing power of the information system by centralizing the administrative tasks and improving scalability of workloads. Network virtualization, storage visualization and server virtualization can be together used to make the concept of cloud computing better and more secure than ever before. [9]. The concept of storage virtualization helps service providers in extending the storage capacities of the cloud by allocating more memory. Further, the concept of software virtualization allows business organisations to use the same software on a large number of information systems by creating a virtual layer. Virtualization in cloud technology aims at managing the workload by making the traditional form of computing more scalable, efficient and economical. When cloud computing is related to virtual technology, it makes it possible for the organisation to run multiple operating systems and multiple applications on the same server at the same time. Thus, the concept of cloud computing still has to reach its pinnacle and would change the entire IT infrastructure once it does [13]. Deployment Recommendations The company, as stated in the case study, is a small and medium sized company that operates in London. Therefore, it is obvious that the company would not be eager enough to invest its important resources in acquiring costly cloud computing services. Cloud computing comes in different service models, such as IaaS, SaaS or PaaS, etc. and each of the models can have different cost structure for the investor. The service models and the cost structure would depend upon the companys requirements for access and its ability to handle the operations of cloud computing itself. The company should, first of all, prepare a list of cloud computing service providers and shortlist the ones which have simpler service models, provide cheaper services and offer very less maintenance on the customers part. Cloud computing service providers, such as amazon web services, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. can be included in the list as they are some of the most cost effective cloud services. Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud are two of the few best cloud computing service providers in the market and the rivalry between the two is a common topic in the market. Where Google has a huge platform and numbers attached to it, Amazon too is a tough competitor with more services to offer. AWS also offers a wider variety of services and has higher quality. Therefore, AWS is a clear winner when it comes to quantity and quality. On the other hand, Google is no less. Google has an advantage of Big Data with it and in a number of cases Google Cloud scores higher than AWS. Therefore, it is clear that both the platforms have some competitive advantages over the other and it would totally rely upon the preference of the company whether it would go with AWS or Google Cloud. Overall, London Bikes Ltd. should clearly weigh the advantages of the two, relate them with their business operations and acquire the one which would best serve their purpose. Migration Strategies Migrating to new software altogether is not an easy task for any company. It requires a lot of confidence and professional guidance to accurately set up the whole system on a new software, hardware or technology. Similarly, it would not be easy for London Bikes Ltd. to migrate to cloud computing altogether and leave all its traditional forms of computing. The company will have to work patiently and at a steady pace, it should slowly shift all its computing or information technology related work to cloud computing. Initially, the company will have to implement cloud computing in the workplace at a very small scale. By acquiring a simpler and a less complicated service application, the company would be able to pilot test the benefits of the cloud computing software and would be able to predict the future prospects of the same. The company should go for either SaaS or IaaS service models as they are less complicated and do not require the customer to take care of a lot of things or maintain them from time to time. Once the company is able to decide and implement a cloud computing platform, it should start to shift its customer information on to it. The company should ensure that it has a safe backup of all its files that are being transferred on to the cloud server as some things might go wrong in the first attempt. Once the company has all its customer information saved on the cloud, it can allow all the operational units of the organisation to use the cloud server and gain access to the informa tion stored on it for serving the customers when they come. If the company finds the cloud server to be useful and secure enough, it can then start to transfer its classified or confidential information on the cloud. Another major concern in cloud computing is related to security. As it is evident that the company will shift to cloud computing and would allow access of data to different users from multiple devices, security issues will definitely occur. If the management or the IT staff is unable to track the cloud server properly, it can be easily breached by outside entities and a lot of harm can be caused to the information or data stored on the cloud server. London Bikes Ltd. should also ensure that there are different levels of authentication in the organisation as all the information cannot be made available to all the people. Therefore, using unique ID passwords, the management can restrict the level of access that the employees will have to the cloud server. Once the company starts using the cloud server properly, it can contact the service provider for extra storage space whenever required, any security modifications, special customizations, etc. Conclusion London Bikes Ltd. has an exceptional business model and its unique idea will definitely bring a lot of business opportunities in the future if the company continues to perform well. To perform well in the market and to gain market competencies, it is must that the company should implement cloud computing as soon as possible as it would make it easier for the management to manage all the work operations and serve the customers in the best possible manner. Therefore, the company should take its time, conduct a detailed analysis on the cloud service providers, chose the one which suits their business purpose and should quickly migrate to cloud computing. References [3]"11 Advantages of Cloud Computing | Skyhigh Networks", Skyhigh Networks, 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.skyhighnetworks.com/cloud-security-blog/11-advantages-of-cloud-computing-and-how-your-business-can-benefit-from-them/. [Accessed: 13- Aug- 2016]. [2]"Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing | LevelCloud", LevelCloud, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.levelcloud.net/why-levelcloud/cloud-education-center/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cloud-computing/. [Accessed: 13- Aug- 2016]. [4]"Benefits of cloud computing | Queensland Government", Business.qld.gov.au, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/technology-for-business/cloud-computing-business/cloud-computing-benefits. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016]. [10]R. Buyya, J. Broberg and A. Gos cin ski, Cloud computing. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2011. [5]Q. Devery, "The three types of Cloud Computing Service Models", Paranet.com, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.paranet.com/blog/bid/128267/The-three-types-of-Cloud-Computing-Service-Models. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016]. [11]T. Erl, R. Puttini and Z. Mahmood, Cloud computing. . [14]R. Krutz and R. Vines, Cloud security. Indianapolis, Ind.: Wiley Pub., 2010. [13]L. Malhotra, D. Agarwal and A. Jaiswal, Virtualization in Cloud Computing, 1st ed. 2014. [12]S. Smoot and N. Tan, Private cloud computing. Waltham, MA: Morgan Kaufmann, 2012. [6]D. Sullivan, "Cloud Computing Solutions: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS", Tom's IT Pro, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/cloud-computing-solutions,1-1755.html. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016]. [7]D. Sullivan, "PaaS Provider Comparison Guide: Amazon AWS as a PaaS - IaaS PaaS in One", Tom's IT Pro, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/amazon-aws-paas-iaas-cloud-computing,2-608.html. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016]. [1]"What is cloud computing? - Definition from WhatIs.com", SearchCloudComputing, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/cloud-computing. [Accessed: 13- Aug- 2016]. [8]"What is Google Cloud Platform? - Definition from WhatIs.com", SearchCloudComputing, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/Google-Cloud-Platform. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016]. [9]"What is virtualization? - Definition from WhatIs.com", SearchServerVirtualization, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/definition/virtualization. [Accessed: 14- Aug- 2016].

Alternative Sources of Energy as a Replacement of Oil

Alternative Sources of Energy as a Replacement of Oil Alternative Sources of Energy as a Replacement of Oil Modern society depends on electricity, which is the main type of available energy. Most of the electricity is generated using nonrenewable resources. Accessible oil and gas reserves are slightly higher than their current annual extraction. However, when comparing the figures related to the assessment of known reserves of most available fuels with the numbers of their current consumption, humanity can estimate the maximum time, for which these reserves may be sufficient. For oil, time is 65 years; for gas, it is 44 years; for coal, it is 320 years. In order to solve the energy problems by technical means, specialists offer two contrasting scenarios: the development of new techniques of energy production and the development of technology for energy efficiency. Thus, the development of new techniques of energy production using alternative sources of energy and the ability to replace oil and gas by them should be considered. Solar Energy Today, for the conversion of solar radiation into electrical energy, people have two possibilities: to use solar energy as a heat source to generate electricity by conventional means (for instance, using turbo) or directly convert solar energy into electricity in solar cells. The implementation of both options is still undeveloped. Solar energy is used for melting substances, heating, distillation of water, as well as heating after concentration by mirrors. As solar energy is distributed over a large area (in other words, has a low density), any system for the direct use of solar energy should have a collecting device (collector) with a sufficient surface. The simplest device of this kind is the flat-plate collector, a black stove, well insulated from the bottom. It is covered with glass or plastic that transmits light, but does not allow the infrared heat radiation. In the space, between the plate and black glass tube, through which water, oil, mercury, air, sulfur dioxide flow, are placed. Solar radiation penetrating through glass or plastic in the collector pipe is absorbed by the black stove and heat the working medium in the tubes. Thermal radiation cannot escape from the reservoir; therefore, the temperature in it is much higher (200-500 C pa) than the ambient air temperature. This reflects the so-called greenhouse effect. Ordinary garden greenhouses, in fact, are simple solar collectors. However, the farther away the equipment is from the tropics, the less effective the horizontal collector is, since turning it after the sun is too difficult and expensive. Therefore, these collectors are usually set at a certain optimum angle to the south. More difficult and expensive collector is a concave mirror, which focuses the incident radiation in a small volume around a certain geometric point - focus. The reflective surface of the mirror is made of metallized plastic or made up of many small plane mirrors attached to a large parabolic base. Due to the special mechanisms, this type of collector is constantly turned to the sun; thus, it can collect the largest possible amount of solar radiation. The temperature in the working space of mirror reaches 3000 C (Orloff, 2008). Arguments against the Use of Solar Energy Solar energy refers to the type of energy, which consumes a lot of material resources for production. Large-scale use of solar energy results in a substantial increase of demand of materials and, consequently, the labor force for the production of raw materials, enrichment, obtaining materials, manufacturing heliostats, collectors, other equipment, transportation. Calculations show that the production of 1 MWh of electricity per year would cost between 10 000 and 40 000 hours of human labor, comparing with the figure 200-500 000 hours in traditional energy sphere. Electricity produced by of the solar rays is much more expensive than the energy obtained by conventional methods. Biofuels Bioethanol is, in fact, a normal ethanol, which is produced by hydrolysis or fermentation of sugar-containing plants or straw and husks with subsequent distillation or purification. Biodiesel is a type of biofuel on the basis of vegetable or animal fats (oils), as well as the products of esterification, which are used in pure form or as various blends with diesel fuel. Any type of vegetable oil can be used for the production of biodiesel, but, as a rule, for these purposes specific oils are used such as canola (84%), sunflower (13%) and soybean (2%) oils. The main advantages of biodiesel are: Renewable energy sources; Preservation of natural resources; Can be used in conventional, unmodified diesel engines; Storage conditions are similar to conventional diesel fuel; The possibility of extending the life of diesel engines is higher than of fuel oil; The production and use of biodiesel have about 80% less carbon dioxide emissions, and almost 100% - sulfur dioxide (reducing pollution) (Brown, 2007). Moreover, the use of 5% bioethanol results in reduced carbon emissions by 3.5% and E85 (85% alcohol fuel) by 50%. In the biofuels, the presence of 15% ethanol reduces CO2 in the exhaust gas by 25%, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides - by 5-15%. In addition to the environmental benefits, the use of biofuels makes a considerable commercial value; General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler created hundreds of thousands vehicles, operating on a conventional gasoline, as well as on a gasoline mixed with ethanol. Oil companies are also looking for an alternative and increasingly conceive projects for the production of biofuels. Thus, this year known oil company Shell will produce ethanol with Brazil's Cosan, the largest exporter of sugar cane, and will invest in the project hundreds of millions of dollars (Brown, 2007). Wind Energy Resources of wind energy are more than a hundred times higher than the water energy of all the rivers of the world. Total wind energy potential of the Earth is 1200 TW. The average wind speed at a height of 20-30 m above the surface of the Earth should be large enough that the power of the air flow, passing through the properly oriented vertical section, reaches a value that is acceptable for conversion. Wind power stations are built mostly DC. Fantail drives the dynamo-electric generator, which also charges the parallel connected batteries. The battery pack is automatically connected to the generator at a time, when the voltage at its output terminals is greater than on the battery terminals and is also automatically turned off. Theoretically, coefficient of the efficiency of energy use of the air flow can be equal to 59.3%. In practice, the maximum coefficient of beneficial use of wind energy in the real wind turbine is about 50%. In addition, some of the energy of the air flow is lost in the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is carried out with an efficiency of typically 75-95%. Taking into account all these factors, the specific electric power supplied by real wind power units, apparently, is 30-40% of the capacity of the air flow (Melis, 2001). The most crucial argument against this type of alternative energy is the high cost of a wind machine. Geothermal Energy Energy land or geothermal energy is based on the use of the natural heat of the earth. The upper part of the earth's crust is the thermal gradient, equal to 20-30 C per 1 km depth, and, according to White (1965), the amount of heat contained in the earth's crust to a depth of 10 km (excluding the surface temperature), is about 12,6*10 26 J. These resources are equivalent to the heat content of 4,6 1016 tons of coal, which is more than 70 thousand times greater than the heat content of technically and economically recoverable coal resources of the world. For electricity production in the fields of hot water, a method based on the use of the vapor formed by evaporation of hot liquid on the surface is used. This method uses the phenomenon that when the hot water under high pressure in wells goes from the pool to the surface, its pressure falls, and about 20% of the liquid boils and turns to steam. This vapor is separated from the water and sent to the turbine. Water coming out of the separator can be subjected to further processing, depending on its mineral composition. This water can be pumped back into the rocks at once, or if it is economically justified, with a preliminary extraction of its minerals (Orloff, 2008). Arguments against the Use of Geothermal Energy High prime cost, high cost of facilities for producing energy from geysers are the principal arguments against this type of alternative energy. Furthermore, obtaining geothermal energy directly from magma is not technically feasible. However, geothermal heat in the upper part of the crust (to a depth of 10 km) is too scattered to solve world's energy problems. Resources suitable for industrial use are separate fields of geothermal energy, focusing on accessible depth. They have a certain amount of heat, sufficient for their use for the production of electricity or heat. Technologies, needed to use energy of the hot dry rock, just begin to develop. Ocean Thermal Energy Last decade is characterized by certain success in the use of ocean thermal energy. Thus, stations for mini-OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) are created. For the first time in the history of technology, mini-OTEC system could give the external load utility power, at the same time covering its own needs. Experience gained in the operation of mini-OTEC, will faster enable to build a more powerful OTEC-1 and begin to design more powerful systems of this type. Arguments against are the technological complexity of implementing and high cost of the construction of such a facility (Horton, 2008). The Energy of the Tides For centuries, people have speculated on the cause of tides. Today, it is reliably known that this powerful natural phenomenon, a rhythmic movement of sea water, is caused by gravity of the Moon and the Sun. The maximum possible power from one tide to another can be expressed by the equation W=p*g*S*R2,where p is the density of water, g is the acceleration due to gravity, S is the area of the Tidal Basin, R is the difference in level at high tide. As it can be seen from the formula for tidal energy, some places are the most suitable on the coast, where the tides have large amplitude, while contour and coastal features can make a big closed "basins". Capacity of plants in some areas can reach 2-20 MW. First maritime tidal power station with capacity of 635 kW was built in 1913 in the Bay of Dee near Liverpool. In 1935, the building of a tidal power plant in the U.S. was begun. Americans dammed part of Passamakvodi Bay on the East Coast, spent $ 7 million, but the work was stopped. Argentine experts offered to use substantially high tidal waves in the Strait of Magellan, but the government did not approve the expensive project. Since 1967, at the mouth of the Rance River in France, at high tide of 13 meters, a tidal power station with the capacity of 240 thousand kW with an annual return 540 thousand kW has been working. Soviet engineer Bernstein developed a convenient way of blocks building on TPS, hauled afloat to the right places, and calculated the cost-effective procedure for the inclusion of TPS in the grid in the hours of their peak load by consumers (Horton, 2008). Arguments against this kind of alternative energy are inconvenience for the construction due to the lack of conditions (mismatch in seabed, etc.) and high cost of installation. The Energy of Sea Currents Inexhaustible supplies of the kinetic energy of ocean currents, accumulated in the oceans and seas, can be converted into the mechanical energy and electricity using turbines, immersed in water (like windmills, "immersed" in the atmosphere). One of the projects of waves using is based on the principle of an oscillating water column. In the gigantic "boxes" without a bottom and with holes at the top, water level rises and falls down under the influence of waves. The water column in the box acts like a piston: sucks air and forces it into the turbine blades. Currently, in some countries, and especially in England, an intensive work in terms of using of waves energy is being carried out. The British Isles have a very long coastline; in many places, the sea is stormy for a long time. Scientists estimate that 120 GW can be obtained up by the energy of the waves of the British territorial waters, which is twice more than the capacity of all power plants owned by the British Central Electri city Authority. Argument against this type of alternative energy is its low efficiency. One can expect to use only about 10% of the energy flow. There are also the technical difficulties of tools development: harmonization of inertia of turbine wheels with the amount of air in ducts in such a way that inertia keeps constant speed of turbine shafts in a wide range of conditions on the sea surface. Different types of alternative energy sources, their description "for" and arguments "against" their replacement of oil were considered. Nonetheless, it is also necessary to consider the reality (Zehner, 2012). The thing is that the current global financial system is totally dependent on the ever-increasing supply of oil and natural gas. Global financial and economic systems are built on the aspiration of the sustainable economic "growth". This growth of economic activity increases the amount of spent energy. At the moment, the global economy is able to perceive only fossil fuels (primarily oil and natural gas) as the form of energy, reserves of which are rapidly running out. A barrel of oil contains the energy equivalent of almost 25 thousand hours of human labor. Moreover, just one gallon of gasoline is the equivalent of 200-500 hours of human labor. Almost all of the work done in the world economy, such as all manufacturing, construction and transport, is done with energy, which is derived from fuel. In 2012, the production of one calorie of food, consumed in the United States, required ten calories of fossil fuel. 20% of the use of fuel resources in the U.S. is in the food chain, which means that their consumption of the food industry can compete with cars. Modern medicine, water and maintenance of the army are entirely based on oil and its chemical derivatives. In the U.S., the infrastructure of Internet supporting takes 10% of the produced energy. The dynamics of oil production is described by a Gaussian curve. An ever-increasing abundance of oil is on the upward slope of the curve; its increasing scarcity and high cost are on the downward. Conclusion Summarizing the above, alternative energy sources are a great option for development. However, the reality is that any source of alternative energy is able to cover the world's energy needs as it is 31 billion barrels a year, and it continues to grow. No source of alternative energy can produce energy without the cost of oil and gas for its production. None of them is cheap enough, clean (do not pollute the environment) and available in quantities of at least close to the immense volume of everyday consumption of oil and natural gas in the world. Discovering and extracting raw materials, such as silver, copper, platinum, uranium, which is necessary for the construction of solar panels and wind turbines, requires a huge amount of oil and other scarce resources. Oil is also needed for the development of alternative energy installations, distribution, support and their adaptation to the currently existing infrastructure. The reality is that it is preferred to invest world financial capi tal in military technology instead of investments in alternative energy sources, foreseeing future energy conflicts, namely the war for the remaining resources. The current system of market economy, the main purpose of which is to make more money and use more energy, will not allow the implementation of alternative energy sources, until reserves of oil and gas will end. As the exhaustion of oil and gas in the world's current economic model is inevitable, reserves of other forms of energy are not enough for a full-scale commercial operation, humanity is constrained to await for several depressive decades as long as the energy deficit will not be filled, and the world economic system will not be radically restructured.

rattlebone essays

rattlebone essays A novel or a collection of short stories? may be a question that a critic asks about Rattlebone. Maxine Clair portrays both arguments with her energetic writing style. A blend of random comments and many unique phrases intermix with the intense plot. Writing like this gives the reader a more relaxed state and the book seems more alive and real. In answer to the critique question, Maxine Clair is writing a novel because of an abundant supply of foreshadowing, a collection of narrators, a recurrence of characters, and a process commonly known to man as aging. Suggesting that Rattlebone is in fact a novel, foreshadowing occurred in several places during the book. Clair uses this writing method by mentioning the name October Brown, partly because Brown is involved at the beginning and towards the end of the book. Ms. Brown became an important part of Irenes life, not only by being one of the main reasons for her parents divorce, but also by helping Irene accomplish one of her goals. The time that occurred between these two events in the book connects Rattlebone and is a very good use of foreshadowing. Another example of Clairs use of this writing method is the experience of the divorce between Irenes parents. This long-term process displayed Irenes parents as being unforgiving. At first his wife forgives James Wilson for the affair that he enjoyed with October Brown, but after a period of time, Pearl also had her share of the fall in their relationship. At this time, neither one of Irenes parents would forgive the other nor make up with the other. This example again shows the use of foreshadowing by Clair by evolving the event over several chapters with different narrators. Irene, the narrator in several different stages of the divorce between her parents, speaks her feelings of disgust and always tries to keep her parents relationship together. Another side of the sto...

Training Programme for Production Manager Assignment

Training Programme for Production Manager - Assignment Example Top-Toy AS is a multinational company headquartered in Denmark with offices and outlets in Finland. This company produces and markets toys in many countries. In order to reduce manufacturing/production costs Top-Toy AS has moved its production of some toys to China. Top-Toy AS has also begun a new policy of shipping its products directly to its distributors in various countries rather than to Denmark to eliminate some of the costs of getting the product to market. Top-Toy has positioned a manager in China to facilitate communication between its headquarters and the manufacturing plant in China. One of the tasks of the China based manager is to help establish Top-Toy's global organizational culture that has made Top-Toy so successful in other markets. The managerial position in China is a three-year posting of an employee from either the Denmark headquarters or their Finland branch. This is a highly sought after post because it increases the value of the employee to Top-Toy AS and alm ost assures that employee a promotion upon their return to Europe. Top-Toy AS's challenge has been to set up an appropriate training programme for prospective managers. The prospective manager chosen for the next three year rotation is Finland native Frans Gustafsson (hypothetical character). Frans is a thirty-five year old married man with two young sons. Frans attended university in the United Kingdom and holds an MA degree. His native language is Finnish and he also has a good command of the English language. Frans' wife Hanna and his two sons Bo and Luukas will accompany him on his rotation. He has one year before his rotation begins and must use that time wisely to prepare. Frans is in luck! Top-Toy AS has developed a training programme for its managers. Frans will complete the training programme with an alternate candidate (chosen in case Frans can't go) who is first in line for the following rotation. The men's wives have been invited to attend various portions of the training programme as well. The first issue to be addressed are the language skills the Fran's will need to communicate with his Chinese counter parts. Both couples were provided with a programme called "RosettaStone level one Chinese that claims that you can "Learn a language naturally with Dynamic Immersion" (Rosetta Stone website). Both couples were also enrolled in an intensive Chinese language and culture course at the University of Helsinki. A very important part of the course at the university is a study in the cultural differences that exist when conducting business. Frans, and the others, were encouraged to focus on the cultural differences that exist between Chinese workers and Scandinavian workers. In China, managerial relationships with workers have traditionally focused on relationships and family backgrounds. The factory took care of your family while you worked hard for the factory (Su Yi, pg 1.). In contrast, western European managerial/worker relationships are based upon qualifications, compete ncy, and performance. Fran's, and the others, have to learn how to effectively manage in the Chinese workplace. Frans, and his alternate, will communicate frequently with the current manager in China to get a feel for the managerial style that is currently being used at the factory. Both

Bilingual Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bilingual Education - Essay Example In his autobiography Hunger of Memory, Rodriquez unintentionally portrays himself as an exception to his own beliefs. (Rodriquez 12) This book tracks this Mexican American from the time that he was a "schoolchild until he became a literary scholar and nationally acclaimed memoirist. His memoir also describes his gradual alienation from his cultural roots as his assimilation into mainstream culture deprives him of his native tongue and his connection to his past. The book achieves popularity at a time when multiculturalism is becoming a force in American education." (Burt 2004) In order to make sense of the factors that make up Rodriquez's life, he chooses his love for languages to explain how his persona is formed. Rodriquez surmises that it is better to have used English in school rather than to have had a bilingual education. As he struggles to prove this, he represents himself with a paradox of emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. It is his opinion that it was the different uses of languages and his reaction to them that sets him apart. According to Rodriquez, "It is not possible for any child ever to use his family's language in school. " He thinks that "not to understand this, is to misunderstand the public uses of schooling and to trivialize the nature of intimate life and a family's language." (Aria 13) In his writings Rodriquez appears to... In his failure to study these anomalies, Rodriquez does a disservice to himself. When he started school, Rodriquez could only speak "fifty stray English words." (Rodriquez 1) Unlike his brother and sister who attended a Roman Catholic school, Rodriquez went to an all white school with children whose parents were professionals. In his mind, this must have presented a sharp contrast to his own parents who were poor and spoke little English. During this time, he also observed that his brother and sister enjoyed a relationship of togetherness, one that left him feeling alone. His sense of alienation continued to grow as he listened to them " communicating among themselves in Spanish." (Rodriquez 1) Rodriquez has been criticized for cutting himself off from his roots. A better argument would be that the languages barriers that were forced upon him caused this gap. Had he been given a bilingual education this would have been different. Instead of living in language compartments at his home and school, his new English language would have blended into that of his native tongue. As his brother and sister did, Rodriquez would have used both languages interchangeably.If one reads Rodriquez's work closely, they sense his great affection for his family. The feelings of shame that he talks about are more general than personal. Nevertheless, it is easier to attack the character of Rodriquez than to discover the bonds that exists between him and his people in spite of their physical and psychological differences. While addressing the relationship between his brother and sister, it is evident that he has the feeling that he is an only child. Rather than to see how a bilingual education might have made a difference, he chooses to feel

Competition Between The Three Major Supermarkets Economics Essay

Competition Between The Three Major Supermarkets Economics Essay For my Extended Essay, I decided to investigate the competition between the three major supermarkets in my local area, and whether they collude or not, prompting my research question: To what extent do the larger supermarkets in my local area collude with each other? By analysing data collected on pricing from the three supermarkets, it was found that two of the three supermarkets at hand colluded tacitly with each other, under and oligopoly market structure. The prices of fifteen identical prices were recorded across a time span of three weeks. The analyses of these prices lead to two conclusions. Firstly, it was found that two supermarkets colluded with each other, but still had non-price competition between them. This was mainly due to the advantage of the two stores acting as a monopoly by charging the same price. This allowed the two supermarkets to make abnormal profit, which in turn they used to create a stronger brand loyalty, and thus, a more inelastic demand curve. Secondly , it was found one of the supermarkets was undercutting the other two supermarkets prices. The main reason for this was that the supermarket could gain greater revenue at the time by undercutting rivals, due to having more customers. These findings show that there was collusion between larger supermarkets in my area, but not between all supermarkets. Finally, the essay could be improved if I included more products in my data collection, as well as collecting the data over a longer time period. 1. INTRODUCTION Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys are the three main supermarkets that constitute weekly shopping for the public in my local area, west Charlton. These three supermarkets are recognised for their vast range in goods and at affordable prices. It is no surprise then that in terms of market share, they each comprise the top three places for having the most market share in the U.K.1 During the last couple of years, though, I have noticed that many of the smaller supermarkets in the same area have begun to close down. Since enrolling in the IB Higher Economics course and studying market structures in particular, Ive developed an interest into how supermarkets compete with each other, or even, how they collude together. Maybe, given their large hold of the market share, the benefits from collusion would be unmatchable compared to other smaller supermarkets, in terms of increased sales revenue. Also, formal collusion, one of two forms of collusion, is illegal as it goes against the Competition Act 1998 (the Act) Chapter 12. Therefore, the research question I have formulated is To what extent do the larger supermarkets in my local area collude with each other? To be able to explore this research question, I will first present a summary of the supermarkets, where the characteristics of them will be described. This will lead on to my next section where I will discuss relevant theoretical market structures and relate economic theories to them. After I have presented these theories, I will hypothesise which market structure is adequate for the supermarkets present, thus creating a sufficient research design where the prices of similar products will be compared. Finally, I will analyse the collected data and prove or disprove my research question, leading to a conclusion of my essay and exploring possible limitations. 2. MARKET SUMMARY In the area I am studying there are three main supermarkets; Asda, Tesco and Sainsburys, situated in West Charlton (appendix 1.1). Each supermarket is similar in size, satisfying the vast needs of the inhabitants in the area. It is worth mentioning that due to the supermarkets being of a substantial size structurally, there must have been large start up costs. Each of the three engages in non-price competition. This includes things such as advertising on T.V, having parking areas and the use of brand names. The offerings of these services are in the attempt to attract more customers. Take for example, Asda, which has parking as well as various sectors to its stores such as electrical and clothing sections as well as groceries. The aim of this is that customers can visit only this store by satisfying all their needs from the vast offers of goods. Furthermore, each supermarket advertises their brand names to gain more customers due to the brand loyalty it has established. This could ma ke their demand curve more inelastic, meaning that an increase in the price of a good would result in the increased revenue exceeding the reduction of quantity sold (appendix 1.2). These three supermarkets also dictate the majority of market share, as I have mentioned. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s and Asda are open for 24 hours from Tuesday to Friday, otherwise it is from 7 in the morning to 11 in the evening. Tesco are open from 7 to 11 everyday, apart from Sunday when they open an hour later and close an hour earlier. I don ¿Ã‚ ½t think that the slightly lesser hours that Tesco is opened during the week will affect my research much, or at all. This is due to the fact that I don ¿Ã‚ ½t believe Tesco make much of their sales between midnight and 7 in the morning. 3. MARKET STRUCTURE THEORIES I will now present the four types of market structure theories and their assumptions. I will not going into great detail on the structure of a monopoly as this is not a possible market structure for the supermarkets, given the fact that there is evidently more than one firm in the area. This is the same for perfect competition, as the goods produced by supermarkets are not identical. Firstly, I will present the market structure of a monopolistic competition. The assumptions of this market structure are3: * The industry is made up by a large number of firms * The firms each act independently of each other, due to each firm being small, relative to the size of the industry * The firms produce differentiated products; consumers can tell one product from another * Firms are free to enter and exit the industry, due to lack of barriers to entry and exit * Firms are able to make abnormal profits in the short run, however due to lack of barriers to entry; this attracts other firms into the industry. This means that in the long run, only normal profits are able to be made Due to the fact that the supermarkets in question are of a substantial size, I believe that the start up cost in itself will be of a great barrier to entry. Also, I don ¿Ã‚ ½t believe the industry I am examining is made up of a large number of firms, as there are only three supermarkets of their type in the local area. Another market structure that the supermarkets could come under is an oligopoly. These are the basic assumption of an Oligopoly:4 * A few firms dominate the industry * There are barriers to entry and/or exit for the industry * The firms are price makers as they have a downward sloping demand curve * The firms are interdependent; the action of one firm can have an effect on another * Abnormal profits can be made both in the short run and long run In addition to these assumptions, firms in an Oligopoly can be either collusive or non-collusive. Non collusive oligopolies face price stability due to the kinked demand curve. This is shown in figure 1. Figure 15 Due to the kinked demand curve, price will be stabilized at price  ¿Ã‚ ½P ¿Ã‚ ½. This happens as the Price elasticity of Demand (PED: The responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good or service to a change in its price)6 above price  ¿Ã‚ ½P ¿Ã‚ ½ is greater than 1. This means that an increase in price above point  ¿Ã‚ ½P ¿Ã‚ ½ will result in a loss of revenue. Likewise, the PED below price  ¿Ã‚ ½P ¿Ã‚ ½ is less than one, meaning a reduction in price to this level will result in a loss of revenue again. Due to these factors, it is logical that firms do not favour either move, so they are said to be stable at point P. This also results in the output being stable at point  ¿Ã‚ ½Q ¿Ã‚ ½ as a change in marginal cost from MC1 to MC2 would still mean output would stay at  ¿Ã‚ ½Q ¿Ã‚ ½. This is due to firms in this market structure producing at the profit maximising point, where MC=MR.7 Firms in this market structure may also be collusive. This exists when the firms collude to charge the same prices for their products, in effect acting as a monopoly. There are two types of collusion, formal and tacit. Formal collusion exits when firms openly agree on the prices they will charge. In the case of supermarkets in the U.K, it is illegal for this to occur as it is deemed to be going against the interest of the consumer due to it resulting in less output and higher prices. Tacit collusion, however, exists when firms charge the same prices without any formal collusion. The three supermarkets in question may have decided to charge the same prices and not compete with each other, in order to increase revenue. This is represented in figure 2. Figure 28 As shown in figure 2, firms can make abnormal profits between their price and cost, due to the price exceeding the cost to the firm. This form of collusion is very possible as each supermarket is very similar to each other and all produce similar type goods. Firms in an Oligopoly can experience economies of scale. Economies of scale are any decreases in the long-run average costs that occur when a firm changes all of its factors of production, in order to increase its scale of output. There are a number of different economies of scale that can benefit a firm as it increases its scale of output. These can be: 9 * Specialisation- Firms can be more efficient when they specialize in different areas of expertise * Division of labour- This is the breaking down of a longer production process into many smaller activities, making production more efficient by reducing unit costs * Bulk buying- As firms increase in scale they are often able to negotiate discounts with their suppliers, as they are buying more altogether. This reduces the firm ¿Ã‚ ½s cost of input, and thus their unit costs of production * Financial economies- Larger firms are able to get loans at lower interest rates, as they are seen as a lesser risk to lend money to than smaller firms, by the bank The assumptions of a monopoly are as followed:10 * Only one firm producing the product at hand, so the firm is the industry * High barriers to entry and/or exit * Abnormal profits can be made in the long run, due to barriers to entry This market structure is unlikely to be present in my research area as there are clearly more than firm in the same industry. Finally, the basic assumptions of perfect competition are: * The industry is made up by many firms, so total output cannot be affected by one firm * The firms all produce homogeneous (exactly identical) products * No barriers to entry and/or exit * Producers and consumers all have perfect knowledge of the market Again, this market structure is unlikely to feature in my study, mainly due to the fact that there is product differentiation, as well as evident start up costs. 4. HYPOTHESIS After reviewing and comparing the discussed market summary and theories, I have hypothesised that the market structure the supermarkets are in are oligopoly. I have reached this hypothesis for the main reasons that: * There are evident barriers to entry such as strong branding of products and start up costs * There are only three supermarkets in the local area, between them sharing almost 64% of the market share.11 In addition to these points, I believe tacit collusion between the three supermarkets would greatly benefit their competition with other smaller supermarkets in the area. It would also avoid unnecessary competition between each other, and perhaps result in gaining more customers. After hypothesising that the three supermarkets are in an oligopoly, and thus capable of collusion, I will now be able to test my research question  ¿Ã‚ ½To what extent do the larger supermarkets in my local area collude with each other? ¿Ã‚ ½ 5. RESEARCH DESIGN For me to test my formulated research question, I will create a methodology. I will compare the prices of 15 different products across the three supermarkets. I will check the prices once every week for three weeks, so I can get a mean price at the end, making the result more reliable. I will make sure the prices of the same products are taken in the same time period, and where possible, use products produced in the U.K. This would avoid export costs affected and invalidating results. If not enough U.K based products can be found, I will make sure that any exported product used will have been exported from all supermarkets. This will maintain a degree of validity in the research. I will also avoid products produced by the supermarkets themselves. This would be because the cost of production may be very different from one supermarket compared to another, thus having a large impact on the final pricing. I will compare independent brands that feature across all three stores. Each superm arket in the area of West Charlton is located within one mile of each other.12 In terms of the data collection, I will go to each supermarket and compare similar, or when possible, identical products and their prices. I will note down their current price at which they sell at. Also, I will go to each supermarket close to their opening times on Saturday, as on this day the stores all open at the same time. The reason for not going later on in the day is because of price reduction on non-durable goods that are set to expire. If I include goods which prices have just been reduced temporarily to get rid of lasting stock, it would not represent the overall pricing of the good in regular situations. Lastly, I will compare the prices using adequate means of analysis; thus deducing whether or not there is enough similar pricing evident to suggest collusion of some sort. 6. DATA COLLECTION ANALYSIS Firstly, I will present my data collected for the prices of 15 products from all three supermarkets, across a span of three weeks, once a week. Table 1 shows my findings of the prices. Table 1 Source: Prices collected by me for all supermarkets To analyse the spread of the data, I will work out the standard deviation for each product, which will indicate the spread of the data. A lower standard deviation would indicate a set of closer, similar prices, likewise a higher standard deviation would imply less chance of collusion evident.13 The standard deviation for each product is represented in Table 2, along with the mean prices for each product over the three weeks. From the standard deviation, we can see they are all overall quite small, indicating the prices are all close to the mean price. This seems to indicate some form of collusion occurring between the supermarkets. However, there are some exceptions. For some goods the standard deviation is relatively high to the other products. Also, in most of these goods, such as soft drinks, crisp packs, pizza, ice cream and cooked chicken, it is Asda who feature the lowest price out of the three, while Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s have similar prices to each other. This seems to show that there is possible collusion between Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s, while Asda undercuts their prices. The similar pricing between Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s and Tesco suggests a form of collusion, tacit or formal. I inquired to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) about my findings. The OFT are a government based organisation that ensure businesses are  ¿Ã‚ ½fair and competitive. ¿Ã‚ ½14 In a reply they stated:  ¿Ã‚ ½Although similar prices might seem to suggest that companies are getting together to agree them, this is not necessarily the case. For example, one company might have independently decided to price at a level similar to another or both may have independently decided to behave in the same way ¿Ã‚ ½.15 As similar pricing does not necessarily mean formal collusion is taking place, I will assume that the two supermarkets are tacitly colluding, although this area may be needed to be researched into further for a definite result. As well as colluding, I have also noticed that there is evidence of non-price competition between Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s. This included things such as the use of advertising, free delivery and other services situated in the store themselves. This has lead to each supermarket gaining brand loyalty, and as a result, creating a more inelastic demand curve for their products. This is possibly another explanation of why these two supermarkets in particular where of a higher price overall, compared to the other supermarket, Asda. For the case of Asda, they have engaged in price war tactics, rather than forming a collusion. In this case, undercutting rivals may be beneficial to them by increasing their sales revenue. This can be represented by  ¿Ã‚ ½game theory ¿Ã‚ ½. Supermarket The table shows that if both supermarkets lower price, they will make less revenue than if they had colluded. However, it is still tempting to undercut the other store as then that would lead to greater revenue. The highlighted box shows the possible situation at the moment, with Asda undercutting the other supermarkets thus increasing revenue. This choice making situation is known as  ¿Ã‚ ½the prisoner ¿Ã‚ ½s dilemma ¿Ã‚ ½. 16 Another explanation for the lower price offered by Asda for goods could be down to lower unit costs caused by a greater storage capacity. The supermarket ¿Ã‚ ½s cost of storage mainly depends on the material used to build them, which is the surface area of the building. The level of output for the supermarket will depend on its storage capacity, so its volume area. As the size of a supermarket increases, the volume to surface area ratio increases. Therefore, the cost per unit overall will be much less than a smaller supermarket, such as Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s and Tesco. Lastly, from analysing my collected data, I have reached the conclusions: * Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s collude by charging very similar prices, but still have non-price competition between them. * Asda competes with a price-war tactic, by undercutting the other two supermarkets. 7. CONCLUSION The aim of my research was to investigate the type of competition, if any, between the three major supermarkets in my area, West Charlton. The question  ¿Ã‚ ½To what extent do the larger supermarkets in my local area collude with each other? ¿Ã‚ ½ prompted me to gather the pricing of 15 identical products across the three stores. The prices were taken every Saturday morning one a week for three weeks. I found that two of the three supermarkets had signs of collusion, while the third supermarket engaged in a price-war by undercutting the other two supermarkets. Firstly, Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s have similar prices to each other, while having higher prices than Asda. This was mainly due to the two stores acting as a monopoly by colluding and charging similar prices. This meant that each firm could make abnormal profit, which they used to create greater brand loyalty, thus making the demand for their products more inelastic. Lastly, the final supermarket, Asda, engaged in price-war tactics. The main reason for this was due to the idea of gaining more revenue as indicated by  ¿Ã‚ ½the prisoner ¿Ã‚ ½s dilemma ¿Ã‚ ½. In addition to this, Asda had a greater storage capacity, meaning an overall lower cost per unit. Therefore, after collecting data and analysing them, it is found that there was evidence of collusion, but only between two of the supermarkets, not all three studied. There are, though, apparent limitations in my study. Firstly, my area of research was only in one town. If there is found to be some form of collusion between supermarkets here, it doesn ¿Ã‚ ½t necessarily mean it is occurring all over the country with those same supermarkets. Also, the time span of my investigation was three weeks. This may not have been enough time to gather an appropriate amount of results to come to a reliable decision. This could be said the same for the amount of products used in my investigation; 15 products may not have been enough to come to an appropriate result. As well as this, I could not make a judgment whether the collusion between Tesco and Sainsbury ¿Ã‚ ½s was either tacit or collusion. This would have to be investigated further. All of these limitations overlook the aim of my study and thus should be inspected further. 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY/ACKNOWLEDGMENT Anderton, A. (2006). Economics: Fourth Edition. In A. Anderton, Economics: Fourth Edition (pp. 63-64). Causeway Press. Dorton, I. (2007). Economics. In I. Dorton, Economics (pp. 119-123). Oxford University Press. Dorton, I. (2007). Economics. In I. Dorton, Economics (pp. 114-118). Oxford University Press. Dorton, I. (2007). Economics. In I. Dorton, Economics (p. 115). Oxford University Press. Dorton, I. (2007). Economics. In I. Dorton, Economics (pp. 81-82). Oxford University Press. Dorton, I. (2007). Economics. In I. Dorton, Economics (pp. 105-111). Oxford University Press. Garner, E. (2010, June 1). TNS Global. Retrieved June 1, 2010, from TNS Global Website: http://www.tnsglobal.com/news/news-56F59E8A99C8428989E9BE66187D5792.aspx Measure of Spreads. (2007). Retrieved June 3, 2010, from Stats4students: http://www.stats4students.com/Essentials/Measures-Of-Spread/Overview_3.php Office of Fair Trading. (n.d.). Office of Fair Trading. Retrieved June 3, 2010, from http://www.oft.gov.uk/: http://www.oft.gov.uk/ Office of Fair Trading. (2010, May 25). Office of Fair Trading Reply Letter. London, U.K. Prisoners Dilemma. (1997, September 4). Retrieved June 3, 2010, from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/prisoner-dilemma/