Hardy Weinberg

Statement of the overall results The frequencies matched and no number was off meaning that the Hardy Weinberg principle was used correctly. When counting and figuring out the two different equations the numbers fit together. ‘V. Materials: 1. 100 blue beads 2. 100 white beads 3. Two containers to put the beads in 4. Paper 5. Pencil 6. Calculator V. Results/Data: Figure 1 In the above picture labeled â€Å"Figure 1†, the simulation of the production of 100 offspring was recorded. This came from random mating of the â€Å"parental population† (the blue and white beads).Each offspring is represented by a pair of beads (which represent the gametes), the genotypes are as follows; B, B, b their frequencies are recorded in the table below: Table 1 Genotype Frequency Bad-homozygous dominant 26 B-heterozygous 50 b-homozygous recessive 24 Alleles B- black fur 103 b- white fur 97 A. The Hardy-Weinberg Principle predicts that genotypes frequencies of offspring will be the sa me as those of the parental generation. This prediction Was true for this lab, this conclusion can be made because all Of the offspring were either of black and or white fur.B. There are five major assumptions for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, if one of them was violated then the frequencies would end up being different, NY one of them could cause this, most likely the mutation one because that would cause for different offspring to happen and thus for different frequencies. Genotype Frequency Table Frequency 0. 26 0. 5 b 0. 24 Phenotype Frequency Table Phenotype B 0. 51 0. 49 A. There are 200 alleles present for the trait of fur color. B. There are a total of 100 beads to represent black fur and 100 beads to represent white fur.C. 1 00 beads represent the population. VI. Conclusions: The hypothesis â€Å"If students follow the Hardy Weinberg directions properly then their traits will fit into the law because no other evolutionary influences ill interrupt this lab† is accep ted. The hypothesis made at the beginning of the lab was accepted because the students did follow the Hardy Weinberg directions properly and their traits did fit into the Hardy Weinberg law because none of the frequencies came out wrong.It can be concluded that none of the five major assumptions for Hardy Weinberg were violated which is why the frequencies fit into the law. The lab relates to the lecture because students are currently discussing evolution and how it works. The Hardy Weinberg principle involves evolution because it discusses how genotype regencies would be if no other evolutionary influences were present. Something that doesn't necessarily happen since in the real world there are evolutionary influences present all over the world and in all of the populations.The lab is significant because it allows students to see how the world would be if we didn't have any evolutionary influences present in our world, influences such as mutations, natural selection, genetic drift/ migration, etc. The lab relates to the real life because it helps to explain why humans and other earth's organisms are the way they are, and that is because of evolution. Evolution has helped humans to become more resistant to diseases, and it has helped some organisms survive for as long as possible (or at least long enough to reproduce).If real life was the way the Hardy Weinberg principle requires it to be then some organisms on earth wouldn't be here, this is something that this lab allowed students to understand. The lab can be applied to the scientific field of genetics. The lab can be applied to this field because geneticists look at organisms genes and by understanding the Hardy Weinberg principle then they would understand the way evolution arks and how it affects the different genes that different organisms have.The lab could improve by having smaller groups, this improvement is needed because it is hard for such big groups to do math together. There were times were one p erson would count a specific amount of beads and then the other two partners would count something different and then the whole group would get really confused which is why it would be better to have smaller groups to avoid the confusion. Another improvement would be to obtain more beads, maybe this was the reason such big groups were made, so if ore beads were available then smaller groups would be made.One error would be the one described above, students were having a hard time with keeping count of their beads, one way to avoid this without making smaller groups would be to write down the numbers and not split up the numbers between group members. Another error was that some beads were dropped and thus the numbers were messed up, a way to avoid this would be to have bigger beads that won't fall so easily. A new question that students could investigate would be, what if their parental population mixed with another group? R what if a new bead color (new population) was introduced? VI. Lab Questions: 1 .Allele- one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome. 2. Gene- a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring. 3. Dominant allele- An allele that expresses its phenotypes effect even when heterozygous with a recessive allele. This one is the stronger allele. 4. Recessive allele- The opposite of a dominant allele, this one has a weaker allele. . Homozygous- a pair of matching alleles, which are the two genes that control a particular trait. 6.Heterozygous- a pair Of genes where one is dominant and one is recessive Verifying the Hardy-Weinberg Principle 1 . There are five conditions that a population must meet in order to be in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, those conditions are as follows; No genetic drift, No migration, No mutation, No selection, and random mating so no differential reproduction. 2. The perce nt for the recessive allele is 30, meaning that the left over is the percent for the dominant allele: 70%. With Hardy Weinberg second equation (pap+ups+qua -? 1) one can see that the heterozygous is represented by the (ups) part, by putting the numbers in place ( xx . X . 3) then the answer would be obtained, which is 42. 42 is the frequency of the dominant allele. 3. The frequency for the dominant allele is 0. 51 when the frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype is . 49 4. If the frequency of the homozygous recessive genotype is 0. 36 then the frequency of the dominant allele is 0. 64. 5. Fifth frequency of the homozygous dominant genotype is 0. 49 then the frequency of the anonymous recessive genotype is 0. 51 6. The two Hardy Weinberg Equations are: up + ups + q = 1 a.The first equation (p + q = 1) relates to the frequencies of the alleles at a particular gene locus b. The second equation (up + ups + q = 1) relates to the frequencies of the genotypes for a particular gene lo cus. C. The first equation (p + q = 1) relates to the frequencies of the phenotypes for a gene. Questions for Further Thought 1 . Natural selection allows for the â€Å"sundial of the fittest† meaning that if there is a human who has no mouth then this human will not survive because he/ he cannot feed and thus will be selected to die and not reproduce because it is not adapted to fir environment.A perfect, real example are finches, they have different beaks because they have accommodated their bodies depending to the environment, these beaks will allow them to survive more than the other finches who haven't gone through natural selection. 2. Natural selection is the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. It can drive evolution because it can change the population and eventually the whole population will be changed because those organisms are the ones that survived and lived on, the ones that didn't survive did n't successfully go through natural selection.

Porters Five Force Analysis for Paint Industry

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Spread across six continents, Carrier's global operations make it the largest manufacturer of air conditioning, heating, ventilation and refrigeration products. It is supported by a vast network of distributors, dealers, retailers, and technicians who sell, install and service Carrier products in over 170 countries.A heritage of technological innovation. Leadership in responsible environmental stewardship. Carrier Corporation and CCAC – creating environments for life. Worldwide. * Concepcion Industries, Inc is a maker of electrical appliances such as air conditioning equipment and refrigerators. The company is based in the  Philippines  and was founded in the 1960s. The company is known for its several notable brands that include  Carrier,  Condura, and  Kelvinator. * Carrier in 1902, Willis Haviland Carrier designed the world's first air-conditioning system.This single achievement made it possible for people to live, work, study, shop, travel, or play in worry-free indoor comfort. Today, Carrier continues to build on the pioneeri ng spirit of its founder. With manufacturing, sales, and service operations in more than 170 countries, Carrier is the world's leading heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company. It leads in developing a constantly growing array of innovative products – all designed to meet the exacting needs of its customers around the world, while leading the rest of the industry in forging higher standards of stewardship over the environment. . Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation (PMPC) A manufacturer, importer and distributor of electronic, electrical, mechanical, electro-mechanical appliances, other types of machines, parts and components, battery and related products bearing the brand name, â€Å"Panasonic†. At present, the primary products manufactured by PMPC are refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, electric fans, dry cell batteries and flashlights.Consequently, through its sales division, Panasonic Philippines (PPh), PMPC Continually strives to expand its sales, service and distribution networks to make Panasonic products and service conveniently available to its consumers. In October 2003, PMPC ceased using â€Å"National† Brand and Unified the branding of all its products under the Panasonic brand. PMPC, formerly known as Matsushita Electric Philippines Corporation, changed its corporate name to Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation and officially started using it on April 1, 2005 along with its continuing commitment to customer satisfaction and service to society.Since an enterprise uses society's resources – people, capital, real estate, community services – PMPC believes that it started out and remains indebted to society. Along this premise, the company recognizes that the primary role of its business is to serve society in return for the use of its resources and thus devotes its business activities to the progress and development of society and the well being of the people. This commi tment serves as guidance for PMPC in carrying out its operation and corporate activities. 3. Koppel, Inc. 957 marked the year when the company started manufacturing splits and packaged type air-conditioners. The years that ensued saw Koppel as the preferred brand of choice among industry consultants and the undisputed market leader in the industry. The company continued its growth and maximized its sales volume, growing its products and improving its services, making Koppel the by-word in all air conditioning requirements across the country. In January 2000, Koppel was acquired from Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) by Fedders Corporation.By then, the company has expanded its product line-up to include not just the commercial and industrial segments, but to tap the growing retail market through  residential air conditioners. Last September 2008, the company has been acquired by KPL Inc. , a local company which is keen on tapping the dynamic aircon market. As Koppel, Inc. , the company is fo cused in strengthening its core competency in the packaged business and advancing its technological capability by sourcing strategic products in the projects and industrial applications.To date, Koppel is the second largest aircon manufacturer in the Philippines, servicing aircon requirements across the country for over 50 years. Its rich heritage in providing high-quality and reliable aircon products is a testament to Koppel’s commitment to service all its customers nationwide, from its centrally-located office in Paranaque to its full-service branch  offices  in Cebu and Davao. For 2009, Koppel, Inc. has expanded its product range to include eco-friendly products that dramatically reduce our  energy consumption.The company continues to challenge itself with ways to help reduce our  carbon footprints and in the long run, protect our fragile environment. 4. Hitachi Air Conditioning Philippines, Inc. Established on March 02, 2000 with a capital fund of 20,285,000 pesos . Mainly engage on the manufacture and sale on wholesale basis of Home Appliances and air conditioners. nvestment for Hitachi Air Conditioning Sales is 85% financed by Taiwan Hitachi Co. ,Ltd. and 15% by Hitachi Life and Solutions, Inc. Hitachi Air Conditioning Sales (Phils. ) Inc. ells air conditioning products like the Self-Contained Air Conditioners,Air-cooling Chiller Unit, Room Air Conditioners, Packaged Air Conditioner,Fan Coil Unit, and Dehumidifier, washing machines and refrigerators which are distributed in the domestic market. The merger between the two companies, Taiwan Hitachi (Subic), Inc. and Hitachi Air Conditioning Sales (Phils. ), gave way to better opportunities for Hitachi air conditioning products and home appliances to be introduced to a wider range in the market both domestic and global. . KOLIN Philippines International, Inc. A consistent major player in the industry, that is committed to produce, innovate, and distribute world class home appliances and servic e, molded by competence and dedication to quality after-sales-service, guided by moral and ethical business principle. Contributes to the development, growth and upliftment of the welfare of its employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. Genuinely committed in supporting community endeavors in the preservation of the environment.

Ratio Analysis of Ryanair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ratio Analysis of Ryanair - Essay Example First we chose Operating Profit as our initial measure of economic performance. Since Operating profit is the cornerstone of the success of any company, and it serves to provide an overall picture of a business in general. It is clearly an indicator of the success of the strategic planning and decisions made during the course of the course of the year by management in general. One can clearly gauge also how the company performed compared with the competition. In order to calculate the operating margin you have to divide operating income by the total revenue. The Operating Profit for RynAir for the year 2007 was 21.09% (471,745/2,236,865) compared with an industry average of 0.6 % (Dun & BradStreet, 2007). Here we can perceive that management definitely is plating their cards right at RynAir. They are demonstrating a level of efficiency and profitability that is vastly superior to any competitor. The financial ratios we have chosen portray a clear image of the Rynair’s profitability, solvency and resource efficiency. The first two ratios we have chosen measure the firm’s level of solvency, or its ability to pay its liabilities. These two are the Quick Ratio and Debt to Equity Ratio. The Quick Ratio or Acid test ratio is the most demanding and clear portrayal of a company’s true level of liquidity.   It serves as one of the main metrics used by financing institutions in order to gauge the credit worthiness of a business or corporation. In order to compute the quick ratio, first obtain the current assets and subtract the inventory, this number represents the "quick assets" or the type of assets that can be converted to cash immediately.  From this total of quick assets the total of current liabilities must be discounted. The result from this formula is the quick ratio. Due to the fact that inventory is rarely sold as quickly as the more liquid assets, this is why inventory levels are excluded from the

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Organizational Culture Analysis - Research Paper Example It is the hope of this author that such a level of discussion will be beneficial to the reader in terms of helping them to gain a greater understanding, not only the particular store in question, or the retail chain, but the way in which culture is oftentimes represented America. Firstly, with respect to the observable artifacts, it was clear and apparent from day one that the level and type of interaction with the consumer was the primary drive that all of the human resources literature and media consisted of. I distinctly remember the hours of video training that were required prior to even beginning the job in question. For instance, each and every situation that was presented, with the exception of those situations that involved fellow coworkers, was concentric upon maximizing the satisfaction of the consumer and minimizing the difficulties or negative emotions that an employee might represent. In retrospect, it is obvious that all of this was performed as a means of ensuring that profitability remained at a maximum. As the old saying goes, â€Å"the customer is always right†. Ultimately, this particular quote was incorporated within the training literature and served as a backbone with respect to the way in which the employees/stakeholders sought to go about their daily tasks. An espoused value that was promoted heavily within the organization was with respect to the ethical conduct that employees represented. Whereas it is oftentimes the case that individual employers hammer home such issues as the need to come to work on time, the importance and relevance of abstaining from racist, sexist, or ageist language and actions, or the need to give more time and energy to the details of one’s labor, the particular workplace in question had an espoused value system that was almost entirely concentric upon ethics (Baack, 1998). Although it is true that they engaged with the other topics that have been referenced above, the

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Essay Example t there is a functional structure that groups people with similar abilities and competences taking up defined roles and functions within the organization. It would be noted that as part of focus strategy, the institution will be seeking to offer customized services that meet the unique needs of customers (Sprigings and Allen, 2007). Such customized and focused services can however not come if round pegs are put in square holes. By rightly placing the human resource therefore, it will be possible to improve the institution’s overall efficiency. What is more, the use of focus generic strategy is expected to bring about and offer financial sustainability as it is to double as a means by which the hospital becomes competitive by gaining the needed competitive advantage to compete with competitor. As the focus strategy comes on board, the organization will no longer be concerned just about customers who come to the institution to do business with it. Rather, it will be expected that the right customers, marketing niche and product lines are found that come directly under the focus of the institution. As a tool for gaining competitive advantage and for that matter financial growth, the focus strategy ensures that most places within the market where competitors have abandoned are areas that are focused on for market expansion (Berkowitz, 2010). By doing this, financial stability can be said to be guaranteed given the fact that those newly identified markets will become a nursery financial outflow for the institution where it can fall on for its future growth. With all the above said, an important realization is that by bringing on board the focus business strategy, the company will be opening itself up to addressing the needs of stakeholders more directly. This is because as stated earlier, the emphasis of the focused strategy will be to serve customized services. Meanwhile, the hospital has never functioned in isolation but with the joint efforts and collaboration of

People's History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

People's History - Essay Example In this specific book, Zinn unfurls the early times when Christopher Columbus stumbled across the lands of current America while searching for the riches of Asia. Assuming to have reached the prosperous lands of Asia, Columbus tried in vain to uncover the non-existent riches from the barren lands. His failure to do so brought the unjustified wrath of the investors and Columbus himself befalling on the innocent and naive natives of the region. The bloodshed and series of wars that followed resulted in the loss of innumerable lives. According to a report, by 1650, none of the natives remained alive. (Zinn). The book holds elaborate accounts of how Columbus, revered as a discoverer of America, and other colonists waged wars against the natives, eliminating their existence from their very own lands. Zinn does not excuse the manslaughter and â€Å"genocide† that occurred; instead he focuses on all historical aspects to relieve the history of the distortions that have now been embed ded in it. Furthermore, the book talks about the mass imports of slaves from Africa which ranged from 10 to 15 million people. This brought about the establishment and acceptance of slavery. Racial and complexion biases were practiced ruthlessly. The resisting masses of â€Å"blacks† were forced into their places as slaves, not allowed to mix with the white people. This marked the â€Å"Drawing (of) the color line† (Zinn) as the title of the second chapter suggests. Moreover, the book develops the idea of social classes with extreme rapidity. Social classes were formed almost immediately thereof, establishing distinct living standards for all. The residents of England enjoyed the top-most tier of the social classes, followed by the elites in United States of America, then the frontiersmen who mainly consisted of white rebels against the tyranny of slavery, and

American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

American history - Essay Example The American civil War has also been known to be the earliest industrial battles due to the extensive use of railroads, steamships, mass-produced weapons and the telegraph. The mobilization of mines, food supplies, transportation and shipyards all predicted Word War 1. The civil war is known to be the deadliest battle in the United States’ history (Brinkley). During the civil war, the Northern region had many advantages as compared to the South. They had more people than the South. There were 23 Northern states and, in those states, there were more than 21 million inhabitants. On the other hand, the South only had nine million people and, among those people, there were 3.5 million slaves. However, the size of the Southern army during commence of the war was almost equivalent to that of the Northern army. Another advantage of the North is that it had a large industrial advantage. When the war started, the South was said to have a ninth the industrial capacity of the North. However, the statistics is not true. In 1860, the North went ahead and manufactured 97% of the countries firearms. It also had 96% of railway locomotives, 94% of its pig iron and 94% of its cloth. As a result, the North had two times the density of railroads than the South. The North suppressed the South such that, the entire South did not have even a single rifle works. Therefore, the South had to import all the main ingredients of gunpowder. The North also had another advantage, having control over the navy. This meant that the Northerners had all the control over the seas. As a result of the suppression by the North, the South resulted to creating ammunition by the melting-down of church bells and bells from town squares. On the other hand, the South also had some advantages. The South had food resources and also a large nucleus of trained soldiers. This is because the south had seven among the

Character Study of Kevin Clash in Constance Mark's Being Elmo Essay

Character Study of Kevin Clash in Constance Mark's Being Elmo - Essay Example Determined and resourceful He was not always around while his little girl was growing up though he really wanted to but the demand for his appearance is necessary Dedicated with his work Torn between family time and work time but faced the adversaries of his work professionally There was a point in time that his daughter messaged him asking him to spend some time with her for she will be moving to college in a few years time and so he did manage to spend time wisely with work and his daughter A loving father He did realize Elmo’s importance to kids, and his too, when a young girl wanted to see Elmo as a dying wish Sympathetic Trains and inspires aspiring puppeteers An inspiration Being Elmo is a story of how a man is in the likelihood of acquiring success if he pursues his dreams and aspirations in life with all passion and dedication. It is a story of how a person was able to succeed despite challenges along the way as long as determination and focus is set on a sturdy will t hat no matter how hard the road to success may be aspiration will always get it into something great. It tells a story of how so much passion is put into something that pays really well especially when the person takes people into consideration aside from his own. A story of childhood in every person and how a simple childish dream was set into the biggest reality of having a dream come true that brings every aspiring child in every viewer. Kevin Clash is a strong willed character who knows where to put his dreams to eventually become a reality. An ambitious hardworking and dedicated person with what he loves to do even when other people thinks that his passion for puppets will not get him anywhere. This is a tear-jerker documentary of connivance between passionate individuals when Kevin Clash clashes into an almost losing red puppet that changed both of their worlds into a dream come true. Kevin is an ambitious boy that even at an early age he knew what he wants to do and would mak e people around him know how much he is into it. His ambition made him do his first puppet out of his father’ trench coat without even thinking what his folks would say but nevertheless he did it to show how much his conviction for his dream is. The same ambition blinded him of the obstacles along the way that made him stay focused despite negativities around his passion for puppets (‘Being Elmo’). Kevin is an optimistic person. He always sees the bright side in everything that keeps him more focused and dedicated. He wanted to prove that he will not fail. Take for instance when Elmo was thrown in his palm and was asked to find a voice for it. He knew how experienced and great Richard Hunt is, but nevertheless he took the challenge and stood up for it. Kevin went home to Baltimore and put dedication into the voice of Elmo. His childhood and loving character was transpired into the red puppet and so Elmo was born to spread love the way he was created for (‘B eing Elmo’). He does not care much if he works behind the cam and that everybody knows Elmo but only a few know

The Role of Food in my Family Essay Example for Free

The Role of Food in my Family Essay In the words of Ruth Reichl, â€Å"Everything here is true, but it may not be entirely factual† (x). In thinking about this paper, I was drawn to reassess my relationship with my parents through the perspective of food. At times, I have embellished or exaggerated some of their characteristics or words, but the essence of their characters and our relationship is there. The events actually happened when I visited my family home during the summer vacation and I prepared blueberry muffins for my parents. Reflection upon my anticipation of the event, the cooking, and the eating led me to the following conclusion: food creates bonds between family members, allows each family member to define their role in the family, and allows them to express thoughts or feelings that they may not feel comfortable expressing in words. As I packed my bags to head home for the summer holidays, I made sure to pack the recipe for blueberry muffins I had found especially for my parents. Of all of the items on my packing list, this recipe was the most meaningful. My parents have always loved muffins, and this time, I was going to make them something special – a recipe that would allow me to share with them something of my experience in the United States. The trip to Indonesia is long, and as I got off the plane, I was filled with conflicting feelings: extreme fatigue from the long flight, disorientation from the jet lag, excitement about seeing my parents again, and hopeful that my parents were as excited to see me as I was to see them. This last feeling was confirmed. My mom greeted me with a warm hug, and my dad immediately took charge of all of my bags. Once I arrived home, I began unpacking and placed the all-important recipe in my purse. When I informed my parents that I had to go out to run a top-secret errand, the disappointment on their faces was obvious. I was touched that they wanted to spend some quality time with me, and I only hoped that the blueberry muffins would make up for some of their disappointment. As I set out on my shopping expedition, I was filled with excitement at the prospect of preparing a special breakfast for my family the next morning. I made my way to my favorite fruit and vegetable market, and to my surprise, I was completely overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells so familiar to me from my childhood but which I had since forgotten. My intense reaction reminded me of my first traveling experience – to Singapore for summer school. Alone in an unfamiliar environment, I felt like a fish out of water. I did not know anyone and had to make my own way in a new country. Shopping for groceries felt like exploring a new universe – all of the products were different. The stores were arranged and smelled differently. Restaurants featured unfamiliar dishes. Even though Indonesia and Singapore are only a short geographical distance apart, in terms of food, they were in different worlds. My experience was very similar to Ruth Reichl’s as she arrived in Montreal to study at the College Marie de France: â€Å"I was on Mars, where no sound, no smell, no emotion was familiar† (59). I returned my attention to my present predicament, and I looked all over for the all-important blueberries. When I finally found them, I gasped in surprise at the extraordinarily high price. How could I have forgotten about the price of blueberries! It is not as if this was my first experience buying food in a â€Å"new† location. I say new because, after living in the United States, I have grown accustomed to American supermarkets. I had assumed that since I was shopping in my native country I would not be shocked by anything. Instead, I was shocked by how quickly my perspective had changed. I was a foreigner in my own country! Once I got over my initial shock at the exorbitant price, my eyes drifted from the price tag to the actual blueberries. What were these shriveled, greenish-blue things? These blueberries were a far cry from the plump, deep-blue, juicy, sweet blueberries I buy in the United States. My initial thought was, â€Å"are these dangerous and I going to poison my parents? † One thing I realized from reading Reichl’s â€Å"Mold† was that â€Å"food could be dangerous, especially to those who loved it† (5), and my parents loved muffins. I quickly dismissed this idea of danger: other people were buying these blueberries so they were probably not harmful in any way. My mind made up, I bought the questionable blueberries and made my way back to my parents’ house, quietly hiding the fruit so that my parents would not find it. That night, my mother made dinner for the family like she always does, with my dad carrying the serving dishes and the beverages to the table. Her meals always seem to be a variation on the same theme: meat and vegetables. Sometimes the meat is fish, sometimes it is steak, but there is always meat at dinner. Likewise, there are always vegetables. At times when I was growing up, I yearned for some more variety: pizza, spaghetti, quiche, anything besides meat and vegetables! This evening, however, the expected meal and all of my parents’ questions about my life in the United States brought me peace, for at last I was at home. After the meal, I excused myself from the table, telling my parents that I desperately needed to sleep. Before going to bed, I told them to expect something special for breakfast in the morning. The look on my mom’s face was worth a thousand words: a mixture of surprise and delight. It is rare that anyone other than she cooks at our house. In fact, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have prepared anything for my parents. Looking back on it, I believe she was excited at the prospect of not having to get up to prepare me a special breakfast for my first morning home. The next morning, I woke up early, filled with anticipation at the thought of baking. I hoped the muffins would turn out wonderfully. After seeing the look of delight on my mother’s face the previous evening, I did not want to disappoint her in any way. At the same time, I was hopeful that the muffins would turn out great and convey to my parents my desire to make them happy. I went to the kitchen, pulled out all of the ingredients, and placed the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe that I had found on the Food Network Website the counter. Here’s the recipe I used: Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins Ingredients: †¢ 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature †¢ 1 1/2 cups sugar †¢ 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature †¢ 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract †¢ 8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream †¢ 1/4 cup milk †¢ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour †¢ 2 teaspoons baking powder †¢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda †¢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt †¢ 2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed. Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean. I followed the directions exactly, with one exception. I sprinkled some sugar on the blueberries to make them a little bit juicier. I had read about this technique with strawberries (Newton) and thought it would not hurt to try it with a different type of fruit. It seemed to make them a little bit more appetizing, but they still worried me. I did not want to disappoint my parents! Once the muffins were in the oven, I made coffee and began to set the table. As soon as the silverware made a clinking sound, my dad wandered into the kitchen, as if summoned by some sort of bell. He started to take the dishes, mugs, glasses, and forks from my hands so that he could take them to the table. This was, after all, his role, and a role that he had fulfilled at the airport when he took charge of my bags. Indeed, night after night, my mom would slave away in the kitchen, and my dad would bring the fruits of her cooking to the table so that we could enjoy it. When the muffins were finally ready, my parents and I sat down at the table to eat. Looking back on my first bite of these disappointing muffins made from inadequate blueberries, I am reminded of a portion of Molly Wizenberg’s blog â€Å"Orangette†: â€Å"The poor woman put me on this earth, and I made her iffy waffles. They tasted like nothing. I want to do better. † My parents have given me so much – life itself, food, shelter, support – and all I wanted to do was make some muffins that they would enjoy. This gesture was intended to show them how grateful I am for all of their love and support, even if I secretly at times thought them to be too demanding. My parents, however, did not seem to notice that the muffins were not amazing. Perhaps this was because they had never tasted really fresh blueberries. Instead, they seemed to be absolutely delighted by my gesture and took it in the spirit that it was given. As we sat around the table, I asked them questions about their work, their friends, and their hobbies. I really enjoyed the chance to get to know them better on this level. Normally, our table conversations consisted of questions about me (or my siblings): â€Å"How was school? † â€Å"How did you do on that test? † â€Å"What are you doing this weekend? † â€Å"Tell me about that boy you have been seeing. † The change in the dynamics of the conversation really put my family’s relationship with food in perspective. Now, I understand why my mom always made meals with meat and vegetables. It was her way of showing she cared for my physical well-being, much like her questions (which, when I was a teenager were extremely annoying) were her way of showing she cared about my future. For my mom, food seems to be a vehicle to communicate concern for health. My dad’s role seems to be as a messenger. Much like he could lay down the law in terms of rules, delivering them with an iron fist to a teenager determined to spread her wings; he could also deliver nutritious meals to the table. In both cases, his acts constitute his way of showing he cares. I, however, seem to be concerned that my parents are happy. I know that it must be hard for them to live alone after having spent so many years with a house full of kids, When I made muffins for them, I wanted them to be happy, and I wanted to be the one to bring them even a little bit of happiness. Works Cited Barefoot Contessa. â€Å"Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins. † Foodnetwork. com. 2002. Web. 12 July 2010. Newton. â€Å"Strawberries and Sugar. † Ask a Scientist: General Science Archive. 30 June 2004. Web. 12 July 2010. Reichl, Ruth. Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2010. Print. Wizenberg, Molly. â€Å"A Quick Couple. † Orangette. 10 May 2010. Web. 16 July 2010.

Problems and Challenges Facing the Construction Industry

Problems and Challenges Facing the Construction Industry There are numerous important challenges facing todays construction industry that are motivating the adoption of new technologies such as RFID and sensors technology. Some are new to the industry, and some are centuries old. Many of these challenges are a direct result of construction operations, while others a result of indirect, peripheral activities. Some of the construction issues include workforce considerations, safety, time constraints, and the changing nature of the work. Non-construction challenges that construction industry faces that are part of the business landscape include legal issues, government regulations, environmental concerns, and socio-political pressures. Also in addition to these challenges, the construction industry is highly competitive, and firms must continually improve their productivity to remain competitive. At present, a chronic problem in the construction industry that requires urgent attention is construction supply chain. The construction supply chai n network can be classified as a big and complex organisation that is difficult to manage. This is because the operations or activities involved in the construction network consist of multidiscipline groups and tasks. The concept of supply chain management is about managing information and material flows, plant operations, and logistics through a common set of principles, strategies, policies and performance metrics throughout its developmental life cycle. As part of the back bone for the supply chain processes, the logistics play a critical role in optimizing the flow of materials, equipment and people. The construction logistics is one of the significant management factors in order to precede construction project. If materials which are needed in construction project do not supply in right place on time, it can make problems such as delaying schedule, increasing the cost of construction and reducing productivity. The identification of material, identifying materials moving flow in logistics and tracking materials location are needed for successful project management in construction. A report Improving Construction Logistics published by the Strategic Forum for Construction in August 2005 revealed that quite a considerable amount of waste produced in the construction is caused by poor management of materials delivery services (e.g. from supply logistics to site logistics), inventory, communications and human resources. The consequences of poor construction-logistics are the following setback; about 30% of losses in overall construction cost, contributing to the bad image of the industry, poor quality of product, increased project duration and added risks to workers health and safety. The use of Information Technology (IT) and learning from other industries were part of the recommendation and action plans suggested by the Strategic Forum committee for better logistics processes. Jang et al (2003) and Rebolj et al (2008) also suggested that a great deal of improving the construction-logistics must be focused on the materials and information delivery in order to ach ieve better productivity, avoiding delays and reducing waste. In contrast to manufacturing industries, which profit from long-lasting partnership with suppliers and customers, construction-logistics supply chains are considerably more difficult to manage and optimize due to various factors such as diversification of projects (i.e. various materials, methods, project location) and technical complexity of a project. References Ahuja V. and Yang J. (2005): Towards IT Enabled Supply Chain Communications in Construction Project Management, International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management in a Global Economy, May 2005, pp. 289-302 Ribeiro F. L. And Lopes J. (2001): Construction Supply Chain Integration over the Internet and Web Technology, 17th ARCOM Annual Conference, Association of Researchers in Construction Management, Salford, Reading, Vol.1, pp. 241-252, September 2001. Jang H., Russell J.S. and Yi J. S. (2003): A Project Managers Level of Satisfaction in Construction Logistics, Can. J. Civ. Eng. 30, pp. 1133-1142 (2003) Rebolj D., Babic N. C., Magdic A. Podbreznik P. and Psunder M. (2008): Automated Construction Activity Monitoring System, Advanced Engineering Informatics. Balqis Omar, Tabarak Ballal, INTELLIGENT WIRELESS WEB SERVICES: CONTEXT-AWARE COMPUTING IN CONSTRUCTION-LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN. Journal of Information Technology in Construction, ITcon Vol. 14 (2009), pg. 289-pg. 308 - Fast development in information and communication technology (ICT) has emerged as a key driver and thus provided the opportunity for construction companies to be more sensitive towards their business strategy and productivity (Ahuja and Yang, 2005, Ribeiro and Lopes, 2001). The amount of project data and information generated during construction periods are enormous and uncontrolled due to the nature of fragility in the construction processes. The traditional paper-intensive method of processing and transferring data and information is still being practised due to high investment capital cost on ICT facilities, lack of supporting interoperability between hardware-software within organisations and culture of most construction organisations. Communication technology, materials handling, transportation and warehousing are known as the critical services that serve the logistics operation processes. These include services in facilitating Just-In- Time (JIT) operation, optimising the movement of raw materials, work in-process and finished goods, optimising the transportation mode and locating and designing facilities to meet customer service levels respectively. - One of the recent paramount issues that have been a growing concern in the construction industry is the role of logistics in managing the supply chain (ERABUILD, 2006). Logistics, appropriate or inappropriate, to a great extent influences the efficiency of construction activities with materials and equipment being essential building blocks of construction projects. Among the elements that comprise the construction process, construction materials may account for 50-60 per cent of the total cost of a project and most directly represent project progress (Song 2005, Song et al. 2006). Successful delivery and subsequent distribution of these materials to various interconnected points where they are required is an important aspect of the overall project duration. Intensecomp (2005) reported that a wrong delivery arrangement of materials causes general disorder on construction sites. This disorder is often accompanied by a need for unplanned facilities and/or activities such as additional site storage, work interruption, extra handling, breakage, and loss. Similar challenges were also reported by the Strategic Forum for Construction in 2005. The report suggests that 50% of skilled craftsmen time is spent on unskilled tasks, time that they could have otherwise devoted to supervising workers. A research by BSRIA noted in this report shows that 10% of working hours on site is wasted due to inefficient logistics management. The effects of the logistic related waste thus result in 30% of extra construction cost and exceeded project duration. Other industries depend on and are progressively improving efficiency in logistics to achieve smooth processes, programme certainty and cost predictability. Honda-UK Manufacturing Ltd (HUM) for instance has initiated what could be one of the largest Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) installations in the automotive industry (Bacheldor 2006). The company used the technology to track components as they traverse HUMs supply chain, moving from suppliers through out Europe to HUMs manufacturing plant in England. In the similar way an RFID smart box developed by DHL in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation can tell users what it contents are, and with Global Positioning System (GPS) and later, Galileo where it is located. The system can identify the boxs cargo and location, as well as internal environmental conditions (Wessel 2007). References Song, J. (2005). Tracking the Location of Materials on Construction Projects, Ph.D. Diss.,  Graduate School, the University of Texas at Austin. Intensecomp Pte Ltd. (2004). Construction Material Tracking System: Bringing Complex  Tasks to Simple Routine, 5pp. Smith, H. and Konsynsky, B. (2003). Developments in Practice X: Radio Frequency  Identification (RFID)-An Internet for Physical Objects. Communication Association for  Information System, 12, 301-311. Wessel, R. (2007). DHL to Market RFID Enabling Smart Box. RFID Journal (available at:  htt://www.rfidjournal/article/articlereview/2945/) Bacheldor, B. (2006). Honda UK To Track Component Through The Supply Chain. RFID  Journal (available at: htt://www.rfidjournal/article/articlereview/2703/. Milan Radosavljevic , Dauda Dan-Asabe, HOW COULD CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CHAIN BENEFIT FROM RFID/GPS INTEGRATION: A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE, CIB W102 3rd International Conference 2007. Information technology (IT) is important in successfully controlling and managing construction projects, particularly in enhancing communication and coordination among participants. Communication and coordination must be maintained to support resource and competency sharing within the network of a construction chain or the construction chain network. Furthermore, integrating promising information technologies such as personal digital assistants (PDA), radio frequency identification (RFID) scanning and data entry mechanisms can help improve the effectiveness and convenience of information flow in construction supply chain systems. Problem statements Project management and control performance can be enhanced by enabling participants to share information with each other. However, two major key aspects of information sharing are information acquisition and information communication. Information acquisition problems in a construction project follow from most of the data and information being gathered from the construction site, which is an extension of the construction chain. The effectiveness of information and data acquisition influences the information flow between the office and the construction site. However, on-site engineers generally use written documents, drawings, contracts, specifications and shop drawings for job sites. Consequently, a time and space gap between the job site and the office causes duplication of data and information, lack of data and information, and associated confusion. Restated, existing means of processing information and accumulating data are not only time-consuming and expensive, but also compromise project management performance in information acquisition. Furthermore, construction contractors normally depend on interactions via telephone or fax to communicate with suppliers, subcontractors and designers. Consequently, transactions are frequently lost or misunderstood. Such means of communicating information between sites and offices, and among all participants, are ineffective and inconvenient. System implementation This section illustrates the implementation and module of the RFID-enabled PDAs system. Inventory management module The Inventory management module is an easy-access and portable environment in which on-site engineers can trace and record all information on the status of materials in the warehouse or on the scheduled delivery list. This module enables on-site engineers to improve inventory management on construction sites. Quality and inspection module On-site engineers can download the most up-to-date quality tests from the Internet, and can enter test results directly via PDA. Additionally, PDAs display the code and/or checklist for each important component and work. On-site engineers also can plot unacceptable positions on a drawing and choose relevant items from the lists in the PDA. The module has the advantage that on-site engineers can enter/edit quality and inspection test result on the construction site and all test records can be communicated between the PDA and the portal via real-time synchronization, eliminating the need to repeatedly enter the same data. Progress monitor module This module is designed to help managers and on-site engineers monitor the progress of the key components. Furthermore, managers, on-site engineers and project related participants can share the current progress or delivery condition of these critical works and components. The schedule management module provides an easy-access and portable environment in which on-site engineers can trace and record all information on the status of components delivered to the warehouse or on scheduled for delivery. References Lung-Chuang Wang a, Yu-Cheng Lin a,*, Pao H. Lin Dynamic mobile RFID-based supply chain control and management system in construction. Advanced Engineering Informatics 21 (2007) 377-390

Economic Policy In Sweden During The Great Depression Economics Essay

Economic Policy In Sweden During The Great Depression Economics Essay When the Great Depression swept across Europe in the early 1930s the impact of the economic downturn varied across countries. While for example Germany, Austria and most of Central Europe experienced a long and deep economic crisis, the economies of the Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark and Norway were not only affected later and more mildly by the Depression, but also recovered earlier. The crisis in Sweden for example only lasted a little more than two years (in Germany and Poland it lasted for more than 4 years, see graph 1) and peak decline in industrial production was at 10.3% while for example Germany or Poland had declines in industrial production of more than 40% (see graph 2). Even when looking at comparable GDP figures, Sweden was with a decline of 6.5% well below countries such as Germany (25%) or Austria (23.4%, see graph 3). Moreover and of greater interest for this paper is the fact that Sweden did not only perform better during the Great Depression but also pursued a different economic policy. Most prominently cited amongst economic historians are two distinctly Swedish policy measures: First, looking at Swedens monetary policy, scholars point out, that the country left the gold standard very early and unique at that time simultaneously put the preservation of the domestic purchasing power of the krona on top of the political agenda. Second, it is often mentioned, that the Social-Democratic government, which came into power in 1932, invested heavily in public work programmes following a Keynesian-type fiscal policy. The present paper seeks to analyse whether these two factors are a) sufficient and b) withstand a closer empirical evaluation when it comes to explain the better development of Sweden during the Great Depression. In order to do so, the paper will, as a first step, outline the economic situation in Sweden and the corresponding economic policy prior to the crisis. This is necessary, as it provides an overview of the nature of Swedens economy, its degree of integration into the international market and accordingly its general contagion risk at the time of the crisis. Secondly, the above mentioned policy measures during the Great Depression will be outlined. Thirdly and most central in this paper is an analyses of the effectiveness and consequences of these policy measures. The last chapter will then draw the attention to other factors outside the control of government policy that might have helped Sweden to ease the effects of the Great Depression. Literature Immune to crisis? Swedens economic development prior to the Great Depression Even though Swedens macro-economic policy is often seen as the major contributor to the countries positive development during the Great Depression, one must not fail to see, that some of the reasons for this development are rather to be found in specific characteristics of Swedens economy prior to 1929/31 than in any explicit policy measure thereafter. Two pre-existing conditions can be outlined, that seemed to have stabilized the economy during the crisis. Firstly, a constantly undervalued krona made Swedish exports cheap on the international market. Secondly, the banking sector in Sweden was centralized and crisis-prone. Thus, a banking panic never occurred. The following paragraphs explain these specifically Swedish conditions in greater detail. Traditionally, Swedens economy was based on the countrys rich endowments of iron and timber. Its main trading partner was Britain and later on Germany and the United States. During the beginning of the 20th century Sweden also became a major exporter of technologically sophisticated goods such as telephones (e.g. Ericsson) or appliances (e.g. Electrolux). As Sweden was at least on paper a neutral power during World War I (WWI) many investors sought to acquire Swedish assets at that time, as the country seemed to be a safe haven for capital. Additionally, by mainly exporting raw materials, Sweden could take advantage of the increase in foreign demand for those goods caused by WWI. By the end of the war Sweden had transformed from a major international borrower to a creditor to the rest of the world. While the export industry could profit from these developments, inflation increased mainly due to increasing costs for imports. Between 1915 and 1918 the cost of living rose by as much a s 90%. This inflation was eventually condemned between 1920 and 1924 when prices declined by 55% due to a restrictive monetary policy. After 1924 a slower, but persistent deflation continued until 1931. With such low domestic prices, Sweden was highly competitive on the international market. That is why during most of the 1920s Sweden experienced a strong export-led economic growth. This is why after WWI Sweden reinstated the gold standard as one of the first industrialized countries in 1924. Many economic historians believe that this return to the gold standard occurred at a rate that left the krona undervalued well into the 1930s. As a consequence Swedish exports remained highly competitive even in times of economic crisis. The domestic market also stabilized during the 1920s. Due to export bans and high import taxes during and after WWI, Swedish consumers, whose purchasing power constantly increased during the 1920s, substituted imports with domestic products. Additionally, demographics played a role. During the 1920s and 1930s there was a rapid rise in the number of young people of working age (especially those aged 20-29). Respectively, demand for housing, food, clothes and other consumer products increased which contributed to a strong growth of domestic production as well. When the stock market crash of October 29, 1929, triggered the Great Depression, another factor for Swedens low proneness to crises became obvious. Swedens banking structure was very concentrated. This was much in contrast to for example the United States, where the banking structure was highly fragmented and decentralized. According to Ben Bernanke, such a structure is much more likely to cause banking panics. Sweden however was characterized by a branch banking system, where risks were dispersed. It is argued that especially in the case of Sweden, earlier experiences with failing banks in the 1920s had led to reforms that had put the banking system on a sound footing. That is why at the beginning of the 1930s the banking sector in Sweden did not experience widespread panics. Putting all these facts together, it can be argued, that Sweden was from the very beginning less likely to be effected by the Great Depression than those countries whose banking sector collapsed. This especially holds true when considering the fact that trust in the economy never vanished in Sweden due to a generally stable banking structure. Additionally, even though exports declined from 1931 until 1932, Swedens export industry always remained highly competitive. This was not least due to an undervalued krona, whose parity remained stable well into the 1930s. Nevertheless, analyzing the characteristics of Swedens economy prior to the Great Depression only answers part of the question to why Sweden performed considerably better during the crisis than other nations. Especially when Sweden left the gold standard in 1931, specific policy measures as described in chapter two played an equally significant role. What was so special? Swedens response to the Great Depression Prior to the Great Depression, the political mainstream of the Western industrialized world followed a laissez-faire ideology that propagated the free play of the market. It was believed that capitalism had a self-equilibrating tendency, leading to an optimal level of resource utilization. Hence, economic policy at that time simply meant that governments should balance their budget, maintain the gold standard and let businesses reequilibrate themselves. However, while many countries had to reconsider their economic policies during the Great Depression, Sweden had already made this step beforehand. During the late 1920s, Swedens economic policy was already based on the advice of trained economists who did not solely propagate the contemporary neo-classical view on economics but rather pursued their own theories on how the state should react during an economic crisis. This so called Stockholm School was a loose group of economists whose most important figures were Knut Wicksell, Eli He ckscher, Gustav Bagge, Bertil Ohlin and David Davidson. Especially Knut Wicksells findings at the beginning of the 20th century inspired most of the works of his followers. Wicksell is best known for Interest and Prices, his contribution to the fledgling field now called macroeconomics. In this book and in his 1906 Lectures in Political Economy, volume 2, Wicksell sketched out his version of the quantity theory of money (monetarism). The standard view of the quantity theory before Wicksell was that increases in the money supply have a direct effect on prices-more money chasing the same amount of goods. Wicksell focused on the indirect effect. In elaborating this effect, Wicksell distinguished between the real rate of return on new capital (Wicksell called this the natural rate of interest) and the actual market rate of interest. He argued that if the banks reduced the rate of interest below the real rate of return on capital, the amount of loan capital demanded would increase and the amount of saving supplied would fall. Investment, which equaled saving before the interest rate fell, would exceed saving at the lower rate. The increase in investment woul d increase overall spending, thus driving up prices. This cumulative process of inflation would stop only when the banks reserves had fallen to their legal or desired limit, whichever was higher. In laying out this theory, Wicksell began the conversion of the old quantity theory into a full-blown theory of prices. The Stockholm school, of which Wicksell was the father figure, ran with this insight and developed its own version of macroeconomics. In some ways this version resembled later Keynesian economics. Wicksell also argued passionately for making price stability the supreme goal of monetary policy. A stable price level, he maintained, made planning easier for participants in both financial and labour markets. In an 1898 analysis, Wicksells key recommendation for central banks was to increase interest rates whenever prices were rising and to lower them when prices were falling-a monetary policy that he considered to be straightforward. He argued that low interest rates would tend to increase prices. A low rate of interest would lead a borrower to buy some commodity which otherwise he would not have bought at all and would lead someone who wishes temporarily to keep some or all of his goods off the market . . . [to ask ] . . . the Bank for money with which to meet his immediate or pending liabilities without having to sell his goods. Thus, demand would rise and supply would fall, thereby ensuring an increase in prices.18 This meant that the stabilization of prices required only that interest rates be increased when prices were rising and reduced when prices were falling. Wicksell stressed that movements in the price level exerted a particularly large effect on borrowers because an increase in all prices made it easier to repay debts while a reduction made it harder. He also noted that real wages could be affected if nominal wages (in kronor) did not keep up with changes in prices. Even though Wicksell died in 1926 his followers such as Eli Heckscher, Bertil Ohlin, Gustav Cassel and Gunnar Myrdal, could build upon his theoretical work and formulate concrete policy advice in 1931, when the Great Depression finally reached Sweden. The following paragraphs reveal how their influence and advice on the Swedish central bank (Riksbank) and on the political elite helped Sweden through the crisis. Monetary policy During the early months of 1931, Sweden was the recipient of capital inflows. However, the German standstill led many international investors to withdraw their funds from Sweden both because they lacked access to their German funds and because they feared that the crisis would spread. These withdrawals contributed to a drastic reduction in Swedish reserves. By September of 1931, reserves had fallen to less than one-tenth of their January level. Similar pressure was placed on the British financial system, and on September 21, Britain abandoned the gold standard. On September 27 Sweden, too, abandoned the gold standard. The Riksbank and the minister of finance immediately announced that the new monetary goal for the country would be to preserve the domestic purchasing power of the krona using all available means. The next day, September 28, the Riksdag gave its official assent by relieving the Riksbank of its responsibility to convert notes into gold at a fixed rate. People who wished to exchange kronor for foreign exchange could still do so at commercial banks, whose representatives met daily (along with a Riksbank official) to set exchange rates. In making price stability the primary objective of its monetary policy, Sweden pursued an internationally unique agenda. Based on Knut Wicksells argument that stable price levels made planning easier for participants in both financial and labor market, the Riksbank new role was to maintain price levels within a certain range. In order to do so, the first step the Riksbank undertook was to develop a new, weekly index of consumer prices. This was necessary as the goal was to give the public certain definite stand points for estimating future developments in prices. Consequently, the new index was designed to include a wide range of goods and services that reflected purchases made by average families in Sweden. This ensured that the purchasing power of the Krona could be measured for most individuals correctly. The weekly inflation was then computed by weighing the percent change in each good and service consumed by the fraction of total consumer expenditure that households allocated to this item. Instruments used by the Riksbank in order to fulfill the price stability target were changes in the discount rate and operations in the foreign exchange market. Accordingly, the Riksbank changed the discount rate from 8% to 6% in 1931 as there were no longer signs for a continuing inflation. After that, the discoun t rate was lowered to 2.5% in 0.5% steps until 1937. In retro perspective the monetary policy of the Riksbank proved to be very effective. Statistics show a considerably stable level of consumer prices between 1931 and 1938 (see graph 7). Most importantly however is the fact, that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the monetary program of 1931 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ maintained public trust and confidence in the banking sector. One can therefore conclude, that not only did the centralized branch system of the banking structure prevented Sweden from the experience of a fully scaled banking panic, but also a sound monetary policy based on the theoretical findings of the Stockholm School. Nevertheless, the price stabilizing policy of the Riksbank did not remain unchallenged. For example, Bertil Ohlin, who wrote an article entitled The inadequacy of price stabilization. There he acknowledged that the economic situation would most undoubtedly have been still worse if prices had been allowed to fall as they did in countries that kept to the old gold parity, and that the knowledge that the Riksbank would endeavor by every means in its power to prevent any appreciable fall in prices has exercised a reassuring influence on trade. However, Ohlin went on to argue that stabilization of prices could not prevent reductions in investment and hence in GDP. The next chapter explains how this argument was also put forward by the Social Democrats in 1932. Public deficit spending In the 1932 elections, the Social Democrats obtained the highest number of votes and formed a government. The new minister of finance, Ernst Wigforss, held that a monetary policy focused on price stability was insufficient to obtain an acceptable outcome for Sweden. The new finance minister had long championed the idea of intentional deficit spending in recessions. Wigforss had been a professor of linguistics at Lund before he became one of the leading intellectuals of the Social Democratic Party, and he worked closely with a number of Swedish economists, including Gunnar Myrdal, Erik Lindahl, and Bertil Ohlin. The group developed theories justifying the use of fiscal policy as a stabilization tool that were quite similar to those developed by John Maynard Keynes. In a 1928 article, for example, Wigforss wrote: If I want work for 100 people I do not need to put all 100 to work. . . . [I]f I can get an unemployed tailor work, he will get the opportunity to buy himself new shoes and in this way an unemployed shoemaker will get work. . . . This crisis is characterized above all by a relationship which is called a vicious circle. . . . One can say the crisis drives itself once it begins, and it [will] be the same once recovery begins. Wigforsss advocacy of deficit spending in response to the Depression was a radical departure from the policies of previous governments. Prior to 1933, government borrowing was primarily limited to loans for productive purposes, that is, for investments that would generate future government revenue, such as the postal service, telephones, electrical power generation, and railroads. Income derived from these activities would then cover the interest payments on the public debt while also generating additional income for the state.36 In contrast, nonproductive government expenditure was supposed to be paid for with current government revenues. Since it was impossible to predict current revenues or nonproductive expenditures accurately, Sw eden had reserve funds that accumulated any unanticipated surpluses. These funds were then available to cover unanticipated deficits. In the fiscal years 1931-1932 and 1932-1933, for example, the budget was balanced by reducing the reserves of the Alcoholic Drink Account. Thus, while budget deficits in the modern sense occurred, they were not acknowledged, and they were not the result of any policy aimed specifically at creating or allowing a deficit. One of the more controversial issues amongst economic historians is the questions whether public deficit spending and public work programs really helped Sweden out of the economic slump or whether they were merely a side note during the Great Depression. The reason for that is that the coming to power of the Social Democrats in 1932 are widely perceived as a turning point in Swedens economic policy and sometimes even as the global birth of modern macro-economic policy. However, empirical evidence proving that a special Social Democratic economic policy caused Swedens quick recovery is scarce. As a matter of fact, the debate about the future fiscal policy of Sweden under Social Democratic rule already circled around issues much similar to those that John Maynard Keynes dealt with four years later in his magnum opus the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Swedens financial minister Ernst Wigforss argued that price stabilization would not be enough to fight the depression. He rather proposed a public work program designed to put unemployed back to work even if this meant budget deficits. Much like the policy advocating stable prices, this one was again based on advice put forward by contemporary economists. This was a radical departure from the policies of previous governments. A balanced budget had always been the highest maxim. Usually, government loans were only used for investments that were expected to generate future profits such as postal services, railroads or electric power supply. All other nonproductive expenditures were paid for by reserves the government had built up. Unsurprisingly, this radical change in policy went not without fierce debate and controversy in parliament. The first unbalanced budget proposed by Wigforss for the years 1933 and 1934 was criticized for causing inflation and depriving businesses of capital necessary for their development. To counter these arguments, the Social Democrats moved away from financing public wor k programs through deficits and proposed an inheritance tax used to finance their plans. Additionally, the Agrarian Party did not agree to the budget as they feared a negligence of the population working in the agrarian sector. As a consequence, the Social Democrats had to include high subsidy payments for the agricultural sector in the budget. When it finally passed the parliament in 1933 much of the planned deficit spending policy had disappeared. Moreover, most of the funds still allocated to public work programs could not be put to use as a nationwide lockout of employees in the construction sector blockaded the building industry. This lockout took place because the employer association SAF wanted to enforce lower wages for the industry. This conflict was solved in 1934 and only then could the government finally make use of the allocated funds for public works. Did they find the Holy Grail? The effects of Swedens economic policy Renowned economist and chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke, wrote in his essay collection on the Great Depression that Understanding the Great Depression is the holy grail of macro-economics. He thereby referred to the very difficult but ultimately rewarding task of finding a definite answer to the question of the real causes of the Great Depression. This, he argues, could help to identify future crisis better and address them more effectively. When looking at the fact that Sweden had overcome the Depression rather well by applying certain types of policies, the question arises whether the Holy Grail might have already been found long before Bernanke published his book. This chapter will therefore look more closely at the real effect that the Swedish economic policy had from 1929 to 1937. The range and depth of the several above mentioned policy measures varied significantly. It is therefore convenient to divide the chapter into the several policy fields that were addressed between 1929 and 1937. The evaluation is mainly done by using statistics of key figures that are in direct relation to the executed policy. By drawing on secondary literature it is then elaborated whether the figures in the statistics did or did not change due to a specific policy or due to other factors. When looking at the debate on the cause of Swedens recovery the author argues that according to one view the increasing demand and thus increasing exports led to a recovery. Hence, monetary policy was the most powerful contributory factor. The public works policy could not have had any significant effect, since the works were not started on any substantial scale until recovery was well under way. On the other hand, the expansion of the export market at first did not have an extensive impact on the labor market as at first large pile of build up stock were used for exports. No increase in production or employment took place. The author concludes that it was a mixture of growing demand abroad, monetary policy, deficit spending and support of the agriculture that led to Swedens recovery. Even if it is clear that the public works did not lead to recovery it is unclear whether exports alone did the trick. Just lucky? External factors fostering Swedens recovery Leaving the gold standard After Great Britain left the gold standard on September 21st 1931, Sweden followed six days later as one of the first countries. The effects on both the domestic markets and the foreign sector were at first positive. Leaving gold meant that the Swedish Riksbank could lower the interest rate, therefore practicing an inflationary monetary policy rather than a deflationary policy as before. This let the money supply increase and accordingly aggregated product demand. As Sweden experienced a deflation prior to 1931 the increase in money now turned the economic situation into a mild inflation. This proved to be a rather favorable constellation, as with lower interest rates at the central bank and accordingly low real interest rates for businesses, investments increased. Hence, optimism amongst entrepreneurs never fell to a point where all investments were put on hold. Rather, trust in the economy always remained at a substantially high level, while prices remained at level that did not se em to hurt the economy too much. Another important factor was the effect of an inflationary monetary policy on the export sector. Leaving gold was followed by a depreciation of the Krona. This meant that Swedish products became cheaper and did not decrease significantly, which is remarkable when looking at global trade statistics during the Great Depression. Graph 6 shows that Swedish exports did quite well during the 1930s, while a lot of other western economies had to face significant declines in exports. Additionally, a depreciation of the Krona also meant that imports became more expensive for Swedish consumers. As a consequence import substitution occurred, strengthening domestic enterprises. All put together, it becomes evident (see Berry Eichengreen), that leaving the gold standard early played an important role for the depth of and the recovery from the Great Depression. Conclusion This paper examined the economic policy of Sweden during the Great Depression. The primary question was to find out which factors contributed to the relatively mild course of the crisis. Accordingly, the first chapter outlined the basic condition the Swedish economy was in prior to the crisis. This was a necessary entrance into the subject as it revealed that Swedens exposure to contagion was at least with respect to the banking sector limited. On the other hand, the chapter revealed as well that the decrease of foreign demand due to the crisis had a definite negative impact on Swedens export industry. Nevertheless, it can be argued that under these circumstances, Sweden was from the very beginning less likely to be effected by the Great Depression than those countries whose banking sector collapsed. This especially holds true when considering the fact that trust in the economy never vanished in Sweden due to generally stable, basic economic parameters. Hence, the specific characte ristics of Swedens economy prior and during the Great Depression already answer part of the question to why Sweden performed so well. As Sweden was nevertheless hit by the crisis through the export market and the collapse of the international trading system, the second part of the answer can be found within the internationally unique policy measures Sweden pursued between 1931 and 1937. In chapter two it is argued that Swedish politicians deliberately followed an economic policy outside the neoclassical mainstream. This is mainly due to the so called Stockholm school, whose followers very early acknowledged that the state had to play a vital role during an economic crisis. As this group of economist and their advice was very well accepted within the political elite, policy measures could be put into practice without having to make too many concessions to third parties. Thus, policy reaction to the crisis was quick and effective. In chapter three, several major policy measures that helped Sweden to recover from the Great Depression quicker than others are analysed in detail: the early abandoning of the gold standard, the stabilization of the purchasing power of the krona and public work programmes. While the suspension of the gold standard was merely a reaction to the fact that one of Swedens major trading partners, the UK, abandoned gold, the other two measures can clearly be traced back to the Stockholm School. It is argued in the paper, that stabilizing the purchasing power of the krona definitely helped to maintain trust in the economic system and provided planning reliability for businesses. The role of the public work programmes however remains somewhat blurry. Even though Sweden seems to be an early if not the first country to follow Keynesian-like policies, the effects of the deficit spending policy is somewhat disputed by scholars. There is however consensus on the fact that the policies of the Social Democrats in the early 1930s paved the way for true deficit spending and broad government intervention in the following decades, leading to the today renown Swedish welfare state. Lastly, Swedens quick recovery is looked upon in chapter four. As available statistics do not reveal a significant success of the government work program, outside factors might explain more accurately why Sweden recovered so quickly. Looking at exports statistics one can clearly see that a general upswing in the global business cycle was very well received by Swedens export industry. Especially the booming housing market in Great Britain pampered the export sector. Putting all pieces together, this paper showed that a mixture of internal and external factors helped Sweden to overcome the Great Depression better than others. While a relatively low exposure of the banking sector to the international market helped to maintain trust in the economy, the stabilizing monetary policy of the Riksbank strengthened the planning reliability for customers and businesses alike. The quick recovery at the end of the Depression however can mainly be traced back to external factors. Nevertheless, the fact that businesses could quickly react to the growth in foreign demand at all is in great parts due to the stabilizing policy of the government.

Shakespeares King Lear - Goneril and Cordelia in King Lear Essay

The Characters of Goneril and Cordelia in King Lear Nothing makes a story like a good villain, or in this case, good villainess. They are the people we love to hate and yearn to watch burn. Goneril, of Shakespeare’s King Lear, is no exception. Her evils flamed from the very beginning of the play with her lack of sincerity in professing her love for her father: "Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter; Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare; No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour; As much as child e'er loved, or father found; A love that makes breath poor, and speech unable. Beyond all manner of so much I love you. (I.i. 56-62) One can just feel the insincerity and exaggeration in her words, perhaps even a touch of hatred that is bubbling like a volcano on the verge of explosion, which will wreak destruction on everyone and everything that gets in its path. Of course, Shakespeare does not disappoint. The volcano is actually a good analogy for this character, for she does exactly what is expected. Not only does her father feel her wrath, but also her own husband, the Duke of Albany, who she has killed; The Duke of Gloucester whose eyes get gauged out in her presence; her other sister, Regan, who she kills out of jealousy; and Goneril, herself, when she comes face to face with her true self. In regard to her role in the Elizabethan age, Goneril not only stood for evil, but also rebellion. She has rebelled against the accepted role for women by rebelling against both her father and husband. This reflects much of the theme of the play in that rebellion against accepted social order under mines that order, which leads to downfall and chaos. Ag... ...h the wicked prosper, and the virtuous miscarry . . . the audience will not always rise better pleased from the final triumph of persecuted virtue." What exactly was Cordelia's role in the play? Was she there as an angel - like character who made the distinction between good and evil more visible? Was she just thrown in as a little goody- goody who did no wrong, and maybe, to some degree, we were supposed to despise? Or was she there to make us more aware of a crumbling society where many things were opposite to what one might think it should be, with evil generally prevailing over the good (which to some degree is prophetic to today's society)? There are many theories surrounding this character in particular, and no one has reached a definitive conclusion as of late. The best one I can come up with, however, is simply the answer "Yes," to all of the above.

Petty Lawsuits :: essays research papers

Are we Sueing for a Purpose? People today are not sueing to rectify matters. There is no purpose in lawsuits today. I believe everyone is out to get an easy buck through the judicial system. It is almost inevitable if people spill hot coffee on themselves that they will win a lawsuit against the company that served them that coffee. People believe that nothing is their fault and that someone (the defendant) should pay. The problem with the judicial system today is that people are sueing all the time and winning in court with ridiculous cases. Take this case in North Carolina for instance. A Dallas couple is sueing Kmart for $23 million dollars because some Kmart employees harassed and accused the Dallas couple of going through their garbage. The employees were fired and the Dallas couple sued for $23 million. Fortunately the couple didn’t receive all that money, there is a state law capping punitive damages which forced the judge to reduce it to $250 thousand dollars. The plaintiffs feel that they have been mistreated and that Kmart should reconcile with them by paying them off. The couple states at the end of court that â€Å"they believe us. That the most important thing, they believe us.† Obviously that is not the most important thing to them for they are trying to appeal the state law which caps their $23 million. And if that’s not greedy enough, the week before the jury awarded them $18,985 in compensatory damages. So the couple was awarded $268,985 for being accused over something as petty as going through a stores trash. Anyone can differentiate one fraudulent case from another. I understand that the Dallas couple is trying to clear their name from shame. But trying to appeal the already huge sum of money and going for more shows just how greedy these people really are. They got what they wanted, for the people to believe them. Everyone believes them now, and on top of that, they were awarded a nice some of money. There are people out there who really do deserve some kind of compensation for negligence, harassment, or anything else that might have gone wrong. For example, a Gastonia man who already has enough appeal to pity has yet another problem to deal with. He is a paraplegic who awoke to find a rat eating at his leg to the bone.

Eating Disorders Essay -- Research Health Weight Anorexia Essays

Eating Disorders   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eating disorders are devastating and harmful behavioral patterns that occur within people for numerous reasons. The three types of eating disorders I will be discussing include the three most common of the disorders: anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive over eating (known as binge eating). Though the disorders take physical damage on the body, they are not in fact physical illnesses. You cannot "catch" and eating disorder. Rather, they are mental issues that develop more frequently within females but do affect the male population somewhat as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anorexia is characterized by extremely low body weight and a distorted self body image accompanied with an intense fear of gaining weight. Extreme exercising is also commonly associated with anorexia. An anorexic may allow themselves any where from 100 to 1,000 calories a day. It is not food that turns them off however, it's the preoccupation with gaining weight. Food my in fact may be on their mind constantly. Some develop such obsessions with food that they will develop obsessions with cooking and preparing the foods… probably never even tasting them. An anorexic can lose at least 15% to as much as 60% of their normal body weight. Bulimia occurs with or without anorexia symptoms. Individuals with bulimia tend to binge eat then self induce vomiting. However, binge eating is sometimes not a component of bulimia. Individuals may eat normal amounts, and then excuse themselves to the bathroom. Another common trait is the use of laxatives, diuretics, and enemas in thoughts that it will excrete those calories. Bulimics are not necessarily underweight. Some are even over weight if not at a normal weight, and they almost always have a swollen appearance to their stomachs. Compulsive overeating is a disorder in which individuals overeat, often using food as an addictive substance. As others may turn to alcohol, drugs, or gambling to alleviate stress, compulsive overeaters turn to food. Food has many associations with comfort. Compulsive overeaters may feel empty inside, and turn to food to help them feel full. A binge can average from any where between 1,000 calories to 20,000, or even as low as 100 calories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An eating disorder can develop due to a number of reasons. It could be emotional and personality disorders, family pressures, a possible genetic tendency, not to mention... ...s the tops of finger joints.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The primary symptom of anorexia is major weight loss from excessive and continuous dieting. In women, menstruation would be infrequent or absent. The skin may be dry and covered with fine hair, and normal scalp hair may be thin. The feet and hands may be cold and sometimes swollen. The stomach is often bloated after eating. Thinking may be confused of slow, and the anorexic may have poor memory and lack of judgment. Most of all with these two disorders there is a distorted self body image involved. The anorexic or bulimic could look into a mirror and see a completely different body then their own. Any of these symptoms is a warning!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eating disorders are very scary and life threatening. Though figures say that they mostly occur with in teenage girls it could happen with any one. There is no one reason it happens either. Usually the patient with the disorder (mainly an anorexic or bulimic) will have an obsession with perfection and rituals. Though they are mental illnesses, treatment is available. Psychologically, as well as physically. If you suspect that someone you know has an eating disorder don't ignore it they are very dangerous!

Marketing at vanguard Essay

Vanguard prides itself on providing low cost and high value to the customer and it is Vanguard’s core competency. However, Vanguard’s world changed when in mid-2003, Vanguard’s niche market was invaded by commercial banks, investment banks and insurance companies due to deregulation in the financial services industry. Vanguard took advantage of the Internet technology for customer transactions and other innovations to offer no load funds to the investors. Vanguard successfully employed Six Sigma methodologies in order to continue to offer high value at the lowest cost to the customer. Some of the threats that could endanger Vanguard’s prosperity or survival in the future include excessive customer segmentation where the varied offerings available confuse the customer and the investment brackets are not particularly transparent. Vanguard could encounter a significantly challenging situation if it is inadequately prepared to compete with the influx of firms in the industry. At the present time, Vanguard does not have  a clear marketing strategy that fits in well with overall vision of the company. For example, Vanguard is uncertain where sales and marketing efforts fit in the corporate dashboard. The dashboard is a communications tool that offers an overall view of the condition and performance of the company in key indicators or drivers for success. Management was constantly provided with the dashboard and updates at board meetings. Thus, Vanguard efficiently used this tool to organize its marketing and sales efforts in support of the overall strategic objectives. Vanguard has to take proactive steps in order to guard against unusual declines in stock market indexes. In addition to insulating their margins and maintain their market presence during times of economic downturn, they have to ensure that continue to deliver superior customer service than their competitors. For example, client satisfaction is above expectation during boom years. However, customer satisfaction is intertwined with market performance. Vanguard should continue to educate the customer of staying the course and emphasizing the advantages of long-term investment strategies. Analysis Vanguard is torn between staying the course and going the investment company route where it can provide a whole array of products and services to everyone similar to one-stop shopping rather than focusing of customer segmentation. There is a tradeoff identified in the SWOT analysis where offering the customer the lowest cost cannot successfully co-exist with high value at Vanguard. Vanguard can only offer the customer with the low cost, as it is not expending many resources in its marketing efforts. Vanguard has the option of pursuing international expansion at this time. However, it has not developed a concrete strategy on how to compete in the United States in times of economic downturn as well as in face of increased competition. If Vanguard expands overseas, it is not expected to perform well as these competencies are absent in its overall strategy. How can Vanguard be expected to compete in face of other challenges such as  institutional and regulatory hurdles as well as smaller populations overseas? Marketing segmentation was a competency that has worked for Vanguard in the past. However, customers may resent excessive categorization based on perceived investing habits or income extrapolations by Vanguard. The customers may view ‘Vanguard’ as a Big Brother who pries into his or her personal lifestyle by monitoring their investment trends and then tailoring an investment plan for them with those assumptions. If you examine the potential target market sizing, the United States presents a wide array of opportunities with its varied ethnic groups. Companies such as Metlife and Citibank have done well by tapping into those markets and creating an investment niche. Rather than market segmentation based on investment habits, age or income; it may be advantageous for Vanguard to pursue these markets after conducting market tests or investment studies. Even if Vanguard decided to ‘aggressively’ target certain niche targets in its sales and marketing campaign, the potential dividends reaped from doing so are far expected to outweigh the costs as it currently spends about 20 cents out of every $10,000 invested to drum up new business which is well below industry norms. Certainly newspaper advertisements as those presented in Exhibits 7 and 8 in ethnic newspapers and print media should not become a financial setback to the company and eat up a significant portion of the sales and marketing budget. Vanguard has prided itself for innovation and dedication to continual improvement in the financial arena. Perhaps, Vanguard can benefit from its sales and marketing efforts if it is dedicated to ensure development and maturity of the program. One solution toward this goal is to brainstorm a clear vision and mission statement as to what the long-term aims and objectives of the sales and marketing program are and how will they complement the overall strategic objectives of the company as a whole, not just the four individual business units. Recommendations The dashboard at Vanguard is a critical tool to evaluate and assess performance. Vanguard should move ahead and incorporate reliable sales and marketing growth data into the dashboard metrics in order to ensure that marketing is presented as an avenue to support the achievement of goals in the various businesses. Vanguard would greatly benefit from partnering with brokers in order to garner a better share of the clients’ holdings from other financial institutions. It should consider investment in increased customer awareness and education in order to so. In terms of advertising, Vanguard should institute a customer referral program that encourages existing customers to actively voice their loyalty and satisfaction with the service they have received to prospective clients. Tasteful and creative advertising and marketing efforts that reaffirm Vanguard’s core beliefs of ‘staying the course’ and themes of long-term investment should be implemented. Prospective Vanguard customers are usually lured in by the highest money market account interest rates offered and not by fancy commercials or elaborate marketing efforts. Vanguard should not consider international expansion at this time as part of its growth strategy at this point in time. It should focus primarily on the Unites States where even a single digit market share gain and translate into significant revenues.