Lonrho Plc Essay

An evaluation of Lonrho’s corporate strategy should start from the two main key issues: in what businesses the firm should compete and how corporate headquarter should manage those businesses. Lonrho’s profile in 1996 included Agriculture, Sugar, General Trade, Hotels, Manufacturing, Mining&Refining and Motor&Equipment. The level of diversification was clearly high and the firm was pursuing a unrelated strategy, with less than 70% of revenues that came from the dominant business (Mining ) and without common links between businesses. The corporation was divided into country groups or related business lines and each division had a top manager whose responsibilities were similar to those of a group CEO. So the headquarter control of these groups was not very formal and all important decisions were in the hands of Rowland, that used to follow his strategies without consulting the board. Tiny Rowland wasn’t a pure manager but an entrepreneur interested in doing deals, so he made no efforts to share activities or to transfer core competences between different areas. The main interest was to find undervalued assets and try to make them profitable. Hence we can easily analyse the operational relatedness, since the firm didn’t share either primary or support activities. Corporate relatedness needs a deeper analysis. All these businesses seem to be related by Rowland’s huge experience in conducting affairs and by his effective skill in building relationships with African leaders, pursuing the policy of â€Å"investment in people†. But no more corporate-level competences were transferred among Lonrho’s assets, maybe because businesses were too different and Tiny did not want to move key people into new management positions. So from these evaluations, the natural conclusion is that Lonrho’s corporate strategy is an unrelated diversification. In my opinion the corporate level strategy in itself was good (exhibit 1 and 2: high revenues until 1991), but the way in which Rowland managed it was totally wrong. The main strength in its extreme diversification, was the reduction of the risk among the firm’s businesses. However, this is not enough to make the evaluation positive because there were also several negative aspects. Starting with corporate governance, the first big problem was the lack of power by board’s members: Tiny surrounded himself with â€Å"yes-men† and he, not the board, decided what to do in case of critical issues. So the entire conglomerate was managed by a man who used to define himself as an entrepreneur and not a manager. Besides the level of control was low, if we consider that Lonrho was a big and really complex company. Moreover, and here we have the second big problem, among Tiny’s investments, several ones defected in economic rationality. For instance, he became interested in trophy investments, only to gain prestige (that the company couldn’t exploit properly because corporate relatedness was low) although they may have been loss making. Finally, the firm was facing huge cash flow problems, due to large headquarters’ payroll, an inefficient dividend policy and Rowland’s excessive lifestyle. All these issues contributed to destroy the level of revenues and profits over the years and conducted to the only practicable way: an internal restructuring of assets. What future direction(s) should Lonrho take in terms of its corporate-level strategy? The two main options that Lonrho has for come out to the crisis are move in the direction of focusing the business, or continue as a conglomerate. Most important, the company must immediately start a corporate restructuring strategy. The main purpose should be the limitation of losses, instead of the value and profitability creation. Lonrho could pursue this restructuring strategy both in related business lines and in country groups. For related business lines, hotel and general trade segments were cyclical, capital intensive and they were performing below average, so the firm should try to sell its remaining assets to other companies. Regarding country groups, exhibit 2 shows that in United Kingdom, Europe and America, Lonrho was not doing well, so the board should find a way to leave these areas. With this easier structure, now the firm has to take a definite position. i) A business focusing means that Lonrho will concentrate only on one of the three businesses left. Sugar represented 6% of Lonrho revenues and 18% of operating profit in 1996, and despite low production costs and an access to a favourable mix of markets, this seems the most suitable for being abandoned, just because is the smallest asset in the company’s portfolio. Lonrho Africa is diversified both geographically and in business lines. With an operating profit of ? 52 millions, is a valuable segment, but with Tiny no longer in the picture, Lonrho do not have a real Africa specialist. Finally the mining segment is the most important asset for the firm, because represented 22% of 1996 revenue and 41% of operating profit. In my opinion, if the company has to make a choice, this could be the right market to sustain. Some investments are required for Ashanti Goldfields in Ghana and to improve the export capacity of Duiker mining subsidiary in South Africa. However, if Lonrho will be focused only on this business I think that it will have the types and levels of resources and capabilities needed. Nevertheless I do not think that this corporate strategy is the best. This strategy is mainly concerned with making choices among the last two alternatives. So the corporation would be constrained to relinquish the enormous promise of African continent, or the 41% of mining profit if it chooses to focus in Lonrho Africa. ii) The firm can continue as a conglomerate but for the reason said above, also in this case Lonrho should leave the sugar market. Now we have two businesses left and I would like to make a comparison with the Boston Consulting Group chart. With this corporate strategy, the firm could use mining as a â€Å"cash cow† market, trying to exploit the high percentage of the revenues that comes from the asset. Than it can use this cash flow in Lonrho Africa, a proper â€Å"star† market, with its enormous promise but also with a lot of investments needed. So with its management expertise, technical skills and a respected name, mixed with new financial resources, Lonrho could undertake some projects in Africa that few other firms could. I think that these are the right actions that the firm should take in term of corporate strategy.

Fast Food Nation Essay

Whether we like it or not, fast food and its detrimental effects have become an epidemic. For many years, people have been oblivious to the growth of the fast food industry. However, over the past three decades, the fast food industry has nearly taken over our American society; almost anywhere, one can see its vast influence. As a result, in his book, Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser portrays the influence of the industry. By implementing pathetic appeals for injustice and disgust, statistics from reputable sources, and fear of the consequences of fast food, Schlosser shows the average adult how the fast food industry is ruining American culture as a way to reform its problems. Throughout his book, Schlosser consistently tries to create an emotional appeal, particularly to one’s injustice and disgust to depict his opinion. When one hears things such as, â€Å"The hamburger habit is just about as safe†¦as getting your meat out of a garbage can† (Schlosser 195), he or she cannot help but to be disgusted. Of course no one wants to be told that he or she is eating trash. Moreover, Schlosser discusses other vomit-inducing truths such as, the numerous amounts of cannibal animals among the animals whose meat becomes the food that people eat at a fast food restaurant (202). He also talks about how every year there are millions of dead animals purchased to be fed to the animals that restaurants provide as meat (Schlosser 202). Lastly, Schlosser writes, â€Å"There is shit in the meat† (197), which immediately grabs the reader’s attention and hence shows his pathetic appeal to persuasively convey his opinion. Would anyone really want to eat a feces burger for lunch? In addition, out of 355 detailed pages, Schlosser’s statistics are omnipresent. He constantly uses them to back up his statements with evidence, even dedicating one sixth of the book to notes full of statistics with reputable sources. Although he already states his facts persuasively, they become more convincing with this use of logos. For instance, at many times, authors will make up a statement and act as if it were a true fact. However, when he writes, â€Å"There is a 100 percent turnover rate annually† (Schlosser 325) and quotes it from a published article, one can actually know the turnover rate without having to question its validity. Furthermore, when Schlosser writes about how 7. 5% of all ground beef samples are contaminated with Salmonella and quotes it from a Nationwide Microbiological survey, one does not have a hard time believing its legitimacy (Schlosser 333). One of the most persuasive strategies Schlosser uses in his book is his appeal to his audience’s consequential fears of fast food. For most people, living life is a wonderful gift and if anything could be able to take it away, people would doubtlessly avoid it. Schlosser does an effective job at listing the harmful consequences; since he clearly detests the fast food industry’s influence, he does this to help reform against the influence of it. For example, when Schlosser brings up the existence of E. coli O157:H7 in fast food, he does not simply say, â€Å"It is bad† (199). He goes on and elaborates with great detail, giving a story of a six year old boy named Alex who died because of the bug (200). Not only does he dramatize the story but he also narrates the events chronologically to draw the greatest response from the reader. Schlosser writes, â€Å"It progressed to diarrhea†¦Doctors frantically tried to save Alex’s life, drilling holes in his skull to relieve pressure, inserting tubes in his chest to keep him breathing†¦ Toward the end, Alex suffered hallucinations and dementia, no longer recognizing his mother or father† (200). These events, individually, already seem terrifying. Together, it magnifies the effect. Pathos and logos play an important role throughout Schlosser’s entire book. He is clearly against the fast food industry’s ubiquitous influence and as a result, he writes with pathetic appeals, reputable sources, and fear evoking descriptions to abolish its influence on American culture. What he writes has shown to be true; fast food has had a negative effect on society. While fast food may have some benefits, it’s detrimental in the long run. Day by day, the influence of fast food continues to grow and harm the American culture.

A play written by J. B. Priestly Essay Example for Free

A play written by J. B. Priestly Essay ? An Inspector Calls, a play written by J. B. Priestly in 1945. He set his play in 1912 just before the First World War. It is a story of the visit by an Inspector to an apparently normal family, the Birlings. The Birlings are celebrating their daughter Shelia’s engagement to Gerald Croft. Mr. Birling a successful factory owner gets the ball rolling with a speech, which he gives to his son Eric, and Gerald Croft. J. B Priestly makes good use of dramatic irony in this speech because many events took place after 1912, which we the modern audience, know about but Mr. Mr. Birling mentioned that the miners came out on a strike and there would be possible labour trouble in the near future. He said that there wouldn’t be any more worries about the strikes. But in 1926 we know that there was a General Strike in Britain. He talks about the Titanic being a spectacular ship with every luxury and it is absolutely unsinkable. But as we know in 1912 the Titanic sunk on maiden voyage and 1,513 lives were lost. He also mentioned about the wars not happening. He said that the Germans don’t want war. But in 1914 the First World War broke out. He said that there would peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere but in 1917 there was revolution in Russia. In 1939 the Second World War broke out and in 1945 the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. This makes the audience doubt Mr Birling early on in the play. When Mr. Birling finishes his speech the Inspector enters into the scene. The Inspector is at the Birling’s because there was a death of a woman Eva Smith and he had come to ask questions about her. Mr. Birling was the first person that we were led to believe started off the train of events that ultimately led to the death of Eva Smith. Mr. Birling had sacked Eva Smith from his factory after she started to cause trouble demanding higher wages. Mr Birling says that any man in his position would have done the same. She was making trouble as Mr. Birling said, ‘She had a lot to say – far too much so she had to goi. But the only thing that Mr. Birling cared about was his family and the progress of his business. He didn’t care about his workers and he didn’t know them. As he says in Act 1 â€Å"I have a couple of hundred workers under me, who keep changing†. So there wasn’t a personal relationship between these two until after the workers came back from their holidays that they were asking for a pay rise. As Mr. Birling wouldn’t, he sacked the ringleaders and one of them was Eva Smith. Now that Eva was sacked she was out of work for two months. She had no money and she was half starved. She had no one to help her. Her parents had died so they couldn’t offer any help and her friends had nothing to offer her. But then again it wasn’t the end of the world and she was capable of getting another job as we find out. A play written by J. B. Priestly. (2017, Nov 02).

Biologics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biologics - Assignment Example ecoming the Chief Financial Officer of Inovio in 2002, Peter acquired a wide experience in the strategic and functional management of high technology and biotechnology companies. His experience include corporate growth, which includes from IPO to profitability. Mr. Peter holds a BSc. Degree in Business Administration from USIU (United States International University, San Diego. David is a widely known leader in gene therapy, vaccines, and immunology. He has over 300 peer-reviewed journals as a leading forerunner in the DNA vaccines field. Before becoming chairman of Inovio Board of Directors, Weiner was an editor with several scientific published works like DNA Vaccine Meeting 2010, Biological active peptides, and Design, Synthesis and Utilization. Dr. Weiner has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from SUNY at Stony Brook and a M.S in Biology from university of Cincinnati. Dr. Philip is the Head of Program of immunology in Inovio Pharmaceuticals. He is also a professor of Medicine and immunology at University of Washington. Dr. Philip holds a degree in biology from Washington university. He worked at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In 1971, he received his M.D. from the State University of New York. VGX-3100 is an experimental therapy that is designed to remove precancerous cervical lacerations. It also clears HPV infection with robust T cell responses. The therapy is administered depending on age and severity of HPV. The mechanism of action of VGX-3100 is that of inducing regression of precancerous cervical lesions. VGX-3100 is an immunotherapy that has two DNA plasmids that targets the E6 and E7 oncogenes of HPV category 16 and 18. The oncogenes are responsible for transformation of cells that are infected with HPV into precancerous cells. Inovio Pharmaceuticals has the quest of revolutionizing vaccines, therefore combing two technologies that are distinct. First, the company uses synthetic vaccines that are not only designed for prevention, but also

Item Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Item Analysis - Assignment Example This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginning of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be fewer items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores.It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A competency test typically contains a few simple items, a few difficult items and a few items w ith moderate difficulty. A speed test, on the other hand, requires all items to be similarly difficult. For a competency test; it is necessary that we choose items that not only have different levels of difficulty; but also discriminate between individuals who are able to solve it and those who are not. A good item would typically help us in understanding how well the individual test taker has mastered the individual concept while also helping us differentiate those who did master the concept from those who did not.... Also; the Alpha coefficient is affected by the length of the test; with the reliability being higher and more trusted for a longer test than a shorter one. The given test is only 10 items long; and this may compromise the reliability to some extent. The skewed scores also present other concerns. The Standard Error of Skewness for this test may be calculated by using the Tabachnick & Fidell’s (1996) formula . This provides us with a SES value of 0.245. If we define the acceptable limits within which the value of skewness may fall as being between 2 SES both sides of zero; then we may accept a value that falls between – 0.49 and + 0.49. the obtained value of + 0.78 is well outside these limits, indicating that there is a positive skew to the scores and a significant clustering of scores towards the lower side of the scale. This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginni ng of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be less items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores. It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A

Business Environment Demand and Supply Assignment

Business Environment Demand and Supply - Assignment Example 2. If the price of Snickers increases, then the substitute for the Mars bar has become more expensive. As a result at each price, people will buy more Mars bars. Therefore, at each price there will be a higher quantity demanded of Mars bars. So the demand for Mars bars will increase. In figure 2 suppose the initial demand curve at the old price of Snicker bars is D0. This curve shows at price ?0.6 per unit of Mars bars, Q1 units are demanded. Now if the price of Snickers bars goes up, at the same price of Mars bars, more units are demanded. So, the demand curve shifts up to D1. In this new situation, at the old price of Mars bars Q2 units are demanded. Figure 2: Effect of increase in the price of substitutes 3. In figure 3, D0 is the initial demand line for Strawberries. If the price of cream fell, then a unit of Strawberries and cream together is less expensive. Since Strawberries and cream is consumed together, the quantity demanded of strawberries and cream together rises. As a re sult, at each price, the quantity demanded of Strawberries is now higher. So, the demand curve for Strawberries shifts out to the right to D1. Figure 3: Effect of fall in price in cream on demand for Strawberries 4. If the interest rate increases, then people have to pay more to repay the same amounts of loans. As a result, the income falls. If income falls, given the same price of cars, people can afford to buy fewer cars. Therefore, at every price, the quantity demanded of cars falls. As a result, there is a decline in the demand of cars. This is shown in figure 4. The demand for cars drops from D0 to D1. Figure 4: Effect of rise in interest rates on demand for cars 5. If the cost of production of Mars bars falls, then every unit of Mars bars can be supplied at lower price. Therefore, at each price the quantity supplied increases. This leads to an outward shift in the supply on the Mars bars. The effect is shown in figure 5 below. The initial demand and supply curves are D0 and S0 respectively. The equilibrium occurs at point A where these two curves intersect one another. Note from the vertical axis that at the initial equilibrium the price is 0.6p. Now, suppose the production cost falls. As a result, the supply curve shifts out to the right to S1. The new equilibrium is point B. Note from the vertical axis, the new equilibrium price of Mars bars is lower than the initial equilibrium price. Figure 5: Effect of reduction in producing costs 6. In figure 6, the effect of a reduction in a tax on the sales of the product is shown. Suppose initially, the tax is ‘t’. The relevant supply curve is S0+t. If the tax is taken off, the cost of the firm goes down, as a consequence the firm can supply more at each price. The supply curve without the tax is S0. Observe, if a tax is charged, then to supply an output of Q1 the firm has to charge a price of P0+t. But if there is no tax, the firm can supply the same output at a lower price of P0. Therefore, the ef fect of a reduction in tax is to shift the supply curve out to the right. Figure 6: Effect of a reduction in tax on the supply 7. If there is an increase in technology, the inputs become more productive. As a result, at the same per unit cost, the firm can now produce more. Therefore, at each price, the firm now is able to offer a higher quantity supplied. Therefore, due to the improvement in technology, the

You must submit an essay describing an ethical dilemma you have faced

You must submit an describing an ethical dilemma you have faced and how you resolved it - Essay Example In the early period of my career, I worked in one of the accounting firms. Being new in the profession, I worked as a subordinate employee, though with significant roles in the firm. However, my ethical dilemma arose when one of the senior managers in our department asked to me deliberately make a false recording. I was to alter the dates of some important transactions in the organization. Immediately the senior manager stated the request, I declined initially. The argument of my senior manager was that if I altered the dates, this would be of great benefit to the firm. The profits of the firm would increase, as the transaction will be identified under a different calendar year, and that would be beneficial to the company. I was responsible recording transactions in different financial years. For this reason, the senior manager had no other person to approach except me. In order to get me to accept this idea and perform as per his wish, the senior manager promised to give me a bonus. He also promised that upon acting on his demands, I would be considered for recognition in future performance review in the firm. Nonetheless, like any other employee that wishes to succeed in their career, I did not make a decision immediately after the senior manager had mentioned all the privileges that I would be entitled to. This incident thus is an ethical dilemma, since as a subordinate employee, questions of â€Å"should I† or should I not† lingered on my mind. I knew altering the records was ethically wrong. However, thinking of the benefits that I would be entitled to made me to hesitate on making a decision. Since I am a supporter of ethics in organizations, I decided to take considerable time, and ensure that I came up with the right decision that would not exhibit any selfishness in me, anger the senior manager, or which would not result in a tainted image for me as an individual employee, and for the organization. This was

Managed Care Organizations Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managed Care Organizations - Case Study Example This issue has been criticized with the claim that the practice will lower the quality of care. The rigidity of rules regarding the choice of health care providers has been criticized, which is specially a reality for Health Maintenance Organizations. Sometimes, a member may be dissatisfied with the care provided by a primary care practitioner and would wish to consult with another one who is not involved in the network accessible via their managed care giver. The only option would be to do so and pay for the costs in full out-of-the pocket. A number of members complain and suggest that in order to save some cash, their managed care providers contract less-educated and inexperienced health professionals. Some criticize the service arguing that their primary care givers make them experience unnecessary tests and treatments for their conditions for them to make extra money (Robinson & Ginsburg, 2009). The third criticism against managed care is its strictness to SOPs that must be adhered to. For example, the necessity to get approval from the insurance provider prior to starting any treatments as well as the length and type of treatments. Most people also complain on the long waiting periods for them to be appointed, the inconvenient locations for clinics and network givers’ offices, or that the allocated time for appointment does not match their busy schedules. In this plan, the basic structure entails members receiving a yearly allocation of Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) finances from their employers, which they may use to purchase covered services. The allocations often range between a thousand dollars and two thousand dollars annually. Unused finances can be carried forward into years ahead and added to the following annual HRA deposit. In the CDHP, when the HRA fund is exhausted, the specified member must adhere to a deductible gap

Raw materials transport costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Raw materials transport costs - Essay Example Carriage inwards are the costs that are incurred as a result of transporting raw materials into a firm, these costs should be added to the value of goods purchased, and this means that the cost of raw materials should include the value of the goods purchased plus the transportation costs incurred by the firm in transporting these raw materials. Carriage outward is the cost of transportation of final or finished goods to the customer; these costs are treated as expenses and therefore are recorded in the profit and loss account as an expense.Therefore from the above discussion on the cost of transportation which are carriage inward and outward it is evident that carriage inward which is the cost incurred in transporting raw materials into the firm should be included in the valuation of inventory and therefore require that they are added to the cost of raw materials, carriage outward which is the transportation of goods to the customer should be treated as an expense and therefore shoul d not be included in the valuation of inventory.Work in progress is a term used to goods that are not yet finished goods, their value is included in the valuation of inventory, overhead costs are those costs that cannot be directly traced to a particular products example rent and security costs, these costs are assigned to the product using an appropriate method whereby their cost is assigned to cost objects . Work in progress is calculated by adding up the direct materials costs, direct labor costs and the overhead costs, the overhead costs are assigned to the unit of production using an appropriate method, example the overhead costs at Lehman ltd are assigned to products using machine hours. Overhead costs should be included in the valuation of inventory, the costs of produced goods should include direct materials, direct labor costs and overhead costs, in this case the following overheads are included: Factory rent, rates and insurance 50,000 sales office expenses 240,000 factory security 30,000 factory heat, light and power 450,000 sales commissions and selling costs 120,000 depreciation of machinery 230,000 depreciation of sales force vehicles 70,000 total 1,190,000 The overhead costs are assigned to products on the basis of machine hours and in this case it is evident that there were 10000 machine hours, however 500 machine hours are included in work in progress, therefore for the finished goods have utilized 9500 machine hours. For the finished goods the following overhead cost should be assign to each product: 1,190,000/9500 = 125.26 Therefore each finished good should be assigned 125.26 per machine hour it consumes. For the work in progress they have consumed 500 machine hours, should be assigned the overhead cost depending on a percentage set, example the company may decide that for the work in progress the overhead costs will be assigned at 50%, if this is the case the work in progress overhead cost will be 62.63 per machine hour. Finished goods: The table below summarizes the cost incurred by these goods and some costs that the goods may incurred, the following table summarizes the gross profit that will be gained as a result of modification and sale of these products. Stock Line A () B() C() selling price 50000 20000 22000 Costs incurred to date 40000 10000 15000 modification costs 10000 4000 4000 marketing costs 5000 4000 5000 cost of production 55000 18000 24000 gross profit -5000 2000 -2000 We calculate the cost of production by adding up all the cost that the goods have incurred and those that are to be icnured, to get gross profit we subtract cost of production from the selling price which in this case stands for the revenue that is to be gained, the gross profit for product A and C is negative while product B has a positive gross profit. Therefore product B will gain a profit and therefore it is best to modify and sell the product, for the other product the firm may

Common Law Essay Example for Free

Common Law Essay a)Â  In a letter dated 14/02/2011, the manager (Dave) of Excellent Foods (EF) outlined conditions in writing to the manager (Ben) of Safe Foods (SF) in relation to the purchase of EF. These conditions were that SF must pay the valued amount of EF, which totaled $120,000, $30,000 more than the original amount that SF had been prepared to pay and stipulated during earlier negotiations. At the time of the earlier negotiations, SF also had set a purchase requirement, which was that EF’s sales must increase by 20% over the next two months and if this requirement was met, SF would be prepared to pay the ,000. After earlier negotiations, EF had their business valued at $120,000 and notified SF of the valuation and that they now required this amount, not the $90,000 that SF had offered. SF did not reply to EF. Whilst EF met the sales increase target and forwarded the record of sales to SF along with the transfer of business contract as well as a new condition of the contract being that EF require 10% of the 120,000 within 14 days, SF responded in writing stating they no longer were interested in purchasing EF. It would appear that EF are no longer interested in purchasing SF due to the $30,000 price increase and the term that they would now need to pay 10% within 14 days. An important aspect in forming a legally binding contract is giving and receiving the acceptance of an offer. The requirement of acceptance with every binding legal contact is tied closely to the concept of unqualified mutual assent. Only when both parties have given their mutual consent does the law consider a binding legal contact to have been formed. Hence, if the offeree remains silent, their silence cannot constitute an acceptance.[1] Another important aspect when creating a legally binding contract is that the acceptance of the offer must exactly mirror the terms and conditions of the offeree and vice versa. If there is even a slight difference, this will most likely not constitute a valid acceptance. If an offer is made that does not mirror the terms of the original offer, than this is considered a counter-offer, which now negates the original offer. An example of this is demonstrated in the case of Hyde v Wrench (1840) where Wrench offers to sell his land to Hyde for the price of 1200 pounds of which Hyde declined to accept. Wrench responded with a counter-offer of 1000 pounds and Hyde responded with another counter-offer of 950 pounds. When Wrench declined the counter offer, Hyde decided he would accept the earlier offer of 1000 pounds, however Wrench decided he would no longer sell his land to Hyde for this amount. As Hyde had made another counter-offer after the earlier offer, the offer of 1000 pounds was now destroyed. Hyde sued Wrench for breach of contract claiming that the earlier offer was not withdrawn however the court found that Wrench did not need to withdraw the offer of 1000 pounds as it was destroyed when the counter-offer of 950 pounds was made.[2] In this case, SF made an offer to EF, being $90,000 if sales increase by 20% in two months. EF later responded with a counter-offer of $120,000, which then destroyed the earlier offer of $90,000. SF did not respond to this counter offer, therefore not accepting the new offer. EF also added terms to the offer that were not previously discussed with SF, which also did not mirror the terms of the earlier offer of which the court considers being a strict requirement for full and unequivocal assent.[3] Excellent Foods cannot commence an action for breach of contract against Safe Foods as the counter-offer negates the original offer of which Safe Foods did not respond to and therefore is not considered as an acceptance of the terms. b)Â  Promissory estoppel is an equitable action, which is designed to enforce promises made from one party to another where the promises are not supported by consideration. The doctrine of promissory estoppel can only be applied if a clear promise was made from the promisor to the promisee, if the promisse has suffered a significant loss from the promiser now going back on its promise, if the promiser acted unconscionably, and if the promisse undertook certain acts (or refrained from undertaking certain acts) due to the promiser’s initial promise. A leading case which illustrates the purpose of promisary estoppal is Waltons Stores v Maher where Waltons negotiated with Maher over the grant of a lease of property that Maher owned. Maher agreed to demolish a building in order to make way for a new custom designed building to be occupied by Waltons. Changes and agreements were made by both parties over the following months. Waltons later decided that they no longer required the building after Maher had already informed then that they were proceeding with the demolition and despite being aware of this, advised their solicitors to ‘go slow’ in informing Maher of their reservations. Due to Maher having initially received a clear promise, suffered considerable loss and completed many acts under the belief that Waltons would go ahead with the promise as well as Waltons acting unconscionably against Maher in ‘going slow’ in informing Maher of their true intentions, Maher was able to rely on promisary estoppel and therefore won on first instance and later at the appeal.[4] In this case, Excellent Foods did not suffer any considerable loss from Safe Foods not following through with the business transfer. Whilst there was an initial promise made by SF to EF, EF later requested 10% of the transfer price of $120,000 within 14 days– a term that had not previously been negotiated. It may be because of this term that SF does not wish to continue with the transfer in which case they have not acted unconscionably. EF informed SF in writing that they did not wish to continue with the transfer.

High Fracture Toughness of Al2O3-TiN0.3 Composites

High Fracture Toughness of Al2O3-TiN0.3 Composites High fracture toughness of Al2O3-TiN0.3 composites prepared via spark plasma sintering Lina Qiaoa, b, Yucheng Zhaoa, Mingzhi Wanga, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ , Yana Yea, Junxing Zhanga, Qin Zoua, Qian Yanga, Hua Dengc, Ying Xingc Abstract Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites with different TiN0.3 contents were spark plasma sintered at 1300–1600  °C for 10 min. Phase identification was characterized through X-ray diffraction. Microstructures were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The fracture toughness of the composite with 30 vol% TiN0.3 sintered at 1500  °C reaches to the highest value of 6.91 MPa m1/2. Based on the first-principles density functional theory, the density of states for TiN and TiNx was calculated. The covalent bonding is weakened and the metallic bonding is strengthened as the nitrogen concentration is reduced in nonstoichiometric TiNx. The active slip systems determined by covalent bonding for the nitrides are possibly increased by adding nonstoichiometric TiN0.3, which improves the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites. Keywords: Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites;Fracture toughness; Slip system; Bond calculation 1. Introduction Alumina (Al2O3) ceramics are essential structural materials, but the inherent brittleness has inhibited their applications [1, 2]. The fracture toughness can be improved substantially by adding a secondary reinforcing phase into the matrix. The effects of TiN particles on the mechanical properties of Al2O3-based composites have been widely studied [3–9]. Shen et al. [9] reported that the fracture toughness of Al2O3–TiN composites prepared via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1500  °C reaches to a maximum value of 5.7 MPa m1/2. Li et al. [1] studied the mechanical properties of TiN–Al2O3 nanocomposites prepared by hot pressing at 1550  °C, and pointed out that the highest fracture toughness is 5.27 MPa m1/2. However, there have been few reports about the effects of nonstoichiometric TiN0.3 on the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites. In this study, nonstoichiometricTiN0.3 was added into Al2O3 matrix, and the effects of TiN0.3 on the mechanical properties (especially fracture toughness) of the composites were discussed. Nonstoichiometric TiN0.3 synthesized via mechanical alloying (MA) possesses fine grain size and TiN-type structure with numerous N vacancies [10, 11], which are conducive to improving sinterability [11–14]. Furthermore, weakening covalent bond and strengthening metallic bond in TiN0.3 structure [15, 16] may have an important influence on the fracture toughness. This study aims to verify whether or not adding nonstoichiometric materials can increase the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites. 2. Experimental Raw materials used include TiN0.3 synthesized through MA [10, 11] and commercial powders Al2O3 (analytically pure, an average particle size of 1 ÃŽ ¼m). Powder mixtures were milled for 2 h in absolute ethanol using WC milling media on a Pulverisette 4 Vario-Planetary Mill (FRTSCH German) at 300 rpm. SPS (3.20 MK-IV, Sumitomo Coal Mining Co., Ltd.) was performed in vacuum (6Ãâ€"10−3 Pa) at different heat treatment temperatures (1300–1600  °C) for 10min at 30 MPa. The heating rate was 100  °C/min. The temperature was determined using an optical pyrometer focused on the non-through hole located on the surface of the graphite die. Phase identification was performed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Cu KÃŽ ± radiation by using a D/MAX-2500PC diffractometer (Rigaku). Microstructures of the specimen’s polished surface and fracture cross-sections were observed using an S-3400N (Hitachis) scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with electron back-scattered diffraction (Edax-Tsl, Ametek). The bending strength was measured with Instron-5848 MicroTester (America) using the three point bending test with a span length of 13 mm and crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Fracture toughness was determined through the Vickers indentation method proposed by Anstis et. al [17]. Measurements of the hardness and fracture toughness were conducted using an FM-700 Vickers hardness tester (Future-Tech, Japan) by indentation using a pyramidal indenter and applying a 10 kg load for 10 s. 3. Results 3.1 XRD identification and morphology observation Fig. 1 shows the XRD patterns of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at different temperatures in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. Only TiN0.3 and ÃŽ ±-Al2O3 phases are detected in the XRD patterns. It suggests that no chemical reaction occurs between the second phase and the matrix. Fig. 2 shows the back-scattered SEM micrograph of the polished surface of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at 1400  °C in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. The gray grains are Al2O3, while the white ones are TiN0.3. TiN0.3 grains are uniformly dispersed in Al2O3 matrix. Fig. 3 shows the microstructure of the fracture cross-sections of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at different temperatures in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. When the sintering temperature is raised to 1400  °C, the grain size of the composite is fine and approximately 2 ÃŽ ¼m for Al2O3; the fracture mode is mainly intergranular (Fig. 3 b). Then the gains grew obviously with further raising the sintering temperature, here ~3-4 ÃŽ ¼m at 1500  °C and ~4-5 ÃŽ ¼m at 1600  °C for Al2O3; the fracture modes are intergranular and transgranular (Fig. 3 c and d). In addition, Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite has not reached full density at 1300  °C, as indicated both by the SEM observations (Fig. 3) and measured hardness values (Fig. 5). Fig. 4 shows the microstructure of the fracture cross-sections of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites with different TiN0.3 contents sintered via SPS at 1400  °C in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. The grain size of Al2O3 existed in all samples does not change significantly. It is not agreement with the previous study that the addition of TiN effectively inhibits the grain growth of Al2O3 [9]. This phenomenon may be attributed to the fact that Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites have good sinterability. In addition, the fracture morphology is influenced by TiN0.3 content in these samples. The fracture mode of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites with TiN0.3 contents from 10 vol% to 30 vol% (Fig. 4 a–c) is mainly intergranular. But, the fracture modes of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composite with 40 vol% TiN0.3 (Fig. 4 d) are intergranular and transgranular. The explanation for the fracture mode change is that the grain boundaries in Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites are strengthened, inhibiting inter granular crack propagation. 3.2 Mechanical properties Fig. 5 a shows the Vickers hardness of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered at different temperatures. The Vickers hardness of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered at 1400  °C reaches to the highest value of 18.75 GPa, then slightly reduces with raising the sintering temperature, which is due to grain growth [9, 18, 19] (Fig. 3 b-d). Fig. 5 b shows the Vickers hardness of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites sintered at 1400  °C versus TiN0.3 content. The Vickers hardness of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites with different TiN0.3 contents from 10 vol% to 40 vol% reaches to a range of 17–19 GPa, which is no significant difference from that of pure Al2O3 and close to that of Al2O3–TiN nanocomposites [1]. Fig. 6 shows the bending strength of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites sintered at 1400  °C versus TiN0.3 content. The bending strength of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites sintered at 1400  °C increases with increasing TiN0.3 contents from 10 vol% to 40 vol%, and is higher than that of Al2O3 ceramics. As adding TiN0.3 into Al2O3 matrix, the microstructure is improved and the grain boundaries are strengthened, which lead to an increase in the bending strength of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites. The fracture toughness of the composite with 30 vol% TiN0.3 sintered at 1500  °C reaches to the highest value of 6.91 MPa m1/2, as shown in Fig. 5 a, which is much higher than that of nano- or micron-sized Al2O3–TiN composites [1, 4, 5, 9, 20]. And the fracture toughness of the composites sintered at 1400  °C increases with the addition of TiN0.3, and presents a maximum value of 6.60 MPa m1/2 at 30 vol% TiN0.3, then decreases with further increasing the amount of TiN0.3, as shown in Fig. 5 b. These results are in agreement with previous studies [1, 4, 5, 9, 20]. For particulate reinforced composites, many toughening mechanisms such as crack pinning, microcrack toughening, crack deflection, residual stress toughening and crack bridging have been proposed. For TiN–Al2O3 composites, Li et al. [1] reported that possible toughening mechanisms are crack deflections and/ or crack pinning; Shen et al. [9] pointed out that the predominating toughening mechanism is related to crack tilting and twisting caused by thermal expansion and/ or elastic modulus mismatch stresses. It is difficult to indicate a prevailing toughening mechanism. In this research, maybe some of these toughening mechanisms are active at the same time. Nonetheless, due to structure defect, TiN0.3 may have an important influence on the fracture toughness. It will be discussed subsequently in more detail. 4. Discussion The above experimental results suggest that adding a nonstoichiometric TiN0.3 phase is more effective for improving the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites. To explain the phenomenon, based on the first-principles density functional theory [15, 16, 21], the density of states (DOS) for TiN and TiNx was calculated, as shown in Fig 7. Close to the Fermi level, the DOS for TiN consists of hybridized Ti-3d and N-2p states, as shown in Fig. 7. It can be seen that the DOS for TiN at the Fermi level is not at the minimum and mainly dominated by Ti-3d states. This is an evidence that the cohesion in TiN is a complex mixture of covalent, ionic (a little) and metallic types. The new structures in the DOS for TiNx near the Fermi level can clearly be seen in Fig. 7, which are called ‘vacancy state associated structures’ [15, 16]. It can be explained by symmetry changes resulting from the vacancy sites in the lattice. Titanium atoms are completely equivalent in a perfect stoichiometric rocksalt structure. But, in a nonstoichiometric structure, both Ti neighboring levels of symmetry interact together through a vacancy (symbolized by à ¢- ¡) to establish a Ti–à ¢- ¡Ã¢â‚¬â€œTi bond which is absent in the stoichiometric titanium compound. In other words, the covalent bonding is weakened and the metallic bonding is strengthened as the nitrogen concentration is reduced in nonstoichiometric TiNx, which are indicated by the peaks observed near the Fermi level on the DOS curves in Fig. 7 and in accordance with Refs. [15, 16]. Al2O3 is a kind of brittle material due to the lack of active slip system essentially. The active slip systems determined by covalent bonding for the nitrides can be increased by adding a nonstoichiometric material. Rowcliffe et al. [22] had reported that TiC has the {111} 0> slip system at high temperature and the {110} 0> slip system at room temperature. The root cause of the change of the slip systems is that the cohesion in TiC is a complex mixture of covalent, ionic (a little) and metallic types. At low temperature, the bonding is covalent with strong, directional bonding between neighboring carbon and metal atoms; as the temperature is raised, electrons are transferred from these bonds into less localized metallic states. Such a transfer has the effect of reducing both the directionality and strength of the bonds. They also pointed out that the covalent contribution to bonding becomes less as the carbon concentration in nonstoichiometric TiCx decreases [20]. TiC and TiN crystals belong to the same space group (FM-3M, cubic system) and the atomic radii of C and N are closed. It is inferred that TiN (or TiNx) has the similar slip system. Same as previous analysis, the nitrogen concentration in TiN0.3 is very low, which leads to weakening covalent bond and strengthening metallic bond. Maybe the {111} 0> slip system, or some of it, is active at room temperature. In other words, there may be more active slip systems at room temperature in Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites. This is a major reason for the improvement of the fracture toughness of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites. 4. Conclusions This paper introduces a new and effective method to improve the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites by adding a nonstoichiometric material. Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites were prepared via SPS at a relatively low temperature. The fracture toughness and bending strength of the composites have been greatly improved and the hardness is almost identical to that of Al2O3 matrix. Based on the first-principles density functional theory, the DOS for TiN and TiNx was calculated. The covalent bonding is weakened and the metallic bonding is strengthened as the nitrogen concentration is reduced in nonstoichiometric TiNx. The active slip systems determined by covalent bonding for the nitrides are possibly increased by adding nonstoichiometric TiN0.3, which improves the fracture toughness of Al2O3-based composites. Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, the Science and Technology Foundation of Hebei (E2012203116), the Key Item of Education Department of Hebei (ZH2012003), Synergy Innovation Plan Project of College of Mechanical Engineering (JX2014-3), and Heavy Machinery Synergy Innovation Plan Project (ZX01-20140100-01). References [1] Jingguo Li, Lian Gao, Jingkun Guo. Mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of TiN–Al2O3 nanocomposites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 2003; 23: 74-6. [2] Songlin Ran, Lian Gao. Electrical properties and microstructural evolution of ZrO2–Al2O3–TiN nanocomposites prepared by spark plasma sintering. Ceram. Int. 2012; 38: 4928-6. [3] Bellosi A., Guicciardi S., Tampieri A.. Development and characterization of electroconductive Si3N4–TiN composites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 1992; 9: 93-11. [4] Rak Z. S., Czechowski J.. Manufacture and properties of Al2O3–TiN particulate composites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 1998; 18: 380-8. [5] Bellosi A., Portu G. D., Guicciardi S.. Preparation and properties of electroconductive Al2O3-based composites. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 1992; 10: 315-9. [6] Eric Laarz, Mats Carlsson, Benot Vivien, Mats Johnsson, Mats Nygren, Lennart Bergstrà ¶m. Colloidal processing of Al2O3-based composites reinforced with TiN and TiC particulates, whiskers and nanoparticles, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 2001; 21: 1035-9. [7] Z. J. Shen, M. Johnsson, M. Nygren. TiN/Al2O3 composites and graded laminates thereof consolidated by spark plasma sintering. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 2003; 23: 1068-8. [8] Y.H. Fei, C.Z. Huang, H.L. Liu, B. Zou. Mechanical properties of Al2O3–TiC–TiN ceramictoolmaterials. Ceram. Int. 2014; 40: 10209-5. [9] Zhijian Shen, Mats Johnsson, Mats Nygren. TiN/Al2O3 composites and graded laminates thereof consolidated by spark plasma sintering. J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 2003; 23: 1068-8. [10]J. F. Sun, M. Z. Wangà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Y. C. Zhao, X. P. Li, B. Y. Liang. Synthesis of titanium nitride powders by reactive ball milling of titanium and urea. J. Alloys Compd. 2009; 482: L31-3. [11] Shuai Xu, MingzhiWang, LinaQiao, JianliBing, QinZou, YuchengZhao. Enhancing the sinteringability of TiNx by introduction of nitrogen vacancy defects. Ceram. Int. 41 (2015) 9514–9520. [12] A.S. Kurlov, A.I. Gusev. Effect of nonstoichiometry of NbCy and TaCy powders on their high–energy ball milling. Int. J. Refract. Met. Hard Mater. 2014; 46: 136-12. [13] A.S. Kurlov, A.I. Gusev. High–energy milling of nonstoichiometric carbides: Effect of nonstoichiometry on particle size of nanopowders. J. Alloys Compd. 2014; 582: 118-11. [14] M. Kirihara, A. Itou, T. Noguchi, J. Yamamoto. Tantalum carbide or niobium carbide catalyzed oxidation of sulfides with hydrogen peroxide: Highly efficient and chemoselective syntheses of sulfoxides and sulfones. Synlett 2010; 21: 1561-5. [15] M. Guemmaz, A. Mosser, J.-C. Parlebas. Electronic changes induced by vacancies on spectral and elastic properties of titanium carbides and nitrides. J. Electron. Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 2000; 107: 101-11. [16] I.Pollini , A.Mosser , J.C. Parlebasb. Electronic, spectroscopic and elastic properties of early transition metal compounds. Physics Reports 2001; 355: 1-72. [17] G.R. Anstis, P. Chantikul, B. R. Lawn, D. B. Marshall, Acritical evaluation of indentation techniques for measuring fracture toughness: I, direct crack measurements, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 64 (9) (1981) 533–538. [18] Shen Z. J., Johnsson M., Zhao Z., Nygren M.. Spark plasma sintering of Al2O3. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2002; 85 (8): 1927-7. [19] Evans A. G., Charles E. A.. Fracture toughness determination by intentation. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 1976; 59 (7-8): 372-2. [20] Egawa T., Ichikizaki T., Tsukamoto H., Tsunoda H., Shimoyama T.. Material characteristics and cutting performance of TiN–Al2O3 ceramic tool. Int. J. Jpn. Soc. Precis. Eng. 1995; 29 (3): 228-7. [21] Y. Yang, H. Lu, C. Yu, J.M. Chen. First-principles calculations of mechanical properties of TiC and TiN. J. Alloys Compd. 2009; 485: 547-6. [22] R. H. J. Hannink, D. L. Kohlstedt, M. J. Murray. Slip system determination in cubic carbides by hardness anisotropy. ProcRoy Soc. 1972; 326 A (1566): 420-12. Figure captions Fig. 1 X-ray diffraction patterns of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at different temperatures in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. Fig. 2 Back-scattered SEM micrograph of polished surface of Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at 1400  °C in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min. Fig. 3 SEM micrographs of fracture cross-sections of Al2O3–30 vol.% TiN0.3 composite sintered via SPS at different temperatures in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min: (a) 1300  °C; (b) 1400  °C; (c) 1500  °C; (d) 1600  °C. Fig. 4 SEM micrographs of fracture cross-sections of the composites sintered via SPS at 1400  °C in vacuum (6Ãâ€"103 Pa) for 10 min: (a) Al2O3–10 vol% TiN0.3; (b) Al2O3–20 vol% TiN0.3; (c) Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3; (d) Al2O3–40 vol% TiN0.3. Fig. 5 Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of (a) Al2O3–30 vol% TiN0.3 composite versus sintering temperature; (b) Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites sintered at 1400  °C versus TiN0.3 content. Fig. 6 Bending strength of Al2O3–TiN0.3 composites sintered at 1400  °C versus TiN0.3 content. Fig. 7 Density of states for TiN and TiNx. à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚  Corresponding author. Tel (fax): 086-0335-8061671; E-mail: [emailprotected] Supported by the Hebei Province Scientific Committee of China (Nos. E2012203116, ZH2012003, JX2014-3 and ZX01-20140100-01).

licensed to kill :: essays research papers

Licensed to Kill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is there a difference between murder and justifiable murder? By definition, a murder is the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice. In contrast, the definition of a justifiable murder is a non-criminal homicide, usually committed in self-defense of another. The real question is, is there really a difference between justifiable murder and murder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When someone is killed, they are either killed from an accident, natural causes, or an intentional killing. So where does a justifiable murder fit in? In a case where someone is being attacked and forced to use a lethal method to subdue an attacker, such as rape, robbery, or simply, life threatening physical abuse, it could be argued that murder was only used in self defense as a last resort. In this sort of case, for it to be completely justifiable, killing an attacker must only be done if other alternatives had failed. Simply killing someone and saying that they â€Å"could have† hurt them is not justifiable. When there are other methods to subdue an attacker are available in a certain situation, is murder necessarily justifiable simply because it was the easiest way to solve a conflict. For example, if a person is acting hostile towards a police officer, and the police officer resorts to shooting and killing a person, is that justified? In today’s society, there are numerous lesser-lethal alternatives to a pistol. For example, there are paralyzing tazers, gasses, and even rubber or beanbag ammunition for pistols and shotguns. When all of these alternatives are available, how could the use of a firearm be at all necessary? In conclusion, the term justifiable murder has been used so often in cases where it should have been considered a murder. licensed to kill :: essays research papers Licensed to Kill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is there a difference between murder and justifiable murder? By definition, a murder is the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice. In contrast, the definition of a justifiable murder is a non-criminal homicide, usually committed in self-defense of another. The real question is, is there really a difference between justifiable murder and murder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When someone is killed, they are either killed from an accident, natural causes, or an intentional killing. So where does a justifiable murder fit in? In a case where someone is being attacked and forced to use a lethal method to subdue an attacker, such as rape, robbery, or simply, life threatening physical abuse, it could be argued that murder was only used in self defense as a last resort. In this sort of case, for it to be completely justifiable, killing an attacker must only be done if other alternatives had failed. Simply killing someone and saying that they â€Å"could have† hurt them is not justifiable. When there are other methods to subdue an attacker are available in a certain situation, is murder necessarily justifiable simply because it was the easiest way to solve a conflict. For example, if a person is acting hostile towards a police officer, and the police officer resorts to shooting and killing a person, is that justified? In today’s society, there are numerous lesser-lethal alternatives to a pistol. For example, there are paralyzing tazers, gasses, and even rubber or beanbag ammunition for pistols and shotguns. When all of these alternatives are available, how could the use of a firearm be at all necessary? In conclusion, the term justifiable murder has been used so often in cases where it should have been considered a murder.

Travels With My Aunt. Essay -- English Literature

Travels With My Aunt. In Travels with my Aunt, Graham Greene, the author, tends to show less respect that we would present towards some traditional values and institutions such as religion, Church, marriage, police and funerals. His attitudes towards traditional values lets us see other points of view, for example we wouldn’t had laughed reading about a funeral whilst reading Travels with my Aunt we did. Henry is one of the few characters which Graham Greene show with a respectful attitude towards many things. However he changes and develops his ideas as the days pass by next to aunt Augusta. â€Å"I lead them into the dinning room† this quotation shows the respectful attitude Henry had towards the police at the beginning. â€Å"Police business of course, I said. What other business do you deal in?†, this other quotation is showing Henry talking with less respect than before and as he continues â€Å"It was almost as though my aunt were speaking through me.†, we realise that Henry is changing his attitude because of Augusta, because he is now close to Augusta and as she hasn’t got respect to the police Henry is starting to act the same way. Aunt Augusta on the other hand has been during the book a character who showed no respect or very little towards the police, authorities. She’s a woman who lives her life as she likes and does not care about legal or illegal attitudes. Graham Greene mocks the stereotypical character of an old lady, an example is one of the main characters of the book, Aunt Augusta. The audience would have expected her as a calm, sedentary woman, maybe married but instead she is very active, she’s very. The audience would have expected her as a calm, sedentary woman, maybe married but i... ...pical old woman, we wouldn’t expect woman of her age talking freely about sex whilst Augusta is not shy and so talks freely and happily about sex, this quotation proves it: â€Å"I am all for a little professional sex†. Also Graham Greene mocks daily life style and behaviours, an example is again aunt Augusta, she’s very attracted to men whilst an stereotypical woman of her age wouldn’t. â€Å"I let them in, though, because they were polite and one of them, the one in uniform, was tall and good-looking â€Å". This quotation proves that Augusta is very attracted to men. In conclusion, Graham Greene writes about daily life things but though another point of view, he stands out the curious, special, rare things that could happen in the most common occasions. Also Graham Greene mocks several pillars of respectability such as religion, law and traditional morality.

Flood Myth in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical Flood Myth of Gene

The Flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Flood of Genesis      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Biblical book, Genesis, of the Old Testament contains an account of an historic Flood which has never been equaled in intensity. Tablet 11of the Sumero-Babylonian version of the epic of Gilgamesh also records a Flood quite expansive and quite devastating. Are they a record of the same event?    E.A. Budge states in Babylonian Story of the Deluge and the Epic of Gilgamesh that the narration of the Flood in Sumero-Babylonian records may simply be related to a local flood instead of a worldwide Flood such as the Bible narrates:    It is not too much to assume that the original event commemorated in the Legend of the Deluge was a serious and prolonged inundation or flood in Lower Babylonia, which was accompanied by great loss of life and destruction of property. The Babylonian versions state that this inundation or flood was caused by rain, but passages in some of them suggest that the effects of the rainstorm were intensified by other physical happenings connected with the earth, of a most destructive character. (27)    Column 1 on Tablet 11 begins the Sumero-Babylonian Flood narrative (Gardner 226). The sage Utnapishtim from Shurippak (100 miles south of Babylon), says:    The great gods stirred their hearts to make the Flood. [. . .] Build an ark. [. . .] Load the seed of every living thing into your ark, the boat that you will build. Let her measure be measured; let her breadth and length be equal. Cover it with a roof as the abyss is covered. (Gardner 226)    Alexander Heidel in his book, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, provides a background for the survivor of the Sumero-Babyloni... ..., Nels M. Readings in Ancient History: Thought and Experience from Gilganesh to St. Augustine. Third edition. Lexington, MA: D.C.Heath and Co., 1987.    Budge, E. A. Babylonian Story of the Deluge and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Montana, USA: Kessinger Publishing Co., n.d.    Gardner, John and John Maier. Gilgamesh: Translated from the Sin-leqi-unninni version. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.    Harris, Stephen L. â€Å"Gilgamesh.† The Humanist Tradition in World Literature. Ed. Stephen Harris. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1970.    Heidel, Alexander. The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949.    Ignatius Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966.    Sandars. N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Penguin Books, 1972.

Illegally Downloading Music Essay

Music, a very popular trend in our day. There are all types of music; hip hop, rock, rap, pop, etc. With the growing amounts of songs and artists, people want to listen to them more. Therefore they need some source in order to listen to these songs. If downloading music off the internet is considered â€Å"illegal†, then why do people have music sharing websites? There are about 500 online services located in 40 countries. With all these websites people should be allowed to download music and let it not be considered stealing. For example: If I walk into a record store, steal a CD and then walk out it is no longer there and no one can have it, it is gone. But on the other hand if I download a song off a music sharing website, many other people can do the same and it is also free! I’ll admit that artists sell their music on programs such as â€Å"ITunes† where people pay about a dollar or more for a song, which can help benefit their songs, but who wants to pay that much money for songs? When you download music for free they will get recognized a lot quicker because the community will start sharing with many others and considering that it is free it may be more popular. People over 30 years of age may consider it stealing because at their age, there were no music sharing sites like â€Å"Limewire, or Napster†. Instead they would buy CD’s then either copy them on to cassettes or share them with friends. There are also sites like â€Å"MySpace† where it is okay to demand free music on a playlist, but it’s not okay on custom playlists just because the contracts aren’t right. Eventually downloading music may not be considered stealing, but until this is ethically wrong, downloading music should not be considered stealing.

The Street

In Anne Petry’s novel, The Street, the wind wreaks havoc on the city and puts the city and its pedestrians in an overwhelming and chaotic state. The wind is the antagonist in the story as it tortures the pedestrians with its pesky ways and coldness. The wind establishes a negative relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting and Pettry’s use of literary devices aptly displays this relationship. Petry starts out by letting the reader know there as â€Å"a cold November wind†.This wind terrorizes the street by blowing â€Å"bits of paper to dancing high in the air† such as â€Å"old envelopes† and â€Å"newspapers†. Pedestrians were â€Å"bent double† as they tried to walk through the wind and street to â€Å"offer the least possible exposed surface to its violent assault†. This use of imagery begins to give the reader an understanding of how the relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting will play out.Th e selection of detail that the reader is given further shows how the wind is a negative element in the novel. The wind â€Å"drove most of the people off the street in the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues†. This leads the reader to believe the wind is fierce and that one shouldn’t try to withstand it. The wind also blew more than just paper around, it blew things such as â€Å"dirt†, â€Å"grime†, â€Å"dust†, â€Å"chicken bones and pork-chop bones†. All of these things blowing around can definitely bring a city to a state of chaos.These details also enhance the urban setting give allow the reader to understand what the experience is like for Lutie Johnson. Petry’s use of figurative language also made the reader’s understanding of the urban setting more pertinent. The wind was â€Å"fingering its way along the curb† and the wind also â€Å"wrapped newspaper around their feet†, entangling the pedestrians a nd forcing them to bend down and remove the newspaper with their hands. This shows the reader how the wind has power over the pedestrians and Lutie Johnson.Petry’s use of personification really makes the relationship between Lutie Johnson and the urban setting more apparent. Petry personifies the wind by stating, â€Å"The wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from the back of her neck† and â€Å"the cold fingers of the wind touched the back of her neck†. This use of personification makes the reader feel like their experiencing the tortures of the wind for themselves with Lutie. The wind also took on the role of a bully by making a simple task very difficult.Lutie Johnson was looking for a room to stay in but she couldn’t read the sign with the wind blowing. â€Å"Each time she thought she had the sign in focus, the wind pushed it away†. In conclusion, the urban setting has a negative relationship with Lutie Johnson. The wind made everything hectic and overwhelming. The wind kept antagonizing Lutie while she looked for a place to stay and all she could do was try to deal with it as best as she could.

Organizational Performance Essay

1) Explain how organizational structure can impact organizational performance. Structures of any kind is important in any situation or career field. Structure provides a sense of accountability to individuals. Rules and guidelines are enforced and adhered to for the purposes of not only attaining control of the workforce but to also ensure every team member has total understanding of their role. Employees are assured their efforts are important to the overall goal of the organization. Structure equates discipline; discipline as well as stern communication is key of any successful business. (Green, 2015) 2) Discuss how organizational culture is shaped and how it influences organizational performance. Organizational structure refers to the way that an organization arranges people and jobs so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met (Droege, 2015). Management should be able to motivate subordinates, and understand each employee’s characteristics. This Intel’s mainly on strengths and weaknesses of an individual. By management understanding the workforce this action enriches the morale of the organization and reinforces positive organization performance. : http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Ob-Or/Organizational-Structure.html#ixzz3SaRfcWdA 3) Discuss the benefits and consequences of organizational politics. Organization politics is dangerous and toxic as any other politics. The motives are perceived as positive but yet somehow yield negative results. This could be brought upon because of many selfish schemes to progress individually or even personal propaganda in which leaves a lot of issues of the people unattended to. Benefits could be of simple nature. Depending upon the complex of the problem, and how many employees it could potent effect. According to†organizational politics can be a nasty business where people promote their own self-interests at the expense of company goals. It can also be secretive, and it can cause us to doubt the intentions of other people† (Witt, L.A. (1998) Witt, L.A. (1998) Enhancing Organizational Goal Congruence: A Solution to Organizational Politics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 666-674. www.businesspsych.org

Being a Taxi Driver Is One Good Opportunity

No job is easy. That’s a statement that I always believe in. In everything you do, you always have to do it right and with your best. Being a taxi driver is not an exemption. Yet despite being a challenging job, it is an awesome opportunity for meeting different kinds of people and going to different places. From Taxi Register, being a taxi driver requires one to be sociable, polite and friendly. I surely agree with it. No passenger would like to ride a cab whose driver looks so uninviting. At all times I try my best to be courteous, polite and accommodating to my passengers. As a taxi driver I know that I am responsible not just for my own safety but also that of my passengers. I need to drive efficiently to avoid any mishaps on the road. I also need to have a good sense of direction, knowing which roads to take to avoid traffic and bringing my passengers in great state to their destination. When caught in the middle of the traffic, I should stay calm and relaxed. Being a taxi driver also puts me to different instances of interacting with various people. Some are also as friendly as I am to them, while others can be hard to deal with. It is during such times that I need to be calm and think of ways to communicate with them efficiently without bringing about any conflict. As a taxi driver, I have also developed my mathematical skills in handling money. I need to give the right amount of money for change to the passengers. Some people put down taxi drivers just because it does not require any formal education to become one. As long as you know how to drive you can become a taxi driver. Though there is no formal education for this career, taxi drivers need to pass a licensing examination to test our knowledge about local geography and routes. Taxi drivers also deserve a high opinion. We are trying to earn money decently. We try our best to take you to your places quickly and safely; we work for your best road interest. We may even tell tourist some valuable information about the places they visit. In addition, many of us are conscientious and trustworthy. There are many times when honest taxi drivers return valuable belongings left inside the cab by some passengers.

The Market Economy in Jacksonian America. Did it benefit or hurt Research Paper

The Market Economy in Jacksonian America. Did it benefit or hurt america - Research Paper Example His support for the economic development played the role in a positive growth. After the constitution was passed the economy became more controllable and this produced a positive effect. During this period, America depended on Rail roads for transport which led to the gradual growth of the economy. Alexander Hamilton who was the secretary of the treasury at the time strongly advocated for a strong central government which would control the industrial economy. Hamilton and his followers suggested that the government would have a control point of the economy and this would introduce a new American economy. They pointed out that a national bank would be appropriate to control the currency flow and provide loans for the growth of small industries. However during this time debates were already on the table as to how the American economy should be. Clearly different school of thoughts existed between the noble Americans. President Thomas Jefferson and his supporters idealized a government which was based on agriculture as the main core. Jefferson strongly opposed the policies and ideas put forward by Hamilton, he was also against the idea of having a central government. Under the government of President James Madison in the year 1811, the first bank’s charter expired. There was a civil was in 1812 and the bank was not re-chartered until 1816 when the second Bank was formed. Andrew Jackson became president in 1828 and during his administration he introduced the Jackson an economy. He and his supporters led to the defeat and abolishment of the Second Bank of United States. He strongly advocated for the common white man not to be taxed heavily for the growth of an economy. During his time, the Southern economy was much developed and this led to proposals of expanding the Northern part being cancelled. This is because the southern believed that the Northern part would become more powerful. The country reeled back to the dependency on

Management Accounting Master Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management Accounting Master - Research Paper Example The total number of operating hours taken by Operation 2 is 9144 hours. The difference between the total operating hours and the time taken for operation 2 is 3156 hours. If an operation 1 takes 4 hours, then it can be calculated that 789 operation 1 was done during the year. (d) Total variable cost for the year 2005 From the information given, it can be understood that, the total cost were 22,554,525. Out of this amount the fixed costs are 18,000,000. The difference between the two is 4554525 which is the total variable cost. (e) Total variable cost of performing Op1 operations during the year It is also given that; the variable cost per operation for Op1 is 2175. There were 789 operations 1 done during the year. So the total variable cost for operations 1 is 1716075. (f) Total variable cost of performing Op2 operations for the year 2005 Out of the total variable costs, 4554525, the variable costs for operations 1 is 1716075. The difference between the two is 2838450, which is the total variable cost of operations 2 (g) Variable cost of performing a Op 2 operation As mentioned above the total variable cost of operations 2 is 2838450. There were 1905 operations 2 done during the year. Hence, the variable cost per operation 2 is calculated by dividing the total variable cost by the number of operations which is, 1490. (h) Fixed overheads absorbed by a Op1 operation and Op2 operation Currently the fixed overheads are absorbed by operation 1 and 2 on the basis of time taken for an operation. The total time taken for both the operations is 12300 hours and the total fixed costs are 18000000. If it is assigned based on the time taken for Op 1 and Op 2, then the fixed overheads for operation 1 is...In case the extra production is into going to be consumed by Division B, additional marketing efforts should be undertaken to identify new customers. From the calculation above, it can be said that, the total number of operating hours during the year was 12300. The total number of operating hours taken by Operation 2 is 9144 hours. The difference between the total operating hours and the time taken for operation 2 is 3156 hours. If an operation 1 takes 4 hours, then it can be calculated that 789 operation 1 was done during the year. From the information given, it can be understood that, the total cost were 22,554,525. Out of this amount the fixed costs are 18,000,000. The difference between the two is 4554525 which is the total variable cost. As mentioned above the total variable cost of operations 2 is 2838450. There were 1905 operations 2 done during the year. Hence, the variable cost per operation 2 is calculated by dividing the total variable cost by the number of operations which is, 1490. Currently the fixed overheads are absorbed by operation 1 and 2 on the basis of time taken for an operation. The total time taken for both the operations is 12300 hours and the total fixed costs are 18000000. If it is assigned based on the time taken for Op 1 and Op 2, then the fixed overheads for operation 1 is 4618537 and for operation 2 is 13381463.

ENG 102 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ENG 102 - Assignment Example People are losing opportunities due to actions that they committed on the web years back. Despite the fact that our image might not be tarnished at the moment, future consequences still await every person who uses the web wrongly. The question that every person should therefore ask themselves is: Just how much are we losing via entering private data on the web? Research has shown that these inconveniences can be curbed by implementing the idea of expiry dates. This is whereby the information entered by the user disappears after a stipulated period of time unless the user specifies otherwise (Rosen, 1). This would be an excellent way to ensure that the web does not keep in store any sensitive or unwanted data. However, in my opinion, it is our responsibility to monitor and regulate the information that we share in the websites because; after all who knows when the machine might decide to refute the instructions given? People should therefore, just understand that they cannot control their reputations via the internet. Every adult or young person should just understand that what the society really cares about is our privacy and our actual personalities. Hence, every person should sit back and just ask; which is the right way to use this over-exciting technology? Rosen, Jeffrey. "The Web Means the End of Forgetting." The New York Times [Ney York] 21  July  2010: 1. Web. 30  Aug.  2012.

Trade unions in the workplace can only have a negative impact on Essay

Trade unions in the workplace can only have a negative impact on productivity. Discuss - Essay Example An analysis of the above definitions reveals that a trade union must be: Allen Flanders (1970) says that the major functions of trade unions are ‘Regulation’ which is of government role, whose essence lies in rule making. As Flanders (1970) says â€Å"Union restrain the exercise of managerial authority in deploying, organizing and disciplining the labour force after it has been hired.† Thus trade unions are considered not merely as economic organizations, but also as political institutions directed towards wresting control over managerial authority and moral institutions, which will uplift the weak, and downtrodden and render them the place, the dignity and justice they deserve. Trade unions, everywhere, as organizations undertake a variety of activities termed as economical, political, social psychological, cultural etc. All these activities could be broadly put into three major categories such as collective bargaining or negotiations, industrial action and legal actions. Collective bargaining/ negotiations: Unions as representative of workers organizations bargain with employers or various such issues such as wages, allowances, bonus, hours of work, reinstatement etc. The unions have secure bargaining power by statute and bargaining is done with the presence of the third party. Industrial action: Industrial action implies action like strikes and different methods of protest. These types of industrial actions like striking naturally lead to loss of production and disturbing the industrial peace. Worldwide unions resort to these activities to achieve their goals to safe guard the interest of their members. Legal actions: The unions also involve themselves in the legal actions. First of all unions have interest in getting certain laws enacted by the legislature. The purpose of these labour laws is to enhance the interest of the workers. Then, the unions are also

Texas basic trial courts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Texas basic trial courts - Assignment Example The Supreme Court of Texas, is the final appellate jurisdiction in civil and small cases that issues writs. It has overall duties in Texas court system. Supreme Court has powers to implement essential regulations of civil trial practice, procedure, verification, appellate proceedings and publish rules of administration in the State. The Supreme Court has one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices who serve for six years (Brandon, Quarles and Mathew 2003). Court of Criminals Appeals is Texas’ criminal counterpart of Supreme Court. It constitutes of nine judges who are elected and appointed as justices of the Supreme Court. During the hearing of cases, the Court of Criminal Appeals sit in panels of three judges, of which two must agree on a conclusion. The Court of Appeals in Texas have intermediate jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases in each geographic Courts of Appeal District in the state. They have limited writ authority. The court of Appeals is divided into fourteen districts with one chief and two to twelve justices. Three justices may sit in a panel during case hearing and majority must agree on the decision (Berry, Goldman and Janda 2008). In District Courts, civil and criminal cases in Texas originated in this level. Both are considered Courts trial of General Jurisdiction. They handle small cases, felony criminal maters, and civil actions over 200 dollars, divorces and title actions. County –level Courts in Texas, is a trial Court with limited jurisdiction. Constitutional County Courts have jurisdiction of fines greater than 500 dollars or jail sentence. Civil matters between 200 dollars and 5000 dollars, and appeals from Municipal are also handled. County Courts have control over civil cases under 10,000 dollars and partial control over criminal matters and Municipal Courts (May, 1996). Municipal Courts

Exploring Design and Experience in the Urban Environment-Derek Jeter Research Paper

Exploring Design and Experience in the Urban Environment-Derek Jeter Gym - Research Paper Example In order to eliminate health hazards and to maintaining better health, various gymnasiums or fitness centers are operating within the country. The revolutionary ‘Derek Jeter 24 hour fitness club’ is located in New York. Derek Jeter was the most prestigious shortstop in the Major League Baseball (MLB), for the entire career, he played for New York Yankees. The characteristic of Derek Jeter contains a dominant and prominent player. Furthermore, his achievements throughout his career are as follows (Signature clubs): â€Å"Sixth overall player selected in the 1992 baseball draft 1996 AL Rookie of the Year Four Gold Gloves (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009) Five World Series championships Eleven All-Star appearances 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Lifetime batting average of .314 (through Sept 2010)† The collaboration of Derek Jeter with the 24 hour fitness club added new value. In fact, the club enjoys the company of 3.5 million club members along with 20,000 tea m members globally with a 27 years history. It is the largest privately owned club in the country. The most notable aspect of this club involves 24 hours availability. This means that members can join anytime they want, round the clock. In general, people with tight schedules and work time have the freedom to customize their workout schedules whenever they are available. The Derek Jeter 24 hour fitness club welcomes all age type males and females members. More than a thousand male and female members visit the 24 hour fitness club during the weekdays. Members of almost all ages are encouraged and wear a comfortable outfit for easy expansion of body parts and perform cardio, yoga and strength gaining classes. The trainers at the club are smart, supportive and encourage members a lot. Moreover, they are all well dressed having fresh faces and communicate effectively with members. Furthermore, a member operates on cardio exercises, yoga, and strength training etc. on cardio equipment  consisting of treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers and stair steppers. The club is the first to provide Nike + iPod experience where members can track and monitor workouts. History The ’24 hour fitness club’ was founded in 1983 and operated as a single club operation located in San Laendro, Calif. Moreover, in the past 27 years, ’24 hour fitness club’ has unwrapped the most clubs in the United States that any other exclusive operator and is at present, the largest private fitness club chain. Accordingly, the introduction of innovative variety including the 24 hours fitness club and online memberships, the company is broadly recognized with the modifying industry landscape. In addition, the 24 hours fitness club has introduced a new concept of creating fitness opportunities easily accessible, affordable and flexible. In 2003, the ‘24 hour business club’ turn out to be the first official fitness center sponsor of the United States Olympic team and has rehabilitated support via London 2012 Olympic Games. The sponsorship was a granted memberships to U.S Olympic optimistic and consist of equipping the three U.S Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y. and Chula Vista, Calif. Furthermore, in 2010, the ‘24 hour fitness center’ sponsored five Olympians, Hopefuls and a Paralympian. The team of ‘24 hour fitness center’ consists of Athletes including Rockne Brubaker, Gretchen Bleiler, J.R. Celski, Tucker Fredericks, Chris

Shipping Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shipping Economics - Essay Example Marx (1953) describes it as " agreements organised by shipping lines to ports of call to arrange the pooling of cargo, freight monies or net earnings. They generally control prices, i.e., freight rates and passenger fares. They create a permanent body with a Chairman or Secretary. The conferences were either informal (oral) or formal (written), containing carefully established rights and obligations of membership." Such an authority to set and fix the price gives them the power of a cartel to monopolise the industry. The shipping industry has evolved from birth and continues to evolve in the wings of technological advances. Globalisation has taken place, and as shared by Notteboom (2004, p.86), it is reshaping the shipping industry. According to Jansson and Shneerson( 1987, p16), the liner shipping is geared towards providing regular services between ports following time-tables, and prices are advertised well in advance. It resembles a public transport system wherein the service is open to all with some cargo to carry, known as 'general cargo' which are transported in various packaging, such as pallets, boxes, barrels, crates. Providing such service requires extensive logistics, i.e., ships/vessels, loading and unloading equipment and agencies to broker the port operations. The liner is bound to keep its schedules and be stringent in implementing its policies, thus, it has to leave ports on schedule full or half-full in load capacity. The high cost of operating a shipping line is fixed. The salaries of managers, engineers and crew members, the port handling expense, and other administrative and operational expenses are regularly paid regardless of whether the vessel is full to capacity, or there are large or small stocks to carry when sailing. This creates supply and demand imbalance, a market condition which would either push prices upward or pull them downward, as the case may be. In this particular case, there is an excess vessel capacity (supply quantity) with respect to actual load (quantity demanded), a situation which triggers a downward trend of freight rates or conference tariffs. Profits have been low and relatively small in liner shipping. Under a loose market condition, trading losses may even be incurred. The problem is compounded by the inability of carriers to make quick turn-arounds to be able to reduce costs and operate at marginal profits. Sturmey (1975, p125) stresses that the best approach to reduce shipping costs lies in speeding up the turn-around of ships. Liners spend 60% of time in port cargo handling, a complete waste of expensive capital tied up in engines, accommodation and hull". The inefficiency of handling in both loading and discharging ports causes the congestion of ships at the wharf rendering it difficult for them to make another round or more of sailing. Container

Differents between Product & service Essay Example for Free

Differents between Product service Essay Assignment Topic: â€Å"Difference between Product and Service Market† Product: In marketing mix, product is very important elements. Product means the need satisfying offering of a firm. Service: A service is an intangible product that provides benefits to consumers and often involves human or mechanical effort. Service is also a deed performed by one party for another. Differences between Product and Service marketing: I think, there is nothing like a pure product or a pure service in actual life. Most of the time they come bundled together. When we visit a restaurant, we look forward to the food (product) as well as atmosphere and experience (service). I found many differences between PM SM. Given it bellow: Products come to customers whereas customers come to services. Product benefits are embedded inside the product and can be transported to their customers through distribution channels. Services are location-based and the customers need to travel to theses service. Customers like many of their products to be standardized but they want most of their services to be customized. The quality expected from a product is mostly depends on its manufactured time, which materials are used etc. On the other hand, quality expected from a service is very different. It depends on how the service providers are selected, trained and motivated. The products are tangible and can be sampled before buying. On the other hand, service is experiential and sometimes based on a belief. The product market is scaled up by  expanding the manufacturing capacity, distribution and sales and access to more customers. On the other hand, the service market is not easy to scale up. A product (flat, car, machine ) can be owned and can go into the balance sheet as an asset. But a service cannot be owned and as is shown as an expense. The customers buy products essentially for the value they find inside. On the other hand, the customers buy services for the value of they find in the encounter with the service provider In product market, the managers are the heroes. On the other hand, in service market, the front line employees are the real heroes. Word-of-mouth is much more influential in a service purchase than it is to a product purchase. (source: \\google.com\images) 4p’s of marketing: Product: Offering the right product, service or experience. An actual product is depends on product variety, quality, features, design, brand name, packaging, sizes, services, warranties, return. Price: Controls the perceived value and satisfaction. Actual price is created by list price, discounts, payment periods, allowances and credit value. Place: Allows customers easy access to product and supports. Before choose a place to think about distribution channel, coverage, suitable location, easy transport system etc. Promotion: Communicates the offer and value pro-position. Like sales promotion, advertising, sales force, public relation, direct marketing etc. There are also 3p’s of service marketing. Given it bellow: People: It refer to all people directly or indirectly involved in the consumption of a service. For example: employees and other customers. Physical evidence: It is related to the environment in which the service is delivered and tangible that helps to communicate and perform the service. Process: It is the delivery and operating system of procedures and flow to activities which services are consumed.

The Lord of the Flies is just a simple, happy ending Essay Example for Free

The Lord of the Flies is just a simple, happy ending Essay Adventure story. It is about children, for children and told from their perspective To what extent do you agree with this? Do you think being a savage; killing, hunting and fighting represents a simple adventure story? The first two chapters of this novel may show innocent and young boys on an island where no fear is held, and maybe that is what it is; referring to the original sin. Which is a story from the Bible showing that everyone is born with evil inside them and it seems that the island has brought this out of the boys. You may be thinking, what about Piggy and Simon? The amount of conflict between the boys increased throughout the book. It started between Jack and Piggy, Jack through insults at him such as Shut up yah fatty! and Piggy stated things directed towards Jack in the form of an insult too, You and your blood Jack Merridew! and then Piggy just refers to Jack as him when Jack leaves Ralphs leadership. Adventure books arent supposed to have arguing, all the boys are supposed to get along! During chapter four, Golding shows that its not only Piggy that Jack hates, but Ralph too, splashing and laughing are just about enough to bring them back together again. At the start of the book it seems a happy adventure as all the boys do get along and listen to Ralphs rules but things start to change as Jack realises theres no point in listening to Ralph as he wanted to be leader all along. As Ralph is leader and made rules for the other boys, calling an assembly, this shows the maturity in the book and his adult characteristics. He seemed to handle things well but then knew he could not think as well as Piggy. Jack shows the immaturity on the island as he treats everything as a game. When the boys had been showing a role-play of their hunt and Robert was the pig, Jack had become quite aggressive hurting Roger, but afterwards all he said was, That was a good game. And when he left the others he said, I dont want to play with Ralphs lot anymore. When Jack first entered the island he was a fair skinned boy who attended the choir and was thought of as a leader, so he didnt take it well when Ralph was chosen as leader instead of him. So to make things even he was made leader of the hunters. At first Jack grimaced distastefully at the touch of blood. This then changed and he had a sharpened stick at one endtattered shorts held up by a knife belt. Does this show an innocent choirboy from an adventure story? Simon was Goldings way of expressing nature in the novel and when the boys killed Simon, they did not as they thought kill the beast but they let the beast out and killed hope and peace. Piggy and Simon were the means of civilisation. Piggy was the only one besides Ralph who stood up to Jack and he was the one who always remembered rescue, hope, signal fire and innocence. When the savages took away Piggys glasses they also took away civilisation and soon after that they took away his life. Adventure stories always end with a happy ending so how could Lord of the Flies be an adventure story? Unless Ralph is being hunted down is happy. I suppose in away it is happy because Ralph received what he had wanted from the moment they set foot on the island; rescue. The ending was ironic as all the way through Ralph had wanted his fire and depended on signal and Jack had been the same about hunting. They both got what they wanted as they were rescued by Jack hunting down Ralph with a fire. Putting all my points together I have come to the conclusion that The Lord of the Flies novel is surely an adventure but not the simple, innocent little boy type as it involves hunting, death, fighting and conflict. It shows the break up of society, lack of civilisation, evil and sin. But on the other hand it shows sunlight, fun, games, nature, happiness and laughter. Although the simple adventure part of this novel would show little boys stuck on an island having fun and trying to be rescued and would not add in the death and arguments.

The effects of human population growth on animals

The effects of human population growth on animals The world population is growing rapidly from 750 million in 1750 to 6,500 million in 2005. Respond to this evidence, people naturally enlarge their land for housing, food, and the need of resources such as oil, wood, and metal. Day by day, people damage the environment which contains a lot of living life, especially, wild animals. This caused many groups of animals to decline and even extinct. Perhaps to redeem this hideous mistake, people built more places, which are called zoos, to keep and protect wild animals. Zoos are probably the most complex forms of animal keeping in the world. Many animals from many areas over the world are kept together in a small region. People may think that zoos are good place for keeping wild animal, but in fact, it is not, and it also is unethical to capture wild animals and put them into the zoo. Most wild animals are living in dense forest, mountains, or woods, where people do not easy access. Their lives are very isolated with the modern humans life. They scared of people, guns, and the noise of metal of our developed industry. The more people open their land, the additional wild animal lose their territories, and so must move away. There is no such wild animal who dare to live near people. It seems very rare when people see a wild animal coming near their land. As Ursula K. Le Guin shows in Mays Lion, there were plenty of deer in the Valley in the forties, but no mountain lion had been seen for decades anywhere near where people lived. And if any, it should have the reason. In fact, Mays lion is too old and sick. Most animals are very social by nature such as monkeys, wolves, elephants, tigers, etc. It has been shown that animals used to live in the same places in which they could easy share the food. They love their life as well as their freedom. They just want to live in peace among their family and friends. It is cruel to remove them away from their family, friends. In The Antlers, Suzie indicates that cattle are like city people, cattle expect even deserve, what theyve got coming. But wild animals are different. Wild animals enjoy life. They live in the woods on purpose. Clearly, wild animals are different from cattle. They need to be free and live in the woods where considered as their country. Animals are not willing to leave their place to come to a new place such as a zoo. Zoos are the place where living animals are exhibited in captivity. The most traditional form of maintaining wild animals in captivity is keeping them in cages constructed of concrete or metal, in aviaries, or fenced paddocks. Living in those places, animals do not behave like their wild counterparts. For example, a lion is given food in the mean time whereas they have to lie still and wait for prey and hunt for hours in their Africa home. Similarly, the Wolves, Leopards, Tigers, Elephants, etc are often confined in cages where they lack exercise and stimulation. Those animals will lose their hunting skills and soon become pets such as dogs or cats. In Rainer Maria Rilke poem, The Panther, he feels for the wild animal in this situation: As he paces in cramped circle, over and over/ the movement of his powerful soft strides is/ like a ritual dance around a center/ in which a mighty will stands paralyzed. Zoos are just another word of animal prison. It provides plenty of cages which are constructed by concrete and steel. It limits the movement as well as the freedom of wild animals. When an animal is sent to the zoo, more likely, it will spend the rest of its life in cage. The animal has no choice but to be in the zoo and it held there. Zoos steal the freedom and provide unusual life to wild animals. Many animals develop unnatural habits such as pacing back and forth or swaying from side to side in their cages. Polar bears, for example, are given about 30 feet of walking space, whereas in their Arctic home they could roam freely for hundreds of miles. The zoo is an unnatural environment that exposes animals to numerous dangers. Animals which would naturally live in very different parts of the world are brought together in the natural habitat of humans. Diseases often spread between species that would never live together naturally. Furthermore, zoo animals are often exposed to chemicals, solvents and other toxic substances. That is not natural for wild animals. Most zoos have commercial and entertainment purpose in mind as well as financial profit. Animal from many areas of the world are brought together and put on display for the benefit of humans enjoyment. It is very common for visitors to tease and provoke caged animals. Supporters of zoos argue that they help to conserve endangered species, but in fact they are not very good at this. Breeding programmers provide zoos with good publicity, but in fact most of them are failures. The world famous panda breeding program was a big example for this. This program is very costly but it is unsuccessful. Also zoo life does not prepare animals for the challenges of life in the wild. Many animals were died after they came back to the wild. For example, two rare lynxes released into the wild in Colorado died from starvation even though the area was full of hares, which are a lynxs natural prey. The best zoos argue that education is one of their most important features. That is using the zoo to teach people to respect the natural world, to show them what can be learned from the lives of the animals in captivity and to appreciate what conservation means. One of the major problems they face, however, is that the animals on display are both individuals and representatives of their species. So is not true to say that zoos are educational or that they help to protect endangered species. In reality, they only teach us how wild animals behave when they confined in small spaces. Today, many modern zoos do not enclose animals in small cages but they are provided with habitats, modeled after their nature habitats. The aim for many zoos is to exhibit their animals in enclosures in which the setting is as natural as possible or at least looks as natural as possible. But it seems that they cannot easily move away from the image of being places of entertainment which is more closely to the circus and amusement park than to museums and education. Wild animals are not like cattle, they dont want to live near people, and especially, in zoos. It is cruel to remove wild animals away from their place. Furthermore, zoos are unsuitable environment for wild animals. It keeps animal in small area compare to the vast natural habitat, and also, zoo exposed too many diseases and dangers to wild animal. In the wild, animals live their lives for their own benefit; but in the zoo, they have to live their lives for the benefit of human. And since zoos are less successful in breeding programs and far from education purpose, zoos must be abolished. People should stop capture wild animals and put them into zoos.