Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway Overview Before Warren Edward Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway was a textile company. Buffet acquired stocks and before long he was the largest shareholder (1963). He became part of the board and appointed the chairman so he would have someone he trusted running the company. With the funds from Berkshire Hathaway coming in, Buffett used it to invest in National Indemnity. The company was bought but he left it the way it was: left previous Ringwalt in charge, kept current employees, shareholder benefits and so on. Insurance companies are a perfect way to get a lot of capital up front because you can then use this money to purchase other companies or stocks, like what Buffet did. Buffet was involved with several companies and bought GEICO(Jayanti), General Re and other manufacturing and service companies. Today Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest holding companies in America. It owns different companies from retail to jewelry to electric companies. These companies run separate from Berkshire Hathaway. It does not produce the goods or provide the services but serves as an umbrella that owns shares or the whole of the companies that are underneath it. Many of these companies were purchased by the company’s many insurance options. Big names include GEICO, Borsheim, PacifiCorp and Vanity Fair. (Jayanti). Porter Five-Force Model Porter’s Five-Forces Model of Industry Competition pertains to the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry. These five forces can determine the stature of a market. In the case of Berkshire Hathaway there is a low threat of new entrants for the multi-businesses in one industry. It is significantly hard to own various different companies, have them operate to full potential and still remain a leader on the industry board. Although competitors cannot directly compete with Berkshire Hathaway, they still take a nice chunk from its potential market. As a matter a fact, there are only two direct competitors in the industry that are above Berkshire Hathaway, it is Motors Liquidation Co and Ford Motor Co. As more self-made businesses(which is what Warren Buffett likes to acquire) open competition is created through price, increase in advertisement, and suppliers. This competition benefits buyers by giving them more options or bargaining power in where they choose to shop. For Instance like what happened to Berkshire’s textile business, after a while competition increased prices dropped and textile had simply became another commodity. So as you can see from the example, this affects Berkshire directly because of their higher quality products but premium prices makes it hard to compete with low cost leaders. This takes valuable time and effort away from internal operations because in cases like these the opposition has to be constantly analyzed. Consequently, if neither competitor decreases their prices to a consumer’s expectation this may result in the consumers going to the suppliers directly; once again giving the bargaining power to the buyer. As far as bargaining power to the suppliers, they wouldn’t really have any edge in increasing their prices or power unless it is a scarce resource and demand is high. Substitutes on the other hand, limit the potential returns of an industry by putting a ceiling on the prices industries can profitably charge. Finally, the only reason why rivalry is intense is because when you have large companies like Motors Liquidation, Ford and Berkshire rivalry heats up and everyone fights for the number one spot, and usually does whatever it takes to get it. The rivalry forces a constant close monitoring of competitors, which entails unnecessary excessive expenditure. For example, they would have to ask and analyze questions such as, where are they opening their stores? Are they using the same criteria in choosing locations? How much are they charging for similar products? And can we compete with their price? In Summary, Berkshire needs to be aware that intensive rivalry will increase costs, such as constantly competing with prices, having to offer bargains which will lead to high exit barriers. In the end if the company is doing everything right and it is focusing on their company and how to improve it then it is a win-win situation because the biggest edge any company has is that: NO TWO FIRM ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. SWOT Analysis â€Å"Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of business activities. Co. ‘s key businesses are its insurance businesses, which are conducted on a primary and reinsurance basis. Co. s insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks world-wide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks world-wide. At Dec 31 2008, Co. ‘s insurance and reinsurance activities were conducted through about 60 domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Co. also owns and operates other businesses, including utilities and energy businesses, manufacturing, service and retailing, as well as finance and financial products businesses†. (mergent online, business synopsis) S trengths |Weaknesses | |Top management reputation & leadership |Over dependence on Warren Buffett's leadership | |Strong capital position and superior financial ratings |Slower growth in certain investments (Coke, P, Shaw industries) | |Diversified portfolio ranging from property and casualty insurance and|Diversification – McLane accounts for almost 1/3 of Berkshire's | |reinsurance, utilities, energy, finance, manufacturing, services and |revenues and 1/3 of McLane's business is tied to one single company | |retailing |(Wal-Mart) | |Strong and consistent top and bottom line growth |Company's stock inaccessible to most people | |Integrated Insurance Operations |Volatile Investment Portfolio | |Distinct Business Strategy |Declining Investment Returns | Funding Resources |Decline in Profitability | |Diversity of Businesses | | | | | | | | | | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Acquisitions – given current market conditions the company has |Financial & economic ma rkets turmoil | |identified areas of investment (ie Goldman Sachs) |Potential capital requirement changes both in the US and Europe | |Alternative energy investments |Worldwide weak consumer environment | |Favorable Phase for Life and Annuity Market |Unstable Political Conditions in Certain Regions | |Growing MidAmerican Business Identity |Governmental Investigations | |Opportunity for Acquisitions |Competition in the Insurance Industry | | |Impact of Economic Slowdown | Industry Property and Casualty Insurance – ? Through its 51 subsidiary companies, it engages primarily in insuring and reinsuring property and casualty risks business. Berkshire Hathaway, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. It invests in the United States and Canada’s public equity markets. Competition Berkshire Hathaway’s top competitors, based on its insurance businesses are: ? The Blackstone Group L. P. (BX) – a company with subsidiaries as well that was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York. ? HM Capital Partners LLC (Pvt1) is a privately held company with diversified investments located in Dallas, Texas. ? KKR & Co. L. P. (Pvt2), also a privately held company located in New York, New York. |DIRECT COMPETITOR COMPARISON |   | ? | | ? | |BRK-A | |BX | |Pvt1 | |Pvt2 | |Industry | | | |Market Cap: | |158. 43B | |3. 90B | |N/A | |N/A | |885. 31M | | | |Employees: | |246,000 |1,340 | |N/A | |N/A | |718 | | | |Qtrly Rev Growth (yoy): | |-1. 60% | |14. 80% | |N/A | |N/A | |2. 0% | | | |Revenue (ttm): | |104. 91B | |-320. 00M | |N/A | |N/A | |808. 84M | | | |Gross Margin (ttm): | |11. 6% | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |18. 38% | | | |EBITDA (ttm): | |7. 06B | |-4. 3B | |N/A | |N/A | |40. 44M | | | |Oper Margins (ttm): | |3. 86% | |1,375. 92% | |N/A | |N/A | |16. 0% | | | |Net Income (ttm): | |2. 94B | |-1. 15B | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | | | |EPS (ttm): | |1893. 645 | |-4. 48 | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 95 | | | |P/E (ttm): | |53. 94 | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |13. 6 | | | |PEG (5 yr expected): | |4. 14 | |2. 82 | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 97 | | | |P/S (ttm): | |1. 9 | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 94 | | | Company Financials Balance Sheet (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Total Assets: 248,427,000273,160,000267,399,000 Total Liabilities: 137,756,000149,759,000153,820,000 Total Stockholders’ Equity: 108,419,000120,733,000109,267,000 The retained earnings were at a loss: 58,912,00072,153,00078,172,000 Assets and Liabilities has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products Income Statement (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Income Statement has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products. Total Revenues: 98,539,000118,245,000107,786,000 Total Costs and Expenses: 81,761,00098,084,000100,212,000 Earnings before Income Taxes: 16,778,00020,161,0007,574,000 Net earnings (loss): 11,015,00013,213,0004,994,000 Total number of Stockholders: 19,10018,50018,100 Common Stockholders are split into 2 groups: class A and class B Class A Stockholders: 5,1004,6004,200 Class B Stockholders: 14,00013,90013,900 Earnings per Share (at a loss): 7,1448,5483,224 Statement of Cash Flows (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Cash from finances has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products. Net Cash from Operations: 10,195,00012,550,00011,252,000 Net Cash from Investments: (14,077,000)(13,428,000)  (32,066,000) Net Cash from Finances: 2,607,0001,366,0002,286,000 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year: 45,018,00043,743,00044,329,000 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year: 43,743,00044,329,00025,539,000 Financial Ratios from 2006 – 2008: Profitability Ratios:200620072008 Return on Assets: 4. 93%5. 07%1. 84% Return on Equity:11. 02%11. 53%4. 33% Loss Ratio:61. 28%71. 72%70. 91% Debt Management: Debt to Equity Ratio:0. 290. 270. 34 Asset Management: Asset Turnover:0. 440. 450. 4 Property, Plant, and Equipment Turnover: 4. 833. 42. 64 Cash & Cash Equivalents Turnover: 2. 232. 693. 08 Industry/Market comparison data from 2008: CompanyIndustry MedianMarket Medium Net profit margin:2. 37%–5. 53% Price/Sales ratio:1. 483. 416. 55 Price/Earnings ratio:62. 50(11. 98)23. 81 Price/Book ratio:1. 521. 466. 30 Price/Cash Flow ratio:12. 4724. 9440. 65 12-Month EPS growth:(62. 3%)–(50. 0%) 36-Month EPS growth:(16. 5%)–(14. 7%) Bibiliography: Source Berkshire Hathaway pda file from Harvard Business School Mergent Online Hoover’s Online Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Overview Before Warren Edward Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway was a textile company. Buffet acquired stocks and before long he was the largest shareholder (1963). He became part of the board and appointed the chairman so he would have someone he trusted running the company. With the funds from Berkshire Hathaway coming in, Buffett used it to invest in National Indemnity. The company was bought but he left it the way it was: left previous Ringwalt in charge, kept current employees, shareholder benefits and so on. Insurance companies are a perfect way to get a lot of capital up front because you can then use this money to purchase other companies or stocks, like what Buffet did. Buffet was involved with several companies and bought GEICO(Jayanti), General Re and other manufacturing and service companies. Today Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest holding companies in America. It owns different companies from retail to jewelry to electric companies. These companies run separate from Berkshire Hathaway. It does not produce the goods or provide the services but serves as an umbrella that owns shares or the whole of the companies that are underneath it. Many of these companies were purchased by the company’s many insurance options. Big names include GEICO, Borsheim, PacifiCorp and Vanity Fair. (Jayanti). Porter Five-Force Model Porter’s Five-Forces Model of Industry Competition pertains to the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry. These five forces can determine the stature of a market. In the case of Berkshire Hathaway there is a low threat of new entrants for the multi-businesses in one industry. It is significantly hard to own various different companies, have them operate to full potential and still remain a leader on the industry board. Although competitors cannot directly compete with Berkshire Hathaway, they still take a nice chunk from its potential market. As a matter a fact, there are only two direct competitors in the industry that are above Berkshire Hathaway, it is Motors Liquidation Co and Ford Motor Co. As more self-made businesses(which is what Warren Buffett likes to acquire) open competition is created through price, increase in advertisement, and suppliers. This competition benefits buyers by giving them more options or bargaining power in where they choose to shop. For Instance like what happened to Berkshire’s textile business, after a while competition increased prices dropped and textile had simply became another commodity. So as you can see from the example, this affects Berkshire directly because of their higher quality products but premium prices makes it hard to compete with low cost leaders. This takes valuable time and effort away from internal operations because in cases like these the opposition has to be constantly analyzed. Consequently, if neither competitor decreases their prices to a consumer’s expectation this may result in the consumers going to the suppliers directly; once again giving the bargaining power to the buyer. As far as bargaining power to the suppliers, they wouldn’t really have any edge in increasing their prices or power unless it is a scarce resource and demand is high. Substitutes on the other hand, limit the potential returns of an industry by putting a ceiling on the prices industries can profitably charge. Finally, the only reason why rivalry is intense is because when you have large companies like Motors Liquidation, Ford and Berkshire rivalry heats up and everyone fights for the number one spot, and usually does whatever it takes to get it. The rivalry forces a constant close monitoring of competitors, which entails unnecessary excessive expenditure. For example, they would have to ask and analyze questions such as, where are they opening their stores? Are they using the same criteria in choosing locations? How much are they charging for similar products? And can we compete with their price? In Summary, Berkshire needs to be aware that intensive rivalry will increase costs, such as constantly competing with prices, having to offer bargains which will lead to high exit barriers. In the end if the company is doing everything right and it is focusing on their company and how to improve it then it is a win-win situation because the biggest edge any company has is that: NO TWO FIRM ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. SWOT Analysis â€Å"Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of business activities. Co. ‘s key businesses are its insurance businesses, which are conducted on a primary and reinsurance basis. Co. s insurance businesses provide insurance and reinsurance of property and casualty risks world-wide and also reinsure life, accident and health risks world-wide. At Dec 31 2008, Co. ‘s insurance and reinsurance activities were conducted through about 60 domestic and foreign-based insurance entities. Co. also owns and operates other businesses, including utilities and energy businesses, manufacturing, service and retailing, as well as finance and financial products businesses†. (mergent online, business synopsis) S trengths |Weaknesses | |Top management reputation & leadership |Over dependence on Warren Buffett's leadership | |Strong capital position and superior financial ratings |Slower growth in certain investments (Coke, P, Shaw industries) | |Diversified portfolio ranging from property and casualty insurance and|Diversification – McLane accounts for almost 1/3 of Berkshire's | |reinsurance, utilities, energy, finance, manufacturing, services and |revenues and 1/3 of McLane's business is tied to one single company | |retailing |(Wal-Mart) | |Strong and consistent top and bottom line growth |Company's stock inaccessible to most people | |Integrated Insurance Operations |Volatile Investment Portfolio | |Distinct Business Strategy |Declining Investment Returns | Funding Resources |Decline in Profitability | |Diversity of Businesses | | | | | | | | | | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Acquisitions – given current market conditions the company has |Financial & economic ma rkets turmoil | |identified areas of investment (ie Goldman Sachs) |Potential capital requirement changes both in the US and Europe | |Alternative energy investments |Worldwide weak consumer environment | |Favorable Phase for Life and Annuity Market |Unstable Political Conditions in Certain Regions | |Growing MidAmerican Business Identity |Governmental Investigations | |Opportunity for Acquisitions |Competition in the Insurance Industry | | |Impact of Economic Slowdown | Industry Property and Casualty Insurance – ? Through its 51 subsidiary companies, it engages primarily in insuring and reinsuring property and casualty risks business. Berkshire Hathaway, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. It invests in the United States and Canada’s public equity markets. Competition Berkshire Hathaway’s top competitors, based on its insurance businesses are: ? The Blackstone Group L. P. (BX) – a company with subsidiaries as well that was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York. ? HM Capital Partners LLC (Pvt1) is a privately held company with diversified investments located in Dallas, Texas. ? KKR & Co. L. P. (Pvt2), also a privately held company located in New York, New York. |DIRECT COMPETITOR COMPARISON |   | ? | | ? | |BRK-A | |BX | |Pvt1 | |Pvt2 | |Industry | | | |Market Cap: | |158. 43B | |3. 90B | |N/A | |N/A | |885. 31M | | | |Employees: | |246,000 |1,340 | |N/A | |N/A | |718 | | | |Qtrly Rev Growth (yoy): | |-1. 60% | |14. 80% | |N/A | |N/A | |2. 0% | | | |Revenue (ttm): | |104. 91B | |-320. 00M | |N/A | |N/A | |808. 84M | | | |Gross Margin (ttm): | |11. 6% | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |18. 38% | | | |EBITDA (ttm): | |7. 06B | |-4. 3B | |N/A | |N/A | |40. 44M | | | |Oper Margins (ttm): | |3. 86% | |1,375. 92% | |N/A | |N/A | |16. 0% | | | |Net Income (ttm): | |2. 94B | |-1. 15B | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | | | |EPS (ttm): | |1893. 645 | |-4. 48 | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 95 | | | |P/E (ttm): | |53. 94 | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |13. 6 | | | |PEG (5 yr expected): | |4. 14 | |2. 82 | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 97 | | | |P/S (ttm): | |1. 9 | |N/A | |N/A | |N/A | |0. 94 | | | Company Financials Balance Sheet (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Total Assets: 248,427,000273,160,000267,399,000 Total Liabilities: 137,756,000149,759,000153,820,000 Total Stockholders’ Equity: 108,419,000120,733,000109,267,000 The retained earnings were at a loss: 58,912,00072,153,00078,172,000 Assets and Liabilities has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products Income Statement (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Income Statement has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products. Total Revenues: 98,539,000118,245,000107,786,000 Total Costs and Expenses: 81,761,00098,084,000100,212,000 Earnings before Income Taxes: 16,778,00020,161,0007,574,000 Net earnings (loss): 11,015,00013,213,0004,994,000 Total number of Stockholders: 19,10018,50018,100 Common Stockholders are split into 2 groups: class A and class B Class A Stockholders: 5,1004,6004,200 Class B Stockholders: 14,00013,90013,900 Earnings per Share (at a loss): 7,1448,5483,224 Statement of Cash Flows (in the thousands) from 2006 – 2008: Cash from finances has separate sections for Insurance & other businesses, Utilities & energy, and Finance & financial products. Net Cash from Operations: 10,195,00012,550,00011,252,000 Net Cash from Investments: (14,077,000)(13,428,000)  (32,066,000) Net Cash from Finances: 2,607,0001,366,0002,286,000 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year: 45,018,00043,743,00044,329,000 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year: 43,743,00044,329,00025,539,000 Financial Ratios from 2006 – 2008: Profitability Ratios:200620072008 Return on Assets: 4. 93%5. 07%1. 84% Return on Equity:11. 02%11. 53%4. 33% Loss Ratio:61. 28%71. 72%70. 91% Debt Management: Debt to Equity Ratio:0. 290. 270. 34 Asset Management: Asset Turnover:0. 440. 450. 4 Property, Plant, and Equipment Turnover: 4. 833. 42. 64 Cash & Cash Equivalents Turnover: 2. 232. 693. 08 Industry/Market comparison data from 2008: CompanyIndustry MedianMarket Medium Net profit margin:2. 37%–5. 53% Price/Sales ratio:1. 483. 416. 55 Price/Earnings ratio:62. 50(11. 98)23. 81 Price/Book ratio:1. 521. 466. 30 Price/Cash Flow ratio:12. 4724. 9440. 65 12-Month EPS growth:(62. 3%)–(50. 0%) 36-Month EPS growth:(16. 5%)–(14. 7%) Bibiliography: Source Berkshire Hathaway pda file from Harvard Business School Mergent Online Hoover’s Online

Web Site Publishing Process

Web Site Publishing Process The first step to publish a brand-new web site is to find the best host for your needs. There are many different options for Web hosting. The best one is going to depend on the type of site that is being created. Almost all sites will fall under one of the next three categories: personal or hobby site, small business site, or Ecommerce or high-traffic site. It is going to be the size, complexity, and expected traffic load of the site that are going to need to be considered when shopping for a host. Personal and Hobby sites are typically used for sites that will be used to communicate with friends and family and/or share information about hobbies with other people. These sites will typically be small and have low-traffic. Personal and Hobby sites are easier to publish and less expensive. There are two free options in this category. The first is your internet service provider as most of them give customer’s access to a personal Web page as a part of their regular service. This option does have strict limits on the amount of bandwidth the website is able to use though; too many pictures can push the website over the limit. The second option is free web hosts. This allows someone to get a free site and the host gets to advertise on it, although storage and download amounts are an issue here too. With this option the host is able to shut down the website if it exceeds the bandwidth allotment until the next month when the bandwidth counter restarts. Small business sites are sites that will contain basic company information. These sites are typically called â€Å"brochure sites†. This is because the information in the website can probably be found on a printed advertisement brochure. These are pretty simple sites, but because they are still a business the creator will want a reliable host and will not be shut off unexpectedly. The creator will choose their own domain name. Ecommerce sites are sites where individuals and/or small businesses start to sell products and services online and collecting online payments. These types of sites can get a little pricey when trying to find a host because these sites will need a working shopping cart system, an online merchant account, and a Web host that supports all of that. Once the needs of the host have been determined and you have a valid domain name the next step will be to publish the website. There are three basic options: FrontPage extensions, HTML editor with FTP (File Transfer Protocol) capability, or a standalone FTP program. FrontPage does not work well with an FTP process as it uses FP extensions. HTML editor and the standalone FTP program both use the FTP process to upload all files for the website. Check List: ?Find the right host ?Create a valid domain name ?Design the website ?Publish the website The two web hosting companies that I am going to compare are hostgator. com and hub web hosting. Below is a list of what each offer: Web Hosting CompanyWeb Hosting EssentialsWeb Hosting ExtrasWeb Hosting Review HOSTGATOR. COM? $4. 95 Monthly ?Unlimited Disk Space ?Unlimited Bandwidth? Host Unlimited Domains ?Unlimited Databases ?Fantastico Installer PHP + MySQL Hosting ?Unlimited MySQL DBs ?cPanel Control Panel ?Supports Ruby on Rails? Top Reseller Web Host ?SSH Access ?SiteStudio Web Builder ?24/7 Support ?Instant Backups ?45 Day Guarantee HUB WEB HOSTING? $3. 95 Monthly ?Unlimited Disk Space ?Unlimited Bandwidth? Host Unlimited Domains ?No Downtime Transfer ?Buisness Hardware ?Free Blogging Software ?Free Website Builder ?Unlimited Email Accounts? Top Simple Web Hosting ?PHP5,My SQL5, Perl5 ?Free E-commerce Tools ?24/7 US Support ?Over 8 Special Offers ?90 Day Guarantee The first hosting site is hostgator. om. This site offers site hosting for $4. 95 a month which includes unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth. Hub web hosting offers site hosting for $3. 95 a month which includes unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth as well. They each offer a lot of extras like unlimited domains. The difference is that Hub web hosting is a simple web hosting site, while hostgator. com is a little more technical. I would consider using hub web hosting for my own Web site as it seems to be more for the beginner website developer and seems to be easier than the other.

Citric Acid Cycle

Describe the role of the citric acid cycle as a central metabolic mechanism. Explain what happens to the cells’ abilities to oxidize acetyl CoA when intermediates of the cycle are drained off for amino acid biosynthesis. Glucose is a source of energy that is metabolized into glycolysis to pyruvate yielding ATP. To become more efficient, pyruvate must be oxidized into carbon dioxide and water. This combustion of carbon dioxide and water to generate ATP is called cellular respiration (Tymoczko, Berg & Stryer, 2013, p. 315). In eukaryotic cells, this aerobic process is used because of the efficiency.Cellular respiration is divided into parts: carbon fuels are completely oxidized with a concomitant generation of high transfer potential electrons in a series of reactions called citric acid cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle, or Krebs cycle (Tymoczko, p. 318); the acetyl groups are fed into the citric cycle which are oxidized to CO2 and the energy released in conserved reduced electron carriers- NADH and FADH; the high transfer potential electrons transferred to oxygen to form water in a series of oxidation-reduction reactions called oxidative phosphorylation (Tymoczko, p.  318).The citric acid cycle takes place in the mitochondria and is the central metabolic hub in the cell; the gateway to aerobic metabolism of all fuel molecules (Tymoczko, p. 318). This cycle is important source for the building blocks of molecules such as amino acids, nucleotide bases, and porphyrin. Pyruvate can convert into different molecules depending on the aerobic (acetyl coenzyme A) or anaerobic condition (lactic acid or ethanol). In the presence of oxygen, acetyl CoA is able to enter the citric acid cycle because this is the most acceptable fuel input into the cell.The path that the pyruvate takes depends on the energy needs of the cell and the oxygen availability (Tymoczko, p. 318). Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex consist of three distinct enzymes each with its own active site: Pyru vate dehydrogenase catalyzes the decarboxylation of pyruvate and the formation of acetyllipoamide, dihydrolipoyl transacetylase forms acetyl CoA, and dihydrolipoly dehydrogenase regenerates the active transacetylase (Tymoczko, p. 319).These three enzymes participate with five coenzymes: thiamine pyrophosphate, lipoic acid, coenzyme A, NAD+, and FAD. Acetyl CoA undergoes oxidation by donating the acetyl group to the four-carbon compound oxaloacetate to form the six-carbon citrate. Citrate is transformed to isocitrate (six-carbon molecule), that is dehydrogenated with the loss of CO2 (twice) to yield a five-carbon compound a-ketoglutarate (oxoglutarate). A-ketoglutarate undergoes loss of CO2 yielding a four-carbon succinate and second molecule of CO2.Succinate is enzymatically converted into a three step four-carbon oxaloacetate. Citric acid cycle removes electrons from citrate and uses these electrons to form NADH and FADH2. These electrons carriers yield nine molecules of ATP when o xidized by O2 in oxidative phosphorylation. Electrons released in the reoxidations of NADH and FADH2 flow through a series of membrane proteins (electron-transport chain) generating a proton gradient across the membrane. This proton gradient is used to generate ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Tymoczko, p. 330).The citric acid is comprised of two stages: Each turn of the cycle, one acetyl group (two-carbon) enters the acetyl-CoA and two molecules of CO2 leave-one molecule of oxaloacetate is used to form citrate then metabolized to a four carbon molecule; the remaining four carbon molecule is metabolized after many reactions- oxaloacetate is regenerated. The citric acid cycle has eight steps: 1. The formation of citrate is the condensation of acetyl-CoA with oxaloacetate to form citrate and is catalyzed by citrate synthase. This occurs by the condensation of four-carbon unit, oxaloacetate, and a two-carbon unit, the acetyl group of acetyl CoA.Oxaloacetate reacts with acetyl CoA and water to yield citrate and CoA (Tymoczko, p. 330). 2. The formation of isocitrate via cis-Aconitate. The enzyme aconitase catalyzes the reversible transformation of citrate to isocitrate through formation of tricarboxylic acid cis-aconitate. Citrate is isomerized into isocitrate to enable the six carbon unit to undergo oxidative decarboxylation allowing a dehydration and hydration step of citrate (Tymoczko, p. 332). Aconitase can promote the reversible addition of H2O to double bond of enzyme-bound cis-anonitate in two ways: one leading to citrate and the other to isocitrate.3. Oxidation of isocitrate to a-ketoglutarate and CO2. Isocitrate dehydrogenase catalyzes oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to form a-ketoglutarate. The two forms of isocitrate dehydrogenase require NAD+ as electron acceptor and NADP+. This intermediate reaction is oxalosuccinate (unstable alpha-ketoacid). The enzyme loses CO2 to form alpha-ketoglutarate which generates the first high-transfer potentia l electron carrier in the cycle NADH through oxidation (Tymoczko, p. 332). 4. Oxidation of a-ketoglutarate to succinyl-CoA and CO2.Oxidative decarboxylation of a-ketoglutarate is converted to succinyl-CoA and CO2 by the a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. During this portion of citric acid cycle, the two carbon atoms have entered the cycle and two carbon atoms have been oxidized to CO2. The electrons from oxidations are captured in two molecules of NADH (Tymoczko, p. 333). 5. Conversion of Succinyl-CoA to succinate. Succinyl-CoA has a thioester bond with a strong negative standard free energy of hydrolysis (six-carbon citrate from the four-carbon oxaloacetate and the two-carbon fragment).The energy released in the breakage of the bond is used to drive the synthesis of a phosphoanhydride bond in either GTP or ATP. The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction is succinyl-CoA synthetase. In tissues that require large amount of cellular respirations, ADP predominates whereas anabolic react ions require GDP/GTP (Tymoczko, p. 334). The methylene group (CH2) is converted into a carbonyl group (C=O) in three steps: an oxidation, hydration, and a second oxidation reaction (Tymoczko, p. 335). The energy produced and extracted in the forms of FADH2 and NADH. 6.Oxidation of succinate to fumarate. Succinate formed from succinyl-CoA is oxidized to fumarate by flavoprotein succinate dehydrogenase. FAD is the hydrogen acceptor in the reaction. Succinate dehydrogenase is directly associated with the electron-transport chain transferring two electrons directly from FADH2 to coenzyme CoQ; CoQ passes electrons to the oxygen acceptor (Tymoczko, p. 334). Succinate is oxidized to fumarate; starting the next step of hydration of fumarate to form L-malate. 7. Hydration of fumarate to malate. The hydration of fumarate to L-malate is catalyzed by fumarase.Malate is oxidized to form oxaloacetate and NAD+ is the hydrogen acceptor (Tymoczko, p. 335). 8. Oxidation of Malate to oxaloacetate. Thi s is the last reaction of the citric acid cycle. NAD-linked L-malate dehydrogenase is the oxidation of L-malate to oxaloacetate. The citric acid is considered important in the central metabolic mechanism because: it is the starting points for synthesis of a variety of intermediate compounds such as the metabolism of sugars and amino acids; the metabolism of amino acids and lipids; and it links anaerobic metabolism to aerobic metabolism.The pathway of the citric acid cycle is the intermediate hub of metabolism that serves to fuel many types of compounds. The intermediates are drawn out of the cycle to be used as precursors in many varieties of biological pathways. The citric acid cycle is amphibolic pathway serving as catabolic and anabolic processes. The oxidative catabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids through reactions serve as precursors. For example, amino acids such as aspartate and glutamate, the carbons of oxaloacetate and a-ketoglutarate build other amino a cids like purine and pyrimidine nucleotides.Oxaloacetate is converted to glucose in gluconeogenesis. Succinyl-CoA is an intermediate in the synthesis of the prophyrin ring of heme groups serving as oxygen carriers (blood) and electron carriers such as cytochromes (Retrieved from Foundations of biochemistry). The mechanisms of the citric acid cycle complement each other by reducing the rate of the formation of acetyl CoA when the energy of the cell is high and biosynthetic intermediates are abundant. This energy is abundant and the cycle can provide a source of building blocks for biomolecules such as nucleotide bases, proteins, and heme groups.This depletes the intermediates and when the cycle needs replenishment of the intermediates, anaplerotic reactions occur (Tymoczko, p. 343). Describe the 3 steps in photosynthesis, detailing the interrelationships among them. (Discussion in the online classroom. ) The three steps part of photosynthesis process involves capturing energy from th e sunlight; using energy to make ATP and reducing power in the form of NADPH; and using ATP and NADPH to power the synthesis of organic molecules (carbohydrates) from CO2 in the air (carbon fixation).There are two types of reactions that take place to ensure the process of photosynthesis: the light-dependent reactions and the light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle). Light-dependent reactions provide raw materials such as ATP serving as a source of energy and NADPH provides the reducing power (taftcollege. edu). Light reactions result in the creation of reducing power for the production of NADPH, the generation of a transmembrane proton gradient for the formation of ATP, and the production of O2 (Tymoczko, p.  404).The Calvin cycle (C3 photosynthesis) is the pathway that assembles the new molecules which takes place in the stroma of the chloroplasts (Retrieved from Taft College website). Chloroplasts are organelles in which photosynthesis takes place. The main role of chloroplas t is to capture light energy and convert the electromagnetic radiation into chemical energy for the essence and is the key to life on planet earth. Chloroplasts have an inner and outer membrane.The inner membrane surrounds a space called the stroma that contains soluble enzymes (rubisco-important in the Calvin cycle) that reduce power and ATP converting CO2 into sugar (Tymoczko, p. 390). In the stroma, membranous discs called thylakoid are aligned in stacks which are impermeable to most molecules and ions whereas the outer membrane of chloroplast has a permeable membrane to small molecules and ions (Tymoczko, p. 390). Thylakoids have a large surface area for light absorption and the space within them allows rapid accumulation of protons (Retrieved from Taft College website).Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, a green pigment found inside the thylakoid membranes. Hundreds of chlorophyll molecules function together like an antenna system for the capture of light photons resulting in che mical electron excitement (Gu, 2013). The region of chemical excitation, called an exciton, migrates through the chlorophyll antenna until it reaches a point in the array where it can be funneled into a chemical system (Gu, 2013). Chlorophyll has two types: chlorophyll a, primarily in green plants has less absorption than chlorophyll b.Chlorophyll b has accessory pigments such as carotenoids which give the colors of yellows and reds in plants. The accessory pigments are arranged in numerous light-harvesting complexes that completely surround the reaction center; these pigments absorb light and deliver the energy to the reaction center by resonance energy transfer for conversion into chemical forms (Tymoczko, p. 394). The chlorophyll molecules are arranged in groups called photosystems. There are two types of photosystems are Photosystem I and Photosystem II.When chlorophyll molecule absorbs light, energy from the light raises chlorophyll electron molecules to a higher energy state k nown as being photoactivated (Retrieved from Taft College website). Excited electrons anywhere within the photosystem are then passed on from one chlorophyll molecule to the next until they reach a special chlorophyll molecule at the reaction center of the photosystem leading to a chain of electron carriers (Retrieved from Taft College website). The light-dependent reactions start within Photosystem II.Photosystem II responds to wavelengths shorter than 680 nm sending electrons through a membrane-bound proton pump called cytochrome bf and then to photosystem I to replace the electrons that are donated to photosystem I to NADP+. The electrons in the reaction center of photosystem II are replaced when two molecules of water are oxidized to generate a molecule of oxygen (Tymoczko, p. 395). When excited electrons reach the special chlorophyll molecule at the reaction center of PS II, this chain of electron carriers found within the thylakoid membrane releases energy.The energy is used t o pump protons (hydrogen ions) across the thylakoid membrane into the space within the thylakoid forming a proton gradient. The protons can travel back across the membrane, down the concentration gradient, passing through ATP synthase. ATP synthase is located in the thylakoid membrane and it uses the energy released from the movement of protons down their concentration gradient to synthesize ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Retrieved from Taft College website). This proton gradient is the driving force for ATP production (Tymoczko, p.395). The synthesis of ATP in this manner is called non-cyclic photophosphorylation (uses the energy of excited electrons from photosystem II). The electrons from the chain of electron carriers are then accepted by Photosystem I. Photosystem I responds to light within wavelengths shorter than 700 nm and responsible for providing electrons to reduce NADP+ to NADPH, requiring a reduction in power of the electrons (Tymoczko, p. 395). Electrons are rep laced from previous electrons lost from Photosystem I.Photosystem I absorbs light and becomes photoactivated leading to excited electrons that are raised to a higher energy state. These electrons are passed along a short chain of electron carriers and used to reduce NADP+ in the stroma (Retrieved from Taft College website). The powerful reductant ferredoxin reacts with NADP+ forming NADPH. When there is a shortage of NADP+ this inhibits the normal flow of electrons. When this occurs, the alternative pathway for ATP production (cyclic photophosphorylation) begins with Photosystem I absorbing light and becoming photoactivated.The excited electrons from Photosystem I are passed to a chain of electron carriers between Photosystem I and II. These electrons travel along the chain of carriers back to Photosystem I causing the pumping of protons across the thylakoid membrane creating a proton gradient (Retrieved from Taft College website). The protons move back across the thylakoid membrane through ATP synthase producing ATP. The light dependent reactions produce oxygen as a waste product. The special chlorophyll molecules at the reaction center pass electrons to the chain of electron carriers, becoming positively charged.Within the thylakoid space, water molecules are split due to the enzyme at the reaction center known as photolysis (Retrieved from Taft College website). Oxygen and H+ ions are formed, leading to the waste product of oxygen which most living organisms need on earth. The dark phase of photosynthesis starts with the reaction of CO2 and ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate to form two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate (Tymoczko, p. 418). The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis occur in the stroma of the chloroplast and involve the conversion of carbon dioxide and other compounds into glucose.The light-independent reactions can be split into three stages; these are carbon fixation, the reduction reactions and finally the regeneration of ribulose bisphospha te – collectively these stages are known as the Calvin Cycle (Retrieved from Taft College website). During carbon fixation, carbon dioxide in the stroma (which enters the chloroplast by diffusion) reacts with a five-carbon sugar called ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) to form a six-carbon compound which is catalyzed by an enzyme called ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (large amounts present within the stroma), known as rubisco (Retrieved from Taft College website).Rubisco is the most abundant enzyme in plants and most abundant protein in the biosphere (Tymoczko, p. 409). As soon as the six-carbon compound is formed, it splits to form two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate. 3-phosphoglycerate is then used in the reduction reactions (Retrieved from Taft College website). 3-phosphoglycerate is reduced during the reduction reactions to a three-carbon sugar called hexose phosphate that consist of 3 types of isomeric forms: glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6- phosphate, and fructose 6-phosph ate known as hexose monophosphate pool (Tymoczko, p.  409).Energy and hydrogen is needed for the reduction that are supplied by ATP and NADPH and H+ (both produced during light-dependent reactions). The condensation of many molecules of glucose phosphate forms starch in the form of carbohydrates which is stored in plants. The hexose phosphates produced during the reduction reactions, only use one to synthesize glucose phosphate, the other phosphates will be used to regenerate RuBP (Retrieved from Taft College website).The regeneration of RuBP is essential for carbon fixation to continue. Five hexose phosphate molecules will undergo a series of reactions requiring energy from ATP, to form three molecules of RuBP which are consumed and produced during light-independent reactions forming the Calvin cycle. The actual operation of photosynthesis reactions, called the carbon reduction or Calvin cycle, may be summarized as follows: 6 CO2 + 6 RudP —-> 6 RudP + 1 Hexose # of carbons 6 + 30 —-> 30 + 6

Peer Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Peer Response - Assignment Example Thus, to do this, one full time authorized officer should be governing IT operations and requirements on a continuing basis. The detailed information regarding the recommended IT General Control (ITGC) and application controls were commendable. It was also valid that a CIO or a CISO should be assigned to govern the operations and security of the information systems in the agency. The accountable officer should possess the competencies and qualifications for identifying IT infrastructure requirements and undertake risk assessment management, as required. One strongly believes that investing in these control systems, assigning point persons (officers and staff), and designing policies and procedures that would manage and protect the agency’s database systems would be crucial in safeguarding the agencies assets and resources, as required. Every organization, regardless of the number of personnel, as long as information systems are used, should assign IT personnel and officers who would manage IT in the most effective manner. Management functions include planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all facets of the operations (IT) towards the achievement of organizational

Role Of A Leader In Managing Crisis. Toyota case study Essay

Role Of A Leader In Managing Crisis. Toyota case study - Essay Example A leader’s primary role is to set the goals for the crisis management strategy which requires to be based on the organisation’s values. Leadership qualities are measured through the commitment involved in drafting crisis problem along with the firm’s top management. Further identifying the levels of problem related to crisis management will enable a leader to create a friendly and supportive environment in the organisation. The next step for the leader lies in identifying the team to lead the crisis management. The purpose of the team will be to identify the crisis in the organisation. The main role of the leadership here will lie in empowering the team and making the team competent to analyse the crisis by different components such as process, location, pressure, market place and industry (Goel, 2009, p. 247). The tertiary role of the leadership is to implement strategy leading to effective communication with both internal and external sources such as employees, stakeholders, partners, etc. Apart from this regular training to the employees regarding crisis management is another important aspect to measure the leadership attributes. External forces An organisation’s ability to identify external forces which can impact the internal environment of the organisation is an important mechanism related to crisis management. This requires the incorporation of scrutinising mechanism by the leadership to continuously analyse the external forces and convert them into values for the organisation and the members associated with it. ... Example: A hospital’s ability to foresee the impact of technology advancement and the ability to adopt the latest technology in its various departments can be adjudged as the modification in its internal atmosphere to convene the fundamental change in the external force related to technology (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2010, p. 230). Internal forces Like external forces, the internal forces too have an impact on the organisation and its ability to adapt itself in the changing environment. It is important for the leadership to maintain a balance between work and process to be able to change the work mechanism as demanded by both internal and external forces. This concept of liveliness is very important for the leadership to understand the current dynamics of work. Example: Distribution channel of pharmacy, supply chain management of materials are the representatives of internal work structures and needs to change with the changing environment. Akio Toyoda’s respons e in related to the Toyota crisis can be examined in a more illustrated manner in the following manner: Dysfunctional organisation culture The leaders of Toyota are the main culprits as they are the ones responsible for the crisis. Akio Toyoda took the control of the organisation when it was not in best of shape; expert advice was often neglected over safety measures which ultimately had an impact on organisation. Crisis cannot always be spun Akio Toyoda made the mistake of taking the situation lightly and not paying much heed to the consequences. Instead of responding that the organisation is replacing the faulty parts and will keep doing the same in the near future, Akio Toyoda should have

Employer Employee Relationship Quiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employer Employee Relationship Quiz - Essay Example An independent contractor is not required to adhere to company work schedules whatsoever. Companies are not employers per se, but clients. As such, they are not entitled to direct the contractor in work. The company is concerned only with the outcome. It's the contractor's right to decide when, where and how to get the project done. In simple terms, the Employment At-Will Doctrine means that in absence of a contract employment is presumed to be voluntary and indefinite for both employees and employers. As an at-will employee under the doctrine, one may quit a job whenever and for whatever reason the incumbent wants, usually without consequence. Conversely, at-will employers may terminate one from services whenever and for whatever reason they want, usually without consequence. In short, either party may end the relationship without prior notice, but neither party may breach contracts. Hence, under the doctrine of employment-at-will, Mary's release was legal. We cannot say that there has been a breach of contract, for the implied contract didn't mention any fixed term of employment.

MICROECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

MICROECONOMICS - Essay Example It must be noted here that for the private firms, the altitude of the supply curve from the horizontal axis determines the minimum price (average) at which a specific quantity must be sold so that supplier would be able to cover the variable cost. He cannot afford to sell at any less value. It is vital to understand the meaning of demand and supply as it has been used in the micro economics models. It must be perceived as the flow of inventory, inwards for supply and outwards for demand. Demand and supply do not have a direct link between them but it is the market that decides their levels. Finding the equilibrium price A unique price exists in the market that would establish perfect equilibrium between demand and supply known as equilibrium price. This price is a great leveller for both buyers and suppliers and there is least scope for manipulation of prices driven by greed in a long run. In a perfect market, there is an equilibrium quantity that exists for the equilibrium price and either way shifts in the value of this equilibrium due to misallocation of resources (whether too few scarce resources are being used or too many scarce resources are being used) would result in dead- weight loss. ... It is more or less automatic. Trouble in the public sector This is in complete contrast to what happens in the public sector. When it comes to public services which are run by governments, there is hardly any interaction of demand and supply curve as there is absence of ‘feedback’ factor. So there is no automatic adjustment of the prices as government rely on taxes for covering the cost that is incurred in rendering these services and consumers hardly have any choice. This is why misallocation of resources is a commonplace under government led enterprises and it would be better if governments restrain themselves from getting engaged into non vital activities. Whenever government tries to control the price either by deciding the floor price or the upper cap, it runs the risk of misallocation of resources. It would result in ‘dead - weight losses and could get worse. Analysing the effects of minimum wage law indicates that it fails to achieve the objectives which it was originally devised for. It increases the supply of the unskilled labour in the market and at the same time decreasing their demand. It fails to serve the poor, worsens the problem of unemployment in the long run and increases the burden over the taxpayer in an unjustified manner. Even the ‘earned income tax credit’ program has the similar consequences though it is not as bad as minimum wage law. Under both the schemes, government seems to address the symptoms and not the root causes of the problem. It is relevant to suggest here that instead of attempting to control the prices directly, it would be much better to influence the market. Policies must be such that they help

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

Political Science - Essay Example Under a conservative system, individuals are responsible for their own welfare and the state benefits from individual’s efforts, contributions, and interests. Conservatives do not believe in equality of citizens and equitable distribution of national resources since every individual is compensated according to their effort. Liberals believe that the government should set policies and regulations against gun ownership. Under this system, the government is responsible for individual’s security and, therefore gun ownership is unnecessary. The liberals argue that people commit crime due to social disparities that exist within our society. Thus, in a liberal state there will be social and economic stability enhanced by equitable distribution of resources. Such states will have minimal crime rates. On the other hand, the conservatives believe that citizens have the rights for gun ownership as provided for by the Second amendment. In a conservative system, individuals have the rights to defend themselves and prevent criminals from committing crime. They also believe that gun controls laws do not prevent criminals from obtaining weapons and using them to commit crime. Instead, they argue that the government should strengthen existing laws to prevent misuse of guns. [Source textbook and week 9 videos] 2#, US elections often divide the country into either blue or red states. The Republican Party is associated with the red state while the democrats are linked with color blue. The blue and red state ideology originates from the liberal and conservative ideologies whereby the democrats are considered as liberal while the republicans are considered conservatives. The red and blue states have their origin from the era of slavery. States that supported slavery remain under the republican ideologies while those that supported abolition of slavery support the right movement or they are the blue states. Blue states include New England and the Great

The 1980s Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The 1980s Crisis - Essay Example This was caused by excessive and continous borrowings even at a negative interest rates and rising commodities which was aggravated by the the Organizationof Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decision to raise the price of fuel which drove the interest rate of repayment and made the Latin American countries, particularly Mexico unable to service its loans (Buerkle, 2007). II. Background In the 1960s and 1970s, Latin American countries likeArgentina, Brazil and Mexico was experiencing tremendous growth in their respective economies (Swan, 1992). They capitalized on this growth by embarking on an industrialization program and borrowed heavily from foreign creditors to finance their industrialization program particularly their infrastructure projects. Given the performance and the prospect of the economies of these Latin American countries, foreign creditors granted them loans. These loans continued that in the span of seven years (1975 to 1982) of continuous loans, it had a cumulati ve annual rate of 20.4 percent. This translated to the contiunous accumulation of debts. Latin American country’s loans which was only $75 in 1975 rose to a staggering amount of more than $315 in 1983. These loans already amounted half of the region’s GDP or Gross Domestic Product. As a consequence, debt payment, both on the principal and the interest, increased rapidly that it amounted to $66 billion in 1982 when debt service was only $12 billion back in 1975. The Oil Crisis When the Organizationof Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) initiated in October of 1973 the increase of the world price of oil to as much as much as five times and backed by a selective embargo which was directed against the industrialized countries, Latin America and developing countries took the hit because of their vulnerability to external shocks (Street, 1978). Of the 19 countries that has to import oil, they have to pay OPEC’s increased price by an additional amount of $4.8 billion more in 1975 and added $5.2 billion in 1975 (Robichek, 1975:1). To make the matter worst, Latin American countries’ trade fell as a result of the global recession that was aggravated by the OPEC’s decision to increase the price of oil. As a result, the demand for Latin America’s primary products decreased while production cost increased because the price of imported materials from industrial nations also increased due to the increase of price in oil. This resulted to the region’s â€Å"deterioration of balance of payments current accounts of $2.5 billion above their expanded oil import costs in 1974, and of $2.9 billion in 1975† (Robichek, 1975:1). The Effect of the Oil Crisis OPEC’s decision to increase the price of oil contributed to the recession of the US economy in 1974 to 1975. This decreased the demand for loans in the domestic economy. These loans however was availed by Latin American countries which had a tremendous appetite for for eign loans (Hawkins And Maese, 1986). The global economy also slid into recession after the OPEC’s decision to increase its price in oil. The crisis that OPEC precipitated was however unusual as it transmitted even to countries that did not experience the â€Å"stagflation† of matured economies such as United States and Europe. â€Å"Until 1970, 15 Latin American countries enjoyed relative stability in the cost of living, and only 4 experienced price level increases in excess of 15 percent per year† (Inter-American Development Bank, 1977:6). Brazil which had always managed to decreased its inflation rate in the 1960s experienced an increase of 13% inflation in 1973 which increased further in 1976 to as much as 42% (International Financial Statistics, 1977:53). Its annual growth of over 10% from 1968 to 1974 fell dramatically to only 4.2% in 1975.

Writing Assignment #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Writing Assignment #2 - Essay Example Products in oligopolistic market structures will usually have very few or no substitutes as in the case of oil. The automobile industry in the world also evidences oligopolistic tendencies with a few large car manufactures selling similar auto models across the world. In most cases, players in such industries are torn between competing separately to win the market and coming together to create a monopolistic situation. Normally, the latter case never works as most companies rebrand constantly to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This is clearly seen in the automobile industry where different auto makers are customizing their brands to suite specific categories of people in the market. In a duopoly market structure, where the market players are limited to two, the common situation is normally cooperation between them so as to limit output to the monopoly style (Perloff 78). In such a case, profit is maximized as the price becomes much greater than the marginal cost. A case in point lies in the operation of Coca-Cola and Pepsi cola which operate in a duopoly situation. Most duopolies are created out of collusion between two or more players who agree to jointly set the price and manage output. Production in that is usually more than in a monopolist but less than in the in the completive market. In the same vein, some duopolies operate as cartels where strict cooperation is the order of the day. Price determination in oligopolistic market environments is always the prerogative of the market players. This arises since these players are normally big enough to influence prices in the market unlike in competitive market environments. In any case, prices in such markets are not determined by the interaction of supply and demand but are a function of the cooperation between the competing firms. Such a pricing strategy is known to create myriad inefficiencies in the market as usually evidenced in the oil industry where the need to rake in more profits

Emancipation Proclamation Prliminary Events Essay Example for Free

Emancipation Proclamation Prliminary Events Essay Abraham Lincoln was elected the President of the United States in 1860 with an anti-slavery agenda, and this gave the impression to the Southern States that they no longer belonged in the Union. South Carolina became the first state to secede the Union on December 20, 1860. In the following few months six more states, whose agriculture based economy was dependent on the free labor slavery provided, followed South Carolina’s lead and followed suit. The seven states, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas formed the Confederate States of America and chose the Mississippi senator, Jefferson Davis as their interim president (PBS). Lincoln claimed in his inaugural address in March 1861that it was his responsibility to keep the Union intact. He went on to state that he would not end slavery where it existed, or take back the Fugitive Slave Law (a 1850 law requiring all runaway slaves to the Northern states where slavery did not exist, to be returned to their masters in the South). It was understandable why this position of Mr. Lincoln’s did not sit well with the African Americans or the white Americans against slavery, but what was surprising was that it did not do anything to satisfy the Confederacy. Hence, on April 12, 1861 the Confederates attacked Fort Summer and the Civil Started had started. Immediately following the attacks another four states, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee joined the Confederacy. Even though President Lincoln made it abundantly clear that he was fighting to keep the Union intact and not for slavery or for the rights of the blacks, from the very start the free African Americans rushed to enlist in the army. Their services were refused and laws refusing blacks the right to enlist in the army were maintained because Lincoln wanted to prove to the whites in the Northern states that their privileges as the superior race were not in any danger. The Confederacy on the other hand was using the enslaved labor for efforts to win the war. Slave labor was being used as nurses, laundresses, blacksmiths and they were working in factories and armories (PBS). As the Northern army managed to penetrate into the Southern territory, there was a large influx of refugees. The slave fugitives were labeled â€Å"contraband of war† and if it could be proven that their labor was used to help the Confederacy they were given their freedom. Despite declaring the black fugitives free, Lincoln still firmly held on to the idea that this war was not about setting the slaves free but holding the Union together. By early 1862 Lincoln was beginning to think that some kind of an emancipation order was needed if North was to win. The Proclamation As the war drew on, a number of governments in Europe started to think about recognizing the Confederacy and interceding against the Union. Also at home the Congressional and public opinion grew more towards the fact that slavery was not right and it needed to be abolished as a policy of war. Faced with such mounting pressure from all sides Lincoln felt that if a declaration was made to free the slaves, then European opinion would be with the North, and he would get the support needed for his own administration and the war effort, that he decided to draft the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 (Emancipation Proclamation). On July 13, 1862, Lincoln read out the prelude proclamation to his Secretaries William H. Seward and Gideon Wells and both were left at a loss for words, and Lincoln did not discuss the matter further. On July 22 Lincoln read the Proclamation at his Cabinet meeting and got a mixed reaction. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, deciphered the measure as a method of taking the slave labor away from the Confederacy while allowing more men into the Union Army and supported its release as soon as possible, the Postmaster General Montgomery Blair predicted doom in the fall elections, while the Attorney General Edward Bates was against equality in the political and civil arena for the Blacks. Since the President was not concerned about his Cabinet’s view of the substance of the Proclamation only its style, the direction on future action was set (www. memory. loc. gov). To show that the proclamation was being issued out of strength and not a sign of weakness, Secretary of State Seward recommended that Lincoln not issue it until there was some significant Union victory. The opportunity presented itself when there was a Union victory at Antietam on September 22, 1862 and five days after that Lincoln issued the Proclamation which became effective on January 1, 1863. The chief function of the proclamation was to bring peace back and restore Union control, and was perceived as a firm commitment to abolish slavery. Proclamation also turned around the strengths of the warring parties by taking away the slave labor from the confederates, whose backbone in war efforts was formed by the slaves and gave this advantage to the Union (Borade). England and France were dependent upon the cotton they got from the South, and the Confederacy was hopeful that these countries would enter the war on their side. By turning the war into a fight against slavery, England and France sided with the Union because their citizens were against slavery (Emancipation Proclamation Prliminary Events, 2009). The purpose of limiting the proclamation to a few states was because Lincoln had the authority to take such an action on his own, a proclamation like this would not have Constitutional power over Union states since they had certain rights (The Emancipation Proclamation). In reality the proclamation freed very few slaves, because the border states fighting for the Union were not affected by it, nor were the southern areas already under Union control, and the rebellious states ignored the order. The Emancipation Proclamation is made up of two executive orders; the first order stated that if the breakaway did not put an end to the war and return to the Union by 1 January 1863, then all the slaves in the Confederate States would be set free. The second order listed the specific states to which the order applied. The Proclamation also had clauses which focused on rebellion and how to do away with it. It was stated that any individual starting a rebellion would be incarcerated for ten years and would be fined ten thousand dollars. If on the other hand, the individual freed his slaves, the court would not punish them (Borade). The proclamation also said that freed slaves who met with the necessary requirements would be allowed into the armed services of the Union, which was a major shift from the previous policy. The original Emancipation Proclamation is housed in the National Archives in Washington D. C. , and covers five pages of text. It was held together with thin red and blue ribbons which were stuck to the page that has signatures by the seal of the United States. The emancipation document was transferred from the Department of State to the National Archives in 1936 (Emancipation Proclamation). Works Cited Borade, G. (n. d. ). Purpose and Effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. Retrieved August 3, 2010, from www. buzzle. com: http:/www. buzzle. com/articles/purpose-and-effects-of-the-emancipation-proclamation. html Emancipation Proclamation. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 3, 2010, from www. archives. gov: http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/ Emancipation Proclamation. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 2, 2010, from www. Encyclopaedia Britannica: http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/185468/Emancipation-Proclamation Emancipation Proclamation Prliminary Events. (2009, January 01). Retrieved August 03, 2010, from www. robinsonlibrary. com: http://robinsonlibrary. com/america/unitedstates/1783/slavery/emancipation. htm PBS. (n. d. ). www. pbs. org. Retrieved August 2, 2010, from http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2967. html The Emancipation Proclamation. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 3, 2010, from www. usconstitution. net: http://www. usconstitution. net/eman. html www. memory. loc. gov. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 2, 2010, from http://memory. loc. gov/ammem/alhtml/almintr. html

The Effect of Electronic Communication Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Electronic Communication Essay The Convenience Factor o Issues of convenience drive the popularization of new methods of electronic communication. As telephones and fax machines were supplemented by the Internet and cell phones, communication became faster and more readily available. The Internet is notable for allowing the transmission of visual data, as well as text and voice, nearly instantly. The amount of information available on the Internet continues to grow as users create and maintain content that exists side by side with professionally produced content. Broadband connections are made available in even developing countries and wireless technology makes the Internet available in places never thought possible. All of these technologies are in some way superior to the earlier forms of communication they replace. E-mail is instant, whereas mailing a letter takes days. Television is not interactive but web video content is highly customizable and online gaming is popular. Electronic books take up no space and may be available at little cost, as opposed to traditional print media, which can seem expensive and bulky by comparison. Access o Electronic communication also opens lines of communication to individuals who would otherwise live in relative isolation. This increased access is visible in countries where land-line telephones have been skipped over in the process of technological evolution; many Africans own cell phones that are the first phones they have ever had. Mobile devices serve the needs and lifestyles of people who might otherwise never have been able to communicate with people outside the limits of their region. In academics, students from around the world can maintain contact via e-mail, sharing their work and bringing a degree of equity to universities regardless of their physical size or location. Collaboration in the arts and sciences has also benefited greatly from cheap and easy communication. o Networking and Sociability oThe social elements of electronic communication cannot be overstated and are today a major subject in studies of American lifestyles and popular trends. Social networking has gone through several distinct phases, growing with each new wave of Internet users. Today, worldwide networks bring together people who share interests but may have never met. Likewise, popular youth-oriented social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter allow people to carry on friendships over long distances. The rise of sociable media has radically altered not only the way people communicate, but the way they relate to one another and even how they view themselves. For sociologists, behavioral psychologists and cultural critics this represents an important area of study. Global Culture o Of great significance to popular media and commercial interests is the rapid sharing of trends that occurs via electronic communication. The ease with which content can be shared online means that fads and trends are seldom as localized as they once were. Such movements do not need to wait for the physical movement of people to spread; instead, millions of users all around the world can be made aware of them immediately. This includes news, which has also tended more toward a global bent with less local coverage even from local news agencies. For users, electronic communication allows for the dissemination of content far and wide at little or no cost. This means that local artists, musicians and writers can share their work by marketing themselves in a format that is easily accessible to anyone. While this has resulted in a deluge of user-created content online, it has also necessitated the filters and new processes by which that content is evaluated, rated and bought or sold. Priv acy and Security o For all of its advantages, electronic communication carries with it several dangerous aspects. Privacy and security have been concerns of the users of electronic communication since the days of the telegraph. In the Internet age, all data transmitted electronically must pass through a series of stages at which it could potentially be intercepted by a third party. The convenience of doing business onlinein the form on online banking, stock trading and shoppinghas forced businesses to invent security measures that breed at least some level of confidence in their customers. Still, cases of identity-theft number in the thousands each year, and the risks of breaches of privacy are a major concern to many parents whose children communicate electronically. Cybercrime represents a significant threat to economic interests and Internet-based espionage has been the target of special security programs enacted by most governments and large businesses around the world. Still, electronic communic ation continues to flourish despite these risks, partially because of the huge investments that have been made into minimizing them

Search Theory in Employment Scenario

Search Theory in Employment Scenario Introduction There have been changes in technology over years with people appreciating and embracing the technological changes. This has been witnessed even in the job search sector with most jobs advertised online. The use of internet has not only made the work easier but issued an efficient and effective platform for job search. Job websites like Monster.com has enabled many to get information in relation to vacancies. This has made them apply and in the process develop their careers in an easier manner. The Search Theory supports the notion that information availability helps in the reduction of frictional unemployment among workers (Alper et al., 2013). According to Stevenson (2008), the use of internet has enabled workers to change jobs without huge unemployment spell. Based in these two readings, job search using internet is improving today’s workers prospects when it comes to employment.6 Search Theory This theory is about sellers and buyer who struggle to find a partner in commerce at the spot. The theory specifically aims in finding the optimal strategy when choosing from several opportunities. The assumption made in the choosing is that there is a cost related to not making the decision. The search theory helps in the identification of the balance between cost and value. The cost is in relation to delay while the value is as per the act of trying again (Alper et al., 2013). Application of Search Theory in Employment Scenario This is one of the most influential theories in the economics field as to date. This theory is normally used in the economics of labor to study unemployment and factors related to it. The kind of employment studied is normally those caused by the employees seeking jobs that they desire more. The theory holds that desirability of a given occupation depends on the values of the available alternatives minus the undesired act that is associated with the hunt. That is, Occupation Desirabity = Alternatives Value- Hunting Undesirability This simply means that the desire of a given occupation depends on the value of the alternative jobs and the undesired to hunt the jobs (Alper et al., 2013). The use of internet in the job search has improved the desire when it comes to occupations. This is because of the fact that it has improved the information in relation to the alternatives in the market. Internet also has reduced the undesirability that is related to job search. Internet is a friendly method that is cost effective and reliable making people to desire its use (Alper et al., 2013). Employment Prospect Improvement First, it allows the employee to search for the known distribution of the vacancies. The known distribution vacancies are the job vacancies that one is aware of their existence. The information in relation to their existence can be from a friend, colleague or print material. The use of internet will increase the chances of employment since it will provide additional information in relation to the vacancy. The information can be in terms of how to apply for the job or the requirements that needed for application or the qualifications (Autor, 2001). According to Jansen, Jansen, Spink (2005), the use of internet can improve the employee’s employment prospect enabling the search for ‘unknown jobs’. This gives us the second point of this section which is searching for the unknown vacancies. ‘Unknown jobs’ are the jobs that one didn’t know of their existence thus could look no information in relations to it. This is normally done through random search in the job advert sites and sees if there are any relevant jobs. The ‘unknown job search’ can also be done trough random access to websites or other sections including sending emails o friends and social media. Internet job search allows for the search of jobs in a randomized manner (Glover, 2009). Jobs are always posted in a daily basis in the job sites thus making it important for randomized job search in these sites. This increases the chances that the employee will get a better job or develop his or her career to the better. The last point in this sector will be that internet job search can enable one to get a better job. The changes can be in terms of increased payment, increased benefits, higher or the change of environments. Using internet to search for jobs can enable one learn if the place they work at is really to the standard. If not, one can take the action of going to the better place or occupation or industry. Getting a better job normally comes with satisfaction and thus one values him or herself which is the main reason for career development (Holzer, 1996). According to Windleton and Five O’clock Club, people do go to internet so as to see that they access and apply to better jobs or positions. This is from the fact that in the market there are different ranges of salaries that are offered. These regions may be divided into the sections of government, non- government and private organizations. Similarly, the requirements needed in a given position may differ in terms of level of compe tence, experience or qualification. The Internet and Job Search by Stevenson Majority of the people who use internet when searching for jobs normally get employed in the relevant sectors they want to (Stevenson, 2008). These employment sectors have also made it clear that the internet is the way to go since this are the areas that they advertise jobs. Internet has enabled the employees to identify and shift from job to job in an easy way. There are several ways to which this improves the employee’s employment prospects; these are discussed below. Employment Prospect Improvement First prospect is that the internet offers job options to the employee without looking for in several sources. The internet allows the employee to get access in relation to the vacancies at the sitting position. This makes the employee to not waste time walking or engaging in activities as he or she looks for vacancies. As any other source of media, the fact that it informs the employee is an act of awareness creation. This makes the employee informed of the surrounding and the job vacancies that are related to his or her career. Most of the employers have shifted and advertises their jobs online thus one can only access the information through use of internet. Employers also have shifted their mentality and prefer the use of emails when it comes to job application. This ensures that the application gets to the relevant authority in a short span of time. Email use for job application also helps in the ensuring reliability of the means (Green, 2010). Secondly, use of internet in job search shows that the employee is up to date with the changes in technology. Dynamicity of the work places is a reality and the employees prefer potential employers or employers to be able to use these technologies. For example, a marketing firm that uses online as a strategy of marketing will only prefer sales person who know how to use the internet (Onah and Nigeria, 1994). The fact that most people are educated and have similar qualification makes it relevant to appreciate an additional skill. This means that those with the information in relation to internet use have higher employment chances that those who don’t. Thirdly, the use of internet in job search is cheaper compare to other means thus cost effective. Internet use can be in a bus, at a place of work, in the garden or any other place. This allows the act of multi tasking thus saving time. Using internet to search for jobs allows one to look for a job without making frictions with the present employer. This is because the employee will look for the jobs while at the office in the free moments between the working hours. This develops the career of the employee at the place of work. The same time it makes the employee aware of the greener pastures and their availability (Bellante and Jackson, 1983). Fourthly, the use of internet for job search improves the employment prospect of an individual through increasing the engagement frequency. The internet allows for the employee to engage as much as he or she wants with the site as he or she search for jobs. This freedom of engagement makes the use of internet in job search become flexible. With flexibility, internet then turns to be the best choice since one can refer to a site as many times as he or she wants. The fifth point will be in terms of reliability of the internet in job search. Most organizations normally make their advertisements in the website so that makes it appropriate for one to search jobs in the website (Keifer and Neumann, 1979). Even the adverts that are normally in the print source are first put in the website before getting them to the print media. This makes the employee therefore to get first hand information. Reliability of the use of internet also goes together with its accessibility compared to other means . This makes accessibility the sixth point: since the internet can be used in 24 hours, no matter the place, it is more accessible. Accessibility of the internet makes it more effective and efficient since time is not wasted. The seventh point is that internet job search equips the employee with the information in relation to job characteristics. Internet job search enables one to know the culture of the firm thus able to see if he or she can fit. This is through the information that is normally given in the organizations website. The eighth point is that internet job search enable creation of personal network. This is normally done through the platforms like LinkedIn among others. Through these networks the employees can know what to expect in the organization in terms of salary and also the environment (Green, 2010). Conclusion The Search Theory has three points that supports that internet job search improves the employees of today prospects. The work by Stevenson (Dissertation) also gives more than seven points as evidence of the same. Using this two works, it is therefore clear that the use of internet in job search in this era increases the prospect of the employees. Work Cited Alpern, S., In Fokkink, R., In GaÃÅ'Â ¨sieniec, L., In Lindelauf, R., In Subrahmanian, V. S. (2013).Search theory: A game theoretic perspective. New York, NY: Springer. Stevenson B. (2008). The Internet and Job Search (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge. (Order No. 13886) Green, L. (2010).The internet: An introduction to new media. Oxford: Berg. Keifer, N., Neumann, G. (1979). An Empirical Job Search Model, with a Test of Constant Reservation Wage Hypothesis. Journal of Political Economy, 87 (1), 89-107 Bellante, D. and Jackson, M. ( 1983). Labor Economics: Choices in Labor Markets. New York: McGraw- Hill Autor, A. (2001). Writing the Labor Market. Journal of Economic Prospect, 15 (1), 25-40. Jansen, B., Jansen, K., Spink, A. (2005) Using the Web to Look for Work: Implication of Online Job Seeking and Recruiting. Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy, 15(1), 49- 66. Holzer, H. (1996). What Employees Want: Job Prospects for Less- Educated Workers. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Glover, C. (2009).How to Use the Internet to Get Your Next Job. Atlanta: Atlantic Pub Co. Wendleton, K., Five OClock Club (New York, N.Y.). (2014).Shortcut your job search: Get meetings that get you the job. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Onah, F. E., Nigeria. (1994).Employment prospects and training needs for self-employment in Nigeria. Lagos: National Manpower Board.

Mansfield Park’s Fanny Price Essay -- Jane Austens Mansfield Park

Jane Austen’s novels are recognized for their competent heroines. From Elizabeth of Pride and Prejudice to Anne Elliot of Persuasion, Austen’s heroines are independent, indomitable, and intellectual. Mansfield Park’s protagonist Fanny is viewed in the eyes of countless readers as weak, quiet, and even snobbish. Yet when her accomplishments in the Bertram household are taken into account, Fanny reappears as a deeper figure. Fanny Price, though reserved and sullen at times, aptly presents herself as a determined and ethically sound character in a family marked by wanton behavior. Taking Fanny under his guidance to protect and support her since the day of her arrival, Edmund Bertram sought to lift her from the place the Bertram’s drove her to, a menial position of near servitude. Mrs. Norris made it apparent to Fanny that she was subordinate to her cousins Maria and Julia due to her lack of education and the consequence of their noble birthright. Edmund sustained Fanny at her most vulnerable moments – the times she knew she did not fit in, when she missed her brother William, and when she did not understand why people who were supposed to love her treated her so abrasively. At times Fanny became concerned by Edmund’s behavior, particularly related to Mary Crawford because she knew Mary had immoral intentions in her hopes of marrying Edmund. Regardless of how she felt, Fanny persevered in supporting her beloved cousin and eventually succeeded in becoming his virtuous wife. ...

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh Essay -- Narrative, Informative

A narrative is specified to amuse, to attract, and grasp a reader’s attention. The types of narratives are fictitious, real or unification or both. However, they may consist of folk tale stories, mysteries, science fiction; romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, and personal experience (â€Å"Narrative,† 2008). Therefore, narrative text has five shared elements. These are setting, characters, plot, theme, and vocabulary (â€Å"Narrative and Informational Text,† 2008). Narrative literature is originally written to communicate a story. Therefore, narrative literature that is written in an excellent way will have conflicts and can discuss shared aspects of human occurrence. The essay will concern information pertaining to narrative text. First the essay will discuss the definition of narrative literature. Second, the essay will consist of the advantages of narrative literature. Third, the disadvantages of narrative literature will also be discussed. Fourth, the essay will consist of five possible uses of narrative text in middle school language arts. There are several advantages to using narrative text in the middle school classroom environment. The first advantage is that the reader is entertained when reading narrative text. Second advantage involves narrative text attains and contains the interest of the reader. Third advantage consists of narrative text teaching or instructing the reader. Fourth advantage focuses on narrative text inconstant demeanor or social opinions of the reader. For example soap operas. The Bold and the Beautiful displayed in one of the episodes concerning homeless people and how their circumstances caused these individ... ...in history can increase the interest of students by helping students to understand that history has human perspectives and a more individual meaning. Also short stories can help students interpret history more plainly. Therefore, the teacher can use short stories to help students iterate reading and writing skills. Short stories can enrich a history teacher classroom and make learning history more pleasant and significant for students. An example of one of the short stories associated to the Civil War period is â€Å"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury. This short story distinctly obtains the human passions and agitation during the Civil War period and it also deals with actual history in human details. Therefore, â€Å"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh helps the reader interpret what it was like to be in the Civil War period in American history (White, 1993).

Sketches of the Valley (spanish) :: Spanish Essays

Reportaje â€Å"Estampas del Valle† Abstract: â€Å"Estampas del Valle†, or â€Å"Sketches of the Valley†, is a book written by a well-known Chicano author, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith. The book is divided into four sections, in which he writes about the â€Å"sketches† of the characters he establishes, things that happen such as a sudden murder, the lives and deaths of elders in the community, and of the life of Rafa Buenrostro. Belken County a fictitious location in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He writes of many that live there, ranging from young children, to prostitutes, to priests, ect. He writes of the dialogues, the stories, and the occurrences that are common regardless of ethnicity, with a humoristic view. His masterpiece is written in first person narrator and omniscient author consisting of letters, pieces from journals, diaries, and recollections of conversations. Rolando Hinojosa-Smith nacià ³ el 21 de enero del aà ±o 1929, en Mercedes, Tejas. Su padre un Mà ©xico americano, Manuel Guzmà ¡n Hinojosa y su madre Carrie Effie Smith, una blanca. Hinojosa nacià ³ el menor de dos hermanas y un hermano. A la edad de quince aà ±os, el comenzà ³ publicando su primeras obras en inglà ©s, en la publicacià ³n Creative Bits. Despuà ©s de graduarse de la escuela secundaria en el aà ±o 1946 a la edad de diez y siete aà ±os, se alisto en el ejà ©rcito donde cumplià ³ dos aà ±os. Hinojosa luego atendià ³ la Universidad de Tejas en Austin, por un corto tiempo antes de su reactivacià ³n en 1950 al ejà ©rcito para ir a la guerra de Corea. El estuvo estacionado en Fort Eustis, Virginia, donde fue director de una publicacià ³n del campo. Luego cuando fue estacionado en el Caribe trabajà ³ como anunciador de radià ³ y fue director de la publicacià ³n Carribbean Army Defense Command. Despuà ©s de su participacià ³n en el ejà ©rcito Hinojosa termino su educacià ³n en la Universidad de Tejas en Austin en el aà ±o 1954 donde se gradà ºo con un tà ­tulo en espaà ±ol. Empezà ³ su carrera enseà ±ando gobierno, espaà ±ol, historia, y latà ­n por un tiempo en la escuela secundaria de Brownsville, Tejas. En el aà ±o 1969, se casà ³ con Patricia Louise Mandley y tuvieron tres hijos, pero desafortunadamente resulto en un divorcio en el aà ±o 1989. Hinojosa continà ºo sus estudios de maestrà ­a en Highlands University en Las Vegas, Nuevo Mà ©xico, y luego su doctrina en la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana. Despuà ©s de recibir su doctrina empezà ³ como profesor en Trinity University en San Antonio, Tejas, en el aà ±o 1969.

Mutual Insurance Company of Iowa Essay

Mutual Insurance Company of Iowa (MICI) has a major insurance office facility in Des Moines, Iowa. The MICI office facility in Des Moines is the one responsible for processing all their insurance claims for the entire nation. With this, the company is experiencing rapid growth of sales which resulted in corresponding increase in customer’s claims. However, the claiming department was unable to cope with the increasing volume of claims, which leads to the disappointment of their customers. Sally Cook, the manager of Claims Processing, suggested using a new kind of system, the JIT system. This new kind of system requires for the training of the managers and employees for them to able to be multi-skilled. JIT system also required for the restructuring of the company. If this new system will be implemented well, it will help with the current problem faced by the company and will in turn enhance production efficiency and increase customer relationships. Discussion Questions 1. Identify the attributes you would expect the Claims Processing Department at MICI to have once the new JIT system is in place. Since the company proposed that the employees should have cross-training exercises to be able to help in a variety of insurance claims processing, it will manifest that workers are flexible and are capable of working with various claims thus will result to a more efficient output by the employees. The employees who have been trained are the key success factors to the improvement of MICI with the help of the JIT system. 2. What will the restructured cell layout for claim processing in Figure 16.10 look like? Draw it. 3. What assumptions are you making about personnel and equipment in the new group technology cell layout? a. Decrease cost of labor b. Increase in assets such as equipments c. Higher utility expense d. Personnel are flexible and can handle different claim processes e. There will be specialization for each process f. Production equipment will be located in one central area g. Increase in employee training budget h. Improvement in the equipment utilization 4. How will the new JIT oriented system benefit the MICI operation? Explain. The JIT system, if installed and implemented properly, will have the benefits of the following to the MICI operation: a. The new system will reduce setup time and schedule delays since the production will be continuous. The forms will arrive and will be processed at the same day. b. Improvement in the flow of goods and services. The claim forms will be processed and cleared as soon as they arrive. c. Higher customer satisfaction. The company can offer services that can go in accordance to the demands of the customers. d. The company staff and workers will be more productive and multi-skilled since they have been trained comprehensively. e. The new system will reduce errors and defects in services since there will be quality control in the production.

Gatsby: Nature of Romantic Love Essay

The Great Gatsby is a story about a man, Gatsby, who is stuck in alternate reality. He is stuck in a past life and wants to remain in it forever. The Great Gatsby reflects a story about the great American dream and, as some may view, a beautiful love story. The Great Gatsby is not a story about perfect love. In fact, it actually mocks the notion that love having no flaws. Fitzgerald writes about the corruption of love and illustrates the obstacles and dangers of corrupted love. The â€Å"love† presented in The Great Gatsby is unethical. Fitzgerald depicts the nature of love in the novel to revolve around obsession, self-destruction, and greed. The Great Gatsby lacks true love and affection to make it a perfect love story. Gatsby is a character with an unrealistic conscience. He is blinded by an idea of love that only he can see. The love he sees is not true love, but in fact an obsession with lust. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who studies human behavior states in â€Å"The Brain In Love†, â€Å"Romantic love is an addiction†¦a perfectly horrible addiction when it’s going poorly. And indeed it has all the characteristics of an addiction. You focus on the person, you obsessively think about them, you crave them.† This quote taken from a TED Talk portrays Gatsby’s nature of love perfectly. He is addicted to the idea of Daisy. The addiction is horrible because all he does is focus on her and only her. Even though he has not spoken to her in years after the war, he still craves her. It is very clear that Fitzgerald wanted the audience to notice Gatsby’s frightening obsession with Daisy. He follows her every move. He becomes rich for her and buys a mansion for he and holds countless outrageous parties, all because of her. Gatsby says, â€Å"Look at this. Here is a lot of clippings-about you† (Fitzgerald 90). Gatsby documents Daisy’s life. He creates a scrapbook with countless pages regarding Daisy’s life. He collects every possible thing that relates to Daisy. He alters his life to make Daisy love him. â€Å"Infatuation then develops in a specific  psychobiological pattern†¦beginning with intrusive thinking† (The Nature of Romantic Love). This applies directly to Gatsby’s behavior. He consumes his time thinking about Daisy and planning his life accordingly to Daisy’s likes, dislikes, and interests. And after being rejected, the obsession worsens. Daisy has countless flaws including being indecisive, cowardly, and materialistic. She is not the type of person someone would typically fall in love with. But once again, the element of Gatsby’s obsession comes into play. His obsession causes blindness and he is unable to see Daisy’s flaws. In Helen Fisher’s â€Å"The Nature of Romantic Love she states, â€Å"But the limerent casts these flaws aside and fixates on those characteristics that he or she finds unique and charming† (The Nature of Romantic Love). Gatsby’s fixation on Daisy obliges him to only see the good in Daisy that was barely even there anymore. She doesn’t have the best qualities. She has the power to leave Tom, yet she doesn’t. Why? Because she has everything she needs by staying with him. He supplies her with money, luxuries, and lives a comfortable life with him. Daisy puts her wants before the feelings and regards of others. Gatsby is sightless when it comes to pointing out Daisy’s negative qualities. The love presented in The Great Gatsby is self-destructive. It breaks Gatsby and forces him to partake in illegal activities to impress his significant other. The terrible obsession Gatsby has for Daisy causes him to not see the real Daisy. He is in love with the Daisy from the past. This essentially ruins him. He is not in love with the cowardly, shallow Daisy, but the sweet, comforting one from the past. Gatsby’s reality distorts after Daisy leaves him. Helen Fisher states in her TED talk, â€Å"You distort reality. Your willingness to take enormous risks to win this person.† Gatsby does just this. He corrupts and endangers his life because of his willingness to do anything for Daisy. He misrepresents his reality and does not see any harm in part icipating in illegal things. Gatsby takes risks for Daisy. In Helen Fishers TED talk she explains that this is a factor of love. Fitzgerald illustrates this factor in his novel by developing Jay Gatsby’s character into someone who will take massive risks. He is willing to jeopardize his own life to impress Daisy. Tom Buchanan says, â€Å"That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong† (Fitzgerald 134). In this statement, Tom is reflecting his opinions on Gatsby, believing that Gatsby  contributes to unjust acts. Tom was correct. Gatsby does partake in illegal activities and slowly destroys his reputation by doing so. People know of Gatsby’s misdemeanors. This is just another example of how unethical the love that exists in the novel really is. The love depicted in The Great Gatsby revolves around greed. The environment Daisy was raised in caused her to only view a materialistic life. Helen Fisher writes, â€Å"Culture, for example, plays an essential role in one’s choice of partner and the timing and process of courting.† Daisy grows up in a very luxurious environment, where money is a factor that contributes to a person’s personality. Why does Daisy suddenly fall back in â€Å" love† with Gatsby when he finally acquires a lot of money? Daisy’s idea of love is blinded with greed. For many years, she forgets about Gatsby when he goes to war and focuses and devotes her life to Tom Buchanan. Tom, a man of wealth, gives Daisy all she need, except love. Tom has multiple affairs with other mistresses, yet this does not bother Daisy. She is content living her life with Tom until Gatsby reveals himself. She falls back in love with Gatsby due to the amount of money he has. Only then does she decide to pursue a relationship with him. Daisy acts like a coward in the novel. Greed is what she has fallen in love with, not Gatsby nor Tom. Dais y’s greed gets in the way of the love that could have been between Gatsby and herself. Daisy’s importance in life orbits around material comforts. She says, â€Å"They’re such beautiful shirts it makes me sad because I have never seen such beautiful shirts† (Fitzgerald 89). The stunning silk shirts represent all of the material luxuries Daisy obsesses over. She has fallen in love with the idea of Gatsby, but not him. Both Daisy and Gatsby confuse greed with love. They long for money and material possessions and corrupt love to fulfill their American Dreams. He believes money will bring him anything, even Daisy’s love. Fitzgerald writes in his novel, â€Å"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths — so that he could ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden† (78). Gatsby spends hundreds of thousands buying a mansion out of greed. He is ravenous for Daisy’s attention. Daisy represents a life filled with luxuries and money and essentially, the Am erican Dream. Gatsby was never able to let that idea go so he devotes the majority of his time to Daisy. Fitzgerald’s novel represents a life full of corruption and mimics the idea of love. It intertwines the ideas of obsession, destruction, and greed among the characters. Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship focuses on the materialism of the era. Instead of truly falling in love with one another, they fell in love with the idea of each other. Gatsby fell in love with the Daisy that no longer existed and Daisy fell in love with what Gatsby represented; greed, money, corruption, and luxuries. The love presented in The Great Gatsby was not love, but an unhealthy infatuation of obsession and greed. Fitzgerald describes the nature of love to be unscrupulous. The characters were not in love, but rather in love with a perfect idea of one another that did not exist.