Children in Foster Care Essay

Statement: Upon ageing out of the foster care system, foster kids end up either dead, homeless or incarcerated due to lack of independent living skills and lack of knowledge about programs in their communities! Due to many children being so displaced and neglected, it is hard to provide for children because foster homes are overcrowded. Due to lack of financial stability roughly 20,000- 100,00 children in the United States are discharged to live on their own while approximately 1,100 young adults are discharged and left to fend for themselves throughout the country.† Having reached the age, they are presumed to be productive, self reliant and fully self sufficient† (Retrieved January 2, 2013, from www.childrenaidsociety.org). Unfortunately, these young adolescents are looked at as a failure before even given a chance in society due to not growing up under the best circumstances. Already troubled by their childhood experiences of neglect, abandonment and abuse, the vast majority of young people leave the system without knowledge, skills, experience, habits and relationships that can engage them in connective and productive programs within their communities. With this in mind, it also stops them from being connected members of society. According to statistics â€Å"foster children that age out of the system are far more likely to encounter poverty, homelessness, compromised health, unemployment and incarceration† (Retrieved December 29, 2012, from www.angelsfoster.org). Having access to both resources and programs during and aftercare can help alleviate alot of tension that children in the system encounter when trying to maintain and survive on their own. If the United States government help foster care agencies foster more programs and provide adequate funding in the right areas, then foster children would have more knowledge and skills when it comes down to independency. Without any friends, social workers, or dependent foster parents to turn to for help or assistance, these young people are pre dominantly at greater risk of becoming homeless, jobless, incarcerated or dead. According to statistics, young people discharged to themselves in different states have high numbers of poor preparation and independent living skills. â€Å"12-30 percent struggled with homelessness, 40-63 percent did not complete high school, 25-55 percent were unemployed and those employed had earnings far below the poverty line. 31-41 percent were arrested, 18-26 percent were incarcerated 12-18 months after leaving the system† ( Retrieved January 2, 2013 from www.whitehousetaskforceondisadvantagedyouth).

Response – Life of Pi

Response The novel, â€Å"Life of Pi† by Yann Martel is about a boy who lives in Pondicherry, India with his family. It is about how he and his family decide to move to Canada with the animals they own and the tragedy on sea. The book explains how Pi survives life and it is narrated by the first character, Pi, who is older now and is looking back on his life and younger years. Pi and his family embarked on the voyage to Canada along with the animals when Pi was around 16 years old. In the midst of the journey, a storm lashed the ship and Pi’s parents, brother and most of the animals did not survive.Pi managed to escape in a life boat and initially did not realize that he had company – and who was it? Well, it was the animals and who were they? Well definitely not those Pi would have dreamt of- an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra and last, but not the least, a tiger- yes a real tiger named Richard Parker. The book tells us about Pi’s battle with survival and the dangers he faced, both with the animals and life at sea. At his age, it was almost impossible, but he survived. The character, Pi has great determination and made the best of the limited resources he had.Every day during his expedition, he was faced with a new challenge. He witnessed the killing of the animals and was helpless. Finally being left alone with the tiger and being gripped with fear- he had 2 choices – to become the tiger’s prey or friend. This was in addition to the challenges at sea, with different weather conditions and with a small supply of food and a survival kit. I admire the bravery of the character Pi towards everything and his positive attitude- He never gave up even though he was forced to live in a boat with a tiger. The principle of â€Å"survival† is applicable.Pi shows us that we must not give up when we do anything, no matter how hard it is. The theme of bravery and courage is very relevant to our world today because, we usually find ourselves not wanting to do things when we find them hard. We are always asking ourselves whether we should just take the easy way out and quit. Pi’s bravery and courage is evident in the story where it is quoted, â€Å"You might think I lost all hope at that point. I did. And as a result I perked up and felt much better. † Also another quote that shows this is, â€Å"I was giving up. I would have given up – if a voice hadn't made itself heard in my heart.The voice said â€Å"I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen. † The things that stands out to me in his quote is that he knew that God was with him and that God would keep him safe. Even when things are hard and you feel that t here is no point in continuing, you should still persevere.Only when you persevere, you will be able to achieve and will be rewarded. This will make you feel satisfied and better than before. You don’t know what life is going to be like, we cannot see the future, but it is our job as humans to take what comes at us and make the best of it. This is determination. The famous saying â€Å"When the going gets tough, the tough get going. † While adrift, Pi and Richard Parker discover an island of carnivorous algae inhabited by a bountiful population of meerkats. Pi’s sees the meerkats pulling out dead fish from the ponds.Pi and Richard Parker were delighted to find that they have found food to eat and a place to live – but no! Pi later discovers a fruit on the tree that he was sleeping on. While peeling the last few leaves around the fruit off, Pi finds that all the fruit make a perfect set of teeth. At night, Pi looks around and sees that the water colour cha nges and becomes acidic somehow and he knows this because he can see that fish are dying under the acidic water and floating to the top. He realizes that during the night the island somehow becomes carnivorous.This is a message to him that the island is inhabitable and he and Richard Parker must get out of the island. So they left the next morning filling their boats with supplies of water, and seaweed and meerkats for Richard Parker. I admired Pi’s ability and patience to make the tiger, Richard Parker his friend. We must learn to be more like Pi in the way we act by being sensitive to the needs of others. When leaving the island he made sure to take food for Parker for the journey and not only for himself. We must be willing to do anything.Pi was willing to train the tiger and he did succeed over time. This is evident in the story as in the beginning when Pi was younger, he wanted to feed the tiger not realising the dangers he was putting himself into. He only realised the danger in encountering a wild animal when his father saved him by pulling him away and bringing a goat and showing him how the tiger snatched the goat even though the tiger was in a cage. Pi wanted to feed the tiger not only because he thought Richard Parker was his friend but because he felt that all animals have souls, which is shown through their eyes.Pi himself acknowledges the tiger as his companion in the book when he says: â€Å"Without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story. † Pi had a tremendous amount of patience with the tiger. Richard Parker is very cunning and so Pi had to be more careful in the way he acted with the tiger. The patience was shown when Pi was motivated to catch food for the tiger to satisfy the tiger’s hunger. By doing this the tiger would not turn to Pi as his prey. Richard Parker was a blessing for Pi as fishing for food kept Pi busy.Even though Pi was mortified by Richard Parker he developed a soft spot for him. He was willing to do anything to keep him alive. The author makes readers feel the love that Pi had for Richard Parker. In those times in the boat Pi gives the impression that to him Richard Parker is equivalent to a human. This is shown in the story when Pi said â€Å"Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love. I still cannot understand how he could abandon me so unceremoniously, without any sort of goodbye, without looking back even once.That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart. †Ã‚   This quote is telling us that when they reach Mexico, Richard Parker just walks away. Pi feels hurt. He feels as if the tiger doesn’t care about anything that has happened in the last 227 days. This really hurts Pi because he feels betrayed and saddened that Richard Parker left him. He never imagined this to happen. This proves that earlier when his father said, â€Å"you think tiger is your friend, he is an animal, not a playmate! †, he was right because no matter what even if you think the tiger is going to be your friend he/she will not.Even though they are not together anymore the author is giving the impression that no matter, Pi will always love Richard Parker. I admire Pi’s openness. The most important reason I admire Pi is because he prayed to God. He was universal in his thinking of religion as he followed three different religions. He was Hindu by birth but chose to practice and follow Islam and Christianity as well. Even though others like Pi’s parents and religious leaders criticize him for following more than one religion Pi still continued to do so anyway not at all effected by what others had to say.Pi says that he meets Jesus Christ through Father Martin and Islam through Mr Kumar. Through living out these three religions Pi was able make connections between the religions. Conclusion: Therefore, I can apply this to our own socie ty and in the way I act. The following qualities of Pi are worth noting; his determination, bravery, courage, perseverance, patience, sensitivity, willingness to do anything, love and openness. Pi’s determination has taught me to always be confident when making decisions about anything because confidence allows you and others to know that you are sure of what you are doing.Pi’s bravery has taught me to always have a positive attitude. It has taught me when you have bravery you can convince others and that when you are brave you are determined to do what you want. Pi’s courage has taught me that when you are brave and determined you have courage to do something. I can have courage when doing extra-curricular activities. There may be no one that I know of but by doing them anyway this shows that I have courage. Pi’s perseverance has taught me to always continue what I am doing to the end. He has taught me to never leave any task undone.Pi’s patience has taught me to always be calm with others. He has taught me not to get angry when I see something annoying me or to start grumbling. In the future I must learn to be calm with everyone and not only to my friends. Pi’s sensitivity has taught me to always be sensitive and caring to the needs of others and those around me. He has taught me to care for others by helping people carry their things or just by simply brightening a person’s day. Pi’s willingness to do anything had taught me to always be ready to help others no matter what.He has taught me to always be ready to lend a helping hand at anything. I can do this by helping my school out at school working bees. Pi’s love has taught me that I must not boast about how we love people, but simply show love through our everyday actions. I can show love by praying for the needy and others who have asked for prayers or by sitting with people at lunch time that may not have a friend to sit with. Lastly, Piâ₠¬â„¢s openness has taught me to keep my mind and soul open for everyone and everything.He has taught me to start things with an open mind instead of in a bad way which may affect how I may do things. We can learn to be more like Pi we can be more loving, brave and open to those around us. From this story, I have learnt that I can do anything that I persevere. We must all be like Pi in the way we lead our lives. Pi never judged anyone. He always saw the best in everyone and everything. I have also learnt that being patient can get me somewhere in life. Patience is the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties.

Aim and Objectives of a Business

Aims And ObjectiveAims are the goal the business wants to achieve while on the other hand objectives are practical steps to achieve the goal; it is very beneficial to set aims and objectives because it will help the business to be successful whether the goals are good or bad. Failing to set aims objectives will invariably make the business fails or damage it in the long term. In every business sector, Aims and objectives are essential be it private, public and non-for profit organisations. When businesses set aims and objectives, there is a greater degree of a tendency for the business to reach its potential goal or vision. When private sector businesses provide goods and services, they in turn make profit.For example, Aldi as a private limited company delivers value and lower prices for their customers to gain their loyalty and to maximise profits. They able to deliver in this manner due to increase sales and reducing cost of productions. All these processes bring about increase an d expansion of the business. Public Sector organisations are owned and controlled by the government (or local government). They provide quality services to their customers by helping to provide public services to their customers. These services are often free at the point of delivery e.g. the NHS. They provide goods paid for by the consumer.For example, if I pay for a ‘sexually transmitted disease (VD) jab I will benefit directly by being less likely to be in discomfort with the sexually transmitted disease (VD). But others also benefit because they are not going to catch the sexually transmitted disease from me. Another example of Public sector goods are ‘non-rival’ in consumption and ‘non-excludable’ in provision. An example of this is street lighting. If I walk down the street, taking the benefit of the street lights, the light I ‘consume’ leaves no less light for anyone else to consume. Because the good is ‘non-excludableâ€℠¢ a private business would have trouble making money out of it, so they tend not to bother.For this reason these goods are unlikely to be provided at all unless the government provides them out of general taxation which rest on the citizenry to pay. Not-for profit sector they raise funds to support a cause like helping people in need, they make surplus after the expenses of the business then, they reinvest the profits back into the business for expansion. They increase revenue from donations to carry out its various projects like water aid, schools and hospitals that are needed in Africa  countries.The Purpose For Setting Aims And ObjectivesThe purpose or reason for setting aims and objectives is because they are beneficial to the business whether good or bad. It is important to note that the business that does not set aims and objectives is band to fail or damage. As a business you make plans, SMART objectives have to be in place for the business to move forward and for it to rea ch its desire goal. It is also important to write out your mission statement because when you write out your mission, it become the vision that propels the business forward..Setting aims and objectives help the business to make profit for example you want to make 100% every week but without the aims and objectives you will not be able to measure your achievement or progress in your business. Sitting aims objectives will enable you to check if you have reached your set goals and objectives. It will also help you to be realistic and time-bound in your business goals. It also will help you reach your set targets, for example your aim is to make more profit in your business the time-bound will help you to know what you have achieved or if you are behind.The aims that would be appropriate for the sandwich shop are: To make profit as much as possible by maximising the profit and also increase sales. Growth for the business to expand and to have more sandwich branches. The sandwich shop ha s to stay in business until the business improves.ObjectivesThe sandwich shop has to provide a quality service to their customer to win them over to increase sales. The sandwich shop can reduce cost in order to retain and gain more customers. The sandwich shop can improve the quantity of the sandwich in order to stay and compete with other businesses.

Building Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Building Relationships - Essay Example Since it is our mission to provide the best foundation for life-long learning of the students, the school will provide premiere services and exhaust all efforts to ensure that the best environment can be offered to children. It is very important that parents are aware of their health benefits as well as their rights and responsibilities. The school can be of good help to those families that are not well educated with their health care coverage and the laws governing this benefit. This health information can be made available to parents or families of the students by conducting an annual seminar regarding designed to educate families on their rights and responsibilities. Health care coverage plan such as HMO, PPO and PO plan are available for families. Thus it is important that school has good relationship with hospitals, clinics and health agencies that can provide and educate parents about their health benefits. Available hospitals, clinics and agencies within the area are the follo wing: ___________________________. The delivery of educational service of the school must also include the equitable opportunities to students with disabilities. As this school is committed to providing the best education to children without any preferences and discrimination to education, the assistance to children with disabilities must be made available to families and parents of the student by including the services to educational handbook and annual report by the school to the parents. As a second home of the students, the school can provide a really good help to children suffering from domestic violence. The school can offer important benefits â€Å"including safety, predictability, a sense of normalcy, adult and peer support, meals, basic medical and mental health services and extracurricular activities† (Domestic Violence, p.1, n.d.). This help and information can be made known to families and students by including this information to bulletin boards especially in the guidance counsellor’s office. What should be emphasized upon extending this to the students and families is the maintenance of confidentiality of these cases. The school must establish relationship with agencies in the community that handles domestic violence survivors and their children (Domestic Violence, p.3, n.d.). Available agencies in the community that handles domestic violence and relevant cases are _____________________. A healthy school environment is important because it is where children learn and do their best to acquire the needed knowledge for their success in the future. The school is responsible in offering the opportunities for the children to build individual and collective confidence through their daily confidence (Jane-Llopis, & Braddick, 2008). According to Jane-Llopis and Braddick (2008), â€Å"mental health is a basic human right, and is fundamental to all human and social progress. It is a prerequisite to a happy and fulfilled life for individual ci tizens, for effectively functioning families and for societal cohesion.† As Bettina Schwarzmayer, President of European Youth Forum, quoted â€Å"Mental health lies at the heart of a young person’s social, professional and personal development yet youth is particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. Education plays a paramount role in building the foun ­dation of the mental health and well being of youth.†

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Assignment Example Due to limited resources accompanied by the constraint on the same, there is demand for choice hence opportunity cost in economics. In the cases presented, allocation of a square block in the heart of Toronto for a parking lot poses the greatest opportunity cost due to the demand for packing space in the city. 3. The cost of production is $(5*40+7*60+2*60+1*20) = $760. Selling price is $(400*2) = $800. The firm can therefore continue producing bread because a margin of $40 will result. The flow of factors of production to the bakery is good since it will enhance technical efficiency and effectiveness. 4. If supply decreases and demand is constant, prices will rise and quantity reduces. With lower demand and constant supply, prices fall and quantities go up. Increase in supply with constant demand leads to reduced prices by the margin of increase while quantities will flood the market. Depending on the increase in demand and supply, there will be an increase with the same proportions. If demand increases and supply remains the same, there is a constraint created hence prices go up while quantity diminishes. Increase in supply accompanied with reduced demand leads to excess goods in the market hence lowered prices with excess goods in the market. If demand increases and supply decreases, prices will drastically escalate with steep decrease in quantity. If supply decreases alongside demand, prices and quantity would follow in the same proportion (Adil & Janeen 2006pg.57). 5. If price falls and demand is inelastic revenue falls since quantity is constant. Price rise with elastic supply leads to increase in revenue with the same proportion. While in a case, when supply is inelastic, rise in prices also increases revenue (Adil & Janeen 2006pg.194). 6. Price ceilings involve the setting of prices by governments below the equilibrium price to favor the consumers while reducing supplier’s profits. Price floors involve a

What rights in English law do adults with decisional capacity have in Essay

What rights in English law do adults with decisional capacity have in relation to medical treatment and do these give too much scope for refusing important treatment - Essay Example Medical services should, therefore, be provided in line with the request of the service user and for their benefit (NHS, 2014). However, the right of informed consent has been under much criticism due to the ability of mentally fit individuals to turn down medical treatment strategies that could save their lives. Refusal to treatment decisions by sane adults may put the care team in an awful position that inhibits their ability to give the best medical treatment available. This particular right discourages medical practitioners since a breach of such ethics may result in heavy penalties, jail time or withdrawal of practice licenses. The rights included in the English law state that medical staff employing bodies are also liable for the unethical practice of their union members. In reference to Stavrinides (2012), the principle of informed consent to medical treatment observes that a service user provides their permission in order to receive medical treatment. Such consent ranges from a simple blood test to the complicated organ donations. The English law states that when a patient has complicated medical needs, a mental survey is necessary in order to ascertain whether the patient’s ability to reason appropriately is affected by his medical situation. When such cases arise, a series of multi-disciplinary meetings are carried out in order to come up with a shared agency disciplinary decision. The decision made on the most applicable treatment strategy is now to be effected without the consent of the adult patient. The principle of recovery, as indicated in the English law, ensures that the adult patient is capable to gain control over their lives after treatment. The service user has this right in order to regain their self-esteem and make a step forward towards living a life where they can experience a feeling of belonging and participation. This right ensures that patients are enabled

The 'Other' and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory Essay

The 'Other' and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory - Essay Example The concept of 'otherness' is often seen as a representation of racial differences, the physical manifestations of different ethnic orientations becoming central to the concept of that outside of the accepted experience of human existence of a xenophobic culture. Representations of 'otherness' can be seen in literature and art, including that Colonization was predicated on the idea of 'otherness', the existence of cultures that were defined through means that were not relative to Euro-Caucasian understandings of the world were deemed not valid and could therefore be subverted to the wants and desires of an oppressive force that gleaned profit from that which could be mined for its resources. In assigning the idea of 'other', cultures were dehumanized and used without regard to the affects of that use on the cultural existence. In examining the nature of 'otherness' and the development of the character presence as it is defined by what is alien to the culture of origin, the nature of the perceptions about the exotic can be revealed. As art reflects stereotypes that define how one culture or race perceives the experience of being human in relationship to other cultures, it can be seen that in many cases differences are translated through a process of dehumanization. 'Otherness' is a state of existence through which the development of the exotic creates a sense of mystery that is part of the concept of supernatural, suggesting that otherworldliness of human existence is on a plane that is outside of what is known, and therefore unfathomable. The development of the notion of 'otherness' is a way of coping with what is not easily understood about differences between cultures, exploring sexuality and fear through the development of concepts rather than individuated characterisation. 2. Stereotypes Stereotypes are ways of categorizing people into groupings that are designated for cultural differences that can be superficially recognized to create a profile of a people . Gilman (1985, p. 15) begins the discussion of stereotypes by stating that "We all create images of things we fear or glorify". In creating these images, it sets them apart and supports a perception about 'otherness' as it is defined by what is percieved to be true in relationship to differences that are not readily understood. Stereotyping categories of groupings is a coping mechanism. Gilman (1985, p. 16) writes that "they buffer us against our most urgent fears by extending them, making it possible for us to act as though their source were beyond our control". Gillman (1985) goes on to say that stereotypes are a way of coping with the external world as the internalized concept of the self is threatened. It is a way to define perceptions of the world, but also a way to make sense of those things that seem out of the control of the individual. When using stereotypes to express something about the human condition, it is a way of organizing perceptions about 'otherness' so that it f its into how the world is understood. Bhabha (1994) discusses how this is a way of stabilizing what seems to threaten what is understood about the world. Stereotypes are often insulting, their categorisation of human experiences manifesting into the dehumanization of cultures through grouping them in what are often negative interpretations of their traditions and beliefs. Bhabha (1994) discusses how these interpretations represent the derisive element and desires, the

What changes would you make to Proposition 13 Essay

What changes would you make to Proposition 13 - Essay Example eal estate property value for tax purposes to 1975 to 1976 market value; reduced tax increases to 2 percent annually especially for continuing property owners; and provided a reassessed value base for new property owners. It also reduced real estate taxes to 1 percent, and required two-thirds votes for legislative revenue or tax increases among others. Proposition 13 significantly reduced property taxes for both homestead and commercial properties. The major driving factor behind the enactment of the proposition 13 was the notion that Californians should not be priced out of their homes through high taxes. This initiative has been termed the third rail of California politics because politically, it is very difficult for policymakers to alter it. This paper provides a very thoughtful discussion on proposition 13, its meaning, what happened, some of the proposed amendments to this proposition, its impacts. It will also cover what is different prior to and after the enactment of this in itiative. Proposition 13 has remained a law in California for a long period since its inception and its supporting vote was perceived as a tax revolt against California government (Ferreira 662). This initiative affected property taxes, individuals’ lives as well as businesses. This proposition dramatically changed California constitution and it helped taxpayers to address the rising property taxes and increasing state revenue. This proportion altered the structure of the property taxation and how taxes are distributed in California. There are many things that took place and various aspects or practices changed upon the formulation of this proposition. Firstly, this law removed much of the fluctuation of property tax revenue that resulted to a more stable revenue source for local government. Secondly, proposition 13 decreased the rates of property tax to 1 per cent. In 1977, the average property tax rate in California was 2.67 percent but proposition 13 reduced the rate to 1 percent

Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Marketing Plan - Essay Example Taj Mahal restaurant is a place which specializes in original, spicy Indian food made by proficient Indian chefs. The interior of the restaurant and it's atmosphere are discussed in the essay. Firstly, this essay focuses on it's audience. Their main customers would be the large number of New Yorkers who have heard about the Indian food and are looking for a quality place to eat, those couples and families who are bored from the routine food outlets and want something special. Secondly, their strategy will be to use direct advertising with comparatively low cost advertising means. The common advertising means that newspapers, magazines, pamphlets etc. will be utilized. The initial budget issue was explored too. The initial capital required for the business is $1,000,000 which includes the lease of building, the cost of furniture, interior decoration etc, budget statistics in a table was provided in the essay. In the final analysis, the researcher concludes that the restaurant business is very profitable investment when carefully planned. Examples show that such restaurants have a good rate of success which comes up with innovative ideas to meet an existing market need. Indian culture and food had recently gained popularity among western consumers. In scenario this essay explored, Taj Mahal Restaurant have a professionally conceived business plan to attract customers through a unique entertainment package along with quality food. Hence, it is hoped by the researcher that the idea will gain popularity beyond expectations.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Houston Museum of Natural Science - Essay Example The colours of the stones or gems are very pleasing to the eyes. It adds to the effect of the object being antique. The person in the object is wearing a gold necklace portraying a man with wealth or power. I really like the object. It is very antique. It also opens us to understanding the culture and history of Ukraine. The image shows us that the people in earlier times already are very creative. They incorporated animal sculptures and sacred symbols. 2. This art piece shows us that Texas has an epic history and a diverse geography. The image shows us three different persons. I believe these persons are three of the most popular legendary persons in Texas. Though I am not familiar with the history and legends of the State of Texas, this art piece shows us that the people in Texas knew how to give respect and pay tribute to their legends or heroes. The image shows the max of the state and three persons. The three persons are painted naturally by the painter. The two persons looked l ike they were wealthy and powerful. The third person looked like a leader of the army. The map of Texas was used a background of the three persons. This just shows that Texas has a lot of legendary people. I liked how the painter wanted to communicate to the people who are looking at his art work. Even at first look, you will really think that those persons in the image are known in their state and might have contributed greatly in the history of their place.

The elderly man Essay Example for Free

The elderly man Essay My response to situation number four is not to charge the elderly man. First and foremost, a prosecutor’s duty entails determining what cases should be prosecuted. In effect, this means, acting as a â€Å"strainer. † This means that decisions are based on several factors such as â€Å"limited resources, difficulty in enforcement, and not to mention political and public pressures† In deciding against prosecution, the following factors were taken into consideration: age, public interest, and rehabilitation from imprisonment. From the nature of the case and the age of the accused, there would be little reason to imprison him. In addition, looking at the factual circumstances surrounding the commission of the crime, there is little reason to do so. The fact that he immediately turned himself in shows his understanding of right and wrong, in the same breath making a choice to commit such wrong to free his wife from her disease. Moreover, I took media attention in consideration. Being published on the front page of a newspaper indicates a high public in the case, which is the very basis for enacting laws. The article will elicit two kinds of reaction from the public. The first reaction is negative in that people would disagree to the act of ending his wife’s life, but the other reaction could be an outpouring of sympathy for an elderly man who only wanted his wife’s suffering to end. To quote the assigned text, â€Å"in some situations, prosecutors do not charge because of an outpouring of public sympathy or support for the accused, perhaps because of the type of crime or identity of the victim. † Furthermore, based on a study that looks at the prosecutor as â€Å"operating in an exchange system†, whether between the prosecutor and police officers or the courts, in which case considerations may include jail overcrowding and docket backlog, a prosecutor would think twice whether or not charges should be pressed. On the basis of the above reasons, taxpayers’ money would be better spent prosecuting individuals whose malicious or negligent actions have caused pain and suffering to the victims and their families.

Experiments with Metals and Ions of Metals Essay Example for Free

Experiments with Metals and Ions of Metals Essay Metals react with non-metals but each to a different extent. The most reactive metals are alkali metals (group1A, where group is a vertical column in the periodic table), which include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium and francium. All these metals have one electron in the valence electrons shell; this electron can be removed relatively easily, which means that this electron has a very small ionization energy. If we look closely at the elements of this group, we can see that they are not reactive to the same extent. This is because electrons have a negative charge and they are attracted o the nucleus, which has a positive charge. Valence shell electrons are responsible for the reactivity of an element; as the distance between valence electrons and the nucleus increases, the attractive force decreases and so the energy needed to separate the valence electron from an atom (ionization energy) decreases. So we can say that as the size of a metal atom increases, its ionization energy decreases and its reactivity increases (the most reactive alkali metal is francium and the least reactive one is lithium). An example of the reactivity of alkali metal is their reaction with water. For example: Na (s) + 2H20 †+ 2Na+(aq) + 20H -(aq) + H2 (g) + heat We can identify this reaction by the following 2- 3- 4- H2 gas emerges Disappearance of metals Heat produced The appearance of hydroxide ions (OH-(aq)) makes the solution basic, which can be identified by using phenolphthalein as the indicator. We can compare between the metals by the rate of production of H2(g) as well as by the heat produced from this reaction. Alkaline earth elements (group IA) are active metals but less than alkali metals. Since calcium is larger than the magnesium atom, its ionization energy is smaller than that of magnesium. Thus, calcium is more reactive than magnesium. The other metals as aluminum, zinc, iron, lead and copper do not react with water, so we cant use water to distinguish between their reactivity. HCl(aq) is used to put them in order according to their reactivity. We can put the most common metal in a series according to their reactivity (from the most to the least reactive one). Potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, zinc, iron, lead, copper, silver . When a metal in the upper part of the reactivity series reacts with aqueous solution of other metal ions lower in the series, the more reactive metal eactive metal transfers its electrons to the less reactive metal. According to this reactivity series, we can predict what will happen when a piece of zinc metal is put in CuS04 (aq) soluti on or in MgS04 (aq) solution. Since Zn is more reactive than Cu, when we put Zn in CuS04(aq), a reaction will occur as follows: Zn (s) + Cu2+(aq) + S042- (aq) †+ Zn2+(aq) + S042- (aq) + Cu (s) However, Since Zn is less reactive than Mg, if we put Zn in MgS04(aq) there will be no reaction at all: Zn (s) + Mg2+(aq) + S042- (aq) †+ No reaction. Materials: 10 mL Cu2+(aq) solution 0. 5M 10 mL Ag+(aq) solution 0. M 10 mL Mg2+(aq) solution 0. 5M 10 mL Zn2+(aq) saturated solution Pieces of the metals: Mg(s), Zn(s), Ag(s), Cu(s) lcm x lcm each. Equipments: 16 test tubs Emery cloth Tweezers Experimental procedure In the current laboratory session you will explore some of the characteristics of certain elements. You will start by comparing the reactivity of Zn, Mg, Cu and Ag metals by their ability to release electrons. a. Wipe the metals Zn, Mg, Cu and Ag using the emery cloth and put each of them into a clean test tube using a tweezers. b. Fill each of the test tubes with about 2 cm of the Cu2+(aq) solution. . Watch what happens and write down your observations. Wait for 2-3 minutes to determine whether a chemical reaction occurred in each test tube, and if so, write a balanced chemical reaction. zn cu2+(aq) : Mg in Cu2+(aq) : cu cu2+(aq) : Ag in Cu2+(aq) : c. Wipe the metals Zn, Mg, Cu and Ag using the emery cloth and put each of them into a clean test tube. d. Fill each of the test tubes with about 2 cm of the Mg2+(aq) solution. 2. Watch what happens and write down you observations. Wait for 2-3 minutes to determine whether a chemical reaction occurred in the test tube, and if so, write a Mg in Mg2+(aq) : Cu in Mg2+(aq) : Ag in Mg2+(aq) : Zn in Mg2+(aq) : e. Wipe the metals Zn, Mg, Cu and Ag using the emery cloth and put each of them Fill each of the test tubes with about 2 cm of the Zn2+(aq) solution. 3. Watch what happens and write down you observations. Wait for 2-3 minutes to Zn in Zn2+(aq) : Mg in Zn2+(aq) : cu zn2+(aq) : Ag in Zn2+(aq) : g. Wipe the metals Zn, Mg, Cu and Ag using the emery cloth and put each of them h. Fill each of the test tubes with about 2 cm of the Ag+(aq) solution. 4. Watch what happens and write down you observations. Wait for 2-3 minutes to Zn in Ag+(aq) : . 6. Cu in Ag+(aq) : Ag in Ag+(aq) : Sum your observations in the following table (color, precipitance, other changes): List the metals in order of their ability to release electrons. Receive an unknown solution from your teacher and determine what is the metal ion in the solution 7. Describe the tests you did in order to find the unknown ion in the solution and write what it was. Reactions of chlorine, bromine and iodine with aluminium In this demonstration experiment, aluminium reacts with each of three halogens, chlorine, bromine and iodine. Spectacular exothermic redox reactions occur, ccompanied by flames and coloured smoke, forming the solid aluminium halides: 2Al + 3X2 -+ 2AlX3 (X = Cl, and l) Read our standard health safety guidance Lesson organisation This is a class demonstration that shows the spectacular reactivity of three non- metals from Group 7 with a metal. These experiments must be done in a fume cupboard as both the reactants and products are hazardous. Teachers attempting this demonstration for the first time are strongly advised to do a trial run before doing it in front of a class. Each experiment should take about 5 minutes. Apparatus and chemicals Eye protection Thick chemically-resistant gloves such as marigold industrial blue nitrile Access to a fume cupboard The teacher will require: Mortar and pestle Heat resistant mat, 30 x 30 cm Watch glasses, about 10 cm diameter, 2 Reduction tube (see note 1) Test-tubes, 3 Test-tube rack Teat pipette Filter paper Spatula or wooden splint Bosses, clamps and stands Chemicals for one demonstration: Aluminium foil, a few cm2 Aluminium powder (Highly flammable, Contact with water may liberate hydrogen), 0. 3 g Liquid bromine (Corrosive, Very toxic), 1 cm3 (see note 2) Solid iodine (Harmful), 2 g Silver nitrate solution, about 0. 1 mol dm3 (Low hazard but stains skin and clothing at this concentration), about 10 cm3 A little deionised water in a washbottle chlorate(l) solution (14% (w/v) available chlorine) (Corrosive), about 100cm3 Hydrochloric acid, 5 mol dm-3 (Corrosive), about 50 cm3 Technical notes Aluminium powder (Highly flammable, Contact with water may liberate hydrogen) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 1 Liquid bromine (Corrosive, Very toxic) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 15A, SRA04 The aluminium/bromine reaction Solid iodine (Harmful) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 54A Silver nitrate solution (Low hazard at concentration used) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 87 and Recipe card 58 Chlorine (Toxic, Irritant) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 22A and Recipe card 26 Sodium chlorate(l) solution (Corrosive) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 89 Hydrochloric acid (Corrosive) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 47A and Recipe card 31 1 The reduction tube should be fitted with a one-holed rubber stopper fitted with short length of glass tubing and attached to the chlorine generator. Alternatively an 8-10 cm length of wide bore glass tubing with a stopper fitted with a short length of glass ubing at each end could be used see diagram. Wear suitable protective gloves (thick, chemically resistant) when handling liquid bromine. Have 500 cm3 of 1 mol dm-3 solution of sodium thiosulfate available to treat any spillages on the skin. Procedure HEALTH SAFETY: Wear eye protection and gloves Reaction of A1 + C12 a Set up the chlorine generator in a fume cupboard. Make sure it is securely clamped. b Loo sely crumple a piece of aluminium foil (10 x 5 cm) so that it will Just fit inside the reduction tube and push it into the tube. Attach the tube to the generator ith a short length of rubber tubing and clamp it in position at the end nearest to the generator, so that the aluminium foil can easily be heated using a Bunsen burner see diagram. c Generate a gentle stream of chlorine by dripping the hydrochloric acid slowly on to the sodium chlorate(l) solution, and allow it to pass over the aluminium. When the green colour of the chlorine gas fills the reduction tube, start heating the aluminium foil with a Bunsen burner at the end nearest to the chlorine supply. Once the aluminium is hot, a bright glow will suddenly appear where it starts to react with chlorine. Remove the heat. The bright glow should spread along the aluminium. If not, heat again, and increase the flow of chlorine gas. A lot of white smoke aluminium chloride is produced, some of it condensing as a white powder on the walls of the reduction tube and the rest streaming out of the hole in the end of the tube. When the reaction is over, stop the chlorine supply and remove the heat. e When the reduction tube has cooled down, disconnect it and, still in the fume cupboard, scrape a little of the white powder into a test-tube. Add a little deionised/ distilled water to the solid to dissolve it. Care: the reaction between anhydrous aluminium chloride and water can be quite vigorous an audible hiss can often be heard see Teaching Notes. f Test a drop of the solution with Universal indicator paper. It is strongly acidic. Test the remainder with a little silver nitrate solution. A white precipitate forms, showing the presence of chloride ions. Reaction of A1 + Br2 a Tear or cut some aluminium foil into several small pieces about 2 x 2 mm in size. fume cupboard. Sprinkle a few pieces of aluminium foil on to the surface of the bromine. Within a minute there are flashes of flame and a white smoke of aluminium romide is formed, together the orange vapour of bromine. Carefully hold another watchglass over the reaction to condense some of the smoke on to its surface as a solid. b Wash any aluminium bromide collected in this way off the watchglass into a test-tube using a little deionised water (Care: see Teaching Notes below). Test the solution with indicator paper and silver nitrate solution as above. The solution is acidic and a cream precipitate of silver bromide is formed. Reaction of A1 + 12 a Weigh out 2 gof iodine, which should be dry, and grind it to a powder in a fume cupboard, using a mortar and pestle. Place the powdered iodine on a filter paper on a dry heat resistant mat and add 0. 3 g of aluminium powder to it. Mix the two solids together in the fume cupboard using a wooden splint do not grind them together. When they are thoroughly mixed, pour the mixture into a heap on the heat resistant mat or in a metal tray, such as a tin lid, positioned in the middle of the fume cupboard. b To start the reaction, use a teat pipette to place a few drops of water on the mixture. After a time lag, the water begins to steam and clouds of purple iodine vapour are given off, indicating that an exothermic reaction has started. After a few more seconds sparks are given off and the mixture bursts into flame. When the reaction subsides, a white residue of aluminium iodide remains. Scrape a little of this into a test-tube (Care: see Teaching Notes below), add some deionised water and filter if necessary. Test the solution with indicator paper and silver nitrate solution as above. The solution is acidic and a yellow precipitate indicates the presence of iodide ions. Teaching notes These reactions make quite spectacular demonstrations in themselves, the bromine + aluminium reaction even more so in a partly darkened room. Classroom management n semi-darkness (Practical Physics advice) The demonstrations can be used to show the reaction between reactive non-metallic elements and a fairly reactive metal to form compounds, or as part of the study of the reactions of the Group 7 elements. Here the apparent order of reactivity is not that predicted from their position in the Group (that is chlorine †+ bromine †+ iodine). This is because of the different physical states of the three halogens, and the different surface area of the aluminium as a powder or foil. This can be used to make an important point about fair comparisons of reactivity. These reactions also serve to show that aluminium is in fact a more reactive metal than it appears in everyday use. The protective oxide layer of aluminium has to be penetrated by the halogens before the reactions can start, hence the delays, and the need for water to assist the two solid elements getting into contact, in the case of aluminium and iodine. The clouds of iodine vapour released when aluminium and iodine react can stain the inside of a fume cupboard. Teachers may prefer to demonstrate this reaction outdoors, if possible. The anhydrous aluminium halides are vigorously hydrolysed (sometimes violently if freshly prepared nd hot, as here) by water, giving off fumes of a hydrogen halide and a forming an acidic solution of the aluminium salt. To dispose of the solid residues, allow them to cool completely before adding in small amounts to 1 mol dm-3 sodium carbonate solution in a fume cupboard. Wait until the reaction has subsided before adding Allotropes of sulfur Sulfur is heated slowly and steadily from room temperature, so that all the changes in colour and consistency as it melts and eventually reaches boiling point, can be observed. A fresh sample of sulfur is heated to Just above the melting point, then llowed to cool and crystallise slowly as monoclinic sulfur. A further sample is heated to boiling point, and the liquid rapidly chilled in cold water to form plastic sulfur. A separate sample of sulfur is dissolved in a warm solvent, and the solution allowed to cool and evaporate, leaving crystals of rhombic sulfur. All the observed changes in properties can be related to the different molecular structures of the three solid forms of sulfur, and to the changes in structure as the temperature of liquid sulfur is gradually raised. Read our standard health safety guidance This practical is described here as a demonstration. However, some teachers may wish to consider whether certain parts could be used as class practicals with appropriately skilful and reliable classes. A demonstration, without any accompanying discussion about the possible reasons for the changes in properties in terms of structure, would take up to 45 minutes. However, to derive maximum benefit from the experiment, more time needs to be allowed for such discussion. Apparatus and chemicals Heat resistant gloves Access to a fume cupboard Flexicam or similar camera, digital microscope, digital projector and screen or other ethod of projecting images of small crystals to the class (as available). Boiling tubes, 4 (see note 4) Test-tube holders, 2 Stands and clamps, 2 Conical flask, 250 cm3 Cork, to fit conical flask Beaker (250 cm3), 2 Beaker, 1 dm3 (see note 5) Thermometer, O 250 oc Petri dishes or watchglasses, 4 (or more) Bunsen burner, tripod and gauze Electric hotplates, 2 (optional, if available) Heat resistant mats, 2 Filter paper, about 18 20 cm diameter Spatula Paper clips Damp cloth (to extinguish small sulfur fires) Dimethylbenzene (xylene), (Harmful), 100 cm3 (see note 2) Cooking oil (Low Hazard), 700 cm3 (see note 3) Dimethylbenzene (xylene) (Harmful) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 46 Sulfur (Low hazard) Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 96A Cooking oil (Low hazard) 1 The sulfur used must be roll sulfur, crushed toa powder. To crush the rolls of sulfur, place in a strong plastic bag on a hard surface. Use a hammer or a vice to break up the roll sulfur into small pieces, then crush to a powder in a mortar and pestle. Flowers of sulfur is not suitable because it contains a lot of insoluble amorphous sulfur. During the experiments sulfur may catch fire, releasing sulfur dioxide (Toxic refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 97), which may cause breathing difficulties o some students. If this happens, extinguish quickly by placing a damp cloth over the mouth of the test-tube. If the combustion cannot be extinguished quickly, the test-tube should be placed in fume cupboard, and the fan left running. 2 Although other hydrocarbon solvents, such as methylbenzene, can be used to dissolve sulfur and form monoclinic sulfur, dimethylbenzene (xylene) is the least hazardous. 3 If suitable cooking oil is not available, other clear, high-boiling oils may be used, e. g. paraffin oil (Refer to CLEAPSS Hazcard 45B). 4 These are large (1 50 x 25 mm) test- ubes, and should be clean and dry. The test-tubes in which sulfur has been heated can be difficult to clean for general use. It may be worth keeping a set of such tubes from year-to-year for this experiment. 5 The large beaker containing the cooking oil functions as an oil-bath for heating the sulfur slowly and uniformly, while allowing students to see clearly what is happening to the sulfur. Other containers may be preferred for the oil-bath, provided the visibility is maintained, for example by use of a webcam and digital projector. Procedure HEALTH SAFETY: Wear eye protection. Before the demonstration: a Pre-heat the oil-bath to about 130 oc, and maintain this temperature. b Clamp one of the sulfur-containing tubes in the oil bath, so that the sulfur is below the level of the oil in the bath. c Half fill the 250 cm3 beaker with cold water. d In the fume cupboard, put about 10 g of powdered roll sulfur into the conical flask and add about 100 cm3 of dimethylbenzene. e Prepare filter paper cone held together by a paper clip and supported in a beaker, as shown below: The demonstration: a Two-thirds fill two test-tubes with powdered roll sulfur (about 20 g in each tube) nd place in the oil bath. The sulfur will melt to a transparent, amber, mobile liquid in about 15 minutes. b Remove one tube from the oil-bath and pour the molten sulfur into the filter paper cone. Allow the sulfur to cool slowly and solidify, forming a crust. c Break the crust with a spatula and, handling the filter paper cone with heat resistant gloves, tilt it so that any remaining liquid flows out of the cone of solidifying sulfur on to a piece of scrap paper or card (for disposal). Needle-shaped crystals of monoclinic sulfur will be seen inside the hollow cone.

The Concept Of Electromechanical Delay Physical Education Essay

The Concept Of Electromechanical Delay Physical Education Essay Electromechanical delay (EMD) is defined as the time lag between the onset of electrical activity (electromyogram, EMG) and tension development in human muscle (Zhou et al. 1995). It has been suggested that there are several components which are all linked to the generation of force in skeletal muscle. These include the conduction of the action potential along the T-tubule system, the release of sarcoplasmic reticulum, cross-bridge formation between actin and myosin filaments, the subsequent tension development in the contractile component and the stretching of the series elastic component by the contractile component (Cavanagh Komi, 1979). Cavanagh and Komi (1979) suggest that one of the primary causes for the value of EMD is affected by the time necessary to stretch the series elastic component of the muscle to a point when muscle force can be detected. Chan et al (2001) therefore thought the initial length could affect the phase lag and the EMD would be expected to be shorter in a stretched position. Their results showed that the EMD of the Vastus lateralis was shortest at 90 ° of knee extension, compared to 150 ° and 175 °. A study conducted by Norman and Komi (1979) was to test the hypothesis that the rate and change of length of the series elastic component of a muscle was a major contributor to variations in EMD time. They used 10 subjects with an average age of 24.6. They performed a series of horizontal forearm flexion-extensions and extension-flexions at 7 different angular velocities, over two ranges of motion. Two ranges of motion was to determine whether there were muscle length effects on electromech anical delay. Their findings supported the hypothesis that the rate of the muscles series elastic component might be a primary cause for the value of EMD. It was supported primarily for the biceps brachii muscle, where the EMD was shorter in fast eccentric contraction that in any other condition of that muscle. An alternative explanation of a shortened EMD in biceps brachii during eccentric contraction is that in fast stretching, the slow type muscle may be capable of efficient storage of elastic energy and its utilization during the subsequent contraction phase of the stretch shortening cycle (Norman and Komi, 1979). EMD has been found to be influenced by the type of muscle contraction (Cavanagh Komi 1979; Norman Komi 1979) where the biceps EMD were relatively longer in concentric contractions but shorter in eccentric exercise. Norman and Komi (1979) observed different EMD times for the triceps muscles and bicep muscles. The differences in EMD times could be explained by the differences in their fibre structures, with the shorter EMD found in muscles that recruit more fast twitch fibres than those which recruit more slow twitch motor units. It has been discussed that reaction time and electromechanical delay can be enhanced with training (Linford et al. 2006). Linford et al. (2006) conducted a study to determine if neuromuscular training had an effect on reaction time and electromechanical delay of the peroneus longus muscle. A six week training programme was conducted on five males and eight females. The study concluded that the training significantly reduced reaction time, while slightly increasing the electromechanical delay of the muscle. Having a decreased reaction time and electromechanical delay is important for athletes for when the muscles need to activate force as rapidly as possible. Having optimal joint stability is vital during mechanical loading of a joint system, so there is not too much stress being placed on one part of the joint system, decreasing the risk of injury. The results drawn from this study are from the peroneus longus muscle so cannot be directly related to the knee joint. Fatigue It has been suggested that EMD measurement is crucial to have a accurate understanding of the type of central nervous system commands required for the execution of different movements, the role and coordination of muscles in a movement and the apparent anomalies between electromyographical activity (EMG) and body segment motion (Vos et al,1991; Norman Komi, 1979). There have been reports that EMD lengthens after a fatiguing dynamic exercise (Horita, T., Ishiko T. 1987) where as other studies have shown no significant change in EMD after repeated dynamic or isometric contractions (Vos et al. 1991). Zhou, S. (1996) conducted a study to investigate the effects of repeated maximal isometric contractions on electromechanical delay of the quadriceps femoris muscle. Eleven subjects took part, and carried out a one leg fatiguing exercise which was 25 isometric knee extension. Each lasted 8 seconds followed by a 2 second recovery period. His results showed a significant elongation in EMD. This is in contrast to Vos et al. (1991) who did not find any significant effect on EMD after a fatigue trial was carried out on the same muscle group. The different findings could be down to the different exercise protocols or methods used to determine EMD. However in the study by Vos (1991), participants carried out the fatigue trial with a force of 50% MVC, which may be the reason for no significant effect on EMD. Whereas Zhous (1996) participants carried out maximal voluntary contraction. This could mean that the participants in the study by Vos (1991) may not be fully fatigued. Minshull et al (2007) conducted a study which determined what effects an acute bout of maximal intensity static fatiguing exercise would have on voluntary and magnetically-evoked EMD in the knee flexors of males and females. Seven men and nine women participated in this study, taking part in two treatment conditions. One being an intervention condition, where the participants performed a fatigue trial of 30 second maximal static fatiguing exercise of the knee flexors. The second condition was a control, consisting of no exercise. The results showed that in both intervention and control group, males EMD performance was maintained. However the fatiguing trial elicited a 19.5% impairment in EMD performance compared to baseline levels in females. This comes as another finding of fatigue on EMD as Zhou (1996) find a overall elongated EMD, not just specifically in females. This could be down to the different fatiguing protocols, the study by Minshull (2007) may have fatigued the participants more with a longer constant fatiguing exercise. These results may differ because of participant variation. Chan et al (2001) examined the effects of knee joint angles and fatigue on neuromuscular performance. Fatiguing exercise caused a significant lengthening of the EMD of the vastus lateralis and medialis at 90 ° and 150 ° of knee extension. Interestingly the fatiguing protocol did not induce any significant lengthening of the EMD at 175 ° knee extension. This shows that knee joint position affects the neuromuscular fatigue of the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis. b) Temperature Cryotherapy has long been used to treat musculoskeletal soreness, with the expectation that decreased tissue temperature will result in constriction of local blood vessels thus diminishing inflammatory response and oedema associated with musculoskeletal trauma (Sellwood et al. 2009). But what effect will crotherapy and heating muscles have on neuromuscular performance. Many studies have been conducted to examine the effects of manipulating a muscles temperature on fatigue, neuromuscular performance, delayed onset of muscle soreness and metabolic responses (Zhou et al. 1998; Nosaka et al. 2004; Bailey et al. 2007; Dae et al. 1997.) Zhou et al (1998) said that a significant increase in body temperature usually accompanies strenuous exercise. With this exercise, the muscle contractile and elastic properties would be influence due to such a change, which could have an effect on EMD values. Zhou et al (1998) conducted a study which measured Peak force, EMD values and muscle temperature before and after an intermittent isometric maximal voluntary contraction exercise, and investigated the influence of passively changed muscle temperature on EMD and peak force. The muscle temperature was manipulated by placing a plastic bag filled with hot water or cold water over the front thigh area with a intramuscular needle thermistor measuring muscle temperature.. T he EMD was measured at 38, 36, 34, 32 and 30 °C. They found that when the muscle temperature was 2.5 °C higher than the resting level, the EMD increased by approximately 5ms. They also found that EMD was increased when muscle temperatures was either higher or lower than 36 °C. There was a trend found that showed the peak force decreased at a low temperature, however a repeated measures ANOVA did not reveal a significant difference of temperature on peak force. This supports a study conducted by Thornley, Maxwell Cheung (2003) who examined the effects of local tissue temperatures on peak torque and muscular endurance during isometric knee extension. They found temperature has no effect on peak torque, although there was a tendency to decrease when cooled, but was found non significant. However this study did not use a intramuscular needle thermistor, they only measured the skins temperature. Their results may have differed if they used a needle thermometer, as they used heat packs of 55 °C, 34 °C, 22 °C and -17 °C, it would be interesting to see what the muscle temperatures were, to add to the knowledge to show to what extent muscle temperature has on peak force. Nosaka et al (2004) found no change in peak eccentric force of the forearm flexors, within a microwave treatment (muscle temperature increase of 3 °C (37.5 °C)) and a icing treatment (muscle temperature decrease of 7 °C (26.4 °C)). This cannot be related to the knee flexor muscles. Skurvydas et al (2006) conducted a study which assessed the effect of leg immersion in cold water after stretch shortening exercise (SSE) on the indirect indicators of exercise induced muscle damage. The participants muscle contractile properties were recorded before the SSE, then at 4 h, 8h, 24h and 48hours post exercise. There was a control group and a cold group. In the cold group the leg was immersed in cold water (15  ± 1 °C) immediately after SSE and at 4h, 8h and 24h. The leg was immersed twice for each test for 15 minutes with an interval of 10 minutes. They found that cold water immersion reduced muscle stiffness and the amount of post exercise damage after strenuous eccentric exercise, but it had no effect on muscle force. Their results also showed that the leg muscles that had been subject to cold water immersion after SSE, significantly increased the recovery speed of maximal voluntary contraction force (MVCF). MVCF had recovered within 24 hours post SSE. However Esto n and Peters (1999) observed no quick recovery of the maximal voluntary contraction force after cold water immersion. It took 48h to 72 hours post cold water immersion for their subjects MVCF to return to baseline values. This could be because in the study by Skurvydas et al (2006) cooling of the musculature was concentrated up to 24 hours, where as Eston and Peters (1999) applied cooling treatment immediately post exercise and every twelve hours there after, for a duration of three days. Another reason for the differences could be that muscle damage was applied to the leg muscles in the study by Skurvydas et al (2006) and to the elbow flexor muscles in Eston and Peters (1999) study. In contrast, Skurvydas et al (2008) looked at leg immersion in warm water before SSE on the indirect markers of exercise induced muscle damage. The participants muscle contractile properties were recorded, then was sat in a 44 °C water bath for 45 minutes in waist high water. The contractile properties were then recorded again and SSE took place. Contractile properties of the participant were taken at 1h, 4h, 8h, 24h, 48h and 72 hours post SSE. They found that muscle pre warming did not cause any changes in MVCF, and it took over 72 hours for MVCF to recover to pre exercise level. The differences in the findings of these two studies may be purely be down to one study uses hot water, and one uses cold. But in the study using cold water, the participant is immersed in the water immediately after SSE and at 4h, 8h and 24 hours after SSE. But in the heat study the participants were only immersed in the water before the SSE. If the same protocol for immersion was used in the warm water study, a difference may be seen in the recovery of MVCF. A study should be conducted using the same immersion type in cold and warm water conditions, therefore showing more accurate comparisons of what effects different temperatures have on MVCF. Bailey et al (2007) examined the influence of cold water immersion after prolonged intermittent whole body exercise. Twenty men were subjects in this study who were randomly assigned to a cryotherapy or control group. Each participants maximal voluntary isometric contraction of the knee extensors and flexors were recorded using an isokinetic dynamometer pre, immediately after, 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 168 hours post exercise. Subjects completed an intermittent shuttle test and immediately after the cryotherapy group immersed their lower limbs in a cold water bath (10 °C) for 10 minutes. After the cold bath or rest, subjects completed two maximal isometric repetitions of the dominant limb for 5 seconds for extension and flexion. The results showed that exercise resulted in a reduction of knee flexion peak torque at 24 and 48hours in the cryotherapy group. The control group experienced an even bigger detrimental effect in PF at 24 and 48 hours post exercise. This shows that cold water imm ersion improved recovery of maximal voluntary contraction of the knee flexors 24 48 hours post exercise. This supports the findings from Skurvydas et al (2006) suggesting that cooling the leg muscles increases recovery time of MVCF. However it takes seven days for the MVCF to return to pre exercise values. This is vastly different result compared to Skurvydas et al (2006) and Eston and Peters (1999). This may be because the exercise Bailey et al (2007) uses, is a more dynamic whole body exercise (intermittent shuttle run) as appose to a stretch shortening exercise and a bout of eccentric exercise on the elbow flexors (Skurvydas et al 2006; Eston and Peters 1999). As well as artificially changing participants body temperature or muscle temperature with water immersion or ice / heat packs, studies have examined the effects of passively changing bodies temperature and the effect it has on neuromuscular performance. Morrison, S., Sleivert, G. G., and Cheung, S. (2004) determined if passive hyperthermia impairs maximal voluntary isometric contraction and voluntary activation. Participants quadriceps femoris muscle group was measured for neuromuscular performance, then a submaximal running pace, which was maintained for 20 30 minutes took place in an environmental chamber with an ambient air temperature of ~35 °C. At intervals of 0.5 °C, from 37.5 to 39.5 °C of core temperature, subjects performed a 10 second maximal isometric knee extension, and then during skin cooling back down from 39.5 to 37.5 °C of core temperature Results showed that MVC was significantly influenced by passive heating and decreased significantly to the end of passiv e heating. When the skin cooling was introduced there was no significant change in MVC until the end of the protocol when body core temperature had returned to normal. This shows the primary thermal input causing hyperthermia induced fatigue, when the skin was rapidly cooled by 8 °C and core temperature held stable at 39.5 °C, there was no recovery of MVC. Ranatunga et al (1987) claims isometric force properties are generally not strongly affected by lowering muscle temperature to ~25 °C. Drinkwater and Behm (2007) looked at the effects of 22 °C muscle temperature on voluntary and evoked muscle properties during and after high intensity exercise. Participants performed a series of isometric maximum voluntary contractions of the plantar flexors pre, 1, 5 and 10 minutes after fatigue in both hypothermic and normothermic conditions. In the hypothermic condition, a refrigerating pump circling cold (-3 °C) liquid through a plastic pump was wrapped around the participants leg. Results from the normothermic condition showed a moderate decline in maximal voluntary contraction, but did not show a significant difference between 1 and 5 minutes. Maximal voluntary contraction experienced a significant decrease 1 minute after fatigue in the hypothermic condition, -12%, compared to a -15% in the normothermic condition. There was no significant difference in the recovery of MVC. This supports the findings from Morrison et al (2004) who found no recovery in MVC in a hyperthermic condition. 3 METHOD a) Participants Eleven males {21.4 ( ±1.8) years; 183.5 ( ±6.8) cm; 81.8 ( ±10.2) kg} gave their informed consent to take part in the study, and completed a health screen questionnaire. They each knew that they could cease participation at any given time without providing a reason. Participants had been told not to take part in any strenuous physical exercise 24 hours prior to the experiment taking place. Nottingham Trent University Ethics Committee gave ethical approval. b) Experimental Design Following one habituation session, participants were secured in a supine position in a custom built dynamometer (Gleeson et al. 1995). The experimental design comprised of three treatment conditions: (1) An ice condition that required participants to sit in an ice bath for 10 minutes; (2) a heating condition which required participants to sit in a hot bath for 10 minutes; (3) a control condition were the participant sat on a bench for 10 minutes. The conditions were presented in a random order and separated by at least three days, to prevent any carry over effects. Participants neuromuscular performance (peak force, electromechanical delay) was measured prior to and immediately after each condition, and after a fatigue trial which was performed within each condition. Participants were verbally encouraged during the periods of maximal muscle activation. c) Participant and dynamometer orientation Electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the vastus lateralis of the participants dominant leg during maximal contractions. A standardised skin preparation technique was used (Minshull et al.2007) which included shaving of the area, light abrasion with sand paper and alcohol wiped. This yielded inter-electrode impedance of less than 5 kÃŽÂ ©. The mid belly of the vastus lateralis was palpated and two Bipolar surface electrodes (silver-silver, self adhesive, 10 mm diameter) were applied having a 3cm inter-electrode distance, with a reference electrode placed laterally and equidistant to the recording electrodes. The positions of the electrodes were marked on the leg by ink dots and also on a plastic sheet used to identify the exact positions for the electrodes in each test during the experimental period. Electrodes were re placed on the chosen leg once it had been fully immersed in the hot or cold conditions to prevent malfunctioning electrodes. The correct wires were the n attached from the computer onto the electrodes. Participants were strapped in a supine position on the dynamometer using shoulder belts and with their dominant knee flexed passively at 25 ° (0.44 rad) which was held for the duration of the testing. This knee flexion angle is associated with the greatest mechanical strain on key ligaments (Beynnon and Johnson 1996). The hip extension angle was 60 ° and both angles were checked using a goniometer. The lever arm of the dynamometer was moved into the correct position and was attached to the participants with padded ankle cuffs and adjustable strapping. All other body parts were securely fastened with the appropriate straps. Prior to testing, participants were asked to perform a series of warm up muscle activations, consisting of 1x 25, 50, 75 and 95% of subjectively judged maximal voluntary muscle activation (MVMA). Three 100% MVMA were then performed and recorded. Each contraction was held for 3 seconds, with a 10 second rest between each. d) Water bathing The cooling condition required the participants dominant leg to be fully immersed in a cold water bath at 5  ± 1 ° for 10 minutes. The heating condition required the participants leg to be fully immersed in 45  ± 1 ° water for 10 minutes. The temperature of each bath was continually measured using a thermometer, and adjusted accordingly with either added ice, or hot water to keep the water temperature consistent. The water in the bath came up to the participants iliac crest, making sure the whole of the vastus lateralis was immersed. In the control trial, the participant sat on a bench in the same position they would if they were in the bath. e) Fatigue Trial Once the participants exit the ice, heat bath or bench they are strapped in to the dynamometer and electrodes re placed. Three more 100% MVMA were carried out and recorded, lasting 3 seconds each with a 10 second rest between. A fatigue trial was performed, which consisted of a 30 second MVMA of the knee musculature. Finally three more 100% MVMA were carried out. f) Maximal volitional muscle activation Before each condition took place, the participant was required to have full musculature relaxation prior to the test. The experimenter gave a verbal indication of are you ready and within 3 seconds, the signal for the participant to extend their knee as forcefully as possible against the immovable restraint was GO. The muscle activation lasted for 3 seconds. Verbal encouragement was given when the participant was completing the activation so maximal contraction was achieved. A verbal signal being relax was the cue for the subject to withdraw from the force as rapidly as possible. g) Peak Force Peak force was defined as the highest value that the participants obtained during each of the three attempts. The mean of these maximal contractions was used as the value for peak force. h) Electromechanical Delay Electromyography activity was recorded from the vastus lateralis during maximal volitional contractions using bipolar surface electrodes. The onset of electrical activity was defined as the first point at which electrical signals consistently exceeded the 95% confidence limits of the isoelectric line and with the background electrical noise (Minshull et al. 2007). Electromechanical delay (EMD) was defined as the time delay between the onset of electrical activity and the onset of muscle force above 1N. The mean EMD of the three trials within each condition was recorded. i) Statistical data The results collected from the voluntary muscle activations showed the neuromuscular performance of the vastus lateralis. All data was presented as a group mean  ± standard deviation. A fully repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyse time (pre intervention, post intervention, post fatigue) each index of performance (peak force, EMD) under three separate conditions (ice, heat, control). Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) v.15.0. was used to analyse the data. Statistical significance was accepted at pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤0.05. 4 RESULTS a) Peak Force

Waxing A Snowboard :: essays research papers

How to wax a snowboard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There several ways to go about waxing a snowboard. Firs you have to determine what conditions you will be riding in. Then you will have to choose a wax. Say you are going to Vail and the snow condition are.... well lets just say the temp.. of the snow is about 20*. Well the thing you need to do is find a low temp. wax. The way you determine a low temp. wax from a high temp. wax is by the rating.. Low temp. waxes will be in a range from -20* to about 25*. A high temp. wax will be in a range from about 25* to 40*. There are waxes made for higher conditiond above 45* that are used in conditions that are referred to as, summer conditions. The wax that is used in summer conditions is a harder wax that will protect your board from sand, dust, and ice crystals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you are riding in low temp. conditions with a high temp wax your performance will not be that good. If the conditions are going to go back and forth in temp. you should wax your board with a low temp. wax or you can use a wax that can be used in all temps. WAXING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOT WAXING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Select wax or waxes for correct snow temperature and condition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. Use in a well-ventilated area or with a respirator. (Only if you are hot waxing)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. Heat iron below the 'smoking iron'; temperature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4. Melt the smallest end of the wax on the iron and drip all over the snowboard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5. Smooth out drips with iron.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6. Let wax completely dry then scrape with a plastic or metal scraper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7. Buff wax with a buffing pad. IF YOU ARE DOING A RUB ON WAS YOU WILL NEED TO FALLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Women Pioneers :: social issues

Women Pioneers Women living as pioneers in the late 1800’s endured many difficulties. However, after accomplishing long sought after goals and overcoming tremendous obstacles, they achieved great lengths and received many honors. Women had to fight for their education, fair wages in highly respected and mostly male professions, and finally, the right to vote. Females had to work continuously in order to gain respect and achieve a level of equality between themselves and the men surrounding them. When women chose to venture into the working force, they could only attain menial jobs. Nevertheless, some women chose to go one step further. Men working in high-class occupations such as doctors and lawyers did not favour the idea of women working alongside them. Numerous applications for colleges and universities were turned down due to the fact that the applicants were females. Many women were angered by this sexual discrimination and decided to do something about it. Brave women organized lobbyist groups and founded women-only colleges in order to prove that, they too, were worthy of an education. Female perseverance in attending medical school resulted in growing numbers on the medical scene. A few female patients realized that they preferred a female doctor since they perceived that women understood their problems much better than male doctors did. Despite this, it was still frowned upon by men to work alongside a woman. Female lawyers were not seen in the courtrooms until one woman stepped out and dared to challenge the law. Clara Brett Martin became the first female lawyer. Through her years of schooling and hard work, she proved herself to be a worthy candidate. Surprisingly, however, she, among many others was paid less than half of what men received, even though both sexes were doing exactly the same work. This same type of sexism occurred with female teachers as well. Even though, by 1870, at least half of all teachers were women and still, they were paid much lower wages. Female discrimination occurred for over forty years until 1918. The first Women’s University enforced the Minimum Wage Act in order to protect women from low wages, bad working conditions and long hours. In addition to the other occupations women had opened doors to, there was still one final position they had to attain. During the 1890’s-1910’s, women were uninvolved in the world of journalism. Unlike men, they were forced to overcome a sexual barrier that prevented them from writing for the newspaper.

The Media Needs Regulation Essay example -- Media Argumentative Persua

The Media Needs Regulation      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997 shocked the world; her death was considered the biggest tragedy of the year, and the media responded accordingly. Her death prompted the media into a frenzy to sanctify her memory; however, through the documentaries and commemorative magazines, the media proved their guilt of invasion of Princess Diana's privacy by displaying the immense amount of information they gathered throughout her life. In fact, a week before she died, she vacationed in Greece with writer friend Rosa Monckton, and they tried to outsmart the paparazzi for simple privacy. Diana said to Monckton, "It's a hunt, Rosa. It's a hunt. Will you really tell people what it is like?" The article expressing to people the paparazzi's hunt lay half-written on a desk when Monckton learned her friend died being "hunted to her death" (108-109). This opened my eyes to the fact that the media needs limitations. The media should refrain from intruding into the personal lives of people, and in the United States the problem is evident throughout media history. Proper actions can be taken in the United States to hinder invasion of privacy by the media without reducing the power of the first amendment. If the United States adopted an organization similar to Great Britain's Press Complaints Commission which self-regulates their media, it would be a great start for protecting people's right of privacy from the media in the United States.    The media in the United States did not begin by reporting the private lives of people in the news or people in the public eye. The 1960's i... ...the PCC." Available: www.pcc.org.uk/about/home.htm.    "Code of Ethics." Available: www.pcc.org.uk/about/default.htm.    Day, Nancy. Sensational TV. Springfield, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1996.    "Key Benefits of the System of Self Regulation." Available: www.pcc.org.uk/about/benefits.htm.    "Minnesota News Council Determinations." Available: www.mtn.org/newscouncil/determinations/determin_index.html.    Monckton, Rosa. "My Friend Diana." Newsweek Commemorative Issue: Diana, A Celebration of Her Life. October 1997: 108-112.    Shaw, Bob. "How to Start a News Council." Available: www.mtn.org/newscouncil/General/Shaw.html.    Sobel, Robert. The Manipulators. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1976.    Weiss, Ann E. Who's to Know? Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990.   

Equity Research Report Hul

EQUITY RESEARCH REPORT (HUL) FMCG SECTOR INDIA OUTLOOK The burgeoning middle class Indian population, as well as the rural sector, present a huge potential for this sector. The FMCG sector in India is at present, the fourth largest sector with a total market size in excess of USD 13 billion as of 2012. This sector is expected to grow to a USD 33 billion industry by 2015 and to a whooping USD 100 billion by the year 2025. This sector is characterized by strong MNC presence and a well established distribution network. In India the easy availability of raw materials as well as cheap labour makes it an ideal destination for this sector.There is also intense competition between the organised and unorganised segments and the fight to keep operational costs low. CHALLENGES TO FMCG SECTOR * Increasing rate of inflation, which is likely to lead to higher cost of raw materials. * The standardization of packaging norms that is likely to be implemented by the Government by Jan 2013 is expected t o increase cost of beverages, cereals, edible oil, detergent, flour, salt, aerated drinks and mineral water. * Steadily rising fuel costs, leading to increased distribution costs. The present slow-down in the economy may lower demand of FMCG products, particularly in the premium sector, leading to reduced volumes. * The declining value of rupee against other currencies may reduce margins of many companies, as Marico, Godrej Consumer Products, Colgate, Dabur, etc who import raw materials. HIGH GROWTH DRIVING FACTOR * Increasing rate of urbanization, expected to see major growth in coming years. * Rise in disposable incomes, resulting in premium brands having faster growth and deeper penetration. * Innovative and stronger channels of distribution to the rural segment, leading to deeper penetration into this segment. Increase in rural non-agricultural income and benefits from government welfare programmes. * Investment in stock markets of FMCG companies, which are expected to grow cons tantly. This sector will continue to see growth as it depends on an ever-increasing internal market for consumption, and demand for these goods remains more or less constant, irrespective of recession or inflation. Hence this sector will grow, though it may not be a smooth growth path, due to the present world-wide economic slowdown, rising inflation and fall of the rupee.This sector will see good growth in the long run and hiring will continue to remain robust DEMAND FOR FMCG SECTOR Confidence of consumer product makers is waning as a delayed  monsoon  and lingering weakness in the economy threaten to subdue revenue growth for the sector in the next two quarters. Several marketers, including Dabur, Marico,  Godrej Consumer Products Ltd  (GCPL),  ITC  and  Emami, fear pressure on premium products and rural demand – two important growth drivers – in the coming months as sustained high  inflation  and a hold-up in monsoon could prompt buyers to tighten purse strings. While the high-end, super-premium segment does not get impacted by inflation, demand in the mass premium segment could contract if overall economic sentiment does not improve,† said Sunil Duggal, CEO ofDabur India, the maker of Real juices and Vatika shampoo. ABOUT HUL HUL is the market leader in Indian consumer products with presence in over 20 consumer categories such as soaps, tea, detergents and shampoos amongst others with over 700 million Indian consumers using its products. Seventeen of HUL’s brands featured in the  ACNielsen  Brand Equity list of 100 Most Trusted Brands Annual Survey (2011).The company also happens to have the highest number of brands in this list, with six brands featuring in the top 15 list. The company has a distribution channel of 6. 3 million outlets and owns 35 major Indian brands. Its brands include LABOR COST IN INDIA IS THE LOWEST AMONG THE EMERGING ASIAN COUNTRIES HUL RATIOS RATIO| 2012| 2011| 2010| 2009| 2008| Curre nt Ratio| 0. 8954| 0. 9000| 0. 81268| 0. 9834| 0. 65823| Quick Ratio| 0. 4978| 0. 4711| 0. 48604| 0. 5436| 0. 27253| Cash Flow Liquidity ratio| 0. 6038| 0. 5519| 0. 80573| 0. 6679| 0. 38392| Average Collection Period| 13. 343| 17. 560| 14. 0918| 10. 01| 12. 2710| Days Inventory Held| 48. 957| 59. 526| 53. 1215| 51. 365| 60. 4530| Days Payable Outstanding| 73. 481| 81. 979| 104. 886| 66. 724| 87. 8556| Account Receivable turnover| 27. 355| 20. 785| 25. 9014| 36. 494| 29. 7448| Accounts Payable Turnover| 3. 6017| 3. 0947| 2. 43856| 3. 9712| 3. 01573| Inventory Turnover| 5. 4059| 4. 2619| 4. 81485| 5. 1589| 4. 38272| Fixed assets turnover| 10. 36| 9. 01| 8. 01| 12. 34| 8. 87| Total Assets Turnover| 4. 9807| 5. 4970| 6. 59332| 7. 9313| 8. 55871| Debt Ratio| 0| 0| 0. 00402| 0. 1683| 0. 06321| LONG TERM DEBT TO CAPITAL EMPLOYED| 0| 0| 0. 00402| 0. 683| 0. 06321| gross profit ratio| 16. 449| 40. 107| 41. 4842| 49. 423| 51. 688| Operating Profit Ratio| 16. 456| 15. 911| 16. 8758| 15. 909| 1 8. 0540| Net Profit Ratio| 11. 947| 11. 520| 12. 2033| 12. 268| 13. 8754| Return on Investments| 59. 509| 63. 326| 80. 4618| 97. 307| 118. 755| Return on Equity| 76. 068| 84. 339| 81. 1040| 117. 42| 127. 232| Cash Return on Assets| 0. 4351| 0. 5281| 1. 29341| 0. 7963| 1. 07195| Price to Earning| 18. 569| 26. 227| 30. 0113| 37. 728| 56. 8245| Peer comparison s. no. | Name | Market capitalisation| Sales turnover| Net profit | Total assets| 1| GODREJ| 22933. 3| 2980. 08| 604. 39| 2761. 43| 2| DABUR| 22448. 83| 3759. 33| 463. 24| 1576. 54| 3| MARICO| 13361. 56| 2970. 30| 336. 58| 1677. 27| 4| EMAMI| 9101. 40| 1389. 82| 256. 81| 804. 23| 5| P&G| 8103. 50| 1297. 41| 181. 29| 600. 62| 6| GILLETTE| 7130. 13| 1232. 90| 75. 73| 600. 33| 7| JYOTHY LABS| 2860. 82| 662. 97| 83. 52| 1226. 42| 8| BAJAJ CORP. | 2926. 40| 473. 31| 120. 09| 427. 86| 9| HUL| 118139| 22116. 37| 2691. 40| 3512. 93| BALANCE SHEET OF HUL| ——————- in Rs. Cr. —— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€-| | Mar '12| Mar '11| Mar '10| Mar '09| Dec '07| | | 12 mths| 12 mths| 12 mths| 15 mths| 12 mths| | | | | | |Sources Of Funds| | | | | | | | | | Total Share Capital| 216. 15| 215. 95| 218. 17| 217. 99| | | | | | | Equity Share Capital| 216. 15| 215. 95| 218. 17| 217. 99| 217. 75| | | | | | Share Application Money| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| | | | | | Preference Share Capital| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| | | | | | | Reserves| 3,296. 11| 2,417. 30| 2,364. 68| 1,842. 85| 217. 75| | | | | | Revaluation Reserves| 0. 67| 0. 67| 0. 67| 0. 67| 0. 67| | | | | | Networth| 3,512. 93| 2,633. 92| 2,583. 52| 2,061. 51| 1,439. 24| | | | | | Secured Loans| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 144. 65| 25. 2| | | | | | Unsecured Loans| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 277. 30| 63. 01| | | | | | Total Debt| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 421. 95| 88. 53| | | | | | Total Liabilities| 3,512. 93| 2,633. 92| 2,583. 52| 2,483. 46| 1,527. 77| | | | | | | Mar '12| Mar '11| Mar '10| Mar '09| Dec '07| | | | | | | | 12 mths| 12 mths| 12 mths| 15 mths| 12 mths| | | | | | | Application Of Funds| | | | | | | | | | Gross Block| 3,574. 67| 3,759. 62| 3,581. 96| 2,881. 73| 2,669. 08| | | | | | Less: Accum. Depreciation| 1,416. 88| 1,590. 46| 1,419. 85| 1,274. 95| 1,146. 57| | | | | | Net Block| 2,157. 79| 2,169. 16| 2,162. 11| 1,606. 8| 1,522. 51| | | | | | Capital Work in Progress| 210. 89| 299. 08| 273. 96| 472. 07| 185. 64| | | | | | Investments| 2,438. 21| 1,260. 68| 1,264. 08| 332. 62| 1,440. 81| | | | | | Inventories| 2,516. 65| 2,811. 26| 2,179. 93| 2,528. 86| 1,953. 60| | | | | | Sundry Debtors| 678. 99| 943. 20| 678. 44| 536. 89| 443. 37| | | | | | Cash and Bank Balance| 510. 05| 281. 91| 231. 37| 190. 59| 200. 11| | | | | | Total Current Assets| 3,705. 69| 4,036. 37| 3,089. 74| 3,256. 34| 2,597. 08| | | | | | Loans and Advances| 1,314. 72| 1,099. 72| 1,068. 31| 1,196. 95| 1,083. 28| | | | | | Fixed Deposits| 1,319. 9| 1,358. 10| 1,660. 84| 1,586. 76| 0. 75| | | | | | Total CA, Loans & Ad vances| 6,340. 40| 6,494. 19| 5,818. 89| 6,040. 05| 3,681. 11| | | | | | Deffered Credit| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| | | | | | Current Liabilities| 5,688. 44| 6,264. 21| 5,493. 97| 4,440. 08| 4,028. 41| | | | | | Provisions| 1,945. 92| 1,324. 98| 1,441. 55| 1,527. 98| 1,273. 90| | | | | | Total CL & Provisions| 7,634. 36| 7,589. 19| 6,935. 52| 5,968. 06| 5,302. 31| | | | | | Net Current Assets| -1,293. 96| -1,095. 00| -1,116. 63| 71. 99| -1,621. 20| | | | | | Miscellaneous Expenses| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 00| 0. 0| 0. 00| | | | | | Total Assets| 3,512. 93| 2,633. 92| 2,583. 52| 2,483. 46| 1,527. 76| | | | | | CAPITAL ASSET PRICING METHOD 1. REQUIRED RATE OF RETURN = Risk free return +? (Risk premium) Ri = Rf + ? (Rm – Rf) = 8. 1 +0. 27 (6. 5) Ri = 9. 855% 2. ZERO GROWTH MODEL Where, dividend = Rs. 7. 5 Po = d/r = 7. 5/9. 855% Po = 76. 10 3. CONSTANT GROWTH MODEL (GORDON MODEL) PO = DO(1+g) r-g d1 r-g Where , growth rate = historical growth of average dividend paid of last 5 years g = 6. 75% = 7. 5(1+6. 75%) (9. 855-6. 75)% PO = 258. 266 4. Implicit growth P0 = d1 R – g Where, po = 534. 25, d1=8. 006 , r= 9. 855% P0 = d1 R – g 534. 25= 8. 006/ (0. 098-g) G= 0. 083 or 8. 3% Cash flow model Ri = 9. 855% Calculation of growth rate of cash flows =(1. 69*1. 51*. 54)1/3 -1 = . 1128 =11. 28% Assuming the abnormal growth of (11. 8%) is for 2 years, and after this the company is back to normal growth trajectory of 6% growth rate Cash flow from operation = 2884. 24 crore Vc = 2884. 24(1+. 1128)/(1+. 09) + 2884. 24(1+. 1128)2/(1+. 09)2 + 2884. 24(1+. 1128)2(1+. 06) (9. 855-6)% (1. 09)2 Vc = 88605 Vp = 0 Vd = 1000 Therefore, Ve = Vc – Vp – Vd = 88605-1000 = 85605 crore Total no. of shares outstanding = 216. 15 crore Po = Ve Total no. of shares outstanding = 85605/216. 15 Po = 396. 04 MULTIPLE MODEL p/e of company=32. 95 p/e of industry = 44. 0 price of company’s share = 534. 25 earnings for the company’s stock = price o f co. stock p/e of the co. =534. 25/32. 95 Earnings for the company’s stock = 16. 21 Po = Earning’s of company*P/E of industry =16. 21*44. 50 Po = 721. 345 Analysis: The current market price of the stock is Rs.. 534. 25 , as per the valuation of stock under distinct method , it is assessed that the stock is overvalued therefore new buyers should not invest at this point, whereas, those who are invested in share are advised to sell the share and enjoy the profits Performance of stock in last 1 year

Air Asia Company Analysis

Accounting & Finance TP 023513 UC1F1007BMP (AF) Utari Asmelia Introduction of Management 08 Fall AirAsia Company Analysis Background of AirAsia Company Dato’ Tony Fernandez was the entrepreneur that brought up AirAsia to be the one of the award wining the largest low fare airlines that is currently well known for now in Asia. Since then it has been flying to over 61 domestic and international destination with 108 routes, and furthermore it operates over 400 flights daily from hubs that are basically located in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.Today if we look at their progress, AirAsia has flows over 55million guests across the region and continues to create more extensive route network through its associate companies. The company AirAsia furthermore belives in the no-frills, hassle-free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires a specific element of high efficiency in every oart of their business. So, as we know, through the corporate philosophy whi ch stands that â€Å"Now Everyone Can Fly†.AirAsia Berhad is a Asia’s aeroplane largest low-fare, no frills airline and a pionner of low cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destinations already spanning 25 countries. Its main hub is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Its affilate airlines Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia respectively. AirAsia won the Skytrax World’s best low-cost airline award in 2009 and 2010. It has the world’s lowest operating costs at $0. 35/seat-kilometre in 2010. It is also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless air travel system. THE HISTORY OF AIRASIA CO. AirAsia was established in 1993 and commenced operations on 18 November 1996. It was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate DRB-Hincom. On 2 December 2001, the heabily-indebted airline was purchased by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandes’s company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit. This was after great deliberation was the initial offer was fifty sen.Fernandes proceeded to engineer a remarkable turnaround, turning profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at breakneck speed, undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as RM 1 (US$0. 27). MEGA ENVIRONMENT i) International Elements Based on the history of these company, on August 2006, Airasia took over Malaysia Airlines’s Rural Air Service routes in Sabah and Sarawak, operating under the FlyAsianXpress brand, the routes were subsequently returned back to MASwings a year later citing commercial reasons.AirAsia’s CEO Tony Fernandes subsequently unveiled a five-year plan to further enhance its presence in Asia. Today, AirAsia has strengthen and enhance its route network by connecting all the existing cities in the region and expanding further into Indochina, Indonesia, Southern China (Kun Ming), Xiamen, Shenzen) and India. The airline focused on developing its hubs in Bangkok and Jakarta through its sister companies, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia Airasia. Hence, with increase frequency and addition of new routes, AirAsia expects passenger volume to hit 18 million by end-2007.Now, AirAsia has some pathways and more wide network. For demography sectors, AirAsia has more than 558 million inhabitants (ASEAN countries) and over 3 billions with China and India. ii) Economic Elements AirAsia Economic Analysis A successful example of a Malaysian no frills airline is AirAsia. Revolutionized and Reinvented by Tony Fernandez in 2001, like I told before it is based on the low-cost, no-frills model of the US carrier Southwest. The concept of AirAsia is based on the belief that demands for short-haul air transport is price flexible.That means, if prices for flights are being reduced, more people will fly. Traditionally, airline concepts are based on the assumption that airline traffic grows in line with the economy and that cutting prices will only lead to a decrease in revenues. With the introduction of the ‘no frills’ concept to the Malaysian market, AirAsia has proven this theory wrong and goes from strength to strength by actually increasing the size of the market and more recently by taking away passengers from the major airline competitors.With its expending strategy as objectives to reach excellent standard around the world, marketing in Asia has been the key player to achieve success. AirAsia is one of the business that have successfully adopted cost leadership through operational effectiveness and efficiency. The cost advantages have enabled AirAsia to become the Asia’s leading low fare airline. AirAsia has successfully positioned itself in customer’s mind. Its net profit for the second quarter ending 31 December 2004 was reported RM 44. 4 million, a 323% increase over t he previous quarter.AirAsia until today has flown more than 55 million passengers in and around Asia. AirAsia has also ventured into other market that complemets with the airlines business. It has started franchises like the tunes hotels and red box couriers to gain maximum efficiency in and around the airline business. There’s economic aspects which AirAsia did: * AirAsia holds 49% of Thai AirAsia with 1% held by a Thai individual. The remaining 50% is held by Shin Corp. , owned by the former Thailand prime minster, Thaksin Shinawatra. Shin Corp. as financial strength, synergy in information technology and telecomunications, which support AirAsia Internet and mobile phone bookings. * National Trends: Malaysia’s economy may expand as little as 4 percent in 2009, growth will probably be between 5 percent and 5. 5 percent this year, below the official 2008 forecast of 5. 7 percent. * Real GDP % Growth forecast is from 5. 1 in 2008 to 1. 4 in 2009. * The inflation rate ma y fall below 4 percent before the second half of 2009 * Unemployment has remained constant at an average of 3. 6% in July 2008 to 3. 1% in Oct. 2008.However, the global credit crisis has raised fears that â€Å"the unemployment rate could double to 6 per cent by 2010 if global demand remains weak†> * International trends: * Malaysia ranks 20th for its ease of doing business out if a total of 181 economies surveyed in the World Bank Doing Business 2009 report. * International global credit crisis has resulted in increasing unemployment and ‘global trade will shrink by 9 percent this year’ * Asian governments are defending less national-flag carriers; in order to revitalize under used airports and increase tourism spending. ii) Technological element AirAsia Company has also used technological sectors to improve their quality work and give best services for all customers. If we can look at advertising side, AirAsia used information technology to make customers easy find the flight they wants. AirAsia has also used Online-Booking System to buy or just booking for flights. It has good way promotion and offers with the low-price surely, some information we can accessed as soon. All the things we need, we just can booking first such as foods and drinks, also available on during our flight.With this strategic move, AirAsia is able to focus on the factors that actually bring value to customer, such as point-to-point travel system, easy reservation system, and etc. This will help AIrAsia, reduce the cost and at the same time, increase the value for customers – Value Innovation. It has synergy in information technology and telecommunications, which support AirAsia Internet and mobile phone bookings. ShinCorp. allows subscribers of the Shin mobile phone flagship, Advanced Information Service, being able toreserve tickets through its short-messaging service (SMS).In aeroplane cabinet, AirAsia was used Airbuss, Boeing, ATR and others sizeable for flight. Technological aspect specifics are : * Ticket-less travel and ‘e-tickets’ have lowered distribution costs. * AirAsia has the youngest fleet in Asia with the new Airbus A330-300; allowing state-of-the-art technology and high fuel efficiency. * Information and communications technology (ICT) has allowed AirAsia to reduce operating costs and provide fast, efficient service in areas including: check flight schedules, book seats, electronic check-in, and pre-order meals. New low cost terminal to be opened in Labu, Malaysia by 2011 will incorporate modern technology, more shops and be privately owned, resulting inn lower airport taxes and fares and reduced government bureaucracy. iv) Sociocultural element AirAsia Company creating and developing a social culture takes time and effort and a new motive driven company such as AirAsia has to develop me method on how to connect with the society’s lifestyle , demographics, and media. For lifestyle sectors, AirAsia Com pany has a magazine, we can took at the flight, and their company.If we look at huge views, there’s another socialize point. They are as : * Demographics: * Ethnic: Malay50. 4% Chinese23. 7% Indigenous11% Indian7. 1% Others7. 8% * Religions: Muslim60. 4% Buddhist19. 2% Christian 9. 1% Hindu 6. 3% Other traditional Chinese 2. 6% Unknown 1. 5% None 0. 8% * Languages:Bahasa Malaysia (Official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai. * Air Asia operates in SE Asia with many countries and languages. SE Asian countries have diverse cultures and religions; troubles continue particularly on the Thai-Malaysian border and Indonesia. * Individualism is less common than cooperation in Asian business values. * Acceptance of laws and rules can vary; many Indonesians, for example, rarely abide to baggage allowance rules and these rules are seldom enforced due to corruption and indolence. * Urbanization: 7 out of the top 10 most populated cities in the world (>14 million) are predicted to be in Asia by 2015, according to the UN. Over 80% of AirAsia’s tickets are sold on-line; thus, eliminating travel agent fees.V) Political elements Political Analysis mainly states about the aviation acts and regulation which needed by aviation company such as AirAsia to operate their business. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. Political stability is inessential to create a safe economy market that enables the market to grow. Political issues may cause problems in the outcome of the company. Some of the political factors that may affect a company are events that affect the operation of the company; therefore regarding an aviation company.It has happens as Air Asia. Air Asia political events will affect the results as well. Political aspects include some points by AirAsia Company. They are : * Political uncer tainty in Malaysia with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi set to step down in March 2009. * Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak is expected to take over the ruling-coalition party, but with a cloud of allegations. * Political unrest in Thailand recently when anti-government protesters recently blocked flights for a week at Bangkok’s main airports. * ASEAN nations have been pushing Indonesia to scrap its Rp. million ‘Fiscal’ charge to all Indonesian citizens and expatriates when leaving the Republic of Indonesia either for business, education or tourism. * Resurgence of violence in Southern Thailand – Northern Malaysian border. * Malaysia granted exploration rights in oil-rich waters off the coast of Borneo; increased tensions with Indonesia. * Terrorism has occurred in Thailand and Indonesia, most notably the Bali bomb of 2002. A. WHY AIRASIA NEED TO CONSIDER A STRATEGY MANAGEMENT? The first reason is because the airline industry is a unique and complex industr y.Based on the statement, the complexity and unique of the airline industry, AirAsia need to come out with the greatest strategy to compete with their rival in the same industry. Without the right strategic management, its possible AirAsia could not be able be compete with the complex business environment the airline industry. Furthermore, the second reason why AirAsia need to consider a strategic management because in a company nowadays, general management which the process of achieving organizational goals by engaging in the four major functions. There are : * Planning * Organizing Leading * Controling It may not sufficient and supportive for the organization succed in the world of complex environments. It concerns about the process to manage the company internally but do not concentrate more on creating competitiveness regarding environments affecting the organization. In addition, the third reason, this is because strategic management becomes important in AirAsia due to the foll owing reasons. The first reason why strategic management becomes important is because the globalization. The globalization consideration impacts virtually all-strategic decisions in a company.The globalization also forced AirAsia Company to survival for business. Too see and appreciate the world from the perspective of others has become a matter of survival business. The current issues in AirAsia Company AirAsia Company are more focused in the competition of the cost among an airplane industry. AirAsia as an industry company which is more focusing in the low cost carrier airplane industry need to consider to make the lowest possible cost to compete with the other competitors in their airplane industry. To achieve the lowest possible cost, AirAsia Company has some strategy to achieve it.B. HOW TO IMPLEMENT AND ACHIEVE IT? With there believes to make a low possible fare for to the customer, AirAsia was cbecoming an Airline company that is chosen by so many customers. The best philosop hy of AirAsia ‘now everyone can fly’ means to giving an opportunity to all the people to flight with the lowest possible fare and making them can flight even the only have the less money. Why AirAsia more stressed to be low cost carrier in airline industry? * AirAsia believes to compete in the airline industry, it must be cost-efficient and profitable, and it must create value.Cost that do not add value must contained, reduced and even eliminated. * Demand for low cost carrier (LCC) industry will keep growing rapidly. * And than the best philosophy of AirAsia ‘now everyone can fly’ means to giving an opportunity all the people to flight with the lowest possible fare. AirAsia SWOT analysis The purpose of this analysis are for identify the internal and external factor that AirAsia need to consider to be low cost carrier in airplane industry. There are : 1. Strengths * AirAsia has a very strong management team with strong links with governments and airline ind ustry leaders. The management team is also very good in strategy formulation and execution. * AirAsia’s brand name is well established in Asia Pacific. * AirAsia is the low cost leader in Asia. * The excellent utilization of IT. 2. Weaknesses * AirAsia does not have its own maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility. * AirAsia receives a lot complaint from customers on their service. 3. Opportunities * There are 2 major events that are taking place now or going to take place in less than 6 months from now. * There is also some opportunity to partner with other low cost airlines. The population of Asian middle class will be reaching almost 700 million by 2010. 4. Threats * Certain rates like airport departure, security charges and landing charges are beyond the control of airline operators. * AirAsia’s profit margin is about 30% and this has already attracted many competitors. * Users perception that budget airlines may compromise safety to keep costs low. In concl usion, the SWOT analysis that AirAsia have is on of the major component to make AirAsia more strength in their business and can make they are able to compete with the same low cost carrier airline industry.The strategy that AirAsia was implementing to make they are being a successful in low cost carrier and can compete with other competitors in this field of business are : 1. Maximized IT and implementing E-commerce in AirAsia business. 2. Operation effectiveness and outstanding efficiency 3. Implemented outsourcing in their business Conclusion : The competition among airplane industries is very tough. Each of Airplanes Company in the world trying to conduct some strategies to compete with another competitor in their industry.To compete with their competitor in the business environment, a company needs to make a strategy to achieve their long terms objectives and can be successful for doing their business. The strategic management becomes important due to the following reason such a s globalization to survival their business, and than e-commerce become the critical success to the company nowadays. A company needs to consider the company ability and how to integrating it with the as well as main factor in the internal and external factor. DO YOU THINK THE CHOSEN ORGANIZATION WILL BE SUCCESSFUL UNDER THE CURRENT LEADER IN THE FUTURE? WHY OR WHY NOT?Absolutely yes, I believe AirAsia Company would be make some progress in the future. Based on the fact we know before, AirAsia Company has a lot achievement and awards until now. AirAsia is one of the leader to Low-Cost Carrier Airlines with its best slogan ‘ Now everyone can fly ‘. It such as, new innovation for business world today’s. Lets look at AirAsia statements for future plan. Forward-Looking AirAsia statements Such forward looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Group’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Group will operat e in the future.The AirAsia’s future overall business development and economic performance : * The Group’s estimated financial information regarding, and the future development and economic performance of, its business. * The Group’s future earnings, cash flow and liquidity * The Group’s potential growth opportunities, including its route expansion plans and potential joint ventures; the amount and nature of future fleet growth 9including the proposed acquisition of up to 80 new aircraft from Airbus or Boeing consisting of 40 purchase obligastions and 40 purchase options), airport investment and other capital expenditures required by the Group. The Group’s financing plans, business strategy, competitive position and effects of competition; the airline industry environment, including future prices and demand for air travel and future prices and supply of aircraft, jet fuel and spare parts * The regulatory environment and effects of the future regula tion, including the liberalization of the commercial aviation industry in Southeast Asia and the effects of future regulation. According to the forward-looking statements by AirAsia Company.It shown that AirAsia Company making some future plan for improve its business. We could look at AirAsia Company Strategic Management running so well. For additionally, if you haven’t really heard much about AirAsia yet, never fear: according to the CEO Dato’ Tony Fernandes, the whole world will be flying AirAsia soon. Fernandes really loves his airline and has huge plans for it. The first low cost carrier in Asia, coming out of Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia has been flying for over 10 years now and is ready to conquer the world.Fernandes dreams of making the AirAsia brand as big as Coca-Cola Company and the airline’s reach as significant as European LCC Ryanair. Thus, I think all his plan are possible to realize. And for me, AirAsia Company is good inspiration for who those want to improve or follow its business journey. HARVARD REFERENCING Based on, Amandak. , 2008, AirAsia Boss Has Really Big Plan [online], Malaysia, Available from http://www. jaunted. com/story/2008/3/24/201251/894/travel/AirAsia+Boss+Has+Really+Big+Plans, [Accessed 25th March 2008] Sen Ze & Jayne Ng 2008, Air Asia The Story, 2nd edition,