Economic Value Added (EVA) Essay Example

Economic Value Added (EVA) Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Value Added (EVA) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Value Added (EVA) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Value Added (EVA) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Economic Value Added (EVA) EVA is the most successful performance metric used by their corporations as per a commercial perspective. Despite its popularity attributed to successful marketing by Stern Stewart Co, by financial theory has proven it. It is also consistent with various valuation principles, which is important to investors’ analyses. Today it is one of the most sought after financial tools. It is simple to understand why. Administrators have increased the value of their companies by simply following the rules of EVA. Similarly, equity investors who have used EVA and have identified which companies are using them have gained wealth. Therefore, the decision by leading corporations such as ATT to switch to EVA as a measure of performance is justified. From the article, EVA is simply a metric used to determine a corporation’s profitability relative to its capital cost. Capital cost refers to money used in the purchase of products necessary for the operation’s success. In short, EVA refers to after-tax-profits minus the sum of annual capital costs. As it turns out, most companies are not fully aware of their capital costs and thus they end up covering their costs and adding value to a firm. Despite EVA’s popularity today, it is not the newest idea in corporate finance. The oldest idea in business is earning more revenues than the cost of capital. In 1988, John Snow, CEO of CSX Corp, introduced EVA to his company. CSX deals with freighting goods using its enormous fleet of containers and railcars. On that particular year, the metric pointed at negative $70 million in its Intermodal business. The CEO, therefore, ordered the division to get the EVA up to breakeven point by 1993 or face sale. Since then, Intermodal’s freight volumes have been up while the capital costs have declined. Other major corporations have also embraced the metric with profound success. Briggs Stratton, for instance, has achieved profitability by enforcing EVA on its five divisions. The principle has also enabled Coca-Cola to achieve improved cash flow in its operations (Tully Hadjian 38). Job order costing is a method of allocating costs of manufacturing to individual products. When the manufacturing processes are different from each other, job-order costing is applied. Because of the significant differences in the manufacture of products, the job order costing system will develop a job cost record for every commodity. That record will show the materials used, labor utilized as well as manufacturing overheads spent in each activity. This way, the cost of capital can be determined as per EVA methodology. An instance of a company that utilized this was Briggs Stratton. Before its implementation of EVA, Briggs Stratton lacked a profit centre in the consumer engine business. The company also lacked knowledge of each division’s EVA thus; it suffered high capital costs without knowledge. With implementation, each division knows its EVA regardless of the product made; whether a lawn mower or pump. That knowledge has enabled the company to save a lot of money by outsourcing production of some expensive components. For instance, the company has phased out production of the largest engines for pumps and generators to Mitsubishi. Thus, capital that was previously tied to expensive processes has now been freed up for more profitable ventures by reduction of variable costs. Cost Volume Profit analysis (CVP analysis) is a powerful tool. This is because it enables managers to understand the relationships between cost, volume and profit in their enterprise. CVP takes place by focusing on various interactions. For instance; prices of products and per unit variable cost. Other interactions are; the level of activity, total fixed costs and the mix of sold products. Use of CVP analysis is essential in making of various decisions by managers such as what products to manufacture, pricing to apply and which strategies to implement in marketing. CVP concepts play a critical role in EVA. CVP concepts such as change in variable, fixed and sales costs enable managers to determine costs of capital. Since the application of EVA by CSX Corp, its Intermodal division has been able to track such costs efficiently. The number of containers and trailers used has dropped from 18,000 to 14,000. However, its freight volume has since increased by 25%. Initially, they used to delay at terminals. With EVA, managers at CSX were able to identify them as idle capital. They, therefore, developed means to take the containers to the rails in five days. CSX has also been able to reduce its fleet of locomotives from 150 to 100, representing a $70 million decrease in capital costs. By ensuring higher load capacities in its routes, train use reduced. Segment reporting is the provision of separate accounts of a public corporation’s different divisions. Its purpose is to provide shareholders proper knowledge of the company’s performance in each segment it carries out business. Managers use it to determine profitability and incomes for each division. This is very useful in EVA metrics. Initially, ATT Corporation only provided balance sheets for its six largest divisions. Most of the smaller business segments such as the toll-free number services were lumped together as a group. Therefore, managers were oblivious of which segment benefited ATT and which made losses. On adoption of EVA, however, matters have taken a turn. Robert Allen, CEO of ATT encouraged managers to sub-divide their profit centers into several semi-independent entities. As a result, the balance sheet contains all capital costs. Smaller divisions are now required to beat capital costs and contribute to the company’s earnings. Activity based costing (ABC) is useful in implementation of EVA. It enables managers to assign overhead costs in manufacture based on machine hours and returns on investment. The Coca-Cola Company has implemented EVA very successfully by carrying out activity based costing. The company consists of several divisions. However, its most profitable is the soft-drinks business. Under the leadership of Robert Goizueta, the company has focused manufacturing on soft drinks and is slowly moving away from instant tea and other businesses. This is because soft drinks earn 24.9% on capital while the other segments average around 7% returns on investment. With this, the company has averaged a 27% increase in EVA over 5 years EVA has also influenced capital budgeting decisions. Divisional spending is now under control. Useful investments are now been made. An instance of such impact is the Quaker corporation, which manufactures breakfast cereals and other snacks. Previously, the company operated slowly, only to accelerate beyond capacity as the end of a quarter approached. This filled 15 warehouses with finished goods. This practice is to aid the managers trying to load retailers with goods, therefore, improving quarterly results (and their bonuses). Such practices increased costs of operation in several ways. First, more warehouses had to be occupied, and laborers had to work overtime. However, EVA has brought such practices to light. Warehouses reduced to ten and inventories to $6 million. From the above, it is clear that EVA is an important tool in performance and wealth metrics in corporations. For instance, it has enabled identification of non-performing divisions. Therefore, improving profitability of various corporations has improved. In that way, it has also improved transparency in operations of public companies via segment reporting. EVA has influenced decision making in corporations. Investment centers now use differential analysis in the evaluation of business opportunities in order to come up with a solution holding the least capital cost. Works Cited Tully, Shawn Hadjian, Ani. ‘The Real Key to Creating Wealth.’ Fortune. 20th September 1993: Page 38. Print.

Having A Home Professor Ramos Blog

Having A Home In Heather Knight’s article in the San Francisco Chronicle, she discusses the impending issues of homelessness in the city. She shows the point of view from the tourist industry and how damaging it is to businesses in that sector. She uses the testimonies of various hotel employees throughout the city discussing the complaints left by tourists. President of the Handlery Union Square Hotel, John Handlery, attempts to thank and address the complaints of his patrons, when patrons complain about the vivid street scene outside the hotel he replies with â€Å"I am sorry about the street scene, but unfortunately our city has failed to address the issue.† People in San Francisco feel almost as if nothing is getting any better despite the spending used towards the issue. â€Å"In a city that spends $305 million a year to combat homelessness, those who serve as San Francisco’s hosts struggle to explain why the problem isn’t getting any better† (Knight). Touri sm is responsible for 9 billion dollars coming into the city each year and 80,000 jobs, if the issue at hand isn’t corrected it will impact the the economy. With some of the grueling words tourists have to say about the problem, the author sheds light on some of the situations tourists have faced, â€Å"Kelly Powers, associate director of the Hotel Council, said she recently saw an aggressive homeless man approach a little boy walking with his family in Union Square and grab and shake him from behind† (Knight). It’s actions like these that keep tourists away from the city. Knight talked about how plenty of hotels have already lost customers for those  exact reasons with some patrons saying â€Å"Wow, from our hotel to Moscone Center, my folks are going to have to literally walk through this? (Knight). The authors main thesis being with little to no help from police and the city government, tourism is facing serious consequences with operation. What course of action can the city take to address the concerns of the citizens, tourists, and business owners? Would a large amount of homelessness affect your decision to vacation in a city? Knight, Heather. â€Å"SF Tourist Industry Struggles to Explain Street Misery to Horrified Visitors.† SFChronicle.com, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2018, sfchronicle.com/news/article/SF-tourist-industry-struggles-to-explain-street-12534954.php. Quelling the Camps Quelling the Camps

Overview Of E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Overview Of E-commerce - Essay Example Many giant businesses are using e-marketing for quite sometimes now and many have been programmed with other automated businesses since 1990s. For example, at GE’s Aircraft division, the customer could order an aircraft part, get invoice and initiate delivery all within 45 minutes. However, such sophisticated systems require dedicated communication lines and expensive hardware. These costs have been cut to a great extent with the invention of internet. Generally, B2B exchanges can be sub-divided into three main categories. Consortia are primarily a collaboration of vendors dealing with a particular industry e.g. the consortium of Global Food Exchange. Private Marketplaces on the other hand are run by a single organization and is aided by its key suppliers. Wallmart and Dell are examples of Private Marketplace. ... , industry consortium is typically a Vertical market owned by the industry which allows buyers to procure services and goods from restricted participants. The aim of the industry consortium is to generate steady association with the industry with a view to establish a long term affiliation through contractual procurement. These industry consortium tend to bring together all the supply chains within the industry which in-turn bringing the profits back to the industry. The industry consortia provides a number of facilities e.g. systematic procurement process, auctions, pricing and RFQs mechanisms for profitability of the industry. Q 72 What is channel conflict? Give an example of how channel conflict can be avoided or lessened. Ans Channel conflict is a term used to describe the expulsion of channel partners e.g. suppliers or distributors from supply chain by a company to reach out for the customer directly. This may be achieved through the use of internet via e-commerce or through gen eral marketing. E-commerce provides a simple and economic solution for the businesses to directly contact their consumers and sell their brands without intermediaries. However, this simple solution also brings with it a great challenge. The customers can also interact with one another through internet and exchange ideas regarding product quality and price. This scenario forces the companies to fix a competitive price of the product or service without compromising on the quality. Over production by a company can also result in channel conflict. Similarly, newer editions of the products in the market, trend changes and wholesalers insolvency also cause channel conflict. Therefore, the stock clearance strategy of a company is of utmost importance for avoidance of channel conflict. There are

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example Analogous to other civil rights movements, a shift in societal norms calls to question the laws of the land, in this case the notion of marriage in legal terms. There is no denying the fact that marriage is an institution traditionally reserved for the heterosexual couples. Given the traditional legal definition of marriage, same sex couples face certain challenges. Same sex marriage is a controversial issue with staunch opposition due to deeply entrenched religious and patriarchal opinions. Those in favor of same-sex marriage have a lot at stake on this particular issue, as many financial and legal benefits are bestowed upon married couples. Pragmatically speaking, marriage ought to be an institution that allows two loving people to legally fulfill their commitment towards each other regardless of their sexual orientation. Thus, legalizing same sex marriage is beneficial not only to the individuals involved, but to the society at large. While it is the belief of many that allowing s ame-sex marriage is legalizing a practice that is against the standard of norms of the society, the truth of the matter is that same sex marriage provides an opportunity for individuals to live a fulfilling life, devoid of psychological and emotional trauma (Polikoff, 101). This does not only benefit the homosexual individuals, but the whole society, considering that such individuals will live a healthy life, which will in turn reduce the costs involved in sustaining or rehabilitating the health of such individuals whenever they suffer from stress, depression and other psychological and mental disorders, arising from their discomfort and the prejudice they face in the current society (Guillen, n.p.). There is an agreement on certain aspect of the argument against homosexual marriage, the most important being the argument that same sex marriage poses a threat of human extinction, considering that when a marriage does not produce children, then, there is the danger of the shortage or lack of a new generation to take up the responsibility of running the world (Guillen, n.p.). Nevertheless, some of the arguments against same sex marriage are just refutable, owing to the fact that they are mostly aligned towards favoring one sectional attitude of the society. The argument that same sex marriage poses the danger of human extinction is not plausible, considering that legalizing same sex marriage does not amount to making it mandatory. Therefore, individuals with a heterosexual orientation will continue with procreation, while those who do not have the prospective for having children can still be comfortable in the society (Polikoff, 104). Additionally, the recognition of same sex marriage will work towards establishing a society of equal values, where the rights of all individuals are respected, and especially the rights of the minority groups. Through the recognition and legalization of same sex m

Mcdonald's case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Mcdonald's - Case Study Example In 2003, McDonalds reinvented its mission/vision by implementing a â€Å"Plan to win† strategy that focuses on becoming â€Å"bigger, not just better†. Action plans in implementing this strategy are to increase sales in every geographic segment of the business; to offer relevant menu to its 60 million customers per day, and to gain the confidence of stockholders by the profitability of its operation. McDonald uses 5 key strategies in implementing this plan, i.e. product, price, people, place and promotion (McDonalds 2009 annual report). In increasing sales in every geographic segment of the business thru franchising. Focused on brand availability, menu variety, beverage choice, convenience and day part expansion. McDonalds introduced McCafe and premium Angus third pounder, focused on classic favorites like big Mac and Quarter Pounder, and emphasized affordability in the US market; and in mid-2010s introduced frappes and smoothies. In all areas of operations, reinvestment was done in the facilities and equipments, opened stores in convenient areas, extended store hours, build up its drive through systems and offered locally relevant selections. The strategy included advertising and promotions. In U.S, drive-through systems, and cafà ©-ambiance were developed; in Europe, the portable snacks were popularized; in Germany, breakfast time was introduced and designed the same strategies in other areas where McDonalds is present. McDonalds joined the bandwagon of globalization and has developed franchised business in 119 countries. In 2010, McDonalds has 32,737 franchise units all over the world, an increase of 28% from 21,078 units in 2009 (McDonald’s Annual Report). This means the company has to work with franchise owners with diverse cultures, religion and ethnicity. The tactics of McDonalds is to adopt its menu to the culture and taste of the region, to hire and train locals to work in the

Intracellular Biosynthesis of Cadmium Sulfide Nanoparticles

Intracellular Biosynthesis of Cadmium Sulfide Nanoparticles Intracellular biosynthesis of Cadmium Sulfide nanoparticles using culture supernatant of Escherichia coli Abstract There is a growing concern to develop environment-friendly and sustainable methods. Since the synthesis of nanoparticles of different compositions, sizes, shapes and controlled dispersity is an important aspect of Nanotechnology new costeffective procedures are being developed. Microbial synthesis of Nanoparticles is a Green chemistry approach that interconnects Nanotechnology and Microbial Biotechnology. Microorganisms play an important role in the eco-friendly synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Here an attempt was made to biologically synthesize fluorescent cadmium sulfide nanoparticles. The present study uses Escherichia coli PTCC 1330 as a potential producer for the green synthesis of CdS nanoparticles. Biologically synthesized nanoparticles were characterized and confirmed after 24 h of incubation at room temperature using electron microscopy, XRD, EDS and FTIR. The size distribution of the nanoparticles was found to be 5–200nm followed by which the consequence of time, growth of the organism, pH, concentration of CdCl2 and Na2S on the synthesis of nanoparticles were checked. Enhanced synthesis and fluorescence emission of CdS nanoparticles were achieved at pH 9. Keywords: Nanotechnology; Biological synthesis; Silver nanoparticles; Escherichia coli; Eco-friendly 1.Introduction Bionanotechnology has emerged up as integration between biotechnology and nanotechnology for developing biosynthetic and environmental-friendly technology for synthesis of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles are clusters of atoms in the size range of 1–100 nm. â€Å"Nano† is a Greek word synonymous to dwarf meaning extremely small. The use of nanoparticles is gaining impetus in the present century as they posses defined chemical, optical and mechanical properties. The metallic nanoparticles are most promising as they show good antibacterial properties due to their large surface area to volume ratio, which is coming up as the current interest in the researchers due to the growing microbial resistance against metal ions, antibiotics and the development of resistant strains[1-2]. Nanoparticles exhibit completely new or improved properties compared to larger particles of the bulk material and these novel properties are derived due to the variation in specific characteristics such as size, distribution and morphology of the particles. Nanoparticles present a higher surface area to volume ratio with decrease in the size of the particles[1-2]. As the specific surface area of nanoparticles is increased, their biological effectivene can also increase on the account of a rise in surface energy. Nanoparticles have a wide range of applications, as in combating microbes, biolabelling, and in the treatment of cancer. Size control during synthesis of particles is an important criterion in the arena of silver nanoparticle biosynthesis. Depending on the size of the nanoparticles, their applications branch out. Although AgNPs are synthesized both intra- and extra-cellularly, the latter method of biosynthesis of nanoparticles is highly advantageous because of ease of control over the environment, large-scale synthesis and easy downstream processing steps. It is well known that the electronic and optical properties of metal nanoparticles are heavily size- and shape-dependent. Controlling the size, shape and surrounding media of metal nanoparticles are important as many of their intrinsic properties are determined by these parameters[3-8]. This study illustrates the synthesis of CdS nanoparticles using the bacterium Escherichia coli PTCC 1330. The morphology of the samples was analyzed using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the particles formed were characterized to be nanoparticles. The size of CdS nanoparticles in aqueous solution has been calculated using UV–Vis spectroscopy, XRD, EDS, FTIR and TEM measurements. The nanoparticles are found to be polydisperse nanocubes in the size range 5–200 nm[3]. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Materials, bacterial strain The test strain was: Escherichia coli PTCC 1330, The strain was prepared of IROST, CdCl2 was purchased from Hi Media laboratories, India and Na2S was purchased from Merck, Germany. All other chemicals used are of analytical grade. 2.2. Preparation of supernatants Muller-Hinton broth (MHB) was prepared, sterilized, and inoculated with a fresh batch of test strain. The culture flasks were incubated for 24 h at 30 ºC for bacteria. After the incubation period, the cultures were centrifuged at 12,000 rpm and their supernatants were used for further experiments. 2.3. Synthesis of Cadmium Sulfide nanoparticles The obtained supernatants were washed with phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.0) for 3 times. 1mM solution of CdCl2 (for E. coli) was prepared using deionized water. 35 ml of the solution was added to supernatants and resulting solution was kept for incubation in a shaker at 220 rpm and room temperature for 30 min. Then, 35 ml of 1mM Na2S solution was slowly added to the solution. The samples were then incubated at room temperature with end-over-en rotation for 10 min[9-10]. 2.4. Purification of nanoparticles For measuring the amount of UV–Visible absorption by synthesized CdS nanoparticles, samples were washed twice with 50mM phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.0). Then, ultrasonic disruption of cells was performed using an ultrasonic processor (Retsch, UR1) over three 45 S periods with 10 s intervals between periods. The sonicated samples were then filtered using a 0.22 µm filter to eliminate cell-debris and other pollutants. The filtered solutions were then used for characterization of CdS nanoparticles. 2.5. Effect of growth parameters on CdS nanoparticles production 2.5.1 Effect of CdCl2 and Na2S concentration on synthesis and particle Sizes To obtain the optimum concentration of CdCl2 and Na2S that yields the maximum synthesis of nanoparticles and particle-size distribution, CdCl2 and Na2S, at concentrations ranging from 1 to 10mM, was added to the supernatant at pH 9.0 and temperature 30 ºC. 2.5.2 Effect of temperature and pH on nanoparticle synthesis and particle sizes To obtain optimum conditions for maximum synthesis of nanoparticles and particle-size distribution, the obtained the optimum concentration of CdCl2 and Na2S was added to the supernatant and incubated at various temperatures (25–30  ºC) and pH conditions(5–11). The pH of the incubation mixtures was adjusted using 1M HCl and 1M NaOH solutions. The optimum condition for synthesis of nanoparticles is temperature of 30 ºC and pH of 9. 2.6. Synthesis of CdS nanoparticles at various growth phases and time period To find the effect of growth phase of the organism on CdS nanoparticles production, Escherichia coli was inoculated into nutrient broth of four different flasks. The flasks were allowed to grow at various growth stages (lag phase, log phase, late log phase and stationary phase). After that the biomass was incubated with cadmium chloride or cadmium sulfate and sodium sulfide solution. The effect of time over the growth was evaluated by collecting the samples at every 1 h up to 120 h. Maximum amount of nanoparticles synthesized by bacterial strain was achieved in stationary phase. 3. Results and discussion The application of nanoscale materials and structures, usually ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm), is an emerging area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanomaterials may provide solutions to technological and environmental challenges in the areas of solar energy conversion, catalysis, medicine, and water-treatment. The development of techniques for the controlled synthesis of nanoparticles of well defined size, shape and composition, to be used in the biomedical field and areas such as optics and electronics, has become a big challenge. Development of reliable and eco-friendly processes for synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is an important step in the field of application of nanotechnology. One of the most exciting research areas in modern nano-science and technology is the interaction between inorganic molecules and biological structures. It is well established now that many organisms can produce inorganic materials either on intra- or extra-cellular level. In order to meet the growing demand of nanoparticles, eco-friendly methods for nanomaterials synthesis need to be developed which are free of using toxic chemicals in the synthesis protocol[11-13]. In addition to gold and silver nanoparticles, semiconductors such as CdS, ZnS, and PbS have been greatly focused on. Development of protocols for the synthesis of such semiconductors (the so-called quantum dots) is growing. These luminescent quantum dots are emerging as a new class of materials for biological detection and cell imaging, based on the conjugation of semiconducting quantum dots and biorecognition molecules. Fluorescent nanoparticles (CdS, CdSe, CdTe and etc.) can be used for conjugation of biomolecules instead of organic fluoroprobes such as peptides, antibodies and nucleic acids. Moreover, different electronic catalytic and optical behaviour of CdS and NPs have been investigated before. Also, CdS nanoparticles are used for cancer diagnosis and treatment. CdS is immensely used in field effect transistors, solar cells, light emitting diodes, photocatalysis, photoluminescence, infrared photodetector, environmental sensors and biological sensors [14-18]. 3.1. Characterization of synthesized Cadmium Sulfide nanoparticles 3.1.1. UV-Visible spectrophotometer Purified CdS nanoparticles were dried at 30  ºC for 4 h. The dried particles were dispersed in deionized water and were measured using a UV–Visible spectrophotometer (CARY,100Conc, UV Pharma spec1700 with a resolution of 0.72 nm and optical path length of 1 cm) in the wavelength range of 300-600 nm (Fig. 1). The maximum absorption was at 400-450 nm in UV-Visible spectroscopy. 3.1.2. FT-IR and XRD analysis Purification of CdS nanoparticles was carried out according to the method previously described. For FT-IR and XRD analysis, samples were dried. Freezing-drying method was used for this step. First, the samples were frozen at -20 ºC for 24 h and then dried at -37 ºC temperature for 10h with Freeze-drier system(CHRist,ALPHA 1-4LD). The obtained dried sample was subjected to FT-IR spectrum (Fig. 3) using Fourier Transform IR spectrophotometer (NEXUS, Germany). The phase formation and purity of CdS nanoparticles were checked by recording the powder XRD patterns (Fig. 2) using an XDL 3000 powder X-ray diffractometer(SEIFERT, 3003  PTS). The X-ray diffracted intensities were recorded from 10à ¢- ¦ to 80à ¢- ¦ 2ÃŽ ¸ angles. FTIR studies revealed that amino  groups bound to particles account for the stability of NPs. Also FTIR studies established the existence of protein as the stabilizing and capping agent. 3.1.3. EDS ( Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) In order to determine the elemental composition of the synthesized nanoparticles, EDS spectrum was recorded. In the recorded EDS spectrum, strong signals showed the presence of Cd and S (Fig. 4). This confirms that the nanoparticles are made of CdS alone. EDS spectrum was recorded based on the micrographs measurements focusing on clusters of the nanoparticles. Resulting EDS spectrum from purified and dried CdS nanoparticle was shown in (Fig. 4). This figure also shows the signals from Cd and S elements from other metals. In the analysis of CdS nanoparticles by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) (LEO 440i, OXFORD), the presence of elemental CdS signal was confirmed. The CdS nanocrystallites display an optical absorption band peaking at 3-4 keV, which is the typical absorption of metallic CdS nanocrystallites due to the surface plasmon resonance. 3.1.4. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (model EM 208 Philips) was used to determine the morphology and shape of nanoparticles. Purified CdS nanoparticles from extra-cellular culture supernatant using centrifugation was characterized by TEM. TEM revealed the average size of particles as 100 nm. TEM images show that they are relatively uniform in diameter and have spherical shape. The different fractions obtained on a continuous sucrose gradient were analyzed. (Fig. 5) shows a representative TEM image recorded from the drop-coated film of the CdS nanoparticles synthesized by treating the CdCl2 and Na2S solution with culture supernatants of E. coli PTCC 1330. The particle size histogram of CdS particles (Fig. 5) shows that the particles range in size from 5 to 200 nm and possess an average size of 75.5 nm. In addition, the TEM image shows at least two different areas, one with higher contrast due to the CdS nanoparticles and other with lower contrast probably due to other micro (or even nano) crystals originating from insoluble Cd, S salts. 24 h (particles at higher resolution shown by scale bar of a:100 nm, b:200nm). 4. Conclusions Bacterial strain of Escherichia coli PTCC 1330, studied in the present research, can be used in order to biologycal synthesizer of Cadmium Sulfide Nanoparticles under special conditions of Time, pH, Temperature, grow of the organism, concentration of CdCl2 and Na2S. The synthesis of nanoparticle circles around enzyme phytochelatin synthase, which exists in surface of E. coli. This enzyme has been previously used for in vitro synthesis CdS nanoparticle under special conditions . The enzyme catalyzes the reaction of transpeptidation of c-Glu-Cys dipeptide from a GSH molecule to a second molecule of GSH. Thus, phytochelatin synthase enzyme may be involved in the synthesis of CdS nanoparticles. Acknowledgments We would like to express our gratitude to the laboratory of Microbiology, Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran for its support of this work. We also wish to thank Dr. A. Akhavansepahy, Faculty of Science, North Branch of Islamic Azad university, Tehran, Iran and Dr. M. R. Fazeli, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran for their useful advices and supports.

Media Essay -- essays research papers

Violence in the Media Violence in the media has been a growing problem ever since the emergence of mass media. One wonders however, how violence has become so prominent in our culture, more so than other countries. More minors are being involved in heinous crimes such as murders and armed robberies. Even play on the school ground is getting rougher. There are many factors that play into the increasing violence, such as over population, religious struggles, and race. One factor that plays into the increase of violence would be mass media. Mass media has the power to reach and influence almost every American. Radio, newspaper, and television are all means by which media reaches people. Television however, can be considered the most influential. Ninety-eight percent of Americans have a television in their household. When it first came out it was considered a novelty, there were only a few channels and the signal was not very clear. Now it is available through air broadcast, cable, or satellite. Television ha s become part of everyday life. With the growing fixation and attraction to violence in the media, children in today’s society are becoming more violent and aggressive than ever before. However, to obtain a true understanding of this problem we must look at all aspect that cause violence, and not just put all of the blame on the media. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t forget the number one violence causing aspect, the media. America was founded upon violence; and we have always been a society of power and control. This land was violently taken away from the American Indians. After this land was civilized, power and control was desired so much so that we rebelled against Great Britain to have this place for ourselves. We rebelled with violence and won. America ever since has always been the best at almost everything. America will achieve this most of the time thru violence. Both world wars and other political conflicts have been won by America using violence. Power achieved thru violence is one of America’s downfalls. People in America have the spirit that this country was founded upon, which has its negative and positive aspects. However, violence is finding its way into out culture everywhere, especially the television. When it comes to children and television, there is much debate. Many argue that television is healthy for children. It opens up th... ...oduction of television (Facts about Media). This only proves that people become more violent from watching television or more immune to it. Many people admitted after September 11th that when they watched the planes crash into the World Trade Centers that they were not fazed. This is because Hollywood has shown things crash and blow up so much that we confuse it with a Hollywood movie. When you watch something so much it becomes a part of your life. You do not know the difference of it being â€Å"real† or just â€Å"TV.† In conclusion, violence in the media has been a growing problem for quite awhile. Mass media has the power to reach and influence almost every American. Radio, newspaper, and television are all means by which media reaches people. Through means of mass media, mostly television, violence is reaching Americas youth and turning our culture into a violent hungry society. Television has great influence on children. It opens their eyes to the world and violence on TV has a devastating effect that continues throughout their adulthood. Even though we can’t blame all of our flaws and problems on the media we should at least focus and fix this problem before too much harm is done.

Behavior Modification and Needs

In many companies, managers struggle to improve or motivate employee actions or behaviors to get desired results. Many managers turn to organizational behavior modification. Behavior modification is used in organizations to shape individual behavior though the use of positive and negative consequences. Organizational behavior modification relies on several factors including, the law of effect, alternative consequences, schedules of reinforcement, and understanding human needs, to successfully operate.The law of effect states that a person tends to repeat behavior that is accompanied by a favorable consequence. For example, if an employee is recognized and encouraged for going above and beyond for a customer, the employee is more likely to repeat this action. For the law of effect to remain effective, a manager needs to recognize what the employee see’s as major consequences, and must be able to respond in a way that the employee will see the connection between their actions an d the consequence.An employee doesn’t always have to learn from personal experience. The theory of social learning suggests that employees are likely to learn by observing the actions of others and understanding the consequences that others are experiencing. Through the law of effect, the employee is able to connect the relation of; good actions equal good consequences, therefore motivating the employee to act in a positive way. Once a manager has indentified the employee’s behavior, the manager needs to decide on the alternative consequences he/she wants to apply.Alternative consequences include: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. The key to alternative consequences is to make the consequence contingent on the employee’s correct behavior. Through the use of these consequences, employees and managers will be able to accurately assess the result or planned result of an action. Once a manager monitors an employee’s b ehavior and learns how often or how well the employee is performing, the manager can determine the type of consequence to be applied.Once a frequency has been established the manager can create a standard, or a baseline, against which employee improvements can be made. A manager will then decide of continuous reinforcement or partial reinforcement is called for. Continuous reinforcement is when reinforcement accompanies each correct behavior by an employee. Partial reinforcement occurs when only some of the correct behaviors are reinforced. Scheduling reinforcement allows a manager to stay consistent in expectations and consequences.Though the behavior modification model is popular amongst organizations, many have criticized it’s functionality from a human needs perspective. Human needs are a driving force in individual decision making. The behavior modification model focuses on the nature of the items that may motivate a person. However, a manager cannot observe or monitor a person’s needs. Because of this, it is important that a manager understand employee needs when using the behavior modification approach

Gods in the Iliad and their interactions with their disciples Essay Example

Gods in the Iliad and their interactions with their disciples Essay Example Gods in the Iliad and their interactions with their disciples Paper Gods in the Iliad and their interactions with their disciples Paper Essay Topic: Iliad These gods reactions are what allow the reader and many people of ancient societies to connect to these supreme beings throughout The Iliad, while also providing a sense of folly and comic relief. Their acts of vengeance, pity, compassion, and Jealousy all remind the readers that these divine beings are present in the world around them. While reading The Iliad, many readers understand that they are reading of divine characters and their dealings with the earth due to the godly, and prolific powers that these beings are shown to have. But, for characters so divine and all powerful these beings are quite trivial in their dealings. Emotions that are near uncontrollable in human life are seen fairly often in The Iliad. Violent emotions become a hazard when portrayed by the gods. Emotions like vengeance and rage can be heightened by their divine powers thus causing a threat to all of the humans under this umbrella of emotion. Vengeance, can be seen displayed by Apollo as he swept the fatal plague through the army (Book one, 77, line 11). This wrath was brought upon all due to Agamemnon disrespecting Apollo Priest on Earth. : Cherrys prayer is heard and vengeance is enacted on the Achaeans until the source of the league is discovered. This vengeance from Apollo shows that he has empathy and pride Just like the human characters and this connection to the mortal world allows him to enact his emotions in a humane imperfect way. Although these gods are separated from mankind with their divine abilities, and seem to be at times separate in their feelings for humans in general readers can see a sense of humane compassion in a lot of the gods actions. Even Zeus, the god over all gods and supreme ruler of the heavens, is shown to have compassion toward some of the mortals. Zeus decision making can actually be considered one of the most humane out of the gods on Olympus with many of his choices being based on his human qualities of pride, lust, and power. This humane compassion can be seen when Zeus son Sarandon is going into battle with Patrols. Sarandon is fated to die by the hand of Patrols, and although Zeus should understand the rules of fate he still feels the need to save his son from the death ahead of him. Even though Hear eventually convinces Zeus to consider otherwise, the fact that he considered saving a mortal son room the perils of fate that awaited him showed that Zeus did care for his lineage, and in fact almost defied fate in order to save Sarandon. Zeus is a prideful god although he has nothing else to prove, his power and might are worshipped constantly, and this thought that he must must be superior is what shows his pride in his lineage. When Zeus labels his son Sarandon as the dearest of all men and the man I love most, my own sour(Book 16, Page 427, Line 515) he is placing his lineage above all the other gods and pronouncing his superiority even over the inhabitants of Met. Olympus. His actions parallel with those made by humans in all societies due to mankind being a prideful species. People want to believe that their fore bearers are of the utmost importance on earth, and through this sense of pride the ancient Greeks were able to connect on a basic level to even the greatest of the ancient gods. None of Homers epic would exist if it wasnt for a few goddesses and their humane parallels. Examples of vanity and Jealousy are huge catalysts throughout The Iliad, and can be seen in many of the books and is especially portrayed by the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hear. These women compare heavily too modern day females vanity in their actions and reactions to their outside stimuli. The Iliad having been set 9 years into the Trojan War would never have reached this point theoretically if the war had never started. Thanks to the competition between the three goddesses on who was the fairest, Paris was given the most beautiful woman in the world. This woman, Helen of Troy so happened to be married to Menelaus and thus the taking of Helen is considered to be the catalyst of the Trojan War. Hear, Aphrodite, and Athena believing that they are each the fairest, hush show that they are humane and vain in their emotions. The choice that Paris made in this test affects his entire story as a character and creates an opportunity to show Hear and Ethanes other emotions, such as their Jealousy, and rage. Hear and Athena in an act of hatred and scorn towards Paris, a prince of Troy, side with the Achaeans in an effort to destroy Troy. These actions based on their feelings of disdain caused by their need to feel worshipped are a giant contributor to the war as a whole, and show their weakness for human emotions. These gods and goddesses arrayed by Homer are not perfect in any way, shape, or form, and due to these flaws with Jealousy, vanity, and anger these goddesses are relatable to the people of the earth and the many flaws that humanity carries. Society once again is connected to these superior beings not only because of their divine powers, and need to worship in order to receive sustenance, but also because of the feeling of similarity that these gods carry with society as a whole. Humans are a species that are prone to promises, grudges, and petty arguments; and due to these qualities inside The Iliad, he gods are depicted at the same emotional level as a majority of humans. Zeus, the ruler of the gods, is privy to keeping his word, thus Thesis wish, provided to her by Achilles, is granted and Zeus is from that point on, slightly favoring the Trojan. Although he is considered to be all powerful, Zeus still grants Thesis wish in order to keep his word on the favor that he owes her. With all of his divine power Thesis request could have been denied easily, but Zeus humane nature shows up in his decision and he makes his choice, therefore connecting him to the honorable ways of he society at the time. Heres anger created from Paris giving the title of fairest to Aphrodite is seen as Zeus enacts on his favor. Her grudge allows her to see nothing but red for the Trojan and in turn she becomes annoyed with her husbands decision which creates a mirrored situation to earthly relationships. Although these choices are extremely important to the fabric of the timeline, and fate in general, the gods are still depicted with a very comical and surprisingly human reaction to a situation/war that can cause the death of thousands upon thousands of people.

Jedediah Smith essays

Jedediah Smith essays Jedediah Smith, was born on June 24, 1798, at Bainbridge, New York. He was the first American to cross west over the Continental Divide, rediscovering South Pass, and the American to traverse California's rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. He was also first to open the coastal trade route from California to Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. Jedediah Smith was the first American to enter California overland from the east and first to cross the Great Basin Desert and return east, overland from California. Jedediah and his party of trappers spent the winter of 1823-24 with a band of Crow Indians who told him how reach Utath's Green River. In mid March 1824, his company rediscovered the South Pass it was a passage to the Northwest through Wyoming and descended into the Green River area for the spring hunt. In July 1825, Jedediah attended the first Mountain Man rendezvous at Henry's Fork then accompanied William Ashley to St. Louis with the season's bounty of furs. In route downriver, Ashley took Jedediah as partner to replace the retiring Andrew Henry. In August, he led seventeen men to appraise the trapping potential of the region south and west of the Great Salt Lake. When he and his band arrived at San Gabriel Mission near Los Angeles, they became the first Americans to cross overland to California, entering from the east. They were blocked by the Mexican govenor of California, Jedediah had to change is plans to explore Oregon and so he journeyed to the American River near Sacramento instead. His band reached the Utah Nevada border near Grandy, Utah, continued on the Skully Valley and reached the South tip of the Great Salt Lake two day ...

Influence of human surroundings on buildings Essay - 1

Influence of human surroundings on buildings - Essay Example Sometimes referred to as â€Å"architecture without architects,† it is also the most comprehensively used style of building used throughout the world today. It is building how we feel in relationship to what is around us on many levels (Arboleda 2006). Vernacular architecture is how we define ourselves according to the rest of the world, or maybe within just a regional area. Much that is considered vernacular is without specific design except for areas that are considered foundational to the piece and is required for strengthening the project we build. Over time, buildings such as these, when created through trial and error in first processes, become perfected and then reflect the style of the society or environment within which we reside. Rather than pursuing the aesthetic quality or some egotistical vision of a particular artist/architect, vernacular building is more about accomplishing the factors of function and ecological assimilation and also providing comfort of living at the same time. It is a stamp of our lives at any given moment (Ladd 2003). When building vernacular projects, local materials are used as well as local workers and this also provides for us a sense of the place having grown from the ‘roots’ of our local social environment and by our own hands. Vernacular building can also be representative of our local observances such as a favourite church and its flock of worshipers. It provides for us a continuing reminder of our religion through how it is built, according to our belief structure. Craftsmen in our past, who utilized functional skills in preparing materials and in the creation of infrastructure, provided foremost, a functional, well-built building, created to withstand much of nature’s harsh storms and other events that would hit our lands from time to time (Ladd 2003). In America, log cabins are considered to be the early American vernacular style, consistent with the early settlers who built their homes us ing the trees around them. Today’s pre-packaged version in whatever wood choice you want, represents that stereo-typed tradition of the early days without the hassle of having to cut down the trees yourself. While vernacular building was representative of times gone by, including historical references, today’s version is more about sustainability, technological advances in building processes, and referencing the social and natural environment around the location (Arboleda 2006). Our apartment buildings are a type of vernacular building in that they are built, not necessarily with a particular style, but to suit the basic needs of any of us renting an apartment there. The basics include a main room, bedroom(s), bathroom(s) and the kitchen. In some cases, specifically-intentioned dining rooms are also included in those costing a little more. (Ladd 2003). Indeed, a lesson can also be taken from the Inuit people who knew how to build homes wherever they landed for a while, using compacted snow to create igloos. While mainly for hunting

Economic Development More Important Than Democracy in Promoting a Essay

Economic Development More Important Than Democracy in Promoting a Welfare State - Essay Example Essentially, this paper provides various definitions of the â€Å"welfare state condition,† attempts to juxtapose the democratic view with the perspective that favors economic development, and presents a plausible explanation why economic development is more important than democracy. Also, this paper will enumerate several practices that contribute to economic development, thereby, increasing the chances of attaining a welfare state. Definition of Welfare State Over the years, there has been no strict and general definition of the welfare state. Some relate the term to power and industrialisation while others try to refer it as one of the capitalist contradictions. A classic definition of the term is the state’s â€Å"responsibility for securing some basic modicum of welfare for its citizens† (Pierson & Castles, 2006, p.160). Apart from this definition, Asa Briggs (as cited in Flora & Heidenheimer, 2009, p.29) also defined the welfare state as the condition chara cterised by an organised power that uses politics and administration to change the direction of market forces. This can be done in three ways: (1) through ensuring that individuals and families could receive a minimum income regardless of their properties’ market value, (2) by assisting families and individuals meet their social needs, thereby, reducing their sense of insecurity, and (3) ensuring that all citizens, regardless of social class and status, are given the highest standards of social services (as cited in Flora & Heidenheimer, 2009, p.29). The Democracy View vs. Economic Development After the in-depth discussion of the term welfare state, it is worthwhile to present the split views of paternalism and the democracy. Paternalism connotes economic development while democratic views favor a free market model. Throughout the years, there has been an existing clash between paternalism model followed in the 18th century and the emerging free market model that was especial ly advocated by Adam Smith. As a result, there were several insights generated to support its stand as well as to oppose each other’s perspectives. Paternalism, as defined by Abercrombie and Hill (as cited in Varano, 1999, p.26), is an economic institution that organises the productive unit and regulates the relationships between the owners of the means of production and their respective subordinates. Moreover, it is composed of different access to power and resources and an unequal distribution of goods and services. Oftentimes, paternalism emphasises elite control and privilege towards the subordinates. It also attempts to lessen the worst effects of industrial capitalism through combining traditional and community norms. Contrary to this view, some sociologists and economists alike such as Richard Sennett (as cited in Varano, 1999, p.27), contend that paternalism was intended to mask the hidden interest of the industrialists to enforce high level of production. He continue s by citing that paternalism only connotes elite oversight and community welfare instead of advancing the morale of the workers (Varano, 1999, p.27). The free-market model also extremely contradicts to the paternalistic model since the latter was based on some statute laws, common laws, and customs while the former allows the exploration of the