Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Case study - Essay Example e is motivated by the need to satisfy the following psychological needs which include; playing and relaxing, personal fulfilment, self expression as well as curiosity among others. It can as well be said that she seeks to fulfil the social needs, derived from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs or motivation theory. Social needs in particular, are concerned with love, friendship and esteem (McCarthy and Perreault 1990). These are often have a bearing on the person’s interaction with others. Personal needs on the other hand are concerned with an individual’s need for personal satisfaction which is often unrelated to what others may think. As a point of departure, it can be said that one of the main reasons why we drink is to give ourselves confidence in the belief that alcohol will set us at ease especially with strangers (McNeill 1986). However, there are various other reasons for drinking such as wanting to please others, fighting loneliness or using alcohol as a bridge between different people. From this assertion, it can be noted that Melanie’s drinking habits are driven by psychological needs to a greater extent. Indeed, she appreciates the fact that alcohol can cause harm to her health but this does not deter her from drinking. She drinks inorder to fulfil the psychological need to play as well as to relax. She believes that its part of being a student to drink. In the opening remarks she says, â€Å"I know I perhaps drink too much but its part of being a student, isn’t it?† From this statement it can be seen that drinking is one of the popular ways of relaxing and perhaps derive pleasure i n the life of a student. Whilst she does not drink on a daily basis, it can be seen that she does especially on Mondays and Wednesdays which are dedicated as days for student outing and have since been entrenched as part of the student culture. It can be seen that she also drinks for personal fulfilment as well as self expression. A night out on a drinking binge with

The Calculation of GNP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Calculation of GNP - Essay Example 120 x 22 = 2640. In 2005, 210 tennis racquets were sold. 210 x 120 = 25,200. 2640 + 25,200 = 27, 840. Let 2004 be the base year. In 2004, 100 CDs were sold. 100 x 22 = 2200. In 2004, 200 tennis racquets were sold. 200 x 120 = 24,000. 2200 + 24,000 = 26,200. Percent Growth = 100% x ((27,840-26,200)/26,200)) Percent Growth = 7.02% Using 2005 as a base year, the real GDP for 2004 is 26,200 and the real GDP for 2005 is 840. This shows an increase of 7.02%. 10/10 4. Review GDP over last 5 years from BEA's website and summarize trends> Discuss two or three events which may have caused these trends. Although the last five years did not experience any recessions, the years 2000 and 2001 were low points in economic growth. Incidentally, the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, all saw recessions in their first few years, so this slowing of economic growth early in the decade is not unusual (Orszag 2001). Like in other decades, after these first few slow years, the growth rate begins to accelerate again gradually through 2002 and 2003. At this point (late 2003, early 2004) we see a period of particularly fast growth (2003q3 9.3%, 2003q4 5.5%, 2004q1 8.1%) (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2006). This may have been caused by government initiatives to give the economy a short-term boost for the year of the election (2004). If these initiatives were put into play half-way through 2003, it's possible that they were quite successful initially but only for a short time, and not very far into 2004. Although the GDP does rise in the 2004 and 2005, it's growth has been decelerating ever so slightly over the past two years. Still it remains fairly stable. The recent stability of the economy, despite extremely high energy prices, can be attributed to the relatively... At this point (late 2003, early 2004) we see a period of particularly fast growth (2003q3 9.3%, 2003q4 5.5%, 2004q1 8.1%) (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2006). This may have been caused by government initiatives to give the economy a short-term boost for the year of the election (2004). If these initiatives were put into play half-way through 2003, it's possible that they were quite successful initially but only for a short time, and not very far into 2004. Although the GDP does rise in the 2004 and 2005, it's growth has been decelerating ever so slightly over the past two years. Still it remains fairly stable. The recent stability of the economy, despite extremely high energy prices, can be attributed to the relatively low unemployment rate throughout the last year (Sniderman, 2006). Sniderman, M. (April 2006). The Economy in Perspective. Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Retrieved April 15, 2006, from www.clevelandfed.org/Research/ET2006/0306/eip.pdf. Two formerly undeveloped economies, that of Singapore and that of Hong Kong, have shown unprecedented growth in the past fifty years. However, developing countries would benefit more from following an economic model similar to that of Singapore given the current economic trends and conditions.

Marketing strategy of a furniture store

Marketing strategy of a furniture store Customers are core for any business. Companies manufacture products to fulfill their needs. Every company would like to increase their market share through sales by beating their competitors. In order to achieve this, one should have efficient and effective marketing plan. The most vital element of a successful marketing plan knows your customers likes, dislikes and expectations. Basing on these factors a marketing strategy could be developed which allows you to fulfill customers needs by understanding your competitors and identify changes in market place. The every purpose of marketing plan is to outline a strategy to attract and keeping customers. This could be done by defining your market, identifying your customers and competitors. The two main marketing principles are: Entire efforts of a company should be directed towards satisfying customers. Sales volume which is profitable is more important than maximum sales volume. Marketing strategy Marketing strategy is identifying customer groups and serves them better than its competitors by offering tailor made products, prices, distribution and promotional methods to that segment. The strategy should address unmet customer needs that earn potential profitability. Target marketing Identifying separate customers who makes up large groups which helps to locate their needs more specifically. This smaller segment of the general market is convenient for market research and information helps to serve this segment better. This segmentation can be done in two ways Geographical segmentation serving customers needs in a particular geographical area. Customer segmentation identifying those people who buy products and services and targeting those groups. Products and service: To satisfy the target markets product is very important. This is how organizations earn revenue. These products may be in the form of goods, services or ideas. Promotional strategy: Promotion is communication process with the customers about the products through advertisements and direct customer interactions. This helps companies to distinguish their product from competitors. Pricing strategy The right price is the crucial for maximizing total revenue. In general higher prices means lower volume and vice versa. Micro Audit Consumers Industry and market related information regarding consumer buying patterns plays very critical in expecting future levels of demand. Having sales volume information of past helps to foresee the market trend and buying pattern. Key information like current market volume, demand, etc helps to identify the profit potential market. This information helps to build relationship with customers by identifying their needs, wants, preferences and buying habits. Key Points: The market for kitchens (including  furniture, worktops, sinks and taps, appliances sold as part of a kitchen and installation) was estimated to be worth  £3.25 billion in 2008, but it is estimated that it will decline to  £3.12 billion in 2009. Product innovation, fashion in the home and the desire for individuality are all strong drivers to growth in the market. Added to this, the growing emphasis on the kitchen and its central place at the hub of the home is also stimulating interest in the kitchens appearance, functionality and furnishings. Mintel believes the consumer market will return to growth by late 2010 or early 2011, accelerating to 2014. All the previous positive factors remain in place for a recovery. Kitchens UK: August 2009 Mintel Competitors Sustaining competition in market is important for any business success. Identifying the direct competitors and analyzing their market information like where they stand in market, their strengths and weakness, sales performance, pricing strategy, studying their product range and promotional methods helps us to prepare strategies to penetrate into their market for greater market share. Distributors and suppliers Building proper distribution channel to reach target audience is important. Distributors are one of the key elements in supply chain of a company as he helps to move product from hands of the company to the hands of customers. Reaching target market is unlikely without proper distribution channel. A distributor saves both money and time for companies by their expertise in what they do. Macro audit Macro environment considers challenges in the world at large. These elements are politics, Economy, technology, laws and environment which impact the market. Having detailed information about these elements helps an organization to serve market better. Politics Political system like taxation policies, foreign trade policies, how supportive the government is for private sector helps an organization to plan their marketing strategies more efficiently. Economy Information like inflation, disposable income levels decides the income of the market place which is vital for planning pricing strategy. Technology In todays world technology is growing in very fast phase. Technology enables business to communicate more efficiently and saves time which helps to take efficient decisions. Environment Environmental policies have a major role on the manufacturing process. Availability of raw material, energy costs and pollution are the major influencing factors of quality of product. Research Requirements Retailers Opinion: Retailers knows and understands the behavior pattern of customers. They will have the first hand information on market and what exactly customers are looking for in a product they want. Retailers even have key information on taste of customers who belongs to a particular geographical region. Research methodology: one to one interview is the best research method for this objective. One to one interviews help to get most of the information possible from a retailer which may miss through questionnaire or online survey. Through this method we could able to know the retailers personal views on our product as well as his experiences with customers while selling our product. This information regarding our product and service helps us to understand our lagging points and allow us to work on them. As retailers interact with different kinds of customers during their day to day business they know the customers preference and choice better. So, retailers are the best source of information regarding the pattern of customers buying behavior and the factors which influence their buying decision. As retailer being the possible large data base of information regarding customers, one to one interview research method is the best to collect the information in its totality. Fashion and Trend: In the matter of fashion and trend only change is constant. Peoples taste vary from person to person, place to place etc. people always get influenced by latest trend and fashion. Research methodology: conducting surveys through online as well as placing questionnaires at shops to answer are the best methods to collect information. Young working people who are single and newly married couples are best sample for this kind of survey. These sample can be questioned online by preparing questionnaire with pictures of product with different kinds of designs and asking them which kind of furniture they like and why. Through this method coverage will be more as most of the youngsters use net. At shops customers can see, feel and know more about the product. So, getting answers for what they like or dislike in a product example color, comfort, style, and design etc through questionnaires placing at shops helps to analyze the thought process while shopping. Target Customer segment profile: Before venturing into new market it is important to study the characteristics of that target group as customers thoughts and opinions are different depending on factors like place, income etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Research methodology: Focus group is the best research method which can be adapted here for this research. The targeted group can be working professionals, business men above age 25 who belongs to both mid and high income markets. This information could be gathered at offices, social gathering places like hotels, restaurants, organized events etc. Feedback from a group has more diversified opinions on a product. This provides most invaluable information about brand, quality, pricing, design etc which helps company to provide best possible quality furniture with appealing design at affordable prices (Saunders M. et al., 2006). SW/OT Analysis Stateroom Furnitures Strengths It is very popular brand known for its quality hand crafted furniture which is made of wide variety of wood. Have wide product range of kitchen furniture which covers from high end dining set to china display cabinets. Capital reserves are available for development and even extra funds can be raised in strong business cases. It has a facility with new machinery which could be used to manufacture a variety range of furniture. Stateroom Furnitures Weakness SR furniture could not utilize its potential in market completely. Many people back off from buying the furniture for its price even though they like it. Its market is limited only to certain section because of its old fashioned design. The material used to make furniture is limited to wood which leads to lack of variety in product range. Though the brand is popular its distribution is limited only to up-market stores in cities and counties. Only 55% of the factories capacity is being utilized. Market Opportunities A huge section of market with young audience is open to target the products. Furniture with modern stylish designs and made of different materials are in huge demand. This space in market in not yet ventured by SR There is demand for branded quality furniture around the world not only for domestic purpose but also business purpose. Large section of market with audience who belongs to middle income group is still open. Market Threats Change of peoples perception towards kitchen as cooking, eating and hanging out area is a threat to kitchen furniture sales. Plastic and Self assembly furniture is becoming popular which are cheap and comfortable to use. As young audience dont like old fashioned furniture there is threat of losing this market completely in future. Reduction in room sizes may lead to not using the dining set which will affect SR sales figures because 50% of sales are of dining sets. Resultant Strategies Different strategies can be developed by using TOWS frame work: S-O Strengths : Opportunities Strategies Capital reserves, Product range and brand reputation could be utilized (S1/2) to promote present sales. Utilize brand reputation to export and contract sales (S1) could be increased as there is demand for quality brands all over the world. (O3) Brand reputation and Capital reserves and factory capacity (S1/3/4) could be utilized to manufacture and market modern style furniture for young audience.(O2) W-O Weakness :Opportunities strategies A Product range at reasonable price (W1/4) could be manufactured and marketed through more outlets even in small towns for middle income group which is a large market segment. (O4) Making furniture with different variety of materials (W2/3) like steel, Plastic etc covers more market and could attract young audience. (O1/4) S-T Strength : Threats Strategies Brand image (S1) can be utilized to venture into other furniture segments like office, bedroom, etc. (T4) For the future: Utilize capital reserves (S3) to venture into plastic and self assembly segment (T 2/3/4). Utilize capital reserves (S3) to change perception of people over dining set and other furniture by running campaigns. (T1) W-T Weakness : Threats Strategies Should make furniture with low cost materials like plastic and others (T2) for mass market which can be sold at reasonable prices (W1). Factory capacity could be utilized to manufacture adjustable furniture with innovative designs (W2/5) to answer space problems which can capture the market of young and other segment who dont like traditional furniture (T3/4). Marketing Strategies Unique selling proposition The USP aims at making new range of durable kitchen furniture made with different materials like wood, steel, Plastic etc. and designed appealingly according to the taste of all age groups. Positioning To be successful SR furniture should use its brand reputation to capture market neglected before which became advantage to competitors. Thus it is targeted at both sophisticated clientele and mass market by positioning itself as quality furniture maker for all age groups. The marketing mix should be planned in such a way that the product range has both quality and appealing designs to cover all age groups and mid income market. This can be achieved with two lines of products where one is positioned at mass market with affordable furniture range and the other for sophisticated and higher income group. This product mix could be achieved with both traditional and modern designer furniture range made of different materials like steel, veneer, plastic etc. This is illustrated in brand positioning map below: Price vs. Quality Design Good Quality Appealing Design Affordable Price SR Galiform PLC High Price Kohler Mira Jaccuzi UK Group PLC Bristan Group Poor Quality Design The above illustration shows that the market positioning is to capture both high end and mid market by offering good quality furniture. Competitive Strategy SR Furniture seeking to venture into new market with affordable price range for mid income group rather down market as the product range is mainly concerned about the brand image it carries for its quality and design. With current product range its strategy is to capture both high end and mass market of all age groups. Mid market prices could be achieved as the material usage will vary for different designs without affecting the quality and durability of the product. This mass market is going to sustain as getting good brand like SR Furniture at affordable price is great value for money. Growth Strategy Utilizing the brand reputation to venture into new market with new product range is very good move as it makes market penetration easy. The strategy of making a product range of modern designer furniture for sophisticated market could carve its share easily as there is lot of room in market with young audience and others who dont like traditional designs but still appreciate SR brand for its quality. In long term this strategy gives a great scope to enter into the other furniture segments like bedroom, living room etc. Marketing mix differences Consumer vs. Business Marketing mix differs from business market and consumer market. Product Consumer market: Product range should consist furniture with appealing design to all age groups. Consumer prefers good looking furniture which is comfortably fits in their rooms and easy to mobilize during house shift. Business market: Business market includes buyers like hotels, restaurants etc who dont shift often. They prefer durable furniture which lasts long and design of furniture is very important in setting up a good ambiance and image in market place. Price Pricing strategy varies between consumer and business markets as the buying pattern differs. Business clients place bulk orders and consumers buy individual pieces of furniture. Furniture manufactured for business purpose could be costlier as it is manufactured according to the specifications of business client. Place Furniture is sold through retail stores at different locations for convenience of individual consumers to shop and transport. There would be no specific location to sell furniture for business purpose. Manufactured furniture according to the clients order would be transported directly from factory. Promotion Television advertisements, ads in news papers and magazines, hoardings, exhibitions and other promotional methods are adapted to reach consumer market. Catalogues would be designed with products picture and key information which are distributed to clients personally by marketing team.

Organic Foods Essay -- Food Organic Health Eating Essays

Organic Foods â€Å"You are what you eat†, or so they say. In today’s supermarkets, organic foods are everywhere. Not only are there organic fruits and vegetables, but there are also organic dairy products, organic meats, organic convenience foods, organic wine, beer, coffee, tea and even clothes made with organic cotton. All of these choices have made organic foods the â€Å"fastest-growing segment of the grocery industry.† The Organic Trade Association (OTA), in its â€Å"Business Facts† fact sheet available at www.ota.com, cites Natural Foods Merchandiser, a trade magazine, as measuring organic industry growth at 20 percent or greater for the past nine years. Approximately two percent of the U.S. food supply is grown using organic methods. In 2001, retail sales of organic food were projected to be $9.3 billion (Organic Trade Association [OTA], 2001). That is nearly triple the $3.5 billion in sales in 1998 (Biocycle; Nov. 2004, Vol. 45 Issue 11, p27). Organic foods ca n be found at natural food stores such as Whole Foods Inc., Wild Oats Inc., major supermarkets, farmers markets as well as through â€Å"grower direct marketing† such as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) or Co-Ops. Many restaurant chefs and culinary related professionals across the country are starting to use organic produce because they desire its superior quality and taste. Organic food, also gaining international acceptance, has become widespread in nations like Japan and Germany where the development of organic food markets has seen substantial growth (OTA, 2004) People choose to â€Å"go organic† for different reasons but, the single most important reason to choose certified organic foods is because organic agriculture in its very essence preserves, protects and restores our environment in significant ways (United States Department of Agriculture. [USDA], 2002). Also, organic farming embraces the principle that agriculture must meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations, not to mention that organic foods are often the safest, freshest, most flavorful and most nutritious foods in the marketplace (European Journal of Nutrition 40: 289-292 (2001)). The USDA has tried to emphasize that organic food is no healthier, and adds no real benefits to a healthy lifestyle than regular foods. However, with the contamination present in plants treated with pesticides, pre ... ...pect. It matters to our communities. But most of all, it matters to our appreciation of life. References Journals Cuddleford, V. (2003). When Organics Go Mainstream. Alternatives Journal, 29(4), 15-20. Baxter, G., Graham, A., Lawrence, J., Wiles, D., Paterson, J., et al. (2001). Salicylic acid In soups prepared from organically and non-organically grown vegetables. European Journal of Nutrition, 40, 289-292. Retrieved on 3-3-05 from Ebscohost. Composting at the World’s Largest Natural Foods Supermarket Chain. (2004). Biocycle. 45(11). p27. Retrieved on 3-3-05 from Ebscohost. Federal or Government Sources Organic Foods 101: Basic Information about organic foods, national labeling standards and online organic foodsellers. (2002). Retrieved on 3-3-05 from http://www.nrdc.org. The National Organic Program .(USDA). (2002). Retrieved on 3-3-05 from http://ams.usda.gov. Trade Publications Organic Food Facts. (2003). Organic Trade Association. Retrieved on 3-3-05 from http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/food.html Industry Statistics and Projected Growth. (2003). Organic Trade Association. Retrieved on 3-3-05 from http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/business.html

Corporate Tax Act Essay

The resolution stipulated that any overpayment of salary disallowed as a deduction by the IRS would be repaid to the Osprey Corporation. In late 2010 during an audit by the IRS, $200,000 of Patrick’s compensation, and $150,000 of Dan’s compensation were recharacterized as constructive dividends. This was done because the salaries were found to be excessive. Reg  §1. 162-8 states excessive compensation will be disallowed to the corporation and treated as a constructive dividend to the shareholder. Because the agreement to the resolution was in place prior to their salary payments, the repayments were legally enforceable under state law. As stated by Hoffman, Raabe, Smith and Maloney â€Å"the constructive dividend serves as a substitute for actual distributions and is usually intended to accomplish some tax objective not available through the use of direct dividends. Alternatively the shareholders may be seeking benefits for themselves while avoiding the recognition of income†(2012, 5-16). Because the resolution did contain a repayment provision it should reduce the effect of the constructive dividends on Dan and Patrick. b. Issues A corporation cannot take a deduction from the constructive dividend, and the shareholder must report the amount of the constructive dividend on their tax return. The IRS will recharacterize an item that has been deducted on the corporate tax return to a non-deductible dividend. Constructive dividends are double taxed, first on the corporate level and again at the shareholder level. This characterization results in the IRS denial of the deduction on he corporate level. To determine how the repayment by Dan and Patrick should be treated for tax purposes we must determine whether the repayment can, or should be treated as a deduction or as a credit. c. Discussion In  §162, it states compensation is deductible only to the extent that it is reasonable and is in fact payment purely for services. In a case similar to Dan and Patrick’s sit uation involving excessive compensation, Vincent E. Oswald v. Commissioner, 49 T. C. 645 (1968), the court found the repayments to be a deductible expense. In this case the question was whether, â€Å"under section 162 of the Code, the officers are entitled to a business expense deduction for the calendar year 1968 for the salaries repaid by them to the corporation† (Vincent E. Oswald. 49 T. C. 645 (1968)). The Section 1. 162-1 of the Income Tax Regulations â€Å"provides, in part, that ordinary and necessary expenditures directly connected with or pertaining to the taxpayer’s trade or business are deductible from gross income as business expenses† (Rev. Rul. 69-115, 1969-1 CB 50 — IRC Sec(s). 162). According to the case, the court found that a deduction for ordinary and necessary business expenses would be allowed. If Dan and Patrick sought a credit for the repayment of the taxes, the relief provision contained in IRC section 1341 suggest that a taxpayer may reduce its current years tax by the amount of the extra taxes paid by having to include the income in a previous year. The requirement that a taxpayer be entitled to this deduction has two subsets. One, there must be a deduction as the result of the restoration of income, and two, the deduction must occur under a code section other than section 1341. In a federal case Van Cleave v.

Apple’s “1984”: Greatest Commercial Ever Made Essay

â€Å"1984† is an American television commercial which introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer for the first time. The commercial served as a significant milestone in the history of adverting and had a massive effect on the popularity of Apple. The ad consistently been lauded as a classic, winning critical acclaim over time. It is now considered a watershed event and a masterpiece in advertising, and is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time. It aired only once on daytime television, on 22 January 1984 in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. The ad was not only rated as the best advertisement ever in 2007, it was also rated as the ‘Best Super Bowl spot in the 40 years history’. The turning point event was not the only computer advertisement that aired in these years, but it was â€Å"the only one that changed people’s lives†. The ad started the phenomenon known as â€Å"event marketing,† in which a high-visibility commercial garners a lot of extra free publicity. â€Å"1984† also inaugurated the trend of showcasing commercials on the Super Bowl. And, most importantly for Apple, the ad brought consumers into the stores. The commercial opens with a droning voice resonating through a science-fiction dystrophic setting, which is held in dark, blue and gray tones. Then you see emotionless, bald and almost robotic people marching in unanimity through a long tunnel with telescreens on the wall. Then out of nowhere, a young woman appears, dressed like an athlete, in a color-full sports outfit that forms a strong contrast to the dull gray environment surrounding her. She carries a sledgehammer and is being chased by uniformed guards and then she runs up to the screen, hurls a hammer with a heroic grunt, and shatters the TV image of the said dictator named â€Å"Big Brother†. As the screen explodes, bathing the stunned audience in the light of freedom, a voice-over announces, â€Å"On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like â€Å"1984.† The ad was an allusion to George Orwell’s noted novel, â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four†, which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised â€Å"Big Brother†. After the ad was released in 1984, Apple became a household name in the United States. Apple’s 1984 commercial’s aim was to brand their product, Macintosh with an ideology of empowerment and individuality; contrary to the 1970s perception that personal computers were tools invented for utilitarian purposes and designed to facilitate specific tasks. During those times, the trend was common and utilitarian, so with Macintosh deviating its image against the norm, the people’s attention was acquired with a bold ad set up by Apple. The 1984 ad’s strategy was to differentiate themselves by combating conformity and asserting individuality. It was a definite plus for Apple to choose to air the commercial during the most watched television event in United States, The Super Bowl. Surely, the amount of people watching was at an all-time high thus making the visibility of the commercial reach its maximum. With a large number of people exposed to the memorable commercial, it is more likely to be remembered and talked about, thus making the Macintosh known and popular. Apple’s strategy of making the viewers of the Super Bowl, particularly a wide range of age, gender, ethnicity and social status as their target audience was a clever move since the more exposure, the better outcome. The commercial made a bold move in referencing George Orwell’s novel â€Å"Nineteen Eighty- Four† which could easily been misinterpreted and ended up scaring the audience with futuristic dystopian themes. Fortunately, the ad was considered as revolutionary, innovative and positively shocking which is a good thing because it made the idea of Apple stick into people’s minds. With Apple imaging itself as the ‘hero’/’saviour’ of the masses against forced conformity, the commercial was a clever way of saying that ‘If you buy a Mac, the awful dystopian future will not take place and instead individuality and self-empowerment will dominate.’ Ever since that commercial, the Mac has glowed with an aura of rebellion and empowerment. One major element on why the ad was so successful was, of course, the remarkable production values. Nobody had ever spent that much money to make a commercial look like a big-budget blockbuster movie. By bringing in the best people in the industry, the execution was astounding especially to the common individual. Steve Job’s vision of stressing the liberating power of the Apple Macintosh and paving the way for individuality was highlighted as the message of the commercial. The advertisement delivered the message of what Apple as a whole stood for and what distinguished it from the multitude of other computer brands in the market. Steve Jobs thought he knew what was special about Apple: they were the underdogs, who’d battled the corporate giants and brought computing power to the masses. The 1984 ad glorified the Information Age into a good vs. evil battle between technologies. They considered the rival PC in the market as bad technology – centralized, authoritarian – which crushes the human freedom and controls peoples’ minds. But we can be liberated from that bad technology by the good technology – independent, individualized – of the Apple Mac. In that instant when â€Å"1984† premiered, it positioned the Apple brand as creative, different and human while re-positioning its competition as staid, status quo and robotic. The commercial ultimately explained Apple’s philosophy and purpose; that people, not just government and big corporations, should run technology. If computers aren’t to take over our lives, they have to be accessible.

Sole Survivor Essays - English-language Films, Survivor, McCunn

Sole Survivor Essays - English-language Films, Survivor, McCunn Sole Survivor This story is called Sole Survivor written by Ruthanne McCunn. It is based on a true story of one man's will to survive. It's an inspiration to all of mankind. This story is about a steward of the ship "S.S. Benlomond" which was torpedoed during the war. Lim was the only survivor. He survived on a wood life raft from the ship. Lim lived 133 days out at sea using his wits and will to keep him alive. Lim was awarded many tributes such as; a watch, the British Empire Medal, the Certificate of Honor, and the first foreign legal citizenship of the United States. Lim still holds to this day the record for the longest survival at sea. I think the author did a great job on this book. The detailing was very good, and very real. For example, "Exhaustion drained Lim's already depleted strength, blurred his vision, and muddied his thinking." (p. 72) This book was well written and well thought out. It was one of the few books I have ever enjoyed. I could really tell the author put a lot of time into this book. This book didn't have very many weaknesses to it but, like all books, it had a few. One thing I didn't like about the book was the constant rambling of his thoughts which made you uninterested in reading any further. For example, "His brothers had been similarly betrothed, and before they left Hainan, their parents had made a wedding for Gee Hin, so there would be a daughter-in-law to take care of the cow, pigs, chickens, and light farm work that the boys would no longer be there to do." (p. 82) I am not a person who likes to read, and if it just drags on about nothing, it fails to hold my attention. I think the author could have put a little more drama into it as well. In conclusion, I think overall this book was good. I would rate it 9-10 points. It was a book I feel fortunate to have read.

Crash Film Essay Example

Crash Film Essay Example Crash Film Essay Crash Film Essay The principal job of any film should be to please its viewers. To what extent do you agree with this view? 1: Engage: Relationship between Christine and Officer Ryan. Not pleasing, in fact very uncomfortable but demonstrates how people affect each other. Craft: Dialogue – Not you – anyone but you†¦ Close ups on Christine’s face when she’s being abused, close ups on John’s face looking angry then the hand held camera, increasing tension, slow motion, canted angle shots, hero shot Evaluate: This relationship is intense and very angry†¦ viewer left unsatisfied as to how we are supposed to feel about him but this is very intelligent on behalf of the director 2: Engage: Officer Hansen, who has been a sympathetic ‘good’ figure shoots a man because of fear. It is not pleasing but reminds us how quick we are to judge. Craft: Two shot of Ryan and Hansen – the dark and the light (juxtaposition of good and evil) sets us up. Dialogue : When you’ve been in the job for as long as I have you’ll look at things differently. Film structure – flash back, starts off with a death but ends in a murder. We expect one of the bad men to have done it. Evaluate: Director does not please us but shows us that there is a fine line between good and evil and that good men do stupid things. 3: Engage: On the other hand, the relationship between Daniel and his daughter is pleasing. It takes what could otherwise be a very bleak movie and gives it a satisfying edge. We like that he loves her so much. Craft: Dialogue: â€Å"your amigo in there is going to sell our keys to one of his homeys† costume, baggy jeans, tattoos. Symbolism – the invisible cape protecting her is symbolic of his hopes and dreams for his daughter and what he will do to protect her. Evaluate: is pleasing because gives us hope. Even though his life is hard the love he has for his daughter and the fact they magically don’t get shot and killed is like the spoonful of sugar that makes the other home truths more palatable. I do not believe that the principal job of a film is to be pleasing to its audience. While there are genres of films that do this, slapstick male bonding fraternity movies, cookie cutter romantic comedies or slasher flicks, not all films are purely for entertainment and some of the best films are confronting, disturbing or thought provoking: definitely not pleasing. Paul Haggis’ â€Å"Crash† sits somewhere between the two. It stirs up emotions and shows us hard truths about ourselves; the good guy doesn’t necessarily win in the end, but there are elements of careful scripting and sweet storylines that keep the audience happy so as not to alienate them from the message the director is trying to show. The most uncomfortable scene in the movie is when Officers Ryan and Hansen pull over the Thayers on their way home from a night out. Ryan, a character who is made out to be a racist, misogynistic man, takes his own personal frustrations out on Christine (a wealthy black woman) by sexually interfering with her on the side of the road in front of her husband and his partner. Neither Christine nor her husband had done anything to deserve this treatment and her husband just stood and watched, feeling impotent and frightened that if he protested he would be arrested. The emotional fallout from this incident, with Christine justifiably feeling like she had been sacrificed for her husband’s safety and __________ carrying the anger of a man who had to stand helpless while his mate was abused, nearly cost them their marriage and started them thinking about what life is really like for black people. THis interaction between John Ryan and Christine becomes even more upsetting during the climactic, central ‘Crash’ scene when Ryan has to save Christine from a car about to explode. She doesn’t want to be touched by him, even to save her life, which shows him how much of an impact he has had on her life. While Ryan does pull her from the car and risk his life to do so, the audience isn’t given a satisfying resolution for their brief relationship. The scene ends with Ryan on his knees is a pose of supplication while Christine is led off for medical attention. There are looks exchanged between the two but no dialogue that gives us closure. We don’t know if she has forgiven him, if he has realised what he has really done and will change his ways, or if she is now determined to press charges. This lack of resolution is not pleasing to a modern audience as we prefer all our lose ends tied up. There was a lot of intervention by the director in order to show this relationship and also to leave it open ended. From their first meeting we were set up to feel sympathetic to Christine and revile Ryan. While this is familiar and therefore largely pleasing to an audience (to hate the bad guy and feel sorry for the poor abused woman) there is a feeling of having the rug pulled out from underneath you when the relationship isn’t resolved. In the abuse scene the lighting is kept dark and the scene is lit largely by streetlights. This gives an appropriately sombre air. The camera tracks Ryan’s hands as he fondles Christines body, a technique that fills most viewers with uncomfortable revulsion. Luckily the camera pulls away from her body as Ryan gets worse but it then closely focuses on her face as she is entered by him. The expression on her face shows anger, hurt, desperation and fear. The camera then cuts to a close up on Ryan’s face. He just looks angry. The juxtaposition between the two gives the audience a feeling of intruding on a private moment, of being a voyeur who doesn’t want to watch but can’t turn away. We just hope it gets better. That horrible feeling of uncomfortable voyeurism returns in the crash scene when Christine realises it is Ryan that is in the car with her and trying to save her. She panics and even though the camera is at a canted angle and handheld, because we are positioned to see her from Ryan’s point of view we can see the terror on her face. The shock is that the terror is over Ryan, not the prospect of dying. The feeling of displeasure intensifies after Christine and Ryan are out of the car and on their way to safety. We are again positioned from Ryan’s point of view as the camera action slows down and we get a lingering shot of Christine’s face as she is leaning on an ambulance officer. She l ooks hurt and confused. To end the scene there is a ‘hero shot’ of Ryan on his knees. The use of this shot is trying to position us to believe that Ryan is redeemed but the lack of verbal discussion leaves the incident unresolved and unfinished. The director leaves us to make up our own minds about Ryan’s guilt or innocence and this is not a pleasurable feeling – it is thought provoking and open to interpretation. This relationship is a very powerful one but it is not pleasing. The director trusts the audience to come to their own conclusion which is very intelligent on his part but does not make for easy viewing. It is this intense but brief snapshots of people’s foibles and the search into their inner workings that make the film worth viewing but it is uncomfortable when our own prejudices are held up for scrutiny. Ryan’s partner, Hansen is set up to be the opposite of Ryan. Not only does he look like the stereotypical hero, with his blonde hair, impressive physique and big blue eyes (compared to Ryan’s darkness) but he is horrified by Ryan’s actions in the scene where Ryan molests Christine. He is clearly disturbed by this and other incidences of racism that he witnesses and goes to his commanding officer to ask for a transfer to another partner. We, the audience feel for Hansen as he is humiliated by the officer and then is forced to say he has a problem with flatulence in order to get rid of Ryan as his partner. At first viewing, the audience is comforted and pleased that there is such a sympathetic character but this is to be torn down later in the film and then when really analysing Hansen’s actions. At the end of the film we are shown Hansen picking up a black man, Peter, while driving home. This appears to be an act of charity. But as the scene goes on a disag reement erupts between Hansen and Peter and Hansen’s racial prejudices can be seen more clearly. It culminates when Hansen tells Peter to get his hands out of his pockets as Hansen suspects Peter has a gun. Peter doesn’t obey quickly enough so Hansen shoots him dead and then dumps his body on the side of the road. The character that we have felt sympathetic towards and viewed as a genuinely good person is actually a murderer who tries to cover up his crime. This is not pleasant for the viewer but it is thought-provoking and uncomfortable. His actions cause us to examine his previous actions and realise that Hansen is at best a week character and at worst is inherently racist himself. The director uses various film techniques to manipulate the viewer and set us up for an unpleasant but revealing surprise because we have misjudged Hansen so seriously. The most obvious of these techniques is the film structure itself. The film actually starts at the end with the discovery of the dead body of Peter. We know that he has been murdered but do not know who did it. The rest of the film is actually a flashback where we are introduced to various characters and then led to the final conclusions about their guilt and innocence. Because we are lulled into a false sense of security about what type of person would be a killer, we never suspect that Hansen could have it in him. He seems to be such an ‘every man’. This use of flashbacks actually shows us that if you scratch the surface anybody could do the unforgivable. The use of two shots also set us up to revere Hansen. In the scene after Hansen has gotten rid of Ryan as a partner they have a brief confrontation. T here is a two shot of Hansen looking virtuous and relieved to be rid of Ryan while Ryan just looks vicious. Ryan says â€Å"Just wait until you’ve been on the job long enough and you’ll start to see things as they really are.† Hansen appears to take the high road and doesn’t reply. This juxtaposes the two characters and leads us to believe that one is right, one is wrong, and that things are black and white. This initial setting up of a dichotomy is pleasant for the viewer as we understand moral absolutes but when we realise that Hansen is actually the worse of the two then any pleasant feelings are destroyed. We are left to examine our own prejudices. Hansen is not the pleasant character that we first believe. After he shoots Peter, in which initially appears to a terrible misjudgement we are then forced to look at his other actions. He didn’t stop Ryan when he was hurting Christine. He didn’t report Ryan for it. He didn’t stand up for other officers when Ryan was racially abusing them behind their backs. Hansen didn’t do anything to really help anyone else – he only asked for a transfer because he didn’t want to work with Ryan. And in the end he was so quick to suspect Peter that he shot him. When all Peter was going to do was show him his St Christopher. Because Hansen is at first viewing a ‘nice’ character when he actually does something terrible the audience has to re-evaluate what ‘nice’ means and to realise that prejudices are not just on the surface of people – some can hide it better than others. It is not pleasant to have to examine our own positio ning and think about whether we would be any stronger than Hansen: especially when we realise the answer is no. On the other hand if I film is all about confrontation then the danger is that any message will get lost. People tire quickly of being preached at and many look at films as a way to escape for a bit. â€Å"Crash† has characters that we do like and want to succeed in order to keep us interested and happy. The relationship between Daniel and his daughter is very pleasing because it is clear that he loves her so much. We all want to be loved unconditionally and yearn for the affection that is so clear between them. This relationship takes what could otherwise be a bleak movie and gives it more of a feelgood factor. Daniel is the one character that most people like all along. While he appears to be a gangster in the beginning it is extremely quickly established that he is not. We can also feel proud of ourselves as an audience for liking him as he is definitely costumed in a way that is threatening to most people. Daniel wears baggy jeans, hoodies and has visible tattoos that most people would assume to be gang tattoos. He looks like a hood. Jean Cabot treats him like a hood after he changes the locks on her doors. She is a rich snob who judges everyone to be lesser than her and within his hearing she says â€Å"your amigo in there is going to sell our keys to one of his homeys† to her husband. Her prejudices are showing but because it is immediately made clear that she misjudges him, we as the audience feel proud that we can see through the costuming. Daniel has moved his daughter away from an area where there are gangs in order to give her the best life possible. When she is still scare d that bullets may get her he tells her about his invisible cloak that will protect her from all harm. He ceremonially takes the invisible cloak off himself puts the cloak on her and tells her that she is now protected. The cloak is a symbol of not just how much he loves her but that he is wrapping her in the love that they share. It holds them together and makes us feel secure and warm ourselves. The only time his warm relationship and our pleased reaction to it is tested is when Farhad goes to shoot Daniel but because his daughter believes she is invulnerable she throws herself in front of her father to protect him. But again we are left feeling pleased because there is no injury to either of them. This reinforces our faith in the idea that harm shouldn’t come to good people. Even though his life is hard the love he has for his daughter and the fact they magically don’t get shot and killed is like the spoonful of sugar that makes the other home truths more palatable. While movies should not focus merely on pleasing their audience it is true that if a film is in no way pleasing then people will not watch it. Our own lives have enough darkness in them that we need some relief along the way and films should be uplifting in some way. But the flip side is also true. There are films purely for mindless entertainment and they certainly have their place in our world, but film is a medium that can reach so many and show us so much. It is a very powerful medium that combines the pictures meaning more than a thousand words and the dialogue and expression that also takes place in real life. I believe that films should have a meaning and a message if we want to progress as a society and any storylines or characters that are pleasing are only there to make the message more palatable.

Analysis of Human Migration

An Analysis of Human Migration Ever since humans learnt to grow crops as a steady source of food humans have migrated In search of conditions better suited to their needs and comforts. Although all of us but the 30-40 million that choose to live the nomadic life have abandoned that lifestyle and moved on to a more civilized modern era, migration still remains an option for those of us seeking to take residence In an alternate region of mother earth. The National Geographic Society [1] defines human migration as The movement of people from one place in the world to another for the purpose of taking up ermanent or semipermanent residence, usually across a political boundary. Migration Inside a landmass or political region Is called Internet migration and outside a physical or political border Is called external migration. For example Inside moving inside the continent of Australia would be internal migration but moving into a different continent overseas would be external migration. There are a variety of causes for migration, but they havent changed much through the years and remain fairly similar to the reasons our ancestors chose to migrate. These reasons can be categorized into two sections; these being push factors and pull factors. Push factors are reasons for leaving a region because of negative properties of the location and Pull factors are reasons for moving into a place because of positive properties of a location. Such factors can further be divided Into Environmental factors like climate, Political Factors Ilke war, Economic factors Ilke work, cultural factors Ilke education and utility factors like geographic location and socioeconomic status. Statistically speaking, the humans are extremely successful as a species. The 7 billionth human was born not long ago and the 10 billionth Is not far away, calculated to be born around the end of the century. The human race Is not only vast, we are also incredibly diverse and this is what defines us as a species. Meaning when we lost a part of our culture we lose a bit of what it means to be human. This brings us to one of the biggest drawbacks of migration, known as Cultural Extinction. Cultural extinction occurs when a family that Is part of a smaller culture migrates and the next generation of the respective family is only exposed to the native language and culture, since culture and tradition is only carried through families, the prospective bearer of this culture is burned out, ending a vein of this precious cultural blood. But our cultural diversity Itself poses a question. How Is It that we as a human race are so diverse in culture, and yet so similar? A research project named The Genographic project Was created by Spencer Wells for the purpose of answering this question and tracing human movement in prehistoric times. Even though the fields of palaeoanthropology and archaeology already enable us to access this Information, the Genographic project uses a newer method that allows us to find out how closely we are related to each other, enabling us to map out a family tree going back millions IOF4

Polymerase chain reaction practical, Genetics Essay

Polymerase chain reaction practical, Genetics - Essay Example Currently, there are hundreds of different types of PCR are being used in different laboratories but the basic principle remains same. The overall process of PCR can be summarized as follows. 1) Mixture of all constituents of PCR like dNTPs, Primers (forward and reverse), Buffer and template DNA will be mixed in desired concentration. 2) The first step is amplification, where the temperature is set at 94C for 2-5 minutes for denaturation of double stranded DNA, a process called initial denaturation, 3) After initial denaturation, sample is kept for 30 sec at 94C for further denaturation, 4) After denaturation temperature is brought down to 55-60C for 30sec to allow annealing of primer with specific DNA site called annealing temperature. 5) The temperature is now brought up to the 72C for polymerase to start new DNA synthesis using primer as starting material. 6) After extension, the cycles are repeated for almost 30 times to get 230 copy of initial DNA template. Finally, after 3 cycl e extension is be performed at 72C for 5 min to complete any unamplified reaction. Figure 1 shows steps involves in PCR. Development of PCR and identification of DNA as signature molecules for individual leads to introduction of DNA based technique for establishment of parental relation and subsequently for crime and criminal detection. Based on DNA sequence of humans it was found that there are many places in entire DNA that are conserved nucleotide repeats and based on size or length of these sequences they are termed as micro and mini satellite (4). It was found that number of repeat in these sequences varies from person to person and inherited from parents to child makes it ideal choice for criminal identification. Later, this process was termed as DNA fingerprinting. Moreover, development of PCR made this technique more powerful and realistic compared to any other technique for criminal identification, since most of the time, the specimen obtained in the crime site is always in less quantity. This small part of body or body fluids like blood, sperm, saliva or even hair is sufficient to isolate DN A and then amplification with PCR make it possible to do different analysis on it. Here the aim of this experiment was to understand fundamental principle and use of polymerase chain reaction and based on that to understand how PCR is used in DNA fingerprinting based crime investigation and criminal identification 2. Methods: 2.1 Buccal DNA extraction: Ten ml, 0.9% saline solution was rubbed vigorously against the cheeks for 10 seconds. The sample (extract from the bucaal cavity) was then transferred into 15 ml centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 2000 g for 10 minutes for the pellet. Thereafter, 500 l of chelex beads were added into the pellet and resuspended with the chelex by pipetting in and out various times such that there are no visible clumps of cells. Five hundred microliter of the aliquot was transferred into 1.5ml microfuge tube and was boiled into a hot block at 100C for 10 mins. The sample was then spin for 30 secs top speed to spin down chelex. Fifty microliter of the fresh supernatant was transferred

Response paper 7, chinese literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response paper 7, chinese literature - Essay Example The first two stanzas describe the stars, weather, skies, and wind with an accepting attitude. The writer knows that weather and the stars cannot be changed, so the narrator accepts the storm or calm weather as a fact of life, looking at the beauty of nature without any complaint. The unknown causes of the universe cannot be understood by the narrator, so acceptance and appreciation is the resulting attitude. After the passive description of the surroundings, the narrator states an old man’s wish to sail away. This stanza is influenced by the Zihuangzi’s thought of a man’s impassive look at life. The old man wishes to sail, but both the narrator and old man understand that is not the old man’s Dao. In return, the narrator’s suffering in the jungle is accepted as the narrator’s Dao. The trip was balanced by the acceptance of good and bad. Throughout this whole poem Zihuangzi’s thought is a main influencing

Contemporary Middle Eastern History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary Middle Eastern History - Essay Example I believe that some of his ideas are a stark reflection of the underlying reality and can offer some insight into present religious/cultural relations. That is, there is actually a tension of sorts between identifiable groups of humanity in the present day. However, Samuel Huntington makes a gross oversimplification of things without an in-depth understanding of the nature of present-day conflicts and the complex characteristics of cultures. So, there is no ‘clash of civilizations’ as such. Significantly, his theory fails to satisfactorily explain the post September 11th world. Samuel Huntington outlines a future where the â€Å"great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural† (Huntington 1993:22) and on this basis divides the world into seven civilizations. I agree with his broad idea of the significance of culture and that this is the basis upon which humankind can be differentiated. But, his differentiation is largely based on religion with some exceptions and the fact that he has ignored Buddhism altogether. Also, he puts Israel together with the West, thereby combining Jews with Christians, which is strange if we look at history. He does correctly identify nation-states as a relatively new phenomenon, and that economic and military power drives conflicts. He is also correct in saying that the concept of a global or universal culture is a relatively recent on originating in the West and that the West considers its own policies as positive for the rest of the world and therefore to be imposed upon it. As far as human rights is concerned this does not hold water because Islam conferred human rights over a thousand years ago, so this is more a reflection of the changed times rather than differences. Also, we could give examples of the not too distant past when for example inter-racial problems were severe, civil and women’s rights was obtained. So, America has no strong foundations

Speech Analysis. First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt Essay

Speech Analysis. First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt - Essay Example Winning his first election campaign and outrunning his opponent Herbert Hoover Roosevelt has given a traditional oath to office after which the famous speech was performed. Above the traditional live audience consisted from something about 15 thousands of people newly president’s speech was heard on the radio by supposedly 10 million people all across the United States of America. It was crafted by Raymond Moley who was Roosevelt’s ally during the New Deal reforms. Speech lasted 20 minutes and itself is one of the best examples of spoken word in the 20th century. The incredible resemblance and significance of this speech depends greatly on the historical circumstances and general situation of the America which was deeply disintegrated and collapsed by The Great Depression. It is a classic example of how the times of historical, political or economic crisis bring the uprising of a strong, powerful and great leader. It was Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, Founding Fathers during the Revolution and it was Franklin Roosevelt, the only president so honorable to rule America for 13 years. Thirteen trouble years during which Mr. Roosevelt has defeated Depression and fought Nazi Third Reich, Fascist Italians and Japanese all for the prosperity of his own compatriots and the freedom of other countries suffering from tyranny and oppression (Coker 35). Being one of the most spectacular and influent presidents and not only a great politician but also a man of justice Mr. Roosevelt also made it worth to give a significant speech which preceded all hi s further noble achievements.

Faisal - finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Faisal - finance - Essay Example Therefore, the most appropriate financial theory that is applicable to the company is the trade-off theory. The company is trying to balance cost and benefits associated with both equity and debt. Source of capital in the company is equity, bonds, bank loans and finance leases among other financial liabilities. Each of the above sources of capital has both advantages and disadvantages. It is possible to compute value of the company by calculating weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and shareholder value. WACC refers to an average rate of interest at which a company is expected to pay all its providers of capital. The seven drivers of shareholder value are growth in sales, operating profit margins, tax rate, working capital growth, fixed capital growth, cost of capital and the period of competitive advantage. The total value as estimated by the shareholder value drivers of the company was â‚ ¬16603.7 million in 2019. When the shareholders drivers are increased by 5 percent the company value of the company will increase to â‚ ¬21,443.61 million. The disadvantages of shareholder value analysis include difficulty in computations, difficulty in implementation, failure to include social needs and possibility of making errors in calculation of shareholder value analysis. ... Capital structure According to Taylor and Sansone (2007), capital structure is determined by the composition of target collateral pool, investment flexibility, condition existing in the market for the collateral, weighted average cost debt capital and the desired ratings of the bonds in the capital structure. Capital structure can be analysed by comparing company’s debts and equity used to purchase company’s assets. The capital structure of TUI AG is defined by shareholders funds, various categories of corporate bonds, finance lease as well as bank loans. To understand the theory behind the capital structure, it is important to explain the various sources of finance and the impact on the company. Leverage ratio of TUI AG is 62 percent (figure 3: in the appendixes). This indicates that 62 percent of the total assets were funded through debt. Table 3- Sources and Amount of capital of TUI AG for 2010 Source of capital Amount in million â‚ ¬ Equity 2434.2 Bonds 3038.3 Ba nk loans 1001.5 Finance leases and other financial liabilities 472.1 Source: TUI AG 20104; CIA 2011; TUI AG (20106) Finance theory There are a number of theories that have been used to discuss capital structure in companies. There are Modigliani-Miller theorem of capital structure (capital structure irrelevance), the pecking Order Theory and Trade-off theory of Capital Structure. Modigliani-Miller theorem of capital structure states that in absence of bankruptcy, transaction costs and taxes in an efficient market and asymmetric information, the value of the company is not affected by how it is financed. This theory is not applicable at this time because there are taxes. There are tax benefits because the value of the firm is decided after tax has been deducted. Table 1;

Contemporary Middle Eastern History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary Middle Eastern History - Essay Example I believe that some of his ideas are a stark reflection of the underlying reality and can offer some insight into present religious/cultural relations. That is, there is actually a tension of sorts between identifiable groups of humanity in the present day. However, Samuel Huntington makes a gross oversimplification of things without an in-depth understanding of the nature of present-day conflicts and the complex characteristics of cultures. So, there is no ‘clash of civilizations’ as such. Significantly, his theory fails to satisfactorily explain the post September 11th world. Samuel Huntington outlines a future where the â€Å"great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural† (Huntington 1993:22) and on this basis divides the world into seven civilizations. I agree with his broad idea of the significance of culture and that this is the basis upon which humankind can be differentiated. But, his differentiation is largely based on religion with some exceptions and the fact that he has ignored Buddhism altogether. Also, he puts Israel together with the West, thereby combining Jews with Christians, which is strange if we look at history. He does correctly identify nation-states as a relatively new phenomenon, and that economic and military power drives conflicts. He is also correct in saying that the concept of a global or universal culture is a relatively recent on originating in the West and that the West considers its own policies as positive for the rest of the world and therefore to be imposed upon it. As far as human rights is concerned this does not hold water because Islam conferred human rights over a thousand years ago, so this is more a reflection of the changed times rather than differences. Also, we could give examples of the not too distant past when for example inter-racial problems were severe, civil and women’s rights was obtained. So, America has no strong foundations

Faisal - finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Faisal - finance - Essay Example Therefore, the most appropriate financial theory that is applicable to the company is the trade-off theory. The company is trying to balance cost and benefits associated with both equity and debt. Source of capital in the company is equity, bonds, bank loans and finance leases among other financial liabilities. Each of the above sources of capital has both advantages and disadvantages. It is possible to compute value of the company by calculating weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and shareholder value. WACC refers to an average rate of interest at which a company is expected to pay all its providers of capital. The seven drivers of shareholder value are growth in sales, operating profit margins, tax rate, working capital growth, fixed capital growth, cost of capital and the period of competitive advantage. The total value as estimated by the shareholder value drivers of the company was â‚ ¬16603.7 million in 2019. When the shareholders drivers are increased by 5 percent the company value of the company will increase to â‚ ¬21,443.61 million. The disadvantages of shareholder value analysis include difficulty in computations, difficulty in implementation, failure to include social needs and possibility of making errors in calculation of shareholder value analysis. ... Capital structure According to Taylor and Sansone (2007), capital structure is determined by the composition of target collateral pool, investment flexibility, condition existing in the market for the collateral, weighted average cost debt capital and the desired ratings of the bonds in the capital structure. Capital structure can be analysed by comparing company’s debts and equity used to purchase company’s assets. The capital structure of TUI AG is defined by shareholders funds, various categories of corporate bonds, finance lease as well as bank loans. To understand the theory behind the capital structure, it is important to explain the various sources of finance and the impact on the company. Leverage ratio of TUI AG is 62 percent (figure 3: in the appendixes). This indicates that 62 percent of the total assets were funded through debt. Table 3- Sources and Amount of capital of TUI AG for 2010 Source of capital Amount in million â‚ ¬ Equity 2434.2 Bonds 3038.3 Ba nk loans 1001.5 Finance leases and other financial liabilities 472.1 Source: TUI AG 20104; CIA 2011; TUI AG (20106) Finance theory There are a number of theories that have been used to discuss capital structure in companies. There are Modigliani-Miller theorem of capital structure (capital structure irrelevance), the pecking Order Theory and Trade-off theory of Capital Structure. Modigliani-Miller theorem of capital structure states that in absence of bankruptcy, transaction costs and taxes in an efficient market and asymmetric information, the value of the company is not affected by how it is financed. This theory is not applicable at this time because there are taxes. There are tax benefits because the value of the firm is decided after tax has been deducted. Table 1;

Tobacco Prevention Essay Example for Free

Tobacco Prevention Essay Tobacco Alcohol (or any other) i) Using interventions for reducing tobacco use among the users ii) Carrying out smoking bans iii) Taking measures to reduce intake by minorities iv) Using provider reminder systems that govern the providers of these products about the implications to the users v) Using school based methods of interventions to educate the effects of tobacco to students. vi) Using community based task force to help educate influence of tobacco to the people vii) Increasing campaigns towards cessation of tobacco use i) Using interventions for reducing alcohol use among the users ii) May not necessarily need bans on its use iii) Measures to reduce the alcoholism by minorities is highly necessary iv) Reminder use systems may not necessarily be important though can be used. v) School based methods of interventions may be highly recommendable. vi) Community based task force may be of necessity in preventing alcoholism vii) Cessation campaigns may be of necessity. (1) Distinguishing methods of preventing tobacco form that of alcoholism or any other behavior. 2) Tobacco use policies The policies to prevent tobacco use should virtually be constituted at all dimensions that run from local campus and state policies. Local policies are those that should be aimed at controlling and preventing the general use of tobacco within the local society. This could be through the application of cordial measures and policies that are aimed at articulating and monitoring the use of tobacco within the society. Campus policies should be instituted aimed at regulating and monitoring the levels of tobacco use within the campus boundaries. Such policies will therefore help to reduce the proficiency of tobacco taking among campus students. The state policies are the overall counter measures and policies that regulate the overall use of this product. It should define the requirements, penalties, regulations and relations between smokers and the rest of the state structures (Robert, 1999) 3) Three major policies on tobacco taking Controls on advertisement Increasing campaigns on cessation Introductions of smoking bans Aimed at reducing the motivating impact to its consumers. Can be achieved through increased cots and regulations on advertisement Manufacturers entitled to indicate a risk warning on their adverts. Social programs aimed at reducing the use of tobacco Smokers are given awareness of the impact of smoking Aim to govern interventions for both current and future smokers. Penalties aimed at reducing smoking May be imposed to the providers, manufactures or the smokers. Culprits are made to pay penalties and charges for their break of legal regulations 4) Tobacco developmental programs Various developmental programs can be instituted on tobacco use. Firstly, adequate information about the dangers of tobacco should be developed by all participants. Elsewhere, controls that govern to reduce the level of supplies to ensure the lowest levels of supplies should be instituted. This could be through governmental regulations that may posit regulatory framework about the levels of tobacco supplies by the manufacturers and the providers. Additionally, controls on advertisements that reduced extravagance in such adverts should be developed. Controls on advertisement would be important in reducing the levels of motivations in use of tobacco by the consumers (Robert, 1999) Reference Robert, T (1999) Prevention and Societal Impact of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. London, Routledge

Social Effects Of The Industrial Revolution

Social Effects Of The Industrial Revolution Industrial means using machines to produce. Revolution means changing things upside down. (Hepplewhite and Campbell,2002) The Industrial Revolution brought about the systems of production and the production way had changed from home-based hand manufacturing to large-scale factory. It was took place in England in the late 18th century. It is a production and technological revolution. The invention of machinery and application as a symbol of this era. The great turning points in human history may be the British Industrial Revolution (Holmes, 2000). The technological change the kinds of different creation of new knowledge (Mokyr, 1999). In the eighteenth century people who lived in Britain earning by work on the land. The conditions of life and labour had changed in small difference of configuration, sub-soil and climate. Some earlier inventions failed because of incomplete ideas, other better materials were not to hand because of lack of skill on workers (Ashton, 1961). In the middle o f the 18th century, the British bourgeois revolutionaries overthrew the British feudal autocracy. The constitutional monarchy system was established. The Britain became the first country which the bourgeoisie dominated the nation in the world. As a result, the prerequisite of Industrial Revolution was promoted during this time. This report will describe the causes of the Industrial Revolution and effects on social life during the Industrial Revolution. It will be divided into three parts. Firstly, analysis the cause of the Industrial Revolution. Secondly, outline the effects of Industrial Revolution on social. Thirdly, the inventions during the Industrial Revolution will be evaluated. 2. Analysis the Cause of Industrial Revolution The population increased in the 18th century (Oakland, 2006). The people had to look for more food and goods. The agricultural economy had changed into industrial country. People had to find new ways to increase production. Therefore, the people who came from the countries were looking for the jobs in city factories. Some of the villages fields had became into the manufacturing centres (Oakland, 2006). The new inventions New machines were invented during that time. The production of farms and factories ways had changed. So the production was increased more quickly than before (Hepplewhite and Campbell, 2002). For example, the spinning jenny which was invented by James Hargreaves could spin 120 threads at one time (Hepplewhite and Campbell, 2002). And James Watt invented the steam engine using it to create new form of powering. The new inventions changed the production ways and many inventions from this period are still used in modern society. The colonies overseas and labour The overseas colonies were set up by the Europeans and the cheap labour could get easily from the colonies. This increased the speed of the production and they could sell more goods. They could also get cheaper raw materials from the colonies to produce cheaper goods (Mokyr, 1999). Many factory workers were children. The supervisors were treated them badly and they had to worked for long time everyday. The children were young and they had earned few pence to afford food. The labour had suffered the worse living condition during that time. The capitalists expand their business In order to earn much money, the capitalists had to expand their business and produce more goods. They needed to find a quicker way to produce more goods. The capitalists who played important roles and helped the Industrial Revolution grow speedy. They became one of the most powerful forces in Britain, squeezing more surplus value out of the labour (Yale, 2010). The feudalism and monopoly were ended The Europe feudalism and the monopoly of the upper classes were ended. People could have opportunity to involving in more trades. The reason why they need of goods increased was that they had to earn much money and more goods. They wanted the factories to produce goods faster so that they could get more goods.( Mokyr, 1999) 3. The Industrial Revolution Effects on the Social Advantages 3.1.1 The capitalism The capitalism possibly was grown by the technology change (Science Encyclopaedia, 2010). Before the Industrial Revolution, the people who lived in Britain might suffer from the worse quality of living conditions. The industrialist affected the decline of the traditional handicraft. Some scientists had come up with mind and invented several new productions. Owing to the new inventions, the facilities of production were improved. The factories used the latest facilities to produce and benefited from the technology changed. The system of manufacturing promoted the capitalism built up during the Industrial Revolution (Freeman, 2010). 3.1.2 Social structure The nations social structure was changed during the revolution (Science Encyclopaedia, 2010). Before the Revolution the majority of the people lived in small villages, working in agriculture or workshops. Their hands were treated as working tools in that time. In fact, about three quarters of Britains population lived in the countryside, and the predominant occupation was farming (Foster, 1979).However, during the industrial revolution there were many people worked at the new factories. These have to move to towns and cities in order to be close to their new jobs. It also meant that they worked for a long time but got the less money from the industrialists. As the 75% of early workers were women and children, they had to send out to work (Stearns, 1991). Most classes ultimately benefited from the huge proceeds that were being made, and most workers were got better wages by 1820. 3.1.3 The new mode of production and technology The advanced mode of production and technology had spread all over the world, the old system and ideas were impacted. Factory owners controlled the means of production rapidly became rich. The new technologies inspired the economic growth. As a result, the goods produced and a demand for raw materials which through Europe increased during the 19th century (Haberman). Some of these European countries led nations to look for colonies abroad in which to trade and produce goods. Many of these countries around the world accepted the industrial ideas, the new mode of production and technology were used gradually in the rest of the world. Disadvantages 3.2.1 Pollution With the development of the industrialization and urbanization, both of the developed and the developing countries started to exploit the natural resources. For example, in the energy field, the coal, oil and gas are both to support the factories and run their transport system. The coal as the main source of energy in the factories at the time used. In order to run the machines, the workers should make the coal burnt to heat the water which could power the steam engines. Large amounts of carbon particles were released into the atmosphere (Oracle). Water pollution was another prime problem during the time of the revolution. The factories dumped the toxic industrial refuse into the rivers thereby contaminating the water system. The industrial revolution had been beneficial to the economy, raising standards of life style and producing new goods. But it had also brought about some problems in the ecological system of earth (Oracle). 3.2.2 Overpopulation Population, its growth, stability or decline, and its relationship to economic growth (Hartwell, 1971). Because of the Industrial Revolution, many factories employed the labour to work and the people who lived in the countries wanted to move to the city for jobs. Due to the Industrial Revolution, the population growth in eighteenth century and probably increased 75 per cent over the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Hartwell, 1971). 3.2.3 The poor sanitary condition Approximately 50% of infants were died before the age of two during the early Industrial Revolution (Stearns, 1991). Their working hours were longer. The working hours usually from six in the morning until eight-thirty in the evening. A six-day week was not uncommon. Work places were often poorly ventilated, over-crowded, and replete with safety hazards. Men, women, and children were employed at survival wages in dangerous and unhealthy environments. The Miserable working condition and the different kinds of pollution affected the peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s health (Foster, 1979). The Important Inventions during the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was created some significant scientific inventions which were led to the mechanization of the textile industry, improved railway networks and improvement of iron making techniques. There are some inventions still used in modern times (Holmes, 2000). 4.1 Spinning Jenny James Hargreavesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Spinning Jenny in 1766. The first machines could only spin 8 threads but were soon improved to spin 100 threads (Hepplewhite and Campbell, 2002). These machines were so small that working in the cottages and rapidly increased production. It is an important invention in the industrialization of the textile industry. 4.2 Water Frame Richard Arkwrightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s water frame was a successful inventor. The water frame was bought by owners all over Britain (Hepplewhite and Campbell, 2002). The Water frame was a large wheel and it was turned by running water. This was made the machinery work in factories. This invention led to the building of a number of factories and is regarded as the promotion of the Industrial Revolutionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s development. 4.3 The Steam Engine In spite of the first steam engine was developed over fifty years before the industrial revolution, the Industrial Revolution had made a massive impact on improvements and revisions. James Watts development of the steam engine led to a great number of further developments. the new form of powering a machine could be used anywhere to create energy (Hepplewhite and Campbell, 2002). Conclusion To sum up, the Industrial Revolution was a real revolution. It had consolidated the dominant position of bourgeois. The Industrial Revolution changed the life of people and the way people lived for a long time. During the Industrial Revolution many people thought there were several negative effects but there were actually some positive effects in the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, technology had spread all over the world and ideas had changed. Industrial Revolution was an outburst of new inventions in Britain and in other parts of the world. Many inventions from this period are still used today. During this time scientists and inventors changed the way humans thought, lived, and worked. It provided a better opportunity to express the opinions for someone who had new ideas. Because of the breakthroughs in science and manufacturing, a portion of society was able to grow healthier and wealthier. On the other hand, the new industrialization made the majority of society might pay the price. The successes of the technological changes were so profound internationally. So the Britain became the worlds leading power, as a result of the Industrial Revolution, for more than a century. The Industrial Revolution has a historic significance in these hundreds years. The people who lived in the developed countries but also the developed countries are benefited from the revolution. It is a meaningful revolution for Britain but as well in all over the world.

the kill artist :: essays research papers

Modern Middle East As the Middle East peace negotiations putter along, Daniel Silva's fictional book, The Kill Artist, could not be timelier. The story is a country-hopping cat-and-mouse game between two master assassins, one Palestinian, one Israeli. The story begins with the assassination of an Israeli ambassador in Paris, pulled off by Tariq, a master Palestinian assassin. Rumors of Tariq's plans to disrupt the ongoing peace talks reach Ari Shamron, head of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. To find and kill Tariq, Shamron calls on ex-agent Gabriel Allon. The story mixes real people and places with fictional characters, providing an authentic feel for the storyline. The main theme is that a retired Israeli deep cover agent is brought out of retirement to face an old terrorist enemy. We learn that Allon was once one of the Mossad's most skilled assassins, tracking down and dispatching terrorist enemies of Israel. But the cost was horrendous. After his wife and child became two of Tariq's targets, he thrust himself into seclusion. Now that he is called back, he along with a female partner masquerading as a model, attempt to destroy the network of terror created by Tariq. More and more people are drawn into the action as time goes on including the American CIA and international businessmen. The terrorist Tariq always seems to be one step ahead of his opponents as they are bested time and time again. The scene changes from country to country as the two groups battle in an international arena, and we finally discover the true purpose of Ta riq's mission as the story arrives at its conclusion. Prior to becoming an author, Silva was a CNN executive producer and journalist who covered the Middle East. The background those experiences gave him only intensify the story, making for a convincing read. Silva's time as a journalist and CNN executive producer, covering everything from Washington politics to Middle East conflicts, is evidenced in The Kill Artist. Details gleaned from his research into the inner workings of the PLO and the cutthroat world of international art brings settings and characters alive, as each comes up against the complications of romance in the rich, and the murky underworld of the spy Although I liked the flow of action in this novel, a large number of superfluous characters are introduced in the first part of the book that never get fully fleshed out. Some of the characters more integral to the story also seemed a little shallow in their presentation.

Airplane Safety Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main purpose of the article, Airspace Blunders, is to identify the leading causes for airspace incursions, more commonly known as near-midair collisions, and to provide alternative courses of action to prevent them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to 9/11, the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reported 10 clearly defined categories of causes; Unfamiliarity, Complex airspace, Overlying airspace, High workloads, Trusting technology too much, Confusion over landmarks, Problems getting clearances, Cutting it too Close, and finally, â€Å"I didn’t realize†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of the causes identified, one was pilots being unfamiliar with the airspace boundaries, not being able to pick out local landmarks based on a section chart, understanding urban settings, strict noise abatement procedures and identifying different airspace classes. When you add in rapid-fire communications, high traffic flows and the complexity of a new patch of airspace, the challenges become much greater. The article suggests pilots being better prepared may mitigate these obstacles. This entails making sure the charts have proper scaling to signify key landmarks. These charts must then be studied. Prior to the flight, pilots were recommended to contact local pilots and flight instructors to obtain a sound understanding on normal clearances and potential problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When flying in complex airspace, the potential for flying into restricted airspace increases. Filing IFR for flight operations is an easier and safer option.   Ã‚  ...

Improvement of the Road Safety

A car accident is part of a list of problems on the road. Car accidents can happen to drivers anytime, anywhere, and even with those who are careful. This essay will deal with the road safety problem. I will discuss about main causes of the car accidents, and possible solutions for this problem. Now let’s look at the problem more closely. Every year the number of car accidents increase, due to increasing the number of cars on the road. Preston, 2007) The main causes of the car accidents are driver distractions, drunken drivers, driver fatigue, using cellular phones while driving, speeding, aggressive driving, mechanical failure, road conditions and weather. (Morris, n/d) (Unknown 1, 2005)Usually the most affected in car accident is driver, but passengers and pedestrians also are affected by the road accident. Brown, 2007) In general, about 1. 2 million people die due to car accidents each year nationwide andOne of the possible solutions of this problem could be car safety, whi ch include active and passive safety. Active safety means that this system helps driver to avoid an accident. Passive safety serves to save alive for driver, passengers in case of accident. Unknown 2, n/d) Nowadays some of the active and passive safety features already installed in majority of cars for example such systems as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which helps to stop car more effective and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) which stabilize a car on the road by correcting oversteering or understeering, improving traction on slippery or icy roads. (Unknown 2, n/d) There are such systems as proximity monitors which shows how close is your car to the vehicle ahead and drifting monitors which alert driver when car drifts.

Are we True Muslims of Allah Essay

Today I am going to discuss whether we are true servants of Allah. Many of us say that we are Allah’s servants but do are actions really confirm it. There are three ways in which we can check if we really are the true servants of Allah. First we must know that he is our master and we are his slaves and we are entirely devoted to him. Secondly, we should only do those actions which will earn his pleasure and stay from the actions which will make him angry. Third, we must know that all our possessions belong to Allah and therefore we should us it as he has commended. Coming back to the first point that we are his slaves and he is our master we must realize that as his slaves we must always submit 100% to the will of Allah. There is a story recorded in history in which a very well mannered and understanding slave saw that his master was very worried. The slave asked his master why he was so sad. The master responded that he had a high debt but no money to pay them off. The slaves suggested that he should be sold in the market and use the money pay off the debts. The master refused because his debts were so high that even if he were to sell the slave it would not be enough to cover his debts. So the slave said to set the price at the amount of the debts and if anyone asks questions regarding the high price then to just tell them that this slave knows the rules relating to servitude and being a slave very well. So the master went to the market and was trying to sell the slave at the price that his debts were. When people saw the price of the slave they just laughed and who can really blame them. I mean who would want to buy a slave that’s really expensive when you can get one that s 10 times cheaper. After a little while a man came and asked the reason for the high selling price. To this the master responded that this slave knows the rules to servitude very well. The man decided to purchase him on the condition that if this was not true he would want a refund for the slave. Now the new master took the slave home and in order to see if this slave really knew the rules to servitude was true or not, the new master gave an order to whip this poor slave. In response to the torture, the slave did not cry or scream – nor did he even ask the reason for the beatings! After some time, the man asked the slave, Do you not feel any pain? and If you do, then why don’t you say anything. To this the slave said, I am the slave and you are the master and it is not appropriate that a slave questions his master – rather, he should agree 100% with whatever his master commands. If you grant me some blessings  then I will submit to you and if you punish me, still I will submit to you. Now although in this story the whipping is completely not justified its shows that we must all be like this poor slave. Like the slave said when he was getting whipped if you grant me blessings then I will submit to you and if you punish me I will still submit to you. For us this means that if something good happens in our life than we should thank Allah and if something bad happens to us or to those that we love then we should not blame Allah. We must accept that Allah knows best and keep on thanking him for what good he has brought in our lives and be patience with any hardship that we face. One who does not understand the secret behind being the slave of Allah would fall into the quranic verse of Sura Marij ayats 19-21 which mean Surely man is created of hasty temperament Being greatly grieved when evil afflicts him And stingy when good befalls him These ayahs basically just mean that when something good happens we thank Allah but when something bad happens we get upset at Allah. Also in the quran in sura sad ayats 82-83 shaytan is telling Allah Then by Your Might, I will certainly make them all live an evil life, except Your servants from amongst them, the ones whom You have purified (of sin).. Now if were not counted as the servants of Allah then unfortunately we are in shaytans side. And like the ayah said that the ones who are not the servants of Allah will live an evil life. The second point is that we must remember that Allah can be both angry and pleased with us. Therefore, we must always be careful to do only those acts  which will gain the pleasure of Allah and stay away from those things which will anger him. Ayatollah Khomeini used to emphasize the fact that there is no such thing as a minor sin – rather all sins are major – of course they are on different levels. However, one must keep In mind that we are displeasing and sinning against him, not that we feel that a certain sin is unimportant or small. Any kind of sin will displease Allah and therefore will displease the prophet and the imams. In a narration we read that Allah has said, Do not think that if you do 1 sin its no big deal because it may be for that 1 sin that Allah removes his protection on you. And also do not think that if you do a good dead it’s also not really a big deal because that one good dead may be the dead that makes Allah protect you. The third point to remember as part of being true servants to Allah is that we must realize everything belongs to Allah, whether it is our wealth, children, intellect or anything else. If one accepts this fact, then it is very easy for us to give our time, wealth, or anything else for the cause of Allah. As an example, if someone gives you one hundred dollars to distribute among the poor, we would see how easy it is for us to give out this wealth since the money was not ours. If we think about it whatever money we have is not really ours. rather, it is a trust that Allah has given to us that must be spent in His way how He has commanded it to be used. We must realize that everything we have is from Allah. Therefore, in conclusion, in order to be considered as true servants of Allah, we must be very careful of the three things 1. We must know and remember at all times that we are His slaves and He is our Master, and so we must submit entirely to Him. 2. We must perform only those acts which will earn His pleasure and stay from those things that will make him angry. 3. And finally we must know that whatever we have is really His property and it should be spent or used as He has commanded us.

All that you need to know about Colloidal System

All that you need to know about Colloidal System A hetrogenius mixture in which solute particles are larger than molucules or ions but cannot be seen by naked eye is called colloidal solution. (Also, called colloidal dispersion, colloidal suspension.) An intimate mixture of two substances, one of which, called the dispersed phase (or colloid), is uniformly distributed in a finely divided state through the second substance, called the dispersion medium (or dispersing medium). The dispersion medium may be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and the dispersed phase may also be any of these, with the exception of one gas in another. A system of liquid or solid particlescolloidally dispersed in a gas is called an aerosol. A system of solid substance or water-insoluble liquid colloidally dispersed in liquid water is called a hydrosol. There is no sharp line of demarcation between true solutions and colloidal systems or between mere suspensions and colloidal systems. When the particles of the dispersed phase are smaller than about 10-3 ÃŽ ¼m in diameter, the system begins to assume the properties of a true solution; when the particles dispersed are much greater than 1 ÃŽ ¼m, separation of the dispersed phase from the dispersing medium becomes so rapid that the system is best regarded as a suspension. According to the latter criterion, natural clouds in the atmosphere should not be termed aerosols; however, since many cloud forms apparently exhibit characteristics of tr ue colloidal suspensions, this strict physico-chemical definition is often disregarded for purposes of convenient and helpful analogy. Condensation nuclei and many artificial smokes may be regarded as aerosols. The dispersion medium may be a gas, a liquid, or a solid. Smoke is composed of a solid dispersed in gas. Milk is a liquid dispersed in liquid. Pumic stone is a gas dispersed in solids. There are two forms of colloidal syatems. 1. Sol: A system composed of non-viscous colloidal solution is called sol. For example, milk. 2. Gel: A system composed of viscous colloidal solution is called gel. For example butter. The colloidal system can be classified into two general classes on the basis of their affinty for liquids:  · Lyophilic System: The system in which dispersed phase and liquid dispersion medium attaract each other is called lyophilic system.  · Lyophobic System: The system in which the dispersed phase and liquid dispersion phase repel each other is called lyophobic system. Types of Colloidal Dispersions Dispersed phase and dispersion medium can be solid, liquid or gas. Depending upon the state of dispersed phase and dispersion medium, eight different types of colloidal dispersions can exist. Eight Different Types of Colloidal Dispersions are: Foam Solid foam Liquid Aerosol Emulsions Gels Solid Aerosol Sol (Colloidal suspension) Solid sol (Solid suspension) It is important to note that when one gas is mixed with another gas, a homogeneous mixture is formed i.e. gases are completely miscible into each other. Colloidal dispersions are heterogeneous in nature and gas dispersed in another gaseous medium does not form colloidal system. When the dispersion medium is gas, the solution is called Aerosol and when the dispersion medium is liquid, the colloidal dispersion is known as Sol. Sols can further be classified into different types depending upon the liquid used.  · Properties of Colloidal System The colloidal system shows following properties. Adsorption: The tendency of molecules and ions to adhere to the surface of certain solids or liquids is called adsorption. Colloidal particles show a high tendency of adsorption. Thus, colloidal syatem provide a large surface area of adsorption of molecules and ions. Brownian Movements: Robert Brown in1927 observed that colloidal particles show random dancing movements. These movements were named Brownian movements. Tyndall Effect: The colloidal partcles scatter light. Ths is called Tyndall Effect. The path of light appears as a cone. It is known as Tyndall cone. This property helps to detect the presence of colloidal partcles. Precipitation: The additions of an electrolytr remove the electrical double layer present around the colloidal particles. As a result, the dispersed particles of a colloidal suspension will aggregate and precipitate. Electrical Properties: All colloidal particles carry same electric charge. This charge may be positive or negative. There is a adsorption of free ions in the dispersion medium. It produces an eletrical double layer around the colloidal particles. The electric charges on the colloidal particles stablize the colloidal system. Filtration: The colloidal particles cannot pass through a parchment membrance. This property of colloidal dispersions is used to separate them from true solution by a process called dialysis. Phase Reversal: The sol and gel form of colloidal system can be interchanged due to change in certain conditions. Certain lyophilic sols form gel undre certain conditions. For example, aqueous agar sols are cooled. It forms a jelly—like gel. The conversion of a sol to a gel is called gelation. If a gel of gelation or agar is heated, it will convert back to a sol. This process is known as solution. The property of colloidal dispersions is called phase reversal. 8. Surface Charge The most important characteristic of colloidal systems is surface charge on the particles. Keep in mind that a â€Å"particle† is a group of bonded atoms or molecules. Charged particles repel each other, overcoming the tendency to aggregate (the attraction force) and remaining dispersed. Particle size plays a major role in the capacity to bear a charge, and the colloidal size range is set by this capacity. In manufactured systems, the charge can be greatly increased over what might occur natu rally. Within the range, the smaller the particle, the greater the surface and the greater the charge that can be applied in manufacture. Only heterogeneous, highly dispersed colloidal systems, containing the smallest possible particles, have a well-developed surface area. Given a constant voltage applied to the system, particle charge is not automatically increased as the substance is made finer, but total charge in the system will increase. Already coarse particles will tend to fall out even if they have received an electrical charge like the smaller particles, because gravity will have a greater influence than the electrical forces which maintain the dispersion. Metallic particles have a great affinity for each other at the atomic level. They are magnetically attracted to each other and want to bond. But the magnetism of metals does not create an added difficulty of attraction against maintaining a colloidal system because of the superior capacity of metals to hold a charge. Given a constant particle size, the higher the concentration in a solution, the more likely the attraction force will overcome the repelling charge, creating larger masses. At some point, the mass will precipitate out due to gravitation. At lesser concentrations, the attraction force is insufficient for precipitative particle bonding, and groups are light enough that gravitation will not pull them out of solution. This is an ideal colloidal system. Biological Significance of Colloidal Systems 33333333333 Manufacturing Colloids and Systems At least five methods were used to manufacture colloids before 1938, including: (1) Grind, (2) Wave, (3) Liquid, (4) Chemical, (5) Electrical. For medical or health purposes, the FDA now allows both the grind and electrical manufacturing techniques to be used. Of these two methods, however, the electro-colloidal process is generally considered to be far superior. (The chemical method, described below, is restricted to industrial or commercial applications.) With the grind method, the inorganic or organic particles are usually no finer than four one-hundred-thousandths of an inch, or about one micron, which is outside the upper end of the ideal size range by a factor of 10. Such particles may or may not be electrically charged. Even if a charge is present, the size of the particles may be great enough that the repelling forces are unable to overcome the pull of gravity. Thus, particles will tend to settle to the bottom of the solution, and much of the effectiveness of the colloidal sy stem will be lost. While some sols owe their stability to particle size, charge and high dispersion, others employ a mechanical stabilizer added to the medium. Such stabilizers include gelatin, glycoproteins, and starch, among other things, which increase solution viscosity and cause the particles to settle much more slowly. The downside to this is that stabilizers tend to block the effects of the colloids, and the particles will still eventually settle if the solution is allowed to stand long enough. If the inorganic or organic particles are within the size range of 1 to 100 nm and are uniformly charged, no stabilizer is required to maintain suspension indefinitely in deionized water, as long as no disruptive influence intrudes. Thus, the integrity and power of a colloidal system is a factor of the interplay among size, charge, concentration, and interaction between particle and medium. It should be mentioned that shape is also a factor. In recent years, the chemical process has been widely employed to replace the inferior grind method, because it provides a convenient shortcut to the more difficult electro- colloidal process. But it also has drawbacks, one of which is the difficulty in getting the chemicals (acids) back out of the colloidal solution. Consequently, traces of the chemicals are frequently left in solution, which can cause unwanted effects, especially in nutritional/medical applications. After studying the health benefits of various forms of colloidal silver, Dr. Leonard Keene Hirschberg, A.M.M.D. (Johns Hopkins) concluded, â€Å"There are two principal ways of producing metallic colloids, viz., chemical and physical (electrical). The two methods yield widely different results, and from a therapeutic point of view I need only deal with the electric colloid metals, since only these present the necessary homogeneity, minuteness of granules, purity, and stability.† A simple illustration will suggest the immense power potential of a colloidal system. The total surface of a one-inch cube of iron is six square inches. By colloidal chemistry, the cube can be divided into particles having a total surface area in the range of 800,000,000 square inches, all expressing electrical energy. The total surface area of the particles in a quarter teaspoon is greater than that of a football field. The Ultimate Colloid The highest quality colloidal systems are produced by the electro-colloidal method, meaning the inorganic or organic particles and (usually) water have been completely â€Å"colloided.† This is simultaneous dispersion and bonding by a current sent through the combination. This is the only method that will create a true colloidal system by manufacture. Products that are simple mixtures of metal and liquid cannot possess nearly the potential of electrocolloids, and are therefore of questionable value. The proper electrical process allows inorganic or organic particles that are well within the colloidal size range to be drawn off an ingot. Animated by Brownian movement, they are able to remain in suspension in a liquid medium almost indefinitely. (Because many nutrients are best transported through the body in water, the best medium to use for ingested nutritional products is pure, de-ionized water.) All other things being equal, the number of particles varies inversely according to the cube of the size change, so if size is reduced 50 percent, overall number is multiplied by eight. This is a mathematical proof, and is determined by actual count using an electron microscope and by atomic absorption. Obviously, ideal size is element dependent. Size is controlled by frequency, amperage and micro-meshes, among other things. The ultimate colloidal sol contains ultra-fine and ultra-light particles in the range of 0.015-0.005 microns in diameter, and they will remain suspended in de-ionized water without need of any other ingredient. There is no visible accumulation of inorganic or organic particles either in the solution or settled on the bottom. Products that show visible particles in the solution or at the bottom of the container indicate that the particles are either too large or have not received the proper electrical charge. The metallic particles in a sol may vary in concentration, but more is not necessarily better, unless we have correspondingly smaller particles. In fact, the reverse is usually true- less is better, and in essence, less is more, functionally speaking, because as noted earlier, the higher the concentration in a solution, the more likely the attraction force will overcome the repelling charge. But even before this happens, effectiveness is reduced. The highest quality colloid will have a certain maximum number of particles. They will be of the minimum possible size, and ideally no more than a â€Å"handful† of atoms hooked together per molecule of water utilized, and in a negatively charged state. This will prevent further aggregation at that size.