Formal Report Essay

Electronics about Building a Website for the Company Proposal to build a website for S-N-F Electronics to increase sales and saving money with-in the company. S-N-F Electronics TITLE Team E: Keith Henningsen Heather Mapes Tyler Nooney 14 April 2013 Memo of Transmittal for Research Report Transmittal Correspondence TITLE TO:Management of S-N-F Electronics FROM: Team E (Keith Henningsen, Heather Mapes, and Tyler Nooney. ) DATE:April 14th 2013 SUBJECT: Transmittal for research on establishing a website This is a follow up to see how our first proposal sent on 17 March 2013 . The company still feels that it is extremely important to have a website in order for our revenue to increase, also to keep our clients happy. Customers in this day and age are all about speed†¦ the faster and easier it can be done the better! Since this is the way it is now, we need to keep up with the ever-changing world of business. In order to do this successfully the company feels we can achieve this with something as simple as a website. We have been losing out on profits and clients to companies that are keeping more current with the times. In order to actively compete in the ever-changing business world, we will need to give our customers whatever it is they need, and what they need is convenience. A lot of people these days don’t have time to get on a phone and wait to go through the channels they need to to place an order and write down addresses and dates. For example, a client company might have people on phones and computers all day, so instead of having to hold incoming calls and waste time, all they’d have to do is go onto our website and quickly put down the information and in a couple of business days their order arrives! Most everybody nowadays has some sort of device that can access the Internet. By having a website we will be accessible to everyone who either has access to Internet or access to a phone. Plan of Action So long as the management agrees that a company website will be beneficial and worth creating, our team can start with the actual building of the website. We have drawn up what the website will look like and how exactly it will function. After we create the IP address all that is left to do is for our team to input the data and format we have already have lain out and we can be head to head with our competition in no time. We’ve projected the entire process to take no more than 7 business days to have the website up and ready to start doing business, so it will be a speedy and efficient transition into the Internet age. Summary People from all walks of life and all different professions write some sort of formal report. A formal report is necessary when a company is proposing an idea that the company would like to be funded for. The proposal in most cases is to benefit the company. In our situation we feel this would substantially benefit our company. S-N -F Electronics is proposing to get a website up and running. We have taken a survey within the company and all have agreed that establishing a website will be extremely beneficial. The only way as of right now for our clients to place an order is to make a phone call to our business and that right there was enough for people to put off ordering till the next day, or the next day, then they might forget. A lot of people do not have time to sit on the phone and wait on hold for the next representative. If we have a website we would be able to accommodate the people who are not computer friendly and also the busy people who would like to jump on the website and place a quick order. Our goal is to make all our clients happy and wanting to come back! Obstacles The only foreseeable obstacle that we have to overcome has to teach the employees how to work using the new system. Transitioning employees from taking orders through the phone to taking orders online as well may be challenging for some, so we have a plan to prevent this from occurring. In the final stages of development we will bring the employees in that will be using the new system and allow them to see every component that goes into working with the website. If they can see how it will work firsthand, then it will be more likely that they will take to the new system with greater ease and be ready to work as soon as the website is officially up. Conclusion As we have stated, our team is ready to get a company website up and running, so we hope that you agree with our reasoning. As soon as the company in its entirety can agree with having a website to work with, S-N-F Electronics can begin profiting from the use of the Internet as a means of processing orders.

Teenage Pregnancies and the Health Risks to the Unborn Child

Running Head: Teen Pregnancy Teenage Pregnancies and Health Risks Betty Samuelsen Western Governors University Teen girls should refrain from the peer pressure of becoming pregnant. Becoming pregnant at a young age may have consequences with the range of seriousness. Pregnant teens are encouraging others to become pregnant in the form of peer pressure. Teens are watching too much television that encourages them to become pregnant. Pregnancy is a major reason that the dropout rate of teen girls is so high. Teens need to be informed of the health risks that they may be faced with if they become pregnant. Research suggests that there are no easy solutions to the complexity of issues affecting pregnant teens, such as outside influences in the form of other pregnant teens and media that encourage pregnancy, the effect of pregnancy on a teenager's education, and the health risks faced by pregnant teens and their unborn children. Television shows are one example of media that complicates the issue of teen pregnancy. Studies show that teens, 12-17 years of age, that watch television shows that have the most sexually suggestive information, are twice as likely to become pregnant (Chandra, 2008). The television industry needs to have more of a balance between sexual content and the risks that pregnancies have upon teens (Chandra, 2008). These television shows also influence others to become pregnant because it is the thing to do. For example, MTV program content implies that if a girl gets pregnant, then the teen has a one-way ticket to fame and MTV is also promoting teen pregnancy instead of stating it as a serious problem in America (Montalvan, 2011). Television increases the complexity of this issue when watching television shows that make teen pregnancies appealing leads to peer pressure to become pregnant. For example: Girls 16 and younger have gotten together to â€Å"plan† their pregnancies and how they are going to raise their children together. When the girls would find out if their pregnancy test came back positive, they would high five each other, like they were proud to be pregnant at such a young age and they will be ok (Males, 2008). Peer pressure is usually male-to-male and female-to-female, this pressure seems to be harder to withstand from males due to status and being accepted. On the other hand, females fall into peer pressure to â€Å"fill a void† in their lives and maintain a relationship with the opposite sex (Sugland, 1997). Not only is peer pressure a problem, research shows that 20% of teens have stated that their parents (46%) are also a big influence on them having sex compared to the 20% of friends pressure (Albert, 2010). What is this saying about parents' influence on their own teens? Teens state that they wish they could have more open conversations about sex with their parents and be more open in conversation about contraception. They believe that this could reduce teen pregnancies (Albert, 2010). There are also various cultural practices that complicate how teens think about pregnancy. In adolescents' views about sex, it is on their minds most of the time whether or not they are sexually active themselves. Views differ from race to race as to the frequency of sex among their peer groups, for instance African-American perceive more sex than among peer groups in the European-and Mexican-American peer groups. (Mahavarkar, Madhi, & Mule, 2008). Teen pregnancy is not only a local problem, but is a global concern even with the conflicting information from study to study. The previous new labor government in England identifies pregnant schoolgirls as a particularly vulnerable group. In addition, research shows different effects of pregnancy on the education of pregnant teens. The leading cause, 30%, of teens dropping out of high school is pregnancy and parenthood (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2010, March). In England, the 1st cornerstone of a four cornerstone campaign is to increase the participation of pregnant teens in education, training and/or employment. According to the Social Exclusion Unit, the second strategy is getting 60% of young mothers into training, employment, and education (as cited in Vincent & Thomson, 2010). The Social Exclusion Unit assumes that meeting the second cornerstone will help reduce the negative health, social and economic correlates of teen pregnancies. Researchers appear to agree with policy-makers on the challenges that the pregnant teens and mothering teens face in their education. The Department of Education and Skills put out a guidance on the education of school-aged girls and parenting mothers which outlined the expectations that the teens should be getting. England's local authorities have a low priority in helping teen mothers get back into education. Audit Commission, 1999, Coleman and Dennison 1998). In the 2001 guidance, the Department of Education and Skills state, â€Å"The school should ensure that the young woman continues learning as long as possible up until the birth by exploring all opportunities for curriculum support available (Department of Education and Skills, 2001, 5). Schools are also required to provide an elective official to be in charge for the pregnant teenagers–someone whose main function is to facilitate the on-going education of the pregnant pupil and her successful reintegration to education after the six-week post-natal check-up. This official should be made aware of all the schoolgirl pregnancies within the local authority. The local authorities are encouraged to provide the same education as those of pregnant teens. Pregnancy should not be the reason some of these parenting mothers are not being allowed to attend school. Schools should be partially accountable for the education of these parenting teens. In order to make this goal happen, schools would need to provide work for the pregnant teen to do at home when she is unable to attend school. About half of the teens that are pregnant have a high school diploma vs. 9% of those that were not teen mothers. â€Å"Other data find that less than 2% of young teen mothers (those who have a baby before age 18) attain a college degree by age 30† (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, March 2010). Pregnancy can have negative effects on education. According to Ashley, study 1 of 4, was an average student that found out at 6 weeks she was expecting. She t hought, â€Å"I'm not going to get my GCSE's [General Certificate of Secondary Education], I'm not going to go to college and I'm not going to get the job I want to get† (as cited in Vincent, & Thompson, 2010). Ashley was hoping to be able to say goodbye to her friends. The school implied that she would be able to maintain her education with a pupil referral unit; therefore, the school was expressing its concerns of the health and safety of her pregnancy. Poor communication of the students mainstream school with the pupil referral unit made Ashley miss coursework and failed some of her GCSE's that she was optimistic in passing. The school just did not care. In some cases pregnancy has mixed effects on a students education but still presents complications. Shae, study 2 of 4, had mixed reactions, peers were mostly accepting, but among staff they are mixed, some accepting, others not so much. The meeting was a different situation from Ashley's. Shae was able to stay in her school until most of her GCSE's were complete with minimal accommodations, such as leaving class a little early to avoid being â€Å"crushed† in the hallways. Her teacher also took on making sure the Pupil Referral Unit had coursework for her to do, unlike to first study. Shae felt more apart of her school still (as cited in Vincent, & Thompson, 2010). Pregnant teens will need to make complicated decisions on education. Shae was able to stay in the mainstream school until her 7th month of pregnancy, but at the same time still felt like she was apart of the school. Unlike Ashley's school, Shae's was more supportive of her situation. Children of teen mothers are affected in the long term, such as, becoming a teen parent later (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2010). Pregnant teens will have a much harder time finding well paying jobs if they are not able to have the proper education available to them†¦ Without a high school education, it is much harder to be accepted into college (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2010). Shae was aware that she had a choice and made that known to the school and staff members and stuck to convincing them to allow her to stay and accomplish her dreams and goals that she had set for herself. Title IX actually protects pregnant teens to have an equal education to those of their peers, no matter the situation. (Educational Policy, January and March 2006, 20(1). Shae was aware of the choice that she had on her education and made it known to the school and the staff members and stuck to convincing them to allow her to stay. As stated above the Title IX, is an American statue, that should also prepare pregnant teens the same opportunity as those in other countries. For example, a non-educational consequence of teen pregnancy is the health risks to the mother and the baby. Prenatal care is critical in the first months of pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins with folic acid are suggested to be taken before becoming pregnant to prevent certain birth defects, such as neural tube defects (as cited in Nihira, M. , 2009. Teen Pregnancy: Medical Risks and Realities). Some of the health risks for both the pregnant teen and unborn child are as follows: Teens have more complictions in delivery than those in their 20's and later. Pre-Term deliveries for the unborn child are a major complication. The teen is 3 times more likely to develop anemia, than those that are not teens. Pre-term deliveries are higher in some studies while other studies do not have the higher rates. Poor prenatal care and late identification of complications could explain the high rate of pre-term delivery. (Mahavarkar, Madhu, & Mule, 2008). Any baby born before 37 weeks is considered pre-term or â€Å"preemie. † Full term lasts 40 weeks. The baby can have respiratory, digestive, vision, cognitive, and many more problems (as cited in Nihira, M. , 2009. Teen Pregnancy: Medical Risks and Realities). Pregnant teens are still growing themselves which puts their unborn child at a greater risk of being a â€Å"premee† and being under weight. Pregnant teens are 1. 8 times more likely to have low birth weight babies. Research shows that in a controlled and study low birth weights are as follows: 2. 5 (42% study, 59% controlled). (Mahavarkar, Madhu, & Mule, 2008). Babies that are less than 3. 3 lbs. ay have to be put on a ventilator to help them breath after birth due to their lungs not being fully developed. Premature babies usually have not had enough time in the womb to develop fully (as cited in Nihira, M. , 2009. Teen Pregnancy: Medical Risks & Realities). Complications for the pregnant teen may be very severe. Pre-eclampsia is a severe condition for the mother such as bleeding problems, pre-mature separation of th e placenta from the uterus before the baby is born (placenta abruption), rupture of the liver, stroke, and death (rarely). (Mahavarkar, Madhu, & Mule, 2008). For example, pre-eclampsia, can cause swelling in the hands and feet of the mother along with organ damage (as cited in Nihira, M. , M. D. , (2009). Teen Pregnancy: Medical Risks & Realities). Research suggests that there are no easy solutions to the complexity of issues affecting pregnant teens, such as outside influences in the form of other pregnant teens and media that encourage pregnancy, the effect of pregnancy on a teenager's education, and the health risks faced by pregnant teens and their unborn children. In conclusion, outside influences account for some of the reasons that teens are becoming pregnant in high school. If teens are not sexually active in high school, teen peers torment them and encourage them to become pregnant. In return, the pregnant teens and teen mothers suffer the natural consequences of becoming pregnant. One result is not having an equal education to their peers and not having the better paying jobs that the other teens may have. Teens that become pregnant while still young and their unborn child face huge health issues, such as low birth weight, pre-eclampsia, possible stroke, and possible death. Reference List Albert, B. (2010). With one Voice 2010: America’s Adults and Teens sound off about Teen Pregnancy. Washington, D. C. : The NCPTP and Unplanned Pregnancy. Audit Commission, (1999) Chandra, A. (2008). Study: TV influences teen pregnancy stats. Retrieved from Coleman & Dennison, (1998) Department of Education and Skills, (2001), 5. Educational Policy, (January and March 2006) 20,(1). Mahavarkar, S. H. , Madhu, C. K. , & Mule, V. D. (2008). A comparative study of teenage pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 28(6), 604-607. doi:10. 1080/01443610802281831. Males, M. (2008). http://articles. latimes. com/2008/jul/13/opinion/op-males13. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (March 2010). Why It Matters: Teen Pregnancy and Education. Nihira, M. , M. D. , (2009). Teen Pregnancy: Medical Risks & Realities. Retrieved from http://www. webmd. com/baby/teen-pregnancy-medical-risks-and-realities. Social Exclusion Unit, (1999). Sugland, B. (n. d). Sex, Pregnancy and Contraception: A Report of Focus Group Discussions with Adolescents. N/A, Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Vincent, K. , & Thomson, P. (2010). ‘Slappers like you don't belong in this school': the educational inclusion/exclusion of pregnant schoolgirls. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(4), 371-385. doi:10. 1080/13603110802504580

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Proposal - Essay Example The proposed comprises of preliminary literature review as well that will be beneficial in creating fundamental framework before carrying out the research. Lastly, the research proposal includes methodology section that specifies selection of secondary, as well as primary research methodology that will be very effective in efficient acquisition of data. INTRODUCTION The focus on forming valuable associations with clients is not a fresh approach within the field of business. The growing competition in addition to lessening customer loyalty have created the need for applying innovative tools to facilitate businesses to do well in the competition and win customers’ loyalty by offering more modified products. Fast development within ‘information systems applications’ that allow business-client communication along with the boom of ‘internet technology’ have given companies with additional potential to manage increasing understanding obtained by clients alo ng with the varying nature of their requirements for particular products (Finnegan & Willcocks, p. 94, 2007). Whereas, the mainstream of companies attempt to apply CRM systems, they come across the upsetting reality of the large percentage of collapse within their CRM implementations. As a reply to the need of dealing with the issue of the high failure ratio of CRM ventures, various researchers have created a range of frameworks for CRM implementation. In this regard, the proposed research is an attempt to analyze different factors related to the process of CRM implementation. Research Objectives Before carrying out research, it is very imperative that the researcher ensures clarified understanding of aims and objectives, as it is an observation that vague objectives often result in unproductive outcomes, and thus, the research proposal will now include aims and objectives of the proposed research: Identify and examine various internal and external factors that play a determining ro le in ensuring success of CRM implementation Inspect the level of impact of identified factors in banking institutions in Saudi Arabia Investigate the impact of identified CRM implementation factors in the case study of a two banking organizations in Saudi Arabia Recommend strategies that may ensure successful implementation of CRM in banking institutions and organizations globally, and particularly, in the corporate society of Saudi Arabia Research Statement In this regard, the researcher will focus on the following research statement to fulfill the aims and objectives of the research: â€Å"To identify and investigate the implementation of CRM in Saudi Arabia, and evaluate different factors that ensures successful ERM implementation† LITERATURE REVIEW There is a common recognition among researchers about the classification of CRM constituents. CRM involves three key constituents, which are information technology, individuals, and business traditions. The involvement of ever y part differs in accordance with the level of CRM implementation. Technology means computing potential that let a business to gather, arrange, save, and utilize records regarding its customer. Technology is the facilitator for CRM systems to successfully attain their goals of collecting, categorizing, and saving important information on

Critical Appraisal of Compassion in Care by Van der Cingel Research Paper

Critical Appraisal of Compassion in Care by Van der Cingel - Research Paper Example The writer has employed a qualitative investigation of in detail interviews to achieve this knowledge. The investigation finds that sympathy has seven scopes- attentiveness, listening, tackling, participation, helping, charisma, and consideration. The investigation concludes that compassion is of worth to nurse and patient relationship as it inspires both in establishing an affiliation to realize the best result of care. Research Design Qualitative research is the apparent approach of collecting in-depth comprehension of emotions, opinion, and conduct. The writer further expounds that the employ of grounded hypothesis and in exacting the emergent fit method in other terms gathering hypothesis from statistics and then illustrating that theory. Stable comparative investigation, analytical initiation and oretical sensitivity are therefore employed in order to understand the empirical data. Nevertheless, there are risks in using the budding fit mode. Artinian and Giske (2009) depict that even though this technique allows the writer to build upon the exertion of preceding research, in the event that the research’s variables were found from the review of literature then they might be faulty. Recruitment Strategy The writer expounds the reasons why these meticulous individuals were selected for the investigation but does not show how. The research centres on older people residing with a chronic disease and therefore only above 65 years (with a continual illness) were selected. In some instances, nurses projected clients to the writer. Opinionative, this might leave the outcomes open to query, thus bias could inadvertently occur. Data Collection The data collection setting was threefold. To begin with, the centre for rehabilitation for chronic diseases followed by a home care administration and lastly an outpatient’s health centre. This is warranted by the author’s declaration that compassion is not universal in proficient settings. Nonetheless, th is is based on results available in print six years ago. Moreover, this information has been criticised because of van Heijst’s detest of rationalisation and nationalisation in care and wellbeing. It is made clear that data was composed in semi-structured interrogations carried out by the author, helped by students, and centred on a questionnaire that is included in the article. The interrogations were tape recorded and afterwards written out until data infiltration was attained. Nevertheless, there is no sign of the way these interviews were carried out. Data Analysis The writer does, however, gives an in-depth explanation of the procedure of data analysis. Data was put down and then investigated with Atlas-Ti that is a computer software programme. This software is employed broadly in qualitative investigations and data investigation. This aided the author to establish a list of perceptions general in compassion- attentiveness, listening, tackling, participation, helping, ch arisma, and consideration.

Observance of Religious Holidays Research Paper

Observance of Religious Holidays - Research Paper Example Research Problem The research problem is, â€Å"Study the history of observance of religious holidays. Explore the pros and cons of observing religious holidays, the policies of the schools and educational institutions, the legal issues involved and the steps taken by the administrators in observing religious holidays†. Literature review According to the pages of history, United Sates which was a land of few religions in 1776 developed into a country that professes countless religious beliefs throughout the nation. The children reading in the schools and colleges, staffs working in the offices are of different religions and vary largely from each other. The observance of religious holidays has thus turned into an area of concern for the college and the society. There are various pros and cons related to the observance of religious holidays. The observance of religious holidays is a sentimental issue and is dealt with sensitivity towards the people of different religions. The r eligious holidays observed by the different religions are creating a situation of conflict and confusion (American Academy of Religion, 2013). The increase in the number of religions leads to the increase in the number of religious holidays which is a point of concern as it poses a problem in the daily work of the schools and in the process of public education. The only way to bring a common solution to the problem of observing religious holidays in schools is to undertake a discussion that takes into account the points of similarity and differences in all the religions. The school must undertake policies to show respect to all the religions and display a... This paper approves that the increase in the number of holidays leads to the loss of working days which impacts the delivery of academic curriculum. Apart from this, the grant of excusal requests by the students and parents for absence on religious occasions is difficult to deny as this might create discontent among a section of the population. The teachings on the ideas of different religions and the observance and understanding of the respect shown to the religious ideas and beliefs could create misimpression and biased behavior among a certain segment of the students and the teachers. This report makes a conclusion that the schools and the institutions determine the policies on the observance of the religious holidays which is in line with the legal regulations in the field. The policies of the school endorse secular attitude with equal importance and respect to all the religions. The administrators play an important role in executing the policies. The administrator is responsible to conduct a survey on religious sentiments of the population and display sensitivity in dealing with the religious idea and beliefs. The inclusion of the religious learning and observance of religious holidays in the academic curriculum helps in development of understanding of the culture and history of the land. The observance of religious holidays is also done in a manner that it do not interfere the main goal of academic process in the schools. Thus observance of religious holidays in a tactical manner helps in maintaining a healthy learning environment and fosters the growth of educ ation process in the schools and the institutions.

Valuation of Biodiversity in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Valuation of Biodiversity in Economics - Essay Example Genetic biodiversity associates with the level of inconsistency within the species. It involves the information signified by genes in the DNA of individual living things. Species diversity is concerned with a range of species.On ecosystem point of view, a low degree of ecosystem flexibility can lead to a sudden degrade in the biological output, which in turn cause a loss that cannot be reversed of roles for both the present and the expected generations. Functional diversity articulates a variety of roles produced by ecosystems, including the roles that support the life of ecosystem such as management of nature’s basic phases. Given these four levels of diversity, there are different perspectives in which the value of biodiversity can be understood. Some of these ways are instrumental and intrinsic values, the monetary and the biological indicators, the direct and the indirect values, biodiversity and the biological resources among others. The assigning value to biodiversity be gins from the hypothesis that social values are asserted on values of the individuals.When a person takes part in the conservation of the environment, he or she immediately discovers that it is sincerely an activity involving several disciplines. There are changes that have been experienced in the function and the significance of conservation. These changes are caused by the fast rise in environmental issues, and the realization that biological diversity is an important resource for the survival of human beings.

My first Accident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My first Accident - Essay Example While reaching for the cell phone, I noticed that the car had lost its direction. I tried to maneuver the car by changing the direction to avoid landing into the trench. In the frenzy I accelerated the car instead of stopping it. Due to the momentum and added acceleration the vehicle soared approximately 30 feet and hit the Coca-cola signboard. It stopped 3 inches short of touching the utility lines. It was a moment when my life flashed in front of my eyes. My mind was unable to take what had just happened. Everything was hazy and blurred. The car was damaged beyond control and airbags saved any injury to me. To my relief no person was victimized in the accident. Help poured from everywhere. I called up the emergency number 911 and my Mom. The only one thing she cared was my safety and life. Her reaction calmed me especially when I knew that the car was beyond repair. The police took control of the site immediately. The paramedics rushed me to the hospital for a CAT scan as I had bumped my head. The cost of repairs exceeded 75% of the vehicle’s value, due to which it was declared as a total loss as per Alabama state law. Insurance agent declared the car as a total loss too. I learnt a valuable lesson from the incident. My parents had always warned me against the usage of cell phone while driving. The only thought that crossed my mind, was to thank Lord, for keeping me alive. I also learnt the value of love my parents showered on me. I had come so close in throwing my life away. The argument which compares usage of cell phone in the car to eating, smoking, drinking, changing the CD, adjusting temperature doesn’t justify. All are dangerous. Having a cell phone in the car may add to the sense of security for the driver and can get help faster in case of emergency. However the facility has led to more and more fatal accidents due to its inappropriate

The impact of E-commerce on the auditing standards Dissertation

The impact of E-commerce on the auditing standards - Dissertation Example Continuous innovation in the information world has drastically changed the nature of works of business organization as well as of individuals. Substantial dependence on information system has also enhanced individuals’ innovative power. Today people can not only dream about some spectacular thing, but they can actually give a realistic shape to their dreams with the implementation of information system. For example, a few decades ago it was even beyond imagination that people can get the opportunities to enroll themselves in any foreign universities without making any physical presence. But continuous and spectacular innovations in the field of information technology have made people dream about distant learning where they can be in continuous touch with their tutors and college administration without making there physical presence in college campuses. Thus information system not only revolutionized they way people do their works, but also the way people think. In this age of highly improved information age ecommerce has become a very popular term. E-commerce can be defined as â€Å"the use of electronic transmission medium (telecommunication) to engage in the exchange, including buying and selling of products and services requiring transportation either physically or digitally from location to location. Introduction of ecommerce has been found to have produced some positive effects on economic performance of a country. It offers innovative ways of selling, delivering and receiving of goods and services and affects almost every industry and all aspects of business mechanisms and in this process dramatically contributes to productivity enhancement of the industries. In the field of auditing, ecommerce has been taking its place at very fast pace. However, it would be The proposed study will consider a particular set of widely used auditing standards in order to evaluate the effects of ecommerce on that set of auditing standards. For the purpose of the pro posed study, the impacts of ecommerce on US GAAS (US Generally Accepted Auditing Standards) will be studied. Thus the theme of the study can be written as follows: Effects of e-commerce on a particular set of auditing standards, i.e. US GAAS, in terms of the application of US GAAS and the outcomes. However, before proposing research questions and relevant research methods, it is very necessary to look into the findings of existing literatures in the relevant field of study. Given the research theme stated above, a number of research questions and corresponding hypotheses should be postulated in order to asses the impact of ecommerce. Now, one thing should be mentioned at this juncture in order to understand the next section that a number of factors are associates with the application of a particular set of auditing standards. The most vital factors are audit planning and implementation of audit plan. The research questions that should be presented later in this proposal should take into account all these facts. Apart form these, some parameters relating audit plan and implementation of audit plan should be taken into account in this research in order to measure the effect ecommerce on these variables. The literature review section should explain all the issue relating to impact of ecommerce on auditing, issues concerning audit planning and issues relating to proper implementation of audit plan. All these will provide required explanations of the research questions to be postulated after the literature revi

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 59

Marketing - Essay Example This was a great experience because I was able to master my customers and the products they preferred best and disliked most. Marketing intermediary refers to the involvement of a retailer or a wholesaler in the flow of goods to the consumer. This is the marketing channel that I have been involved in whereby I am a distributor of mineral water for a certain company in our local state (McCalley pp.6-92). Marketing channels solve logistical problems in availing goods to the consumer. This is because they facilitate physical distribution and sorting of goods. Moreover, they also offer facilitative advantages in that they may source of vital information relevant to a business about competition, channel members and customers. . It is also a great experience to research how customers respond to a new product in the distribution business and the grocery shop currently run by mum. These channels are of great benefit to intermediaries in terms of finance since goods can be sold and purchased on credit and financed as they are being sold. In my distributorship business I always encountered financial problems, but courtesy of receiving goods with a 30 days credit payment terms I remained in business Moreover they are opportunities for business to promote their products and companies by offering discounts, advertisement, gifts and after sale services. In several occasions I had to provide discounts to my customers and I realized that with that customers always bought more because products were a little bit cheaper. Most businesses do make profits through giving rewards to their customers as they gain competitive advantage. Marketing channels offers a chance for organization to contact and understand their customers’ needs which goes a long way in facilitating matching supply and demand. Matching the demand and the supply of products leads to efficiency and effectiveness of

Art & the Surreal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art & the Surreal - Essay Example One of the most famous surrealists is Salvadore Dali, a Spanish artist who expressed himself in making photographic sketches that presenting irrational objects. Swans Reflecting Elephants is one amazing work of Dali which pictures swans swimming on a lake whose reflections in the water appear like elephants. Showing the main features of a surrealist work of art, Dali juxtaposed the beauty and serenity seen in swans to the heavy appearance of the beast of burden, the elephant. Other contrasting images in the painting are the dark, nightmarish images in and around the lake with the use of colors, and the bright, cloudless sky behind the lake. This style arouses the imagination of viewers with the artist intentionally making use of the subconscious in the hope of awakening the totality of a person (Duiker 84). The extreme presentations of the expressions of surrealist artists in their art works intend to shock its viewers into facing the realities of life. Aside from paintings and sculp tors, surreal ideas were also expressed in literary forms. However, though in a different expression, the views are similarly seen in poets’ literary styles.

Japan Westernization Paper Essay Example for Free

Japan Westernization Paper Essay Prompt: Discuss possible reasons why Japan was the only non-western state to nationalize and win recognition as an equal and how it managed to accomplish this in a mere half century. Thesis: Being aware of recent Western invasions in China, Japan had recognized the need to transform their institutions and its society, therefore, Japan embraced nationalism. By 1649, Japan had shut down contact with the European world with the exception of a Dutch outpost on Deshima Island in Nagaski harbor (this outpost however, was only allowed to receive one ship all year). The Japanese also allowed the Chinese to trade at Nagasaki (only under severe restrictions) and Korea could trade through the islands of Tusushima. Other than this however, Japan was isolated. In 1853, the U.S sent Commodore Matthew Perry (with 3 steam frigates) to force Japan into opening its ports to trade. Japan had lacked the technology to fight against the U.S and the European powers that soon followed. Slowly (while being under pressure however), Japan opened more ports granted extraterritorial rights and where able to determine Japan’s tariff polices. Like China, Japan seemed to be getting controlled by the European powers. However, young, vigorous leaders took control of the government of Japan forcing a dramatic reconstruction of the nations polices, administration, class structure, economy, technology and culture. These leaders tended to be young samurai warriors in the han (feudal estates) of Choshu and Satsuma. The samurai were able to employ some of the technological information introduced by the Dutch from their station in Nagasaki harbor (the shogunate had established an office for translating Dutch material in 1811) and by 1840, some of the Japanese were already casting Western guns and artillery. A new leader, Sakuma Zozan (one of the advocates of adopting Western military methods) believed that opening the country was necessary and beneficial. However, not everyone had agreed. In 1860 a group of samurai (from the conservative han of Mito) argued a different opinion and eventually, Mito loyalists assassinated Sakuma. In 1868, forces of Choshu and Satusma (along with several more remote hans) took control of the emperor’s palace in Kyoto and declared the end of shogunate. The emperor was put back into imperial power.

Survey on Energy Drinks Essay Example for Free

Survey on Energy Drinks Essay We would like to thank Prof. Richa Chaudhry whose guidance helped us in our efforts to make a successful project. Most of all we would like to thank all the people who took time and effort to take part in our research by sharing their views and perspectives which helped us in our analysis and project, without which the project would not have been possible. Finally we would like to thank IES College of Management and Research for giving us a platform to present our research project study which will help us go a long way in our development as future managers. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as a boosting energy. These drinks usually do not emphasize energy derived from calories they contain, but rather through a choice of vitamins, caffeine, and herbal supplements the manufacturer has combined. Energy Drinks has become the fastest growing sector within the beverage industry. Red Bull is the industry leader and has already occupied a giant market share worldwide in the energy segment and the positioning is also limited to the youth within the age limit 16-28 years. The research has been conducted to identify the energy drink that is the most popular and to understand consumer preference and their consuming habits as we plan to launch a new product in the market on a similar basis. 5 The study carried out will help: †¢To understand and identify the energy drink that is the most popular †¢To understand consumer preference and their consuming habits For this purpose basic research was carried out. The data collection was based on the Primary Data being the students of IES College of Management Studies Research using Convenience Sampling Method. The research indicated that people do prefer to consume drinks but the consumption is affected by many factors. There are 25% of the people who do not prefer to have energy drink. The most important factors affecting the buying decision were found to be the brand, price, advertisement and health safety. It was also found that: 1. 62% of the energy drinks segment consists of male consumers 2. 21-23 age group people was found to be the maximum buyers in the sampling population 3. People prefer to have drinks occasionally mainly for leisurely consumption constituting 41% 4. Red Bull is the most popular brand amongst the youth 5. Taste and Price play an important role in the buyer’s mind while purchasing an energy drink 6 TABLEOF CONTENTS SR. NO .TOPICS PAGE NO. INTRODUCTION Energy drinks are a group of beverages used by consumers to provide an extra boost in energy, promote wakefulness, maintain alertness, and provide cognitive and mood enhancement. Although they seem like a new fad, these drinks have been available to the general public for some time. For instance, Red Bull (currently one of the most popular energy drinks) was introduced in Austria in 1987 and to the United States in 1997. Historically, cola soft drinks have been available in their current caffeine-containing form since 1904, and in their original coca leaf (from which cocaine is derived) and kola nut (from which the caffeine is derived) form since 1886, with similar effects as energy drinks as they contain approximately 34mg of caffeine per 12oz can. These beverages have stimulant effects on the central nervous system (CNS) and their consumption is accompanied by an expectation of improving user’s performance physically and mentally. 1 Energy drinks mostly contain caffeine, taurine, l-carnitine, carbohydrates, glucuronolactone, vitamins, and other herbal supplements like ginseng and guarana among others. Additives such as guarana, yerba mate, cocoa, and kola nut may increase the caffeine content of energy drinks unbeknownst to consumers, as manufacturers of these products are not required to include the caffeine content of these herbal supplements in the nutritional information. 2 Different brands of energy drinks contain caffeine ranging from 50mg to 550mg per can or bottle. 3 Caffeine is one of the most commonly consumed alkaloids worldwide in the form of coffee, tea, or soft drinks, and in high doses may cause abnormal stimulation of the nervous system4 as well as adverse effects in the cardiovascular, hematologic, and gastrointestinal systems. 2 With energy drinks becoming a worldwide phenomenon, the short- and long-term effects of these beverages must be evaluated more closely in order to fully comprehend the psychological impact of these products. The market and degree of consumption of energy drinks is increasing every year,5,6 and while only few have detailed knowledge of their potential harmful physiological and psychological effects, the number of publications that have documented the potential adverse risks associated with the use of these beverages remains small. 7 Whereas most studies to date have examined the physiological effects of energy drinks, this article reviews and compiles the body of knowledge of this increasingly important topic by examining the psychological effects of energy drinks on cognitive functions, mood, sleep, decision making, and overall impact on well-being and quality of life (QOL). 8 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT Energy drinks is still not very well accepted and even if they are consumed it is majorly driven by leisurely consumption and not so much for other health related reasons. 3. RESEACRCH OBJECTIVES 9 After a detailed review of the research the following objectives were determined: 1. To understand the energy segment among the youth and the consumer preference. 2. To understand their consuming habits and factors associated with it. 3. To derive a conclusion based on the acceptance levels of the energy drinks in order to launch a new product in the near future. 10 4. BACKGROUND. The term energy drink refers to soft drinks believed to reduce or prevent fatigue, enhance physical performance, enhance disposition and improve cognitive performance. Energy drinks are frequently consumed by students prior to exams, stressed situations, and leisurely consumption with a view to improving their performance and act as a stress buster. The belief in energy drinks is held by most people, particularly because the term energy drink conveys a message that the product has a connection with physical activity. Consequently, an uninformed consumer may assume that some benefits would be derived after consuming these beverages. It has been reported that the consumption of energy drinks, especially among young adults aged between 18 and 25, is currently of great concern. This is because these energy drinks typically contain three times the amount of caffeine present in soft drinks, and in some cases, up to ten times as much. Another issue of great concern is that, for most brands, information regarding the potential negative health effects of an excessive intake is not presented on the labels. Some energy drinks contain ingredients with potential interactions such as between taurine and other amino acids and between caffeine and some herbal extracts. Some herbs combine with caffeine to create a synergistic effect which varies from drink to drink. Producers of energy drinks usually target young adults who are easily lured to consume energy drinks after watching numerous appealing marketing advertisements on television and in newspapers and magazines. 5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11 The general purpose of this study is a comparative study of various brands of energy drink from consumer’s point of view. After detailed review of the research following objectives are to be determined: †¢To understand and identify the energy drink that is the most popular †¢To understand consumer preference and their consuming habits For this purpose basic research was carried out. The data collection was based on the primary data being the students of IES College of Management Studies. 5. 1 RESEARCH DESIGN The method used is basic research method. Data collection method: The respondents were asked to fill an online questionnaire. Data collection place: We have chosen an online survey as the media and the same was sent to the respondents. And the data collected was then segmented based on gender, age group, information, consumer preferences etc. 5. 2 SAMPLE DESIGN Sampling Method- Convenience Sample Sampling Method: A convenience sample is a matter of taking what you can get. It is an accidental sample. Although selection may be unguided, it probably is not random, using the correct definition of everyone in the population having an equal chance of being selected. Volunteers would constitute a convenience sample. Sample Size: The sample size taken was of 66 students from IES College. We found out that out of 66 respondents 16 do not consume energy drinks and the remaining prefer to consume the same. Survey Area: We intent to take survey from our college itself. It was basically an online survey where the questionnaire was posted and the link was sent to several respondents. 12 5. 3 DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS SUBJECTS In this study, the participants were students sampled from IES College of Management and Studies. The respondents completed a questionnaire. We could gather a response of 66 people. STUDY INSTRUMENT AND DATA COLLECTION The questionnaire was in two parts, the first part assessed the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and the second part assessed energy drink consumption practices of the students and reasons why students consumed them. The questionnaire which was administered assessed students in the following areas: background information (i. e. age, gender information on energy drink consumption practices, brands of energy drinks usually consumed and reasons why students consumed energy drinks). The researchers explained to the participants that the investigation was mainly aimed at assessing how and why energy drinks were consumed? 5. 4 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Statistical tools: Data collected were entered and analysed using the Quantitative Techniques and the results were displayed Frequencies and Percentages, Mean Median and Mode Standard Deviation. Graphical representations: Pie Charts and Bar Diagrams were used. 6. DATAANALYSISAND INTERPRETATION 13 1) Gender Wise Buyer Distribution: Observation- It was found out that the energy drink segment was driven by a market of 62% of Male consumer and 38% Female Consumer. 2) Do you consume energy drinks? Observation- It was found out that the out of 66 respondents only 48 consume energy drinks and the remaining do not consume energy drinks at all. 3) Out of the following brands, which ones have you heard of? M 4 1 62% F 25 38% Yes 48 75% No 16 25% 14 Red Bull 61 32% Monster 17 9% Cloud 9 46 24% Gatorade 40 21% Tzinga 24 13% Other 2 1% Quantitative Tool MODE The Modal value is 61 which states that Red Bull is most popular among the energy drinks. 4) How many bottles of energy drinks do you purchase in one go? Single bottle 49 80% Multiple Bottles (6 pack) 6 10% Multiple Bottles (24 pack) 6 10% Quantitative Tool used Mean Median The Mean is 20. 33 the Median is 31. Also the Standard deviation is 20. 27. There is a deviation of 20. 27 in the preference of people buying single and multiple bottles. 5) How often do you purchase energy drinks? 15 Very frequently 3 5% Frequently 11 18% Sometimes 26 43% Rarely 21 34% Quantitative Tool used Mean Median The Mean is 15. 25 the Median is 31. Also the Standard deviation is 8. 89 in the consumption patterns of Energy Drinks. 6) For which activities do you use Energy drinks? Exercising at the gym 14 18% Playing competitive sports 4 5% Playing recreational sports 8 10% 16 To quench your thirst 15 19% Leisurely consumption 32 41% Other 5 6% Quantitative Tool used – MODE The Modal Value is 32 which states that people consume energy drinks for Leisurely consumption. 7) Does advertising affect your decision of purchasing Energy drinks? Quantitative Tool used MODE The Modal Value is 31 and says that advertising does influence the buying decision. 8) How much do you pay for a 250 ml energy drink? Yes 3 1 51% No 30 49% 17 25-50 14 50-75 25 75-100 21 Quantitative Tool used – Mean, Median MODE The mean is 65. 41 and the mode is 68. 33. Median is 66. Std dev? 9) Have you experienced any ill effects after consuming any energy drink? Tremors 1 3% Shivers 2 6% Headaches 9 26% None 22 65% Quantitative Tool used – MODE MODE is 22. 18 10) What kind of taste do you prefer? Sweet 17 24% Sour 9 13% Fruity 45 63% Quantitative Tool used – MODE Mode is 45. 19 7. LIMITATIONS The following limitations were found: ?Samples were approached from our College itself hence the variety of population was limited. ?Time constraints did not allow the research to be carried out on an extensive scale. 8. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ?It was found out that only 75% of the respondents consume energy drinks. ?It was found out that the energy drink segment was driven by a market of 62% of Male consumer and 38% Female Consumer. ?21-23 age group people was found to be the maximum buyers in the sampling population. ?People prefer to have drinks occasionally mainly for leisurely consumption constituting 41% . 8. 1ConsumerBehaviour Preference towards Energy Drinks: 20 ?The buying behaviour is not regular. It’s only occasional. People prefer it during exercising, leisurely consumption at parties or social gatherings to reduce stress. It was observed that people are price as well as brand sensitive. They want average price energy drink from a reputed brand. The flavour should be good (for eg. Fruity) as well as the health content. ?26% of the respondents believed that the energy drink is associated with a risk highest being headaches while 68% believed the risk was none. 8. 2Red BullMarket ?It was clearly observed that the preference for Red Bull energy drink was predominant over other brands. ?The red bull market is the leader constituting 32% of the sample. Still the purchase was limited to ‘sometimes’ standing at a 43%. 8. 3 Recommendation ?Awareness among the people need to be increased to promote energy so that the number people who don’t consume the energy drinks for reasonsbest kno n to them all start consuming. ?An integrated marketing is carried out which would help minimise the illusion among the potential buyers about the adverse effect of energy drink on health. 9. CONCLUSION We have investigated the feasibility of the top selling energy drinks for the students of IES College of Management and Research. The market is dominated by Red Bull, and other brands like Monster, Could 9, Tzinga, Monster, Gatorade. Also, because students are in constant need of an energy boost, we have researched which energy drink will provide the students with the most energy without sacrificing nutrition, taste, or cost. With the information from this report, we hope to help students make a better decision when choosing energy drinks. We recommend Red Bull as the best energy drink for students at the IES College of Management and Research. 21 Questionnaire on Energy drinks Objective: To launch a new product of energy drinks in the market and understand its consumption pattern among the respondents To find out Top of the mind awareness of consumers To find out the factors which influences the consumer to buy energy drinks * Required Name: * Age * Gender *. 1) Do you consume energy drinks? o Yes o No 22 2) When someone mentions Energy drinks, what brand name comes first in your mind? 3) Out of the following brands, which ones have you heard of? o Red Bull o Monster o Cloud 9 o Gatorade o Tzinga o Other: 4) How many bottles of energy drinks do you purchase in one go? o Single bottle o Multiple Bottles (6 pack) o Multiple Bottles (24 pack) 5) How often do you purchase energy drinks? o Very frequently o Frequently 23 o Sometimes o Rarely 6) For which activities do you use Energy drinks? o Exercising at the gym o Playing competitive sports o Playing recreational sports. o To quench your thirst o Leisurely consumption o Other: 7) Does advertising affect your decision of purchasing Energy drinks? o Yes o No 8) How much do you pay for a 250 ml energy drink? o 25-50 o 55-75 o 80-100 24 9) Have you experienced any ill effects after consuming any energy drink? o Tremors o Shivers o Headaches o None 10) What kind of taste do you prefer? o Sweet o Sour o Fruity Never submit passwords through Google Forms. 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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Franchising Commerce Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Franchising Commerce Essay An arrangement for a continuing relationship in which one party a franchisor provides an accredited opportunity to another party the franchisee to do business using its trade name and offers assistance in organizing, training, producing, marketing and managing a good or service in adherence to certain specifications, in return for monetary exchange. Franchising is a style of business which has a lot of different but same branches throughout the world .The franchisee usually pays a one-time franchise fee plus a percentage of sales revenue as royalty, and in turn gains instant name and recognition, tried and tested products, standard infrastructural design and interior dà ©cor, detailed techniques in running and promoting the business, training of employees and on-going help in promoting and improving the product A franchise is usually a main agreement between the franchise owners and the government. Question 1 answers : The advantages of franchising from the franchisees point of view are myriad, most important among them are: First, the franchisee can benefit from the widely recognised by the style of branding name of the franchisers around everywhere. When a franchiser is around ,it can only mean one thing that is the franchise is well known around and among people, reputed company with extensive customer base and immense brand name recognition. Brand equity is important so that the franchises can always gain the specific benefits from the main consumers awareness ,faithfulness and loyalty; on the other hand, it lessens competition during recession. The franchisee does not have to waste all the time, cost of expenditure and the effort in building up company goodwill and establish a famous brand name. A branded restaurant chain will maintain its sales and competitive power even in times of recession and huge competitivenesss will be around in the catering or cooking industry as the whole brands name is clearly widely well knowned and recognized and favoured by the people. Second, franchisee can have a lot of access to the main big kinds of business management skills which are rarely easy to get a grip on. The franchiser usually has important business skills like: production management, financial management and marketing management. This in turn, increases the possibility of success of the business. A franchisee is always populated in every part of the world as they are very well known for what so ever they do as in catering or multi level marketing and so on. The bigger the power of dependingness of the franchisor company, which definitely has the big organization globally, which has a bigger organization, proves beneficial to the franchisee company, because, the franchisor company has a proven business concept and a thriving operational profile. Like the advantages, there are many disadvantages too as can be in any form of business, however in this context the disadvantages. The disadvantages to franchising are that the franchisor will lose control over certain aspects of the job.  Ã‚  The franchisor will also lose hands-on involvement with the individual operations and the franchisor will also be limited by contract to the actual changes which can and may incur in the franchise units operation structure.   The prerequisite to compensate the franchisee payment and it expenditure to the franchisor can be too large a sum (in some cases). The bigger and famous the brands name the larger the amount to be paid. Such Second, all the goodwill accumulated by the franchisee in the local market will be transferred to the franchisor once the franchise contract expires or terminates. Years of hard work melts in moments with the transfer. Third, the franchisee does not have much freedom in his business. It is necessary that he has to adhere to the standards, policies, procedures and functioning systems of the franchisor. Creativity in ones own business is curtailed completely. Fourth, corporate profit margin reduces because of payment of royalties and other associated levies. Many entrepreneurs think that owning and running a franchise business guarantees more revenue, profit and returns; this is not always be the case, while it may be true for the short term but long term case studies show that starting your own business will be cheaper to run and pay off better than franchising. Communication is one of the most important things between a franchiser and franchisee, when there is some sort of miscommunication the business is likely to fail. Which will end up costing the franchisee a lot of time effort and money just as it will the franchiser. Especially if the franchise is opened in a country overseas. The cost will automatically increase due to taxes imposed by respective governments. As a franchisee you will not be able to operate your business to your fancy because the franchiser will already have some sort of business plan. Even though the franchisee may be better able to handle and organise the business but because they are tied to the brand theyre representing therefore makes business operations difficult. Furthermore, if the franchisee isnt able to uphold the franchisers image and standards, it will reflect poorly on the brand itself, which will then slow business down for both the franchiser and franchisee and in addition will make future entrepreneurs think poorly of the company and will lead them to not invest in the particular franchise as well. The success of a franchise depends on both the franchisor and the franchisee, on the product and the business strategies. To run a successful franchise one has to study the market, the franchisor and the product carefully and judiciously. Question 1 conclusion : After doing my research, what I can conclude is that franchising is a great way to expand a business and spread the name of the franchiser far and wide. A lot of thought must go into owning and running a franchise and is not an easy job and it is a lot to consider. But if it is done the right way and is organised for example, if its operating system is being run smoothly, it will surely prosper . Many companies have become successful by opening their branches across the country and in some cases the world. These companies are not stopping to open their franchisors around the world because these franchisee knows very well that the market globally demands the franchisors to be around. These can only tell one thing is that franchisors are upcoming throughout the entire world and it will not stop blooming due to the fact of its importance around as all the researches shows. Question 2 : 2. Identify one franchise property in your local market. discuss about the operation of it and how this property helps to improve the economic of your area. Question 2 introduction : In this modern era of globalization, a companys operations segment is the unit that manages and supports the company. Employees take care of all of the background activities that keep a company running efficiently behind the scenes. Operations employees dont usually come in direct contact with customers and end users, though they are responsible for helping to ensure that customers ultimately receive the product or service that the company promises. The  operating cycle  of a business is the average period of time required for a business to make an initial outlay of cash to produce goods, sell the goods, and receive cash from  customers  in exchange for the goods. If a company is a reseller, then the operating cycle does not include any time for production it is simply the date from the initial cash outlay to the date of cash receipt from the customer. Companies dont arbitrarily decide an operating cycle because it reflects how in reality business transactions progress from start to finish. The operating cycle is also referred to as the cash-conversion cycle, which is the length of time that a company takes to convert its inventory purchase to sales revenue. A typical operating cycle includes the days of inventory outstanding before sales, the days of accounts receivable outstanding before cash collection, and the days of accounts payable outstanding before cash payments. The operating cycle is useful for estimating the amount of  working capital  that a company will need in order to maintain or grow its business. A company with an extremely short operating cycle requires less cash, and so can still grow while selling at relatively small margins. Conversely, a business may have fat margins and yet still require additional financing to grow at even a modest pace, if its operating cycle is unusually long. Question 2 answers : The following are all factors that influence the duration of the operating cycle: The extended payment terms to the company by its  suppliers since the company can delay paying out cash. longer payment terms shorten the operating cycle. The order fulfilment policy, since a higher assumed initial fulfilment rate increases the amount of  inventory on hand, which increases the operating cycle. The credit policy and related payment terms, since looser credit equates to a longer interval before customers pay, which extends the operating cycle. Thus, several management decisions (or negotiated issues with business partners) can impact the operating cycle of a business. McDonalds is a great example of a franchise, many people have opened this chains of fast food all over their respective countries and to bring benefits to themselves and economies in which theyve started this .Here are some of the factors of the famous fast food chain we visit frequently, McDonalds. Common Operations Units Management is one of the most important operational part of a moving business. Management is responsible most of everything. The management would handle the production duties and make various and different strategic plans for the company to follow. The marketing unit is in charge of the side of how to attract the customers towards the companies .As in example ,the marketing unit would be the people who publish stuffs about the company in newspapers and magazines. The administrative unit of the company is in charge of ordering supplies, hiring employees, and managing communication within (and outside of) the firm. If you have a secretary to run your small office, this person commonly handles all of your administrative support activities. Quality Management Employees who work in operations have various kinds of responsibilities, but the most common and the most important job to handle is the quality management. All of the operational units in the business will have to keep an eye on the quality management. This is due to the fact that if quality management is not handled properly with an oderly manner, there could be a very bad image upon the companies which in the end would be blamed on the operational units. Considerations To have a functional and well-run operations unit, the company must be structured and its foundation must be strong in order to run like a well-oiled machine. Communication to and from the various operational units of the business is key because they all work together to help generate a profit for the company. This is especially true for a very small company one cog in the wheel can jam up operations. There is usually as written operations procedure manual distributed among all the employees to clear out all the confusions. This helps a lot because then the employee doesnt need to disturb the employers for any information but just directly go through the manual. When a franchisee invests in a host country, the scale of the investment is likely to be very large and cause a lot of economic activity in whichever market it establishes itself in. Improving the balance of payments   Inward investment will usually help a countrys balance of payments situation. The investment itself will be a direct flow of capital into the country and the investment is also likely to result in import substitution and export promotion. Export promotion comes due to the franchise using their production facility as a basis for exporting, while import substitution means that products previously imported may now be bought domestically. Providing employment   FDI will usually result in employment benefits for the host country as most employees will be locally recruited. These benefits may be relatively greater given that governments will usually try to attract firms to areas where there is relatively high unemployment or a good labour supply. Source of tax revenue   Profits of franchises will be subject to local taxes in most cases, which will provide a valuable source of revenue for the domestic government. Technology transfer   Franchises will bring in the best technology and all the kinds of methods that would be new to the host country. In contrary ,by doing this method, the host country would learn a lot from all these kinds of techniques which are very valuable to them. National reputation   The presence of any one of these franchises may bring out the best of the country and also improve the high status of the host country. This would be very good because all the other host countries which would see the difference, would definitely follow up with their own franchises Question 2 conclusion : Given all the information, a owning and running a franchise is a risky business as is with all business but people do so with government encouragement and because they think that running a franchise will guarantee a bigger or higher profit or income. This may not always be the case and it is often found that in the long run running an original business gives higher returns. Though all business have their pros and cons, franchising and running a franchise has with it a lot to consider and the proper decisions and actions must be taken in order for the business to succeed and prosper.

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend Essay -- Arthurian Lege

The Sword in the Stone of the Arthurian Legend King Arthur and the knights of the round table belong to a long line of books and stories of the Arthurian legend. Merlin, Lancelot, The lady of the lake, King Arthur, and Excaliber are all very important in the Arthurian legend. In this essay we will talk about King Arthur, the knights of the round table, and Merlin in the famous story, The sword in the stone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Sword in the stone is a book about an adopted child named wart. He is of royal blood and does not know this. One day when Wart is in the forest, he finds a magician named Merlin. Merlin comes home with Wart and agrees with Sir Ector, Wart’s guardian, to become Wart’s tutor. Merlin goes about educating Wart by Transforming him into different animals. Through each transformation Wart experiences different forms of power, each being a part of how he should rule as king.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first transformation takes Wart and Merlin into the castle’s moat as a fish. They then meet the largest fish in the moat, which is an alligator who is the ruler. The alligator takes what he wants because of his size. In a speech about power, he tells Wart that â€Å"Might is right,† and might of the body is greater than might of the mind. Because of the way the alligator rules, his subjects obey him out of fear for their lives. Wart experiences this firsthand when the gator tells him to leave. He has grown bored of Wart, and if Wart does not leave he will eat him. The king uses his size as his claim to power, therefore his subjects follow him out of fear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Wart’s next transformation into a hawk, he soars into the castle’s mews. All the birds into the mews have a military rank. Their leader is an old falcon, who Sir Ector keeps just for show. The birds who rank below the falcon, hold her in the highest regard because of her old age. She applies her power over the other birds with no concern for their lives. In one instance, Wart is ordered to stand next to the cage of a crazy hawk who almost kills him. On the other hand, her seasoned age brings respect, since she had not been released once she outlived her usefulness as a hunter. This allows her to maintain a powerful grip over all the birds she rules through fear and respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Wart’s next make over Wart is transformed into an ant and posted within an ant colony. There is a single leader of the ant... ...ncelot killed the man responsible for this thievery he said, for shame that a knight not withhold or respect his high calling. Lancelot also showed his dedication to his knighthood and his King when he was tempted to sleep with Gwynevere but didn’t sleep with her by riding out and looking for adventure to prevent anything bad happening disrespecting King Arthur and his knightly standards by sleeping with her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Lancelot is the best example of the loyalty of the Knights of the round Table in all of his actions. Lancelot did not let love get into any of his affairs and yet showed compassion and proved that he was not out to win personal gain. The Knights of the Round Table were noble in their actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That’s the story of how we know the story (or stories) today. King Arthur was raised and taught by the wise Magician named Merlin who has helped many kings before Arthur be great. Who created the Round Table and the Knights that sit around it and among those the famous Lancelot. Without Merlin there is no Arthur, without Arthur there is no Lancelot. So we now know that even though it’s called the Arthurian legend, all of them are big contributors to the legend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Religion and the Cause of War Essay example -- Religion War

Many times we can’t pin down the precise reason as to why wars are caused, but we can say as to why we choose to fight. We fight to defend what we believe in. Many would say that war is not caused by religion, but what exactly is religion? Religion is â€Å"Something one believes in and follows devotedly; a matter of ethics or conscience.† (dictionary) Although many things cause war, one cannot discount the role religion plays in the cause of war. According to Prominent US Catholic theologian Dr. William Cavanaugh â€Å"If one tries to limit the definition of religion to belief in God or gods, then certain belief systems that are usually called â€Å"religions† are eliminated, such as Theravada, Buddhism, and Confucianism. If the definition is expanded to include such belief systems, then all sorts of practices, including many that are usually labeled â€Å"secular,† fall under the definition of religion.† (Cavanaugh) This is a rather interesting s tatement, if we broaden our view on what religion actually is we can clearly see that â€Å"Religion† does have an impact on war. Some would say that religion only deals with those that believe and or follow God or gods others like Dr. Cavanaugh say that religion can consist of something entirely different. With this in mind we will begin our search on the role religion has in war we will first take a look at six out of the many recognized world Religions and what their beliefs are about war. A â€Å"Holy War† or a â€Å"Just War† is how some Religions justify war. The chart below shows six religions of the world and what their stance on war is. The outer ring shows the religions that do believe in any type of war and the inner ring shows the religions that do not believe in war, as you can see there are more religions t... ...Dictionary of World History. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Lake City Community College. 29 October 2010 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t48.e1384 "Crusades" World Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Lake City Community College. 29 October 2010 .html?subview=Main&entry=t142.e2980> Cavanaugh, William. T. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford U.P., 1967. Print. "Civil War, American" World Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Lake City Community College. 30 October 2010 Alchin, Linda.â€Å"Middle Ages† 16 July 2006. 24 Nov. 2010 .web.

My Antonia :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A plump, fair skinned girl was standing in the doorway. She looked demure and pretty, and made a graceful picture in her blue cashmere dress and little blue hat, with a plaid shawl neatly about her shoulders and a clumsy pocket book in her hand.† This is the first glimpse of the transformation from girl to successful woman of Lena Lingard in My Antonia, by Willa Cather. In the beginning of the book, Lena is portrayed as a struggling dressmaker, who because of her personality, goals, and motivation, becomes a successful individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lena’s independence and obstinacy makes her a strong personality in My Antonia. Despite how easily she attracted men, Lena never wanted to marry. This is because she was afraid of losing the independence that she had all her life. Her independence was also shown when she arrived at Jim’s apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska. Lena wasn’t tied down, so she was able to go where she wanted, whenever she wanted. Obstinacy showed in Lena’s refusal to marry. In a conversation between Jim and Lena, Jim stated, â€Å"Every handsome girl like [Lena] marries.† All through Jim’s argument, Lena stayed true to her anti-marriage view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lena’s goals were simple: not to marry, yet, make something of herself. Within the book entitled, ‘Lena Lingard,’ Lena has a discussion with Jim about her unwillingness to wed. She would â€Å"prefer to be foolish when [she] feels like it, and be accountable to nobody.† In ‘The Hired Girls’ Lena stated her desire to go into business. A later paragraph expressed her wish to become a teacher. However, Lena found this goal impossible because she was not â€Å"born smart.† Motivation was something that Lena never lacked. â€Å"I’m going to get my mother out of that old sod house where she’s lived so many years. The men will never do it.† Lena took her mother’s fate into her own hands when it was not socially acceptable for her to do so.

Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming?

Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? A REVIEW OF THE FACTS APRIL 2007 AUTHORS James Wang, Ph. D. Bill Chameides, Ph. D. Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? The case for attributing the recent global warming to human activities rests on the following undisputed scientific facts: †¢ Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere. †¢ Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm.Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice. †¢ Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels and forests. The isotopic composition of carbon from these sources contains a unique â€Å"fingerprint. † †¢ Since pre-industrial times, global average temperatures have increased by about 0. 7? C , with about half of the warming occurring over the past few decades. The only quantitative and internally consistent explanation for the recent global warming includes the intensified greenhouse effect caused by the increase in CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The U. S. National Academy of Sciences—the independent organization of the country’s most renowned scientists established by Congress to advise the nation on scientific and technical issues—has concluded: â€Å"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action. Some argue that the recent global warming is due to natural fluctuations and not to human activities. This argument and its fallacies are discussed below. Argument 1: CO2 is not coming from human activities CO2 has natural sources: volcanoes for example. All animals exhale it. How can human activities be affecting the concentration of CO2 on a global scale? The Facts Natural processes e mit large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, but they also remove it—at nearly identical rates.This balance maintained the concentration of CO2 at a stable level for thousands of years prior to the Industrial Revolution. In the case of global warming, the question is: What is causing the increase in CO2 concentrations? The answer turns out to be incontrovertible. The isotopic composition of carbon in atmospheric CO2 provides a unique â€Å"fingerprint† that tells scientists that the lion’s share of the additional CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere is from the burning of fossil fuels. Argument 2: No one really knows why the climate variesThe global climate has fluctuated considerably over the Earth’s history, either for unknown reasons or because of â€Å"internal variability† in the climate system. We do not know enough about the climate system to attribute the present global warming to any specific cause. The Facts It is true that the Earthâ⠂¬â„¢s climate has exhibited wide swings over geologic time due to natural processes. However, scientists have reasonable qualitative explanations for most of the significant variations in 2 limate over geologic time;1 they can be largely attributed to specific processes, not to unknown internal oscillations. Many of the major climatic changes can be traced to changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun (Hays et al. Science, 194, 1976, pg. 1121). Others can be linked to specific events (such as the impact of a comet or meteorite or the assembly or breakup of supercontinents) that led to large changes in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases.For more recent times (the past millennium), scientists have been able to quantitatively attribute the major temperature fluctuations to changes in solar activity, volcanic eruptions, and human-produced greenhouse gases and particulate pollution. These natural processes can not explain the current warming. Argument 3: The Medie val Warm Period disproves global warming The current warming trend is analogous to the Medieval Warming Period (MWP). Since the MWP was obviously a natural event, the current warming is also likely caused by natural processes. The FactsThe Medieval Warm Period (MWP) refers to a relatively warm period lasting from about the 10th to the 14th century. 2 However, the initial evidence for the MWP was largely based on data3 gathered from Europe, and more recent analyses indicate that the MWP was not a global phenomenon. A number of reconstructions of millennium-scale global temperatures have indicated that the maximum globally averaged temperature during the MWP was not as extreme as present-day temperatures and that the warming was regional rather than global. Perhaps the most well-known of these is that of Michael Mann and colleagues (Nature, 392, 1998, pg. 779).Their reconstruction produced the so-called â€Å"hockey stick† graphic that contributed to this conclusion in the 2001 assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: â€Å"The†¦'Medieval Warm Period' appear(s) to have limited utility in describing trends in hemispheric or global mean temperature changes in past centuries. † The accuracy of the â€Å"hockey stick† graphic was widely discussed in the press when the Mann et al. methodology was criticized by McIntyre and McKitrick (Geophys. Res. Lettr, 32, 2005, pg. L03710). Less attention was given to subsequent studies, such as that of Moberg and colleagues (Nature, 433, 2005, pg. 13) and Osborn and Briffa (Science, 311, 2006, pg. 841) that were based on different, independent methodologies but reached conclusions similar to Mann. Observations of melting high altitude glaciers are perhaps even more telling. Andean glaciers that have been intact for more than 5,000 years are now rapidly melting (Thompson et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , 103, 2006, pg. 10536). If the MWP was truly global, these glaciers would not have sur vived. More generally, it is a logical fallacy to argue that because the climate has changed in the past due to natural causes, the current warming trend must also be due to natural causes.The debate over the magnitude and causes of earlier climate change such as the MWP is of scientific interest, but it does not invalidate the considerable direct scientific evidence that human-produced greenhouse gases have been causing the Earth to warm recently. Argument 4: Recent predictions of a new ice age disprove global warming In the 1970s climate scientists were saying an ice age was imminent. Now they say the Earth is warming. They don’t know what they are talking about. The FactsThe Earth’s climate for the past 2 million years has been characterized by ice ages lasting close to 100,000 years, punctuated by relatively short (10,000- to 30,000-year) warm periods or â€Å"interglacials. † The swing from glacial to interglacial is caused by changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun amplified by natural feedbacks involving greenhouse gases (Hays et al. Science, 194, 1976, pg. 1121). The Earth entered the present interglacial about 10,000 years ago. All things being equal (i. e. , in the absence of a large human-produced source of CO2) it is highly likely that the Earth will swing back into a glacial period or ice age.But this will not occur for thousands of years. 3 As early as the 19th century, scientists recognized that greenhouse gases warm the planet, and that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide could lead to global warming on time scales of decades to centuries—much shorter than the fluctuations related to ice ages and interglacials. Around the same time, global temperatures began to increase and scientists became increasingly concerned that humans were interfering with the climate. In the 1950s the upward trend in global temperatures unexpectedly halted and temperatures declined somewhat.This led some scientists to become c oncerned about global cooling and, in turn, to headlines in the popular press about an imminent ice age. What the skeptics fail to admit is that within the scientific literature—as opposed to the popular press—global warming remained a serious concern. Many scientists of the time argued that whatever the cause of the cooling, natural or otherwise, it would be eventually overshadowed by the warming effect of carbon dioxide. In 1979, the National Academy of Sciences warned that a doubling of carbon dioxide would increase global temperatures by 1. 5 to 4. oC (Carbon Dioxide and Climate: A Scientific Assessment, NAS Press, 1979) and shortly thereafter a resumption of the upward trend in temperatures was detected. Over the past quarter century, scientific research on global climate change has intensified, and programs on an international scale have been organized. More and more data are included in computer models that are capable of recreating past trends and more precisel y predicting future scenarios. We now know that the mid-20th century pause in global warming was caused by pollution from burning coal, which produced tiny particles or aerosols that blocked the energy from the sun.As aerosol emissions were controlled but greenhouse gas pollution continued to increase, the cooling effect of the aerosols was overwhelmed by the greenhouse gases, and global warming resumed. Argument 5: Scientists cannot â€Å"prove† current warming is not natural Climate scientists can not prove that the current warming is not due to natural processes and therefore can not claim with certainty that the warming is due to human interference. The Facts It is of course true that, in a complex system like climate, it is virtually impossible to prove a negative; i. e. that natural processes are not causing the current warming. What we can do is eliminate every possible natural explanation that can be posited. Thermodynamics tells us that the warming of the Earthâ€⠄¢s lower atmosphere must arise from one or more processes that supply excess heat to the lower atmosphere. Besides the greenhouse effect, the viable processes are (1) increased output from the sun; (2) increased absorption of heat from the sun due to a change in the Earth’s planetary reflectivity or â€Å"albedo†; and (3) an internal variation in the climate system that transfers heat from one part of the Earth to the atmosphere.Direct observations confirm that none of these explains the observed warming over the latter half of the 20th century. For example there has been no appreciable change in solar output over the past two decades (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Change in solar output from 1980 to 2005. Figure 1 shows the relative change in solar output determined from two of satellite measurements over a two-decade period. The data show variability in solar output corresponding to the 11-year sunspot cycle, but no secular trend. Source: After Lean and Froelich, 2006. 4 Satellite data reveal that the Earth’s reflectivity increased (causing cooling instead of warming) in the ’60’s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s and has decreased modestly since. 4 The overall warming from the recent decrease in reflectivity is also small compared to the greenhouse warming. In the case of internal variations, the ocean is the only viable reservoir of internal heat that could have caused the atmosphere to warm on decadal time-scales. However, observations show that the heat content of the ocean has increased instead of decreased over the past few decades (See Figure 2).This indicates that the atmosphere has been a source of heat to the ocean rather than vice versa. Moreover, the amount of heat increase in the ocean is consistent with what is needed to balance the Earth’s energy budget given the excess heating from the enhanced greenhouse effect and the amount of excess heat observed to be stored in the atmosphere (Hansen et al. Science, 3 08, 2005, pg. 1431). In other words, the amount of heat stored in the ocean over recent years matches the amount of heat that models predict should be trapped on Earth due to the increase in greenhouse gases. Figure 2.Change in heat content of ocean 1955 to 2005 Source: After Levitus et al. 2005. FIGURE 2 SHOWS THE RELATIVE CHANGE IN THE HEAT COTENT OF THE OCEAN FROM 1955 TO 2005 BASED ON A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF OCEAN TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS. THE DATA SHOW SHORT TERM VARIABILITY BUT A CLEAR UPWARD TREND ON DECADAL TIME-SCALES. Conclusion †¢ The Medieval Warm Period does not represent an analogy to the warming of the late 20th century, for which scientists have independent evidence of human causation, and the evidence strongly suggests that the MWP was a regional, rather than a global phenomenon. Our understanding of the climate system is sufficient to provide qualitative models for most global or hemispheric climatic variations over geologic history and quantitative models for variations over the past millennium. †¢ The Earth’s climate may return to ice age conditions in thousands of years, but this does not preclude devastating effects from global warming over the next few centuries. 5 †¢ All known natural explanations for the current global warming trend have been eliminated by direct observations.The human-intensified greenhouse effect provides the only quantitative explanation for the current warming trend. About the authors Dr. Wang received his doctorate from Harvard University and works as a climate scientist at Environmental Defense. He has published several peer-reviewed papers on the global methane budget and was the author of â€Å"The Latest Myths and Facts on Global Warming,† which was read into the congressional record by Senator John McCain in 2005. The report is available at http://www. undoit. org/pdfs/mythsvfacts. pdf. Dr. Chameides, chief scientist at Environmental Defense, is a member of the U.S. National A cademy of Sciences and has been named a National Associate of the National Academies. He is also an American Geophysical Union Fellow, and has received the American Geophysical Union's Macelwane Award. Dr. Chameides has served as editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research and is the author or coauthor of more than 120 scientific publications and five books. He received his doctorate from Yale University. The explanations are qualitative instead of quantitative because we do not have quantitative data from these events in the distant past to construct their exact histories. It has been suggested based on temperature reconstructions and model simulations that the MWP may have been caused by increased solar activity or a dearth of volcanic activity. 3 th Because worldwide temperature measurements do not exist before the 19 century, temperature records before th the 19 century are based on reconstructions of the temperature from the variations in temperature-sensitive proxies (e. g. , tree rings, isotopes in ice cores). 4 These variations are possibly due to changes in the concentrations of atmospheric aerosols produced from the burning of fossil fuels and biomass. 1 6 Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? A REVIEW OF THE FACTS APRIL 2007 AUTHORS James Wang, Ph. D. Bill Chameides, Ph. D. Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming? The case for attributing the recent global warming to human activities rests on the following undisputed scientific facts: †¢ Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that warms the atmosphere. †¢ Since pre-industrial times, atmospheric CO2 concentrations have increased from about 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 380 ppm.Current concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are unprecedented in at least the last 650,000 years, based on records from gas bubbles trapped in polar ice. †¢ Independent measurements demonstrate that the increased CO2 in the atmosphere comes from burning fossil fuels and forests. The isotopic composition of carbon from these sources contains a unique â€Å"fingerprint. † †¢ Since pre-industrial times, global average temperatures have increased by about 0. 7? C , with about half of the warming occurring over the past few decades. The only quantitative and internally consistent explanation for the recent global warming includes the intensified greenhouse effect caused by the increase in CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The U. S. National Academy of Sciences—the independent organization of the country’s most renowned scientists established by Congress to advise the nation on scientific and technical issues—has concluded: â€Å"The scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action. Some argue that the recent global warming is due to natural fluctuations and not to human activities. This argument and its fallacies are discussed below. Argument 1: CO2 is not coming from human activities CO2 has natural sources: volcanoes for example. All animals exhale it. How can human activities be affecting the concentration of CO2 on a global scale? The Facts Natural processes e mit large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, but they also remove it—at nearly identical rates.This balance maintained the concentration of CO2 at a stable level for thousands of years prior to the Industrial Revolution. In the case of global warming, the question is: What is causing the increase in CO2 concentrations? The answer turns out to be incontrovertible. The isotopic composition of carbon in atmospheric CO2 provides a unique â€Å"fingerprint† that tells scientists that the lion’s share of the additional CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere is from the burning of fossil fuels. Argument 2: No one really knows why the climate variesThe global climate has fluctuated considerably over the Earth’s history, either for unknown reasons or because of â€Å"internal variability† in the climate system. We do not know enough about the climate system to attribute the present global warming to any specific cause. The Facts It is true that the Earthâ⠂¬â„¢s climate has exhibited wide swings over geologic time due to natural processes. However, scientists have reasonable qualitative explanations for most of the significant variations in 2 limate over geologic time;1 they can be largely attributed to specific processes, not to unknown internal oscillations. Many of the major climatic changes can be traced to changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun (Hays et al. Science, 194, 1976, pg. 1121). Others can be linked to specific events (such as the impact of a comet or meteorite or the assembly or breakup of supercontinents) that led to large changes in the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases.For more recent times (the past millennium), scientists have been able to quantitatively attribute the major temperature fluctuations to changes in solar activity, volcanic eruptions, and human-produced greenhouse gases and particulate pollution. These natural processes can not explain the current warming. Argument 3: The Medie val Warm Period disproves global warming The current warming trend is analogous to the Medieval Warming Period (MWP). Since the MWP was obviously a natural event, the current warming is also likely caused by natural processes. The FactsThe Medieval Warm Period (MWP) refers to a relatively warm period lasting from about the 10th to the 14th century. 2 However, the initial evidence for the MWP was largely based on data3 gathered from Europe, and more recent analyses indicate that the MWP was not a global phenomenon. A number of reconstructions of millennium-scale global temperatures have indicated that the maximum globally averaged temperature during the MWP was not as extreme as present-day temperatures and that the warming was regional rather than global. Perhaps the most well-known of these is that of Michael Mann and colleagues (Nature, 392, 1998, pg. 779).Their reconstruction produced the so-called â€Å"hockey stick† graphic that contributed to this conclusion in the 2001 assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: â€Å"The†¦'Medieval Warm Period' appear(s) to have limited utility in describing trends in hemispheric or global mean temperature changes in past centuries. † The accuracy of the â€Å"hockey stick† graphic was widely discussed in the press when the Mann et al. methodology was criticized by McIntyre and McKitrick (Geophys. Res. Lettr, 32, 2005, pg. L03710). Less attention was given to subsequent studies, such as that of Moberg and colleagues (Nature, 433, 2005, pg. 13) and Osborn and Briffa (Science, 311, 2006, pg. 841) that were based on different, independent methodologies but reached conclusions similar to Mann. Observations of melting high altitude glaciers are perhaps even more telling. Andean glaciers that have been intact for more than 5,000 years are now rapidly melting (Thompson et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. , 103, 2006, pg. 10536). If the MWP was truly global, these glaciers would not have sur vived. More generally, it is a logical fallacy to argue that because the climate has changed in the past due to natural causes, the current warming trend must also be due to natural causes.The debate over the magnitude and causes of earlier climate change such as the MWP is of scientific interest, but it does not invalidate the considerable direct scientific evidence that human-produced greenhouse gases have been causing the Earth to warm recently. Argument 4: Recent predictions of a new ice age disprove global warming In the 1970s climate scientists were saying an ice age was imminent. Now they say the Earth is warming. They don’t know what they are talking about. The FactsThe Earth’s climate for the past 2 million years has been characterized by ice ages lasting close to 100,000 years, punctuated by relatively short (10,000- to 30,000-year) warm periods or â€Å"interglacials. † The swing from glacial to interglacial is caused by changes in the Earth’s orbit around the sun amplified by natural feedbacks involving greenhouse gases (Hays et al. Science, 194, 1976, pg. 1121). The Earth entered the present interglacial about 10,000 years ago. All things being equal (i. e. , in the absence of a large human-produced source of CO2) it is highly likely that the Earth will swing back into a glacial period or ice age.But this will not occur for thousands of years. 3 As early as the 19th century, scientists recognized that greenhouse gases warm the planet, and that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide could lead to global warming on time scales of decades to centuries—much shorter than the fluctuations related to ice ages and interglacials. Around the same time, global temperatures began to increase and scientists became increasingly concerned that humans were interfering with the climate. In the 1950s the upward trend in global temperatures unexpectedly halted and temperatures declined somewhat.This led some scientists to become c oncerned about global cooling and, in turn, to headlines in the popular press about an imminent ice age. What the skeptics fail to admit is that within the scientific literature—as opposed to the popular press—global warming remained a serious concern. Many scientists of the time argued that whatever the cause of the cooling, natural or otherwise, it would be eventually overshadowed by the warming effect of carbon dioxide. In 1979, the National Academy of Sciences warned that a doubling of carbon dioxide would increase global temperatures by 1. 5 to 4. oC (Carbon Dioxide and Climate: A Scientific Assessment, NAS Press, 1979) and shortly thereafter a resumption of the upward trend in temperatures was detected. Over the past quarter century, scientific research on global climate change has intensified, and programs on an international scale have been organized. More and more data are included in computer models that are capable of recreating past trends and more precisel y predicting future scenarios. We now know that the mid-20th century pause in global warming was caused by pollution from burning coal, which produced tiny particles or aerosols that blocked the energy from the sun.As aerosol emissions were controlled but greenhouse gas pollution continued to increase, the cooling effect of the aerosols was overwhelmed by the greenhouse gases, and global warming resumed. Argument 5: Scientists cannot â€Å"prove† current warming is not natural Climate scientists can not prove that the current warming is not due to natural processes and therefore can not claim with certainty that the warming is due to human interference. The Facts It is of course true that, in a complex system like climate, it is virtually impossible to prove a negative; i. e. that natural processes are not causing the current warming. What we can do is eliminate every possible natural explanation that can be posited. Thermodynamics tells us that the warming of the Earthâ€⠄¢s lower atmosphere must arise from one or more processes that supply excess heat to the lower atmosphere. Besides the greenhouse effect, the viable processes are (1) increased output from the sun; (2) increased absorption of heat from the sun due to a change in the Earth’s planetary reflectivity or â€Å"albedo†; and (3) an internal variation in the climate system that transfers heat from one part of the Earth to the atmosphere.Direct observations confirm that none of these explains the observed warming over the latter half of the 20th century. For example there has been no appreciable change in solar output over the past two decades (see Figure 1). Figure 1. Change in solar output from 1980 to 2005. Figure 1 shows the relative change in solar output determined from two of satellite measurements over a two-decade period. The data show variability in solar output corresponding to the 11-year sunspot cycle, but no secular trend. Source: After Lean and Froelich, 2006. 4 Satellite data reveal that the Earth’s reflectivity increased (causing cooling instead of warming) in the ’60’s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s and has decreased modestly since. 4 The overall warming from the recent decrease in reflectivity is also small compared to the greenhouse warming. In the case of internal variations, the ocean is the only viable reservoir of internal heat that could have caused the atmosphere to warm on decadal time-scales. However, observations show that the heat content of the ocean has increased instead of decreased over the past few decades (See Figure 2).This indicates that the atmosphere has been a source of heat to the ocean rather than vice versa. Moreover, the amount of heat increase in the ocean is consistent with what is needed to balance the Earth’s energy budget given the excess heating from the enhanced greenhouse effect and the amount of excess heat observed to be stored in the atmosphere (Hansen et al. Science, 3 08, 2005, pg. 1431). In other words, the amount of heat stored in the ocean over recent years matches the amount of heat that models predict should be trapped on Earth due to the increase in greenhouse gases. Figure 2.Change in heat content of ocean 1955 to 2005 Source: After Levitus et al. 2005. FIGURE 2 SHOWS THE RELATIVE CHANGE IN THE HEAT COTENT OF THE OCEAN FROM 1955 TO 2005 BASED ON A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF OCEAN TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS. THE DATA SHOW SHORT TERM VARIABILITY BUT A CLEAR UPWARD TREND ON DECADAL TIME-SCALES. Conclusion †¢ The Medieval Warm Period does not represent an analogy to the warming of the late 20th century, for which scientists have independent evidence of human causation, and the evidence strongly suggests that the MWP was a regional, rather than a global phenomenon. Our understanding of the climate system is sufficient to provide qualitative models for most global or hemispheric climatic variations over geologic history and quantitative models for variations over the past millennium. †¢ The Earth’s climate may return to ice age conditions in thousands of years, but this does not preclude devastating effects from global warming over the next few centuries. 5 †¢ All known natural explanations for the current global warming trend have been eliminated by direct observations.The human-intensified greenhouse effect provides the only quantitative explanation for the current warming trend. About the authors Dr. Wang received his doctorate from Harvard University and works as a climate scientist at Environmental Defense. He has published several peer-reviewed papers on the global methane budget and was the author of â€Å"The Latest Myths and Facts on Global Warming,† which was read into the congressional record by Senator John McCain in 2005. The report is available at http://www. undoit. org/pdfs/mythsvfacts. pdf. Dr. Chameides, chief scientist at Environmental Defense, is a member of the U.S. National A cademy of Sciences and has been named a National Associate of the National Academies. He is also an American Geophysical Union Fellow, and has received the American Geophysical Union's Macelwane Award. Dr. Chameides has served as editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research and is the author or coauthor of more than 120 scientific publications and five books. He received his doctorate from Yale University. The explanations are qualitative instead of quantitative because we do not have quantitative data from these events in the distant past to construct their exact histories. It has been suggested based on temperature reconstructions and model simulations that the MWP may have been caused by increased solar activity or a dearth of volcanic activity. 3 th Because worldwide temperature measurements do not exist before the 19 century, temperature records before th the 19 century are based on reconstructions of the temperature from the variations in temperature-sensitive proxies (e. g. , tree rings, isotopes in ice cores). 4 These variations are possibly due to changes in the concentrations of atmospheric aerosols produced from the burning of fossil fuels and biomass. 1 6