Do Financial Management Decisions Influence Firm Value? Essay

Financial management decision-making consists of techniques, tools and procedures that a company or individual uses to gather ideas, evaluate options and select the best outcomes, depending on internal and external factors. A firm’s leadership may ask department heads, segment chiefs and accounting managers to provide input in financial decision-making processes. There are three main financial management decisions which are: * Capital budgeting Capital budgeting is a required managerial tool. According Brunel, R. (2009) one duty of a financial manager is to choose investments with satisfactory cash flows and rates of return. Therefore, a financial manager must be able to decide whether an investment is worth undertaking and be able to choose intelligently between two or more alternatives. To do this, a sound procedure to evaluate, compare, and select projects is needed. * Capital structure The Modigliani–Miller theorem states that, in the absence of taxes, bankruptcy costs, and asymmetric information, and in an efficient market, a company’s value is unaffected by how it is financed, regardless of whether  the company’s capital consists of equities or debt, or a combination of these, or what the dividend policy is. The theorem is also known as the capital structure principle. There are two main questions when looking at the capital structure – 1) How much money do we need to borrow to buy this long-term asset? 2) What are the least expensive sources of funds for the firm? * Working capital management The goal of working capital management is to ensure that a firm is able to continue its operations and that it has sufficient ability to satisfy both maturing short-term debt and upcoming operational expenses. Any decision undertaken by the firm in one area has its impact on other areas as well. For example acceptance of an investment proposal by a firm affects its capital structure and capital budgeting decision as well. So these decision are inter-related and should be taken jointly so that financial decision is optimal. All the financial decision have ultimately to achieve the firm’s goal of maximisation of shareholders wealth. Burberry, one of the famous designer brands in the world was started by a 21 year old draper’s apprentice, Thomas Burberry. This all started with small outfitter’s shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England (The Telegraph 2011). Burberry gained popularity during the First World Was when it won the contract to supply trench coats to the British army. Later on, Burberry was also won by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany and Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther. Burberry’s main mission was to sell Britishness to the world (Friedman 2011). * 2008/2009/2010 Financial reports The Annual Report of Burberry for the year of 2008, states that revenue of of  £995m, up 18% on an underlying basis, 17 % reported. Exchange rates reduce revenue by  £12m. Final dividend of 8.65p per share giving 12.0p for the full year, as the payout ratio is moved progressively towards 40%. The following graph shows the Total Shareholder Return (‘TSR’) for Burberry Group plc compared to the companies in the FTSE 100 Index assuming Ј100 was invested on 31 March 2003. The FTSE 100 Index has been selected because Burberry’s market capitalisation is close to that of companies at the lower end of the FTSE 100 Index. For the year of 2009 Burberry had a 15 per cent rise in sales to  £380m. The company said retail sales were up 17 per cent with strong comparable store sales growth, greater full-price sell through of the winter collection as significantly lower inventory going into the last quarter. Burberry’s wholesale revenue was up 11per cent, driven by more frequent deliveries and full year dividend maintained at 12p per share. Angela Ahrendts, Chief Executive Officer, commented: â€Å"2008/09 was one of the most challenging years the luxury sector has ever faced, especially in the second half. Against this background, Burberry grew revenue to  £1.2bn.† The results for the 2010 are that the total revenue up 24% underlying (up 30% reported), Retail sales up 16% underlying (up 21% reported). Wholesale revenue up 46% underlying (up 51% reported) in smallest quarter. After reading and analyzing the financial reports for the past three years, we found three working capital oriented decision made: 1. Investments in market expansion in Middle East (UAE), China and Japan- The achievement of Burberry to enter the China market was the main highlight in the period of 2010/11. Japan offers challenging consumer environment not only to Burberry Group PLC but to many other companies decided to be successful in this market. With the opportunity to make improvements to its leading license agreement, Burberry developed its long-term tactical options in Japan. Through the effort executing the core approach Burberry have reached strong financial results. â€Å"Total revenue grew 7% to  £1.3 bn. Retail performed well, increasing revenue 19% on a 7% comparable store sales gain. Licensing increased 18% with a decline in Japan offset by growth in global product licenses and favorable exchange rate movements.†(2009/10) The achievement of Burberry to enter the China market was the main highlight in the period of 2010/11. Burberry have obtained 50 stores in 30 towns for about  £65 m. Sales in emerging markets were up 45per cent in the past six months .The entering on the China market brought to the company opportunity to develop in the fastest growing luxury market in the world. Since the acquisition ten new stores were opened. Retailing and inventory initiatives have effectively driven efficiency in open stores, with comparative store sales up about 30 % in the second half of the year. 2. Investments for improvement of the overall outlook of the company –  renovating the stores and employing online shopping system- Emphasize profitability over revenue growth. In 2009/10, the significantly slowed buyer environment pressured gross margin and expense structure with a leveraged unfavorable effect on income. To capitalize on gross margin, trade teams continued to reduce range sizes across category. This resulted in more focused assortments leading to enhanced sourcing efficiencies, more consistent in-store presentation and improved sell-through rates. The teams also revised mark-down policies to capitalize on the less seasonal elements of the collections. Retail/wholesale gross margin increased from 52.1% in 2008/09 to 59.7% in 2009/10. â€Å"Pre-tax profits were up by 50 per cent to  £118m and total revenues increased by 21pc, in the six months to the end of September.† This led to boost of Burberry’s dividend by 43pc to 5p. Angela Ahrendts have brought to the company ascend of share price more than 130p. Leveraging the instrument in systems and planning expertise, the Group enhanced inventory management in the year. Inventory levels were cut down 36% year over year. The status of the Burberry Group as a leader in the digital world was further improved with the autumn 2010 show, which in addition to live streaming over the internet, was screen in 3D in five cities all over the globe and let customers to acquire and look through runaway items straight for accelerated delivery- both firsts in the luxury segment. The rollout of the new Burberry.com web page launched in the fourth quarter of 2010/11. The web page was available live in six languages and transactional across 45 countries all over the world by the year end. And: 3. Strict employee payment schemes, bonuses for big sale quantities. Elements of remuneration In economics and finance decisions the principal-agent problem treats the difficulties that arise under conditions when an employee is hired, and there is a conflict of interest and moral hazard. One of the decisions that Burberry shareholders take to overall this problem is with bonus shames. Remuneration is planned such that for executive directors and other senior managers, performance-related elements represent the majority of total possible remuneration. The Group gears its remuneration policy with  providing of the following elements: Base salary The Group intentions to provide salaries which are competitive with those of comparable roles at global companies of a related size and global reach within the luxury goods sector. These companies are representative of Burberry’s participants for executive talent. When bearing in mind the salary, the Board considers not only competitive firms decision, but also what the contribution to the business is and the overall performance through the year. Annual bonus Each year the Board make bonus targeting by reference to internal and external expectations Bonuses are currently based on effectiveness and presentation against Group strategic and individual points of overall contribution to the business. The Committee have confidence in linking incentives to profitability helps to reinforce the Group’s strategy and long-term growth purposes. Targets are severely regulated by Kepler using benchmarks that contains broker earnings estimates for Burberry and its competitors, targets for productivity consistent with median/upper quartile shareholder returns, latest plans for the then current year, budget, strategic plan, long-term financial goals, etc. Actual bonus awards are subject to the discretion of the Board. Service agreements Angela Ahrendts relocated from the US to the UK and commenced her employment with Burberry as an executive director on 9 January 2006 Under a service contract dated 10 October 2005. She was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 July 2006. Now she is the chief executive of Burberry and she led the best performing company in the FTSE 100 index for year 2009.Burberry paid Ahrendts a total of  £3.2m, positioning her between the’’ upper middle’’ of the FTSE 100 index for total remuneration. Her pay packet contained a base salary of  £910,000 and a maximum cash bonus of 200 % of that salary, together with other ‘’allowances’’ Burberry made Angela Ahrendts a shareholder by motivating her to make an even better performance. One of the examples of her brilliant decisions was that Ahrendts quickly recognise that the franchise model would in the end disaster the company’s hopes of  restoring and maintaining its premium rating, and has spent much of her tenancy buying back the licenses, often taking a generous hit to the lowest line in the short term as a result. Bibliography 1. Burberry Annual Report 2007/2008 , [Online] from http://smartpdf.blacksunplc.com/burberry2007-08ara/Burberry_2007-08_AnnualReport.pdf [Accessed: 02 December 2011] 2. Burberry Annual Report 2009/2010, [Online] from http://smartpdf.blacksunplc.com/burberry2009-10ara/ [Accessed: 03 December 2011] 3. Burberry- Financial news 2008/2009, [Online] from http://www.burberryplc.com/bbry/newsrel/finnews/2009/2009-05-19/ [Accessed: 02 December 2011] 4. Burberry Annual Report 2010/2011, [Online] from http://201011.annualreport.burberry.com/ [Accessed: 03 December 2011] 5. Burberry Group PLC- Business profile, [Online] from http://markets.ft.com/research/Markets/Tearsheets/Business-profile?s=BRBY:LSE [Accessed: 01 December 2011] 6. Burberry- Financial news, FIRST QUARTER TRADING UPDATE AND INTERIM MANAGEMENT STATEMENT, [Online] from http://www.burberryplc.com/bbry/newsrel/finnews/2010/2010-07-13/ [Accessed: 02 December 2011] 7. Burberry’s sales rocket 15 percent, [Online] from http://www .fashionunited.co.uk/news/leads/burberrys-sales-rocket-15-per-cent-201001208062 [Accessed: 02 December 2011] 8. Burberry- Strategy and mission, [Online] from http://www.burberryplc.com/bbry/corporateprofile/strmis/ [Accessed: 03 December 2011] 9. Financial Management – Meaning, Objectives and Functions, [Online] from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/financial-management.htm [Accessed: 01 December 2011] 10. Luxury brands: should you buy the shares? [Online] from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/shares/8169322/Luxury-brands-should-you-buy-the-shares.html [Accessed: 09 December 2011] 11. The Financial Management Decision Process, [Online] from http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Financial-Management-Decision-Process/118408 [Accessed: 01 December 2011] 12. The Relationship Between Financial Decision Making & Risk & Return, [Online] from

Existentialism and Metamorphosis Essay

Existentialism is defined as a modern philosophical movement stressing the importance of one’s experience and accountability. Its focus is the make on the personal reflections that these make on the individual, who is seen as a free agent in a deterministic and seemingly meaningless universe. Its philosophy is meticulous that, in a nutshell, advocates a diverse arsenal of responses and solutions to the ‘existentialist attitude’; which, essentially, is what an individual feels when confronted by the absurdity of life. Throughout humanity, rumination and self-proclaimed ‘ultimate’ truths have assumed various forms: poetry, religion, and numerous other doctrines and textual works. In The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka narrates the ramifications of a metamorphosis in which the subject and protagonist, a man named Gregor Samsa, is transformed into a bug. Despite the novella’s literary methods and influences, the most prominent being the way Kafka so nonchalantly describes such irregularity in his life, The Metamorphosis is also hailed as a prime textual work of existentialism, the previously mentioned philosophical movement. Both prior and subsequent to the transformation, Kafka portrays Gregor as a man who seems lost within himself, and lacking identity. The reminiscences of his past are neither nostalgic nor poignant: his human life is seen to revolve solely around trivial matters. His social life pays the price from this, his failure to assert a concrete and consistent existence. The extent of his lack of individuality is further exemplified by his reaction to the metamorphosis: finding himself â€Å"transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect† (K afka, 296), he prioritizes work over all else, even in his newly equated insect form. Furthermore, he panics because â€Å"the next train went at seven o’clock; to catch that he would need to hurry like mad and his samples weren’t even packed up† (297). Gregor’s identity crisis is a device for conveying Kafka’s belief of an impersonal society where individualism is drastically mitigated as a result of excessive materialism. Gregor, in the context of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground analogy, would be the ‘ant’ in the anthill— thus rendering his metamorphosis ironically. Another dominant theme prevalent throughout the novella is the absurd situation Gregor is confronted by. These nonsensical happenings (296-327) reflect the world as seen from the existentialist perspective: a world absent of a rational and comprehensive objective. Jean-Paul Sartre postulated that ‘every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance’. This meaninglessness is precisely what Gregor is victim to in the microcosm of society that Kafka generates: Gregor flounders about, beleaguered by absurdity and helplessness, presumably because he is unaware of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard’s somewhat consoling conclusions that one must devise meaning for one’s own existence ex nihilo. Once again, Kafka utilizes a combination of plot and character to convey his angst concerning an apparently pointless existence. Freedom— or rather the lack thereof— is another existentialist tenet that Kafka addresses. Gregor is depicted as someone constrained by self-imposed burdens, the most demanding being the role as the financial pillar of the family. Despite having the freedom to repudiate this role, Gregor instead pursues it with feverish ardor to the extent that it becomes his ‘sole desire’ (310). Yet his harangue regarding his career (297-298) reveals that this is not due to personal desire, but rather the belief that he must replace his father financially, regardless of preference. Gregor’s delusion regarding an absence of choice contradicts what Kafka perceives as the truth: that freedom is ubiquitous in spite of any ethical obligations we may be expected to adhere to, and that the individual defines his or herself via one’s decisions. A quasi-motto of existentialism coined by Sartre, ‘existence precedes essence’. In conclusion, Kafka employs the fictional literary elements he constructs to address the very non-fictional, existentialist aspects of society and life. Akin to Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground, it can be interpreted as both a rumination and tirade against impersonal communities, restriction of freedom, and the absurdity of life.

Moral Dilemma Essay

A moral dilemma is to be placed in a situation which involves conflicts between moral requirements. These situations have a very apparent conflict between moral imperatives such that obeying one will result in transgressing the other. This paper will demonstrate choices, tragedy, respect, individuality, and values in the following stories: The Moose and The Sparrow by Hugh Garner, The Yellow Sweater by Hugh Garner, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross, and David by Earle Birney A choice is something one must make frequently throughout each and every day of ones lifetime. Some choices may be easier to make than others. One must choose to get out of bed each morning, what someone wants to eat or drink, whom one should converse with. Other choices may not quite be as simple to make, or the choices I make throughout my life may be easy choices to me, but to someone else those choices would be very hard to make. For instance, young Cecil had to make many choices in the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†. Cecil chose to stay at the camp even though he was being bullied constantly by Moose Mason. He said he’d made up his mind to stick it out until his time was up† (page 4, lines 23-24) As much as Moose was physically harming Cecil, Cecil did stick to his commitment to the lumber camp and continued to earn his money for university. He was a tough young man inside of his sparrow-like shell to put up with all of Moose’s bullying, and Cecil made a justifiable choice to stop Moose by killing him. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater† Marie chose to leave her aunt Bernice’s house as Bernice’s husband was obviously abusing Marie. Marie Chose to pack up her things to move to the city, but she didn’t hitchhike like other people leaving the small town she was living in. Marie simply chose to walk, but when Tom pulled over on the side of the road, Marie chose to get into the car not knowing what kind of person she would be traveling with or if she would arrive safely to her destination. â€Å"She opened the right rear door, saying at the same time, â€Å"Thank you sir,† in a frightened little voice. † (page 3,lines 7-9) Tom made some choices too. He chose to pick up this young girl plodding along the side of the highway, when he would never pick up a hitchhiker before. Tom chose to pick Marie up because â€Å"it might be fun to pick her up, to cross-examine her while she was trapped in the seat beside him. † ( page 2, lines 76- 78) Tom also chose to keep his real identity hidden from Marie, hoping that he could use her for sex, so he gave her a fictitious name, â€Å"When he drew out his wallet to pay the checks he was careful to cover the initials G. G. M. with the palm of his hand. (page 4 lines 54 – 56) In the story â€Å"The Necklace† Monsieur Loisel chose to give up the 400 francs he was saving for a new rifle to buy her a beautiful dress to wear on their evening out â€Å"He grew a little pale, for he was reserving just that sum to buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting, the next summer, on the plain of Nanterre, with some friends who used to shoot larks there on Sundays. But he said:- ‘All right, I will give you four hundred francs. But take care to have a pretty dress. ’ † (page 2 lines 27-29) Mathilde chose not to tell Mme. Forester that the necklace she lent to her was lost. Instead, M. Loisel told his wife to write her a letter. â€Å" You must write to your friend,† he said, â€Å"that you have broken the clasp of her necklace and that you are having it repaired. That will give us time to turn around. † She wrote as he dictated. † (page 4 lines 84-86) Instead of coming clean and telling Mme. Forester what really happened to her necklace, M. and Mme. Loisel chose to just go into debt and work hard to pay for a new necklace to replace the lost one. Finally one Sunday came and Mme. Loisel saw Mme Forester and decided to speak to her. â€Å" Mme. Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid up, she would tell her all. Why not? † (page 6 lines 108-110) Finally, the tragic choice of waiting too long led to a life of hardships for the Loisel family. If Mathilde Loisel chose to tell Mme. Forester that she lost the necklace in the first place, Mme. and M. Loisel wouldn’t have faced as many hardships to replace the necklace. This reflects back to honesty being the best policy. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door† John chose to leave Ann at home with a snow storm on its way so that he could walk five miles to his fathers house to make sure he would be warm and to help with the chores. John knew that Ann would be lonely, so he also chose to walk an extra two miles to Steven’s home to ask if he could keep Ann company until John returned home. Ann chose to commit adultery. She loved John, she is dedicated to him, but she felt neglected by him and was in desperate need for love and comfort. She chose to let Steven to ease her emotions by taking advantage of her situation. Ann decided not to stay faithful to John, but to give into her desires and sleep with Steven. â€Å"She who now felt his air of appraisal as nothing more than an understanding of the unfulfilled woman that until this moment had lain within her brooding and unedited, reproved out of consciousness by the insistence of an outgrown, routine fidelity. † (page6 lines 14-17) John chose to venture back home in the storm, and when he got home it was the middle of the night. He saw Steven and Ann lying together, sleeping side by side in bed and from there, John chose to go back out into the storm. John chose his fate as he died in the storm. In the story â€Å"David† one of the choices made was to kill the robin to put it out of its misery â€Å" That day returning we found a robin gyrating in grass, wing-broken. I caught it to tame but David took and killed it, and said, ‘could you teach it to fly? ’† The biggest choice in this story was a choice that Bobbie had to make. When David was saving Bobbie from falling, he in turn fell. David was still alive, but injured very badly. David did not want Bobbie to go get help, just to give him a push off the side of the mountain. Like the robin, David didn’t see any point in living if he wasn’t going to be useful, so he just wanted to end it right then and there. Bobbie chose to honor his friend’s wishes. He chose to push David to his death. The tragedies of these stories can be compared and contrasted, but the range of tragedy differs from story to story. Like the people we have in our lives, we all face tragedies, but we don’t necessarily share the same tragedies. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, it was tragic that poor Cecil had to endure so much physical pain and torment from Moose. â€Å" ‘Moose burned the kid’s hand,’ he told me. He heated the end of a saw blade in the tea fire, and then called the kid to take it to the squint eye to be sharpened. He handed the hot end to Cecil, and it burned his hand pretty bad. ’ † ( page 5 lines 3-5) It was also a tragedy that in the end, Cecil had put up with so much torment from Moose, that Cecil in turn took matters into his own hands and killed Moose. It was tragedy at its worst when a good man was forced to commit the unspeakable. In the story â€Å" The Yellow Sweater†, it was tragic to read that somehow Maries Aunt Bernice’s husband had been abusing Marie for her to be running away from their home. ‘I was living with my Aunt Bernice and her husband. ’ He noticed that she did not call the man her uncle. ‘You sound as though you don’t like the man your aunt is married to? ’ ‘I hate him! ’ she whispered vehemently. † (page 3 lines 62-68) I found it tragic that Marie started to sort of trust Tom, but came to realize that Tom was just a perverted pig. The way that Tom would belittle Marie was a tragedy â€Å" There was a note of relief in her voice as she said, ‘Oh! I didn’t mean for us- for you to find a stream. ’ ‘You don’t seem to know what you mean, do you? She became silent then and seemed to shrink farther into the corner. † ( page 6 lines 18-24) It was also a tragedy to read that Marie was an orphan. â€Å" She was an orphan, eighteen years old, who for the past three years had been living on her aunt’s farm. † ( page 4 lines 28-30) Having poor values such as those of Tom is also a tragedy. You see a somewhat â€Å"supposed-to-be† sophisticated and well mannered working-class gentleman and instead of seeing a young woman (like his daughter Shirley, â€Å"Something about her reminded him of his eldest daughter, but he shrugged off the comparison. (page 3 lines 36-41) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, losing the necklace was a tragedy. She mustered up enough courage to go visit Mme. Forester to ask if she had some jewelry she could borrow for an evening of extravagance with the Minister of Education. It was a big deal because she was really asking a lot by borrowing such a beautiful necklace, and then she lost it. Mathilde was sick and distraught. When she lost that necklace, she sort of lost herself. Even though she had unrealistic dreams about what she wanted in her life, she got knocked down a few rungs to pay off for the replacement. Monsieur Loisel also faced tragedy in the lost necklace, as he had to use his inheritance money and accumulated a lot of debt to buy a new necklace â€Å" Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs which his father had left him. He had to borrow the remainder. † (page 5 line 93) â€Å"He compromised the end of his life, risked his signature without even knowing whether it could be honored; and frightened by all the anguish of the future† (page 5 line 94) It was also a tragic moment when Mme. Loisel told Mme. Forester the truth about the necklace, and Mme Forester told Mathilde that the missing necklace was a fake. ‘Oh, my poor Mathilde. But mine were false. At most they were worth five hundred francs! ’ † (page 6 line 128) In the story â€Å" The Painted Door†, it was tragic that John could not see that Ann loved him, her husband. She was so lonely because he thought that showing her that he loved her meant that he had to slave himself working all the time When in fact she just wanted him to spend a little time with her. It was tragic that she still wanted to do fun things, but they have different interests and Ann never tried to talk to him about these issues. When she felt communication was lost, she tragically made the wrong choices. It was something of life she wanted, not just a house and furniture; something of John, not pretty clothes when she would be too old to wear them but John, of course, couldn’t understand. To him it seemed only right that she should have the clothes – only right that he, fit for nothing else, should slave away fifteen hours a day to give them to her. There was in his devotion a baffling, insurmountable humility that made him feel the need of sacrifice. And when his muscles ached, when his feet dragged stolidly with weariness, then it seemed that in some measure at least he was making amends for his big hulking body and simple mind. (page 2 lines 53-61) It was tragic that Ann was comparing John and Steven, and was putting down her husbands demeanor and looks and flirting with even the thoughts of Steven. â€Å"Steven’s smile, and therefore difficult to reprove. It lit up his lean, still-boyish face with a peculiar kind of arrogance: features and smile that were different from John’s, from other men’s- willful and derisive, yet naively so- as if it were less the difference itself he was conscious of, than the long-accustomed privilege that thereby fell his due. He was erect, tall, square-shouldered. His hair was dark and trip, his lips curved soft and full. While John, she made the comparison swiftly, was thickset, heavy-jowled, and stooped. He always stood before her helpless, a kind of humility and wonderment in his attitude. † (page 4 lines 78-88) â€Å"she felt eager, challenged. Something was at hand that hitherto had always eluded her, even in the early days with John, something vital, beckoning, meaningful. She didn’t understand, but she knew. The texture of the moment was satisfyingly dreamlike: an incredibility perceived as such, yet acquiesced in. She was John’s wife- she knew but also she knew that Steven standing here was different from John. (page 4 lines 85-90) Another tragedy in this story was Ann finding out the next morning that John was dead. After she slept with Steven, she realized just how much she loved John, and that he was the one, it was too late. He died. â€Å"She knew now-John was the man† (page 7 line 39) â€Å"They found him the next day, less than a mile from home. Drifting wit h the storm he had run against his own pasture fence and overcome had frozen there, erect still, both hands clasping fast the wire. † (page 7 lines 55-57) Such powerful sorrow when someone dies by such a tragic means. If only Ann and John could have talked things over, communicated their wants and needs they may have lived a long and happy life together after all. In the story â€Å"David†, the tragedy was David falling off the cliff saving Bobbie, and becoming paralyzed. David didn’t want to suffer, or feel useless in a wheelchair, so he asked Bobbie to push him over the side so that he would die. In turn, Bobbie blamed himself. This was a big tragedy to me because you never know, David could have survived and recovered well so that he could have full use of his body again, but he never got a chance to find out. Without a gasp he was gone† (page 5 lines 96-97) â€Å" ‘No, Bobbie! Don’t ever blame yourself. I didn’t test my foothold. ’ He shut the lids of his eyes to the stare of the sky† (page7 lines 116-118) â€Å"David still as a broken doll I hunched on my knees to leave, but he called and his voice now was sharpened with fear. ‘For Christ’s sake push me over! If I could move†¦or die†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the sweat ran from his forehead but only his head moved. † (page 7 lines 140-143) Many people have been brought up understanding the Golden Rule do unto others as you would have done to you. Unfortunately not everyone follows that rule. If everyone showed respect, everyone would get it. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil was respectful, however Moose was not. The way Moose acted toward Cecil was pathetic. He had a target aimed straight at Cecil from the beginning and even after everyone else in the camp got along with Cecil, Moose still didn’t let up. When everyone on the gang found out Cecil was a university student, Moose went to great lengths to bully Cecil. â€Å"Men on the gang had to prevent Moose from beating the boy up, and old Bobbins even went so far as to ask Mr. Semple, the walking boss, to transfer the youngster to another gang. Since learning that Cecil was a college boy, Moose gave him no peace at all, making him do jobs that would have taxed the strength of any man in the camp, and cursing him out when he was unable to do them, or do them fast enough. † (page 2 lines 19-22) If only Moose could have respected the fact that Cecil was there to do a job, to earn his way to university, then one life wouldn’t have been corrupted, and the other wouldn’t have been lost. In the story â€Å"The yellow Sweater† Marie was respectful. She was quiet and kept to herself. She was reserved. Tom on the other hand, was disrespectful. He has no respect for his wife and children, or anyone really. I think the only thing he has any amount of respect for is his car. His thoughts on the hitchhikers is uncalled for. Thinking they are all bums or bad people. â€Å"It was easy to see that the warm weather was approaching, he thought. The roads were becoming cluttered up once more with hitchhikers. Why the government didn’t clamp down on them was more than he could understand. Why should people pay taxes so that other lazy bums could fritter away their time roaming the country, getting free rides, going God knows where? They were dangerous too. † (page 2 lines 27-36) â€Å"He felt a slight tingling along his spine. It was the same feeling he had experienced once when sitting in the darkened interior of a movie house beside a strange yet, somehow intimate young woman. The feeling that if he wished he had only to let his hand fall along her leg. † (page 3 lines 72-78) Tom also has no respect for Maria either. The only reason he picked her up on the side of the highway was because he wanted to â€Å"cross examine her†. â€Å" It might be fun to pick her up, to cross-examine her while she was trapped in the seat beside him. (page 2 lines 77-79) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, Mathilde didn’t really respect her husband. She was too wrapped up in not having a more material lifestyle, and she took her lack of high society out on him. Monsieur Loisel on the other hand loved his wife, and tried to make her happy. M. Loisel even let her be the spotlight of the party. â€Å"All the men were looking at her, inquiring her name, asking to be introduced. All the attaches of the Cabinet wanted to dance with her. The Minister took notice of her. † (page 3 line 53) â€Å"She went away about four in the morning. Since midnight-her husband has been dozing in a little anteroom with three other men whose wives were having a good time. † (page 3 line 55) Mathilde also didn’t really respect Mme. Forester because if she did, Mathilde would have told her immediately that the necklace was missing, but it will be replaces as soon as possible. It you truly respect someone, you are not going to lie to them, or avoid them. â€Å" ‘You must write to your friend,’ he said, ‘that you have broken the clasp of her necklace and that you are having it repaired. That will give us time to turn around. She wrote as he dictated. † (page 4 lines 84,85) Mme. Forester also had no respect for Mathilde for if she did, she would have at least appreciated all of the hard work that Mathilde did in order to replace the necklace. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door†, Ann did not have respect for John. He was a hard working man whose goal in life was to please his wife. Everything he did was for Ann. Ann on the other hand, was thinking of only herself when John left her alone in the house while he went to help his father, and also when she and Steven were seducing one another. If Ann respected John, she wouldn’t have been pursuing a sexual relationship with another man. Especially not the spouses friend. â€Å"There was something strange, almost frightening, about this Steven and his quiet, unrelenting smile; but strangest of all was the familiarity: the Steven she had never seen or encountered, and yet had always known, always expected, always waited for. It was less Steven himself that she felt than his inevitability. † (page 5 lines 27-32) Steven had no respect for John or Ann. He seems to be a live- in -the -moment kind of guy also if he sees an opportunity, he’s going to ounce on it. In the case of this story, throughout John and Ann’s marriage Steven has been in their life and he waited for the perfect opportunity to get Ann alone and have his way with her. â€Å"The light kept dimming, gathering the shadows round them, hushed, conspiratorial. He was smiling still. Her hands again were clenched up white and hard. ‘But he always came,’ she persisted. † (page 6 lines26-29) â€Å" ‘Never a storm like this one. ’ There was a quietness in his smile now, a kind of simplicity almost, as if to reassure her† (page 6 lines31,32) In the story â€Å"David†, Bobbie and David respected each other. They built up a friendship that had an almost brotherly type quality to it. They were both very comfortable with each other. They did share similarities like their joy for the beauty that surrounded them, the adventure and exhilaration of beating the challenges laid out before them. It took a lot for Bobbie to be able to do what David asked him to, but he did it because he respected David’s wishes. â€Å"I looked at the blood on the ledge, and the far valley. I looked at last in his eyes. He breathed, ‘I’d do it for you, Bob. † (page 7 lines 150-152) â€Å"Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals. † Oscar Wilde Everyone is born with personality, a unique signature. In all of the above stories, we can point out individuality. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil really showed his individuality from the rest of the loggers. â€Å"Cecil was the least likely lumberjack I’ve seen in over twenty-five years in lumber camps. † (page 1 lines 5,6) He looked and acted differently from all of them. He was like the black sheep of the camp. He was â€Å"hardly taller than an axe handle, and almost as thin. † While all the other men from the camp were playing poker, Cecil would â€Å"sit on his bunk and fashion belt buckles, rings and tie clips from a spool of fine copper wire†. However, it is unfortunate that some people have to single someone out because they are different. In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater†, Marie caught Tom’s eye because she was walking down the road without thumbing a ride. I wouldn’t really say that Marie was showing her individuality, but her actions or the lack of actions made Tom notice her. Tom on the other hand, showed no signs of individuality. He was more into justifying his thoughts by the actions of some of his associates and men of his age. â€Å"Many men his age had formed liaisons with young women. In fact it was the accepted thing among some of the other salesmen he knew. † (page 5 lines 18-21) In the story â€Å"The Necklace†, Mathilde had a reality check and after she discovered what she had to do, she empowered herself in a way. She was always so busy dreaming of what she desired, that she never really got to find out who she was. By the end of the story, Mathilde gained a sense of individuality. â€Å"She learned the horrible life of the needy. She made the best of it, moreover, frankly, heroically. † (page 5 line 98) â€Å"How singular life is, how changeable! What a little thing it takes to save you or to lose you. † (page 6 line 106) I believe that if it wasn’t for the tragedy in this story, Mathilde probably would have died a very unhappy woman, because she never would have realized just who she was. In the story â€Å"The Painted Door† Ann is showing herself as an individual. Although she is a farmer’s lonely wife, she thought and acted as her own person. She lets her mind wander to Steven. She has broken down a wall when she broke a vow she made to her husband. A marriage is when two become one, and sure she still has the right to do things for herself, but she broke the unity with John and became one with herself. In the story â€Å"David† both David and Bobbie are shown as individuals. David is carefree and seems fearless. He has a very playful fun side to him where Bobbie is much more serious, more fearful, conscious and cautious of his surroundings. Bobbie is the more optimistic one, while David is prouder and headstrong and believes life isn’t worth living if you cant live it the way you would best like, or want to. David is a natural born teacher sharing his experiences and knowledge with Bobbie, who is perfectly content in the follower role, as the student gladly absorbing in all the knowledge laid out before him. I will conclude with values. Values are the social principles, goals, or standards held or accepted by an individual, a class, or a society. The opposite of moral values is to deceive by omitting the truth. It is of disregard for the rights and beliefs of others. It is intimidation, harassment, assaults’ against persons, reputations, and property. It is about violence and murder. Values play a primary role in the stories. In the story â€Å"The Moose and The Sparrow†, Cecil had good moral values. He was working to go to university, he was respectful, he had positive goals that he was reaching. He wasn’t a bad man, although he did break the law, but in the opinion of Mr. Anderson, it was justifiable. Moose on the other hand holds no social principles, goals or standards. He was a bad man who disregarded others’ feelings, he was intimidating; he constantly harassed, and he was a violent coward. â€Å"There are some men, like Moose Maddon, who are so twisted inside that they want to take it out on the world. They feel that most other men have had better breaks than they’ve had, and it rankles inside them. They try to get of this feeling by working it out on somebody who’s even weaker than they are. Once they pick on you there’s no way of stopping them short of getting out of their way or beating it out of their hide. (page 4 lines 1-5) In the story â€Å"The Yellow Sweater†, Marie was emotionally lost, but she was trying to move on and set some goals. She wasn’t deceitful, she didn’t lie, nor was she violent or intimidating. Tom, however, did not have good values. He had poor principles. He omitted the truth and was deceitful by being â€Å"careful to cover the initials G. G. M. with the palm of his hand. † (page 4 lines 56,57) He was intimidating, and he verbally harassed Marie. In the story â€Å"The Necklace† Mme Loisel had poor values in the beginning. She set her standards way too high for herself with her desires, and distorted the truth, but after working hard for 10 years to help her husband pay off all of the debt required to replace the necklace, she was a new woman. During that time, she had set good standards and goals for herself. â€Å"Dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher, a basket on her arm, bargaining, insulted, fighting for her wretched money, sou by sou. † (page 5 line 99) In the story â€Å"The Painted Door†, John had good values. He was a husband that loved to provide for his wife. He was a hard worker and dedicated his life to maintaining their farm, plus helping his elderly father with his farm. Sadly Ann was too busy resenting John for their lack of quality time. She felt lonely, so she became deceitful, and she disregarded her marriage to John so she could have some attention. She felt guilty after her time of infidelity, and sort of realigned her principles once again by realizing that â€Å"John was the man† (page 7 line 39) Steven had no values. He had no regard for John or for Ann. He had no goals or principles. In the story â€Å"David†, both David and Bobbie had good values. They had good standards, and they were both passionate about their work, and the adventures of the great outdoors. The only thing negative I can say about these two is somewhat of a disregard for the rights or beliefs of each other, simply because of the situation they were both faced with, one was wanting it to just end, the other not willing to do the deed. It was definitely a very morally controversial choice and move, but along with that disregard for the rights or beliefs of each other, they both respected each other. â€Å"I looked at last in his eyes. He breathed, ‘I’d do it for you, Bob’ †. page 7 line 152) Bob did what he felt was the right thing to do, he knew that what he did would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he did it for David. â€Å"That day, the last of my youth, on the last of our mountains. † (page 8 line 184) David and Bobbie valued each other. David did not blame Bobbie for the accident, but realized his own mistake. Bobbie understood how much David loved the mountains and adventure and that was why Bobbie pushed David over. David felt that if he couldnt be adventurous there was no point to his existance. Bobbie honored the values of David, and then he said goodbye.

Realist Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Realist Theory - Essay Example The theory infers that the system is continually changing to create adjustments to nations such that new systems are created or older are being restored. Therefore, the balance of power theory involves a specific power distribution between states of a system such that no single nation has too much or less of the other . This paper analyses this context and provides a historic case outlay on the application of this theory, the implications of the test results for the case and identifies if the theory is applicable to the case (Marshall, 1970). Over the years, the term balance of power has been used in different areas of history, politics and science each bringing foreword a different meaning from the other. This is due to the difference in the meanings that are portrayed by various states on the term power. To some, power means the use of political force, the superiority of economy or diplomatic coercion to create a desirable outcome by a state. To others, power refers to the ability of a state to impose its will on another despite the resistance raised while others view this concept as the ability of a state to influence the behavior of one or more states through policy implementation (Stanley & Fidler, 1991). The paper seeks to compare and contrast two segments on balance of power relating to the classical and the modern era of political thought which forms the major variable. The balance of power theory is used to illustrate different cases with the major being the Persian Gulf War . Here, the U.S is unwilling to destroy and entirely dismember Iraq due to the balance of power concept which prevented the interruption of the powers of the Middle East. The two concepts raised in the theory is effective in understanding the conduct of international relations and preservation of the international nations system. My conclusion about the performance of the theory here is that it is effective in analyzing the case and that it gives a clear basis on relations amongst states. The theory has a great performance in the case as it infers the effectiveness of balancing power and how this theory is applied in solving international disputes. The theory independent variables relate to issues that constitute a state such as power, balance and sovereignty that enables a state to be independent while the dependent variables are the states and the relations based on the theories. Others may relate to the classical and modern views of politics which are harmonized by the realism concept. The link among the two variables are that they both belong with the realism school of thought. In the classical view, states are created to prevent war. It claims that the society despite the corruption shelters men from harm but only if it is established and enforced in law (Stanley & Fidler, 1991). A democratic government established though the power of the people are perceived to be legitimate . Based on this concept, the function of the government is to implement the law s formulated, promote patriotism through education and promote wealth distribution to enhance cohesion (Micheal, 2000). The classical concept maintains that the balance of power prevents nations from breaking apart . The balance ensures that no particular state or an alliance of nations is allowed by unwritten laws to obtain more power, such that it overwhelms the rest and that this balance is independent. The modern era of

Video and Music for the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Video and Music for the Internet - Essay Example Bandwidth is very important when trying to determine how much you should allot in order to properly stream video or audio. Bandwidth is important to remember, because it can affect how well your video or audio is transmitted across the internet. For example, if you are trying to move a hour long feature movie across a 56k connection, the amount of bandwidth is uses would be immense, and result in a slow project for the person trying to stream the audio or video. Videos and audio use much more bandwidth than regular internet surfing and web page hosting, so it is important to keep it in mind when designing pages, video, and audio streams for internet use. There are several ways to reduce the bandwidth of your audio or video file. One way would be to zip the file and give the user the option to download it this way instead of streaming it in real time. You also could reduce the size of the video player, which would allow the video to play faster and reduce bandwidth usage. Another way to do this is to multicast the stream, which would allow multiple users to receive the feed at the same time and drastically cut back on the bandwidth usage of the video or audio stream.

Green Flash and Nuclear Winter Scenario Assignment

Green Flash and Nuclear Winter Scenario - Assignment Example Instead, there are different colors of light that move in different ways. Our atmosphere is not just empty air, either. So far as light is concerned it acts like a prism and causes light to refract. Since the different colored lights curve at different speeds, this accounts for how we can see this green flash during times when the sun sets or rises. In some cases, the atmospheric conditions around the viewer will cause different illusions to appear as well, like a flashing ray of light or a stretched-out and shaky mirage. The easiest places to see the green flash are those where the horizon is not blocked by buildings or other large objects. The ocean, above a layer of clouds, or on top of a mountain are all good examples. Green flashes do not last very long so it can be difficult to see them. At most, they last for a few seconds. Nuclear winter is a terrifying possible effect of nuclear warfare. Basically what would happen is that the dust and soot from the fires started by many nuclear bombs going off would leak into the far upper atmosphere. Due to being heated by sunlight after reaching the upper atmosphere, these clouds of debris would then rise even further, above normal weather conditions. Since they could no longer be washed away by rain or blown away by the wind, these clouds would stay in the air for many years, causing temperatures to drop around the earth. If there had been a very large nuclear war, the temperature change could be quite drastic, or it could be as small as a few degrees in the case of a smaller conflict. In addition to causing cooler temperatures, a nuclear winter would have an effect on rainfall, lowering it by up to 75% in some areas in the three months immediately following the cloud entering the atmosphere. Nuclear Winter would also have a devastating effect on the worlds ozone layer, decreasing it by as much as 20% overall across the globe. This would increase the amount of UV radiation that got

Is Multiculturalism consistent with liberalism Essay

Is Multiculturalism consistent with liberalism - Essay Example One of the basic questions related with multiculturalism and liberalism has been whether the former is consistent with the latter. As Brian Barry assumes, multiculturalism, or the ‘politics of difference’, makes the basic claim that â€Å"the self-image of liberalism as a tolerant and open creed is inaccurate. In fact, it is said, liberalism imposes a false universality that discriminates against minorities of all kinds.† (Barry 1997, P 3). In a reflective exploration of whether multiculturalism is consistent with liberalism, it becomes evident that these socio-political philosophies are not consistent with each other, mainly because both the philosophies are rooted in different ideologies. Analyzing the relationship between multiculturalism and liberalism, one recognizes that the roots of both these philosophies are in different concepts. Essentially, liberalism is the popular political philosophy in the modern world and it is understood in many different ways su ch as a weak form of social democracy, a political position favorable to markets, etc. According to Brian Barry, â€Å"liberalism stands for individualism (versus communalism), equality (as against any notion of natural or divinely-appointed hierarchy), and moral universalism (as against moral particularism).

Successfulness of the canadian environmental protection act Essay

Successfulness of the canadian environmental protection act - Essay Example On October 23, 1987, the bill passed second reading. After third reading and extensive amendments by House of Commons Legislative Committee, the bill passed as an Act that respects the protection of the environment and human life and health. Introducing the Act was a legislative initiative aimed at invigorating the insipid federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process (EARP).Proposed as a bill by the then Minister of Environment, Tom McMillan, CEPA perceived as federal government of Canada’s effort to firmly establish that it is federal government’s obligation to integrate environmental safety aspects in all of its projects planning and implementation. Therefore, federal government ensured that no policy, program, project, or legislation should proceed without adequate analysis of its potential environmental consequences (UNEP, 1999, p.48). Considering the scope and complexity of changed made after review in 1990s, reviewers decided to repeat the practice in seven years. The objectives for assessment were to review the implementation process, and the extent to which it is proved effective in achieving its prime objective-protecting human health and environment. First Reading Version of 1999 mandated for review in seven years, the final version mandated a reduced time period of five years (Standing Senate Committee on Energy, 2008, p.1). In order to determine CEPA’s success, Environment Canada and health Canada considered four years of implementing CEPA and attributed it as an essential part of the complex regime of inter-related laws, policies, and institutions which guarantee adequate and comprehensive management of threats to human health, life, and environment. This complex regime incorporates federal, provincial, territorial, Aboriginal and local governments, judiciary, industry, and civil society in addition to other national or international organizations (Environment Canada and Health Canada, 2004, p.4). Despite the short time of its implementation and continuous review, in a 2005 web based public response primarily echoed the need of better implementation and enforcement of CEPA, 1999.Several practitioners across Canada and different sectors had a general perception that CEPA, 1999 is primarily a sound piece of legislation which does not require any substantial amendment in its content in order to ensure effective and continuous protection of human health, life, and environment. However, many believed that, generally there is more to be done when it comes to effectively implementing the law in order to ensure that the legislation is tapped to its full potential by taking actions swiftly and reducing risks involved (Versteeg as cited in Standing Senate Committee on Energy, 2008, p.3) According to Standing Senate Committee on Energy(2008,p.3) it is argued that the lacking will to implement and enforce the CEPA, and lacking resources for implementation and enforcement are the major areas of concern that und ermine the effectiveness of CEPA environmental protection regime. It is also argued that resources and time for legislative review of CEPA should not be taken from those allocated for implementation

Response paper on Film 12 Monkeys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response paper on Film 12 Monkeys - Essay Example The few survivors are left to live in tunnels underground. The earth is inhabited only by animals and insects which fearlessly wander the planet which is now free of humans. The virus which succeeded in wiping out such a big portion of mankind, apparently, didn’t have any effect on any other forms of life on earth. The main character, a prisoner called James Cole, is about to be sent back in time, to the year of 1996, to get a pure specimen of the virus to make it possible for the scientists of his present, to study the virus and discover a way of reversing the damages caused by it and eradicating it, to make the earth suitable for humans to live in. In the first attempt to travel back to 1996, Cole accidentally ends up in the year of 1990. He gets imprisoned and sent to a mental asylum when he tries to convince those around him that he has come from the future. There he is taken over by psychiatrist, Dr. Kathryn Railly. The people who belong to the present of 1996 are convinced that this man who claims to have come from the future, who believes that a certain virus is going to kill 5 billion people in 1996, is indeed insane. Apart from Dr. Railly nobody is even willing to hear him out. Even though Dr. Railly feels a strange and unexplainable attraction towards Cole, even she is convinced that he is just delusional and whatever he believes to be his reality is just a ‘meticulously constructed fantasy’ of his mind. Cole keeps having recurring dreams of a man being shot dead at an airport and that of a woman running towards the dying man. He sees it through the eyes of a child who is present at the place where the incident takes place. This dream is the link that connects the central theme of the past, the present and the future. The child’s striking resemblance to Cole makes sense only towards the end of the movie. Another inmate of the asylum, Jeffrey Goines, son of a renowned virologist, provides

Should the U.S. lower the drinking age to 18 Research Paper

Should the U.S. lower the drinking age to 18 - Research Paper Example In the 1970s , the drinking age was reduced to 18 , as this was followed by many of the states so that the individuals be given the right under the Twenty Sixth Amendment passage. There are some states which give the permission to the 18 year olds to be present in the places where alcohol beverages are consumed , even if they are not consuming the beverages themselves and sometimes even give them the permission to work as bar tenders , serving the beverages. Whereas there are some states which give the permission to the 21 year olds to consume the alcohol beverages on the private property with the permission or the supervision of a family member. (Williams, Elizabeth M, and Stephanie J. Carter. The A-Z Encyclopedia of Food Controversies and the Law. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood/ABC-CLIO, 2011.) Despite the specific changes made by the federal law there are about thirty states within the United States which give the permission to the individuals of the 21 years age or over to consu me the alcohol under the supervision of a family member or with the consent of their parents. ... lif: Greenwood/ABC-CLIO, 2011.) There have been many arguments and the debates that the minimum age of drinking should be reduced so that so that the individuals have the responsibility and staring at an early age will broaden their horizon to the responsible drinking. Amethyst Initiative , which are one of the groups of college educators, have agreed and given the advocacy of the underage drinking. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism College Drinking Task Force, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving , on the other hand have urged and they advocate rigorously against the reduction of the underage drinking so that the fatal consequences such as the alcohol related traffic incidents , alcohol related traffic deaths and alcohol related sexual assaults can be reduced and it can only be done with the help of the minimum drinking age laws enforcements on the campuses and the schools. For the policy makers in the United States, the underage drinking has been a well debated issue in the country and there have been various laws introduced and changed over the past many years as well. Due to the increase in the drunk driving fatalities , the United States government increased the drinking age from 18 years to 21 years so that the fatality rate could be decreased. There have been arguments put forth which question that what reasons have resulted in the underage drinking to be reduced to 18. There are some critics who criticize the current drinking age which differentiates and arbitrarily discriminates between the individuals who are 21 years old and the individuals who are 18 years old. In the country like United States, the individual who is 18 years old is regarded as the legally adult, and hence has the freedom to join military , have the capability and ability to

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Questions - Essay Example He was interested by the fact that the species were different. He concluded that the species were different because they dwelled in different environments The concept of natural selection explains how species evolves and genes are passed from generation to the next. Darwin argues that a species can develop a functional advantage in that the species grows wing and learn to fly. He asserts that the offspring will inherit that advantage and pass it on to the offsprings. On the other hand, those who are disadvantaged but members of the same species will gradually die and live the superior members of the same species. Species preserve the functional advantage and that help the species to compete in the harsh environment. Darwin’s explanation of the origin of species in 1859 was criticized by Christians because they believed in God’s creation for six days. The natural selection was received with hostility because his ideas were not with alignment with biblical descriptions on how Adam and Eve were created. In addition, after the arrival of Darwin’s theory, scientists conflicted and they did not support the idea of evolution. A vector is a vehicle that transfers genetic materials to a target cell. The significance of vectors is to pass on the genes to the intended cell. For evolution to take place there has to be passage of genetic materials from one species to the other. Hence the vector facilitates the movement of biological traits from one generation to the other. Equilibrium is a principle that explains that genes remain the same from one generation to the other without any disturbing factor. If the situation remains constant then there will be evolution stability. However this can be affected by forces such as mutations, natural selection, non random mating, genetic drift and gene flow. Isolation can promote genetic divergence through mechanisms such as mutation, genetic drift and natural selection. Allopathic speciation is a

Truman Doctrines Essay Example for Free

Truman Doctrines Essay During the Cold War, most U. S. presidents came up with policies also known as â€Å"doctrines† to help remember who stood for what. In this report I will be summarizing a situation that required U. S. diplomatic efforts during President Harry Truman time; explicate the diplomatic doctrine the president followed; describing the effects of this diplomatic efforts for the U. S. and other countries; assess the advantages and disadvantages of the particular doctrine that followed. In February 1947, the British government informed the United States that it could no longer furnish the economic and military assistance it had been providing to Greece and Turkey since the end of WWII. The Truman administration believed that both nations were threatened by communism and it jumped at the chance to take a tough stand against the Soviet Union. In Greece, force has been battling the Greek royal government since the end of WWII. In Turkey, the Soviets were demanding some manner of control over the Dardanelles, territory from which Turkey was able to dominate the strategies waterways from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. On March 12, 1947 Truman appear before a group of Congress to make his case. He declared the world faced a chance in the years to come. Nations could adapt a way of life â€Å"based upon the will of the majority† and minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. † He proposed the Truman Doctrine which provided political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. It effectively reoriented U. S. foreign policy, away from its usual standpoint of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving the U.  S. , to one of possible intervention in far away conflicts. He began by outlining the situation in Greece and Turkey, â€Å"Assistance is imperative if Greece is to survive as a free nation, they must have assistance if it is to become a self-sufficient and self-respecting democracy. † Greece and Turkey will fall to communism without help. Truman requested that Congress provide $400 million worth of aid to both Greece and Turkey to support the dispatch of American civilian and military personnel and equipment to the region. Congress granted it. This became known as the Military Assistance Program. It ultimately led to NATO. Many historians say the Truman Doctrine marked the American policy of â€Å"containment. † The most famous passage from Truman’s speech: â€Å"I believe that it must be the policy of the U. S. to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure. † They ideas of this speech informed the communism that they can keep what it had got but Truman would not let it grow anymore. Houghton Mifflin says â€Å"that Truman Doctrine expanded the nation’s role in checking the spread of communism. † This interpretation basically presumes that the U. S. was in the right. As a result of Truman’s presentation of the global threat of Communism led to an anti-Communist Hysteria which was to end in the â€Å"Red Scare† of the 1950s. It also convinced the Soviets in Russia that Americas was a threat to Soviets Communism, and it substantially provoked the Cold War for the 30 years.

Is Othello a Victim or Villain?

Is Othello a Victim or Villain? This is a play about Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. He is the ultimate villain in this play as opposed to Iago, the high ranking soldier. Most would agree as a matter of fact that Iago is undoubtedly the villain of this tragic story. In order to perceive this, a superficial assessment of the two main characters in the play; Othello and Iago, should be made. The art of analysis on its own rejects the simple easy explanations but rather deals in the complex and mystifying facts. Although Iago is the natural nuisance and thus the obvious bad guy, his destiny is to create the tragedy that this play later becomes. A lengthy consideration in addition to an open mind will show the truth of the matter. Othello is the actual villain. Even though he initially lacks any malicious thoughts and ideas, he eventually gets to become a murderer due to emotionally untrustworthy and jealousy. As you read the play it is not common to associate Othello with such descriptive words as conceited, though he is in every sense of the word. As the plot unfolds it is already clear that Othello is going to fall from grace in a huge way and his undoing will be his insatiable ego. He knows his abilities as a great warrior and his superb sword wielding abilities. His prowess on the battle field raised his ranks to the brim of the military defenses of Venice city. He gained his lofty status due to his expertise as a military officer and with that came his conceit. When Iago tells him of the threats from Brabantio, he says, Let him do his spite: My services which I have done the signiory shall out-tongue his complaints (1509). He walks with an air of over confidence depicting tones of arrogance in saying that no one has the authority to accuse is reputation. And to add on to that he shows his lofty opinion, as lofty as it can be, by saying, I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege (1509). His head is swelling with the status and importance given to him by the men of power in the city of Venice. He starts to think he is infallible, great and unfaultable, thus weakening him to the crucial insights of his enemies as to what they should do to discredit Othello from grace, the Moor already changes with my poison: dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons (1555). Whilst Iago reveals his detailed plot, we come to discover another vice possessed by Othello, he has a jealous mind. This comes as a result of insecurities of his colour, his education and his age. I am black and have not those soft parts of conversation that clamberers have, for I am declined into the vale of years (1553). Othellos jealousy is fed by the aforementioned insecurities. He says, As he (Cassio) shall smile, Othello shall go mad; and his unbookish jealousy must construe poor Cassios smiles, gestures, and light behavior quite in the wrong (1569). Iago therefore only has to create an opportunity for Othellos jealousy to initiate his downfall. Finally, we take note of his emotional dishonesty. As soon as Iago plants his thoughts, Othellos head and heart quickly fills up with contempt and bitterness. He openly confesses his love for Desdemona but he is easily convinced otherwise by Iago due to his dishonest nature meaning he was not being truthful about his love for Desdemona. He says, If she be false, O then Heavn mocks itself: Ill not believe it (1554), This makes him sound like a passionate man yet afterwards gets mad and discredits Emilia as a simple bawd. (1557) since she says the Desdemona is faithful to him. This illustrates his love being no more that a sad illusion, simply an obsession to say the least. His emotional untruthfulness is connected to all his other vices and feeds of them creating a dangerous monster out on a once adorable and admirable man. However as much as Othello is the villain of the story, at more than one instance he has appeared to look like the victim as well. He appears to be a victim of his society and seems as though Iago toys with his irritable nature at his pleasure. Othello seems to be very gullible and at times very distant from the truth. He is innocent to the working mayhems and mischievous plans Iago comes up with. Othello loses his tempers easily as a child does when frustrated and Iago knew how to play with his shaky ego that amounted due to the thought that his wife is heating on him. And of course that is blatant lie. All the grace and gentleness that was Desdemona was easily mistaken for flirtations to the unsuspecting Othello. His uncontrollable temper and the proof caused the untimely death of his ever faithful wife. His reaction was like that of a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away. His anger does not even give him the time to listen to her side of the story and refuses to listen to her pleas of innocence. Though he has an evil side to him, Othello had turned into an insane state of mind and one could actually state that he might not have realized what he was doing until it was a little bit too late. While Othello might have some virtuous attributes, there is no doubt that his emotional dishonesty, jealousy and conceit all sum up to make him the ultimate villain of this Shakespearian classic play. In the end it is the unwitting prophecy Iago makes that comes true, O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he oer Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!(1550). Yes, Iago should be the villain, but we hugely expect this of him, and he therefore lives up to just what we would expect.. The true bad guy, who gives this play its twist is Othello the disingenuous, suspicious and the proud Moor of Venice. Isolation of Elements: General Principles and Processes Isolation of Elements: General Principles and Processes Introduction to Metallurgy Our planet earth is a vast source of elements which are distributed in its crust, water bodies and atmosphere. Out of these elements nearly 80 per cent are metals which occur either in the combined state or in free state (called motive state). Metals occurring in free state are copper, silver, gold and platinum group metals. Not only metals some non-metals also occur in the free state, such as, carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen and group 18 elements (the noble gases). Apart from metals and non-metals some elements occur as metalloids which show both the properties of metals and non-metals. Metalloid silicon is the backbone of electronic industry and solar cells. Distribution of elements in the above three categories in shown in the periodic Table (Fig. 6.1, Ref www.wikipedia.org) Fig. 6.1 Some most abundant elements in the combined form as solutes are: In earth crust In sea water O, Si, Al, Fe, Cl-, Na+, SO42- Ca, Na, K and Mg MG2+, Ca2+ and K+ Some life supporting metals are iron, calcium and magnesium. Chlorophyll, a compound of magnesium, is responsible for the photosynthesis process in releasing oxygen. General principles of metallurgy For any application of a metal it has to be produced in a pure state. Here lies the importance or metallurgy. Metallurgy involves the initial purification and concentration of the ore and its subsequent reduction to metal. Minerals and ores Naturally occurring sources of metals are called minerals which are generally contaminated with impurities such as days and siliceous matter. A mineral which is rich in the metal compound and which can be used to extract metal economically is termed as an ore. Thus, all ores are minerals but all minerals are not ores. The impurities which are generally present in ores are called gangue. Following is the list of some important ores of a few metals: Metal Ore Chemical composition Iron (Fe) Photograph of metals Iron pyrites Hematite Magnetite FeS2 Fe2O3 Fe3O4 Aluminium (Al) Photograph of metals Bauxite Cryolite Al2O3 . 2H2O Na3 Al F6 Copper (Cu) Photograph of metals Copper pyrites Cuprite Malachite (Green) Cu Fe S2 Cu2O CuCO3 . Cu(OH)2 Photograph of metals Zinc (Zn) Calamine Zinc blende Zincite ZnCO3 ZnS ZnO From the above list of ores and also from literature (www.wikipedia.org) You will find that metals generally occur as: Oxides Sulphides Carbonates Halides Silicates Steps in the extraction of metals Concentration of ore Reduction of ore (Chemical reduction or electrochemical reduction) Refining of metal Concentration of ore Ores are usually contaminated with sand and clay minerals called gangue. Therefore, the first step to obtain the metal from the ore is to remove as much gangue as possible. To do so the ore is crushed to fine particles and subjected to the following methods of concentration: Hydraulic washing Magnetic Separation Froth flotation method Hydraulic washing Hydraulic washing is done with an upward flow of water. In this process lighter gangue particles are washed away leaving behind the desired heavy are particles. Magnetic separation This method is based on the different magnetic behavior of gangue particles and the ore. The conclutration of ore is done by putting the dried crushed ore on a conveyor belt moving around a powerful magnetic roller. In this way the ore is separated from the gangue particles. As an example, magnetite is ferromagnetic and on (Fe3O4). Passing over a magnetic roller it gets carried away and made free from non-magnetic gangue. Froth Flotation This method is designed for the concentration of sulphide ores. The method is based on the relative density of gangue particles and ore particles. Either of two can be made to float on the aqueous surface with air bubbles and be collected. This is achieved by adding some chemical compounds in water. The arrangement is shown is Fig. 6. Air is blown with pressure to create froth which engulphes either the gangue or ore particles. Following compounds: Frothers: Synthetic detergents, pine, oil, eucalyptus oil or coal tar. Collectors: X anthates . These impart water repellent properties to the surface of the ore particles to be floated. Froth Stabilisers: Cresols and aniline. Depressants: Sodium cyanide. The purpose of a depressant is to make ineffective one component of the mixed ore. For example, from a mixture of ZnS (sphalerite) and PbS (galena) ZnS is NaCNwhile heavier PbS particles float on the surface. Leaching Leaching is extration of an active ingradient of the low grade ore. This is done by dissolving the desired component in a suitable chemical solution.[ Example Are: Leaching of low grade carbonate and oxide ores of copper by dilute sulphuric acid: CuCO3(S) + H2SO4(aq) → CuSO4(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) CuO(S) + H2SO4(aq) → CuSO4(aq) + H2O(l) Leaching of amphoteric arebauxide (Al2O3) with hot aqueous sodium hydroxide when impurities such as Fe2O3 and silicates remain Al2O3(S) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H2O(l) 2Na[Al(OH)4] aq Na [Al (OH)4] is converted to pure Al2O3 by passing CO2 gas and heating the product Al(OH)3: Na[Al(OH)4](aq)+CO2(g) → Al(OH)3(S) + NaHCO3(aq) Al(OH)3(S) Al2O3(S) + 3H2O(g) Leaching of gold and silver with aqueous sodium cyanide solution in the presence of air: 4 Au(S) + 8NaCN(aq) + O2(g) + 2H2O(l) → 4Na[Au(CN)2](aq) + 4NaOH(aq) Ag(S) + 8NaCH(aq) + O2(g) + 2H2O(l) → 4Na[AgKN)2](aq) + 4NaOH(aq) The respective metals can be obtained by adding zinc which is a more electropositive metal than either gold or silver: 2Na [Au(CN)2](aq) + Zn(S) → Na2 [Zn(CN)4](aq) + 2 Au (S) Conversion of ore to oxide Metals used in huge amounts generally occur as sulphides, oxides or carbonates. For sulphide and carbonate ores it is necessary to convert them into oxide forms prior to their reduction to metals. This conversion is necessary due to the following reason: Availability of a less costly reducing agent The reducing agent should not interact chemically with the metal produced. Availability of a suitable furnace. The production of metal should be cost effective. Fewer impurities There is hardly a reducing agent which meets all the above requirements. Electropositive metals such as magnesium, calcium and aluminium can be used for the chemical reduction of oxide ores. These metals can not be used for the large scale production of less electropositive metals because of their high cost. However, carbon as coke fits well as a reducing agent within the above listed parameters. Its oxide, carbon monoxide is also a very good reducing agent. The efficacy of carbon monoxide as a reducing agent increases with the increase in temperature. One serious drawback of coke is that it reacts with many transition metals and some non-transition metals at higher temperatures to form carbides. However, carbon as coke and carbon monoxide remain the two versatile reducing agents for iron ores. For carbon to be used as a reducing agent the sulphide or carbonate ores have to be converted into their respective oxide forms. Carbon does not reduce sulphide ores to give metals. To find out the reason consider the following two reduction reactions: 2MS (S) + C(S) 2M (l or S) + CS2(g) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.(i) (sulphide form) MO (S) + C (S) M (l or S) + CO (g) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (ii) (Oxide form) For these two reduction reactions by carbon the Gibbs energy of the reaction should be negative. This can happen only when à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G for CS2 will be more negative than à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G for MS (first reaction); and for the second reaction à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G for CO should be more negative than à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G for MO. Thermodynamically the first reaction where CS2 is formed is not feasible, but the record reaction is feasible. It may be noted that CS2 is very much less stable than CO gas. Therefore, the sulphide ores are first converted into the oxide form before reducing them with coke. This is done by heating the sulphide ores in the presence of roasting the sulphide ors is that a by-product sulphur dioxide (SO2) is obtained which is used to manufacture sulphuric acid. To get the ores into their respective oxide forms following processes are used: Calcination Calcination is heating the ores in the absence of air. This method is used for the carbonate, hydroxide and hydrated ores CaCO3(S) CaO(S) + CO2(g) (calcite) MgCO3. CaCO3(S) MgO(S) + CaO(S) + 2CO2(g) (Dolomite) CuCO3. Cu(OH)2(S) 2CuO(S) + CO2(g) + H2O(g) (Malachite) Calcination is generally done is a reverberatory furnace (Fig. 6. Ref www.wikipedia.org). This process makes the ore process and easily workable. Roasting Roasting is heating the ores in the presence of air. This is done mainly for sulphide ores: 2 Fe S2 (S) + 5O2(g) → 2FeO(S) + 2SO2(g) (iron pyrite) 2Cu2S(S) + 3O2(g) → 2Cu2O(S) + 2SO2(g) (copper glance) 2ZuS(S) + 3O2(g) → 2PbO(S) + 2SO2(g) (Galena) Roasting is done in reverberatory furnace (Fig. 6.4 Fef. www.wikipedia.org) Roasting also removes volatile impurities like sulphur, arsenic and phosphorus as their volatile oxides: S(S) + O2 (g) → SO2(g) 4AS(S) + 3O2(g) → 2AS2O3(g) P4(S) + 5O2(g) → P4O10(g) Student Activity 1 Metals used in an ordinary filament bulb Draw the figure or an ordinary bulb Label various metals used in it Give reason as to why tungsten metal is used as the filament Student Worksheets Student Worksheet 1 Which metal is liquid at room temperature Aluminium Lead Mercury Zinc Leaching is generally used for the following ores of metals Lead Copper Iron Aluminium In Aluminium-thermite process the reducing agent used is Carbon Hydrogen Aluminium Sodium Heating of ores in the absence of air is known as Roasting Calcination Leaching Bensemerization Froth flotation process is used to concentrate the following ore Halide Silicates Sulphide carbonate how do metals occur in nature by virtue of their reactivity giving chemical equations describe the process of calcinations and roasting, respectively. Why are sulphide ores roasted to their oxide forms before their reduction with coke? Describe the principle of leaching with suitable examples. Describe the principle of froth flotation process. How is PbS ore concentration ewhen it is contaminated with ZnS? SUMMARY S. No. Description Ore A mineral with high concentration of metal compound which is used to extract metal profitably. Occurrence of metals in nature Oxides Sulphides Carbonates Silicates Gangue Undesired materials present in ore. Metallurgy Process of isolation of metals from ores involving the steps: Concentration of ore Reduction of ore to metal Purification of metal Concentration of ore Magnetic Froth floatation (for sulphide ores) Leaching Leaching Extraction with a suitable solvent for low grade ores. Calcinations Heating of ores (carbonate or hydroxide) in the absence of air. Roasting Heating of ores (sulphide ores) in the presence of air. Smelting Industrial reduction process to obtain metal from ore. Reducing agents used in smelting Hydrogen Carbon as coke Aluminium (In Alumino-thermite process Air Electrolytic Refining of crude metal Liquation Cupellation Besemerization (known as oxidative refining) Vapour phase (van Arkel and de Boer, and Mond processes). Zone refining (for silicon) Hydrometallurgy Electrolytic Ellingham diagrams Curves of Gibbs energy vs temperature. Used to select a suitable reducing agent. LOW CHART 1. 2. Classification of ores on the basis of the metal compounds Concentration of ores on the basis of their chemical nature 3. 4. Reduction of ore to get the metal choosing a suitable reducing agent Purification of crude metal based on the nature of impurities present Crossword A mineral having high concentration of a metal compound. ORE Heating or ore in the absence of air. CALCINATIONS Heating of ore in the presence of air. ROASTING Valuable by-product during roasting. SO2 gas Extraction of low grade ores. LEACHING Concentration of ore by proving air bubbles. FROTH FLOTATION A furnace used for the smelting of iron ore. BLAST FURNACE Process of reduction of metal oxides by aluminium. ALUMINO-THERMITE PROCESS Process used to obtain very high pure silicon. ZONE REFINING Carbon monoxide is used to purify nickel. MONDS PROCESS Zirconium tetraiodide (Zrl4) vapours are decomposed on heated tungsten filament. ARKEL-DE BOER PROCSS Sodium is obtained by passing electric current in molten sodium chloride. ELECTROLYTIC REDUCTION ADDITIONAL RESOURCE LINKS www.wikipedia.org Reduction of ore to crude metal By using the process of reduction, roasted or calcined ores are converted to crude metal. Different reducing agents are used depending upon the reaction between the metal oxide and the reducing agent. Reduction with carbon : FeZO3, CuO, ZuO, SuO2, PbO etc. Reduction with Aluminium : FeZO3, Cr2O3, Mn3O4, TiO2 etc. Reduction with Magnesium : B2O3, TiCl4, etc Reduction with hydrogen : WO3, MOO3, GeO2, CO3O4 etc Reduction with CO : Fe2O4, FeZO3, PbO, CuO Electrolytic reduction : Electrolyzing of oxides, hydroxides or chlorides in fused state. Smelting : This is a process in which oxide of a metal is mixed with coke and a suitable flux. The mixture is heated to a high temperature in a blast furnace. Iron, Copper, Zinc and tin can be obtained by this process. Carbon is a good reducing agent below 983K where as above this temperature CO acts as reducing agent. ZnO(S) + C(S) Zn(S) + CO(g) Zincite + 2C(S) Sn(S) + 2CO(g) Cassitesite Pondered anthracite Fe2 + 3C(S) 2Fe(S) + 3CO(g) Haemetite CuO(S) + C(S) Cu(S) + CO(g) A flux is a substance which is added to roated or calcined ore during smelting to remove the non-fusible impurities of metallic oxides, silica, and silicates etc. During smelting flux combines with the non-fusible impurity to convert it into fusible material called slag. The slag being light float over the molten metal from where it is removed. Flux is of two types: Acidic flux SiO2 : Basic flux Lime stone (CaCO3) and Magnetite (MgCO3) SiO2 + MgCO3 MgSio3 + SiO2 + CaCO3 CaSiO3 + Hydrometallurgy : Copper, Silver and gold are extracted by this process. The process is based on the principle that more electropositive metal can displace less electro positive metal from its salt solution. The one is treated with such seagents that the metal forms a soluble compound. On adding more electropositive metal to the solution, the less electropositive metal present in the solution is precipitated. Example: Extraction of Copper : Malachite ore is roasted and oxide formed is dissolved in sulphuric acid. On adding scrap iron to the solution, copper is precipitated. Cu(OH)2 . CuC → 2CuO(S) + H2O(P) + C CuO(S) + H2S → CuS + CuS + Fe(S) → Cu(S) + FeS Extraction of silver : ore is dissolved in NaCN solution and air is blown followed by addition of Zinc turnings. Silver is precipitated. Ag2S + 4NaCN → 2Na[Ag(CN)2] + Na2S 2Na [Ag(CN)2] + Zn → Na2 [Zn(CN)4] + 2Ag Solution Acid flux used to remove basic impurities Basic flux used to remove acidic impurities Reduction with hydrogen :Some of he metal oxides (mostly transition metals) can react with carbon at high temperatures to give metal carbides which resist further oxidation. Oxides of these metal, are better reduced by hydrogen gas. i.e. WO3 + 3H2 W + 3H2O(g) MOO3 + 3H2 Mo + 3H2O(g) GeO2 + 2H2 Ge + 2H2O(g) CO3O4 + 4H2 3Co + 2H2O(g) Using H2(G), metals are obtained in small scale as hydrogen is highly explosive. Aluminium reduction method: This method is also called Alumino-thermite process. Some of the metal oxides cannot be reduced by carbon as affinity of oxygen for the metal is more than for carbon, also, metal may form carbide at high temperature. Such metallic oxides are reduced by using aluminium powder. The reaction is initiated by the using barium per oxide and a small piece of Mg ribbon. Fig. Cr2 + 2Al(S) 2Cr(P) + Al2 Fe2 + 2Al(S) 2Fe(P) + Al2 3Mn3 + 8Al(s) 9Mn(P) +4Al2 Function of BaO2 is to provide oxygen to magnesium when lot of heat is volved which initiates the thermite process. Air reduction : Sulphide ores of less electro positive metals such as Hg, Pb and Cu etc are heated in air to partially convert the ore into oxide which then reacts with the remaining sulphide in absence of air to give the metal and SO2 gas. 2HgS(S) +3 2HgO + 2S 2HgO(S) +HgS(S) 3Hg + S Reaction on p-5 This process may also be called ante reduction process. 2PbS + 3O2 2PbO + 2S 2Pbu + PbS 3Pb + S 2Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu20 + 2S 2Cu20 + Cu2S 6Cu + S Reduction by Electrolysis : The oxides of highly electropositive metals of group I, II and Al element of group etc cannot temperatures and these can form carbides. These metals are obtained by electrolysis of their oxides, hydroxides or chlorides in fused state. To lower the fusion temperatures or to increase the conductivity or both a small amount of other salt is added. The metal is liberated at cathode. Sodium metal is obtained by electrolysis of fused mixture of Nacl and Cacl2 (downs process) or by electrolysis of fused sodium hydroxide (Costners process). Nacl → Na+ + cl- Fused At anode cl- → Cl + e- Cl + cl → c At Cathode Na+ + e- → Na(l) Aluminium metal is obtained by electrolysis of fused mixture of alumina and Gyolite (Na3[Al F6]) Na3 Al → 3Na F(P) + Al Al →Al3+ + 3F- At anode F- → F + e- F+F → F2(a) 2A+ 6 → 4Al + 3O2(g) At cathode Al3+ + 3e- → A(l) Anode gets cosseted by oxygen liberated during electrolysis, which needs replacement from time to time. Refining of metals: Metals obtained by any of the reduction method except electrolytic reduction contains impurities. Refining of metals is process where by undesired impurities present in the metals are removed. Different refining processes may be applied depending upon the nature of the metal and nature of impurities. Name of the Process Metal to be refined Liquation Low melting metals like Sn, Pb, Bi and Hq etc. Cupellation Silver containing lead. (Impure silver containing lead is heated in cupel made of bone ash or cement and a blast of air is passed over the molten mass. The impurities are oxidized and removed with the blast of air) Bessemerisation Fe and Cu Vapour phase refining There are two methods Monds process Impure Ni is heated with CO(g)at 323K when volatile Ni (CO)4is formed. These vapours of Ni(VO)4are passed into another chamber maintained at 306K when Ni (CO)4decomposes to pure Ni which gets deposited on small Ni balls kept in the chamber and carbon-monoxide gas is rejected. Ni(S)+4CO(g)Ni(CO)4Ni(S)+ 4CO(g) Van Arkel Process Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Th, B are refined by this method. Impure metal is heated with I2, producing volatile T1I4,, ZrI4or BI3. These vapours are passed over electrically heated filament of Tungsten. The vapours decompose, metal gets deposited over the filament and iodine liberated is . Ti(S)+ 2TiTi(s) + 2 Zr(S)+ 2ZnZr(s) + 2 2B(S)+ 32B→ 2B(s) + 3 Zone refining Highly pure silicon or gernanium required for making semi-conductors are refined by this method. The impure rod of silicon or germanium is surrounded by a heating cir-l which can move from one end to another. The heater is allowed to move in one particular direction. As the heater moves away, the metal capitalizes and impurities move along the direction of the movement of the heater. The process is repeated a number of times when a small portion of the rod gets purified. The end portion of the rod having high concentration of impurities can be cut and disconded. Electrolytic refining Most of the metals like copper, silver, gold, aluminium, lead etc are refined by this process. The impure metal is made the anode and a thin sheet of pure metal is made a cathode. The electrolytic solution consists generally of an aqueous solution of a salt containing some acid or a complex of the metal. Purification of Copper Anode Impure copper Cathode Thin sheets of pure copper Electrolyte An aqueous solution of copper sulphate containing some H2SO4. Purification of Silver Anode: Impure silver Cathode: Thin sheet of pure Ag Electrolyte An aqueous solution of ASNO3containing HNO3. Pb Anode: Impure metal Cathode: Sheet of pure lead Electrolyte A solution of PbS1F6containing 8-10 of H2S1F6. Purification of Sn Anode: Impure Tin Cathode: A sheet of pure tin metal Electrolyte An aqueous solution of SNSO4containing H2S1F6. Thermodynamics of Metallurgical process: The metals are extracted when their oxides are heated with carbon or other metal and by thermal decomposition. For any spontaneous reaction, the Gibbs anergy change à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G must be negative at a particular temperature. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  H Tà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  H is enthal by change during the reaction, T is the absolute temperature and change during the reaction, T is the absolute temperature and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S is the entropy change during the reaction. The reaction will processed only when à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G is negative. For reaction where à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  H is negative and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S is positive. The reaction proceeds even at low temperatures. Theoretically, it is possible to decompose all metal oxides if sufficiently high temperature is attainable but oxides of Ag, An and Hg are the only oxides which can be decomposed at easily attainable temperatures. Hence these metals are obtained by thermal decomposition of their oxides. The choice of reducing agent to obtain the metal from its oxide depends upon the change in Gibbs energy à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G. The plot of Gibbs energy change versus temperature is called. Ellingham disgram: There diagrams can be drawn for different compounds such as oxides, sulphides, halides etc. using these diagrams one can make a choice of reducing agent and the corresponding temperature at which, the reaction becomes feasible. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G for the reaction is -ve. Some salient features of Ellingham diagram are: The slope for metal to metal oxide is upward as Gibbs energy change decreases with increase of temperature. The all follow a straight line unless they melt or vaporize. When change in entropy is large, the slope of line also changes for example the Hg-HgO line changes slope at 629K when mercury brills and similarly Mg-MgO changes slope at 1393K. When temperature is increased, the graph crossed the line à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G=0 at a particular temperature. Below this temperature, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G being negative, oxide is stable where as above this temperature à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G is positive and the oxide become unstable. Thus it should decompose into metal and oxygen. In a number of reduction processes, one metal is used to reduce the oxide of the other metal. Any metal can reduce the oxide or the another metal which lie above it in Ellingham diagram. Ellingham diagrams give an indication whether the reaction is possible or not. These graphs do not predict the kinetics of the reaction. This is a major limitation of Ellingham diagrams. Ellingham diagram of carbon: Carbon reacts with oxygen to give two oxides C(S) + O2(g) → CO2(g) 2C(S) + O2(g) → 2CO(g) Carbon monoxide can further react with oxygen to give carbon dioxide. 2CO(g) + O2(g) → 2CO2(g) When carbon changes to carbon dioxide, change in entropy (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S) is very small and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G hardly shows changes with increasing temperature. The graph of à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G against T is almost horizontal. When carbon changes to carbon monoxide, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S is positive and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G becomes more negative with increasing temperature. As a result, the line shows downward slope. The two lines for carbon to carbon-dioxide and carbon to carbon monoxide cross at 983K. below this temperature formation of CO2 is favoured whereas above this temperatures formation of CO is preferred. Ellingham diagram of metal sulphide : Some metals occur in nature as sulphides, such as ZnS, CuS and PbS. The reaction for the reduction of these sulphides with carbon is highly 2MS(S) + C(S) → 2M(S) + CS2(g) unfavourable energetically because of the instability of carbon disulphide. It being an endothermic reaction, sulphide ores are roasted to oxides and their reduced into metals.

Tajikistan labour migration and its implications

Tajikistan labour migration and its implications Introduction Background Labour migration and remittances are one of the most evident globalisation phenomena in Tajikistan. According to UNDP Human Development Report (2005) and World Bank (2008) from 600,000 to 1,500,000 Tajik citizens migrated overseas for work in 2005 and remittances being sent by them constitute staggering 36% of national GDP of Tajikistan. Remittances are proven to be large source of external finance stimulating consumption which in turn has a very positive effect on economy, especially on services sector. According to World Bank (2005) remittances are considered as the second biggest source of development finance after foreign direct investment. While remittances serve as an important social stabilising factor, they can also act as means of internal investment and boosting in this manner local development. My analysis will focus on the role of remittance savings either in leveraging to borrow from banking systems to invest in activities such as small businesses, or in directly financing them, which as the result improve the economic welfare of migrant households in both rural and urban areas. This dissertation will be based on analysis of data sources coming from various researches conducted by international organisations and research centres about Tajikistan labour migration and its implications. I will also examine the dynamic strategic aspects of interaction between the migrant and the remittance-receiving relatives and asses the benefits of particular types of motives under remitting. Furthermore, I would like to model hypothetical usage of savings out of remittances to business opportunities and asses the implications. The Republic of Tajikistan Tajikistan is the smallest country in the Central Asia and situated in south-east part of that region. 93% of Tajikistan consists of mountains, and more than half of the country lies on an altitude higher than 3000 meters above sea level. This leaves the countrys population of approximately 7 million people to reside and produce mainly in the remaining 6.52% of arable land, struggling with landslides, earth quakes, mudslides and unreliable access to clean water.. What is more, the countrys mountainous areas not only challenging for agriculture, but also contributing to a regionalisation and division of the country as the mountain ranges separate east from west, and north from south. These regional complications became particularly pertinent during the 1992-97 Civil War where, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), between 60,000 and 100,000 people died, approximately 600,000 were internally displaced and 80,000 left the country, including a significant amount of the Slav population. The ICG estimates the cost of the war to U.S. $7 billion, and in this way significantly slowing the countrys modest attempts for post-Soviet recovery. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the devastating Civil War, the country has experienced a significant decline in living standards through a rise in unemployment and poverty, and a deterioration of infrastructure, health care and education. Furthermore, the country lost its previously established export markets, sources of supplies and subsidies from Moscow (accounted to almost 40 percent of government revenue) (European Observatory on Health Care Systems, 2000). According to Trade and Investment Division (2001), â€Å"Between 1991 and 1997, the level of GDP diminished by more than 60 percent which significantly reduced the living standards of the less protected part of the population.† (p. 252). All these above mentioned factors urged Tajikistan to accumulate foreign debt, which reached $880 million US dollar by 1998. It is worth state that Tajikistan has comparative advantage in growing of cotton, which is considered as cash crop and main source of foreign exchange (World Bank Poverty Assessment Tajikistan Update). Namely the export of cotton coupled with aluminum helped the country to restore external balance. Although cotton is strategically important, the growing of that crop entails difficulties with extensive irrigation and profitability nowadays. FAO (2008) claimed cotton growers in Tajikistan were indebted about 100 million US dollars due to dramatic drop in prices for raw cotton in 2000. All these difficult situations have encouraged considerable labour emigration and a return to a more patriarchal society based on religious beliefs and old traditions as survival strategy when the traditional mans role as the main bread winner of the family is being challenged. Poverty and Migration Tajikistan was the poorest among the Soviet Union republics and nowadays, it remains the poorest country in Europe and Central Asia region. According to World Bank Poverty Assessment Tajikistan Update, Tajikistans mean per capita income by 1989 was less than half of that in Russia. Its national income per capita was less than 200 US dollars. After gaining of independence, figures were even deplorable; 81 percent of population lived under poverty line in 1999 (less than 2.15 US dollars per day at purchasing power parity). (Source TLSS 2003 and TLSS 2009). The unofficial unemployment rate was around 30%. After the end of civil war and some years of stability and peace Tajikistan experienced substantial improvements in poverty rates, which dropped to 64 percent in 2003. However, still, this is the highest rate of poverty when compared to that of poor countries in Commonwealth of Independent States, like Kyrgyzstan (54 percent in 2001) and Moldova (45 percent in 2002). (Source: Poverty A ssessments for respective countries.) Poverty rates in rural areas are higher than in urban areas. In 2003, the proportion of poor people was 65 percent in rural areas against 59 percent in urban. (World Bank Poverty Assessment Update). Provided that 73 percent of the population of Tajikistan lives in rural areas the poverty can be considered overwhelmingly rural. (World Bank Poverty Assessment Update). Given that Tajikistan has the youngest population structure of the former Soviet countries with 70 percent aged under 30, poverty is overwhelmingly among young and economically active part of the population. Lack of income means lack of opportunities: not only loss of access to food, health care and education, but also the loss of the ability to choose and control ones own life. Poverty destroys human capital and has an adverse impact on social relations, leading to violence and instability. (Saodat Olimova) Furthermore, in 2007, Tajikistan experienced the hard consequences of strong rise in international food and fuel prices; especially it is felt by people of Tajikistan. While the impact of the higher fuel and food prices and misguided market interventions of the government have been felt by everyone, many households in rural and mountainous areas seemingly are on the verge of destitution. While many vegetable prices have increased between 20-30% in the last 11 months, wheat flour has increased 81-131%, and cooking oils from 118-139%. All the while, real wages for unskilled laborers (which are too low to cover household costs to begin with) have increased by a mere of 20% (by 6% in KT). In short, wages are not keeping pace with the dramatic increases in food and fuel prices. Traditional lepeshka now cost 1 somoni of the 44.61 somoni an average teacher or nurse earns a month. Clearly, people have to find ways to survive and migration seems the only plausible way to do so. Thus, it is hard to improve ones living conditions in Tajikistan, and many find themselves forced to seek employment abroad. Furthermore comparatively improved economies of Russian Federation and other CIS countries create an appropriate environment for migration from Tajikistan. According to a year 2006 International Organization for Migration (IOM) survey on trafficking from Tajikistan, 96.9% of the approximately 1 million migrants from Tajikistan go to Russia in search of work. 1.4% of the migrants work in Kyrgyzstan, 0.7% in Kazakhstan, and another 0.7% in Ukraine. Also, according to an IOM report conducted amongst 2000 migrants in 2002, with follow-up amongst 4000 migrants in 2003, these migrants were 85% men and 15% women in 2002. Amongst men, the age groups 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49 all make up approximately one third of the migrant mass each. Olimova and Bosc divide these age groups into two, corresponding to the traditional life cycle in Tajikistan: â€Å"sons† of 18-29 years, and â€Å"fathers† of 40-49 years. The first group migrates mainly to make money to establish his own family, whereas the second group goes abroad to be able to feed his family and organize the traditional ceremonies for his children. In average, 68.5% of the migrant s are married, and 22.6% live together as in marriage in Tajikistan, but without official registration. The last group consists mainly of youth between 15 and 19 years of age. Theoretical Background GREGORIAN, D. MELKONYAN, T. (January 2008) Microeconomic Implications of Remittances in an Overlapping Generations Model with Altruism and Self-Interest, IMF Working Paper, WP/08/19. This publication illustrates the dynamic strategic aspects of interaction between the migrant and remittance receiving relatives and shows the various microeconomic implications under each particular circumstance of interaction. Gregorian and Melkonyan analyse the plethora of motives for remit in terms of altruistic and self interest behavior of the remitter. In addition, they consider the scenario where two parties could work out self-enforcing contracts to implement choices that maximise their total surplus. They also discuss both the migration and the remittance patterns in Armenia with a particular focus on push and pull factors. The main part of the paper contended an empirical estimation of the microeconomic impact of migration and remittance in Armenia on hours supplied to the market, education spending, savings and borrowing behaviour from commercial banks. In the words of Gregorian and Melkonyan, â€Å"this evidence [of the paper] suggests that the benefits of remittances might be overstated and emphasises the importance of measuring their impact in a general rather than a partial equilibrium context†. In conclusion, the authors suggest that there is a need for either direct or indirect policy measures in shaping the remittance flows and their impact on the behaviour of remittance receiving households. This article inspired me to deepen my research of the dissertation topic in terms of analysis of not only the quantitative pattern of remittances but also the behavioral aspects of this phenomenon. That is, whether the remitter has altruistic or self-interest motives while sending money back home and what the possible outcomes are under each circumstance. I will also consider models and regression methods used in the paper to estimate possible impacts of remittance on labour supply, education spending and saving/borrowing behaviour in Tajikistan. Furthermore, the above paper put forward a vague, but at the same time, ambitious notion of potential policy measures that should be taken in order to promote remittance saving for the creation of small business and entrepreneurial activities in households, which I believe will be a crucial part of my dissertation. GIULIANO, P. RUIZ-ARRANZ, M. (March 2006) Remittances, Financial Development, and Growth, Journal of Development Economics, doi: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.10.005 This paper examines the relationship between remittances and growth, and in particular the influence of local financial sector development on a countrys capacity to take advantage of remittances. Giuliano and Ruiz-Arranz underline the importance of remittances in promoting economic growth whilst looking specifically at the interaction between remittances and the financial sector. This publication is considered to be the first paper to provide evidence for both complementarity and substitutability between remittances and financial development in promoting economic growth. The authors make use of newly constructed data for remittances covering 100 developing countries and illustrate that remittances boost growth in countries with less developed financial systems by providing an alternative way to finance investment and helping to overcome liquidity constraint. They also suggest that there could be an investment channel through which remittances could promote growth especially when the financial sector does not meet the credit needs of the population, where remittances act as a substitute for financial services. I plan to make substantial use of the concept of interaction between remittances and the financial sector in growth in my dissertation, as the issue of leveraging and borrowing from banking systems by remittance-receiving households is central to my dissertation topic. In particular, I want to look at the possibility of commercial banks opening lines of credit for remittance-receiving households, based on the earning of the migrant. Additionally, I will consider this papers analysis of cyclical properties of remittances to assess whether they are procyclical and predominantly profit-driven or countercyclical. Accordingly, I aim to analyse the relationship of Tajikistan GDP and capital flows and see if they are correlated. PALEI, L.V. KOROBKOV, A.V. (2007) Migrant Remittances in the CIS: The Financial and the Socio-Economic Impact, Paper presented at the International Studies Association 48th annual meeting, Chicago, IL. This paper studies the current labour migration trends in the countries of the CIS and analyses the role of remittances as a means of socio-economic stabilisation in labour migrant source countries. It also provides the core causes of migration and its aspects in the context of a globalising world. Moreover, the authors examine how remittances could play an important role in the development of the country and what policies governments should adopt in order to better utilise the development potential of remittances. The paper is valuable as a source of background information on the causes and nature of migration processes in countries of the CIS. It also provides figures on the total number of migrants and remittances sent by them. Moreover, the authors identify remittances as one of the major stabilising factors of an economy and justify this by presenting statistics on remittances as a percentage of national GDPs. The important thing about this paper was that it focused very much on Tajikistan as one the major labour migration source countries. UNDP (2005) Central Asia Human Development Report, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This report studies the level of human development in Central Asian Republics. Throughout the report, the importance of increased regional cooperation in economic and other spheres of activities is repeatedly underlined. While mentioning some of the significant vulnerabilities of the region as being, for example, largely landlocked- the report also highlights the newly emerging opportunities availability of natural resource and being surrounded by fast developing countries. In conclusion, the report stresses the necessity to continue the process of reform in different sectors of economy. This report is a good source of so called country â€Å"baseline data†. It provided statistics on economic, demographic, social, and environmental aspects of a countrys development. Additionally, it looks specifically at the issue of labour migration and its economic, social, and cultural aspect. Being prepared by UNDP an organization, particularly active in Tajikistan- the report gains additional reliability and accuracy. AMUEDO-DORANTES, C. (2006) Remittances and Their Microeconomic Impacts: Evidence from Latin America, Journal of Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 187-197. Amuedo-Dorantes provides an overview of the remitting patterns of migrants, from Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru, working and residing in the United States. She summarizes the microeconomic impacts of remittances, particularly on spheres of employment, business ownership, education and health care investments. Furthermore she emphasises the importance of remittances as a resource for the accumulation of human capital investments in education and health and as a determinant of employment patterns in remittance-receiving households in developing economies. This publication gave me the idea concerning the appropriate categorisation of purposes of remitting into two broad groups; consumption, which consists of food/maintenance, purchase of a vehicle, recreation/entertainment expenses and debt payment; and asset accumulation/investment, which consists of construction, repair or purchase of a house, purchase of tools, livestock, agriculture inputs, start/expand of business, education and health expenses and savings. BORJAS, G.L. (1999) The Economic Analysis of Immigration, in the Handbook of Labor Economics, Vol 3a, 1698-1757. This particular paper investigates labour market affects of immigration in both the host and home country. Borjas emphasises the measuring of relative skills of immigrants and evaluation of implications of relative skill differentials on economic outcomes. The author focuses on different environments and premises where the human capital of the source country influences the labour market of the host country. That is, an analysis of the factors that determine the skills of immigrants; a discussion of the implications of the income-maximization hypothesis for the skill composition of the self-selected immigrant flow, an estimation of how the skills of immigrants compare to those of natives -both at the time of entry and over time as immigrants adapt to the host countrys labor market, an examination of the concept of economic adaptation with analysis of the relationship nature of an immigrants â€Å"pre-existing† skills and the skills that the immigrant acquires in the host countr y, and finally, an evalution of the impact of immigration on the wage structure in the host country. This paper provides an important and basic understanding of the affect that immigration has on the economy of a host country. I will use the models and generalisations found in Borjas paper to analyse the migration pattern between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation. Furthermore I will use them for policy recommendation and measures in my dissertation. LEE-NAH, H. (2007) Outcome evaluation of HIV program in Tajikistan, Final report, Retrieved July 12, 2008 from http://www.undp.tj/files/ev/ev_report.pdf. The evaluation study outlined in the report was commissioned by UNDP, Tajikistan and is aimed at assessing the impact of two HIV related programs which were implemented in the country. These programs dealt with working on HIV prevention and mitigation in the following target groups: labour migrants and their families, prisoners, habitual drug users, sex workers, school youth, etc. The evaluation methods used included the thorough review of relevant documents and statistics, interviews, and site visits. The report provided an in depth analysis of the current situation with AIDS/HIV in Tajikistan and an indication of the success rate of the implemented programs, concluding with a set of recommendations on different levels of intervention and target groups. The report presented a very good source as a synthesized analysis of different documents and statistics available on HIV in Tajikistan. Specifically, it provided statistical data on the overall official number of people infected in the population (while also citing unofficial estimates), prevalence figures, and broke down the infected persons into different groups (including labour migrants). It also outlined the efforts which are being made to prevent the proliferation of HIV among labour migrants and recommendations to improve this process. The report, however, did not specifically feature any future projections of HIV infection spreading due to increasing number of labour migrants and their exposure to countries with much higher prevalence figures than those in Tajikistan. Remittances and Financial Sector in Tajikistan â€Å"Migration from Tajikistan and the consequent remittances have been unprecedented in their magnitude and economic impact.† IMF, Alexei Kiriyev, page 4-5 The measuring of remittances magnitude is still not definite: