Saturday, August 31, 2019

Friday, August 30, 2019

Statistics: Variance and Vanguard Total Stock

Statistics Midterm paper 1. : Identify the implied population in the information here. Government agencies carefully monitor water quality and its effect on wetlands (Reference: Environment Protection Agency Wetland Report EPA 832-R-93-005). Of particular concern is the concentration of nitrogen in water draining from fertilized lands. Too much nitrogen can kill fish and wildlife. Twenty-eight samples of water were taken at random from a lake. The nitrogen concentration (milligrams of nitrogen per liter of water) was determined for each sample. The variable in this information is nitrogen concentration (mg nitrogen/l water). a. number of fish b. samples of water taken at random c. the wetlands d. nitrogen concentration (mg nitrogen/l water) in the entire lake e. government agencies 2. Find the technique for gathering data in the study below. A study of all league football scores attained through touchdowns and field goals was conducted by the National Football League to determine whether field goals account for more scoring events than touchdowns (USA Today). a. sampling b. census c. experiment d. simulation . observational study 3. It's not an easy life, but it's a good life. Suppose you decide to take the summer off and sign on as a deck hand for a commercial fishing boat in Alaska that specializes in deep-water fishing for ground fish. What kind of fish can you expect to catch? One way to answer this question is to examine the reports on ground fish caught in the Gulf of Alaska. The following list indicates the types of fish caught annually in thousands of metric tons: flatfish, 36. 3; Pacific cod, 68. 6; sablefish, 16. 0; Walleye Pollock, 71. 2; rockfish, 18. 9. Make a Pareto chart showing the annual harvest for commercial fishing in the Gulf of Alaska. 4. How hot does it get in Death Valley? Assume that the following data are taken from a study conducted by the National Park System, of which Death Valley is a unit. The ground temperatures were taken from May to November near Furnace Creek. Compute the mode for these ground temperatures. 147 153 167 174 182 178 179 182 178 178 167 0 153 144 a. 144 b. 182 c. 167 d. 153 e. 178 5. Find the sample variance s2 for the following sample data. Round your answer to the nearest hundredth. x: 23 17 12 35 29 . 84. 20 b. 67. 36 c. 101. 00 d. 88. 84 e. 126. 25 6. Do bonds reduce the overall risk of an investment portfolio? Let x be a random variable representing annual percent return for the Vanguard Total Stock Index (all Stocks). Let y be a random variable representing annual return for the Vanguard Balanced Index (60% stock and 40% bond). For the past several years, assume the following data. Compute . x: 14 0 36 23 33 25 26 14 14 23 y: 6 5 26 17 24 17 17 5 6 6 a. 4607 b. 4803 c. 5332 d. 4243 e. 4940 Answers: Queston 1: The population is d. – the nitrogen population in the entire lake. Question 2: The technique is a census since all events are to be measured. Question 3. The Pareto Chart is below:[pic] Question 4: The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a set of data so here the mode is 178 so the answer is e. Question 5. The samplle variance is 84. 20 so the answer is a. Question 6. The mean return for the Vanguard Total Stock Index is 20. 8 while the mean return for the Vanguard Balanced Index is 12. 9 (with bonds). Based on this data you would conclude that bonds do not reduce the overall risk of an investment portfolio since the mean return was actually less when the porfolio has bonds in it.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Inside Job Essay

The collapse started back in the 1980’s with the deregulation of Savings and loans, this meant that the government no longer was overseeing the manner in which business was conducted. This in its self did not create the collapse, but as time when along more deregulation in the banking sector took place. Banks could now begin to loosen their lending guidelines, this trend lead to what was know as sub prime lending. Many banks such as Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Countrywide and many more started these companies to lend to the less then slandered banking customers. This way the banks could still make money, but not jeopardize their portfolio customers. Now banks could lend money to customers that had credit scores less then 700 and with resent bankruptcy and even foreclosures and their credit. The biggest reason for the sub prime was money. Now there really was no limit on what interest rate the banks could charge for their sub prime products. The banks could then bundle their sub prime loans and sell them to Wall Street and receive margins on the loans, for example if the prime rate on Wall Street was 4.5% and your interest rate on your loans might be 9.5% Wall Street might pay the bank 3% on all their loans. Now this then is where the collapse is starting, Banks now are offering more and more products to lesser credit worthy customers at high rates and mortgage brokers and bankers are pushing these products because the banks are now offering incentives for these products and why because the banks are making money on them not because they are the best for the consumer. The next chapter of the collapse is on Wall Street as shown in the movie AIG comes up with this great insurance idea of derivatives for the sub prime market. What these derivatives would do is protect the servicers and buyers of sub prime loans in case the loans will fail and who helped AIG come up with this idea, Their next door neighbor and biggest buyer of sub prime loans Lehman Brothers. As we see in the movie everything comes to a head in 2008, Lehman Brothers closes, AIG is bailed out by the government and all sub prime lenders close.  Yet no one is prosecuted and most all the upper management from the companies that contributed to the collapse are either still teaching business in upper scale colleges or hold positions on government cabinets. In conclusion this movie shows how money and the promise of unlimited amounts, can turn Wall Street and the banking sector to do whatever it takes ethically or unethically to achieve it. We see that companies such as AIG and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will lie and doctor their accounting, and even pay to receive AAA rates even days before they went bankrupt so investors wouldn’t know. Has Wall Street learned its lesson or do they even care?

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Jesus and Mohammed Two Great Holy Personalities Essay

Jesus and Mohammed Two Great Holy Personalities - Essay Example The Biblical traditions, based on the records collected by four true followers of Christ, provide a detailed account of Christ’s birth and people’s reaction on the virgin birth. The Holy Torah had manifestly prophesized about the virgin birth of Messiah, as the Scripture predicts in these words: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah, 7:14) It is because of these predictions that the Magi travelled wide to see the holy child at the eve of his birth. However, an overwhelming majority of the Romans and Jews refused to acknowledge the holy birth of Holy Christ as virgin. Thus, the opposition of the Savior started from the very first day of the Holy Virgin Mary’s return to her city. Though little information is available about Christ’s childhood and early youth, yet the historians and theologians are of the opinion that Mary had taken him to Egypt in order to escape the wrath of his enemies. Hence, like his predecessor holy prophets, including Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Zachariah and others, Holy Christ also had to face opposition from the prosperous stratum of his society. Jesus preached and lived by truly radical ethics. In contrast to the prevailing patriarchal society and extensive proscriptions against impurity, he touched lepers and a bleeding woman to heal them; in his â€Å"table fellowship,† he ate with people of all classes shreds of evidence.... The Holy Torah had manifestly prophesized about the virgin birth of Messiah, as the Scripture predicts in these words: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah, 7:14) It is because of these predictions that the Magi travelled wide to see the holy child at the eve of his birth. However, an overwhelming majority of the Romans and Jews refused to acknowledge the holy birth of Holy Christ as virgin. Thus, the opposition of the Savior started from the very first day of the Holy Virgin Mary’s return to her city. Though little information is available about Christ’s childhood and early youth, yet the historians and theologians are of the opinion that Mary had taken him to Egypt in order to escape the wrath of his enemies. Hence, like his predecessor holy prophets, including Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Zachariah and others, Holy Christ also had to face oppositi on from the prosperous stratum of his society. Jesus preached and lived by truly radical ethics. In contrast to the prevailing patriarchal society and extensive proscriptions against impurity, he touched lepers and a bleeding woman to heal them; in his â€Å"table fellowship,† he ate with people of all classes. In a culture in which the woman’s role was strictly circumscribed, he welcomed women as his disciples. (Fisher, 2005: 293) The researches reveal the very fact that Jesus returned to his native land Jerusalem from Egypt at the age of thirty. It was the time when he started preaching the virtue and nobility to the people of Nazareth. Jesus was highly

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Marriage Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marriage Paper - Essay Example The subject of this study is a couple, Grace and Carl who have been married for sixteen years whom I consider to be my friends. I called Carl asking if I could meet them at their house knowing that they are both busy with their jobs and children, and requesting them to spare me at least thirty minutes for the interview to which they gladly agreed to. Carl and Grace are, a common couple who sought out to develop a relationship with each other looking out for attributes they considered important to a relationship. Though circumstances in their jobs brought them together, things did not come to them as a result of the situation but they both purposefully looked out for the things they wanted in a partner. The criteria they used in the development of their relationship are appearance, similarity, complementary, reciprocal attraction and matching hypothesis. These are evident as their answers during the interview will give light to what they think about themselves and their relationship. According to the couple, the primary measure they looked for in finding the right partner was physical appearance. Grace says she wants her partner to be good looking and well-dressed, meaning he is educated and has the means to provide for his personal needs. Carl on the other hand is just like any other man who sought to have a girlfriend with aesthetic qualities not only on the face and shape but on the inside as well. Both claim to have been physically attracted to each other the time they were introduced by mutual friends and they considered and hoped seeing each other again. Carl thought her new found friend might just be the perfect match for him because they are both independent and working on the same level of business so that he made the effort of taking Grace’s phone number to which the lady thankfully responded positively so that the former was able to get in touch with her in the following days. When they first dated, Carl and Grace found out that they have simil ar interests and beliefs. They both were involved in sports; Carl loves to play basketball while Grace plays lawn tennis. They are both active people, not wanting to be bound at home by a partner or any other thing like children and chores, not that they are not willing to do household jobs but they believe their lives would be more exciting and fulfilling if they have a variety of activities. Of course they also have their differences but they look at their distinguishing features on a positive light, finding them to be complementary of what the other lacks (Fitzpatrick). For instance, Carl loves food and loves to cook, which Grace praises so much because she claims not to distinguish a pan from a pot which is of course an understatement to her culinary knowledge. Carl on the other hand is the forgetful type of guy and is always thankful for having a loving wife who patiently finds time to work an extra hour listing her husband’s schedules and needed materials, arranging the m in a fashion that Carl could not just miss to notice. Carl claims to have found the notes placed by Grace in his wallet every now and then, reminding him of their children’s birthdays, schedule of activities and other meetings especially when work calls most of his time for travel, being a businessman. Deciding to get married was such an easy task for the couple at the time they agreed to stay together forever because they were so in love and found each other the right persons. Grace says Carl had all the

Justification Report Part 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Justification Report Part 2 - Assignment Example Miller Park construction in Milwaukee which failed to take the equipment efficiency guidelines of OSHA seriously exceeded its deadline by one full year. Their crane collapsed killing three workers on the spot. This caused them unnecessary law suit, loss of talent, labor issues and the construction cost exceeded enormously. Miller Park projects total budget was $413.9 million. This was 28.5% higher the estimated amount due to the one year delay. The crane repair costs and compensation accounted for $100 million. OSHA has reported four potentially dangerous accidents prior to the crane fatality. But the construction company ceased to lend ears to them causing this massive loss of money and man power. Paul Brown stadium was completed in 2.5 years. Its proposed completion budget was $453 million. The project was completed within the proposed amount on the given deadline without any casualties. Construction sites being highly vulnerable places to work, the project recorded a total of 92 minor accidents, 16 of which stalled work causing delays in the building construction. But, severe implementation of strict safety measures saved them nearly $4.6 million and loss of life. The worker compensation went into speeding up the work making up for the delays. OSHA states, implementing the safety measures strictly helped the project save nearly 58% of the money set aside to handle accidents and work place injury. A common debate arouse in this comparison as to why the Millers Park project was initially assigned very little amount for construction. While both the projects involved nearly the same features, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. and Lampson International Ltd agreed to give only $322 million to the Danny’s construction company. This led to compensation in employee safety and use of age old equipments leading to massive losses. Hence, the US government fined Mitsubishi heavily than the other two companies ($240,500). This proves awareness and education

Monday, August 26, 2019

International Trade in a Global Village Research Paper

International Trade in a Global Village - Research Paper Example rks and innovations in the transport industry have facilitated faster and efficient interaction between world citizens hence allowing a clean environment for international trade to take place. This paper is a critical evaluation on globalization and its impacts on the contemporary society. Globalization has transformed the world, virtually from a planet of 7 continents into a global village. This has been made possible by inventions in communication technology such as internet, satellites, telephony among others which have created a platform for real time exchange of data and information. Through the internet, for example, it has become possible to chat with people in distant nations, through platforms such as Skype, facebook, Twitter, video conference among others. Today, one does not need to travel to Japan to buy and import a motor vehicle. E-commerce utilizes the internet whereby traders are facilitated with a platform to host websites on the World Wide Web, which can be accessed by consumers from any corner of the world. With a click of a mouse, one can negotiate, order a vehicle or any other merchandize, pay through credit card or any other means such as wire transfer, and wait for the items to be delivered to his doorstep (Tomlinson, 2011). Indeed, reports indi cate that business transactions over the internet was valued as $16 trillion as at 2012. The invention of aircrafts, trains, ships and motor vehicles made it possible to travel from one nation to another and continent to continent in search of jobs, markets and suppliers, thereby enhancing one on one interaction of individuals from different cultures and backgrounds (Singer, 2013). Globalization has been of great economic benefit to world economies. Numerous multinational companies have invested heavily in subsidiaries around the world where they employ locals and engage in corporate social responsibility, especially in third world countries, which have little to invest in infrastructure, schools and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

(Can the writer help me decide) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

(Can the writer help me decide) - Essay Example ls of counterinsurgency in two articles, â€Å"The New (and Old) Classics of Counterinsurgency† and â€Å"Scholar, Pope, Soldier, Spy.† She depicts the idea of counterinsurgency that militarizes â€Å"social work† in other countries. Counterinsurgency is â€Å"armed social work† that merges military and media-rich storytelling that can undermine nationalist endeavors and control women and other local sectors through specific social and economic programs and projects and America-as-savior media narrative. Counterinsurgency is â€Å"armed social work† because it has the usual armed component that employs brutal strategies and tactics against local guerillas (Khalili â€Å"The New†16). Khalili narrates that counterinsurgency has its roots in colonization. She explains that many people naturally oppose foreign forces that intend to control their local political, social, and economic systems, and when this happens, one of the past counterinsurgent strategy is â€Å"butcher-and-bolt† (Khalili â€Å"Scholar† 427). It pertains to the swift and violent destroying of villages, crops, and livestock for the â€Å"infractions† of the locals, such as leading revolts or supporting insurgents (Khalili â€Å"Scholar† 427). Though not directly illustrated, this strategy is common in the counterinsurgency against Native Americans, whose lands were burned and whose people were nearly decimated. The â€Å"race† factor is clear because those who were not w hites were easily slaughtered, while their lands and remaining human and natural resources were taken away. Counterinsurgency, nevertheless, is more â€Å"social work† than armed warfare because the military and related personnel are trained to influence the hearts and minds of the local people, especially women and other marginalized sectors, through social programs and the media. By social work, this includes outright colonial administration. General David Petraeus acted as a colonial administrator in Mosul, Iraq, where he rebuilt some of the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Compare and contrast the marketing strategies used by Waitrose and Essay

Compare and contrast the marketing strategies used by Waitrose and ASDA in UK . How do they identify the needs of their customer - Essay Example The product should as well better the lives on the customers, who should always desire to come back for more; this keeps a business at a competitive advantage since it is capable of sustaining its customers. A marketing strategy should also be consistent such that, the marketing message remains the same. In this case, consumers will be certain of the product being sold. Hence, one should choose a certain appropriate market for his business and the marketing channels. In addition, a market for a business should be targeted such that, it is directed to the right customers. Normally, proper communication using right words attracts customers more; hence, an effective marketing strategy must be communicative (Hoos, 2010). Marketing strategies are inclusive of three forces, namely, competition, customer, and corporation. According to Jain, â€Å"a good marketing strategy should include a clear market definition, a good match between corporate strengths and the needs of the market and a su perior performance, relative to the competition in the key success factors of the business† (Jain n.d, pp 23). A good matching of the customer and corporation’s needs and objectives is important since it leads to a long relationship; however, competition must have an objective, for instance, the level of competition, which entails whether competition involves an entire market or a in a certain segment. Secondly, how to compete entails the means by which competition will take place, for instance, a product may be introduced to serve a specific customer’s need. Thirdly, when to compete involves a waiting for a certain time to penetrate into the market (Jain, n.d, pp 24). Therefore, according to Analoui (2003, pp 241), an effective marketing strategy should prioritize demands and wants of customers, identify a market for the business, select a marketing mix and drive the firm in to a competitive advantage. Marketing strategies used by Waitrose and ASDA in United Kin gdom and how they identify their customers Waitrose was founded by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose, and David Taylor, when the self-service for product was introduced in 1951. However, it operates as a grocery retailer in the United Kingdom, and it is aimed at providing the convenience as supermarkets do, in terms of services and products that are of quality, value, and fresh and in variety. Waitrose mainly deals with food and drinks and targets the upper market, providing variety of their fresh and quality products. However, Waitrose faces competition from related firms like the Tesco; this is due to Waitrose’s high prices, while consumer are capable of buying groceries in any place as long as the prices are friendly and the groceries are fresh. However, one of the strategy Waitrose has adapted in order to attract and sustain customers is product differentiation and delivering product of high quality (Addidas 2003, pp 5). According to Chadwick et al, (2007 pp 14), Waitrose acquir ed 40% in LMS e-commerce grocery business to expand its online service. Due to technology, the online service was effective and able to serve customers anywhere in terms of home delivery of groceries

Friday, August 23, 2019

Market Shares of PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle Case Study - 17

Market Shares of PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Nestle - Case Study Example One, it is able to paint a picture of where the industry is, and where the company is versus competitors. In competitor analyses, market shares allow a firm to size up what the strategies of competitors are, and what the company needs to do in order to compete well with major players. Volume market shares also allow a company to be able to glean where the industry is headed if the company is making progress in increasing shares and profits, and similar other insights. Management can also keep track of how strategies affect the market performance of products and brands through tracking changes in market share by volume among other things (Czepiel and Karin, n.d.; NetMBA, 2010; Chen, 1996).   In marketing, similarly, volume market shares information allow for situating brands and products within such context, to better track how well marketing programs work in terms of improving the prospects and performance of such brands. Where market shares deteriorate, for instance, that is a sign that marketing strategies are not working, and/or that competitors are crafting and executing well on better marketing and business strategies (Czepiel and Karin, n.d.; NetMBA, 2010; Chen, 1996).   If total revenues were$15.6 billion in 2006, then one market share point out of 100 equals $156 million in 2006. Given that total industry revenues will go up by 48.5 percent by 2011, total revenues by that time will be $23.166 billion. This translates to 2011 per market share point dollar equivalent of $231.66 million   This information is relevant in marketing, because for one, data on per market share point revenues over time, with the projections for 2011 included, allow for marketers to get a snapshot of how much the market will grow over time, and how fast the growth is.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Smart Grid Resolution, London Waste Dump Site and Maladroits Cosmetics Essay Example for Free

Smart Grid Resolution, London Waste Dump Site and Maladroits Cosmetics Essay One of the benefits of investing in this $100 million project includes rerouting power around bottlenecked lines. This allows Xcel Energy to deliver electricity to areas in Boulder that have a very high demand that the previous conventional electrical grid was unable to service effectively. This smart-grid system also enables Xcel Energy to detect and reduce power outages, identify false alarms more quickly and read customer meters remotely. This in return will lead to a reduction in the number of times the service crews are sent out to those locations, thus making the service crews more productive. Combining the efficiency of the smart-grid electrical system and the reduction of outages will allow Xcel Energy to capture cost-savings more appropriately. Additionally, this electrical smart-grid allows customers to monitor their individual power use reducing household usage by up to 30% in some cases, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction. Although this may lead to a decrease in revenue for Xcel Energy, the smart-grid system enables integration of renewable generation, an increase in overall system efficiency, a more robust electrical system and an ability to recover under-utilized and wasted energy. We can’t say for sure, but this may actually benefit Xcel Energy in the long-run as they will recover lost revenue through their decreased operational costs using the smart-grid electrical system. What conflicts do you suspect might have occurred between all the different stakeholders in this project? In any project there are four main stakeholders. This includes Client, Parent Organization, Project Team and the Public. In the case of Xcel Energy’s smart-grid project, both the client and public would be the population of Boulder, CO. The Parent Organization is Xcel Energy and the project team includes representatives from Accenture consulting for engineering, energy industry consultants, leading technologists, business leaders and IT experts. Accenture provides consulting solutions in many major industrial sectors. According to the text, Accenture consulting for engineering was hired. Additionally, IT experts were also brought onto the team. Accenture provides IT solutions as part of their consulting portfolio so there may be some conflict between the two parties due to their different backgrounds and methods of doing business. Also security and privacy were of utmost importance to protect intellectual property, so it is in the best interests of the project team and the parent organization to control how much information they gave to the public and local media. However, the latter of the two recipients may have wanted more information, specifically, how this affects their electricity costs and demands in the long run causing another source of conflict. Internally, members of the project team will experience conflict caused by belonging to two different teams – their project team and functional team. Often, the head of the teams are two different people with different motives and goals, and the members have the responsibility to report to both and are therefore pulled in two different directions. The members of the project team experience almost total conflict as they compete for project resources and leadership roles. This is caused in part by the different backgrounds, attitudes and biases of each member. This would be especially apparent in the Xcel project where members from many different companies and departments are brought together, each with a unique way of accomplishing the tasks and work packages of the project. Turning London’s Waste Dump into the 2012 Olympics Stadium Which of the â€Å"triple constraints† seems to be the uppermost here? Which constraints was Crockford trading between? The text says Crockford â€Å"quickly† assembled a project team of over 1000 individuals in order to meet the mid-2011 completion date. A constant referral to time is also observed. The start date of construction was noted as May 2008 and although there was a delay due to re-designing the roof, the text ends by stating that the project was still on track to be completed by mid-2011. Therefore, Schedule is the triple constraint uppermost here. The design team for the 2012 Olympics Stadium planned a highly-compact field of play requiring a steel-beamed roof and on discovering that the steel-beamed roof as designed would create turbulence on the compact field, a lighter, more flexible roof was redesigned, which was made in part from recycled materials. This roof required less steel and cost less than the initial steel-beamed roof designed. Thus, Crockford traded between the Scope (Required Deliverables) and the Cost (Budget limit). Was the life cycle for this project S-shaped, J-shaped, or something else? Considering just the purpose of the river dredging as a project itself, what was the shape of its life cycle? The completion of London’s 2012 Olympic Stadium consisted of selecting the project team (consisting of over 1000 members), cleaning up the chosen site, design of the stadium, construction, delays and finally construction until completion. Therefore, the project life-cycle most likely followed a stretched S-shape curve similar to housing construction projects. The S-shaped curve is categorized by a slow start, followed by a quick build-up and a slow finish. This is a result of the changing levels of resources used during the successive stages of the life-cycle. The slow start in this case would be the clearing of the site and design of the stadium. Construction would also begin slowly but would quickly ramp up once all the raw materials are shipped to the location and base infrastructure completed. There is a delay (not uncommon – almost expected) when the team realizes the steel-beamed roof would create turbulence on the compact field. Finally, construction will slow down as specialized parts are ordered for the final touches (luxury spectator rooms, confectionary stands etc). The river dredging project followed a J-shaped curve. This is characterized by a slow start followed by an exponential increase in project completion over time. Moreover, the expenditure of resources has little correlation with overall progress. The team removed 30,000 tons of silt, gravel and garbage from the river. Getting the cranes and other heavy machinery used to remove garbage from the river would take time, but once there, they can quickly and effectively remove the waste from the river. Were there any ancillary goals for this project? What might they have been? The Olympic Delivery Authority’s goal to use recycled materials in the building of the 2012 Olympic Stadium can be considered as an ancillary goal. The use of recycled materials to build a lighter, more flexible roof creates opportunities whereby a stadium can be completely built from recycled materials in the future. An ancillary goal of making 55,000 of the 80,000 seats temporary would create a profitable stadium in the future because the cost of maintaining the area containing the seats is grossly reduced. Furthermore, a successful stadium results in a successful 2012 Olympics and ultimately increases tourism in England. Finally, Ian Crockford has greatly increased his reputation and experience as a project manager (as well as his subordinates and parent company too) which drastically increases his chances of managing future projects on this scale and beyond. Which of the project-defining factors in Section 1. 1 were active here. The project was identified as important by the Olympic Delivery Authority composed of politicians and other high-ranking members of society. The scope was clearly defined from the beginning of the project and was divided into sub-tasks to achieve the project goals. The due date of the project is also clearly defined as Mid-2011. Many interdependencies were at play such as the recycled metal from the police department and dredging of the river. The project was unique in that it had a temporary seating design, a lighter more flexible roof and designed specifically for the 2012 London Olympics. The budget was limited to ? 32 million and not unlike the Xcel Energy case detailed above; conflicts existed between the different stakeholders of the project. Therefore, all 7 of the project defining factors were active in the construction of the 2012 Olympics stadium. Maladroit Cosmetics Company Which of the three choices do you recommend and why? The third choice, that is, the company that manufactures the machines can handle the installation project for a fee close to what the installation would cost Maladroit is recommended for a number of reasons. The first being hat Maladroit becomes the customer in this transaction, and the company installing the machines would be performing the job and would have to do it according Maladroit’s specifications including any unseen delays not identified in the scope. We are also unsure of the qualifications of the members of her staff and if they capable of undertaking such a high risk project worth $4 million. Finally, she cannot handle the project informally out of office because the project is very important and she would not be able to devote as much time to the project as well as her current duties. If the project was one small machine at a total cost of $4,000, would your answer be different? Yes, we would recommend that she assigns the project to a member of her staff that could potentially be suited for a managerial role in the future. This low risk project would be an excellent test to see how well he or she is able to complete the project deliverables in a cost-effective and timely manner. Discuss the relative importance of the capital investment required versus the role of the investment in machinery. Capital investment can be defined as a commitment of the owner’s money to land, buildings or machinery. In this example, it is the commitment of the owner’s money to the installation of 6 machines worth $4million (note: the plant manager does not necessarily own the machines, rather, the shareholders or owners of the actual company do). The role of the investment in machinery is to replace the filling machines that have become obsolete within 6 months so that the company can continue to produce cosmetic products and generate revenue.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Evolutionary Biology Essay Essay Example for Free

Evolutionary Biology Essay Essay Check’s article â€Å"How Africa Learned to Love the Cow† explores the studies and research of Sarah Tishkoff on genetic mutation and evolution of, more specifically, the gene that codes for lactase and lactase persistence within individuals in Africa. The frequency with which these genes occur fluctuates dramatically, which is noted in Tishkoff’s study on African populations, and account for tolerance and intolerance of lactose within humans (Check). It is interesting to see that environment may affect genetic mutation within individuals as well. Tishkoff’s research on lactose tolerance within humans in Africa is a revolutionary prospect, which allows others to study the issue of lactose intolerance in adult humans and view evolutionary trends in varied populations of humans, bringing new information and proof of evolution to the table. Only certain individuals from certain populations can tolerate milk as adults due to various factors, such as the presence of the gene that codes for the production of the enzyme lactase, natural selection, and vertical gene transfer. Lactase is essential for breaking down lactose, a sugar within cow milk that would otherwise pass through a human’s digestive system undigested (Check 1). Within adult humans, the gene that codes for the production of the enzyme lactase is sometimes inactive or missing, which causes the intolerance of milk and causes lactose to have â€Å"unpleasant results† (Check 1) if ingested by an individual. On the other hand, if this gene is present, there are multiple reasons as to why these individuals have it. According to anthropological studies in the 1960s, humans who tended and reared cattle for a living generally had tolerance for milk as adults (Check 1). This could be due to the workings of natural selection and vertical gene transfer. It is possible that the ancestors of these humans, who could tolerate milk and could take advantage of its nutritional benefits, had a higher survival rate than the individuals who could not tolerate milk; since diarrhea, which is a common result of lactose indigestion, â€Å"exacerbates dehydration† and can prove fatal during a famine or drought (Check 3). This would then lead to vertical gene transfer, which refers to the transfer of genes to offspring from sexual reproduction. If an individual with favorable genes were to mate, his genetic code could possibly be transferred to his offspring, which explains lactase persistence within humans at present. It is interesting to note that the existence of this â€Å"lactase gene† that has such specific, easily identifiable purposes, and frequency of appearance in unrelated individuals are strong indicators of convergent evolution (Check 1). The Homo Neanderthalensis is an extinct species that mainly survived on the hunter/gatherer lifestyle, scavenging for sustenance and hunting animals for food; with this in mind, it is highly possible that these individuals were lactose intolerant. Since the Homo Neanderthalensis were hunter/gatherers who relied on other methods of surviving than rearing and domesticating cattle, the idea of drinking milk from cattle rather than immediately killing it for meat was most likely foreign and is telling evidence that they most likely were lactose intolerant. This can be inferred due to the research presented earlier; that adult individuals with more exposure to cattle rearing were generally had a higher chance of lactase persistence than those who did not raise or domesticate cattle for survival. Judging by past research and Tishkoff’s study in Africa, if a population was to stop drinking milk for a prolonged period of time through multiple generations due to the introduction and increased availability of other foods and resources, that population may develop a lactose intolerance that was not present before. This is due to the idea that extended experience with milk results in a higher frequency of the gene that codes for lactase production. This effect is magnified with the presence of other evolutionary and genetic trends that occur naturally such as vertical genetic transfer. Today, lactose intolerance within adults remains a widespread issue. With the advent of lactose-free milks such as soymilk, the problem may have been somewhat appeased for lactose intolerant milk lovers. However, the fact remains that many adults still cannot tolerate milk. With the research of numerous anthropologists, geneticists, and Tishkoff, we can make sense of why this is still an issue and present educated inferences about our history.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

MRTP Act: Rise Fall and Need for Change: Eco Legal Analysis

MRTP Act: Rise Fall and Need for Change: Eco Legal Analysis 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Title The title of the project is MRTP Act: Rise, Fall and Need for Change: Eco-Legal Analysis and is part of the submissions to be made for the internal assessment for the course of Economics II. 1.2 Overview of Topic India, in its formative years of freedom, laid down the seeds of socialistic approach towards economic development. Five-year plans were designed with the aim of self-realance and self-sufficiency of the Indian industry and in this process of indigenuity, focus was laid on strong governmental regime to ensure equal and prosperous distribution of resources. One such attempt of the state resulted in the enactment of the MRTP Act, 1969 with the basic aim of comprehensive control over direction, pattern and quantum of investment to ensure that wealth is not concentrated in the hands of the few. However, with the emergence of the new Industrial Policy statement of 1980, a need was felt for promoting competition in domestic market, technological upgradation and modernization which was then followed by the massive New Policy Reforms of 1991 which emphasized attainment of technological dynamism and international competitiveness, by opening up the Indian economy to foreign investment. This could not be met by the Indian industry since it was not in competitive terms with the rest of the world and operated in an over-regulated environment. Hence, as was concluded in the Raghavan Committee Report, 2000  [1]   changes were sought in the competition policies of India and thus, the MRTP Act was laid to rest. This project will trace the performance of the MRTP and point out the faults that led to its failure and thus its repeal by the Competition Act. 1.3 Objective of Project This project is aimed at advocating and analysing the performance of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practice Act, 1969 (henceforth, MRTP Act) in the Economic-Legal aspect. The project will primarily analyse the performance of the MRTP Act over the various Industrial development phases (From 1951 to post-1991 Reforms) and then try to establish how and why it paved the way for Competition Act, 2002. Thus, the basic aim is to establish the reasons for the failure of the MRTP and the subsequent reasons for the establishment of the Competition Act. 1.4 Data Set Explanation In the course of this project, the following data-sets have been used: 1) MRTP Commission Data: Depicting the number of cases considered and disposed of by the MRTP Commission in its last years of existence, i.e. from 2002-2004. This data has been computed in the form of Bar-Graph for illustrative purpose. This data has been sourced from the work of Sh. Pradeep S. Mehta, Gen. Sec., CUTS International in A Functional Competition Policy for India published by Academic Foundation, New Delhi, 2005. This data is available online and has been accessed through www.books.google.com [Link has been provided at the concerned graph] 2) Annual Growth Rate of Industrial Production Index: Depicting the trend in the growth of Industrial Production from the Year 1951 to the year 2007. This has been represented in the form of Data-Table, and the data divided into the various Industrial phases. This data has been sourced primarily from the book of S. K. Misra and V. K. Puri titled Economic Environment of Businees, 5th ed, Himalaya Publishing House, 2008. This book is available at the Reference Section of the NALSAR Law Library. This data is originally sourced in the above-mentioned book from: (a) Government of India, Handbook of Industrial Statistics, 1992, Table 50, p.150; (b) S. L. Shetty, Structural Retrogression in the Indian Economy since the Mid-1960s, Economic and Political Weekly, Special Supplement, 1978, Table 4, p. 9; (c) Government of India, Economic Survey, 2000-01, Box 7.1, p.130; (d) RBI, Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy, 2000, Table 199, p. 409; (e) Government of India, Economic Survey, 2004-05, Table 7.2, p.142; (f) RBI, Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy, 2006-07, Table 237, p. 606 and Table 238, p. 607. 1.5 Research Methodology The methodology adopted in this project is descriptive. The research is based on findings and statistics provided in primary sources like Statistical data and Committee Reports and on secondary sources of books and articles published in journals, hence the methodology adopted is despcriptive in nature. 1.6 Limitations The research is limited to the resources available at the NALSAR Library and the data sets available online and at the NALSAR Library in the manner of Study Reports and Research findings. 2. MRTP: WHY IT WAS ENACTED 2.1 Post-Independence: Socialistic Industrial Regime Structure In the years preceding the enactment of the MRTP Act, 1969, India had only been a free nation for a little more than 15 years. Following independence, it had laid down the formative structure of its governance and organization on the touchstone of socialism. The socialist approach was inherent in the functioning of the government as it preached social and economic equality, which was later adopted in the Preamble to the Constitution of India  [2]  by the 42nd Amendment. In this process, the concept of planned economic development started since the early 1950s. However, this approach did not yield the desired result of socio or economic equality. The initial industrial licensing policies had not borne the planned results- instead, the market and the industries were showing negative trends and wealth was getting concentrated in the hands of the few. This was observed by the Hazari Committee in its 1967 Report on Industrial Planning and Licensing Procedure, 1955 where it found that working of the licensing system had resulted in disproportionate growth of some big industrial house.  [3]   Similarly, the Mahalanobis Committee Report (1964) on Distribution and Level of Income, reported that the top 10% of the population cornered 40% of the income while the 20 of the largest firms in India owned 38% of the total built up capital of the private sector.  [4]   2.2 Emergence of MRTP The previous industrial policies had clearly not worked in the direction the state had hoped for since, post independence many new and big firms had entered the Indian  market and they had little competition and thus, were trying to monopolize the  market. Hence the need for a stricter policy regime was realised to safeguard the welfare of the consumers by removing barriers to competition in the Indian economy, and this resulted in the enactment of the MRTP Act, 1969 which came into force in June 1970. The primary objectives of the Act were listed down in the Preamble as follows:  [5]   i) Regulate the concentration of economic power to the common detriment, ii) Control monopolies and monopolistic trade practices, iii) Prohibit restrictive trade practices, and iv) Regulate unfair trade practices. 2.3 Primary Concepts To understand the objectives of the MRTP and for the understanding of this project, we will first proceed to discuss the primary concepts related to the project topic: 1) Monopolistic Trade Practices Section 2(i) of the MRTP Act, 1969 defines Monopolistic Trade Practice as trade practices that have the effect of preventing or lessening competition in the production, supply or distribution of any goods or in the supply of any services- by misusing ones power to use the  market conditions,  in terms of production and sales of goods and services, and thus abuse its market position- are called monopolistic trade practices. Firms involved in monopolistic trade practice  try to eliminate competition from the  market by taking advantage of their monopoly and charge unreasonably high prices. This in effect leads to deterioration in the product quality and limits technical  development. Thus, such practices are anti-consumer-welfare. 2) Restrictive Trade Practices Activities that firms indulge in that tend to block the flow of capital into production, in order to maximize their own profits and to gain control over the  market- such activities are termed as Restrictive Trade Practices.  [6]  Such firms also control conditions of delivery to affect the flow of supplies leading to unjustified costs of production and distribution- while establishing their monopoly in the market. 3) Unfair Trade Practices Section 36-A of the MRTP Act, 1969 which was inserted on the recommendation of the Sachar Committee Report, laid down as to what may  be termed as  Unfair  Trade Practices:  [7]   False representation and misleading  advertisement  of goods and services. Misleading representation regarding utility, quality and standard of goods and services. Giving false guarantee or warranty on goods and services without adequate tests. False claims or representation regarding  price  of goods and services. Giving false facts regarding sponsorship, affiliation etc. of goods and services. Making false or misleading representations of facts. 2.4 Doctrine of the Act The MRTP Act, 1969 had its origin in the Directive Principles of State Policy embodied in the Constitution of India. Article 39[(b) and (c)] of the Constitution lay down that the State shall direct its policy towards ensuring:  [8]   (i) that the ownership and control of material resources of the community are so distributed as to best serve the common good; and (ii) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment. Thus, the doctrine behind the MRTP Act, 1969 was based on the concept of planned economic development that had started since early 1950s. The Public Sector Industrial (Development Regulation) Act, 1951 and Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 together commanded a comprehensive control over direction, pattern and quantum of investment. However, despite such control that the state exercised through these Acts, these did not entirely benefit the consumers rather, these complex network of controls and regulations fettered the freedom of the enterprises and yielded negative results for the economy. 3. FUNCTIONING AND PERFORMANCE: THE MRTP COMMISSION 3.1 Functions The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), a quasi- judicial body, was established under Section 5 of the MRTP Act, 1969 to take up action against companies that indulged in monopolistic and unfair trade activities. It discharged functions as per the provisions of the Act. The main functions of the MRTP Commission being: to enquire into and take appropriate action in respect of unfair trade practices and restrictive trade practices. in regard to monopolistic trade practices, to enquire into such practices:  [9]   upon a reference made to it by the Central Government, or upon its own knowledge or information; submit its findings to Central Government for further action. The Office of the Director General of Investigation Registration was created in the year 1984 to perform certain statutory functions and duties under the MRTP Act, 1969 so as to subserve its objective to protect the interests of the consumers in the country.  [10]  The Act was amended from time to time and major amendments took place in the years 1984 and 1991 and these reforms shall be discussed later in this project. 3.2 Mechanism The working of the MRTP Commission can be put down in the following steps: 1) As discussed above, the MRTP Commission was empowered under section 10 of the Act to take either suo motu action or action upon reference by the government, against companies that were deemed to be adopting restrictive, monopolistic or unfair practices. 2) All such trade practices were considered to be prejudicial to public interest. Hence, the onus was on the entity, body or undertaking charged with the perpetration of such trade practices, to plead under the MRTP Act to avoid being indicted. 3) If the pleadings were satisfactory to the Commission and if it was further satisfied that the restriction is not unreasonable, the Commission would arrive at the conclusion that the trade practice is not prejudicial to public interest and discharge the enquiry against the charged party.  [11]  Furthermore, if a trade practice was expressly authorised by any law for the time being in force, the Commission was barred from passing any order against the charged party. 4) Otherwise, if the Commission deemed it to be fit, it could either: a) give temporary injunction, or b) award compensation. 3.3 Illustrative Cases A) Shyam Gas Company Case This was a case where the supply of cooking gas cylinders was in short supply, which led to unfair exploitation of the situation. Shyam Gas Co. was the sole distributor of BPCL for cooking gas cylinder at Hathras (U.P.) which was allegedly engaging in the following restrictive practices: giving gas connections to the customer only when he purchased a gas stove or a hot plate from the company; and charging customers twice the price for supply of fittings and appliances. The MRTP Commission held that the company was indulging in a restrictive trade practice that was prejudicial to the interest of the consumers. B) Bal Krishna Khurana Case This was the first case where a sales promotion organizer was charged under unfair trade practices. The respondent, Bal Krishna was famous all over North India for his selling export quality hosiery at extremely low prices wherein he sold goods worth Rs. 210/- for as low as Rs. 15/- The Commission received complaints from consumers who reported that they were being cheated into buying sub-standard goods. The Commission then put a restraining order against Bal Krishna from organizing any such promotion ventures. In addition, the Commission also advised newspapers against carrying any such misleading advertisements.  [12]   3.3 Performance The MRTP Commissions performance can be understood by looking at the data which shows the functioning of the Commission in its last phase (till 2007), depicting the volume of inquiries commissioned and reliefs awarded. A) Under Restrictive Trade Practices Figure 1: Enquiries Considered and Disposed of by MRTP Commission as of 31.12.2004 (RTP) SOURCE: Computed from data available at- Pradeep S. Mehta, CUTS International, A Functional Competition Policy for India, p. 47, Academic Foundation, New Delhi 2005.  [13]   B) Under Unfair Trade Practices Figure 2: Enquiries Considered and Disposed of by MRTP Commission as of 31.12.2004 (UTP) SOURCE: Computed from data available at- Pradeep S. Mehta, CUTS International, A Functional Competition Policy for India, p. 47, Academic Foundation, New Delhi 2005.  [14]   4. MRTP AND INDUSTRIAL GROWTH RATE: ANALYSIS The objective of this project is to analyse the performance of the MRTP Act, 1969 and then establish why it had to be replaced by a newer Competition Act, 2002. For this purpose, and to establish the shortcomings of the MRTP, we will now consider the Industrial Production Growth Rates during the period starting from 1951 till 2007 (the year MRTP was formally declared to be dysfunctional) and then draw conclusions by contrasting between the stricter regime, pre-1991 reforms and the post-1991 reforms phase of industrial development. 4.1 Industrial Growth Rate: 1951-1980 Table 1: ANNUAL GROWTH RATES OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN INDEX NOS., 1951-1980. Use-Based or Function Classification 1951-55 1955-60 1960-65 1965-74 1974-79 1979-80 1. Basic Goods 4.7 12.1 10.4 6.5 8.4 -0.5 2. Capital Goods 9.8 13.1 19.6 2.6 5.7 -2.3 3. Intermediate Goods 7.8 6.3 6.9 3.0 4.3 1.9 4. Consumer Goods 4.8 4.4 4.9 3.4 5.5 -4.4 (a) Durables 6.2 6.8 5.6 (b) Non-Durables 2.8 5.4 -6.1 GENERAL INDEX 5.7 7.2 9.0 4.1 6.1 -1.6 SOURCE: (1) Government of India, Handbook of Industrial Statistics, 1992, Table 50, p.150; S. L. Shetty, Structural Retrogression in the Indian Economy since the Mid-1960s, Economic and Political Weekly, Special Supplement, 1978, Table 4, p. 9. (2) Accessed in: S. K. Misra and V. K. Puri, Economic Environment of Businees, 5th ed, p. 399, Himalaya Publishing House, 2008. [Available at NALSAR Law Library] 4.2 Industrial Growth Rate: 1981-1991 Table 2: ANNUAL GROWTH RATES OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN INDEX NOS., 1981-1991. Use-Based or Function Classification 1981-85 1985-90 1990-91 1. Basic Goods 8.7 7.4 3.8 2. Capital Goods 6.2 14.8 17.4 3. Intermediate Goods 6.0 6.4 6.1 4. Consumer Goods 5.1 7.3 10.4 (a) Durables 14.3 11.6 14.8 (b) Non-Durables 3.8 6.4 9.4 GENERAL INDEX 6.4 8.5 8.3 SOURCE: (1) Government of India, Handbook of Industrial Statistics, 1992, Table 50, p.150; S. L. Shetty, Structural Retrogression in the Indian Economy since the Mid-1960s, Economic and Political Weekly, Special Supplement, 1978, Table 4, p. 9. (2) Accessed in: S. K. Misra and V. K. Puri, Economic Environment of Businees, 5th ed, p. 400, Himalaya Publishing House, 2008. [Available at NALSAR Law Library] 4.3 Industrial Growth Rate: 1992-2007 Table 3: ANNUAL GROWTH RATES OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN INDEX NOS., 1981-1991. Use-Based or Function Classification 1992-93 to 1996-97 1997-98 to 1996-97 1997-98 to 2001-02 2002-03 to 2006-07 1. Basic Goods 6.8 4.1 6.6 6.7 2. Capital Goods 8.9 4.7 14.4 15.7 3. Intermediate Goods 8.5 5.8 6.2 2.5 4. Consumer Goods 6.6 5.5 9.6 12.0 (a) Durables 13.4 10.7 8.8 15.3 (b) Non-Durables 4.8 3.8 10.0 11.0 GENERAL INDEX 7.4 5.0 8.2 8.2 SOURCE: (1) For Column 2, Government of India, Economic Survey, 2000-01, Box 7.1, p.130; For Column 3, RBI, Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy, 2000, Table 199, p. 409; For All Columns 1 4, Government of India, Economic Survey, 2004-05, Table 7.2, p.142; RBI, Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy, 2006-07, Table 237, p. 606 and Table 238, p. 607. (2) Accessed in: S. K. Misra and V. K. Puri, Economic Environment of Businees, 5th ed, p. 401, Himalaya Publishing House, 2008. [Available at NALSAR Law Library] 4.4 Comparison of the Phases Now basing on the above data-set, the researcher would now proceed to draw some inferences while considering the economic and social conditions prevailing at the corresponding time in India. 4.4.1 Phase of 1951-1980 1) If one observes closely, the general index (G.I.), the time-band of 1951-55 shows an impressive figure of 5.7 (impressive because India had just gotten independence and was taking its foundational steps in setting up the economy). This rate moves positively as we trace the G.I till the year 1965- where it reaches a peak of 9.0. This is the phase where the Indian economy was controlled by a handful of big business houses, and the government was struggling with its licensing and controlling policies- even in the absence of many players, the industry saw a sharp growth. 2) However, as we move on to the year 1965-76 we see a sharp fall to 4.1 accompanied by sharp falls in the index of basic goods, capital goods and intermediate goods. This is the phase where the unfettered growth of the few business houses could not be controlled and the market had started showing monopolistic trends- and showing falling indexes. More importantly, during the same phase, MRTP was introduced in the year 1969. Though it was implemented to control any monopolistic trends by preventing concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and catalyse competition in the market, it clearly failed in the initial years. The market did not react in a positive manner- the government had started with its nationalization and strict licensing policy. Some economists were of the view that there was a considerable slackening of real investment and this was followed by a decline in private-investment as well. This has been attributed to loss of stimulus for investment, and this possibly stems from the strict regime of MRTP, 1969.  [15]   In addition, other reasons can also be adduced to the fall in the index. Among them: Wars fought in 1965 and 1971 Drought conditions in some of the years between 1965-71 Oil crisis of 1973 3) Though the new policy was slowly starting to yield results, however the growth never really happened and this is evident from the negative trend observed in the phase 1979-80. It only changed after the New Industrial Policy of 1984 which is discussed next. 4.4.3 Phase of 1981-1991 1) The phase of 1981-85 shows a positive growth, in contrast to the preceding decade primarily because of the 1984 reforms. This broadened investment across the public and private sectors, while some level of deregulation was allowed. Most importantly, the cap on MRTP firms (which were subject to special regulation) was increased, which resulted in the more number of small-sized firms to be free from government regulation- thus, in turn leading to an increase in the production of consumer goods- especially durables. Thus, the loosening of government hold on small businesses was returning dividends to the consumers. The Industrial Policy of 1984 made the most significant changes to the Indian market- it reduced the domestic barriers to entry and expansion to inject a measure of competition in domestic industry, simplifying the procedures and providing easier access to better technology and intermediate material imports.  [16]   2) Also, this was the phase when the Green Revolution was yielding positive results and the agricultural sector was seeing a manifold increase in production. 2) This growth rate was successfully sustained over the next decade till the time preceding 1990. However, parallel to this growth was the increase in govt. spending deficit. India had reached a stage where it could lend no more- its Foreign Reserves had dried up and investment in all forms had almost ceased. This was the time when India took the mammoth step of Liberalization with the New Policy Reforms of 1991. 4.4.3 Post 1991 Reforms 1) The New Policy Reforms of 1991 brought about a host of changes to the Indian economy. The most major change being Liberalization- opening up of the market in accordance with the WTO Regime. This not only opened the gates of foreign investment but also brought about domestic policy changes in the licensing and regulation scenario. 2) The greatest change in the market was that made to the MRTP Act. Prior to the 1991 Reforms, a total of 1,854 undertakings were registered under the MRTP Act- of these, 1787 belonged to large industrial houses and remaining 67 were dominant undertakings.  [17]  The New Industrial Policy, 1991 now scrapped the assets limit for MRTP companies- this meant doing away with the requirement of prior approval from Central government for establishing new undertakings, expansions, mergers, amalgamations and takeovers. Thus, the changes brought about in the 1991 Reforms opened up the market in more ways than one. And hence, one can safely conclude that keeping with Indias liberalization, MRTP had become undesirable, rather, an obstacle to the growth story and thus, had to undergo multiple amendments in the period following the 1991 Reforms. In the next chapter, the researcher will continue with this line of thought and bring about the other shortcomings of the MRTP and how it finally came to be replaced. 5. SHORTCOMINGS OF MRTP Continuing from the last chapter, we have observed by comparing the industrial data that over the course of 4 decades from the time MRTP was enacted, the industry reacted in manners not suitable to the consumer. In this chapter, the researcher will discuss the other facets relating to the problems associated with the MRTP. 5.1 Anti-Welfaristic Results Though the MRTP was enforced with the aim of distribution of resources and leveraging of competition in the market, the desired results could not be obtained. Rather, the market conditions turned out to be hostile for the consumer, and small-businesses and big-businesses alike, were subjected to excessive control. The heightened governmental control, where new undertakings and ventures were severely restrained by complex procedures, created conditions wherein the firms, existing and new, found it difficult to survive and thus, could not give back any benefits to the consumer. 5.2 Stringent Provisions The Act aimed at abolishing all acts which were anti-competition. The Act, over the years became very active in taking on firms head-on to make them stand in line with the provisions of the Act. The provisions, though aimed at benefitting the consumers and the industrial growth, often played out tough- and the stringent provisions did not benefit anyone. For instance, the concept of Predatory Pricing, which is still a marketing policy adopted by companies to have an edge over their competitors, was handed down heavily by the MRTP Commission. Predatory Pricing is defined as pricing a good or service below the cost of production of the good or service, with the objective of driving a competitor out of trade or to discipline him and thereby achieve elimination of competition.  [18]  This is a means for a firm with strong market power to eliminate other competitors and then, dominate the market. This is effectively an anti-competitive mechanism, however, it can also be used to drive competition i.e. it can be effectively used to establish a strong competitive market. Examples are ripe in the current market where there are strong competitive conditions for the firms- they have to dole out quality at the best price to keep themselves established in the market, otherwise other competitive firms will drive them out of business. Examples being: A) Tide, a detergent that was introduced in the Indian market in 2000 was successful in breaking into a market which was strongly held by Surf (so much so, that households used to use Surf as a generic term for any kind of detergent). Tide used strong pricing, backed by its robust parent company, predatory in nature, to quickly grab a large market share for itself. It offered quality detergent at a price than the other existing detergents. This in turn made the other companies lower their price and offer better quality. Hence, the consumer emerged the winner from this competitive trend between the detergent makers. B) Tata Docomo, a mobile service provider that rolled out only 2 years back in the Indian market, entered at a time when there were established players in the market like Airtel, Reliance and state-run BSNL. But Docomo with its pricing policy which was unlike the prevailing market conditions, offered calling rates which changed the pulse. The market prior to the arrival of Docomo was based on per/minute charges, but Docomo came up with a per/second policy- thus, forcing other established players to also offer similar rates. Though such strategy was predatory in nature, but it helped in establishing a more competitive market which only went onto help the customers. Thus, the point that the researcher is trying to drive home is that such predatory pricing is not necessarily anti-competitive but rather an agent to bring about better options for the consumer. Hence, this is more beneficial in terms of consumers welfare. However, the MRTP Commission took up a strong case against such pricing and though it aimed at benefitting the market by ensuring fair competition, it instead closed down on the benefits to the customers. Hence, what was then required is a strong, case-by-case basis of handling and not absolute ban on predatory pricing. 5.3 Ambiguity in Law The MRTP Act, 1969 contained only one particular section, Section 2(o) to cover all anti-competition practices- defining Restrictive Trade Practice as a trade practice which prevents, distorts or restricts competition and thus, by defining it in Orcas: Study of Habitat, Types and Social Behaviours Orcas: Study of Habitat, Types and Social Behaviours Introduction Called â€Å"whale killer† by the Spanish sailors, and also as â€Å"killing demon† to The Haida of British Columbia. Whatever it called, mariners have long been astonished by the talent of the large black and white dolphins known as Orcas, or killer whales. The biggest members of the dolphin family, Orcas are one of the most iconic species of cetacean which other marine mammals like whales and porpoises. They are apex predators with no other animals that hunt them, except for humans. Killer whales as a species have a sundry diet, although individual population often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while other hunt marine mammal. Killer whales can be found though out all oceans from the tropical seas to the freezing Arctic and Antarctic. What is Ontology? Ontology is a theory that relates all the related surrounding to show the relations of the information which concern about the existing organisms in the surrounding. It also related to the metaphysics that is a philosophy branch that deals with a principles that is the first and relates all the concepts likes cause, time, space, being and many more. A part from that, ontology is like a mind map to show how the flow of the living or the nature of being. It will relate to each other and makes others more understand the concept of this philosophy. Moreover, a controlled vocabulary must be use in forming the ontology as will show the relation of one word to another. If not, the ontology structure might not give the user understanding and it will be less valuable. It will be shown in queries of information that link with each other. Furthermore, a controlled vocabulary terms is a must as to the show the accurate definitions and facilitate the accurate and consistent information. Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Family: Delphinidae Genus: Orcinus Species: Orca Types There are three types of orcas may be recognizable enough to be considered as different subspecies. The three types may differ in genetics, behaviour, morphology, and ecology. A genetic study suggests that these subspecies has been separated from others killer whales for approximately 750,000 years, which evolution cause them to change separately from each other and creating distinctly physical appearance from each other’s. Main Types Residents Killer Whales The most commonly sighted of the three populations. Resident Killer Whales are noticeably different from both transient and offshore forms. The dorsal fin is rounded at the tip and curved and tapering, or falcate. Resident whales have a variety of saddle patch pigmentations with five different patterns recognized. Theyve been sighted from California to Russia. Resident whales primarily eat fish. Resident killer whales in the North Pacific consist of populations Southern residents, Northern residents, Southern Alaska residents, Western Alaska North Pacific residents. Resident type killer whales occur in large social groups termed pods, which are defined to be groups of whales that are seen in association with one another greater than 50% of the time. The pods represent collections of matrilines (a matriarch and all her descendents), which have been found to be the stable social unit. The Southern Resident killer whale population contains three podsJ, K, and L podsconsidered one stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and as a distinct population segment (therefore, species) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Their range during the spring, summer, and fall includes the inland waterways of Puget Sound (Washington state), Strait of Juan de Fuca (boundary between the United States and Canada), and Southern Georgia Strait (between Vancouver Island and British Columbia, Canada). Their occurrence has also been documented in the coastal waters off of, Oregon, central California, and Queen Charlotte Islands. Relatively little is known about the winter movements and range of the Southern Resident stock. Southern Residents have not been observed associating with other resident whales, and genetic data suggest that Southern Residents rarely, if ever, interbreed with other killer whale populations. Transients Killer Whales These subspecies occur throughout the eastern North Pacific, and have primarily been studied in coastal waters. Their geographic range overlaps that of the resident and offshore killer whales. The dorsal fin of transient whales tends to be straighter at the tip than those of resident and offshore whales.6 Saddle patch pigmentation of transient killer whales is restricted to two patterns, and the large areas of black colour dont mix into the white of the saddle patch that is seen in resident and offshore types. Transient type whales are often found in long-term stable social units of less than 10 whales, smaller than resident social groups. Transient killer whales feed nearly exclusively on other marine mammals. Transients are also referred to as Biggs killer whale in honour of Michael Bigg, who was a Canadian marine biologist who is recognized as the founder of modern research on killer whales. The term has become increasingly common and may eventually replace the transient label. Offshores Killer Whales A third population of killer whales in the northeast Pacific was discovered in 1988. They are similar to resident whales, but can be distinguished generally by features such as their rounded fins with multiple nicks on the edge, smaller overall size, and tendency for males and females to be more similar in size (less sexual dimorphism) Offshores have the largest geographic range of any killer whale community in the north-eastern Pacific and often occur 15 km or more offshore, but also visit coastal waters and occasionally enter protected inshore waters. Animals typically congregate in groups of 20-75 animals with occasional sightings of larger groups up to 200 whales. They are presumed to feed primarily on fish, though they have been documented feeding on sharks. Genetic analyses indicate that offshore killer whales are reproductively isolated from other forms of killer whales. Antarctic Type Antarctic (type A) Killer Whale A large (perhaps to 9.5m), black and white form killer whale. It migrate to Antarctica during austral (summer) where it forages in open (ice free) waters and feeds mainly on minke whales and occasionally elephant seals. During the winter, It probably migrates to lower latitudes, perhaps to the tropics. Pack Ice (large type B) Killer Whale A large, two-toned gray and white form with dark cape pattern and very large eye patch. Often have yellowish cast due to diatoms. Circumpolar, it forages mainly in loose pack ice where it preys on ice seals or Weddell seals, which groups wave-wash off ice floes by creating waves with their tails. Occasionally take Minke whales. Gerlache (small type B) Killer Whale A medium sized, two-toned gray and white form with dark cape pattern and large white eye patch. Often appears yellowish due to diatom infestation. Common around Antarctic Peninsula, especially in Gerlache Strait. Preferred prey unknown but has been feeding on penguins on numerous occasions. Ross Sea (type C) Killer Whale The smallest killer whale known. Adults males reach only 6m. A two-toned gray and white form with a dark grey cape, and often colored yellowish by diatom film. Eye patch is distinctively narrow and slanted. Occurs deep in the pack ice im eastern Antarctica and feeds on fish. Especially common in the Ross Sea. Subantarctic (type D) Killer Whale Recently describe form, known from a dozen sightings. Easily recognized by its tiny eye patch, with rounded head, swept back and pointy dorsal fin. Distributed in subantarctic water and sometimes associated with islands. Preferred prey unknown but reportedly steals fish off long-lines. Morphology A typical killer whale distinctively bears a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white. It has a heavy and robust body with a large dorsal fin up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall. Behind the fin, it has a dark grey saddle patch across the back. Antarctic killer whales may have pale grey to nearly white backs. Adult killer whales are very distinctive and are not usually confused with any other sea creature. The killer whales teeth are very strong and covered in enamel. Its jaws are a powerful gripping apparatus, as the upper teeth fall into the gaps between the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. The front teeth are inclined slightly forward and outward, thus allowing the killer whale to withstand powerful jerking movements from its prey while the middle and back teeth hold it firmly in place. Killer whales are the largest extant members of the dolphin family. Males typically range from 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons). Females are smaller, generally ranging from 5 to 7m (16 to 23ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 tonnes (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons). Killer whales have good eyesight above and below the water, excellent hearing, and a good sense of touch. They have exceptionally sophisticated echolocation abilities, detecting the location and characteristics of prey and other objects in their environments by emitting clicks and listening for echoes. Life cycle Female orcas mature usually around age 15. Mothers calve, with usually a single offspring, about once every five years after a 17-month pregnancy. In resident pods, births occur at any time of year, although winter is the most common. Mortality is extremely high during the first six to seven months of life, when 37–50% of all calves die. Killer whales are protective of their young, and other adolescent females often assist the mother in caring for them. Females breed until age 40, meaning on average they raise five offspring. The lifespans of wild females average 50 years, with a maximum of 80–90 years. The females are known to go through menopause and live for decades after they have finished breeding. Males sexually mature at the age of 15, but do not typically reproduce until age 21. Wild males live around 29 years on average, with a maximum of 50–60 years. Captive killer whale lifespans are typically significantly shorter, usually less than 25 years; however, numerous individuals are alive in their 30s, and a few have reached their 40s. Range and habitat The killer whale is the most cosmopolitan of all cetaceans and may be the second-most widely-ranging mammal species on the planet, after humans (Rice 1998). Killer whales can be seen in virtually any marine region, from the equator to polar waters. Although they are generally more common in near shore areas and in higher-productivity areas and/or higher latitudes, there appear to be no hard and fast restrictions of water temperature or depth on their range. The distribution extends too many enclosed or partially-enclosed seas, such as the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Gulf of California, Gulf of Mexico, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf. However, there are only extralidmital records from the Baltic Sea and no records from the Black Sea. Killer whales may occur in virtually any marine or estuarine habitat but are most common in areas of high marine productivity, particularly at higher latitudes and near shore (Dahlheim and Heyning 1999; Forney and Wade 2006). Sightings range from the surf zone to the open sea. Movements can be extensive. For instance, some killer whales have been documented to have moved between Alaska and central California, a distance of more than 2000 km. In the Antarctic, they readily enter areas of floe ice in search of prey (Pitman and Ensor 2003). Killer whales in some areas congregate seasonally in coastal channels to forage and occasionally enter river mouths. Population Although the available data are far from complete, abundance estimates for the areas that have been sampled provide a minimum worldwide abundance estimate of about 50,000 killer whales. It is likely that the total abundance is higher, because estimates are not available for many high-latitude areas of the northern hemisphere and for large areas of the South Pacific, South Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. However, this population abundance refers to several forms of killer whales that may be recognized as different species or subspecies in the future (Reeves et al. 2004). Behaviours Social structure Unlike other animals, orcas or killer whales are momentous for their complex societies. Besides human, the only other animals with this complex socials structure are elephants and due to their complexity, many of the marine experts are unease about how humane it is to keep orcas in captive situations. Resident killer whales have a complex yet stable social grouping system. Different from other mammal species, resident live their mother for their entire lives. As females could reach age of 90, they could be as many as four generation traveling together forming matrilineal which is very stable. Individuals sometimes separate for only a few hours at a time for mating or forage. Pods, form from loose aggregations of closely related matrilineal which commonly consist of one to four or five matrilineal. Pods may separate for weeks or months at a time, unlike matrilines. One research shows that DNA testing shows that resident males almost always mate with females from other pods. The next rank of resident socials structure is Clans which composed of pods with same dialect. They often mingling with pods from different clans as the clan ranges overlap. The final rank of relationship is called community. It is interpreted as a set of clans that frequently commingle, although they do not share vocal patterns. Vocalizations Same as other cetaceans, orcas depends heavily on underwater sounds for orientation, feeding and communication. Clicks, whistles and pulsed called are the three categories of sounds they produced. Clicks are believed to be used primarily for navigations and discerning prey and other object in the surrounding environment. It is also commonly heard during social interactions. Dialects Orcas dialects are different between pods due to the similarity of the call differentiate one pod from the other. Dialects are usually generated within the orca’s birth pod. Differences between dialects can be not only between pods but between ecotypes, which are specific populations within a species that have a geographical and genetic variability. Intelligence After the sperm whale, orcas have the second-heaviest brains among marine mammals. They have been trained in captivity and described as intelligent. Orcas also often impersonate others, and seem to intentionally teach skills to their younger pod members. People and marine biologist have interacted closely with orcas numerous times and said that the orcas show playfulness, curiosity, and ability to solve problems. Hunting As apex predators, there is nothing that can stop them from hunting and preying on everything. They will eat anything, but not always willingly. Hunting strategies and prey Salmons The main diet of resident orcas but they will hunt and eat smaller and deeper-dwelling fish if they have to. The favourite of the resident orcas is the Chinooks salmons as it has been observed that it make up 65% of all the salmons consumed. Resident also eats lingcod, halibut, squid and other types of fish. Whales Better known as killer whales, it’s this prey which gave them the notorious name. Orcas have dined on whales in all shape and sizes. They will attack eventually anything even the largest animal in the world, the blue whale. But the common victim to this â€Å"wolves of the sea† is the Minke whale. Other whales documented to be attacked by orcas are Fin, Humpbacks, Grey, Bowhead, Sei and even the fearsome Sperm whales. Orcas also often hunt the fragile whale calf. Individuals of the pods take turn tiring the calf by blocking it form re-surfacing to breath witch will slowing suffocate and eventually drowning the calf, while the other distract the mother. They often will only eat the lips and tongue, and let the whale body to sink. In the far north, belugas and narwhals are also have been preyed upon. Porpoises and dolphins Porpoises are faster swimmer than the orcas making it harder to catch. Hunted by the Transient’s attacks, they cooperate by letting one orca to chase the porpoises to flea directly into the pod. Once caught, the orcas will launch the porpoises out of the water by hitting them with their tails. Once too injured to swim away, the orcas will strip the porpoises down to their bones and lungs. Same technique has been observed to be used on bottlenose dolphins. Orcas also use direct chase to catch the dolphins. Sharks With great intelligent, the orcas have figured out to goes above and beyond other oceans notorious predator, the sharks. There even recorded documentary of the Great White falling victim to a pod of orcas. They use their 5-inch-long teeth to grab hold of the sharks fins and turn it upside down underwater witch cause tonic immobility that leaving the shark to suffocate within minutes as they need to move to breath. After the shark had suffocated, then the orcas would start feeding on it. Sea lions, leopard seals, and penguins Orcas have many techniques to catch these preys. The most dramatic is using the wave as cover to caught prey off guard on the beach. Next technique is â€Å"wave-hunting† where orcas will spy-hop to locate any prey on ice floes, and then swim in groups to create waves that washes the prey off the ice and into the water where other orcas lie to snatch the prey. Another method of hunting for orcas is waiting until the prey come to them. They wait at edges of the ice for unsuspecting prey that want to enter the water or slips and fall into the water.

Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres One of the major goals of neuroscience is to be able to understand the relationships between the structures of the nervous system and a persons outward behavior. Often times it is difficult or unethical to directly study the nervous system during a behavior and indirect methods must be used instead. One example of such an indirect method is using a subjects preferred hand to predict which of the two Cerebral Hemispheres is dominant. The are some difficulties with his method of studying lateraliztion of function but if it can be better understood it could have many practical and theoretical implications for the study of neuroscience. The Cerebral Hemispheres are very similar in appearance, but they differ significantly in their structure. One of the best known differences between the two structures is motor control; the right hemisphere controls the left half of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right half of the body. These motor control differences were discovered mainly through the examination of paralysis caused by stokes or other damage to a specific hemisphere. In 1861 the theory of lateralization of function was expanded with the discovery by Paul Broca of structure in the right hemisphere that controlled speech, this structure is now known as Broca's area Like many other advances in neuroscience this discovery was made possible by an unfortunate stroke victim, who in this case lost his ability to speak. After his death Broca examined his brain and discovered damage in the right hemisphere at this now famous location. This finding was followed soon after by the discovery of an area, also in the right hemisphere, responsible for understanding of written word. This area become know as Wernicke's area named after the man who discovered it by "studying patients with select comprehension deficits" (1) and comparing these deficits with damages to the brain. These two discoveries created a watershed of experimentation as other scientists attempted to discover more functional differences between the hemispheres. This body of research has created a very stereotyped understanding of the two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is known as the language hemisphere. It is also believed to control general cognitive functions. Some researchers have gone so far as to ascribe consciousness to the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is assigned nonverbal process such as special relations and the detection of complicated auditory tones . Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres :: Biology Essays Research Papers Lateralization of Function in Cerebral Hemispheres One of the major goals of neuroscience is to be able to understand the relationships between the structures of the nervous system and a persons outward behavior. Often times it is difficult or unethical to directly study the nervous system during a behavior and indirect methods must be used instead. One example of such an indirect method is using a subjects preferred hand to predict which of the two Cerebral Hemispheres is dominant. The are some difficulties with his method of studying lateraliztion of function but if it can be better understood it could have many practical and theoretical implications for the study of neuroscience. The Cerebral Hemispheres are very similar in appearance, but they differ significantly in their structure. One of the best known differences between the two structures is motor control; the right hemisphere controls the left half of the body and the left hemisphere controls the right half of the body. These motor control differences were discovered mainly through the examination of paralysis caused by stokes or other damage to a specific hemisphere. In 1861 the theory of lateralization of function was expanded with the discovery by Paul Broca of structure in the right hemisphere that controlled speech, this structure is now known as Broca's area Like many other advances in neuroscience this discovery was made possible by an unfortunate stroke victim, who in this case lost his ability to speak. After his death Broca examined his brain and discovered damage in the right hemisphere at this now famous location. This finding was followed soon after by the discovery of an area, also in the right hemisphere, responsible for understanding of written word. This area become know as Wernicke's area named after the man who discovered it by "studying patients with select comprehension deficits" (1) and comparing these deficits with damages to the brain. These two discoveries created a watershed of experimentation as other scientists attempted to discover more functional differences between the hemispheres. This body of research has created a very stereotyped understanding of the two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is known as the language hemisphere. It is also believed to control general cognitive functions. Some researchers have gone so far as to ascribe consciousness to the left hemisphere. The right hemisphere is assigned nonverbal process such as special relations and the detection of complicated auditory tones .

Monday, August 19, 2019

Creating Energy from Deuterium - Tritium Fusion Essay -- Alternative E

Deuterium-Tritium Fusion Abstract The energy crisis is upon us. Fossil fuels are expected to be totally depleted within the next ten to fifty years. We need an energy source that can consistently output lots of energy and be easily operated. Deuterium-Tritium fusion appears to be the best and most effective way to produce energy. By fusing the two isotopes of Hydrogen in to the heavier element Helium large quantities of energy are released. D-T fusion is the safest form of fusion, producing no waste and no harmful radioactive atoms. As long as there is available Deuterium and Tritium, we have an effective way to solve the energy crisis. Introduction The sun generates its energy by fusing hydrogen atoms, which give off large amounts of energy. However, scientists believe that the sun long ago fused Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, because it was a more easily achieved fusion.( Conventional Fusion FAQ, May 2007) Deuterium-Tritium fusion is soon to be one of the most effective and efficient ways to produce energy. A normal hydrogen atom has only one proton in its nucleus, but deuterium is a hydrogen atom with one neutron and one proton, a tritium atom consists of two neutrons and one proton. Deuterium is also known as "heavy water" because it forms D-O-D. (Wikipedia, 2007) Figure 1 Three isotopes of Hydrogen Deuterium-Tritium Fusion 3 Heavy water has already been incorporated into modern nuclear reactors. Some Canadian reactors, such as CANDU, are using deuterium to moderate the heat of the reactors: however, the fusion of deuterium and tritium is still being researched. There have been few experiments on the fusion of Deuterium and Tritium. In 1952 Mike Ivy shot the first hydrogen bomb made with deuterium liquid. Th... .../hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/fusion.html Uranium Energy Corp, (2006). Uranium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://www.uraniumenergy.com/uranium/ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Deuterium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterium Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Tritium. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Nuclear Fusion. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Ocean. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, (July 26 2007). Timeline of Nuclear Fusion. Retrieved July 30, 2007, Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Timeline_of_nuclear_fusion