Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Animal imagery is a prominent and extremely important device in the novel

Of Mice and Men is a great novel written by John Steinbeck, a Nobel Prize-winning author. Based on Steinbeck's own experiences at the time, it tells the sad story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who learn to look out for one another during the Great Depression in Salinas, California. For the duration of the tale, Steinbeck makes references to animals and their significance, both through symbolism and reflecting character's personalities. The mice, the rabbits and the dogs are three important recurring animal images in the novel. Mice have a crucial importance in the novel, as well as Lennie's relationship with the mice. Firstly, Lennie likes to feel soft things, and his obsession with with petting mice grants him with security and comfort. Even if the animal is lifeless, Lennie still pets it to comfort it as well as to comfort himself. The simple feeling of the mouse's smooth fur running between his fingers provide him with a sense of contentment. This symbolizes his soft and caring attitude along with his warm heart. Secondly, the dead mouse in Lennie's pocket is a strong symbol foreshadowing the end awaiting all weak and helpless creatures. This shows that not only is Lennie symbolically playing with death, but that, in his perspective, death isn't a fear of his. The reader learns that the dead mouse Lennie finds is not the first mouse he has had, but because of his strength, they always ended up dead if they were alive to begin with. Therefore, the mouse Lennie finds dies a fast untimely death. Thirdly, even with Lennie's physical strength and size, his childlike mental capabilities make him as helpless as a mouse. The fact that Lennie gets, and accidentally kills the mice he has, reveals his uncontrolled strength and his compassion for soft things. Rabbits are also another notable animal mentioned in the novel. Firstly, they are the only thing that Lennie does not seem to forget. Every time he asks George to tell him the story of their little house, he always mentions the rabbits, as if without the rabbits on their land, even if they would have a place they can call their own, it would not be the same. Secondly, the rabbits that Lennie hopes to have and care for give George control over him. Lennie's happiness is based on his hopes for this land, so he will be able to tend his rabbits. Knowing this, George constantly threatens him with not allowing him to tend the rabbits if he does not behave and follow his orders. George tells Lennie † if you do [get in trouble], I won't let you tend to the rabbits,† (p.17). This becomes Lennie's motivation to behave and to watch what he does. He imagines stroking an looking after his rabbits on the little house he and George plan on owning. For this reason, being he has something to hope for, he tries harder to be good and has no limits of what he would do for his dream to come true. And Finally, like mice, rabbits are soft creatures that Lennie does not only wish to tend but to pet as well. Dogs are principal animal figures stated in the novel. Firstly, Steinbeck starts by comparing Lennie's loyalty to that of a dog. † His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool, † (p.4). Although he does not do so directly, this image compares Lennie, when he is drinking from the pool, to, as the phrase goes, †man's best friend†. Throughout the book, Lennie proves his complete loyalty and unconditional love and friendship. Like a dog, he does not understand certain concepts. He also does not think about the consequences of his actions. Steinbeck's comparisons between Lennie and animals, like dogs, bears, and horses, reinforce the impending sense of doom. Secondly, Candy's dog has a great importance in the novel as well. His death is linked to the death of Lennie because this dog represents the fate awaiting anyone that becomes no longer useful. In other words, anyone who outlives his or her purpose will be put out, one way or another. The dog's death brings out a major fear in Candy. He himself is nearing an age when he will no longer be useful on the ranch and therefore will no longer be welcomed there either. Finally, Lennie's puppy is one of several symbols that demonstrate the victory of the strong over the weak. Lennie kills the puppy unintentionally, as he has killed many mice before, for the plain reason that he does not recognize his own strength. Animals in the novel, from mice to rabbits to dogs, all die untimely deaths and have an intense significance. Steinbeck's references to animals portrays the characteristics of the characters as well. These comparisons are not only meaningful in the book but also in real life.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Ratio Analysis of Starbucks vs Mcdonald’s

Running Head: RATIO ANALYSIS Starbucks Corporation & McDonalds Corporation McDonald’s Corporation McDonald’s Corporation operates in the food service industry. The company has its restaurants in more than 100 countries of the world. McDonald’s, the world’s largest food chain is headquartered in U. S. having an employee population of 390000 (About McDonald's†¦ , 2008). Starbucks Corporation Seattle based, Starbucks Corporation is the leading coffeehouse chain in the world. The company has its operations in more than 44 countries. The main products offered by Starbucks various kinds of drinks, snacks, coffee beans. The company also operates in the field of marketing of music, books (The Company, 2008). Ratio Analysis Ratio Analysis (2007) RatiosStarbucksMcDonalds Current Ratio0. 790. 80 Quick Ratio0. 300. 67 Debt Equity Ratio1. 340. 92 Proprietary Ratio0. 430. 52 Solvency Ratio0. 570. 48 Inventory Turnover Ratio12. 13118. 77 Gross Profit Ratio (%)23. 3434. 69 Net Profit Ratio (%)7. 1515. 67 Return on Proprietors' Funds (%)29. 4515. 67 Earning Per Share0. 912. 06 Current Ratio Current Ratio may be defined as the relationship between current assets and current liabilities. It is also known as working capital ratio or 2: 1 ratio. It is calculated by dividing the current assets by current liabilities. The main components of this ratio are current assets and current liabilities. Current assets of a firm represent those assets which can be, in the ordinary course of business, converted into cash within a period not exceeding one year. Current liabilities mean those obligations which are to be paid within a period of one year of current assets or by creation of current liabilities (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). Current ratio of the Starbucks Corporation and McDonalds Corporation is . 79 and . 80 respectively in the year 2007. There is little difference in the current ratio of both the companies. The ratio reflects weak liquidity position of both the companies and it shows that the companies do not have short term solvency. Liquidity position can be improved to some extent and can be made equivalent to industry average. The industry average of current ratio is . 90: 1. Quick Ratio This ratio is also helpful in analyzing short term financial position of a business. Quick ratio is the measure of the instant debt paying ability of the business enterprise, hence it is called quick ratio (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). A quick ratio of 1:1 is considered as an ideal ratio. If the liquid ratio is more than 1:1, the financial position of the firm seems to be sound and good. On the other hand, if the ratio is less than 1:1 the financial position of the firm is unsound. Quick ratio of Starbucks is . 30:1 and McDonald’s ratio is . 67:1. There is high difference between the quick ratios of both the corporations. McDonald’s liquidity position is much better than Starbucks. Overall, the short term liquidity position of both the firms is quite poor because both the ratios are less than the desired norms. For instance, current ration should be 2:1 whereas, it is 1:1 approximately. Similarly the liquidity ratio is much less than 1 as compared to ideal standard of 1:1. Therefore, the companies will face difficulties in current obligations on maturity. Debt Equity Ratio This ratio indicates the relative proportion of debt and equity in financing the assets of a firm. Debt Equity ratio reflects the relative claims of creditors and shareholders against the assets of a firm. The industry average of ratio is . 42:1. Debt equity ratio of McDonalds is . 92:1 which is highly satisfactory as normally the ratio of 1:1 is considered reasonable. The Starbucks ratio is 1. 34:1 which is very high. A high debt equity ratio has serious implications from the firm’s point of view. A high proportion of debt in the capital structure lead to inflexibility in the operations of the firm as creditors would exercise pressure and interfere in management. Proprietary Ratio Proprietary ratio establishes relationship between proprietors or shareholder’s funds and total assets of the business. This ratio highlights the general financial strength of the firm. It is of great importance to creditors since it enables them to find out the proportion of shareholder’s funds in the total assets used in the business. The ratio of Starbucks is . 43:1 and for the McDonalds it is . 52:1. Though, ratios are quite similar but McDonalds again has a better position than Starbucks Corporation. Solvency Ratio This ratio measures the long term solvency of the business. It reveals the relationship between total assets and total external liabilities. This ratio measures the proportion of total assets provided by creditors of the firm i. e. what part of assets being financed from loans (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). The total assets of Starbucks and McDonald’s are more than total liabilities which indicates that the company is solvent. So, the higher the ratio, the grater is the amount of creditors that is being used to generate profit foe the owners of the firm. The difference in both the companies’ ratio is small but still Starbucks has better performance than McDonald’s in terms of solvency. Inventory Turnover Ratio The ratio indicates the number of times inventory is replaced during the year. It measures the relationship between the cost of goods sold and the inventory level. The inventory turnover ratio measures how quickly inventory is sold (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). The inventory turnover ratio of Starbucks is 12 times while McDonald’s ratio is 118 times. McDonald’s has an efficient inventory management. Whereas Starbucks has low inventory turnover ratio and it is unsatisfactory. In general, a high inventory turnover ratio is better than a low ratio. A high ratio implies good inventory management. A very low level of inventory has serious implications. It adversely affects the ability to meet customer demand as it may mot cope up with its customer requirements. Gross Profit Ratio The ratio expresses the relationship of gross profit on sales to net sales in terms of percentage (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). Goss profit is the result of the relationship between prices, sales volume and costs. Gross profit margin of Starbucks Corporation is 23% whereas the ratio for McDonald’s is 35%. McDonald’s ratio is high as compared to Starbucks which is a sign of good management. It implies that the cost of production of the firm is relatively low. The McDonald’s has reasonable gross margin which ensures adequate coverage for operating expenses of the firm and sufficient return to the owners of the business, which is reflected in the net profit margin. Net profit Ratio This measures the relationship between net profits and sales of a firm. The net profit margin is indicative of management’s ability to operate the business with sufficient success not only to recover revenues of the period, the cost of merchandise or services, the expenses of operating the business and the cost of the borrowed funds, but also leave a margin of reasonable compensation to the owners for providing their capital at risk (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). Net profit ratio of McDonald’s and Starbucks is 15. 67% & and 7. 15% respectively. McDonald’s is generating adequate returns for its owners. On the other hand, Starbucks net profit margin shows inadequate returns to its owners. Overall efficiency and profitability of McDonald’s is higher than Starbucks. Return on Proprietary Funds The ratio expresses the percentage relationship between net profit and proprietors funds or shareholder’s investment (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). It is used to ascertain the earning power of shareholders investment. Return on proprietors’ funds for McDonald’s is 15. 7% and for Starbucks it is 29. 5%. Starbucks has better performance and higher return than the McDonald’s. Earning Per Share The rate of dividend on shares depends upon the amount of profits darned by the firm. Whatever profit remains, after meeting all expenses and paying preference share dividend, belongs to equity shareholders (Van Horne, Wachowicz & Bhaduri, 2005). These are the profits earned on equity share capital. The earning per share is calculated by dividing the profit available to equity shareholders by the number of shares issued. This is a popular ratio as it measures the profitability of a firm from owner’s standpoint. McDonald’s EPS is higher than Starbucks which shows that the market price of the firm would be greater. It will also help the company to raise additional capital without any difficulty. This ratio plays an important in comparison of two companies from investment point of view. Investment Decision I would like to invest in McDonald’s Corporation as the overall performance and productivity is high for the firm. The liquidity analysis performed through current ratio and quick ratio reveals that the McDonald’s is better in terms of liquidity position. The company also has satisfactory position in terms of long term solvency. Though solvency ratio of Starbucks is higher but overall McDonald’s has good financial position. Firm is able to quickly convert various assets into cash. McDonald’s has high profit margins which is necessary for the higher returns to the shareholders. It shows that the resources are effectively utilized at the firm. EPS is very high which is necessary for the investment. Thus, investment in McDonald’s Corporation is beneficial and it would give higher returns. References About McDonald's†¦ (2008). Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://www. mcdonalds. com/corp/about. html McDonald's Corp: Financial Statement. (2008). MSN Money. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://moneycentral. sn. com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt. aspx? Symbol=US:MCD&lstStatement=Balance&stmtView=Ann Starbucks Corp: Financial Statement. (2008). MSN Money. Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://moneycentral. msn. com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt. aspx? Symbol=SBUX&lstStatement=Balance&stmtView=Ann The Company. (2008). Retrieved November 19, 2008, from http://www. starbucks. co m/aboutus/overview. asp Van Horne, J. C. Wachowicz, J. M. & Bhaduri, S. N. (2005). Fundamentals of Financial Management (12th Ed. ). (pp. 130-133). United Kingdom: Pearson Education.

Brinkley’s a Survey of Us History Chapter 29: the Cold War Essay

1) Origins of the Cold War a) Sources of Soviet-American Tensions i) Rivalry emerged b/c of different visions of postwar world * US foresaw world where nations got rid of traditional beliefs, such as military alliances, and used an international organization which would resolve disputes * Soviet Union sought to control areas of strategic influence * Vaguely similar to traditional European balance of power * Churchill also envisioned this b) Wartime Diplomacy i) Tensions began in 1943 b/c of Allied refusal to open second front through invasion of France * at Tehran Conference, Roosevelt and Stalin formed good relationship * Stalin agreed to help US in Pacific once war with Germany was over in exchange for the opening of the second front in France * But, dispute over governance of Poland showed signs of future disagreements being clearly visible * Roosevelt and Churchill were willing to give Soviet Union some of Poland, but wanted the Polish govt in exile in GB to take control again * Stalin wanted pro communist govt to take control c) Yalta i) Meeting of Big Three at Yalta in 1945 * In turn for Stalin’s promise to help the US out in the Pacific, Roosevelt promised Stalin land back that was lost in the Russo Japanese War * Also led to plan to create United Nations * General Assembly and Security Council * Every member was recognized in the General Assembly * In Security Counsel, there were 5 permanent representatives (USA, GB, France, Soviet Union, China), each of which would have veto power ii) There was also a lot of disagreement * One was over future of Polish govt (independent and democratic vs. Communist) * Stalin eventually agreed to allowing an unspecified number of democratic Poles into the govt and consented to hold â€Å"free and unfettered elections† on an unspecified future date * Elections did not take place for more than 40 years * Another was over the future of Germany * US wanted a reconstructed and reunited Germany * Stalin wanted heavy reparations and to ensure a permanent dismemberment of the nation * finally agreed to commission and each Ally given German â€Å"zone† * decision on reparations would be decided at a future commission * and at an unspecified date, Germany would be reunited (but there was no agreement on how the reunification would occur * as for the future of the rest of Europe, the conference produced a murky accord that the establishments of govt’s â€Å"broadly representative of all democratic elements† and â€Å"responsible to the will of the people† * Soviet interpretations of the accords differed sharply from those of the Anglo-American interpretation * In the weeks following, Roosevelt watched with growing alarm as the Soviets raised pro communist govts all over central and eastern Europe and refused to make the changes to Poland as he promised 2) The Collapse of the Peace a) The Failure of Potsdam i) After Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, new Pres Truman decided US needed to â€Å"Get Tough† w Soviets to honor Yalta accords * Truman had little leverage to compel the Soviet Union to listen to him, therefore he was forced to settle with little ii) Potsdam Conference in July ended w/ Stalin receiving increased land w/ new Polish-German border * US refused to allow German reparations from other Allies’ zones to go to Soviets but US recognized new communist Polish govt under Soviet influence * Allied zones would unite as one country (West Germany) and be separate from Soviet’s part of Germany (East Germany) b) The China Problem i) US had vision of open world â€Å"policed† by major powers * But vision troubled by unpopular and corrupt Chinese govt under Chiang Kai-shek (supported by US aid during civil war) who battled communists under Mao Zedong * By 1945, communist controlled  ¼ of the population * Because US didn’t want to support communists, they were forced to support Chiang ii) B/c Kai-shek govt sure to collapse, US sought to create new, Pro-West Japan by encouraging industrial development, lift trade restrictions * Vision of open, united world was giving way to an acceptance of a divided world with a strong, pro American sphere of influence c) The Containment Doctrine i) US no longer sought â€Å"open† world but rather set out to â€Å"contain† Soviet expansion * As Stalin tried to win control over the vital sea routed in the Mediterranean (Turkey), communist forces threatened to overthrow govt in Greece * new Truman Doctrine sought aid for those forces ($400 million) in Turkey and Greece opposing take-over of Communist forces under Soviet influence * its basis was that the US should â€Å"support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressure† * it worked, Soviet pressure taken off of Turkey and Greek govt regained control d) The Marshall Plan i) Sec of State George Marshall 1947 plan to provide aid to all Eur nations (for humanitarian reasons, to rebuild and ensure it could become self reliant again, to create markets for US goods, and to strengthen Pro-US govts against communists) * this included the Soviet Union, but was rejected by them and their Eastern satellites * was accepted by 16 Western European nations * April 1948, congress approved creation of the Economic Cooperation Administration to administer the Marshall Plan * channeled billions of $ to aid economic revival * by end of 1950, European industrial production had risen 64%, communist strength in member nations declined, and opportunities for US trade revived e) Mobilization at Home i) US maintained wartime military levels, established Atomic Energy Commission to continue nuclear research * Congress approved new military draft and revived the Selective Service System * Nuclear weaponry became central place in US arsenal * In 1950, Truman admin. Approved the development of the new hydrogen bomb * A nuclear weapon far more powerful than anything the US used in WWII ii) National Security Act of 1947 reshaped major military and diplomatic institutions * created Department of Defense to oversee and combine all armed services * created National Security Council (NSC) in White House was created * would govern foreign and military policy * created Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to collect information * As Cold War progressed, they also engaged secretly in political and military operations on behalf of American goals f) The Road to NATO i) Truman merged German â€Å"Western zones† into the West German republic * Stalin responded on June 24, 1948 by blockading Western Berlin * Truman, unwilling to risk war by militarily challenging the blockade, responded w/ airlift to re-supply inhabitants * In spring of 1949, Stalin lifted the now ineffective blockade * Federal Republic became govt of west Germany, Democratic Republic of east ii) To strengthen military position US and Western Eur nations in April 1949 created North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as alliance to protect all members against threat of Soviet invasion (12 nations agreed to take part) * Attack against one would be attack against all * Countries would provide a standing military force in Europe in case of Soviet attack * Soviet Union and communists responded by in 1955 forming similar Warsaw Pact g) Reevaluating Cold War Policy i) 1949 saw Soviet Union explode first atomic weapon and collapse of Nationalists in China to Mao’s Communists ii) To reevaluate foreign policy, National Security Council released report NSC-68 saying that the US could no longer rely on other nations to take initiative in resisting communism * US should lead noncommunist world and oppose communist expansion everywhere it existed * Also called for US to expand military power dramatically * Defense budget was now 4 times the previously projected figure 3) American Society and Politics After the War a) The Problems of Reconversion i) After end of war Truman attempted to quickly return nation to normal economic conditions, but problems ensued ii) No economic collapse (many thought nation would go back into a depression) b/c of several things * increase in spending on consumer goods from savings gathered during war * a $6 billion govt tax cut * Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights) * provided education + economic aid to returning soldiers that further increased spending iii) Problems because of spending lead to high inflation * Caused Truman to sign a bill similar to wartime Office of Price Admin. (OPA) * Inflation also caused union strikes in automobile, electrical, steel, railroad (shut down whole nation’s railroad line), and mining industries (led by John L. Lewis * Truman used military and govt power to stop the strikes (military on railroads, govt on mine workers) * displacement of some minorities and women b/c of returning soldiers to labor * 80% of them wanted to keep working * Postwar society in which many women had to provide for themselves created a high demand among them for paid work * Many went into service sector b) The Fair Deal Rejected i) After Jap surrender Truman proposed â€Å"Fair Deal† to enact liberal reforms * included raising minimum wage, enacting Fair Employment Practices Act, expanding Social Security, a program to ensure full employment through use of federal spending, public housing and slum clearance, govt protection of scientific research, and creating nation health insurance plan ii) Fair Deal opposed by Republican conservatives who gained majority in both Houses of Congress in 1946 elections * Repubs sought to reduce govt spending (get rid of New Deal programs) and economic controls, cut taxes for wealthy, refused to raise wages * Also refused to increase SS, provide more funds to education, or support power projects in West * As inflation soared, Republicans pretty much just told the public to deal with it (Sen. Robert Taft) iii) Repubs wanted to decrease powers unions gained in 1935 Wagner Act * passed Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Act) * made â€Å"closed-shop† illegal (a workplace in which no one could be hired unless they were part of a union) * Although it stil permitted â€Å"union shops†, it allowed states to pass â€Å"right to work† laws which prohibited this * Outraged workers and union leaders denounced the measure as a â€Å"slave labor bill† * Truman vetoed it, but both houses easily overruled him * Did not destroy labor movement, but it damaged weaker unions in lightly organized industries * Made more difficult the organization of workers who had never been union members at all (women, minorities, most workers in the South) c)The Election of 1948 i) Truman sought to make re-election about reforms but electorate saw him as weak * Tried to pass reforms leading up to election but they were all struck down by Congress * Didn’t have much support within even his own party * Southern Dems (Dixiecrats) split off and formed the States Rights Party after they became angry with Truman over his proposed civil rights bill * Gov. Strom Thurmond was their Presidential nominee * Progressives also broke off and formed new Progressive Party with Henry A. Wallace as their candidate * Other Dems who didn’t break off attempted to dump Truman in 1948 * The Americans for Democratic Actions (ADA) attempted to persuade Dwight D. Eisenhower to contest the nomination, but he refused * Dems were forced to enter Truman as their nominee ii) Repubs nominated Thomas Dewey and seemed to be in strong position to win, but intense campaigning by Truman and his platform to reduce inflation, help common man, repeal Taft-Hartley Act, help farmers, and his strong civil rights support for blacks allowed him to win Pres * Dems also won both Houses of C d) The Fair Deal Revived i) New Dem Congress allowed for minimum wage increase, Social Security expansion, and housing (National Housing Act of 1949provided the construction of 810,000 homes for low income families) * but were hostile to Fair Deal programs expanding education aid, national healthcare, and civil rights * rejected civil rights bill that would have made lynching a federal crime, abolished the poll tax, and established a new Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) ii) Truman did end govt hiring discrimination, desegregated armed forces * Supreme Court in Skelley v. Kraemer rules community â€Å"covenants† meant to bar blacks from residential neighborhoods were now unenforceable by courts e) The Nuclear Age i) Nuclear weapons viewed w/ fear b/c of threat from Soviet Union * expressed in pop culture, film noir (things such as The Twilight Zone, comic books about super heroes), and govt preparations for nuclear attack (air raid drills, emergency radio broadcast drills, fallout shelters) * but public also awed by technological potential of nuclear power (Dreams of prosperity and unlimited + cheap electricity) 4) The Korean War a) The Divided Peninsula i) Korea divided at 38th Parallel by US and Soviets into Communist North and Southern government of capitalist Syngman Rhee (supported by US) * north had a strong, Soviet equipped army * south had small one that only dealt with internal affairs ii) Nationalists in North invaded S in 1950 in effort to reunite countries * unknown if North asked for Stalin’s approval, but once it began, the Soviets certaintly supported them * on June 27, 1950, US won UN resolution calling for support of S. Korea armies * Russia unable to veto b/c boycotting Security Council at time for their refusal to allow communist China into Council * On June 30, 1950, US ordered their ground forces into Korea * Gen. Douglas MacArthur was to assume command over UN forces there * War was seen as †containment† effort but also as a â€Å"liberation† * After US beat North troops back into North Korea, Truman ordered to pursue the communists into their own territory * Wanted to create â€Å"a unified, independent and democratic Korea b) From Invasion to Stalemate i) Gen MacArthur (head of UN forces) able to advance far into North, but new communist Chinese govt feared American forces and therefore entered conflict in Nov 1950 * UN offensive stalled and then collapsed * Through Dec of 1950, outnumbered US forces fought a bitter, losing battle against the Chinese, constantly retreating ii) Within weeks, UN armies forced to retreat to 38th parallel * Eventually took back land lost and got back to 38th parallel once more * Long stalemate then ensued until 1953 iii) Truman wanted peace and not new world war w/ China * Gen MacArthur publicly opposed peace effort (Martin letter) and was relieved of command by Pres in April 1951 * He believed that we should have attacked China through either an invasion or bombing * He had wide popular support, therefore when he was relieved, there was wide public outrage * 69% of American people supported him c) Limited Mobilization i) War led to only limited economic mobilization, since it had little American military commitment. Govt still tried to control wartime economy in several ways * Truman created Office of Defense Mobilization to combat rising inflation and discourage high union wage demands * These failed * govt seized RRs and steel mills when workers walked off the job in union strikes * Costly strikes followed (especially in Steel Mills) and workers got most of what they wanted as there was little Truman could do and his actions were both rash and ineffective * The supreme court disallowed him from continuing to seize the steel mills because they said he was exceeding his authority * increased govt spending stimulated economy as many thought we were on the verge of a recession ii) Inability of US to quickly end â€Å"small† war led to growth of fears of growth of communist at home and triggered second major campaign against it * public was angry that so many lives were being lost (140,000 dead or wounded) 5) The Crusade Against Subversion a) HUAC and Alger Hiss i) Another â€Å"Red Scare† prompted by fear of Stalin and Communist growth (â€Å"loss† of China, Korean frustrations, Soviet development of the bomb) * many sought to blame US communist conspiracy ii) Anti Communist fervor merged from the Repubs seeking to use anticommunist feelings to win support against Dems, and Dems trying to stifle that issue * Congress created House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 to investigate communist subversion * Created by the Repubs to prove that under Dem rule, the govt had tolerated communist subversion * Went after Hollywood first iii) Public more concerned with HUAC investigation into former State Dept official Alger Hiss in 1948 that revealed some complicity w/ communists * Were tipped by a former member of the communist party that was now working for the Time magazine * He had â€Å"microfilms† of the documents that were supposedly passed by Hiss to the Soviet Union in 1937 and 1938 * He could not be tried for espionage because crimes happen too long ago, but because of the efforts of Richard M. Nixon, he was convicted of perjury and served several years in prison * increased fear of communist infiltrations b) The Federal Loyalty Program and the Rosenberg Case i) Truman began 1947 program to determine â€Å"loyalty† of fed employees * this was partly because of Republican attacks, and partly to encourage support for the President’s foreign policy initiatives * President authorized sensitive agencies to fire people deemed â€Å"bad security risks† * By 1951,more than 2,000 govt employees had resigned under pressure and 212 had been dismissed * FBI monitored radicals (J. Edgar Hoover) * 1950 Congress passed McCarran Internal Security Act forcing communist groups to register w/ government ii) Explosion of atomic bomb by Soviets led to famous Rosenberg trial to find out how Russia had learned of technology so quickly * Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a communist couple whom the govt claimed had been the masterminds of the conspiracy * Despite appeals and protests from sympathizers, they both died in the electric chair on June 19, 1953 * They both proclaimed their innocence to the end iii) HUAC, Rosenberg trial, â€Å"Loyalty† program, Hiss ordeal, McCarran Act, and international events all lead to national anticommunist hysteria at national, state, and local level * Schools, labor unions, universities, state and local govts, all sought to purge themselves of real or imagined subversives iv) A fear settled over the country of not only communist infiltration, but being suspected of communism yourself c) McCarthyism i) Rather unknown Wisconsin Rep. Sen Joseph McCarthy in 1951 began leveling charges of communist agents in State Dept and other agencies * He claimed to â€Å"hold in my hand† a list of 205 known communists currently working in the US State Department * Within weeks, he was also accusing other agencies * His new subcommittee was at the fore of anticommunist hysteria and partisan politics * He accused many people even though he had little solid evidence d) The Republican Revival i) Korean stalemate and fears of internal subversion led to Dem disappointments * Truman was very unpopular and therefore withdrew from the Presidential contest ii) Dems nominated Adlai Stevenson (viewed as liberal and Repubs saw him as being weak on Communism) * Repubs nominated popular Gen Dwight Eisenhower and VP Richard Nixon (became famous for his crusade against Hiss) * Eisenhower talked of Korean peace, Nixon of communist subversion * Nixon also attacked Democratic â€Å"appeasement†, â€Å"cowardice†, and â€Å"treason† * Both promised to â€Å"clean up the mess in Washington† iii) Eisenhower won election by huge margin & Republicans gained control of both Houses of Congress

Monday, July 29, 2019

Developing a conceptual framework is an impossible possibility Essay - 2

Developing a conceptual framework is an impossible possibility - Essay Example Conceptual frameworks have been constantly changed from them. However, individual organizations have come up with their own conceptual frameworks that suit specific organizational needs. A conceptual framework provides an over view of how things should be done in an organization. It is a coherent system of related objectives and fundamentals that should lead to consistent standards that prescribe the nature, function, and limits of financial accounting and financial statements.† (Foulks Lynch 1998) A conceptual framework development takes time. The worst part is that once it is ready, hardly any of those principles are applied since the dynamic economic environment will be experiencing other challenges. Conceptual framework is like a constitution in financial accounting that stipulates its nature, function and its limits. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) also came up with an internationally recognized conceptual framework, which aims at streamlining the accou nting principles worldwide. This promotes external investments. The second function of the conceptual framework is to solve any emerging problems in the accounting sector. This explains why the boards are constantly reviewing the conceptual framework to suite the new challenges. ... The risk of not having a conceptual framework is the cropping up of haphazard standards. Without standards, businesses will even come up with their own frameworks that give them an advantage over others. This will lead to inconsistence in the basic principles. A strong conceptual framework will shield the financial sector from manipulation by other powerful forces such as the politicians and other interested parties. The process of developing a conceptual framework is done through a long deliberation among the board members. A good framework forms a good basis for a company. The advantages of a conceptual framework are as follows. It establishes standards that are logical and consistent. The CF stipulates rules and policies on how certain things should be carried out. The company will not just act anyhow, but it will be guided by certain rules, which maintain standardization. The conceptual framework provides rules to be followed when no other accounting principle can be applied. In accounting, rules are followed to the letter, but in some cases, there are no rules. The conceptual framework will come in; though most of its rules are general, they deal with all aspects of accounting. A conceptual framework builds the public trust in accounting. Financial reports and statements are known to be credible. This is because the public knows that there are bodies that set principles to govern them. Other advantages of the conceptual framework include avoiding conflict between user groups and ensuring accountability. The demerit of the conceptual framework is that it does not address the needs of the diverse users. There is no conceptual framework that can address the needs of everybody, and that is

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Change from Quantitative to Qualitative using template Article

Change from Quantitative to Qualitative using template - Article Example Research Purpose Thus, the aim of this quantitative descriptive research study was to appraise nurses’ knowledge on the subject of prevention of unpremeditated perioperative hypothermia (Hegarty, & ettal, 2009). As a result, Hegarty, & ettal (2009) observes that between 60%-90% perioperative patients by chance become hypothermic, which then results in significant negative outcomes on the patient health, including increased hospital-stays, as well as further procedures and even forced to undergo further diagnostic tests. It therefore becomes important to every perioperative nurse to have an in-depth awareness of inadvertent hypothermia, particularly the risk factors and subsequent complications. Research Question The research question centers on whether perioperative setting nurses do have sufficient knowledge base concerning the management of their patients body temperature in a defined range, given the detrimental outcomes linked to inadvertent hypothermia. Normally, accident al hypothermia among perioperative patients has been linked to deprived patient outcomes, whereby control of the patient body temperature is not under a defined range which can sustain a stable body environment (Hegarty, & ettal, 2009). Informed Consent and Ethical Considerations This study can be considered ethical since it considers the basic ethical principles of research comprising autonomy, non-malfeasance, and justice. Notably, ethical approval was acquired from relevant clinical-research ethical committees, even though the researchers have not stated specifically the institutional names of the committees. Furthermore, informed consent was the hallmark of their research, since they used informational leaflet to notify the volunteers of their participation in the study, and as such, participation was voluntary and personal information acquired through questionnaires were kept confidential. Thus, the volunteers were given detailed purpose and objectives of the research study bef orehand (Hegarty, & ettal, 2009). Design In terms of design, the researchers applied a quasi-experimental design whereby the sole variable was not influenced or controlled. The strengths, sample size, limitations, and overall implications have been highlighted just as required in any evidence based nursing study. The study is based on a reflexive progression, which entailed working through every phase of the research whereby the functions of developing theory, gathering and analyzing of data, in addition to elaborating of research questions have been done simultaneously (Hegarty, & ettal, 2009). Hence, each of these functions influenced the others. Data Collection In terms of data collection, questionnaires containing structured questions in several leaflets were filled by participants, even as the entire survey package comprised two survey-tools tailored with consent from original authors of the questionnaires. The intention for tailoring the survey tools was to suit the perioperat ive setting nurses working environment. Moreover, the study participants were able to identify various techniques applied under their clinical-field when trying to make certain that their patients do not acquire hypothermia. In total there were nine questions with the major questions asking the participants to describe hypothermia and the other to list factors which can result in hypothermia for their perioperative patients. They were also asked to state likely sources of heat loss, the methods each participant applies in their

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Minimum Wage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Minimum Wage - Essay Example Minimum wage increases as only a short-term benefit to the poor. Prices will quickly adjust for this increase as companies raise prices to make up for the increased wages they must pay. They need to keep profits the same or raise them...so a rise in employee wages will equate to a rise in prices. Supporters of living wage laws say that the current minimum wage simply does not keep up with the cost of living. Allowing employers to pay less than a living wage is just cost-shifting to the public at large, forcing the government and private charities to fill in the gap between low pay and survival. Many economists supports that the minimum wage is a matter of social justice which helps reduce exploitation and ensures that workers can afford basic necessities of living. Supporters deny claims of causal links between the minimum wage and adverse impacts upon employment, and suggest that in any event, greater social benefit derives from the minimum wage. Raising the minimum wages of employees increases the economic efficiency of the economy where labor markets exhibit a high degree of market power on the part of employers. As Kash explains, (Montag 51) "The minimum wage goes up in one place, but doesn't change right next door.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 130

Case Study Example mber of clients who buy specific good, the bigger the number of customers who use the good or the service, the more the value will the good have to every user. Economies of networking in the Groupon’s model rise, immediately when the threshold is achieved, in the arrangement of product discounts to the clients who take part in the system of the organization. Therefore, the bigger the threshold the greater the discount gets. This implies that economies of networking depend on the demand factor of the product market due to the establishment of the customer bargaining authority with product retailers. Groupons business model is designed to make a fee for linking suppliers of products and services with clients by means of striking, discounted proposals. This is actually an old business model and manner of conducting business: suppliers have dispersed discount s for a lengthy period; the notion of loss leader is antique to such an organization. A major amount of the challenge that the company is presently facing are the charges it sustained developing as great as it has become in a short period of time. This rapid development is accompanied with it some noteworthy overhead expenditures (Sayan, Sarah and Alison

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample Assignment

Library Information studies- Research evaluation-Evaluation of sample library questionnaire - Assignment Example re can not only effectively be used to gauge how to improve services and keep customers happy but it may also be used to provide powerful insights for the Library on how to keep their client base growing. Although there is no theoretical base for developing a good questionnaire, the success of any user survey can not be achieved without a properly well designed questionnaire. In this regard, the effectiveness of the survey questionnaires largely depends on how well they are designed, whether they have met the goals of the research, their appropriateness as well as their effectiveness in meeting the demands of the particular organization. This paper evaluates a user survey questionnaire that was designed used by Example Library during their user survey. The primary research goal of the user satisfaction survey used by the Example library is to collect data which will enable the library to evaluate how they would improve the quality of their Library services. With regard to the methods used, the researchers primarily used a set of customer satisfaction survey questionnaire that sought to determine the demographics, needs, interests as well as the expectations of their Library users. On the other hand, the expected outcome was that the user survey will be able to effectively measure the perceived customer satisfaction as well as their experience with the services and offerings of Example library. The appropriateness of questionnaire wording is critically important because it helps minimize bias in the results obtained from the respondents during the user survey. According to Grunlund (1993), poorly structured questions may lead respondents to answer the questions in a specific way. The questionnaire used by Example Library is appropriately worded and the authors have avoided the use of technical terms and jargons that may confuse the respondents. Similarly the researchers have effectively begun with a brief statement that was intended to explain the purpose of the

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) Essay

Business Management And Leadership - Leading (U4DB) - Essay Example 1). He simply does not take people’s feelings into account over his own. His self-regulation skills are strong, which includes, â€Å"the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). His patience in this area is key. Another strong area of his is motivation, which is, â€Å"a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1). He has always been persistent in pursuing his goals. Unfortunately, he is weak in the area of empathy, which is, â€Å"the ability to understand the EMOTIONAL makeup of other people.† I believe that he oftentimes leaves employees out of important decision-making processes. Finally, his social skills, which are â€Å"proficiency in managing relationships and building networks and an ability to find common ground and build rapport† (Goleman, 1998, pg. 1), could use help as well. Again, it ti es into having a weak bond with employees as individuals. The areas of emotional intelligence that directly involve the feelings and opinions of others should be addressed first in order to turn this situation around. Most likely, the employees in this scenario do not feel as if they matter very much to the company. First, it is imperative that I learn to recognize the feelings and emotions of the employees as individuals. It is also important that I learn to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Social skills will also be very important so that healthy relationships can be built within the workplace. There are several things that organizations can do in order to help develop the emotional intelligence of their managers as well as their other employees. The first step is making sure that the management team and employees have the skills necessary to

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

DISTRIBUTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DISTRIBUTION - Essay Example The distribution networks ensure efficient number count and accountability of the products in the firm. The customers are satisfied with the goods of high quality. The displays are made in such a way that furnitures, clothes, utensils and foods are arranged in different places. (Mark) On the other hand, Macy’s company generally deals with men, women and children’swears.It also deals with accessories, jewelry, furniture, home dà ©cor and utensils which are displayed at different places. The stock is not that much compared to Walmart.The brand name is also not well established as compared to Wal-Mart and therefore the customers have no loyalty to the shop. (Anonymous) The two companies source their goods from Germany, Japan and China. The companies buy goods in bulk so as to take the advantage of the economies of large scale. The goods are kept in their ware house and then they are distributed to the wholesalers and theirs shops for sale in retail. The companies have fleet of vehicles to facilitate this distribution of their goods to their destinations to save time.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Health Grades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Health Grades - Essay Example In most cases, the costs are connected to the increase in patient care because of taking drugs for a long time, for instance, higher generation antibiotics. It results in drug resistance that calls for further therapies that increase the cost through diagnostic interventions and investigations (Singh, 2012). I agree with Lisa Jaycox about the significance of health grades report outcomes to a nurse practitioner. The report explains that it is critical for a health professional to apply the current evidence-based data to perform procedures. The use of up to date procedures minimizes the rates for mortality and complication. In addition, a health professional should refer patients to surgeons when necessary, for minimally invasive surgery option (Nickitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2009). In addition, the report shows that effective and timely care reduces cost and mortality rates in six illnesses. The efficient care comprises of children asthma, heart attack, pneumonia, surgical, heart failure and emergency care. Moreover, the report gives the cause of deaths, readmissions and complication within one month which includes hospital-acquired illnesses and conditions. From this perspective, a nurse practitioner can participate in system care enhancements and implement the concept of ‘form foll ows function’ (King & Gerard,

Monday, July 22, 2019

Slavery Essay Example for Free

Slavery Essay The way countries, nations or states act and base their policies on many times reflect what their past was like. This is very true in the case of Africa. The only problem is that Africa is said to have no history. This just means that Africa’s many cultures did not affect the way imperialists and other influences acted towards the huge continent. Everything was based on their interests and consequently this meant that the way of dealing with Africa in every way was based on Western traditionalists. To this we must answer the question how has the Western World affected Africa’s present stage and what must be done to undo what is wrong and hopefully correct this situation. Africa first played a role in Europe’s and the America’s history when the U. S. and Great Britain needed labor. They needed a lot of it and they needed it cheap. There was nothing cheaper than free labor. It would require an initial investment to African â€Å"leaders† but it paid off almost instantaneously. This is what we used to call slave trading. In around the 1860’s this became an illegal act. However, like any other crime, this trading could not be stopped entirely. British Naval ships were set up as blockades but sometimes Slaves were stored in spaces that were no higher than 12 inches so not all slave carrying boats could be stopped. In fact while the Navy stopped approximately 103,000 slaves from entering the slave force about 1. million entered it. Since this trade was illegal it was even more profitable than before. The slaves that were stopped from being shipped all the way west were being sent to Freetown, Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia and they were called recaptives. These were towns set up by the British and some liberal Americans to send former slaves and recaptives back to their home continent.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Recruitment Policies in IKEA

Recruitment Policies in IKEA Scenario: Human, physical, technological and financial resources are at the core of every organisation. The efficient management of these resources enable organisations to achieve their objectives. Also, for an organisation to survive, its finances need to be sound and secure, and the level of an organisations performance can be seen in its financial statements. A poor management of resources can have a negative impact on an organisations performance. You just been appointed as HR manager of newly opened IKEA in London and as part of your role, you have to recruit 7 sales assistants, undertake the following tasks in relation to the above: 1. Describe the recruitment documentation used in Ikea. 2. Describe the main employability, personal and communication skills required when applying for the job role of Sales Assistant in Ikea. 3. Describe the main physical and technological resources required in the operation of Ikea. 4. Describe sources of internal and external finance for the business of Ikea 5. Interpret the contents of a trading and profit and loss account and balance sheet for Ikea 6. Illustrate the use of budgets as a means of exercising financial control of Ikea. 7. Illustrate the financial state of Ikea. Summary of the unit: Business resources encompass different types of resources like human resources, financial, technological and physical. Proper human resources team can bring a good result in achieving a companys objective and success. In terms of financial management and financial control, is playing an important role in establishing a company. Besides this, business plan will assist and guide to where a company will go in present and in future. Overall, a good combination of business resources will bring success for any establishment of business. Introduction and Background of the organisation, companies or businesses:   IKEA Introduction IKEA is a private and known home furnishing company. Also it is an international home products retailer that sells flat pack furniture, accessories and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world. Mainly this company is pioneer in flat pack design furniture at affordable prices, is now the worlds largest furniture retailer. There are main chains of IKEA. The chain has 301 stores in 37 countries, most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Background IKEA was founded in 1943 by 17 year old Ingvar Kamprad in Sweden and it is owned by a Dutch registered foundation controlled by the Kamprad family. The name IKEA comes from the initials of Ingvar Kamprad, I and K, plus the first letters of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd, which are the names of the farm and village where he grew up. The headquarters of IKEA is in Netherlands. IKEA owns and operates 384 stores in 48 countries. IKEAs mission, vision and purposes: IKEAs main passion to work hard to achieve quality at affordable prices for the customers through optimising the entire value chain, by building long-term supplier relationships, investing in highly automated production and producing large volumes. The vision of IKEA also goes beyond home furnishing. They want to create a better thing for all people from this business. Mission: IKEAs mission is to offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function, excellent quality and durability, at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them. Vision: The IKEA vision is the foundation for its growth strategy. to create a better everyday life for the many people. To meet this vision IKEA provides many well designed and functional product for the home. Objectives: IKEAs business strategy focuses on growth in three main areas: Quality products at low prices through its unique design processes A sustainable future through its people and planet positive approach Also co-workers are essential in growth strategy Size of Business: In the IKEA Group, they have 328 stores in 28 countries (as of 31 August, 2015). Products range is about 9500. Around 1,002 home furnishing suppliers in 51 countries. 59% of IKEA production is in Europe.   Only in Europe there are 222 stores. Excluding the stores, at the end of FY15 they had 27 Trading Service Offices in 23 countries, 33 Distri ­bution Centres and 15 Customer Distribution Centres in 17 coun ­tries, and 43 IKEA Industry pro ­duction units in 11 countries. Corporate Structure: The IKEA corporate structure is divided into two main parts: operations and franchising. Most of IKEAs furniture, including the management of majority stores, the design and manufacture, purchasing and supply functions are overseen by INGKA holdings. Group franchises the IKEA retail system from Inter IKEA Systems B.V. in the Netherlands. Inter IKEA Systems B.V. is the owner of the IKEA Concept and the worldwide IKEA franchisor. The IKEA Group of companies (INGKA Holding B.V. and its controlled entities) has an ownership structure that ensures independence and a long-term approach. The IKEA Group operates throughout the whole value chain from range strategy and product development to production, distribution and retails. IKEA Group of companies Stakeholders: The key stakeholders in a company impacted positive or negatively. As IKEA is not a primary sector organization but it needs raw materials to develop its products. Hence primary sector suppliers, manufacturer for secondary sector are the stakeholders of IKEA. The key stakeholders of IKEA are the customers and employees, both are considered main stakeholders. Besides this, suppliers, internal employees, trade union, managers, owners, shareholders play an important role. Type of ownership IKEA is actually a privately held company owned by Stichting INGKA Foundation, a non-profit registered in Leiden in the Netherlands that is controlled by the Kamprads three sons. IKEA Limited is licensed to sell under the IKEA brand name by Inter IKEA Systems B.V., a company registered in the Netherlands. IKEAs Company Structure The structure of business can affect the way it works and performs. An organisational structure is when employees are grouped into functional areas, which relate to their job, so that people doing similar jobs work in the same area. Inter IKEA Group (Inter IKEA Holding B.V. and all its subsidiaries) is owned by Interogo Foundation, based in Liechtenstein and established in 1989.   Ã‚   The foundation is an independent entity with legal personality and its own governing bodies. The foundation exists for an unlimited period of time. Inter IKEA and Interogo were established during the 1980s to secure independence and longevity of the IKEA Concept. The IKEA Concept is the core asset of Inter IKEA Group and its franchisor operation. The overall purpose of Inter IKEA Group is to secure continuous improvement, development, expansion and a long life of the IKEA Concept. This will require investments in both good and bad times. 1. Describe the recruitment documentation used in Ikea. There are different types of documentation used in recruitment process, such as application letter, form, CV, person specification, interview, JD, Letter of appointment. The details are as follows: Application Letter A letter of application, also known as cover letter, is a job application document to provide detailed information of the candidate. The employers will able to know in which position a candidate apply for and why the employer will select the candidate. When writing an application letter should include: subject, greetings, body of letter and signature. Application Form An application form is an essential part of the job search for a candidate to fill for the company so that they can get the information they want. In addition, many large commercial companies are use standard job application form because they are much quicker and time saving. CV of a candidate A curriculum vita is a written overview of a persons experience and other qualifications. Businesses will use application forms and CVs to see whether an applicant matches the job specification or not. The closest matching applicants are invited to interviews in the selection stage. Interview: Interviews are the most popular form of selection. Interview can be one-to-one, two-to-one or a panel of people to interview people which is used to select people for important jobs. Some businesses include tests in their selection. Person specification: The person specification is the single most important document in effective recruitment and selection. It allows defining the kind of person a company want and so accordingly helps you to write an accurate job advert. It enables to assess each candidate fairly and objectively. Recruitment process of IKEA The traditional methods of job vacancies are to make people aware of the need to compete with the recruitment web-based systems. Traditional methods: newspaper advertising, paper-based curriculum vitae (CV), letter, word of mouth, the paper-based application form, job opportunities and the fair poster. Internet-based methods: online application form, online Curriculum Vitae, e-mail, Internet advertising, Curriculum Vitae information on the web page, the web page of the working group and the pop-up Web page. Online Recruitment is much faster than traditional methods and has a number of benefits over using paper. It is possible to monitor how many people have gone on to a website to look at a job. But each and every company has followed its own recruitment process. IKEAs recruitment process runs like following. First of all if anybody is interested in working in IKEA, he/she has to go through a list of open positions. If any post are suitable or challenging and moreover if he/she meet the requirements, apply via a button directly in an advertisement. If there is no open position interesting for a person but want to work in IKEA, send the CV to IKEA. IKEA will give an e-mail answer about receiving the request or CV in both cases. Then IKEA management will assess delivered applications then and choose from applicants several most suitable candidates for the particular job position. After that a formal invitation sent to the candidates via e-mail or phone to participate in a selection process. How a selection process runs Selection process usually consists of three rounds. First of them is assessment centre, second one is a personal interview with a future manager and third one is a personal interview with a boss of this manager. Assessment centre Assessment centre is a way to know more about their future colleagues when they are solving different tasks and discuss with others. There are about 10 applicants participating. Both group tasks which a person will solve together with other participants and individual tasks are included. The great advantage is that candidate can get a feedback from one of the assessors if he/she wants to. They can know about their own strengths and weaknesses important for the career, where the advantage lies for a candidate and where they can improve. Second round Two or three candidates who pass to the second round are chosen based on the assessment centre results. The second round is a personal interview with a future manager. Usually IKEA personnel do not ask tricky questions. They appreciate the most candidates honesty. They could ask to fill in a personal test as a part of the interview. If you want to ask anything about the future job, this is the right time to ask. 3. Personal interview The third round is a personal interview between the most suitable candidate and the boss of the persons future manager, so called grandparent principle. IKEA are also interested in a candidates motivation to work in IKEA in this phase and what expectation he/she has. JOB ROLE: HR Manager As a HR Manager I need to set some criteria regarding the scope of work within the organisation. IKEA always look for the following things within a candidate and thus they issue job description. This is a task of a HR manager. The manager should be aligned with other departments during the process of recruitment. Practical skills Ability to understand and get along with other people Ability to ask questions and give inputs Encouraged employees to question the management and express their ideas and belief Co-workers who had mastered their current jobs were encouraged to seek new challenges Job enlargement or enrichment Value fit was the selection criteria Why Savers- ideas to improve store The company even gave an advertisement inviting Why Savers to join the company Express Yourself- share companies concerns and complaints with Spiers Lopez This improved the morale within the company as she responded to their complaints personally It had a comprehensive communications system for employees like IKEA Radio and intranet. It also reached employees through printed material as well Job description: This document provides an understanding of the positions major responsibilities, details how the responsibilities are accomplished, and identifies the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the job. In the organization a job description sets out the scope of work of the main responsibilities and the main tasks to be done. A job description is needed to set out how to fit into the work structure a particular employee. So it sets out: The title of the job To whom the employee is responsible For whom the employee is responsible 2. Describe the main employability, personal and communication skills required when applying for the job role of Sales Assistant in Ikea. IKEA is an equal opportunity employer. IKEA does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring or terms or conditions of employment on the basis of race, religious creed, colour, age, sex, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws and ordinances. IKEA called all its employees, regardless of rank, coworkers. To promote open communication, IKEA adopted a structure with no hierarchical distinctions. Employees were encouraged to express their opinions and ideas directly to the top management. Employees were rewarded with high level of empowerment. Cost consciousness was deeply embedded in IKEAs culture. IKEAs culture promoted diversity. Openness to change and adaptability were stressed at IKEA. Week-long orientation program in Sweden on the IKEA WAY An IKEA co-workers main task is to maximize sales and profitability in his/her area of responsibility using knowledge of the IKEA product range, local market conditions and the needs of customers. Candidate employability skills required when applying for the job role of Sales Assistant in Ikea include: Suitable qualification and experience in same role which helps to maximize sales and profitability by ensuring area of responsibility. Knowledge of product or services are required for the job role of Sales Assistant in Ikeato provide the company best sales performance. Need to share knowledge with customers and colleagues. Experience of specific industry will help to provide best input for a company Preparing area of responsibility for stock replenishment and next days business. Ability to observe and raise professional standards of production/service delivery. Candidate personal and professional skills required when applying for the job role of Sales Assistant in Ikea include: Patience and hardworking are the key elements in sales profession. Self-confidence about approaching and talking to people in a polite and friendly manner. Able to work with others in a team. Flexible approach to work and are open to change. Should have an interest in home furnishing and peoples everyday life at home. Ability to priorities and organize assigned work to make efficient use of time. Negotiation skills in sales work enhance the development in career Agreed with the sales target is a reflection of confidence Able to resolving conflicts 3. Describe the main physical and technological resources required in the operation of Ikea. Physical Resources Physical and technological resources are always required in the operation of a company. Whether these resources are physical resources, such as property, equipment and materials, or less tangible human resources, emergency provision, insurance and security, money is required to pay for their use. As a result, the management of finance is inseparable from the management of the business as a whole. Land, Labour, Capital and Enterprise are also referred to as the Factors of production. Physical resources of IKEA include machines which are used to fill the stock in self-serve and full serve areas are checked and charged daily. Physical Resources used in IKEA include: Buildings and Facilities IKEA has expanded its product base to include flat-pack houses and apartments, in an effort to cut prices involved in a first-time buyers home. The IKEA product, named BoKlok was launched in Sweden in 1996 in a joint venture with Skanska. Now working in the Nordic countries and in the UK, sites confirmed in England include London, Ashton-under-Lyne, Leeds, Gateshead, Warrington and Liverpool. The Ikea store on Yas Island will have a total floor area of 32,000 square meters and a sales area of 19,150 square meters. It will have a restaurant of 2,100 square meters with a seating capacity of 550, as well as 1,500 parking places. Yas Island store are providing a strong impetus for the Swedish furniture and Furnishings Company to push ahead with plans to expand in the region. Materials and Waste IKEA will need to make sure that all of their stores have the right amount of their products in the store to keep up with the demand of the customers buying them. In the warehouse, IKEA will need to make sure that they have the materials stored in a format where they are easily accessible so they can be made into the products being sold. IKEA needs to get rid of their waste and therefore may ask the government to help them with this. Plant and Machinery: Physical resources of IKEA like machines which are used to fill the stock in self-serve and full serve areas are checked and charged daily. The machines, building and production capacity are all well maintained to survive in retail business. They need to improve on POS terminal at exchange and returns where there have been cases of money laundering. Employees have stolen money and caught after many days. So these things need to be taken care of from the management and finance department. This leads to decrease in profits. IKEA Dubai has more than 300 employees from different nationalities and regularly they are given training in their training centre. Expert professors and managers give them training to increase employee knowledge of products and increase skills at their work. Equipment including ICT IKEAs IT facility is related with the other resources within and outside this company.   The company is planning to launch a new website, ikeabusiness.com, where small business owners can discover new ideas for designing their offices and share them with other entrepreneurs. Families can design their kitchens at IKEA Home planning service where once they design their kitchen they have to pay 500Dhs kitchen charges which is refundable once the customer buys the kitchen. Planned Maintenance and Refurbishment Important feature of IKEA stores is their long opening hours. Many stores are in operation 24 hours a day with restocking and maintenance being carried out throughout the night. Warehouse maintained in planned way. Emergency Provision IKEA have emergency provision in case of an accident and incident. Workers may have an emergency situation in that case after verification, documents provide to IKEA. Insurance The people who are engaged with IKEA FAMILY, they can enjoy free product insurance facility. They can insure their new products against accidental damage on the way home and during assembly by swiping the IKEA family card at the check outs. Security IKEA use the latest security technology to encrypt all personal information which a person submits through the IKEAs website, including card numbers, address and other information. They encrypt this information using SSL technology which allows it to be transmitted securely over the Internet without anyone else having access to it. The machines, building and production capacity are all well maintained to survive in retail business. At IKEA, they want to have a positive impact on people and the planet. Thats why theyre going all-in on things that really matter, from switching their entire lighting range to energy-efficient LED to sourcing all of the cotton they use in their products from more sustainable sources. They are also working towards 100% renewable energy producing as much as they consume in their operations and sourcing all of their wood from more sustainable sources by 2020. And the IKEA Group and IKEA Foundation have made new commitments that add up to $1 billion for climate action. IKEA resources can be classified tangible and intangible. The tangible resources available to the company IKEA, they may differ in Physical and Financial. Within the physical resources, find machinery, which is characterized by modern and specific. Secondly, they have distribution centres, which are computerized and automated hierarchical systems, and finally they have additional shops and services that have standard models, in which they can find special services such as restaurant, day-care and parking. Concerning financial resources, they have used Reinvestment in IKEA as a key resource. There are two types of intangible resources, human and non-human, as nonhuman, can highlight the technology, they find patents according to the composition of materials. Another thing is that IKEA has a unique company culture, since the vision, mission and values are present in every business process, plus annual management meetings are held to improve all business activities. Finally they find organisational resources, which are business ideas. Regarding human intangible resources, they can cover in this area to permanent workers, average wages and high standards of the company. Technological resources include operation systems and tools required to effectively produce or create a product or service. These include energy, information, people, tools, machines, capital and time. Technological resources help production processes and service delivery in companies and organizations. The main Technological resources required in the operation of Ikea include the following: intellectual property, for example designs, drawings, text, music, video Having the right type of intellectual property protection helps people to stop anybody stealing or copying: the names of products or brands inventions the design or look of the products things the company write, make or produce Copyright, patents, designs and trademarks are all types of intellectual property protection. So IKEA have their own design, drawing for their furniture. accumulated experience and skills; The accumulated experience is what people have gained over years of working. Employees with more experience are likely to better than new employees. Also there should be enough people with the skills to carry out the operations in the business. At IKEA they believe in people. Behind every product are humble, enthusiastic teams that make it possible. They offer exceptional career and learning possibilities. They encourage a person to try different roles, change between functions and even move abroad. A Person can design their own career path according to their development plan and future goals. IKEA believe in everyones ability to develop. Because as a person grow, IKEA grows too. software licences There are many businesses that they have to invest their money into specialists software programmes so that they can operate properly. They have their own software module which consists of various software and material for which the intellectual property rights are vested in companies in the IKEA group. protection via patents and copyrights IKEA can use their money to protect their technological resources, but they can also use legislation to protect their ideas that they have come up with and they will need to be able to prove that their idea has been used without permission. 4. Describe sources of internal and external finance for the business of Ikea Mainly IKEA is a privately owned company, hence they are not bound to disclose their financial information in the form of GPFRs i.e. balance sheets and PL statements. Therefore they only disclosed limited amount of information to the public. Objectives of financial management profitability, growth, efficiency, liquidity, solvency short-term and long-term These objectives remain constant for every business and due to the nature of IKEA efficiency is quite a major component of their management strategy. Also as IKEA is privately run and Ingvar Kamprad is one of the wealthiest men (currently 4th richest) on the planet then it could be easily seen that return on equity is a major financial objective. Inter dependence with other key business function  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   They have their own software module with Influences on financial management Internal sources of finance retained profits External sources of finance Debt: short-term borrowing (overdraft, commercial bills, factoring), long-term borrowing (mortgage, debentures, unsecured notes, leasing) Equity ordinary shares (new issues, rights issues, placements, share purchase plans), private equity Internal owners equity, retained profits Internal sources would be used by IKEA to a certain degree in particular retained profits. As IKEA is not a publicly listed company and is operated through a trust structure, share issue is not particularly relevant to IKEAs current financial structure external short-term borrowing, (overdraft, bank bills), long-term borrowing (mortgage, debentures) leasing, factoring, venture capital, grants. External borrowings through debt financing are much more likely to be used by IKEA. The combination of short and long term would be utilized to maximize advantages to IKEA. Financial institutions banks, investment banks, finance companies, superannuation funds, life insurance companies, unit trusts and the Australian Securities Exchange Influence of government Australian Securities and Investments Commission, company taxation. Global market influences economic outlook, availability of funds, interest rates 5. Interpret the contents of a trading and profit and loss account and balance sheet for Ikea. IKEA produces the financial statement each year for their company. These statement is appear as company report. There are two main financial statement: The profit and loss account The balance sheet The profit and loss account may be updated regularly and shows how much profit or loss a business is making. A profit can be made in several ways, for example; From trading, in the case of a high street shop, i.e. buying and selling items such as home furniture, like IKEA From manufacturing, for example a company like IKEA made affordable prices furniture. It buys raw materials such as wood, bamboo, cane and Jute which helps to processes to make furniture. The top section of a PL account is known as the trading account for a business that buys and sells items e.g. a furniture shop. What is known as the gross profit is calculated by deducting cost of sales from turnover. The Balance Sheet The Balance Sheet is a snapshot taken at a particular moment in time giving a summary of the overall financ

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Dell

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Dell Introduction Dell is a computer hardware firm that offers â€Å"a broad range of product categories, including mobility products, desktop PCs, software and peripherals, servers and networking, services, and storage† (Annual Report 2008). 61 percent of these products are PCs. Dells business strategy focuses on direct relationships with customers, improving competitiveness by reducing overall costs, and reaching more customers worldwide through new distribution partners (Annual Report 2009). According to Gartner, Dell holds 3rd largest global personal computers (PC) market share of 12.8 percent in the 3rd Quarter of 2009. The PC industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with a 6.6% growth in 2008, reaching a value of US$203.7 billion (Data monitor 2009). The competition in the industry is moderate (see figure 3). Factors contributing this statement will be explained using Porters Five Forces. Supplier Power There is a strong supplier power. Component parts of a PC are relatively homogenous and standardized in nature, with fragmented suppliers (Sun Microsystems, NVIDIA, Hynix, etc), and they do not focus on product differentiation. PC manufacturers have many substitutes to choose from. However, there is a concentrated amount of supplier in terms of CPU and Operating Systems (OS) software. Intel dominates the manufacturing of processors (CPU), with 80.6 percent market share in the processor market, while AMD only has 11.5 percent (theinquirer.net September 2009). Intel has a strong brand which could be a significant bargaining chip with PC producers. Similarly, Microsoft dominates the operating system market (90% market share). The industrys reliance on these two major suppliers inevitably triggers PC manufacturers to establish good relationships with these corporations, while some attempt to diversify its risks by increasing the number of AMD and other OS ran PCs. Dells launch of the Ide aStorm website (see Financial Times) to find out customers preference for Linus operated PCs was a strategic attempt to begin diversifying its risks. Buyer Power There is a moderately-strong buyer power. Although buyers are fragmented (many, different), there is a significantly low expected switching cost given that the product specifications are relatively homogenous. With that, it leads to a low product satisfaction-loyalty relationship (Matos, Henrique, Rosa, 2009), thus although customers first satisfying experiences with the one PC does not assure the relevant PC manufacturer their repurchase intentions. There is certain degree of product differentiation nonetheless, in terms of style and design, and high brand awareness might create a certain level of brand loyalty, but most buyers are more interested in quality, product specifications and costs. There are some exceptions of course; Apple computers which use Macintosh operating system (OS) have high switching costs due to the vast differences between Microsoft and Macintosh OS. In this case, Dell should compete in terms of lowering production costs, and increase brand loyalty not throu gh product specifications but servicing quality. E-commerce which eliminates retail costs (see Kumar Craig, 2007), and on-site servicing are good strategic methods Dell has focused on and should continue. Barriers to Entry Barrier to entry is moderately-strong. Existing industrial players have strong brands and hold many patent rights. To enter the market, entrants are required to invest on RD or the purchase of patent rights, which is often expensive. Existing industrial players are large and possess high internal economies of scale. Dell and HP have various departments specializing in different aspects; marketing, product innovation, servicing, etc. They are able to distribute their fixed costs, as well as managerial costs to a larger output, giving them significant cost advantages. Existing bulk purchase agreements have already been established with key suppliers, such as Microsofts agreement with Dell to install its OS in production factories. Potential entrants will face challenges in gaining supplier confidence in both production as well as credit issues. Threats of Substitutes There is a moderately-weak threat of substitution given that the functionality of a PC is irreplaceable. Other electronic gadgets are often complementary to that of PC. For example, an mp3 player or a camera requires plug-ins with a computer to do file transfers. However, threats lies among the youth customers who are more attracted to the next generation game consoles such as Wii, PS3 or Xbox. Although the threats of substitutes are moderately-weak in general, targeting the youth market is crucial for long term profits as customer loyalty would be established at an early stage. Dells acquisition of Alienware, a high-performance gaming PC manufacturer, in 2006 (NY times) was indeed a strategic move. More focus should be placed in expanding Alienwares brand value equivalent to that of Dell. Degree of Rivalry The degree of rivalry is moderate. In the past, â€Å"Michael [Dell] has been absolutely brilliant at getting the industry to compete on his best basis for competition-price, delivery, and the ability to configure to order. But now the others can differentiate in ways that matter to the customers† (Kirkpatrick, 2000). Such differentiation includes establishing a brand identity among customers, personalizing customers respective PCs in terms of specifications, colors and designs, and the ability to innovate at a rapid pace to achieve short term competitive advantage (Lawless Anderson, 1996) since an innovative new product tends to face low competition at the point of introduction before it is imitated (Roberts, 1999). Coupled with a high Concentration Ration of 57%, it decreases the level of rivalry. However, the homogeneity of the CPU from Intel and its monopolized Microsoft OS (except Macintosh) creates low switching costs for customers, which increases the cross price-elast icity of demand of the products, thus increasing rivalry. Still, the relatively strong growth, in addition to the successful introduction of the Netbook, means that firms could expand without the expense of its competitors. It is bad news to Dell as it specializes in production efficiency, not so much in product innovation. Its organizational culture might not be ready for a switch to innovative-led production. Outsourcing its RD department might provide a new solution to the firm, while developing its own simultaneously. Financial Times 29 October 2009: Technology How laptops took over the world. Expected switching cost: The customers estimate of the personal loss or sacrifice in time, effort and money associated with the customer changing to another service provider. (Hellier, Geursen, Carr, Rickard, 2003). It involves both financially and psychologically. (Dick Basu, 1994) High brand awareness: Interbrands 2009 Best Global Brands Ranking, IBM (2nd), HP (11th), Apple (20th), Dell (35th). Interbrands 2009 Best Global Brands Ranking, IBM (2nd), HP (11th), Apple (20th), Dell (35th). Dell has worldwide portfolio of 2,253 patents, HP has 32,000 patents, (Taken from Dell 2009 and HP 2008 Annual Reports) and Acer has a patent value of US $692,000, Lenovo has US $5,199,000. (Acer 2008 and Lenovo 2009 Annual Report) New York Times March 23, 2006: Dell to buy Alienware, a maker of high-end PCs for Gamers.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Symbolic Features Of Gi Joe Fi :: essays research papers

An Interpretation of the Symbolic Features of the GI Joe Action Figure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twelve years ago the generation of today's young adults were enthralled with the endless hours of fun they got from their GI Joe action figures. Wild scenes, battles, and situations they created ran their day and formed their thoughts of the ideal man. GI Joe's physical build was looked upon as the perfect male body, with a muscular, suave look and a brave and violent temperament. This stereotypical property is a downside to the figure since it molds the views of young children in this negative way. The GI Joe was a very important piece in many young boys' lives. It was an outlet for a child's creativity and imagination, which is one of the most important factors that mold a child into a grown adult.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GI Joes's symbolized the general census of the public that men should be physically strong and brave in physical encounters. Young boys saw the muscular build of the action figures and related that to the optimal shape that a man's body should be. GI Joe's are similar to Barbie dolls in many ways. Although GI Joe's did not come under as much criticism as the Barbie doll, the two important characteristics of the figures are the same. Both figures promote the stereotypical image of the male/female body and both figures characteristics promote the stereotypical actions of how one should act as a member of that gender. Each day of his life a young boy is learning and forming the ideals he will follow later in life. The appearance of a tall, perfectly proportional, and muscular figure molds a young boy's belief of what the perfect man should look like. The same characteristic is true about the actions that GI Joe's were expected to carry out. GI Joe's were fearless, br ave men whose mission in life was violence. When young boys played with these figures, this was usually the common role their concocted scenes would fall under. Violence and death, sounds like a pretty bad principle to instill in the minds of young boys. If one thinks about the general stereotype of the census we see that men have always been forced into these enduring roles. Even today the two characteristics demonstrated by GI Joe are prevalent. As each day progresses these characteristics are being challenged. Now more than ever the age-old beliefs of what is expected of man and woman are being redefined for a new world.

Friday, July 19, 2019

War With Iraq :: Argumentative

War With Iraq: Is It Worth It? What does the United States have to gain from a war with Iraq? Supporters of a war with Iraq say it will help prevent the risk of an attack by a weapons of mass destruction developed by Iraq. Critics of a military action that say nothing will be gained, and the U.S. just wants to obtain the oil that Iraq controls. They claim that casualties will be too costly for America to afford. Nonetheless, America should act while others will not for fear of disturbing global peace. Iraq poses a â€Å"clear and present danger† to the security of the United States and the security of countries around the world. For the past several months the United Nations’ Security Council has debated on whether or not to accept the U.S. proposal to force Iraq to comply the new and former resolutions. The new resolution calls for complete disarmament of Iraq and the re-entrance of weapons inspectors into Iraq. If Iraq fails to comply, then military force would be taken in order to disarm Iraq. This proposal met opposition from council members Russia, China, and France. They thought that the U.S. proposal was too aggressive and that the U.S. should not act alone without U.N. approval. For weeks they refused to believe that the only way to make Iraq disarm is through the threat of force and the fear of being wiped out. Iraq for the past several years has violated numerous U.N. resolutions that call for destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and allowance of weapons inspectors to monitor the disposal of such weapons. Ever since the end of the Gulf War, Iraq has disregarded these policies by removing weapons inspectors, which in turn has allowed Iraq to further research weapons of mass destruction. In 1998 the U.S. launched Operation Desert Fox with the objective of allowing weapons inspectors back into the country. After the operation succeeded and inspectors were allowed back in, all seemed well and little attention was paid to Iraq. Since political powers did not deem it worthy to check on Iraq and put their main focus on Wall Street, Iraq renewed their weapons program and everyone just did not pay attention.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Steppenwolf : The Disintegration of Harry Haller as it Relates to Music

Steppenwolf : The Disintegration of Harry Haller as it Relates to Music      Ã‚  Ã‚   Among the many themes present in Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel Steppenwolf, two stand out as basic threads around which the story is constructed: the isolated nature of the artist and the duality of existence (Benà ©t 471). Harry Haller, the protagonist of the novel, is portrayed as an outsider to society and to modern life; he must struggle with his own outmoded ideals and bestiality to embrace humanity and reality. His Zerrissenheit, or disintegration (literally translated, "the state of being torn apart" [Benà ©t 1142]), culminates in the Magic Theater at the finish of the novel. Here, he finds himself a changed man, with a clearer understanding of human and social relations. Harry Haller's progress to this point can be traced through his changing perception of music and the role it plays in his life: as he becomes increasingly disenchanted with his former lifestyle and actively interested in his new one, his understanding and acceptance of new and old music undergoes a significant change.    The preface to the novel establishes Harry Haller as a great lover of music. In it, Haller's landlord remarks on his habits and characteristics. One of the most striking encounters he has with Haller takes place at a symphony one night:    First some Handel was played, noble and lovely music. But the Steppenwolf sat absorbed in his own thoughts...After the Handel came a little symphony of Friedemann Bach, and I saw with surprise how after a few bars my stranger began to smile and abandon himself to the music...for about ten minutes [he was] so happily lost and rapt in pleasant dreams... ... the seriousness and spirituality of the piece.    Haller's Zerrissenheit culminates in an understanding that humor, love of life and passion with a sense of restraint are essential to spiritual health. To live comfortably and yet fully need not be an unattainable standard of life. One may be original without pretense, whole with many parts; it is certainly possible to understand the holy pain of a long, complex movement and yet still take pleasure in the fast step of a fox trot.    Works Cited   Benà ©t, William Rose. "Hermann Hesse." Benà ©t's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.   Benà ©t, William Rose. "Zerrissenheit." Benà ©t's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.   Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927.   

Meiosis and Genetic Diversity in Sordaria

INTRODUCTION Sordaria fimicola is an ascomecyete fungus studied for its product of meiosis and mitosis that form 8 haploid spores. These spores are contained in a fruiting body called perithecia. Asci made up of spores are contained in this body. The perithecia are squashed in order to better identify the asci. Scordaria is a very beneficial organism to study genetic variation because it is maintainable in a lab, has a short life cycle, its asci are easily distinguishable under a microscope and it helps to understand meiosis. Sordaira is found in Evolution canyon.It is a place in Israel that is a natural setting to explore the relations of organisms and their environment. Each side of the canyon is very different. One side is exposed to harsh conditions and much sun exposure while the other has more moderate conditions. The European slope of the canyon has dark gray landscape while the African slope has a lighter brown landscape. Meiosis is a reduction process that reduces diploid ce lls to haploid cells(2N1N). Meiosis I cause genetic variation to occur through the process of crossing over and independent assortment.Two haploid daughter cells are formed at the end of Meiosis I. Meiosis II then forms four haploid daughter cells. Every cell differs in its genetic material. Mitosis then creates 8 spores. These spores can have combinations of tan or gray to wild such as 4:4, 2:4:2, and 2:2:2:2. When the spores mature, they will be released. Two haploid cells will then unite through fertilization to form a diploid zygote. This lab will further our knowledge of meiosis and the benefits of genetic variation in Scordaria fimicola.Two types of fungi were used to show the effects of crossing over and independent assortment. The fungi combinations were created by placing two samples of tan or gray type on an agar plate and two samples of wild type and allowing them to combine over two weeks. After this amount of time the perithecia are well enough developed and are able to be squashed. The spores show different color combinations due to the meeting of wild and mutant type fungi. The mutant types will show light tan or gray color and the wild shows a dark spore.This will show us the combinations of spores created from meiosis and mitosis. It is expected that all three combinations of asci will be shown. It is expected that tan type will show more recombinant asci than the gray type. The purpose of this experiment is to show the distance between gene and centromere as well as the importance of sexual reproduction and genetic variation. METHODS Two agar plates were set up to allow the spore mutations to occur. Each plate was divided into four sections. Wild and tan or gray type Sordaria was placed in opposing sections of the plate.The plates were then left to incubate for two weeks. After the two weeks samples were taken from the plate and then squashed onto a microscope slide in order to burst the perithecia to view the asci. Crossover frequencies were measures by counting the frequency patterns of asci within an ascus cluster. Map distances, which measures the distance from gene to centromere, were then calculated after asci totals were found. RESULTS The asci were sorted into individual, group, section, and were then combined into group data. Combined Course DataNon-recombinant| Recombinant| Total # of Asci| Total # Recombinant Asci(B + C)| Frequency of Recombinant Asci(B + C)/total # asci)| Frequency of Type B Asci(B/total # asci)| Frequency of Type C Asci(C/total # asci)| Ratio B/C| # of Type A Asci(4:4)| # of Type B Asci(2:4:2)| # of Type C Asci(2:2:2:2)| | | | | | | Tan Spore Color| | | | 5669| 4301| 3976| 13946| 8277| 8277/13946| 4301/13946| 3976/13946| 4301/3976| Gray Spore Color| 3012| 2081| 1973| 7066| 4054| 2054/7066| 2081/7066| 1973/7066| 2081/1973| Cross over frequencyType B (2:4:2) asci| Type C(2:2:2:2) asci| Total Recombinant| Tan Spore Color| | | 30. 8%| 28. 5%| 59. 4%| Gray Spore Color| | | 29. 5%| 27. 9%| 57. 4% | Crossing over Frequency = Recombinant asci/Total asci x 100 The results show that 59. 4% of tan spores and 57. 4% of gray spores experienced crossing over. 2% more tan spores were recombinant compared to gray spores. Mapping Distance Mapping distance = % Crossing over/2 Tan Spore 59. 4/2 = 29. 7 mu Gray Spore 57. 4/2 = 28. 7 mu The results mean that there was 29. 7 mu for tan and 28. mu for gray between the crossing over and the centromere. Taking results from such a large group of data makes for a more accurate result. The image shows the possible combination outcomes of sordaria. The first one shows no crossing over (4:4) and the next two show crossing over with results (2:2:2:2 and 2:4:2). DISCUSSION This experiment helped us to better understand the importance of crossing over in sexual reproduction and also meiosis. The results showed that the Sordaria were more likely to cross over. With 59. 4% and 57. % recombinant, a majority of Sordaria show genetic independence. Genetic independence allows for Sordaria to survive, adapt, and continue reproducing. They produced different offspring due to meiosis and mitosis. The two percent difference could be possible due to the different spore strains and their optimal conditions. Within the experiment several errors could have occurred. One of the implications could have been the counting of the asci. When viewing them from a microscope it is very difficult to keep track of every single asci.Some could have been double counted or missed entirely. Another possible experiment would be to test a larger sample. Larger samples allows for more accurate results. A second experiment would be to test another organism that experiences the process meiosis and mitosis through asexual reproduction. A third experiment could carry out the same process but under different conditions to see if the results show the same pattern. In conclusion, Sordaria fimicola showed the process of crossing over and meiosis.It displayed the impor tance of genetic variation for use of survival and adaption. REFERENCES â€Å"Bio 110 Lab Activity: Meiosis and Genetic Diversity in Sordaria, week of September 24th. † Pennsylvania State University 2011. Volk, Thomas. â€Å"Sordaria Fimicola, a Fungus Used in Genetics– Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for March 2007. † Sordaria Fimicola, a Fungus Used in Genetics– Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for March 2007. University of Wisconsin, 2007. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .