Monday, September 30, 2019

Investigation to Find the Water Potential of Potato and Carrot Tubers

An investigation to find the water potential of potato and carrot tubers in a sucrose solution, of concentration 0. 00 – 0. 50Mol, over a 24 hour period Interpretation Written Communication C1 From our graph it can be seen that the concentration of sucrose solution is 0. 18 M at 0% change in mass for the potato and 0. 355 M at 0% change in mass for the carrot. I will use these values to find the solute potential by using the calibration graph. I will work out the water potential by using the equation, ? =? s +? p (Water Potential = Solute Potential + Pressure Potential). The ? s of the potato at 0% change in mass is -500 kPa and the ? of the carrot at 0% change in mass is -1000 kPa. Through the use of our equation, the water potential of the potato and carrot are -500 kPa and -1000 kPa (respectfully) as in this case the solute potential equals the water potential as there is no pressure potential as the solution is open and it isn’t under a membrane so it is not under p ressure. The Water Potential (? ) of the solution is equal to the ? of the tuber as there is no pressure potential. C2 and C3 As the concentration of the sucrose solution increases, the average percentage change in mass decreases in the potato tubers and this is the same as in the carrot tubers.At low concentrations of sucrose solutions (0. 1 M) the mass of the carrot and potato tubers increases due to water moving into the protoplast of the cell from the sucrose solution by osmosis and at high concentrations of sucrose solutions (0. 5 M) the mass of the carrot and potato tubers decreases due to water moving out of the protoplast of the cell to the sucrose solution by osmosis. At certain concentrations (0. 18 M of the potato and 0. 355 M for the carrot) the potato and carrot tubers don’t change in mass due to the water potential inside the cells equalling the water potential of the sucrose solution.My graph displays a distinct negative correlation; the higher the concentratio n of sucrose solution, the larger the difference between the mass over the 24 hour period becomes, and the smaller the mass gets. Osmosis is the movement of water from a high water potential to a low water potential across a semi-permeable membrane. C4 and C5 Osmosis is the net movement of water particles from areas of high water potential to areas of lower water potential across a semi-permeable membrane, such as the cell membrane.This can also be described as moving down a concentration gradient. The water potential of a substance measures the amount of free energy that is available in an aqueous solution to cause the migration of water molecules during osmosis. The symbol for water potential is ? and is measured in kPa (kilo-pascals). The water potential of pure water is zero, as all the particles are free; this means that all particles contain kinetic energy and are under attractive forces, so they in constant random movement. In relation to my results, at concentration 0. 8M fo r the potato and 0. 355M for the carrot, there is an osmotic balance between the potato and carrot cells and sucrose solution – the water potentials are equal. This is also known as an isotonic solution – where equilibrium is reached between the rates of osmosis in and out of a solution. Above this value, the solution becomes hypertonic (having a higher solute concentration than the potato and carrot), while below this value, the sucrose solution becomes hypotonic (having a lower solute concentration than the potato and carrot).A hypertonic solution has a higher concentration of solutes compared to another solution, while a hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solutes compared to another solution. An isotonic solution has an identical concentration of solutes as another solution. These can also be described as having a lower, identical, and higher osmotic pressure, respectfully, than another solution. I noticed that the hypertonic potato and carrot had becom e soft and lost all of its structural integrity, and was generally flaccid.This became more noticeable as the concentration of the sucrose solution increased and the percentage change in mass gets more negative. Evaluation D1 I consider my results to be appropriate in meeting the aims of this investigation as we measured the change in mass of the potato as opposed to measuring the change in length as it will give an indication of the amount of water entering the potato and carrot due to osmosis. All measurements were made to two decimal places meaning the level of accuracy is very high and that the scales used could detect even the slightest changes in mass. D2In order to try to obtain accurate results a number of procedures had to be carried out; †¢ Firstly, we covered the top of each test tube with cling film to reduce the amount of water evaporating from the sucrose solution. If water were to evaporate from the solution, it would mean that the solution would become more conc entrated and this seriously affect the amount of water entering the potato and carrot as the water potential in the external solution would be drastically lower than that of the potato and carrot cells. †¢ Secondly, we used the same volume of sucrose solution in each test tube.If the quantities of each solution were not equal, instead of getting the desired concentration of sucrose solution, a slightly different concentrated solution would be produced. This will affect the potato and carrot by exposing it to a different concentration of sucrose solution, therefore giving us a different result to the one expected. This happens as osmosis occurs because of the kinetic energy found in the water molecules. The kinetic energy causes the particles to vibrate and move randomly – moving around the area in which they are held. The random movement causes the particles to distribute randomly around the area.The higher concentrated solution has more particles that can move across th e membrane compared to the lower, producing a net movement down the concentration gradient. †¢ Thirdly, we tried to maintain the temperature by keeping the test tubes in a regulated room. If the temperature were to increase it would cause the kinetic energy of the sucrose solution increase and if the temperature were to decrease it would cause the kinetic energy of the sucrose solution to decrease. †¢ I also tried to ensure that each tuber was dried in the same way, but this proved to be very difficult.It was important to only remove the solution from the surface because we did not want to remove any water from the cells which would affect the mass of the tubers. †¢ Lastly, each tuber was sourced from the same potato or carrot as every potato and carrot have a different composition of starch and sucrose which would alter the solute potential of the potato and carrot and this has an effect on the amount of water that enters or leaves the tubers by osmosis. D3 Although the experiment was as fair as it could have been, there were some factors that were beyond our control.Firstly, the tubers that we used may not have been from the same specimen, although the specimen may have been from the same bag they could be biologically different. Secondly, there could have been some skin left on the tubers which could have affected the rate at which the water entered the tubers due to osmosis. Thirdly, when we were weighing the tubers we had to handle them which could have extracted some water from the tubers, this would alter the true weight of the tubers after 24 hours and therefore alter the results of the experiment.D4 and D5 My experiment is reliable as it was repeated six times in the form of the pooled class result. However, there were a few anomalies among the group results e. g. some groups have higher or lower results than the others; this would cause the average class result to be lower or higher depending on the value of the anomaly. This could be as simple as the use of different potatoes and carrots being used for each group or any of the reasons mentioned in D3.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

American International Competitiveness

Since the beginning of the 1970s, the United States has experienced a virtual trade revolution. Trade has increased much faster than the economy as a whole. Both imports and exports expanded during the past 15 years. In the late 1970s, imports started outstripping exports by historically large margins. A merchandise trade deficit has been present every year since 1976. Moreover, this deficit has increased dramatically in the 1980s. What economic changes underlie the shift in U. S. competitiveness evidenced by the recent trade deficits?While economists who have addressed this question have employed different approaches, most have examined changes in macroeconomic variables to see if they generated the economic pressures that led to the recent trade deficits. Economists who have employed this approach have generally concluded that macroeconomic changes probably are the cause of the recent deficits. Although macroeconomic theory suggests that trade deficits may be associated with a wide variety of factors, two events in the late 1970s and early 1980s have received particular attention: the rise in U. S.aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand and the increase in U. S. interest rates relative to foreign interest rates. Both may have been spurred by the U. S. government's budget deficit. The excess of spending over income provided a powerful expansionary fiscal policy while higher interest rates had to be used to attract foreign and domestic investors to finance the growth in debt. A relative increase in aggregate demand, whatever its source, is expected to lead to a trade deficit because a country's demand for imports is positively associated with the level of its aggregate demand.In this instance, the theory predicts that U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S. exports as U. S. aggregate demand grows relative to foreign aggregate demand. A relative increase in U. S. interest rates can also lead to trade deficits by incr easing foreign demand for U. S. financial assets. The link between financial flows that respond to interest rate changes and trade deficits is evident in standard balance of payments accounting relationships.The accounting relationships used in defining trade deficits require that a nation's current account (comprised of the merchandise trade balance, the balance of trade on services, and net unilateral transfers) equals in size, but with opposite sign, the capital account. In other words, if there are capital inflows, then there must be a trade deficit. Given this accounting relationship, the inflow of foreign capital that is attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates must lead to a trade deficit to satisfy the fundamental accounting identities that underlie balance of payments accounting (McCulloch, 1978).While explanations of recent trade deficits that are based on fundamental macroeconomic relationships are attractive to economists, many commentators have advanced alterna tive explanations that are rooted in microeconomic relationships. These commentators believe that the microeconomic characteristics have changed in ways that explain the relatively sudden substantial increases in imports and net imports. In addition, public opinion, for one reason or another, has not fully accepted the power of the macroeconomic explanations for the trade deficits.We shall therefore investigate these explanations that have been offered by various sources. The logical connections between these microeconomic changes and trade deficits have not been clearly drawn. In particular, supporters of these microeconomic-based hypotheses have ignored the fact that (absent macroeconomic adjustments) changes in the exchange rate could compensate for shifts in microeconomic relationships, leaving trade flows in balance (Tarr, 1985). While the link between alleged microeconomic changes and trade deficits is unclear, empirical analysis of the microeconomic explanations can still be very useful.Specifically, if we find that the alleged microeconomic changes in the structure of trade have not occurred, then we will be in a position to reject the microeconomic explanations directly. For advocates of the microeconomic explanations, this approach may be more convincing than one that evaluates the microeconomic explanations indirectly through the use of general equilibrium or macroeconomic models. The microeconomic explanations have focused on identifying three types of microeconomic changes. First, there may be technological changes that alter trade flows.For example, changes in an industry's technology may alter factor intensities so that particular inputs are less important to successful international competition. Second, policy changes may alter trade flows through their effect on the openness of U. S. or other economies or through their effect on the relative cost structure of U. S. manufacturers. Changes in tariff, quotas, or government subsidies clearly can h ave this effect, but other government policies may also be important. Third, the availability of needed inputs may change so that the competitive position of U.S. firms is altered. For example, when abundant mineral resources continue to be key for production, the U. S. position will change as the United States exhausts its relative supply of these needed resources. According to some commentators, any or all of these types of microeconomic changes might lead to growth in the manufacturing trade deficit. As a result, they have received substantial public attention. If changes in microeconomic factors are the source of recent trade deficits, we should observe a recent and major shift in the pattern of U. S.trade, since some industries will be more sensitive to changes in particular microeconomic factors than other industries or experience bigger changes in these factors. For instance, if relative U. S. wage rates have become more important in international competition, we should obser ve a particularly large rise in net imports in industries that employ relatively large amounts of high-cost labor or have experienced particularly large increases in labor costs. In contrast, if macroeconomic variables underlie the recent deficits, this type of structural shift in trade flows is less likely to be present (Drucker, 1985).As a result, we can reject many of the microeconomic explanations of recent trade deficits that have been advanced if we observe that economic relationships that traditionally have advantaged some industries over others in international trade have been stable and that key industry characteristics, such as labor intensity, have also been stable. In the case of U. S. wage rates, if the relationship between wage rates and imports has not changed over time, and U. S. wage rates relative to those in other countries have not changed significantly, then wage rates are unlikely to have contributed to the increased trade deficit.Of course, if we do find that the alleged microeconomic changes have occurred, the growth in the trade deficit can not be attributed to them unless logical causal relationships can be identified that are consistent with international trade accounting identities. Factors associated with U. S. competitiveness in trade appear to have been relatively stable throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Manufacturing operations located in the States retain their traditional competitive advantage in production that requires sophisticated know-how and continue to experience a competitive disadvantage in production that uses unskilled labour intensively.Moreover, it appears that, to the extent change has occurred, these relationships have strengthened over time (Marston 1986). Yet, as others have pointed out, the competitive performance of many U. S. industries appears to have declined (Landau and Rosenberg, 1986). Can these two observations be consistent? The competitive performance of U. S. industries can decline because of c hanges that do not affect the relationships between trade flows and the industry characteristics. First, the characteristics of particular industries, such as their factor intensities, may have changed so that net imports increased.The higher unionization is associated with more imports, thus if unionization increased and this relationship remained stable, then unionization could be one cause of increased imports. Shifts in the relative competitiveness of an individual industry may reflect adjustments in the characteristics of the industry, within the context of stable comparative advantage relationships. For example, if strong R&D efforts are associated with strong exports, but industries reduce their R&D expenditures, export performance would be expected to decline even though the relationship between exports and R&D was stable.Put slightly differently, when relative factor abundancies are stable, changes in industrial input requirements will be reflected in shifts in the trade ba lance of particular U. S. industries. The rankings of industries with respect to their trade flows have been quite stable. While there have been some shifts in position during the last decade, statistical tests indicate that the shifting has not been substantial. The rank order of manufacturing industries by the level of net imports in 1975 is highly correlated with the rank order that existed in 1984.Industry characteristics available in time series have also been quite stable. The values for industry characteristics in 1975 are highly correlated with their values in 1981. Moreover, the changes in mean values for these variables are relatively small, especially for the variables that are most directly related to the seven proposed explanations of the trade deficits that we analyze. The variables available in time series include the primary variables used in traditional trade models. Simple macroeconomic relationships suggest that the rise in the trade deficit is likely to be associ ated with changes in macroeconomic variables.If this is true, then one would expect that many industries experienced a rise in their trade deficits (Benvignati, 1985). Consistent with this prediction, nearly all U. S. industries experienced declining international competitiveness to some degree between 1981 and 1984. In addition to this general confirmation of the macroeconomic explanations for trade deficits, there is direct support for the view that recent inflows of foreign capital, attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates, and increases in U. S.aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand are responsible for recent trade deficits. Specifically, exchange rates rose during the period studied and this led to an increase in net imports, as the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows predicts. Also there appears to be a positive association between recent increases in relative U. S. aggregate demand and net imports, as the aggregate demand theory sugge sts. According to the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows, higher U. S. interest rates will attract foreign capital. Since U. S.financial assets are denominated in dollars, this will lead to an increase in the demand for dollars. Because increases in the value of the dollar make U. S. goods more expensive relative to foreign goods, there will be a reduction in the international competitiveness of U. S. manufacturers. This decrease in competitiveness is expected to be reflected in higher net imports, causing the trade deficit to equal the surplus on the capital account. There is empirical support for this argument. U. S. industries appear to have been under severe competitive pressure because of the relatively high value of the dollar.For example, in the automobile industry, it has been argued that about $700 of the roughly $2,000 cost disadvantage of U. S. automobile manufacturers in 1983 was due to the unusually high exchange rate (Detroit Battle, 1983). Similarly , in steel, machine tools, textiles, and many other industries, analysts have pointed to exchange rates as an important source of the U. S. competitive disadvantage. As a result, it is not too surprising that the increase in the value of the dollar between 1980 and 1985 was associated with a decline in the U. S. trade balance.While the adverse effect of the increased value of the dollar on the competitive position of U. S. industries seems to have been quite widespread, the effect has been larger in some industries than others. In particular, it appears likely that the effect will be largest for products where the demand for U. S. exports and imports was quite elastic, since these products are most sensitive to changes in relative prices. For example, estimates of price elasticities by Baldwin (1976) indicate that these elasticities are particularly large (between 3. 20 and 4.4) in the case of metal working machinery and office/computing machines. According to macroeconomic theory, imports are likely to vary positively with the level of aggregate demand, other things being equal. Specifically, as U. S. incomes rise, the U. S. demand for imports is likely to rise. Moreover, if U. S. incomes rise relative to foreign incomes, the U. S. demand for imports should rise relative to the foreign demand for U. S. exports. As a result, macroeconomic theory predicts that, during these periods, U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S.exports and growing trade deficits are more likely. At the end of 1982, the U. S. balance of payments deficit appears to have been reduced by aggregate demand effects, since the U. S. demand was falling relative to foreign demand. However, in 1983 and 1984 the U. S. economy grew relative to the economies of its trading partners (Economic Report of the President 1986). The relatively strong U. S. recovery and the general worldwide recession were associated with a sharp rise in the U. S. trade deficit (Economic Rep ort of the President 1985). There is no conflict between the observation that U.S. trade deficits have risen and the finding that U. S. comparative advantage relationships have been relatively stable over the last decade. Evidently, there have been shifts in macroeconomic variables that have increased the level of imports in most industries, without shifting trade patterns across industries significantly. While other types of changes, such as shifts in omitted microeconomic variables or changes in the magnitudes of included variables, would also make the two observations consistent, these alternative explanations are not nearly as important.Moreover, simple macroeconomic theories and available empirical evidence suggest strongly that macroeconomic forces underlie the growth of recent trade deficits. Changes in most microeconomic variables have either been gradual or narrowly focused. As a result, they are unlikely to generate the large trade deficits that are observed. Only the chan ges in international capital flows (with associated changes in exchange rates) and, for part of the period, changes in the relative levels of aggregate demand, have been large enough and sharp enough to explain the sudden rise in net imports. The growth of direct foreign investment by U.S. firms during the last decade reflects, in part, the exploitation of their advanced technological and organizational know-how. This stability in the fundamental comparative advantage relationships is inconsistent with widely held views linking microeconomic changes to the growth in the trade deficit during the 1980s. Macroeconomic models provide explanations that are much more consistent with empirical observations. We conclude, as have macroeconomists, that changes in macroeconomic factors, rather than any of the many microeconomic explanations that have been advanced, underlie recent U.S. trade deficits. The comparative advantage structure that determines a country's trade patterns changes only s lowly. For the United States, comparative advantage forces have meant, and still mean, that the country is a net importer of commodities that are efficiently produced with relatively large amounts of unskilled labour and a net exporter of commodities that require the relatively intensive use of skilled labour. These basic relationships have not changed significantly during the 1970s or early 1980s.Similarly, the United States continues to be disadvantaged in industries that are energy-intensive, use depleting natural resources, or are heavily unionized. Higher minimum efficient scale requirements and higher R&D intensity continue to be associated with both higher imports and higher exports. Only weak relationships exist between capital intensity or industry concentration and the strength of the U. S. trade position. The relationships between industry characteristics and trade flows are evident despite the presence of tariff and nontariff barriers and other government trade policies. Moreover, the effects of trade policies appear to be weak relative to the economic forces that result from differences in comparative advantage. Nonetheless, trade policies do have identifiable effects. As one would expect, U. S. tariff and nontariff barriers are associated with lower net import levels. However, the statistical findings for foreign trade barriers are less clear. We attribute this to the fact that U. S. exporters face different trade barriers in different countries. It may be the case that strong U. S.exports continue in many countries although these exports face substantial barriers in other countries. In addition, foreign trade barriers and industrial targeting efforts may arise as a reaction to U. S. export successes, yet not be strong enough to make a substantial reduction in U. S. exports in foreign markets generally. Analyses of U. S. imports and exports test the competitiveness of the States as a geographical unit. However, these analyses do not capture fully the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, since many U. S.firms are multinationals. To measure the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, output manufactured abroad using U. S. know-how must be considered (Marston, 1986). Similarly, U. S. output must be adjusted for output produced by foreign-controlled multinationals in the United States. To a large extent, the additional perspective offered by the analysis of the adjusted trade flow data simply confirms the findings based on the unadjusted data. The United States remains relatively strong in the same industries where it was strong in the previous decade.However, when the trade flow data are adjusted to reflect the presence of multinational corporations, some structural changes in trade patterns become evident. Basically, these changes evidence a strengthening of the relationships that have traditionally shaped U. S. trade flows. Apparently U. S. firms have increasingly exploited their more mobile competitive strengths b y investing abroad. There is some evidence that this effort has been undertaken to overcome historical comparative disadvantages associated with producing in the States.Most notably, there is some evidence that this foreign investment is increasingly prominent in industries that are heavily unionized. Together, the analyses of adjusted and unadjusted trade flow data indicate that U. S. firms are not losing their relative competitive strengths. The adjusted data suggest that some changes are occurring in international direct investment, but these changes have not been echoed in changes in the composition of U. S. net imports. The gradual nature of any changes that are occurring highlights the basic stability of the structure of U. S. trade flows.The structural stability that we observe is consistent with the view that shifts in microeconomic relationships are not an important source of recent trade deficits. Absent evidence of changes, there is no reason to believe that these potenti al microeconomic issues contend with macroeconomic factors as the real explanations for the large observed increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Turning to the first two microeconomic explanations (high labor cost explanation and union work rule explanation), traditional relationships between labor market variables and trade patterns still hold.The United States continues to be at a comparative disadvantage in labor-intensive industries. To the extent there has been change, it has been gradual and statistically insignificant. Moreover, the United States appears to be doing well, and has slightly improved its performance, in high-wage industries. Evidently, the advantage continues in industries where human capital is important. While union activities have affected the structure of U. S. manufacturing industries, this impact has been different from that suggested in the second explanation.No change in the relationship between unionization and U. S. trade flows has taken place. However , various studies do suggest that multinational corporations in unionized industries have shifted larger and larger shares of their output overseas. Apparently, this direct investment has added to U. S. -controlled output, rather than entirely substituting for exports from unionized industries located in the States. The third and fourth explanations (foreign government trade practices explanation and OPEC cartel explanation) involve actions taken by foreign governments.Foreign governments do not appear to have uniformly targeted â€Å"U. S. industries†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, industries where the United States has had a competitive advantage. While foreign government interventions are evident, these efforts vary from country to country and do not appear to have a significant effect on overall U. S. trade patterns. This does not mean that particular foreign tariffs, nontariff barriers, or targeting subsidies could not disrupt natural trade flows. However, it does mean that currently t hese effects are limited among our major trading partners (Maskus 1981).Actions by foreign governments that may have supported OPEC's efforts to raise energy prices did not significantly alter the structure of U. S. manufacturing trade, as the fourth proposition contends. The increases in world energy prices during the 1970s were dramatic and clearly had a significant effect on the overall balance of payments. However, only when trade flows are adjusted to recognize the presence of multinationals is there a significant change in the comparative advantage structure across manufacturing industries. Turning to the fifth microeconomic explanation (declining R&D explanation), U. S.firms have not lost their comparative advantage in R&D-intensive products. While U. S. imports of high-technology products have increased over time, so have exports. Moreover, the overall structural relationships that determine U. S. comparative advantages with respect to R&D do not appear to have changed signi ficantly. To the extent change is evident; it appears that the growth of U. S. multinational firms has allowed them to exploit their comparative advantages in high technology through their foreign affiliates. The remaining explanations (inadequate investment explanation and antitrust explanation) involve policies of the U.S. government. According to these two explanations, high taxes on capital formation and overly aggressive antitrust enforcement efforts have undermined the competitiveness of U. S. firms. The notion that relatively high taxes on capital, and resulting lower U. S. investment rates, have led to a growing U. S. disadvantage in capital-intensive industries is not confirmed by the statistical tests. While some earlier studies using 1958 to 1976 data found that the United States had a growing comparative disadvantage in capital-intensive industries, this trend did not continue in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Maskus 1981).The United States was a strong exporter in indu stries where economies of scale (MES) are important. Moreover, we did not find substantial advantages of concentration beyond the levels associated with these plant- level scale economies. There also was no sign of significant changes in the comparative advantage relationships with respect to scalerelated or concentration-related variables. Conclusion Given the stability of U. S. comparative advantage relationships over time, why has the U. S. trade deficit increased by so much?For some industries, the rise in net imports may simply reflect the fact that the characteristics of the industry have changed, so U. S. firms no longer have a comparative advantage. In particular, when the know-how needed to produce a commodity becomes standardized and cheap labour becomes a relatively more important input, we should expect that U. S. manufacturers will lose share to foreign manufacturers. As is suggested by simple macroeconomic models, much of the rise in net imports appears to be attributa ble to macroeconomic forces that have more than offset the advantages that U.S. firms have traditionally had in some industries. In fact, most industries have experienced increased levels of imports, suggesting that economy-wide changes underlie the problem. Examination of macroeconomic variables that could produce this type of shift in trade flows confirms that the rise in interest rates with the associated increase in the value of the dollar and, during some recent periods, the relatively rapid growth of U. S. aggregate demand appear to have stimulated net imports generally.Generally, there has been relatively little shifting in either comparative advantage relationships or in industry characteristics that affect imports and exports. Indeed, the growth in direct foreign investment, which appears to support the most dramatic changes that have occurred, has been associated with the exploitation of traditional U. S. advantages. Moreover, the shift in the overall position of the Unite d States relative to its trading partners has been fairly general, which is consistent with the argument that individual microeconomic explanations are unlikely to explain much of the recent rise in U.S. trade deficits. Given this finding, it is probable that the U. S. recent loss in competitive position is largely attributable to macroeconomic forces. In particular, it appears likely that changes in relative interest rates and levels of aggregate demand best explain most of the recent increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Both of these may be related to large increases in the government's budget deficit. The rise in trade deficits during the 1970s and 1980s led to substantial concern about the competitiveness of U. S. firms.Many of the microeconomic explanations that have been advanced to explain the recent deficits do not appear to be supported by available empirical evidence. Because these microeconomic explanations do not explain the recent trade deficits, policy prescriptions b ased on shifting microeconomic variables are a poor bet to change trade flows fundamentally. In particular, wage restrictions, trade restrictions, subsidization programs, and policies that promote market concentration are unlikely to alter the trade deficit substantially. Indeed, efforts to implement these policies are likely to hurt U. S.competitiveness, as interest groups attach riders to legislation that promotes their special interests at the expense of the broader economy. Focusing the public debate on microeconomic factors rather than macroeconomic factors seems to be, at best, ill-advised. It tends to distract the public from the real, difficult issues of government deficits, international investment, and economic growth. More likely, it provides a convenient cloak in which to wrap the costly protections so fervently sought by special interest groups that ultimately increase costs, retard productivity growth, and harm consumers.Since the strategic use of trade policies can di sadvantage one country at the expense of another, it is better to view findings as indicating that care must be taken in responding to recent trade deficits. Specifically, policy makers must be careful that they are not so caught up in the dramatic deficits that they accede to special interest groups that have inappropriately linked their troubles to those of the economy as a whole (Krugman, 1986). History provides very little reason to believe that such objectivity is possible in trade policy. Failure to exercise caution has its risks.Not only can the improper protectionist policies cause sizeable immediate losses, but they may also lead to longer term losses as well. For example, it may be short-sighted to impose import restraints on products that are key inputs into subsequent production activities, since this can have adverse effects on domestic producers that use these inputs. Indeed, protectionist policies of this type may have long-run adverse effects on the protected industr y, since potential customers may choose to locate abroad and, as a result, not be well-positioned to purchase the input from U. S.suppliers even after protection is no longer necessary. In addition, poorly designed protectionist efforts can trigger trade wars, as foreign governments retaliate to unjustifiable U. S. trade restraints. Indeed, the threat of spiraling beggar-thy-neighbor policies continues to be a key reason for supporting free trade, even in a world that offers strategic opportunities. Reference: â€Å"Detroit Battle: The Cost Gap,† New York Times, May 28, 1983, pp. 35, 37. Baldwin R. , U. S. Tariff Policy: Formation and Effects,† study prepared for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U. S.Department of Labor, June 1976. Benvignati A. , â€Å"The Commodity Composition of U. S. Intra-firm Exports,† FTC, unpublished, 1985. Drucker P. , â€Å"Where Union Flexibility's Now a Must,† Wall Street Journal, September 23, 1985, p. 30. Economic R eport of the President, U. S. Council of Economic Advisers. Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office, annual editions from 1972 to 1987. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Marston R. , â€Å"Assessing Japanese Competitiveness,† NBER Reporter, Winter 1986/ 1987, pp. 12-16. Maskus K. , The Changing Structure of Comparative Advantage in American Manufacturing, Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Research Press, 1981. McCulloch R. , â€Å"Research and Development as a Determinant of U. S. International Competitiveness,† Harvard Economic Research Discussion Paper 609, March 1978. Tarr D. , â€Å"Trade Deficits, Trade Policy and the Value of the Dollar,† paper for conference, Trade Policy: Free or Fair? , November 19, 1985.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Best Case Questions

It can point out significant matters of the financial statements but does not provide assurance of their accuracy. Because reviews are generally not as rigorous as audits, considerably less evidence is typically collected in a review than in a comparable audit engagement. The issue with ZZZZ Best case is that the auditors review was not sufficient enough to review any material misstatements on the financial statements. 3. SAS 106 (AU 326), Audit Evidence, specifically identifies the principal management assertions that underlie financial statements.The existence/occurrence assertion was particularly critical for ZZZZ Best’s insurance restoration contracts. ZZZZ Best’s auditors obtained third-party confirmations to support the contracts, reviewed available documentation, performed analytical procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of the revenues recorded on the contracts, and visited selected restoration sites. * What were the limitations of the evidence that these procedures provided with regard to the management assertion of existence/occurrence? 8 points) The limitations of the evidence that these procedures provided with regard to the management assertion of existence/occurrence was that Minkow insisted on Ernst Whinney to sign a standard confidentiality agreement where it stated that Ernst Whinney will not be able to make any follow-up telephone calls to any contractors, insurance companies, the building owner, or other individuals involved in the restoration contract. This restriction effectively prohibited the auditors from corroborating the insurance restoration contracts with independent third parties. 4. George Greenspan testified before Congress that one method he used to audit the insurance restoration contracts was to verify that his client actually received payment on those jobs. * How can such apparently reliable evidence lead an auditor to an improper conclusion? (6 points) In Greenspan’s situation, his apparently reliable evidence was not from independent third party.When Greenspan confirmed the existence of ZZZZ’s insurance restoration contracts, he contacted Tom Padgett who at the time was an active and willing participant in Minkow’s fraudulent schemes. 5. Re: Predecessor-successor auditors: * What is the purpose of predecessor-successor auditor communications? * Which party, the predecessor or successor auditor, has the responsibility for initiating these communications?The successor auditor should obtain information from the predecessor auditor that will assist the successor auditor in determining whether to accept the engagement. Matters subject to the inquiry should include information that might bear on the integrity of management, disagreements with management as to accounting principles, auditing procedures, or similarly significant manners, communications to those charged with governance regarding fraud and illegal acts by clients, communications to management and those charged with governance regarding signi?

Friday, September 27, 2019

Reflection of Commerce in Cadavers an Open Secret Essay

Reflection of Commerce in Cadavers an Open Secret - Essay Example The author finally concludes that the government has to clarify its role in the handling and management of activities involving human body parts, and that it is actually left with basically two choices: to redefine the laws that govern donation of body parts or to enforce strict standards and regulations governing the selling of body parts. The Structure of the Main Argument The argument is a deductive argument which is anchored on the claim that â€Å"an underground illegal market has developed largely because of inconsistent federal policies and practices† (Goodwin). This type of deductive argument is an example of Hypothetical Syllogism. The arguments or premises that support this conclusion are mainly examples of effects that are brought about by such inconsistencies in government policies regarding the handling and management of body parts. In standard form, it would look like this: P1: Inconsistent federal practices and policies give a chance for those engaged in the ill egal selling of body parts to conduct their businesses smoothly. ... r industry† is not substantiated by concrete evidence and may even be simply just a way to exaggerate the nature of this commercial exchange of body parts. Moreover, the statement â€Å"fees have come to resemble illegal payments† does not take into consideration that not all fees and not all institutions are involved in the use of illegal payments. The Article’s Use of Language The article is definitely value-laden as it is negatively biased against the government and its inefficiency in imposing its laws concerning the handling and management of human body parts. This is evident in the obvious distaste with which the author treats the government. In fact, the author uses a demeaning phrase pertaining to the fees that government laws unreasonably allow so that the illegal commercial selling of body parts would continue: â€Å"those fees have come to resemble illegal payments† (Goodwin). Moreover, the prejudice of the author against the government is also e vident in the phrases that express his accusations against them: â€Å"inconsistent federal policies and practices,† â€Å"poor oversight,† and â€Å"lax at best† to describe federal oversight (Goodwin). These are the unique characteristics of the language that the author uses to push the reader towards accepting his conclusions. Nevertheless, the language that the author uses is straightforward and not overly intellectual, and this is another reason why it appeals to the ordinary reader. The Article’s Strengths The article uses good and persuasive data to convince the readers of the inefficiency of government laws, although this information is not detailed perhaps to intentionally obscure the issue. The author has been stating unreasonable generalizations against the government since she mentions â€Å"inconsistent

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Scope of Policy, Issues and Contexts in AVE Essay

The Scope of Policy, Issues and Contexts in AVE - Essay Example We asked person who is responsible for project to find those information through community leaders and educate us. b. The major issues are Learning disability syndrome in the so called top management of an organization, because of its narrow vision and its adverse impact on other employees of the organization and CALD communities of an organization. c. The other major issues are how to handle depression among workers in an organization and to understand the learning abilities of exceptionally gifted people and translate that to a process for others in an organization. Training within Australia over the past 50-60 years has undergone some major alterations and changes to epistemological assumptions and educational paradigms. Prior to WWII a behaviouristic approach was taken to education (Eggan & Kauchak, 2001), whereby learners were perceived to be akin to sponges able to absorb information from a holder of knowledge or teacher. During and following WWII a more constructivist, cognitive and social constructivist educational approach (Eggan & Kauchak, 2001; Engestrm, 1994; P. Smith & Blake, 2006; P. Smith & Ragan, 2005) was adopted to provide learning in a more supportive environment. This new approach took into account the different learning styles of learners, acknowledged that learners bring different experiences and knowledge to training sessions, identified that learning can take place in a variety of situations and contexts, and that learning within social settings with real-life interactions and examples is more beneficial to learning than rote learning alone. This change in paradigms is no more evident than in the saying from Hoover (1996) that states "Constructivist teachers do not take the role of the "sage on the stage". Rather, teachers acts as "guides on the side" who provide students with opportunities to test the adequacy of their current understandings." Since the early 1990's there has also been significant emphasis on lifelong learning or education (Burns, 2002). Burns also states that the training emphasis has gone from educating young people for entry into the workforce to providing training and education continuously throughout a person's life as rapid changes in technology and the globalisation of economies forces people to change occupations several times during their working lives. Current issues that face governments (locally and internationally) and vocational and further education establishments are: - Skills shortages in some industries (Richardson, 2007) - The size and age of the workforce (Australia. Department of Education Science and Training, 2005; Burns, 2002) - The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) - Technological innovation and change (E. Smith &

Marketing International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing International Business - Essay Example often through relaxed postures with precision of a point which plays an important role in showing that the parties are familiar to what the topic is (A, 2003, 1017). Statuses in power for interacting persons are also critical in dealings as the country exhibits high levels of hierarchy. This therefore justifies the need for any investor intending to advance operations within any area to be well conversed with the cultural dimensions at play within the market. This paper therefore takes a critical analysis of the cultural aspects at play with the Vietnamese people along the lines of individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance (Blodgett, Bakir & Rose, 2008, 339-349; Migliore, 2011, 38-54). Societies across the globe hold different perceptions on individual equality and how power would be equally or unequally distributed among the people. The Vietnam people score relatively higher in acknowledging that there are variations in power proximity between the less powerful low class persons and the powerful high class citizens. According to Hofstede’s ranking, the Vietnamese natives score 70% in accepting that people hold different positions and that everyone has a distinct position within the society which may require no justification at all. There is also a lot in centralization within the country, a fact that explains the high managerial power that the seniors hold over the subordinates (Berrell, Wright & Tran, 1999, 578-582). The subordinates therefore have to wait for orders on what to do from their bosses hence they portray low levels of self drive. This has an adverse effect on the leadership problems as the structure fails to acknowledge any role that the subo rdinates would play in correcting the leaders whenever on the wrong (Clinton, 1998, 180-183; Hoang, 2008,  1-26). This implies that the UK based organization must appreciate that while working with Vietnam people, well-structured systems of power

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

What Should Eastern European Migrants in UK Do In Order To Be More Dissertation

What Should Eastern European Migrants in UK Do In Order To Be More Gainfully Employed - Dissertation Example 20 i. Factors that will make the Eastern European Migrant Workers become More Gainfully Employed in UK †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 21 III. Research Methodology †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 a. Primary Research Study Design †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 b. Quantitative Research Survey Questionnaire Design †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 23 c. Site Settings, Population and Sample Size †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 d. Methods of Quantitative Measurements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 24 e. Research Ethics †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 25 IV. Research Findings and Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 26 V. Conclusion and Recommendations...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 a. Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 b. Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 32 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 34 Appendixes †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦ 45 Appendix I – Research Survey Questionnaire †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.. 45 Appendix II – Summary of Research Survey Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦... 48 Tables and Figures †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 52 Table I – List of Qualifications According to Each Category †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 52 Table II – Out-of-Work Benefits...The ability to work and to live abroad made thousands of people leave their home and go to look for a better living in UK. Hull, like other cities in UK experienced rising number of immigrants coming from East and Central Europe. According to Department for Work & Pensions, the total number of immigrants coming to Hull between 2004 – 2008 from east and central European countries was 6.780. Even though news reports claim that the economic recession in UK has ended (Allen 2011), a lot of Eastern European Immigrant workers are still facing difficulties with employment in UK. To understand why the Eastern European Immigrant workers are still facing difficulties with employment in UK, this study aims to gather secondary research data in order to clarify what is going on in the UK economy today. In order to achieve the aims of this study, a research survey will be conducted in order to learn more about the specific hopes and needs of the Eastern European migrant workers in the UK.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Internalization of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internalization of Business - Essay Example Presently, the company employs 100 staff to deal with its manufacturing of products such as DVD players and MP3 players. Although the company is supplying products to the Japanese market, it has failed to expand its business over the last two years. A number of reasons are attributable to the company’s stunted growth including higher wages it has been paying and lack of research and development staff. Furthermore, the company is struggling to address highly competitive market environment in terms of technology development and innovation. Hence, it is necessary to critically analyse the present situation of the company and to anticipate the key trends for Elecdyne over the next five years. The 2008 global crisis and recession raised potential challenges to the global economy and it impeded the economic growth worldwide. Many economists are of the view that the global financial crisis 2008-09 is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in 1930s. As Soifer (2010) poi nts out, the crisis led to the collapse of a series of large financial institutions, the bailout of major banks by national governments, and downward movements in stock markets around the world (p.163). This crisis might have contributed to the growth decline of the Elecdyne. In modern days, market competition is very intense and therefore manufactures tend to design innovative models that would effectively dominate the market. Due to this stiff competition, customers get the extensive exposure to choose the best quality and affordable products. Since the Elecdyne lacks an effective R&D team, the company is really striving to develop innovative product models; and this worse condition keeps them away from the main stream of the international market. According to Despont (n.d), innovation and continued R&D is very important for an enterprise to survive the intense market competition because the modern customers always ask for the best products. However, it seems that the process of u rbanisation though networks and partnerships offer ranges of opportunities to organisations. It is observed that Elecdyne is currently near to sources of information and hence it can certainly become stronger by preparing itself to face international competition. Nowadays social networking sites such as facebook and Twitter have attained worldwide popularity and these social channels will enable the Elecdyne to understand customer tastes and specifications and thereby to maintain profitable market segments by realizing potential business territories. As Gourmelen (2004) points out, EU union expansion has created potential opportunities for organisations. In addition, Eastern European countries like Romania have cheaper salary margins as compared to UK .Hence, the Elecdyne can effectively offshore its manufacturing activities to such countries where favourable business conditions are prevailing. In addition, the company may obtain beneficial market environment in rapidly developing e conomies like India and China where the Elecdyne would get cheaper business inputs. The term STEEP is the acronym for Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Environmental, and Political Factors. While analysing the socio-cultural factors, it seems that the company possesses a range of potential challenges. To illustrate; Japan, the company’s home country, is one of the world’s most famous countries for its electronics industry. Therefore cheap and close substitutes to Elecdyne’

Monday, September 23, 2019

Planning and Reviewing a Unit of Work Assignment

Planning and Reviewing a Unit of Work - Assignment Example Perform Mathematical reasoning (Mean, Mode and Median) Illustrate your finding using suitable diagrams or graphs Explain why you have used them Write a short conclusion on your finding Could you have done anything better Are you happy with your findings This unit is expected to take about 6 lessons. Prior Learning Students should know: How to find the mean, mode and the median of non-grouped data How to find the range of a set data How to draw bar charts for discrete data (possible other charts e.g. scatter graphs, pies charts) Where The Unit fits in This unit is according to the "Key Stage 3 National strategy" and it is designed for students in year 8 (teaching was slightly modified to fit according to the class tutor wishes, the lessons plan were slightly reduce by using secondary data, however all methods were thoroughly discuss so that the students would meet the objectives now and in the future. Data Handling is first taught in primary school. In fact, my daughter who is in year 3 (1st year of junior school) has done a survey by counting different type of transport (cars, van, motorbike etc) at a traffic lights and drawing a bar chart using the data. In the key objectives for the Year 3 the DfEE (1999) (Framework p3) states that, "Solve a given problem by organizing and interpreting numerical data in simple lists, tables and graphs". In year 4 they are taught the vocabulary of data handling, such as survey, questionnaire, data, tally charts ..etc. They will also look at and create graphs like bar and pictogram - where the symbol represents several units - in details. This theme of work is then continued in year 5, 6 and onwards. Handling data The handling of data is... Data Handling is first taught in primary school. In fact, my daughter who is in year 3 (1st year of junior school) has done a survey by counting different type of transport (cars, van, motorbike etc) at a traffic lights and drawing a bar chart using the data. In the key objectives for the Year 3 the DfEE (1999) (Framework p3) states that, "Solve a given problem by organizing and interpreting numerical data in simple lists, tables and graphs". In year 4 they are taught the vocabulary of data handling, such as survey, questionnaire, data, tally charts ..etc. They will also look at and create graphs like bar and pictogram - where the symbol represents several units - in details. This theme of work is then continued in year 5, 6 and onwards. The handling of data is an established part of the National Curriculum at all key stages. It makes up a significant part of the curriculum and also a regular feature in the exams. Handling data also appears in the other cross-curricular subjects such as ICT, History and Geography and many more. According to the National Curriculum, students should be taught all four phases of the data

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Management and Hr Professional Working Essay Example for Free

Management and Hr Professional Working Essay Human Resources Profession Map The map was designed to assist HR Professionals in there career progression by describing the highest standards of professional competence that can be achieved. The Map is broken down in to three elements: Professional Areas Made up of 10 segments, these describe the areas within the HR discipline and what is required. The two core areas of the map. Strategies, Insights and Solutions This area defines that the HR person needs to have a deep understanding of the business activities, strategies and plans. The strategies created must focus on the needs of the customers and employees, and add value to the organisation. They must be aware of issues that could affect the strategy and come up with solutions to adapt it. Leading and Managing The Human Resources HR professionals need to be able to leads and manage a fit for purpose HR function, Ensuring that the function has the right capability, capacity, and organisation design, and that HR employees are fully engaged, work collaboratively to support each other, each understanding what their own role is and how it  contributes  to the overall organisation strategy. The organisation design professional ensures that the organisation is appropriately designed to deliver organisation objectives in the short and long-term and that structural change is effectively managed. Organisation Development is about ensuring the organisation has a committed, ‘fit for the future’ workforce needed to deliver its strategic ambition. It plays a vital part in ensuring that the organisation culture, values and environment support and enhance organisation performance and adaptability. Provides insight and leadership on development and execution of any capability, cultural and change activities. Resourcing and Talent Planning The HR professional working in this area ensures that the organisation is able to identify and attract key people with the capability to create competitive advantage and that it actively manages an appropriate balance of resource to meet changing needs, fulfilling the short and long-term ambitions of the organisation strategy. Learning and Talent Development HR professional working in this area ensures that people at all levels of the organisation possess and develop the skills, knowledge and experiences to fulfill the short and long-term ambitions of the organisation and that they are motivated to learn, grow and perform. Performance and reward HR professional working in this area builds a high-performance culture by delivering programmes that recognise and reward critical skills, capabilities, experience and performance, and ensures that reward systems are market-based, equitable and cost-effective. Employee engagement In the context of organisation objectives, the HR professional working in this area ensures that in all aspects of the employment experience – the emotional connection that all employees have with their work, colleagues and to their organisation (in particular line manager relationship) is positive and understood, and that it delivers greater discretionary effort in their work and the way they relate to their organisation. Employee relation Working in this area of HR ensures that the relationship between an organisation and its staff is managed appropriately within a clear and transparent framework underpinned by organisation practices and policies and ultimately by relevant employment law. Service delivery and information Ensures that the delivery of human resources service and information to leaders, managers and staff within the organisation is accurate, efficient, timely and cost effective and that humane resources data is managed professionally. The Eight Behaviours There are eight behaviours which describe how HR people should carry out their activities. 1 Curious 2 Decisive thinker 3 Skilled influencer 4 Driven to deliver 5 Collaborative 6 Personally credible 7 Courage to challenge 8 Role model

Friday, September 20, 2019

How Horror Movies Have Changed Film Studies Essay

How Horror Movies Have Changed Film Studies Essay Horror as a whole has been around for many years. Writers have unfolded tales of fear and fright in novels. Directors bring terror to life on the big screen. People have enjoyed being scared time and time again. But why do they like this? How has Horror become such a successful genre? Chilling stories were the humble beginnings of horror. In ancient times, the Greeks shared tales of hideous beasts with three heads, or powerful monsters that could turn a person to stone with a mere glance. Egyptian hieroglyphics told of a great beyond in which evil spirits, demons, and otherworldly beings dwelled. The Chinese worshiped and venerated their ghostly ancestors who would haunt them if they did otherwise. Every civilization had their share of myth and mystery, real or not. Horror novels originally come from a traditional Gothic writing style. The first mention of horror in literature comes from Horace Walpoles book The Castle of Otranto in 1764. Inspired by writers such as Ann Radcliffe and Matthew Gregory Lewis, Mary Shelley wrote the first rendition of Frankenstein in 1818. The nineteenth century in particular exploded with horrific literature writers, including Bram Stoker with the famous daunting tale of Dracula. Other well-known authors were Edgar Allen Poe, Wilkie Collins, and H. G. Wells. The first horror movies appeared on-screen in the 1920s. Credited as the first movie ever made, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was silent, dark and surreal, the specialty of the Grand Guignol Theater Company. The first monster movie, The Golem was released in 1920, which set the stage for the first vampire to appear on-screen in 1922. Though Nosferatu was the unauthorized German reproduction of Bram Stokers novel Dracula, it was nonetheless successful for the first film featuring these inhuman bloodsuckers. During the Depression of the thirties, people wanted something to keep them occupied and entertained. More people flocked to theaters and cinemas than ever before; 65% of the U.S. population saw films each week. Another reason for horrors sudden popularity was the invention of talkies, or movies with audio. Audiences now had soundtracks to keep them at the edge of their seats. Superb actors left guidelines for horror films for years to come. The thirties were one of the most successful eras in horror movie history. ((Karina Wilson, 2011)) The thirties were also explosions of the classic Universal monster movies. The franchise began with Dracula in 1931; although true to the original novel, the actor starring as Dracula never wore fangs! The same year, the original Frankenstein premiered. The next to appear was The Mummy in 1932. Finally in 1935 Werewolf of London came to the big screen; the actor, Henry Hull, also made alterations to his costume, using less fur and make-up that would otherwise cover his face entirely. The saga of these characters would continue until 1948, with Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which was the last nail in the coffin for the golden days of Universal monsters. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 1, 26, 27, 53, 54, 126)) In the forties, American citizens wanted anything to get their mind off of war. They wanted good, quality movies which the Horror genre was all too happy to make. Lon Chaney Jr. was now the man in the yak hair suit starring as his most famous role the Wolf Man. All of Americas fan favorites grouped together in numerous movies, such as House of Dracula and the many Abbot and Costello Humor Horrors. After the craze died down, zombies, gigantic apes and ghosts took their place. ((Karina Wilson, 2011)) Atomic mutations were the craze of the fifties. Radiation exposure, mutations and gigantic beasts could be seen in just about every movie created during this time. Titles such as Godzilla, Them, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and Attack of the Crab Monsters appeared in every drive-in and were huge hits. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 202-207)) Then came what is now called the worst film ever made. Plan 9 from Outer Space was a horrid mash-up of mutants, zombie slaves, and alien vampire overlords. Though this did not mar the fifties in horror history, it is still a prime example of how not to make a movie. ((Karina Wilson, 2011)) In 1959 Jack the Ripper began an era for serial killers and slasher horror. The most well-known horror film director Alfred Hitchcock makes a name for himself with his film Psycho during this time. Hundreds of directors have attempted to copy this brilliantly terrifying film, but none can match it. Also made by Hitchcock in 1963 was The Birds. During the same year, the first splatter film Blood Feast was released. This was the first of many to have seemingly endless gore for no apparent reason. All of these films have one thing in common: They were created on low budgets. This was common in most sixties films, but nearly all of them were huge hits. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 290, 293)) ((Karina Wilson, 2011)) Seventies horror had audiences with nightmares for weeks. From Piranha to The Legacy, there was almost no humor in these movies. The Exorcist in 1973 set a gold standard in Horror and was voted the scariest movie of all time in October of 1999. People are said to have passed out in audiences watching this film. Not only were there possessed demonic children, but cannibals as well. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre made in 1974 barely showed the audience any gore, but mixed with a chilling soundtrack and terrifying characters, the viewers imagination filled in the gaps. Psycho-killers were re-defined entirely because of the seventies. The eighties were as terrifying as the decade before, with chainsaws, cannibals, and even more deranged predators prowling the night. The horror franchise skyrocketed with Friday the 13th, having eleven sequels to this brutal splatter film. A Nightmare on Elm Street wasnt much better, as audiences feigned sleep entirely because Freddy might get them. However, as proven by popularity, people couldnt get enough of horror. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 226)) The beginning of the nineties was when horror directors truly saw how de-sensitized the common person was. Those horror films of the past merely made them laugh. They needed something new, something that hit closer to home. The serial killer is a big part of nineties horror, such as in Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. Also coming into play were space monsters, aliens bent on destroying or taking over and then destroying all mankind. Unlike the fifties, these aliens looked real, had real motives, and were genuinely scary. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 258, 259)) ((Karina Wilson, 2011)) In 2000, the sequel to Final Destination was produced, marking the beginning of a chain of movies that hit the modern American harder than Saw ever did. These were events although typically never to happen on a normal day that could in fact happen at any given time. ((www.horrorfilmhistory.com/index.php?pageID=2000s )) Nowhere seemed like a safe place anymore, especially when viruses and zombie apocalypses were taken into account; 28 Days Later is a prime example of this. An on-going series that also goes along with this idea is The Walking Dead, first aired in 2010. ((Monsters in the Movies, 2011, pg. 227, 307)) Old horror films were scary in their time because the general public had never been exposed to movies that targeted fear before. They are not as impacting to us today because they were made to frighten audiences in that time period, who were not as de-sensitized as the modern human being. What a person was afraid of in the 1920s is certainly not the same as what we fear. ((Richard Sine, WebMD)) Newer horror movies are made for those who enjoy being scared. If a person intends to see the newest slasher film at a theater, theyve obviously been exposed to those elements before. Directors of these films assume that their audiences like the thrill of being terrified. A killing spree in a movie might seem harsh, but you may get little to no response from a seasoned audience. ((Richard Sine, WebMD)) Over the years the definition of horror may have been altered and re-defined, but as always the general public is satisfied. As long as there is fear, there is a director willing to put that fear into the next box office hit. Horror films have been cherished for years, and will continue on for decades to come. Who knows what the newest advertisement or feature presentation will bring? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™

Thursday, September 19, 2019

How Alcohol Prohibition Was Ended :: essays research papers

You saved the very foundation of our Government. No man can tell where we would have gone, or to what we would have fallen, had not this repeal been brought about. -Letter to the VCL, 1933 This is a story about a small, remarkable group of lawyers who took it upon themselves, as a self- appointed committee, to propel a revolution in a drug policy: the repeal of the 18th Amendment. In 1927, nine prominent New York lawyers associated themselves under the intentionally-bland name, "Voluntary Committee of Lawyers," declaring as their purpose " to preserve the spirit of the Constitution of the United States [by] bring[ing] about the repeal of the so-called Volstead Act and the Eighteenth Ammendment." With the modest platform they thus commanded, reinforced by their significant stature in the legal community, they undertook first to draft and promote repeal resolutions for local and state bar asssociations. Their success culminated with the American Bar Association calling for repeal in 1928, after scores of city and state bar associations in all regions of the country had spoken unambiguously, in words and ideas cultivated, shaped, and sharpened by the VCL. As it turned out, this successwas but prelude to their stunnung achievement several years later. Due in large to the VCL"s extraordinary work, the 18tg Amendment was, in less than a year, surgically struck from the Constitution. Repeal was a reality. The patient was well. People could drink. Here is how it happened. Climaxing decades of gathering hostility towards salloons and moral outrage over the general degeneracy said to be flowing from bottles and kegs, the Cocstitution of the United States had been amended, effective 1920, to progibit the manufacture and sale of "intoxicating liquors." the Volstead Act, the federal statute implementing the prohibitionamindmint, progibited commerce in beer as well. At first prohibition was popular among those who had suppored it, and tolerated by the others. But before long, unmistakable grumbling was heard in the cities. To meet the uninterrupted demand for alcohol, there sprang up bathtub ginworks and basement stills, tight and discrete illegal supply networks, and speakeasies: secret, illegal bars remembered chiefly today as where, for the first time, women were seen smoking in public. Commerse in alcohol plunged underground, and soon fell under the control of thugs and gangsters, whose organizations often acquired their merchandise legally in Canada. Violence aften settled commercial differences- necessarily, it might be said, as suppliers and distributors were denied the services of lawyers, insurance companies, and the civil courts. On the local level, widesspread disobedience of the progibition laws by otherwise law-abiding citizens produced numerous arrests. Courts were badly clogged, in large part because nearly all defendents demanded jury trials, confident that a jury of

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Organizational Structures Essay -- Organizational Development, McShane

Introduction McShane and Von Glinow state that â€Å"the best organizational structure depends on the organization’s external environment, size, technology, and strategy† (409). To identify the best organizational structure for Protegà © Engineering, I will first determine what ‘Organizational Structure’ means. In a second step I will analyze its elements and carve out the important components for the considered organization. Finally I will provide a conclusion and recommendation. Organizational Structures In general, organizational structure is related to the way that an organization organizes employees and jobs, so that its work can be performed and its goals can be met. McShane and Von Glinow define ‘Organizational Structure’ in more detail; they state that organizational structure â€Å"refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, workflow, and formal power that direct organizational activities† (386). To understand what this means we will have a look at each component. The division of labor is related to the â€Å"subdivision of work into separate jobs assigned to different people† (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The patterns of coordination refer to the coordinating of work activities between the employees where they divide work among themselves. This process requires coordinating mechanism to ensure the workflow, which means that everyone works in concert (McShane and Von Glinow 386). The primary means of coordination are informal communication which involves â€Å"sharing information on mutual tasks and forming common mental models to synchronize work activities†, Formal hierarchy which refers to the â€Å"assigning legitimate power to individuals, who then use this power to direct work pro... ...ble when the merging organizations operate in different industries or countries because cultures differ between industries and countries (McShane and Von Glinow 428). Conclusion and recommendation The integration process of merging companies is a combination of the existing cultures into a new culture that maintains the best features of the previous cultures, and it is most likely to succeed when existing cultures already need improvement so that employees are motivated to accept change. This strategy is particularly challenging when the members of the organization are satisfied with their previous culture because they will be resistant to change. Another very important factor for the success of mergers is the level of commitments made by the employees. Therefore, employees should be brought into the process as early as possible (Badrtalei and Bates 314).

The Ming Dynasty Essay -- Chinese Empire China History Essays

The Ming Dynasty The Chinese Empire was large and controlled most of Asia at one point in time. One of the dynasties that ruled the empire was the Ming Family. Ruling from 1368-1644, almost three hundred years, the Ming Dynasty impacted Chinese history very much. The purpose of this paper is to tell the history of the Ming Dynasty’s impact on the Chinese Empire, and to explain why the Chinese Empire was in fact an empire. The Ming Dynasty had created an empire. They had the government, the military, and the economic system to prove it. At different points in time, The Chinese Empire was the greatest in the world, for trade, military, and other key factors in a society. The main reason for the creation of the Ming Dynasty was the collapse of the Yuan dynasty. The word Ming means â€Å"brilliant† and â€Å"bright.† The creator and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Chu Yuan-chang, who later changed his name to suit him and his new government. Chu Yuan-chang was the youngest of the Yuan dynasty and due to the collapse of the dynasty; Chu never got to rule, and was left as a peasant. So after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Chu created the Ming dynasty. Chu’s new name, Hongwu, was made to describe the new government that he wanted to create. The name Hongwu means, Vast Military and it reflects the increased prestige of the military during his reign. Due to the fact that Hongwu was a peasant before his reign, he established rules and laws that applied only to those who were peasants. The laws sort of boosted their lives; he kept the land tax low, and the granaries stocked to guard against famine. During his reign he also attempted and succeeded in building up the class of those of the peasant and working class. Hongwu’s new government did not cause any change for those in other social classes. Hongwu’s reign affected the government of China greatly. In Hongwu’s government, he felt that â€Å"Principle was the diffusion of the imperial government.†(www.travelchinaguide.com). So in order to correct the situation of the government, he tried to strengthen rule into absolute rule by emperor. One of the single most important innovations that Hongwu made to the Chinese government was the abolishment of the Chief Minister. By eliminating the Chief Minister, Hongwu essentially took over the administration. In a way he was proclaiming absolute... ...lmost all of Asia, and is the largest empire that Asia has seen. If the Chinese Empire is not considered a true empire, then I will ask you this: Why has the Chinese Empire been called one of the most powerful empires of its time? Author Unknown. Empires Past: China: Ming Dynasty. 9 Dec. 2004 http://library.thinkquest.org/16325/c-min.html . Author Unknown. Ming China, 1368-1644. 9 Dec. 2004 http://www.stockton.edu/~gilmorew/consorti/2feasia.htm . Author Unknown. Ming China(1368-16440). 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/ming.htm . Davis, Richard L. Ming Dynasty. 9 Dec. 2004 http://www.virtualology.com.virtualmuesamofnatuarlhistory/hallofanthropology/china/themingdynasty.com/ . Hall, John Whitney and Rene Grousset. â€Å"The Establishment of the Ming Dynasty.† 1300’s Headlines in History. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc., 2001. 241-261 â€Å"Ming Dynasty(1368-16440† World Eras. Imperial China. Volume 7, 2003 Richard Hooker. Ming China. â€Å"The Decline of the Ming.† 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.wsu.edu:800/~dee/MING/DECLINE.htm . Richard Hooker. Ming China. â€Å"Ming China.† 8 Dec. 2004 http://www.wsu.edu:800/~dee/MING/MING.htm .

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Bilingual Acquisition

Through various observations and experiences that the public witnessed regarding bilingualism and learning second languages, the people have formed particular beliefs, opinions, and ideologies about language and communication, as well as the nature or characteristics of second language learners and the learning environments they are subjected into.These beliefs, opinions, and ideologies, even generalizations are extremely significant in shaping the structure or framework of education in terms of bilingualism and second language learning considering the situations of the learners because they provide the academic community with significant information that will help professionals in making well-informed decisions regarding the matter at hand. For instance, people may communicate their thoughts about various teaching strategies that efficiently provide learning opportunities for second language learners that were designed to accomplish the goals and objectives of bilingual education.So metimes, the involvement of the public to academic affairs helps in fostering collaborative relationships that further improves the landscape of education. With this in mind, one of the most important issues regarding bilingual education shall be discussed in the remainder of this text, determining how second language learners learn best and identifying how the issue shall be settled for the adaptation of academic institutions under the context of bilingual education.This particular issue challenges the framework of bilingual education because it criticizes how pedagogical processes designed for second language learners facilitate the transfer of knowledge efficiently and appropriately meeting established goals and objectives of bilingualism. Apparently, there had been much debate on the risks, difficulties, and challenges involved during the process of bilingual acquisition due to the perceived results or outcomes from the learning process that do not meet standards, guidelines, go als, and objectives of bilingual education.For critiques of bilingual acquisition, learning two languages at the same time influences what and how second language learners will learn, particularly grammatical structures and functions. They postulate that there will be learning delays if the pedagogical processes implemented for bilingual education is compared with those applied for monolingual education.Although critiques have developed an acceptable position that transforms how bilingual education and acquisition is viewed, I believe that thorough investigation on the matter supported by various research studies will support how bilingual education is made efficient by implementing pedagogical processes based on bilingual acquisition. This discourse shall focus on disproving the aforementioned claim about bilingual acquisition and look to support arguments through a series of discussions gained from various reputable and valid sources.Going over these issues thoroughly and comprehe nsively is extremely important because understanding how learners will be able to learn through bilingual acquisition matches the landscape of society at present time. GLOBALIZATION AND BILINGUAL EDUCATION I believe that bilingualism is rooted on globalization which initiates worldwide interaction between people from different nations. Globalization facilitates the growth and development of economies, cooperation and sharing between governments and politics, unity among cultures, and so on. However, one of the challenges faced by globalization is communication.For this reason, there had been an impending need in the past to look for means by which interaction among nations was to be facilitated by discovering communication strategies and techniques. Under these pretexts, bilingual education was developed and its foundation fortified in order to cultivate the aims and objectives of globalization. (Sonntag, 2003) For these reasons, tackling issues that either shape or debunk bilingual education is severely important because its results or outcomes instantly affect the situations that society will consequently experience.By realizing the advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses, nature and features of bilingual education society will become aware of its importance in developing the landscape of our world based on the demands and concerns of our society at present time. We shall be able to make valuable decisions on how we are to develop and improve education, particularly bilingual education, in order for people to obtain comprehensive and essential knowledge and skills to become productive and indispensable members of society. ANSWERING CHALLENGES TO BILINGUAL ACQUISITIONThe primary critique towards bilingual acquisition constitutes tendencies that impede learning and education rather than foster it in children. The critique hypothesis has something to do with how the process of simultaneously learning two languages might affect how learners will u nderstand and apply grammatical rules and structures during communication. This concern was focused on the possibility that learners might confuse the grammatical structure of one language with the grammatical structure of another developing inefficient and erroneous language use and communication.However, several research studies have proved that this argument or hypothesis is not true. Two research studies which were conducted to determine how early exposure to the target language of learning influences learning development and capabilities. These two studies revealed that early exposure to the target language does indeed strengthen the foundations of language learning and is more likely to exhibit positive results or outcomes. The first study conducted by Newport (1990) focused on proving the influence of maturational constraints in learning the American Sign Language or ASL.The second study by Mayberry, Lock, and Kazmi (2002) was centered on comparing the task performances betwe en learners who had no early experiences of the target signed and spoken languages and those who experienced learning situations for the purpose of obtaining knowledge and skills on the target signed and spoken languages. Both studies have revealed that exposure to the target language, whether it be signed or spoken, is more likely to contribute to advanced development of linguistic capabilities later in life despite differences on the level of maturity exhibited by children as compared to adults.This particular conclusions prove how exposing children with the target language early on is important in helping build a strong foundation for linguistic learning and capabilities that shall materialize until adulthood. Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) talked about how the competencies and capabilities of children are often undermined. What some people fail to realize, especially critiques of bilingual acquisition in children, is how this specific population as young as they are, are ab le to exhibit linguistic competence that is comparable to the knowledge and skills obtained by adults.By obtaining evidences from the poverty of stimulus argument and facts gained from psycholinguistic investigations on the language and communication skills of children, Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) proved that children are similarly capable of achieving competence in linguistics in the same way that adults do. In this particular study, children were described to be capable of looking beyond their experiences and determine the differences between languages used in various settings and situations.Moreover, the language input that children obtain from learning serve as guides for them in order to distinguish between their native language and the target language even if the nature of the input does not match their previous experiences. This means that children are naturally capable of learning second languages by looking beyond their previous experiences and native language, and distinguishing the second language through symbolisms and interpretations.In previous discussions, the innate learning capabilities of children were explored in order to emphasize how children are able to learn two languages efficiently despite differences in language or grammar structures between the learner’s native language and the target language. This argument was supported by research studies conducted by Newport (1990), Mayberry, Lock, & Kazmi (2002), and Caruthers, Laurence, & Stich (2005) which support the hypothesis that there is no learning gaps between children and adults.Exposure to the target language at an early age does in fact establish continuity to a child’s learning competence towards adulthood. This particular idea dismisses the previous argument stated to critique bilingual acquisition which states that simultaneous language learning will cause developmental delays in language, because the process results to the opposite. Studies have confirmed th at early exposure leads to impressive competence on language in later life.Supporting these arguments were the claims revealed about the innate characteristics of children who are able to perceive different languages despite their previous experiences from their native language. Children have been said to be naturally perceptive who can distinguish the differences between various languages simply because they do not relate their earlier experiences and their native language with a second or foreign language.This particular finding also dismisses the arguments presented against bilingual acquisition that relates the simultaneous learning of second languages to confusion regarding grammar usage or conflicts between the native language and the target language which leads to poor communication among children who were believed to be incapable of distinguishing grammatical and structural differences among various languages. In Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) discussions on bilingualism and language acquisition, they dismiss assumptions on the child’s innate capabilities as determinants of bilingual competence.For Ng & Wigglesworth (2007), bilingual competence exhibited by children is influenced by external factors independent of the child. Therefore, assumptions that children may not be able to handle second language learning because of their inability to distinguish between grammatical forms and structures exhibited by two different languages are incoherent simply because it was based on a limited construct which does not consider all the factors and aspects involved in the process.According to Ng & Wigglesworth (2007), the efficiency and frequency of interaction influences how language, particularly a second language, is acquired or learned. This means that although learning is generally known to be influenced by personality, self-motivation, and innate characteristics, the quality of instruction or interaction and the frequency by which instruction or in teraction take place affects the bilingual competence of children.Therefore, if some people argue that bilingual acquisition might not be the best strategies in the transfer of language and communication skills, we say, based on Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) illustrations that the feared or perceived outcomes of bilingual acquisition – that is, conflicts on grammatical forms and structures between the first and the second language – may be prevented by focusing on developing a strong foundation that shall stand by bilingual education. This means that the success of learning and bilingual acquisition is dependent therefore on how language is taught and learned.Pressly & McCormick’s (2006) discussions on bilingualism and cognitive development support Ng & Wigglesworth’s (2007) arguments. For Pressly & McCormick (2006), enhancing the bilingual or linguistic competencies of second language learners is dependent on the methods of instruction. Moreover, in several studies comparing bilingual and monolingual students, it has been found out that the awareness of bilingual students that they obtained from their exposure to two different languages contributed to their cognitive development, and thus, helped in letting them differentiate grammatical structures between both languages.CONCLUSION From previous discussions, we have found out that perceptions regarding flaws of bilingual acquisition are annullable. This is because evidences from research studies have pointed out that the innate capabilities of children, the external factors that contribute to bilingual acquisition, and the comparison between bilingual and monolingual learners, prove that children should not be undermined by supposing they will not be able to handle the process of acquiring two languages simultaneously.These findings imply that academic institutions should focus on strengthening the quality of bilingual education in order to further the cognitive growth and deve lopment of bilingual learners. Further research studies should focus on how bilingual education is to be transformed in order to meet high standards and guidelines of second language learning and linguistic competence that are not only precursors to personal growth and development and nation-building through productiveness, but also in meeting the demands of a globalized and multicultural society that relies so much on communication and interaction.ReferencesCaruthers, P. , Laurence, S. , & Stich, S. P. (2005). The Innate Mind: Structure and Contents. United States: Oxford University Press. Damon, W. , et. al. (2006). Handbook of Child Psychology, 6th Ed. John Wiley and Sons. Mayberry, R. I. , Lock, E. , & Kazmi, H. (2002). Linguistic Ability and Early Language Exposure. Nature, Vol. 417, p. 38. Macmillan Magazines Ltd. Ng, B. C. & Wigglesworth, G. (2007). Bilingualism.An Advanced Resource Book. Oxford, UK: Routledge. Pressly, M. & McCormick, C. (2006). Child and Adolescent Developm ent for Educators. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Newport, S. K. (1990). Maturational Constraints on Language Learning. Cognitive Science 14, 11-28. Rochester, New York: University of Rochester. Sonntag, S. K. (2003). The Local Politics of Global English: Case Studies in Linguistic Globalization. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Consequences Of Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

The job of clime alteration affects the full universe and this is one of the major planetary jobs. The impacts of clime alteration are diverse and could be damaging to one million millions of people across the universe, peculiarly those in developing states, who are the most vulnerable. Many of the effects of clime alteration will hold negative economic effects. The figure of terrible conditions events, for illustration, is likely to increase and escalate as a consequence of clime alteration, which could ensue in one million millions of dollars in economic harm yearly. Climate alteration refers to an addition in mean planetary temperatures. Natural events and human activities are believed to be lending to an addition in mean planetary temperatures. This is caused chiefly by the addition of â€Å" nursery † gases such as Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) . The rise of planetary temperatures have been accompanied by alterations in conditions and clime. We can see many negative effects of c lime alteration such as oceans warming and going more acidic, ice caps runing and sea degrees lifting. Recently, human activities have released big sums of C dioxide and other nursery gases into the ambiance. The nursery gases effects come from the combustion of fossil fuels to bring forth energy. Furthermore, deforestation, industrial procedures and some agricultural patterns besides emit gases into the ambiance which contributes a batch of negative effects to our nature. Harmonizing to the US bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) ( 2010 ) , there are seven indexs which show an addition in a heating universe which are troposphere temperature, humidness, temperature over oceans, sea surface temperature, sea degrees, ocean heat content and temperature over land. In contrary, there are three indexs that result in the decreasing of temperature which are sea ice, glaciers and snow screen. Climate alteration contributes a batch of negative effects because o f the addition in planetary temperature which leads to the thaw of ice, effects on agribusiness and alterations in conditions forms. First of wholly, the effects of planetary heating and clime alteration can be black. In fact, world have already witnessed and keeps witnessing negative effects of planetary heating. Climate alteration occurs due to increase of planetary temperature. Global heating caused by air pollution is increasing the sum of C gases, besides known as nursery gases in the Earth ‘s ambiance. The termA greenhouseA is used in concurrence with the phenomenon known as the nursery consequence. Energy from the Sun drives the Earth ‘s conditions and clime, and heats the Earth ‘s surface. In bend, the Earth radiates energy back into infinite. These gases are hence known as nursery gases. The nursery consequence is the rise in temperature on Earth as certain gases in the ambiance trap energy. Greenhouse gases act like a cover around Earth, pin downing energy in the ambiance and doing it to warm up. This phenomenon is called the nursery consequence and is natural and necessary to back up l ife on Earth. However, the physique up of nursery gases can alter Earth ‘s clime and consequence in unsafe effects to human wellness and public assistance and to ecosystems. Harmonizing to Anup Shah ( 2012 ) , six chief nursery gases are carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) , methane ( CH4 ) ( which is 20 times as potent a nursery gas as C dioxide ) and azotic oxide ( N2O ) , plus three fluorinated industrial gases: hydro fluorocarbons ( HFCs ) , per fluorocarbons ( PFCs ) and sulphur hexafluoride ( SF6 ) . Water vapor is besides considered a nursery gas. Greenhouse effects besides have positive effects because without them, heat would get away back into infinite and the Earth ‘s mean temperature would be a batch colder. However, if the nursery consequence becomes stronger, so Earth might no longer be suited for worlds, animate beings and workss to populate in. Human activity has caused an instability in the natural rhythm of the nursery consequence and related procedures. As a conseq uence, the ice caps start to run and increase the sea degree might finally submerge some little islands and gnaw the surface of the mainland. The addition in planetary temperatures leads to the thaw of the snow screen and glaciers in mountains and both poles. If the glaciers melt, the sea degrees will besides lift. Initially, the rise in sea degree would increase merely by an inch or two. But even a modest rise in sea degrees could do deluging jobs for the houses, workss and edifices that are situated in the low-lying countries. There has been much concern about the possibility that planetary heating will do the polar ice caps to run and deluge many coastal metropoliss. In short, if both polar ice caps melted, sea degree would so raise plenty to deluge many coastal countries and alter the universe ‘s coastlines. Furthermore, climate alteration gives a batch of negative effects on agribusiness. The high temperature of the Earth causes the fertile lands to go wastes and unsuitable for agricultural activities. Harmonizing to NOAA ( 2010 ) , climate alteration affects agribusiness on dirt procedures, harvests and grasslands and farm animal. First, effects on dirt procedure. The possible for dirts to back up agribusiness and distribution of land usage will be influenced by alterations in dirt H2O balance. It will increase in soil H2O shortages, for illustration dry soils become even drier. The increased demand for irrigation could better dirt workability in wetting agent parts and diminish poaching and eroding hazard. Second, effects on harvests. The effects of increased temperature and CO2 degrees on arable harvests are more susceptible to altering conditions and field veggies will be peculiarly affected by temperature alterations and H2O shortages will straight impact fruit and vegetable produc tion. Last, there are effects on the grasslands and unrecorded stock. Poultry and unrecorded stock could be exposed to higher incidences of heat emphasis therefore act uponing productiveness. It will increase in disease transmittal by faster growing rates of pathogens in the environment. Therefore, we have to unify in happening positive solutions for these immediate jobs. On the other manus, extreme conditions forms may go more common. The rise of mean temperature produce a variable clime alteration. There are many critical effects of utmost conditions forms such as windstorms, heat moving ridges or drouths, storms with utmost rain or snow and dust storms. Harmonizing to George E. Mash ( 2000 ) , utmost conditions caused by C dioxide ( CO2 ) from autos, industries and power workss, trap heat near the Earth ‘s surface. More heat means more energy. Adding so much energy to the ambiance creates the potency for more extremes. Washington occupants experienced conditions extremes in the autumn of 2006. First, record rains churned up rivers and caused landslides and inundations around Western Washington. Then, as the H2O began to unclutter, a record cold with ice and snowfall paralytic parts of the west side of the province. That was closely followed by record gale force air currents, 14 deceases, extended belongings harm, and yearss of power outages f or 1 million places and concerns in Washington. Climatologists say utmost conditions events will go more common as our clime heats up. In add-on, drouths can impact us on less summer H2O for farms, metropoliss and woods. Worlds, animate beings and workss can non populate with limited H2O supplies. In that instance, we will hunger for H2O if the drouths maintain go oning. Besides, irrigation will be less due to earlier high river flows and diminishing dirt wet. Furthermore, less H2O for metropolis municipal H2O beginnings will impact industries, concerns and householders. With a 3.6 grade heating, drouths will happen more often. To forestall from non holding adequate H2O supplies, we must take safeguard stairss to forestall it from happens. Conservation patterns can assist cut down demand for H2O. Municipalities and irrigation territories need to seek new storage countries to flush out the flow and demand for H2O. If inundations become more utmost and frequently occur, warmer tempera tures result in more winter precipitation falling as rain instead than snow throughout much of the Pacific Northwest. This alteration will ensue in higher winter watercourse flows with more inundations, less winter snow accretion and earlier spring snowmelt. In contrast to more rain when we do n't necessitate it, there will be less H2O when we do necessitate it. Significant decreases in summer watercourse flow will adversely impact husbandmans who rely on irrigation, occupant and summertime hydropower production. These alterations are likely to increase bing struggles among viing H2O users, made worse by a regional population addition. In decision, we must united and collaborate with each other in order to salvage our female parent nature from the addition in planetary temperature and changing of conditions forms that are progressively widespread. We must take safeguards in order to protect our Earth from utmost clime alteration. There are assorted effects due to climate alteration such as the snow runing in the Arctic is increasing, lifting sea degrees, shriveling land size, natural catastrophes such as inundations, drouths and forest fires and increasing wellness job and affects on cosmopolitan life affect the end product of agricultural merchandises. Therefore, we must take safeguards in order to forestall clime alteration. Among the steps that should be implemented to turn to clime alteration is holding an consciousness run on environmental attention. In add-on, the usage of eco-friendly energy beginnings should be given precedence. Education about the environment should be emphasized in school and environmenta l instruction is besides of import to the older coevals is implemented as a few of them are merely concerned with wealth and net income entirely. Furthermore, information about the effects caused by clime alteration and the impact of environmental pollution should be widely disseminated in assorted ways. The governments should make research diligently on how to cut down planetary heating. Reforestation and recycling plans besides must be done instantly. We must cut down C monoxide emanations by cut downing the usage of private vehicles. By taking a assortment of safeguards, our Earth will be safe from the menace of clime alteration.