Tuesday, November 26, 2019

famine essays

famine essays In this article, Peter Singer considers the question of whether it is morally ok for affluent people to spend their money on luxuries for themselves while less fortunate people are starving. For demonstrating his point of view, he used the state of East Bengal, where many people were suffering from constant poverty, a cyclone, and a civil war. He believed that the decisions and actions of human beings can prevent this incident. With his example, Bengal incident, he throws a considerable argument. Which is the reactions from the people in rich nation towards the Bengal incident can not be justified. To begin his argument he makes some assumptions. First, suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad. Second, if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it. However, the principal is being deceptive because it takes no account of proximity or distance. Meaning that there is no moral difference whether the person I am capable of helping is someone, I knew for long time, ten yards away from me, or someone, I never met, thousand miles away from me. And, the principle makes no distinction between cases in which I am the only person who could possibly do anything and cases in which I am just one amound millions in the same position. By using this statement, he also says that this could be the reason why people in rich nation would not give their supports to Bengal, in other words, if a person is physically near to us, it makes it more likely that we shall help him, but, yet it is still not justified because even if the people in rich nation is far away from Bengal, they still can help the people in Bengal by using instant communications and swift transportation. No possible justification is given to the discriminating on geographical grounds. ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English

10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English 10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English 10 Best Mobile Apps to Learn English By Ali Hale If you’re learning English as a second language, you might want some extra help and support beyond your regular lessons. Alternatively, you might decide to dispense with lessons altogether and learn from websites or apps. There are loads of great apps out there, whether you want an entire course of tuition or simply a bit of help. Some are free (and all will at least have a free trial), so do try out a few different ones: they all take slightly different approaches, and some are great for specific styles or learning or for different needs. These are ten of the best, ordered alphabetically: #1: Babbel (Android and iOS) Babbel offers bite-sized English lessons, which are connected to one another and work progressively to build up your knowledge. The lessons are engaging and aimed at beginner to intermediate students. Cost: Varies, but if you want to pay monthly, it’s $12.95/month. Pros: Great way to learn the basics, without spending a huge amount of time. Works by getting you to match words to the appropriate images, and will repeat words the next day if you make a mistake (or immediately if you make a mistake more than once). Has lots of conversational language that you’re likely to use in real-life situations. Cons: A bit more expensive than many other alternatives. Free trial is restricted to just one lesson, which you may not feel is enough to get a good sense of whether you’ll get on well with the app or not. #2: Beelinguapp (Android and iOS) This app is designed to help you to read English texts (and to some degree to help you with listening to spoken English). It takes an innovative approach, compared with most other language-learning apps: it shows books and other texts in your native language plus English, side by side, and reads out the English for you too. Cost: Free, but you’ll need to pay for access to many of the longer texts. (You can pay about $1 per text, or $1.99 for monthly membership, or $24.99 to remove all ads and unlock all current and future texts.) Pros:   The audio recordings are from native speakers: they’re not machine-generated. If you want to improve your pronunciation, this is a great and fun way to do so. The texts include novels, but also fairy tales, news stories, and science papers. If you’re studying English literature or other texts, this app could help you feel more confident reading in English. You might even find it helpful if you’re learning to translate from your native language into English, or vice versa. Cons: Pricing plans are a little complex, and it might be tricky to work out the best deal. Focuses on reading comprehension; you may want to pair this with another app to help you with speaking English. #3: BBC Learning English (Android and iOS) The BBC Learning English app simply brings together lots of different lessons into one place. It includes transcripts and quizzes, and you can watch the videos with subtitles. The lessons appear on the app before they arrive on the website, and there’s new content every weekday. Cost: Free, with no ads. Pros: Great way to watch the BBC’s most popular programs aimed at English learners (you can find the full list, and the publishing schedule, on their website here). If you already enjoy the BBC’s content online, this is a handy way to get it on your mobile device. Lessons are short and bite-sized (normally 2 -6 minutes), so they’re easy to take in. There are no ads or â€Å"pro† options: this app is completely free. Cons: The quizzes are scored, but there aren’t other â€Å"game† type elements, so if you’re used to apps like Duolingo, you might find this harder to stick with. Some users reported difficulties with the interface of the newest version of the app. #4: Duolingo (Android and iOS) You’ve almost certainly heard of Duolingo, which can help you learn a large number of languages, including English. It’s designed to be fun (and addictive!) with bite-sized lessons and a system where you earn points for correct answers and â€Å"level up† once you’re doing well enough. You can earn virtual coins, unlock new levels, and see your â€Å"fluency score† rise. Cost: Free, but if you want to remove ads and download courses to use offline, you’ll need to pay for Duolingo plus, which is $6.99/month. Pros: It’s designed to be fun and work like a game, so if you enjoy playing games on your mobile phone, this could be a great way to learn while you’re doing so. The interface is slick and well designed. Many, many people use Duolingo it’s hugely popular around the world and is even used in many classrooms for language learning. Cons: A number of people have criticised it for using unrealistic computer-generated sentences that won’t particularly help you in real life situations. Duolingo is monetized, in part, by selling user translations of web content you may not feel happy about this. #5: FluentU (Android and iOS) FluentU takes a different approach to language learning, using videos sourced for YouTube with captions so you can immerse yourself in hearing and understanding the language. It’s available for a number of other languages as well as English, too. Cost: Free trial, then $30/month (which includes all languages). Pros: It’s easy to use, and you can commit as much or as little time as you want †¦ many videos are just a minute or two long. You can easily pause the video player to look up words or even get example sentences. If you enjoy watching YouTube videos, then this is a great way to do so while also learning English. Cons: No requirement to speak or write the language: this is fine for passive learning but you’ll want to use another app or method to do more active learning. FluentU is expensive compared with other apps, especially if you want to learn just English (rather than several of the other languages included too). #6: Hello English  (Android and iOS) This beginner-friendly app has instructions in your native language (with 22 different languages to choose from here). It’s easy to get started with, and you can select your level of English from â€Å"beginner†, â€Å"intermediate†, or â€Å"advanced†. Cost: Free; the pro version is $59.99/year. You can also make in-app purchases for a wide range of advanced features (e.g. access to live tutors.) Pros: Like many other English-learning apps, it uses features like ranks and levels to keep you motivated. Encourages you to complete lessons and activities each day, which are assigned to you. If you complete all the lessons, you can get bonus coins from extra lessons. Helpline is responsive, even on the free version. Cons: The free version, while extensive, has a lot of ads that you may find quite intrusive. #7: Lingbe  (Android and iOS) Lingbe takes a very different approach to most other language learning apps. Instead of watching videos or matching photos to words, the app connects you with a real native speaker of the language you want to practice (i.e. English). Cost: Free, so long as you’re happy to act as a teacher of your own language too! You can purchase coins to buy minutes to talk with native English speakers. Pros: Really simple to use: press the call button and wait for someone to answer! Great way to practice speaking English if you don’t know any native English speakers. You can use it completely free of charge, so long as you’re willing to reciprocate by talking to people who are learning your language. Cons: Not ideal for complete beginners, as you’ll already need to know at least a bit of English in order to hold a conversation. Only allows voice calls: if you want video calls or the option to text, then try HelloTalk instead. #8: Memrise  (Android and iOS) Memrise is another app with a bit of a difference: it’s a learning platform which has thousands upon thousands of different courses related to language and vocabulary. Most of the courses are created by users, rather than being provided by Memrise itself. Cost: Free (and doesn’t even have ads) at the basic level. You can pay for a Pro version if you want more features, though, which is $9/month. Pros: Loads of courses available †¦ whatever your level and learning style, there’ll be something for you. Uses a â€Å"flashcard† system to help you learn new vocabulary, which is helpful when you’re just beginning to learn English and need to acquire a reasonable amount of new vocabulary. You can even create your own course: teaching English to beginners could be a brilliant way to consolidate your own learning. Cons: There’s not any quality control on courses, so you might need to look through a lot before figuring out which you want to take. Only useful for getting a fairly basic vocabulary: beyond that, you’ll want to move on to another app. #9: MindSnacks: SAT Vocab and Kids’ Vocab  (iOS only) While it’s aimed at US college students rather than people learning English as a second language, mindSnacks is a great app to try out if you’re already reasonably good at English and you want to improve your vocabulary. Like Duolingo, it takes a gaming approach. The SAT Vocab and Kids’ Vocab apps are both fun ones to try. Cost: $4.99 per app (or $19.99 if you want all the MindSnacks apps). Pros: If you’re a native English speaker but want to improve your vocabulary, the Kids’ Vocab and SAT Vocab apps are great ones to try out. There are multiple different games included to keep things interesting as you learn. Fairly cheap compared with some other apps, if you just want to focus on growing your vocabulary. Cons: The Kids’ Vocab app is designed for children, so you might find the interface a bit garish. The free level only gives you access to a small amount of content, so you can’t try it out in any amount of detail before paying. #10: Rosetta Stone  (Android and iOS) Once the most popular language learning software out there, Rosetta Stone has been displaced for many English learners by other software. Many users still find it really useful, though, especially if they’re travelling. The app links with the full version of Rosetta Stone, which isn’t cheap. Cost: Varies, but

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Design of Desire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Design of Desire - Research Paper Example Most of the people take a little step further than required in purchasing things which they hardly need or require. They basically buy material they do not have use of, but is just a treat for their eyes and mind. The most of the buying or shopping is based on emotional and feelings of a person, rather than on requirement and need. This kind of consuming behavior is not only a financial loss but also can turn out be an uncontrollable habit which they can get addicted to. â€Å"In today’s consumer- driven society ,satisfying consumer needs has less to with the practical meeting of physical needs and everything to do with gratifying desire based upon emotions†(Danziger 11).This kind of frivolous buying behavior is seen among people who are spontaneous and impulsive and they give more importance to their emotional satisfaction rather than real needs. But this is not the case with all, there are the value of the money, and spend it on things which are more essential to them. However, for the spend thrift behavior of the people can be very well blamed upon the marketing strategy of the manufactures, international companies and designer brand producers. The advertising agenda of these product lines is to capture the mind of the buyer and trap them in buying the product no matter what the situation is. The market in every way advertise products taking in to consideration people who are spend thrifts and extravagant .They promote their product to lure them and motivate them to buy the product as if they are necessary commodity for their household use. Since there is a huge competition in the market the companies indulge in various techniques and tactics to attract the buyers and sell out their products. â€Å"The buying process in influenced by buyer’s mood and psychological factor, social surrounding, time, situational factors, social class culture and so forth†(Steiner 59-62). People are more drawn to buy luxury brand also in a way to remain in

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - Essay Example These revisions ensured that the US could stop Chinese immigration and that this ban would last for 10 years. This law was later repealed in 1943. However despite such repeal, the act already implemented policies and set a precedent on the appropriate actions and attitudes which could be taken against the Chinese. This paper shall discuss the Chinese Exclusion Act has become the starting point and how it has resulted to decades of anti-Chinese sentiment. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the implications and the impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act and how it has managed to continue to bear impact on the current attitudes and perceptions of Americans against the Chinese. Due to the California Gold Rush which lasted from 1848 to 1855, Chinese immigration to America started and this continued with the building of the first railroad systems (Kanazawa 780). In the early years of the Gold Rush where there was plenty of surface gold, tolerance for the Chinese was relatively high. In fact, because they were hard and persevering workers, they were easily accepted. However, as gold became harder to find and competition also increased, the tolerance for the Chinese and other foreigners was significantly decreased (Liu 152). At one point, many of them were even forcefully removed from the mines. These Chinese later settled in groups in various California cities, including San Francisco, taking in all sorts of odd jobs like laundry and working restaurants (Liu153). As a decline in the economy became apparent at the end of the Civil War, anti-Chinese sentiments became political issues raised by labor leader Denis Kearney and by then California Governor John Bigler (Murphy 458). These politicians attributed blame for lower wages to the Chinese ‘coolies.’ The Supreme Order of Caucasians which was a nationwide organization was also active in its anti-Chinese sentiments (Tian). As a result of the tension in the US involving the Chinese, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. This Act posed a restriction on free immigration into the US, and the specific target of this restriction was the Chinese. This act specifically mandated that skilled and unskilled Chinese laborers involved in mining were barred from entering the US for ten years; and if found guilty, they would be imprisoned and deported (Kanazawa 779). This act did not lead to the restriction of the Chinese immigrants into the US, however, it also led to various incidents of violence against them. Those who wanted to immigrate into the US had to ask for their government’s certification that they were indeed qualified to immigrate and this permit was also difficult to avail from their government (Kanazawa 780). This Exclusion Act provided the seed for other Chinese exclusionary laws in the US (Volpp). This act did not just impact on the Chinese people, but also on other Asians who were already in the US. For Chinese already in the US, they had to go back to China and obtain certifications. This act made the Chinese permanent aliens who could also not seek American citizenship (Volpp). After the act was passed, the Chinese men in the US did not have much chance of reuniting with the families or of even starting new families in the US. The amendments in 1884 provided further changes; these changes allowed those who were already immigrants to leave and then return. It also clarified that the act was applicable to

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Individual Gathering and Evaluating Information Essay Example for Free

Individual Gathering and Evaluating Information Essay List the APA reference citation for the source. Determine the credibility of the source. Consider the following criteria: What is the purpose and affiliation of the organization or author related to the article? What are the author’s credentials? Is the information current? When was the information last updated? Does the information cross-reference with other sources? Does the source contain bias without evidence to support the claim? Explain in at least two to four sentences what information you can gather from this source. Source (formatted consistent with APA guidelines)What makes the source credible or noncredible? What information can you gather from this source? Curfman, G. D., Morrissey, S., Drazen, J. M. (2013). Affirmative action in the balance. The New England Journal of Medicine, 368(1), 73-4. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1266235513?accountid=458 What impact the outcome may play on school admissions. Hu, H. (2012). Debate over affirmative action in college admissions continues. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 29(19), 8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1117362730?accountid=458 This article has been peer reviewed for credibility.Another perspective of Fisher vs. University of Texas. The role NACAC plays in admissions to schools. Julia S. Jordan-Zachery, Richard Seltzer, Responses to affirmative action: Is there a question order affect?, The Social Science Journal, Volume 49, Issue 2, June 2012, Pages 119-126, ISSN 0362-3319, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2011.08.012. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362331911001169) This article has been peer reviewed for credibility.This source will be used to show the public’s response of Affirmative Action, and its varying degrees. This source also has great experimental results that can be incorporated. Fullinwider, Robert, Affirmative Action, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2011/entries/affirmative-action/ This source is from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.This source will be utilized for various information since it covers many topics. This source will also be used to explain the beginning of affirmative action. American Association for Affirmative Action. (2013, July). American Association for Affirmative Action. Retrieved from American Association for Affirmative Action: www.affirmativeaction.org The American Association for Affirmative Action is the association of professionals managing affirmative action, equal opportunity, diversity and other human resource programs.This source will be used to explain AAAA and its role in Affirmative Action. Illustrate any current legislative cases that may be happening. †¢What strategies did you use to gather reliable information for your research paper? Affirmative action has many policies about race, color, religion, and/or sex. In essence affirmative action is equal opportunity, not only in a work environment but also admissions. Looking at search results gave way to sub topics. In order to write a streamlined paper a subtopic will be the focus of this paper. The subtopic will need to be relevant and current. When having a relevant and current topic, there must me multiple credible sources to back up the information on that topic. Searching through the University of Phoenix Library yielded many positive results on the topic of Fisher vs. the University of Texas. This outcome of this case could change the course of affirmative action when it comes to admission into school. This is a historical case of today’s time, similar to many landmark cases from the civil rights movements of the 1960’s. The sources that are to be used will be from peer reviewed articles or websites that are the authority on this topic. †¢What other strategies might you use? Provide a rationale for your choices. Other strategies that will be used through this paper will include a devil’s advocate approach. When talking about affirmative action there are two groups, those in favor and those against. The goal of this essay is to explain the reasons behind both groups’ arguments and allow the reader to make their own decision. All information will be relevant data. The question that will need to be answered â€Å"is affirmative action still needed today?† By illustrating both viewpoints the reader should have enough base information to research more. Once they have research more on their own they will be able to formulate an answer. This essay will give the reader a start of materials to research, and may have those asking questions never before thought of. The word count associated with this essay does not allow the author to get too far into detail on such a vast topic.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A World Unknown (my Trip To Europe) Essay -- essays research papers

Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed about traveling overseas. Strange lands, exciting places, and new cultures have always fascinated me. I've always wondered what it would be like to speak another language, to grow up learning different customs, or to live in a completely different way than I do now. This past summer my dream finally came true. I got to travel to England, France, Switzerland, and Germany with Mme. Kelly and five other girls, and suddenly the world was at my fingertips. England's green hills and city life is unforgettable. Kensington, Westminster Abby, and Piccadelli Circus are just a few parts of London full of historic cathedrals, quaint little cafes, and amazing shopping places. Harrods, where the royal family shops, supposedly sales any and everything. My favorite experience in London was riding The Underground to see the broadway play Fosse and watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. England overall isn't too different from the States. The same language is spoken and their currency, the pound, is very similar to an U.S. dollar. However, driving on the left side of the road is hard to get use to. The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, The Lourve, The obelisk, La Place de la Concorde, and Notre Dame are all located in the heart of Paris, France. Paris with its French cuisine, romantic atmosphere and historical self-being fills you with a sense of complete contentment. I'll never forget sitting at a French cafe, eating a baguette, ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Bead Bar Network

In a world where competitive edge can hinge on the breakthrough technologies that makes a business run smoothly, Bead Bar is an anomaly. This is because Bead Bar is still using paper based system and this is where Stan’s BJR Consulting will come in. This paper is about the best way Bead Bar can transition into a modern technology run business. BRJ Consulting’s main focus would be to assess the information technology needs of Bead Bar specifically on network technology.To begin with the analysis of Bead Bar, we would have to discuss their background and why they came to the point of needing information technology experts to study their operations. From the needs assessment, we will discuss the best recommendations on the network technology that Bead Bar can put into action to ensure that their company needs and objectives are met. Background In 1998, Bead Bar was started as a small business by Meredith S with the first concept store at New Canaan, Connecticut.Meredith wa nted a store, which she called a studio, wherein customers can create their own bead jewelries with an array of beads, accessories and tools to help them work creatively in a cozy environment. The store will provide the necessary equipment on site and the customers will just have to buy the beads and accessories such as wires and string that they will use. As a result, the customers’ creativity in making their own bead jewelry will be fostered and the company will sell their products.Of course, for customer who has no time to think their own designs, much more to create it will also have an array of designs and products to choose from. They can also choose a particular design which would be made for them by the stores trained employees. The Bead Bar is composed of three divisions namely the studios, franchises, and Bead Bar on Board. The Studio Division, headed by Susanne S. , manages the six Bead Bar studios in different locations. Aside from the Bead Bar studios, they also have franchises are managed by their Franchise Division headed by Leda H.The current franchises of the company are at Kansas City, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; and Miami, Florida. The franchise division sells a complete beading supply package to businesses that want to open their own bead studio. Bead Bar on Board division which is headed by Mitch is a special bead bar designed for cruise ships. The bar is portable and can be placed on deck or in a lounge. The cruise ships employees also purchase their supplies through the Bead Bar. Currently, Bead Bar has 6 studios, five franchises and Bead Bar on Board.They have a roster of 15 full-time employees and 20 part-time employees. As of their last financial reports, they recorded $1. 5million annual revenues. As we can see, the studios and franchises are scattered in different states. This resulted into several inefficiencies in their operations such as lost orders, incorrect invoicing and de lays in fulfillment and delivery. One of the things that Meredith realized is that these inefficiencies can be mitigated with the implementation of the right system into the company.Further, with the onset of globalization, Meredith believes that it is the right time for Bead Bar to use the advantages of computer technology to become more competitive. She knew that digitization would help the company simplify its processes; facilitate the processing of its orders without the need for lost invoices and help in the overall operations of the company. Bead Bar would also need to look into different strategies such as their supply chain management and pricing strategies. Additionally, Meredith may like to explore other market options such as an online store to widen their customer reach.Meredith realized that there are huge possibilities for Bead Bar once it has the appropriate information technology in its arsenal. Recommendations Overview After the information technology needs assessme nt made by the consultants, it was noted that there are many things that would have to be procured to help Bead Bar’s system to competitive. First, there was no mention of any hardware that Bead Bar has but the basic assumption would be that the head office has computer peripherals that helps them in their administrative work.For example, top management executives probably have their own desktop where they make their reports specifically for Meredith as the president and owner. Julia R, as Bead Bar’ Chief Financial Officer, needs a computer to keep track of the finances of the company as well as make the necessary reports and financial documents that the company needs for its operation. Miriam, as head of Marketing and Sales, probably has a database of inventory of the company’s stocks in order to know what products are moving and what products are not so that she can make the necessary promotions to sell these.In the same way, Rachel, as head of operations and purchasing should also have access to the same inventory database so she can forecast her stock procurement and see what product should be replaced and ordered. Jim, as head of human resources would also have a system for his personnel file, which will include the database of compensation and benefits for each employee. Assuming that each critical unit of the company has its own computer peripherals, the next stem is to determine how each computer is connected to form a network.A network is defined as â€Å"two or more computers that are connected with one another for the purpose of communicating data electronically. Besides physically connecting computer and communication devices, a network system serves the important function of establishing a cohesive architecture. This allows a variety of equipment types to transfer information in a near-seamless fashion† (Encyclopedia Britannica). There are two kinds of network that would be applicable for Bead Bar. First is Local Area N etwork or LAN.These link computers and other peripheral devices such as printers, copiers, etc. As such, the computers within the headquarters of Bead Bar can be interconnected through LAN. The second type would be a Wide Area Network which users connected to LAN can tap into. Wide Area Networks or WAN consists of â€Å"computers connected to a wide-area network and often connected through public networks, such as the telephone system. They can also be connected through leased lines or satellites† (Webopedia). WAN is needed by Bead Bar so that all stores are interconnected with each other.This is especially important for the inventory and marketing database of the company. When stories have access to real time data regarding stocks, decision making in their level will be easier. Network Topology There are different kinds of network topologies that are available for businesses to connect them to their operations network. I recommended that a mesh network topology be used for B ead Bar. .In this topology, there would be alternate ways for nodes to communicate when there is a breakdown on other nodes or if a cable fails.However, this can be expensive to install, as it will involve many of cabling. Mesh technology is often used in conjunction with other topologies such as star, ring or bus topology which is useful for a business that uses LAN. For a WAN architecture, most employ mesh routing. An example of a network which uses mesh topology is the internet. I recommend that a partial mesh network topology be employed for Bead Bar. A partial mesh is organized similarly to a full mesh topology but some nodes will only be connected to one or two network which Bead Bar deems to be the most important. Bead Bar Network The central aim is to observe the business processes and the business organization in place and prove ones analytical skills to understand how the business can be enveloped using a computer network infrastructure for making communication swift and successful sharing of information. The proposed network would entail better communication and save the organization on costs for facilitating one process to get the job done.The departments concerned would be able to capture and share effectively valuable business information so as to remain synchronized with the latest events and take decisions accordingly saving time and costs.Introduction Bead bar concentrate in producing beads jewellery for the customers. They are organized into three divisions’ namely studios, franchises and bead bar on board which demands to be brought to the same page for synchronization of activities. The proposed network design and the appropriate topology which would be an advantage to the firm for ensuring communication and sharing information to keep in synchronization with the current prospects of the business.The following sections would take up the various network topologies to make the communication feasible and possible with regard to all the physical and network barriers. The network design would provide enough architecture which would give a clear picture of the interconnection of devices and the departments to facilitate the sharing of business information. The final segment discusses the pros and cons of the proposed topology in subject. Background information of Bead Bar: Bead Bar is departmentalized into three divisions namely studios, franchises and bead bar on board.The current circumstance is incapacitated to link among them and thus creates inconsistencies in information sharing and knowledge about the company as a whole, at any given point of time. A computer network would make possible the process of getting the entire job done for every customer within an affordabl e time than usual. It would make sure that information regarding ones choice and preferences would be catered and stored for future benefits. The network would enrich the communication among the divisions which in turn would assist greater workability and functionality in operation.Recommendation overview: The network proposal for the Bead Bar could be surrendered into LAN and WAN. The internal network within the divisions would have a LAN network; however the inter-department contact would be made feasible using WAN as they are geographically separated. The LAN network would make sure to connect the personnel of the particular department itself and the swift communication would be an outcome of it. For the LAN network, switches and hubs are used for connecting the particular division itself and for WAN routers are used for interconnecting each other.Explanation of the Network Design: The three divisions of the company are interconnected using the network cable in a wired network us ing both LAN and WAN. Using LAN, the computers are interconnected within the same premises so that all the employees are able to communicate on demand. The head office possess central server where all the information is stored pertaining to all the departments in their database. The other premises are networked using the LAN technologies. The switch is two layered and used to take care of the storing and forwarding mechanism Tanenbaum (2003).Using WAN the network connections are using the public data services and get connect to internet and using VPN technology, using login credentials. Network Topology: The LAN technology follows a star topology with connecting hubs. The interconnecting devices facilitate the use and sharing of information. Star topology promotes the efficient use of network resources. Advantages of the architecture: †¢ Having a star topology takes less expensive in relation to mesh topology.†¢ In a star, every device needs only one link and one I/O port to inter-connect with a number of other devices (Forouzan, 2003). †¢ The installation and configuration of the star topology is quite easy and makes possible the effective use of time and need. †¢ The cabling requirement is less in compared with other technologies and any additions, deletions and movement involves only one connection between that device and hub. †¢ Quite robust in nature; if one link fails the other connections do not cease to operate. This factor also enhances the fault identification and fault isolation mechanism.†¢ As long as the hub is in working condition, the monitoring of links are possible to detect link problems and bypass defective links. †¢ A WAN is used for connecting to the internet so as to get connected with the other departments across geographic locations. †¢ VPN technology is used to so that their develops a secured channel through which the user of the network can establish a secure connection for communication. It wo uld possess proper login credentials for accessing information and makes sure that its encryption technology debars any tapping and illicit use of information.†¢ The database server would be responsible for storage of all data and information centrally and all the users access the information using their credentials. †¢ The VPN technology makes sure that only authorized users are enabled to access information pertaining to the specified department and others would be debarred from the very system. Drawbacks of the architecture: †¢ The VPN technology is quite expensive to implement and manage. †¢ The expensive nature of the wireless switches and hubs is quite a disadvantage.†¢ The use of internet as a resource to map their requirements would take lesser cost and make efforts to create a virtual company but security measures must be a challenge to the organization in question. Conclusion The primary objective to inter-connect has been taken into description an d the network topology has been elaborated to give shape to the entire network for interconnecting the various divisions in the company. The network architecture for the firm and the drawbacks are carefully noted and examined for their feasibility and cost factors.The long term evaluation is made and it can be concluded that taking care of the network advantages would benefit the firm in the long run to achieve the amount of customer satisfaction in the long run. Furthermore the topology would be able to manage its resources and make a distinct move towards the very nature of their being. Further up gradations to the network can be managed effectively so that they are taken care for growth and envelopment of their future plans. References/ Bibliography Forouzan A. Behrouz (2003). TCP/IP Protocol Suite, second edition. Tata McGraw Hill. Tanenbaum, A. S (2003). Computer Networks, Pearson Education.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Case Study †American Chemical Corp

The past performance of ACC as seen from the financial statements for the period 1974-79 is characterized by a high degree of variability. The overall situation has been very good with profit to net asset ratio (average 54. 3%) going as high as 84. 2% and 90% in 1977 and 1978, before dropping to 66. 4% in 1979. Barring the year 1975, the ratio has also shown a consistently increasing trend. In absolute terms the operating profit has shown substantial increases between the years 1976 and 1978.Except for 1976, when the company’s performance ahs dipped as a result of general market conditions, the company has shown reasonably good growth in sales, both in terms of quantity and amount. Costs have been under control and in some cases have declined over the years. Hence the past performance of ACC has been good but has shown a high degree of variability. This indicates that although the company has been performing well, the risk associated with it is also high. 2. Competitive enviro nment of ACC at the timeIn 1979, there were a dozen companies producing sodium chlorate. Apart from large, diversified chemical companies, these also included a few paper and pulp companies that had backward integrated into production of sodium chlorate. The total existing capacity was 455,000 tons, and another 75,000 tons were being added by way of new plants being put up. Over the years, sales of sodium chlorate had increased 220,000 tons in 1970 to 435,000 tons in 1979 (expected figure), representing an increase of 97. 7%.Durng the same period capacity grew from 270,000 tons to 455,000 tons, representing an increase of 68. 5%. This lag in the increase in capacity, compared to the increase in sales, has augured well for the companies manufacturing this chemical, and resulted in substantial price increases from $129 per ton in 1970 to $413 in 1979. Thus the market and competitive environment were quite favorable to the manufacturers at this time. Rising costs were a matter of conce rn with the cost of electricity, one of the major inputs, registering steady increases over the years.This placed companies such as American that were using older technologies and graphite electrodes at a disadvantage compared to newer plants that used metal electrodes. 3. Beta for Collinsville plant and ACC The equity beta for ACC and Collinsville plant was 1. 20. This is the levered beta. In 1978, debt was 39% of the total capitalization, while common and preferred stock accounted for 69%. The debt-equity ratio was 0. 565. Hence, the unlevered beta was 1. 2/1. 565 = 0. 77. 4. Cost of equity for evaluating cash flows of Collinsville plant projectThe Collinsville plant of American Chemical Corporation is into production of Sodium Chlorate. It might not be possible to locate companies that produce only sodium chlorate, as companies that produce sodium chlorate are either manufacturers of other chemicals or of paper. Comparing the cost of equity with other chemical manufacturers might not necessarily be representative. The best course would therefore be to compare the cost of equity of the Collinsville plant with other manufacturers of Sodium Chlorate.Since all these manufacturers produce other products along with Sodium Chlorate, the values may not be exact fits, but should be representative enough to provide a basis for evaluation. The beta values and debt and equity position of some of these companies are shown below. Organization Beta (Levered) (a) Debt/Equity (b) Unlevered Beta (a)/(1+(b)) Pennwalt 1. 33 39/69 = 0. 565 0. 85 Kerr-McGee 1. 06 17/83 = 0. 205 0. 88 International Minerals & Chemicals 0. 81 33/67 = 0. 493 0. 54 Georgia-Pacific 1. 50 29/71 = 0. 408 1. 07 Brunswick Chemical 1.10 15/85 = 0. 176 0. 94 Southern Chemicals 1. 20 21/79 = 0. 266 0. 95 . Average (unlevered) beta of selected firms = 0. 87. Debt-Equity ratio for American Chemical = 39/61 = 0. 639 Equity beta to be assumed for Collinsville plant = 1. 639 x 0. 87 = 1. 43 Interest on long-term treasury bonds = 9. 5% (Risk free return is taken as 9%) Market Risk Premium = 7%. Cost of equity = 9 + 1. 43 x 7 = 19% 5. Cost of debt and WACC The bond rating of American Chemical Corporation is BBB/A. The market rate for long-term A corporate bonds is 10. 75%.Hence the interest rate for American Chemical’s bond should be slightly higher than this. The actual rate being paid by Dixon is 11. 25%, which appears to be appropriate. The rest of the loan financing is also done at the rate of 11. 25%. Hence the actual cost of debt capital for Dixon for the Collinsville plant = 11. 25%. Although the purchase of the Collinsville plant is to done entirely with debt capital, it would not be appropriate to treat the cost of capital for the plant as the same as cost of debt capital, because the capital structure of the company as a whole needs to be considered.Debt-to–total capital ratio after acquisition of Collinsville plant = 47% Hence WACC for the Collinsville plant = 0. 47 x 11. 25 + 0. 53 x 19 = 15. 4%, which may be rounded off to 15%. 6. Incremental cash flows associated with the acquisition of Collinsville plant without laminate technology Using the same assumptions made in the preparation of the pro forma financial statements by Dixon for the years 1980-1984 as the basis, projections for a further period of five years were made to obtain expected incomes for a period of ten years, which is the estimated life of the plant.The cash flow has been arrived at by adding back depreciation, which is a non-cash charge, to the net incomes to arrive at the cash flow each year. The results are shown in Table 1. 7. Incremental cash flows and NPV associated with investment in laminate technology Dixon will get the laminate technology as part of the agreement for sale of the Collinsville plant, and hence no extra cash flow will be involved for the acquisition of the technology. However, Dixon will have to bear the cost of installation, which will amount to $2. 2 5 million. This will be depreciated over a period of ten years.There will be a one time cash outflow of $2. 25 million at the beginning of the installation. As against this, there will be recurring benefits in the form of savings in graphite and power consumption over the life of the project, which is ten years. The incremental cash flow that will accrue on an annual basis will involve no cash outflow, as the incremental cash flow is in the form of pure savings. The savings will consist of complete elimination of graphite costs and a saving of 15-20% in power. Taking a conservative view, 15% power savings are considered for the cash flow projections, which are shown in Table 2 below.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Memphis Tribune essays

The Memphis Tribune essays Bendini Lambert This firm might have saved some money by defeating the internal revenue service, but nothing compared to the millions and even billions of dollars that had been laundered out of Memphis. The firm was being controlled by the Morolto crime family, was one statement made by the federal bureau of investigations Wayne Tarrance, who led the case. He also declared that without the help of an insider, this case would have by no means led to an indictment. Over one hundred arrests have been made in the Chicago and Memphis areas since yesterday, when the first indictment was issued. The Moroltos had been hauling all of their illegal money earned form racketeering in the firms Leer Jet, and placing it in bank accounts all over the world, from Grand Cayman Island. Once the money made it to the Cayman Islands they started spending it on company investments all over the continental United States. In this way the firm could turn illegal funds into a spendable currency. DeVasher struck a deal with the state and is only going to receive a life sentence for five counts of murder. Although he was not a cold-blooded killer, he called the shots from Memphis. No one has ever left the firm alive unless they retired, DeVasher claimed. After he was ordered to do somebody in it was his life on the line, if he was not compliant he would have been exterminated, stated DeVasher. He also confessed to invading the privacy of every firm member. Although he will not be charged with the murders his henchmen are quite possibly going to receive the death penalty. Denton Voyles, the Director of the federal bureau of investigation, stated that he had been surveying the firm for two years although had not received a true break until Mitchel Mickdeere joined the firm. He added, We have n ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

African Iron Age - 1,000 Years of African Kingdoms

African Iron Age - 1,000 Years of African Kingdoms The African Iron Age is traditionally considered that period in Africa between the second century AD up to about 1000 AD  when iron smelting was practiced. In Africa, unlike the Europe and Asia, the Iron Age is not prefaced by a Bronze or Copper Age, but rather all the metals were brought together. The advantages of iron over stone are obviousiron is much more efficient at cutting trees or quarrying stone than stone tools. But iron smelting technology is a smelly, dangerous one. This brief essay covers Iron Age up to the end of the first millennium AD. Pre-Industrial Iron Ore Technology To work iron, one must extract the ore from the ground and break it into pieces, then heat the pieces to a temperature of at least 1100 degrees centigrade under controlled conditions. African Iron Age people built a cylindrical clay furnace and used charcoal and a hand-operated bellows to reach the level of heating for smelting. Once smelted, the metal was separated from its waste products or slag, and then brought to its shape by repeated hammering and heating, called forging. African Iron Age Lifeways From the 2nd century AD to about 1000 AD, the Chifumbaze spread iron throughout the largest portion of Africa, eastern and southern Africa. The Chifumbaze were farmers of squash, beans, sorghum and millet, and kept cattle, sheep, goats and chickens. They built hilltop settlements, at Bosutswe, large villages like Schroda  and large monumental sites like Great Zimbabwe. Gold, ivory, and glass bead working and trade was part of many of the societies. Many spoke a form of Bantu; many forms of geometric and schematic rock art are found throughout south and eastern Africa. African Iron Age Time Line 2nd millennium BC: West Asians invent iron smelting8th century BC: Phoenicians bring iron to North Africa (Lepcis Magna, Carthage)8th-7th century BC: First iron smelting in Ethiopia671 BC: Hyksos invasion of Egypt7th-6th century BC: First iron smelting in the Sudan (Meroe, Jebel Moya)5th century BC: First iron smelting in West Africa (Jenne-Jeno, Taruka)5th century BC: Iron using in eastern and southern Africa (Chifumbaze)4th century BC: Iron smelting in central Africa (Obobogo, Oveng, Tchissanga)3rd century BC: First iron smelting in Punic North Africa30 BC: Roman conquest of Egypt 1st century AD: Jewish revolt against Rome1st century AD: Establishment of Aksum1st century AD: Iron smelting in southern and eastern Africa (Buhaya, Urewe)2nd century AD: Heyday of Roman control of North Africa2nd century AD: Widespread iron smelting in southern and eastern Africa (Bosutswe, Toutswe, LydenbergAD 639: Arab invasion of Egypt9th century AD: Lost wax method bronze casting (Igbo Ukwu)8th cent ury AD; Kingdom of Ghana, Kumbi Selah, Tegdaoust, Jenne-Jeno African Iron Age cultures: Akan culture, Chifumbaze, Urewe African Iron Age issues: Sirikwa Holes, Inagina: Last House of Iron, Nok Art, Toutswe Tradition Sources David Phillipson. 2005. Iron-using peoples before 1000 AD. African Archaeology, 3rd edition. Cambridge Press: Cambridge.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Effective Publicity Campaigns Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Effective Publicity Campaigns - Assignment Example It should also be an articulate and precise release, detailing only the benefits of what is in promotion. Accompanying the PR process should be review samples for support. The other pertinent aspect is tracking capability. These will avail data on market acceptance hence appropriate in convincing new consumers. One PR social campaign that quite intrigued me was the Beat Cancer campaign from, Everywhere, an Atlanta, Georgia based content and social media Communications Company. Everywhere initiated a social media campaign to raise money for non-profit making cancer organizations, towards countering breast cancer. The basis of this campaign is that its sponsors – MillerCoors Brewing Company and eBay/Paypal – would donate $0.01 to charity every time the ‘#BeatCancer’ tag got mentioned in a Facebook or tweet update status or a BlogSpot. This social campaign managed to raise well over $70,000 for the charity organizations, making it a great success. The Starbucks publicity campaign ‘My Starbucks Idea’ had a great impact on me. This PR campaign incorporated a crucial aspect, consumer involvement, which many other companies do not. This impressed me since it gives the user a sense of importance and belonging: one would be very happy if their idea got