Saturday, August 31, 2019

Explain the Potential Effects of Five Different Influences on an Individual

Explain the effects of five different life stages on the development of an individual. In today’s society it is almost impossible to grow up without being affected by the things around us. During an individual’s development there are five main key factors that affect them. These include: * Genetic factors * Socio- economic factors * Biological factors * Lifestyle factors * Environmental factors To begin with, there are 23 chromosomes in each cell found in the nucleus.It is these cells that determine the hereditary of a child as well as the sex during conception. Genetic diseases make up a large proportion of the total disease burden, for example 50% of deafness is due to genetics as well as 40-50% of miscarriages. Another disease that is generally caused by genetics is cystic fibrosis which is caused by a defective gene. As many as four people in the UK have this gene; however the gene is recessive meaning children will only get the gene if both parents are carriers. Cy stic fibrosis results in a sticky mucus forming in the lungs, pancreas and intestines, and in the past it meant a low life expectancy but today a lot can be done to solve this. In relation to Jason asthma also seen as a genetic disease and Jason’s development of asthma could be a result of his Mother smoking of drinking during pregnancy. However the causes of asthma may not just be due to genetic inheritance but also due to environmental factors which I will further later in the essay. Closely related to this and sometimes somewhat confused are biological factors.Biological factors also start from conception and one of these is Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) which is the biggest cause of mental handicap in the western world as well as the only one that is 100% preventable. The first stages in prenatal are the most important and again this relates to Jason as one of the effects of FAS is falling behind with leaning development and Jason found school hard to cope with but in the end caught up, however this could be as a result of many reason and it does not mean his mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. A woman’s diet also affects the foetus as well as during breast eeding, research shows that if a mother had a high sugar diet her child is more likely to develop high cholesterol and a higher risk of heart disease in later life. Malnutrition or a lack of health food could also lead to poor health for the child in later life Jason’s mother also could have smoke during pregnancy leading to his asthma. Socioeconomic factors also heavy a heavy impact on development for example if a family is poor there is a higher risk a child will suffer from malnutrition as well as the fact in later life they will want to do better.Within the factor is values and attitudes, a prime example of this would be education, if parents have went to college they will more than likely want their children to as well, however it could also be argued that if parent haven ’t went to college they will want their children to achieve more in life than they did. In relation to Jason although he may want to go to college he may not be able to as he does not come from a well off family and may not be able to afford to do so. Continuing on from this is Lifestyle factors, which is a highly varied subject.For example a person who has been brought up in a poor household will be completely different that one brought up in a well off household. Nutrition and dietary is a big part of this however it is only if you are reasonably well off that you can afford to buy the healthier choices. As well as this alcohol intake and the misuse of substances can affect you and this happens to be on of the most controversial issues in society. It can have social, physical and mental effects on an individual from the expense, to long term health risks or the fact it could lead to depression.In relation to Jason’s lifestyle the fact he may not be able to afford col lege and the fact he lives in a high density housing estate may mean he is not that well off money wise meaning he may not get the healthiest foods and could also have been bullied not only as a result of his asthma but also as he cannot afford the things some of the other children could. Lastly is environmental factors, this has a huge impact on our development and research shows that 1 out of 5 children are malnourished. However this is a varied range of situations.Exposure to pollution as well as poor housing can lead to health problems for example carbon monoxide takes away oxygen from the red blood cells as they have a higher affinity for it which can then lead to heart disease and nitrogen and sulphur dioxide can lead to lung disease as these gases irritate the lungs. This is not the only environmental effect however, Jason got bullied a lot at school which means he could suffer from depression and will have low self-esteem in later life. As well as this fact when he was 8 his parents divorced which leaves a great mental effect on individuals and at his age it was a lot to go through.Separation can lead to anger issues for the child as well as abandonment issues and this could even go on to affect Jason in later life it could even lead to AD (anxiety disorder) which could be as the child’s routine is disrupted. Jason’s parents’ divorce may be the reason he fell behind at school and when he reached adolescence he adapted which may be why his school work improved. Environmental factors can affect development both physically and mentally. In conclusion all five factors can affect an individual’s development as shown through the example of Jason, and all five have different effects yet still equally importantBibliography * http://www. livestrong. com/article/217996-factors-affecting-early-child-development/ *http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201112/the-impact-divorce-young-children-and-adolesc ents *http://www. ucl. ac. uk/support-pages/information/alcohol-and-drug-abuse *http://www. lbl. gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/pollution-health-effects-f. html *http://uk-air. defra. gov. uk/air-pollution/effects *http://www. succeedsocially. com/lifestyle *Class notes *Moodle

Friday, August 30, 2019

Buyer behavior & integrated marketing Essay

Briefly summarize the marketing problem/issue you have researched, and provide a brief, but multi dimensional profile of the target market. The problems on which this assignment focuses on is how can an organization understand and influence the demands and needs of a consumer by using consumer decision making model and the a decision sequence model which helps an organization define a set sequence in order to plan for its marketing and promotional strategy. The company that has been researched upon in the research paper is Automobili Lamborghini S. p. A that has recently launched its new SUV in the market which also happens to be the first SUV car from the company. The car is known is Lamborghini SUV and there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of when introducing and marketing the car in automobile arena. A consumer decision model will help the company in order to see how a particular group of consumers decides for a particular commodity. What are their preferences, their expectations, how can they be attracted, what is their taste, how well do they memorize a certain product, their loyalties to a particular brand, their interpretation from a product or marketing strategy and the knowledge that they possess. A consumer consciously or unconsciously using all these factors when going to buy a product thus in the case of Lamborghini SUV the consumer will again question himself on the above mentioned grounds (MacKenzie 1986). As given in the research done on the company, the main problems that the company tends to identify from the consumer behavior are; 1. What is the product 2. What is the target market 3. What are the substitutes 4. How does the price and value for money are correlated 5. Is the product a luxury item 6. What sort of a decision sequence model can be used Here is a brief answer to all of the questions mentioned above. As we all know that the product is a luxury SUV that is being marketed for the first time by the company, the company has to target to a specific group with specific characteristics. These people are supposed to be well to do by having good executive level jobs or running businesses and having a family of 2 to 3 persons. This suggests that the targeted customer should be more then 35 years of age but not more than 45 because that goes beyond the sporty and speedy characteristics of the car. The sport and speedy characteristics of the car open two marketing and targeting corridors for the company, that are, 1. executives and managing directors, (as discussed above) and 2. The existing sports cars clients who will then be filtered for having or not having a taste for a sports SUV. The problem is that the product that is in question in the research is quite expensive and thus it is not at all like marketing coke. Customers need to be educated and informed about the value and worth of the product that should be other than the actual cost price of the car (Bettman 1975). With reference to Blackwell, Miniard and Engel analytical framework, analyze the likely buying behavior of your target market, in terms of degree of problem solving, and identify the probable influences on this decision process. You should also identify any issues related to the information processing aspect, as this will inform task 3 With reference to Blackwell, Miniard and Engel, the decision of any consumer is based upon and involves two or more products that are substitutes to each other. For example a consumer might choose between going out for a movie or staying at home, for this matter going to movie and staying at home will serve to be as substitutes to each other. Similarly, in this of Lamborghini, the consumers have a range of choices. These choices include other sporty SUV’s that already in the market by competitor brands like BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler and others. Thus Lamborghini should look into the matter that what do consumers want in an SUV, how and what characteristics they should highlight to attract their customers. Blackwell, Miniard and Engel advocate the fact that there are a number of cognitive processes going on in a consumer mind while he makes purchase decisions. These cognitive decisions can be identified as consumer knowledge about the market and the product, beliefs and memories about information that a consumer gathers from marketing and promotional activities going on around them, their cognitive process of comprehension and lastly their integration cognitive process in which a consumer evaluates two or more choices and short lists to one final choice. This choice is made on the basis of certain behavioral decisions, thus the decision making process of a consumer can also be regarded as their decision plan. A Cognitive Process Model of Consumer Decision Making Lamborghini should keep in mind that its consumers will gather most of the information from their surroundings. Apart from their own marketing campaign, the consumers consciously and unconsciously are gaining information about the sporty cars, their models, information about other brands, performance of other SUV’s that come I the same category of sporty cars and much more. Consumers are exposed to TV shows, magazines, discussions and even get to see these products live at show rooms that they already a lot about the car. However, a marketer should always keep in mind that in order to attract a customer and give him what he wants, the product should be marketed in such a way that the consumer directly notices what he wants in the product without him being analyzing and comparing with other brands(Roberts 2000). The marketing campaign should highlight the characteristics of the product itself in the marketing campaign rather than letting the customer gather the information on his own that can also lead to possibilities that the customer may not be able to find those characteristics on his own. Same goes for Lamborghini, the company must market the new SUV in such a way that it highlights both its sporty nature and its symbol of power of status in order to cater both the target markets that have already been identified in the previous section. Moreover a company must also see into how do different consumers tend to interpret the information and marketing material that is made available to the customers. This data must be designed in such a way that it is not contrary to any sort of a customer because every potential customer might interpret the information in line with his own preferences and tastes. For example, those customers who are business and corporate executives want the car to be a status symbol for them, thus a campaign should not only cater the racing and sport nature of the car because that will leave an informal image over the formal and status conscious customers. Thus the interpretation of customers should also be taken into account by Lamborghini when coming up with a marketing plan. Moreover Lamborghini should introduce the product in the market that it leaves a lasting impression in the memory of the potential consumers. This is because the consumers that Lamborghini is planning to target are the ones who will not think about whether to buy or not to buy a product. They will tend to go to buy only when they need to buy a product. For this they must have an image of Lamborghini in their minds that they can recall when they feel the need for a product. Moreover, as the product that Lamborghini is marketing is a product that the consumers do not buy very quickly due to its price, thus over this decision making plan and process of the consumers, Lamborghini should also provide the consumers with new information and characteristics of the car in order to renew the old information in the minds of consumers along with keeping them more informed and updated about the product. This can easily be done with a planned marketing campaign through which new information and strategies can be implemented as soon as the company feels the need to implement them(Moner 1973). The integration and evaluation process is stored in a consumer’s memory and thus most of the time it is seen that these evaluations then tend to turn into attitudes and beliefs of a consumer. These beliefs and attitude are of both the natures, they can be changed and at times they cannot be changed. Thus the marketer need to focus on these beliefs and attitudes because basically these are the factors that influence a customer’s intension in his decision making process. Thus Lamborghini can use this information of customer in many ways that is; they can analyze why brand loyal consumers go for a certain brand, why do they hate another brand and what are their beliefs and attitudes towards the product if they don’t go with it. For example, some customers might be loyal to Lamborghini sedan cars and they might not go for an SUV because they might think that they are not that fast s the sedan, hence, the Lamborghini can use this information by educating its customers and potential target market that the Lamborghini SUV is as fast as a normal sedan and can highlight extra advantages of the SUV then the normal sedan. The company can also market its muscular look and powerful attributes in order to attract those customers who are looking for sporty SUV’s due to status symbol both in an out of the office, that is in the corporate world and when traveling with a family(Woodside 1992).

How does Homer make Essay

The scene with Charybdis and Scylla is one of the best depicted scenes in the whole Odyssey, aiming not to build tension into the readers but to scary or even terrify them. Actually, the whole story does not begin when Odysseus faces the danger but a bit earlier. When Circe tells him what to kind of monster he will meet, this anticipates us to get ready for real horror and builds up the tension as they are sailing. But when the Trojan heroes reach the place the horror is even bigger than what we are ready for. Only the first sentence contains more than enough to see the high seriousness of the situation. Odysseus’ men are â€Å"wailing in terror† i. e. all the braveness and manhood are gone and they look more like women or babies. But all this seems to be quite logical when we read the effective description of Charybdis that Homer uses. Adjectives such as â€Å"awesome†, â€Å"fearful† and â€Å"dreadful† gives the reader the impression that the ship is doomed to disappear forever. Moreover, Charybdis does not just throw away the water but it â€Å"vomits it† and it â€Å"rains down† – verbs showing how massive and powerful the whirlpool is. The simile with â€Å"a cauldron† is not long or detailed, but actually it gives the best possible image of what danger Odysseus and his men are. If they get even one inch closer probably all will be boiled. What completes the picture is the fearful sound Homer includes â€Å"the rocks re-echoed to her fearful roar† – Charybdis resembles a lion ready to swallow everything on his way. Once again the reaction of Odysseus’ men draws an exact image of the terror – â€Å"my men turned pale† – helpless fearing for their lifes, afraid to move or say a word. Thus frozen, now Odysseus’ men face even a bigger surprise and terror with Scylla having grabbed 6 of them. The unexpected change throws the reader in even greater tension, but what is worse is that Odysseus loses his â€Å"strongest men†. Now Homer draws us into one sense – helplessness. First the description of Scylla is skillfully made to show how doomed is the whole situation – she â€Å"snatched† and â€Å"whisked† Odysseus’ comrades while they are â€Å"dangling† in the air. The choice of words is not random, but aims to build up senses of power and violence on the one side and fear and death on the other. Once again Homer uses sounds but this time in a different way. The â€Å"dangling† men are calling Odysseus, who he can’t do anything but standing and looking at them. Just a silent witness. Homer uses a precise simile to draw the way in which Scylla swallows the men. She is like an â€Å"angler† and they are like fish -description that crates the feeling that the sailors are small and insignificant and this is the natural order: the angler must catch his dinner. The reader by now feels more than pity but Homer goes on showing us how the â€Å"little fishes† are suffering and â€Å"struggling† and â€Å"shrieking† in â€Å"desperate throes†, all of this action looking worthless but showing will for life, life that they will lose very soon. Odysseus is sad for his men and admits that he has never seen â€Å"a more pitiable sight†. That makes even bigger impression knowing about Odysseus meetings with the Cyclops, the Laestrygonians, the Sirens etc. He has endured much and seen even more but that is the only moment he feels so helpless, useless and wordless.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

W 4 Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

W 4 Marketing - Essay Example This helps in meeting the national goals while reducing the cost of medical services by imposing healthcare coverage (USGOVHHS, 2014). According to Leo, another member of the panel argues that sufficient room for innovation of exchanges in medical reforms has been easily steered through technology. In addition, it alleviates dysfunctional issues that may be associated with medical delivery. Besides, the use of technology by both public and private institutions with an aid by the federal government helps to streamline the model language leading to effectiveness of the performance measure while availing sufficient information to the patients. For instance, somebody who is suffering from diabetes gets an opportunity to access data on the necessary measures needed to make his life sustainable for a very long period (USGOVHHS, 2014). Others members of the panel such as Lori, Leah and Helen contemplate that the use of technology is vital to medical reporting since it helps in the prevention of adverse outcome of care which usually has devastating effects and often fatal than the normal underlying disease. In essence, during surgery, technology is best applied in determining the level of infection in a patient before the actual surgery can be carried out. Other than negligence, this helps in the prevention of adverse effects on out patients. The panel also disclosed that, the use of technology both by public in conjunction with private healthcare institutions facilitates the retrieval of previous data about a patient and for such reasons it becomes very easy for a practitioner to make an informed decision before discharging the treatment to the patient based on his medical history. Moreover, the technological linking of both private and public institutions enhances value benefits amongst all the medical stakeholde rs and this helps in the evaluation, analysis and

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Assignment - Essay Example Likewise, the formation of this team was disclosed to be part of Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, which allegedly aims to bring connections to parts of the world where access to the Web has not yet been reached. Therefore, to enable connections to be made possible, it was disclosed that new technologies would have to be invented, which, accordingly would necessitate working with drones, satellites and lasers (Albergotti, 2014). Concurrently, Albergotti (2014) also revealed that Facebook has made other business ventures and acquisitions to expand its organizational sphere. As noted, Facebook had reportedly agreed to purchase â€Å"Oculus VR, a maker of virtual reality goggles, for $2 billion†¦ (and) announced a $19 billion deal to acquire WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). As indicated, these business ventures fare lesser in scope and amount of investments when compared to the launching Connectivity Lab. The manner by which connections to remote places would be accessed was described as â€Å"sending infrared light beams to the earth, using satellites for rural areas and solar powered aircraft for more suburban areas that lack Internet connections† (Albergotti, 2014, p. 1). These future plans evidently indicates that Facebook has made advanced thrusts to capture opportunities in currently remote areas towards the organization’s outlook for unprecedented growth through technological innovations. Albergotti, R. (2014, March 27). Facebook Creates Team to Beam Internet Everywhere on Earth. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal:

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Distinct Drivers for Change in ZExpress Assignment

Distinct Drivers for Change in ZExpress - Assignment Example Rockart defines it as: â€Å"the limited number of areas in which results if they are satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the business. They are all the vital areas where ‘things must go right’ for the business to flourish. (qt. in Harrison, et al, 1993 p418.) These drivers are also consistent with the four business goals of the organization as explained in the new CEO’s vision: â€Å"increase revenue, reduce costs, improved customer service, to be agile and responsive to the changes in customer’s and business’ needs across the world.† Establishing full global presence within the next six months in order to obtain a new and substantial business partner is a very important driver for ZExpress. This will determine whether Bonsai Motor Corporation’s partnership with the company for the distribution of accessories and spare parts of  µcron. The likely impact if ZExpress does not establish a full global presence within the next six months is that they would lose millions from the potential partnership with Bonsai Motor Corporation. This partnership would see ZExpress distributing accessories and spare parts for the  µcron. They would hold stocks of parts and guarantee delivery within 24 hours to any location in the world. This vehicle is very economical and should be in high demand as it is demonstrated to travel in excess of 120 miles on a US gallon of petrol. With the price of petrol where it is now, this is a good buy for someone who is interested in energy conservation. Innovation is important within the context of ZExpress to ensure real-time information and the reliability of the tracking system. The customer wants to be able to track the package to the delivery point within the specified time period.  

Monday, August 26, 2019

Major Intellectual Advances and Developments in Knowledge That Essay

Major Intellectual Advances and Developments in Knowledge That Occurred in the Islamic World Under Abbasid Rule - Essay Example According to Bennison (2009, pp43-56) Historians, aptly refer Abbasid era as the â€Å"Golden Age† mainly because of the great scientific and cultural transformations that occurred during the period. Western countries such as ancient Greece and Rome in addition to eastern countries especially China had initiated the path for scientific and intellectual development in the Arab empire. These early advancements converged in the Muslim world partly because of Abbasid rule, which established favourable environment for scientific and intellectual development. Various factors contributed to the desire for knowledge in Muslim world. Firstly, the expansive Abbasid Empire demanded new technologies and improvement to address the existing social, economic and political problems (Akabar, 1992). The vastness of the empire from North Africa to Iran comprised of diverse people with different cultural backgrounds. Interaction between these diverse cultures contributed to the spread of ideas an d creativity in the region. Another reason was that during the period, the Arabic became the language of learning and hence Muslims from the Abbasids Empire had valuable opportunity for engaging in diverse scientific and intellectual pursuits (LeStrange, 2004). ... This was intended to educate the Arab scholars and encourage their contributions in expansion and creation of new knowledge. Astronomy is one of the disciplines that Muslim scholars made tremendous contribution during the Abbasid era. The initial contribution of the Abbasid rule in the field of astronomy commenced with translation of texts from earlier advanced civilisations in the discipline such as the Greek. (Ofek, 2011). Original contribution of Abbasids in astronomy without foreign input was in the formulation of moon and sun spatial motions into comprehensible tables. The discovery was done by Al-Khawarizimi and he later formulated tables denoting planetary motions of other several other planets (Hasan, 2005). Several equipments in astronomy discovered during this time included the astrolabe and the armillary sphere. The armillary sphere was used to calculate the time of the day or year, which assisted the Muslims in setting their sacred schedule. Astrolabe was the precursor of the modern magnetic compass, and was applied in calculating time and establishing position. Astrolabe was particular useful for Muslims because it enabled them establish their position relative to Mecca, where they face during prayers (Bennison, 2009, pp57-65). Astronomy was of particular interests for the Muslims because of the necessity to establish times of prayer and lunar patterns. In addition, the vastness of the Abbasid Empire necessitated the need of being knowledgeable about directions and locations (LeStrange, 2004). Muslims during the Abbasid rule made important contributions in mathematics and their influence is still felt today in that field. Muslims made valuable contribution in algebra and the term â€Å"algebra†

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Education Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Education - Annotated Bibliography Example The purpose is to help educators cope with the trend of increased scrutiny and testing in America’s public schools. Au, W. (2009). Social Studies, Social Justice: W(h)ither the Social Studies in High-Stakes Testing?Teacher Education Quarterly, 36(1), 43-58. High stakes testing is one of the most prevalent trends in education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind legislation was enacted in 2001. The author, researching from California State University, Fullerton presents findings on how this trend has affected social studies instruction in the classroom. The research reveals that social studies are losing class time in elementary school due to the NCLB mandate for proficiency in Math and Reading only. Other findings include changes in pedagogy in the social studies classroom that place emphasis on memorization of approved content and lessens the focus on critical thinking. This research is valuable in studying the impact of high stakes testing on the one subject that traditionally challenges social and societal assumptions. Baker, B. D., & McIntire, J. Evaluating State Funding for Gifted Education Programs. Roeper Review, 25(4), 173. The authors in this article offer a systematic analysis of Gifted Education spending at the state level. Five methods of funding are examined and explained.The authors then undertake an analysis of laudatory combinations of funding. This is an outstanding article for understanding how children of different ability levels have their needs met or ignored by state funding agencies. The analysis reveals that Virginia has the best system for funding Gifted Education. Baker, M., & Johnston, P. (2010). The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on High Stakes Testing Reexamined. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 37(3), 193-199. Recent trends in education have seen an increase in high stakes testing as a result of NCLB legislation. All fifty states now utilize high stakes testing to meet NCLB requirements. The authors review the arguments for and against including Social Economic Status as a predictor of high stakes testing ability. The article is valuable for reviewing other studies and analyzing their meanings, but does not offer and new information of this recent educational trend. Boubsil, O., Carabajal, K., & Vidal, M. (2011). Implications of Globalization for Distance Education in the United States. American Journal Of Distance Education, 25(1), 5-20. Globalization and distance education are two recent trends in education. They seem to go hand-in-hand and should lead to the exporting of American style higher education around the world. The authors, writing from the University of Maryland University College and the University of New Mexico, argue that there are some barriers to exporting American higher education overseas. Barriers of language and the perception of American higher education institutions as de facto representatives of Americanism keep the growth in check in some regions. The authors po int out the globally, the demand is present so they predict continued growth despite the barriers. This is a useful and insightful research article dealing with a current recent trend in education. Elen, J., Clarebout, G., Leonard, R., & Lowyck, J. (2007). Student-centered and teacher- centered learning environments: what students think. Teaching In Higher

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Media - Essay Example t racism has filtered into our sociological order and has become an insidious form of institutionalized and subtle bias that is more threatening than in the past. When we speak of racism in America our attention is necessarily directed towards the African-American population. Claims of black racism against whites based on affirmative action, or bias against Euro-ethnic groups and religions are simply unfounded. According to Pettigrew, â€Å"Two centuries of slavery, another century of legalized segregation, and the evolution of these structures into today’s unique and entrenched system of racial discrimination deny any validity to this politically convenient perspective† (320). While many ethnic groups have assimilated into the American culture, Blacks have been disassociated due to skin color. Catholics, Jews, and the Irish are more able to meld into mainstream institutions than African-Americans. Blacks are the most heavily differentiated racial group in America and this has heightened their own sense of cultural differences as well as desensitizing whites to their sense of racial bias. The desensitization of white bias against African-Americans can be seen in the educational disparity that exists in America today. When America’s educational system moved away from the concept of separate but equal, and into a more integrated school model, the tendency was to make the black educational system more white rather than more right. There has been little effort at real improvement in the predominately black public schools in America. These misguided efforts have â€Å"denigrated Black teachers and administrators, and the institutions themselves. Many Black schools were closed, traditions lost, and culture ignored. The Black parents feared that the children would be forced to adopt White culture and lose their own rich culture and identity† (Jackson 143). While there has been an increase in Black studies and racial historical sensitivity, the move towards separate

Friday, August 23, 2019

Informatics and Framus Computers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Informatics and Framus Computers - Case Study Example In order for this situation to be arrested, an external intervention is necessary. Â  The structures of the two companies do not align with the overall goals of the businesses. In order for such businesses to work together as a single unit, the businesses need to remove structural hurdles through ensuring that both structures support the shared operations (Mills 2007). In this case, the two businesses do not have clear structures. For instance, Informatics is more formal, bureaucratic, and hierarchical compared to Framus. This affects the flow of information between the two firms. Â  The strategies by the two businesses are not based on the competitive advantage of both firms. On the contrary, the two firms are almost competing with each other. This is affecting the relationship between the two firms which depends on each other for existence. Â  The systems of the two companies have not been laid properly in order to enhance coordination. As a result, there is no trust among the two organizations, an aspect that is affecting the overall quality of computer components being delivered to Informatics. Â  The staff and their style of work are different. Both sides blame each other for the challenges facing the organizations. For instance, the top-level managers of Framus feel that the other companies that use their products do not raise similar complaints that are raised by Informatics. However, on the other hand, Informatics Company’s management feel that the other firm is not doing enough to address the quality issues that have been raised by the business. The push and pull are affecting the overall performances of the businesses. Â  In order for both businesses to work together effectively, they need to have similar organizational structure. This would make it easier for the top-level managers to communicate easily with the rest of the subordinates (Mills 2007).

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Learning to Read and Write Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning to Read and Write - Essay Example When the boy made rapid progress, she proudly reported the fact to her husband, who berated her for her pains. She was not only breaking the law, she was doing something 'unsafe'-for learning would make the boy unfit to be a slave, and unmanageable too. Mrs Auld followed her husband's orders-and soon became a new woman. Whereas she had earlier been good and kind, she turned cruel and harsh. The sight of the slave with a book or a newspaper in his hand was hateful to her. She kept the closest vigil to monitor his questionable movements. "Irresponsible power" had corrupted and changed her, through and through. Douglass records how he resorted to various "stratagems" to steal an education, with help from street-urchins and ship carpenters, and by surreptitious use of his young master's copybook, a Webster's Spelling Book, and a powerful book of speeches and dialogues that he was lucky to lay hands on. The story of his determined conquest of his own illiteracy is amazing. No wonder he had to write it out for people to believe that he had really risen from the ashes of oppression, rather than from the rungs of opportunity. Alice Walker's "Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self" tells the story of her finally coming to terms with what seemed to her a life-changing deformity. She remembers her life from around two and a half years till the age of eight as an idyllic period, when she knew she was both cute and sensible and had no doubt that she was the apple of her father's eye. Then, her elder brothers were given guns and pellets to play with and one of them accidentally fired the shot that left the little girl one-eyed and physically scarred for ever, and mentally scarred and scared for almost two decades. When she learns to look at herself through the eyes of her own child, she sees a 'world' unseen till then, and is free to dance again with herself. After her accident, although things changed enormously for her, the physical change was not really noticed by those close to her, and therefore, they failed to notice the inner change in her. Years later, when she spoke of the 'change' to them, they responded by asking, "What do you mean" Walker rephrases the question to herself, (and to her readers), "What do I mean" Others fail to understand her, and she fails to understand herself. It required some surgery to make her confident enough to look at other people again, and, when she did this, others looked at her, and she got a boy friend, popularity, the status of valedictorian and 'queen' of her class. Then, the sight of a beautiful desert made her aware of the blessing of having at least one eye to see it with. Her child it was who finally liberated her. The three-year-old child became aware of her mother's face for the first time in her life. She looked carefully and closely, taking the face in her dimpled palms with maternal gentleness. Walker dreaded the words that would follow, but what the child said must have filled her with an almost unbearable lightness of being. The child's words were, "Mommy, there's a world in your eye." And then, gently, but with great interest: "Mommy, where did you get that world in your eye" Walker says that "the pain left then." She could see her face as something that others could love and as something that she should love. It had taught her all she knew of

Gender and Socialization Essay Example for Free

Gender and Socialization Essay The main purpose of this paper is to focus on gender socialization. Human beings that belong to different societies have varied perceptions, opinions, and manners toward socializing with the same or opposite sex. Categorized in the main gender types, male and female are known to react in different ways when given and exposed in the same situation. Regardless of cultural norms or mores of any society in particular, interaction with peers, family, classmates, and other people depend on the male’s and female’s orientation in gender socialization and gender roles. Some concepts attempt to explain the gender issues faced by the two gender types. These attributions of concepts then play an important role in understanding the different societies’ construct of their existing mechanisms of gender roles and expectations including the societies’ gender markers as determinants of sex and gender (SparkNotes, 2008). Gender Socialization Gender and socialization are two different terms that have a relationship with each other. Gender refers to the behavioral characteristics of an individual regarding an individual’s essence of womanhood or manhood, masculinity or femininity, while socialization refers to the social and interpersonal instincts of human in interacting, communicating, and dealing with others. A newborn infant for instance, may be oriented towards its gender by its first experience of socialization after being born. The infant may be more exposed to male socialization rather than female socialization or vice versa which would later on affect the behavior of the infant while growing up. Another example is the way parents choose what the appropriate toy is to be played by their sons and daughters. Usually, parents buy their baby girl a mini-kitchen or ironing set to orient them (however, it is subconscious for the parents’ part) with the future maternal role. For the baby boy’s part, they are usually given toy trucks or tools for various chores in the house for the same underlying purpose. Moreover, upon receiving the presents, the girls usually react more appreciative and smiling than the boys. The essence of gender socialization then, is for the infants to learn the behavior appropriate for their designated sexes (SparkNotes, 2008). Reaction By the time an infant reaches ten months after the day of birth, gender socialization is already executed through the infant’s interaction with the environment, its family members, and caretakers. This is the time when the infant starts to identify him- or herself in either of the two sexes: male or female. Thus, this is also the time for newborn infants to associate the specific gender roles (the attributes and behavior that the culture constructively defines) that are appropriate for their sex and gender. Later in the life of infants, the effects of the previous experience in gender orientation would reflect in their current behavior. Meanwhile, I should say from personal experience that I was mostly given a Barbie doll for Christmas or birthday present. In so doing, I grew up to become a very neat lady who has the taste for fashion and luxury Further, I attribute the idea that I have become a fashionable and finesse lady to my previous hobby of playing, dressing and undressing my Barbie doll (SparkNotes, 2008). Conclusion Gender socialization teaches the infants that would grow as adults the appropriate roles defined by culture and behaviors that are expected of them by the society. Submission to the expectations of the culture and society is important, as every living individual has to interact with others in whatever society he or she belongs to in order to survive and attain a sense of belongingness. Family, peer groups, school, mass media, and some texts play a part in honing this cultured set of beliefs regarding the appropriate roles and expected behaviors for men and women. Men who are accustomed to playing tough games in their childhood result to be future tough guys and women are the opposite. Reference SparkNotes. (2008). Gender socialization. In SparkNotes 101: Sociology. Retrieved December 9, 2008 from http://www. sparknotes. com/101/sociology/socialization/gender_socialization. html.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Problem For Swinton Hotel Management

Problem For Swinton Hotel Management The aim of this project is to build a comprehensive tool E-reservation system for Swinton Hotel Management. Swinton Hotel provides all facilities like, advance booking room facilities, Better Food quality and also management believes to present good customer services. Management does not have proper reservation system and lack of data management system. In addition, they dont have any advance E- reservation system for tourist. The organisation needs to take further step to implement its business by develop a website. The projected system will be more flexible to use for tourist and Faster for staff to manage all information. Currently, the existing system is based on paper work, manual checking and use of Microsoft Excel Data sheet. Apart from this, advance reservation does by telephone. Due to which the staff faces lots of problems and also very time consuming for tourist to reserve room in advance. A new web based application is developed to provide reservation solution to the management. The application comes out in form of an Information Management Tools, like, ASP.NET. And database will handle through Microsoft Access. So, with build up a new system will helpful for tourist to reserve room and itll beneficial for staff to manage data. After all, new web based system will be benefited to management. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 02 1. Introduction 04 2. Problem Identification 05 2.1 Current System Specification 05 2.2 Consequence for Issues 07 3. Proposed System 08 3.1 System Architecture Specification 10 3.2 Technology Used 11 3.3 System Requirement Specification 12 3.4 Cost of System 13 3.5 Impact of the Proposed Changes 14 4. Change Management 15 5. Conclusion and Future enhancements 15 6. References 16 7.0 Diagram 17 1. Introduction: Now in present time, web-platform becomes necessary for all sector of business to get more success. Especially, in Banking, Hotel, and many other educational and training organization it becomes basic needs for business to have web-platform. In hotel Industry through website tourist can reserve room in advance. And also able to get other information of the hotel which will be useful for them. Static or dynamic website is useful for the organizations growth. The projected Hotel Reservation System brings the main requirements of the Swinton Hotel Management. In addition, reservation system classifies a way to manage the database of the tourist (Customers). And reduce paper and manual work system. Moreover, business point of view, it is time and cost effectiveness which is vital assets for the organization. In addition, Swinton Hotel Management has very simple and complicate reservation system. The organization has faced many issues with current System. Firstly, the current system is running on Microsoft Excel datasheet. Secondly, management requires allocate one staff for manual room check. Last but not least, it is very difficult to manage vacation time for staff schedule. And lastly, its very complicate process for tourist to reserve room in advance. So, management has been facing these major issues with reservation system. Furthermore, the purpose of develop website for Swinton hotel to improve in customer service. Customer can easily communicate with Hotel Staff and can browse all latest information about Hotel for advance room reservation. Apart from this, it will be extremely useful for staff to manage customer database. For instance, no time consuming process for room checking availability. , easy to access customer details. And also itll very simple to handle invoice of customer. Invoice handling is more important for management to know about real profit of business. In addition, account department also able to get profit and loss account. 2.0 Problem Identification In Hotel Industry a reservation system must be very accurate and very user friendly. So, customer or tourist can access all information which they want to browse. In this are of business, website should be in proper way which can helpful for customers and also for Hotel department. However, Swinton Hotel Management has very simple stage of reservation system for advance room booking or get any information about hotel. Inaddtion, A management is facing many issues with this present system. Here, we are going to present what are the major issues in present system? 2.1 Current System Specification First of all, we collect all information about Current system through interview with manager and staff members. Manual Data Sheet Screenshot of Excel Database A management of Swinton Hotel is using simple this format database for customer. First of all, its very difficult to unique identification of customer. Means that, not allocate any facility which can identify user unique information. For instance, if same name customers come then its very difficult to identify. Secondly, Staff does manual entry for tourist which is very difficult to manage during the peak time or vacation time periods. Last but not least, its very complicate for other staff members to understand this system. Only one staff member is able to handle this complicated system .So, for future point of view itll be difficult for management. Telephone Reservation Change Telephone Reservation system in this Hotel done by Telephone which is one of the major issues with management. Customer can get room information through telephonic it is time consuming. First of all, a manual room checker will check room whether room available or not? And passed information to the call receiver. Furthermore, other disadvantage of telephonic reservation thats, cost of call. Because, sometime its very expensive to make call. So, in this situation its very expensive to reserve a room via telephone through current reservation system. Manual Room Checking In present system, to access room information need to allocate one staff for checking all information about available room in hotel for traveller. This is very cost and time consuming process for staff and customer. Especially, during the peak time its very difficult to access all information about available room for customer. In addition, for management point of view its very expensive to allocate special one person for check. They can not allocate for other work. So, this is one of the issues in this current system. Lack Of Customer Communication Current System of Swinton hotel, Staff not able to communicate with customer. Customer needs to introduce self every time for access any information about hotel. The Current system is done by manual entry. So, staffs needs to follow that process and they are not able to answering in proper and right way. And only one staff allocate for excel data sheet, for telephonic reservation and also for receiving call. So, its really difficult to handle all tasks at a same time. And which can create negative impact on customer mind for Hotel. No Registration system for Customer In this Current System, traveller needs to show own identification every time. Its complicated and time consuming. Apart from this, customer has to pass reservation process. And every time need to feel a form and give it back to staff. So, during the vacation time period its difficult. And it influences on customer service. No Customer Database In this present System, a management has faced problem with customer database. Because, currently all customer data saved in Excel data entry sheet. Its very time difficult to handle all data. So, management keep only one week datasheet. So, no any security for hotel point of view. 2.2 Consequences for Issues Management of Swinton Hotel has faced all these major issue with current system. There are many consequences for raising these problems for management. Firstly, lack of management. as we seen that management has faced many issues with current system. But, management doesnt think about to build up a new system for Hotel. Secondly, untrained staff. This is one of the big consequences for all. Only one staff handles too many tasks which is very difficult. And not allocate other staff for this role. This shows untrained staff. Finally, structure of management is not in proper and right ways is also one the main cause for failure in business. 3.0 Proposed System Nowadays, tourist business has gained extremely top level. In addition, in this area of business, in this present time web-platform modifies a structure of business for ever. For instance, Travelodge. Even more, with help of IT tools really change the way of the business of hotel. Hotel reservation has started through web-platform. In this present time, most hotels worldwide use online Hotel Reservation .its very convenient for traveller to book hotel room. Here, we are going to develop a new web system for Swinton Hotel Management. 3.1 System Architecture Specification The projected system is basically based on web-platform. And the main architecture of the web-platform three tiers. Client Application Server Database Server The main aim of using three tier architecture for the system to improve execute faster and also can easily fetched data from database which is one of major advantage for use of three tier architecture. In addition, new system can manage large database as well. This will solve a Customer Database problem for current system. Faster responses make the user more user- friendly and comfortable to work with the system In addition, vital advantage for use of 3 tier architecture is more secure for personal data. CLIENT APPLICATION SERVER DATABASE SERVER Request Reply Command Result Fig 1. Three Tier Architecture 3.2 Technology Used Operating System> Windows XP Front End > ASP.NET(c#) Data Base> Microsoft Access Design Platform> HTML, PhotoShop Front-End Platform ASP.NET ASP.NET is the next version of ASP framework to build up a web-application. The .net framework consists of many class libraries, functions, and common execution platform. We can create ASP.NET applications using any of the built-in any languages. Web-application is easier and faster compared to other technologies. With use of ASP.NET clients gets the faster response which is one of the major advantages to use this platform for build an application. In addition, ASP.NET is totally server side technology. ASP.NET advantages Asp.net reduce the amount of code for build an application. It is very easy to maintain with server side programme model. This platform pages are very simple to write and maintain. Very easy to design any page for application. ASP.NET makes for easy deployment. There is no need to register components. ASP.NET applications run faster in large volumes of data without any problem. ASP.NET validation controls entered by user without any coding. .So, for security point of view its more secure compare to other technology. (Source: http://www.startvbdotnet.com/aspsite/asp/) Data base Connectivity: ASP.NET can configured with any Database. In the projected system, Microsoft Access database has been used. There are many benefits for using this platform as a back- end. ASP.NET platform has wide range of data access options. These include support for the generic class library data access classes. ODBC, OleDb, dbExpress driver. ADO.NET is the portion of the ASP.NET foundation class library that applies to data access, storage and manipulation. (Source: http://www.devx.com/dbzone/Article/42281) 3.3 System Requirement Specifications: R1: Login Form Input: Travellers Username and password Output: Travellers Details Description: Once Traveller registered in website. Then they are able to access all information about SWINTON Hotel. And they can reserve room, Extra facilities, details information about rent etc through access reservation form. R2: Registration Form Input: Travellers Details Output: Allocate Username and Password Description: Traveller needs to fill out the form for access any information and reserve any room. Through this form unique username and password will allocate to tourist. So, next time traveller need to enter username and password in login form. And they can access any information. In addition, through this form a management can manage their customers records. R3: Staff Login: Input: Staff Username and Password Output: Administrators Homepage Description: The main purpose of this form to develop an interface for any staff to look at the Travellers Details. With Staff username and Password can access their respective homepage where they can browse the travellers details. R4: Reservation Form: Input: Select Room number and Type Output: Current Status, Rent, Facilities Description: when traveller enters successfully through login form then they can reserve any room, can access rate information, facilities details etc. R5 Invoice Form (only for Staff access) Input: Room No. Output: Invoice Description: This form presents all information about user. Which facilities they have used, time periods, Room Type etc. and shows total invoice amount for user. 3.4 Cost of System How much does a website cost? Basically, there are main two separate cost elements. First is cost that covered the registration of domain name and Internet space for hosting the site. In addition, second element is creation of website. There may also be some on going maintenance costs depending on how often you require changes to be made to the site when it is complete. First of all, management of the SWINTON hotel will not pay any amount for system up to three year. Because, the organization has done big deal with some outsourcing small IT company. So, for domain name, space and any other specification IT company will responsible. However, if the management of SWINTON HOTEL needs to pay some amount after three year. This will cost only  £30 every year. In addition, management of hotel is not giving any cost for developing a new system to solve problem of the old system. Furthermore, management has benefits at initial stage in this web platform. If in future any problem will create regarding system then IT company will responsible up to three year. So, for management point of view it is major advantage. [https://auctions.godaddy.com/?ci=13335] [http://www.toucher.co.uk/website_cost.htm] 3.5 Impact of the Proposed Changes The purpose of the new system is to provide better services to traveller, so they can able to access important details and also reserve Hotel room through website. In addition, developers of this system try to build a user friendly web platform. And the new system will be easier for staff to maintain traveller data. Furthermore, a tourist can browse information from any where and any time. The major advantage of this system is the able to keeps all information about traveller, staff information, and maintenance of database periodically. Client Functionalities Traveller can get all information about SWINTON Hotel. Once traveller is registered in website then to have own username and password. Traveller able to access important details any time. And also check its status. Traveller also able to access other facilities which provided by hotel. Admin Functionalities The main aim for develop this system is to provide better service to travelers of the hotel. In addition, for management point of view, to provide easy system to maintain tourist database. As the main goal of this system is to reduce manual, paper work and time of the administrative department. So, it will bring more efficiency in work and customer service. Furthermore, through help of this system staff can able to access all information about travelers. 4.0 Change Management According to press release Dec. 03 2009, A hotel website will help to management boost in worldwide. A hotel website will only give lots of advantages towards promoting hotel more in this competition era. The management of SWINTON hotel will need to invest on web based platform for success in Hotel industry. In addition, management of the hotel also needs to focus on database maintenance for tourist. The database of the system will increase more. Because as the new travelers come for reservation room and other facilities. So, for management point of view it is very vital part in system. Furthermore, if new system will success in future then a management needs to think about further implementation of the system. Finally, the proposed system Hotel Reservation system is developed on proper way. Especially for user it is very easy to access this website. However, I can recommend that for future point of view need to require some more implementation of the system. 5 Conclusion and future enhancements: In this present era web platform is necessary for success in business. Especially, for hotel industry. So, new system will helpful for SWINTON HOTEL management. Through proposed system time can be saved, more accuracy, security and reduce manual work which is one of the major advantages of this system. Last but not least, the management is not paying any amount for develop a new system. For clients point of view, it is more flexible to access information about hotel. And for staffs point of view, it is very easy to maintain database for travellers. Future Enhancements: Invoice report Auto e-malling system Track Travellers data

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Determining Magnitudes of Calibration Stars

Determining Magnitudes of Calibration Stars SN 2014J in M82: Follow-Up Photometry Aims and Objectives This laboratory involved using photometry of the images of M28 which were obtained in R and I filters from ULO’s robotic telescope, hence determined the magnitudes of calibration stars and the new discovered supernova. In addition, compare the experimental results to the published AAVSO data by investigating the time series of data within the night of 23rd and 24th of January. Introduction Supernova are basically the explosion of massive supergiant star when they are reaching the end of their evolution. In general, supernovae can be classified as type I and type II supernova, each of them has its own specific features and dynamics. Type Ia supernova are generally thought to a white dwarf explosion and type II supernova are triggered by a core collapse of massive supergiant stars. Astronomers use type Ia supernova as a â€Å"standard candle† to measure the cosmic distances because they are very bright which can be seen at great distances and they all are observed to have similar brightness at their peaks. Light curve is one of the methods that astronomers use to identify different types of supernova. It is constructed by plotting the magnitude of the supernova as a function of time after the event of explosion. Type I supernova have very distinctive light curve compare to type II supernova. The figure bellow shows that type I supernova light curves exhibit a sharp increase to a maxima and then decrease steeply, eventually die away smoothly and gradually whereas type II supernova have less sharp peaks at their maxima and they have another peak later on after the first peak. (From hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu) Supernova SN2014J was discovered in the galaxy M82 on 21st January 2014 at ULO. Early studies of SN2014J light curve and spectrum indicate it is a type Ia supernova meaning that its light curve would have a peak absolute magnitude around the same value and it follows the general shape of type Ia light curve. In the laboratory, we can determine the magnitude of the supernova and plot the result to AAVSO database to see if it fits the published data and follow the trend of typical type Ia supernova light curves, whence to predict the peak brightness and its magnitude. Procedures I first downloaded and printed out the list of standard stars’ magnitudes from the AAVSO website which was used for reference throughout the laboratory. I also obtained the subset of the images of M82 from ULO’s robotic system by selecting only Rc and Ic filter’s image as well as the time range from 21:29 to 21:35 on the date of 23rd of January 2014. These images were opened and analysed with GAIA’s aperture photometry tool. I analysed the Ic images first in GAIA. Before making any magnitude measurements of stars, the brightest stars were checked to make sure they were not saturated and all the given star in AAVSO list don’t have peak count over 40000 counts. These must be done to get reliable results. In order to measure the magnitude, a suitable aperture needed to be drawn on the image and it should be in the size about two to three times the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of a star image. By using the slice tool, a graph of the selected star was opened in a new window where the FWHM could be measured. Determined FWHM of several listed stars and calculated the mean value, hence the aperture was set to three times the size of FWHM. When the aperture was set to a suitable size, I clicked the â€Å"define object aperture† button and placed the aperture to stars in the same order as they appeared in the AAVSO reference data. At last, dropped the aperture in supernova as well. After all, I collected my results by clicking on â€Å"Calculate results† button. These results were then save in a excel file for further analysis. Repeat the same procedures for Rc images and also save all the results in the same excel file. Measurements and results Calculated FWHM for making the judgement of the size of aperture: FWHM of star 112 = 178-174=4 FWHM of star 120 = 548-544=4 mean of FWHM = 4 size of aperture = 3 x 4 =12 Thus, I set the aperture as size 12 and placed it to each star to make a measurement. On my downloaded images for both Ic and Rc filter, star 155 and star 159 did not appear on them which lead to no measurements were taken from them. Results of Ic image and Rc image were tabulated in table 1 and table 2. Table 1. Results of Ic image Table 2. Results of Rc image Both of the tables have their first column listing all the known standard star from the reference data and supernova is also included. The column with heading of Sky is the values of sky annulus which are used to measure local background sky values for each star. And the last column is the signal from a star which is used to calculate magnitude and constant k of the star as well as the supernova. To estimate the magnitude of supernova, several calculations were carried out by using the equation: m = -2.5log N +k (1) The constant k was first calculated from known reference stars on the list and hence the mean value of constant k for both Ic and Rc imgaes. Then both Ic and Rc apparent magnitude of supernova were determined. All these values were tabulated in table 3 and associated uncertainties showed in table 4. Uncertainties on k and apparent magnitude were obtained by using the following equation: Ntot = N x n x 2.53 (2) Where N is the signal obtained from an average of n images, and 2.53 is called the ‘gain’ of the CCD. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2 ≈ 1.1/√Ntot (3) Where à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2 is the error in magnitudes in measurement of the star signal And finally, the combined uncertainty becomes: (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  mSN)2 = (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  k)2 + (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2)2 (4) Table 3. Results of calculated magnitude and constant k for both Ic and Rc imgaes Table 4. Uncertainties 4.3 Q5. Compare table 3 and the reference list, we can see that there is no obvious trend for constant k (both Ic and Rc) varies for standard star colours as well as standard-star magnitude. In the reference list, standard star colours such as B, V and B-V increase in their values following the order of the stars from 106 to 156, however, values of constant k fluctuates with different values of star colours but not follow any increasing or decreasing trend. Discussions and Conclusions This laboratory is to analyse and make magnitude measurements of the known stars from images of M28 which were obtained in R and I filters from ULO’s robotic telescope by using the aperture photometry tool, hence determined the magnitudes of the new discovered supernova. At the end of the laboratory, experimental results were plot in the light curves from AAVSO data so we can investigate the time series of data within the night of 23rd and 24th of January and more importantly, to predict the time that the supernova reach peak brightness and magnitude when Rc and Ic images were taken. Table 6. Results of magnitude both Rc and Ic by different students. 4.4 Q1. Table 6 shows all the laboratory results obtained by different groups of students. My calculated results for the Ic and Rc magnitude of supernova in the time range 21:29—21:35 are 10.04 +/- 0.02 and 10.54 +/- 0.03 respectively. Compare my results with those obtained by other students, I cannot conclude that out results are not consistence because the uncertainty for my Ic and Rc magnitude are +/-0.02 and +/- 0.03, but the difference in magnitude between students is about +/-0.1 which is not within my uncertainty range, thus the results did not maintain the consistency. 4.4 Q2. Because the great consistency of the results obtained from different groups of students, we can say the magnitude of the supernova is around the similar value at the time the images were taken. There is no obvious trend observed for the magnitude to change with time during that night, also, the condition of the sky was thought to be not vey ideal, thus the we cannot conclude that there is a change in brightness at the night of 23rd January to 24th January 2014. However, from the general shape of light curves of supernova, there should be obvious brightness change before and after peak. So, more reliable results should be obtained for plenty of nights to detect the change in brightness. 4.3.1 Q4. Table 4 listed majority of the uncertainties that can possibly be calculated from my results. They are relatively small compare to the large values of my results. However, there were also systematic uncertainties arising from the measurement of the background galaxy light. This is related to the size of annulus when I did the aperture measurements. The annulus is used to measure the background of the sky by drawing a larger circle and a smaller circle around the centre of the star. The background is therefore the region between these two apertures or the annulus. If the aperture is oversized, extra light from neighbour stars will be included which can cause unreliable results of the measurement as it introduces noise from the sky background, thus the signal strength from the star fluctuates as well. To check this uncertainty, I adjust the inner scale and the outer scale of the annulus to make some measurements of a star. The results were tabulated in table 5. Table 5. Results of aperture measurement with different size of annulus By trying different set of inner and outer annulus scales, the signals were very different to the one I obtained in the first stage. To mitigate them, multiple aperture with different size within the range about 2 to 3 times the FWHM can be used to make more measurement. This would give a more reliable signal strength of the star. Figure 1. Light curve of SN2014J from AAVSO with own data plotted Figure 1 is the light curve that I downloaded from AAVSO for SN 2014J with my results plotted on. My results for Ic and Rc magnitude were plotted in blue and yellow respectively. My data actually fits the AAVSO data, both of the magnitude are on the light curves at the same time on the night. We can spot that there is a trend from the AAVSO data from the same night at ULO. Both of I and R light curves show an increase in magnitude with change in time meaning that the supernova was brightening during the night at 23rd of January 2014. As mentioned previously in introduction, the shape of typical supernova Ia light curves exhibit a sharp increase to a maxima and then decrease steeply, eventually die away smoothly and gradually. Combine this information to the plot from AAVSO, there is a sharp increase from 17th to 23rd of January, and the magnitude gradually increase until reach its peak at around the date of 29th to 30th of January, and even the data is up to 4th February, we still can observe that there is a slight decrease in magnitude after 31th of January. We can say the magnitude at peak is about 9.5 for Ic and 10 for Rc. Throughout the whole observation, colour dependent extinction were not allowed by the Earth’s atmosphere. Basically, the extinction effect varies from night to night and the coefficient of extinction depends on wavelength and on different altitude. As the data was obtained from just one night, the extinction should not vary too much and for the wavelength dependent, different filter needed to be used to maintain a good accuracy of photometry, in this case, red and invisible filter were used. And the extinction is corrected by calculating the magnitudes outside the atmosphere. This can be the reason to cause the fluctuation of our measured magnitudes. In conclusion, I got the magnitude of SN2014J in Ic and Rc filter are 10.04 +/- 0.02 and 10.54 +/- 0.03 respectively within the time range 21:29—21:35 on the night of 23rd of January 2014. These data exactly follow the trend of the light curves of SN2014J obtained by AAVSO website at the same night. However, results gathered from other student in the same group didn’t show an obvious change in brightness of the supernova whereas the light curve did show that there is an increase in magnitude on the same date. References: American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO (2014) [Online] Available from http://www.aavso.org/ [Accessed: 11th February 2014] Aperturephotometry (2004) [Online] Available from http://mth.uct.ac.za/~lab/chap6/chap6/node3.html [Accessed: 11th February 2014] R Nave, HyperPhysics 2001 [Online] Available from: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/astro/snovcn.html [Accessed: 19th February 2014] Megan Gannon, How Students Discovered New Supernova in Nearby Galaxy (2014) [Online] lightAvailable from http://www.space.com/24413-supernova-star-explosion-student-discovery.html [Accessed: 19th February 2014] American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO (2014) [Online] Available from http://www.aavso.org/ [Accessed: 11th February 2014] Steve Fossey, PHAS1130 Practical Skill 1A SN 2014J in M82: Follow-up Photometry Manuals Shaoshan Zeng

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Dungeon :: essays research papers

When the game starts, you will be caged and tortured by â€Å"The Master†. After the short intro sequence, Imoen will enter the room. She broke out of her cage and has come to free you. At this point, you need to try to escape this dungeon. Alone the way, the story unfolds... (1) In the room with the Cages, Speak with Minsc. You will want to insult him and his Hamster friend a few times. He will become so mad that he will break himself out of his cage. After he has done this, you need to sooth him by being friendly (no more insults). If you are mean to him after he frees himself, he may not join your group. You can try to free Jaheira from her cage, but the door is locked solid. Do not try to anger her. She will not find any hidden strength to break herself out. Instead she will â€Å"snob† you and not join the group. In fact, do not even make hints about leaving her behind. (2) You will need to find a key to get Jaheira out of her cage. Locate the Jailkeep Golem in the room near the cell that you were in . In the chest in this room you will find armor for your guys (or girls) to wear. Behind the picture in the room, you will find a dagger+1 and some health potions. You will need to have Imoen disarm the trap and pick the lock on the picture. On the table in the center of this room you will find some weapons for your guys and the key to Jaheira’s cage. (3) Once you have your group free, enter the hallway to the south of your old cage. You will find a room with a lightning machine that is producing lightning Mephits. On the side of the room you will find a shutoff switch. Shutdown the lightning machine and then continue ahead. (4) You will come to a room with large scattered around. In the center of this room, Aataquh the Djinni will be waiting to meet you. He will want to ask you a question. You can refuse to answer it, but there is no fun in that. If you answer â€Å"I would push the button†, then Aataquh will summon an ogre mage to fight you, and you will gain a positive (good) appearance to your group. If you select â€Å"I would not push it†, you will fight a goblin and gain a negative (evil) appearance to your group.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Notre Dame University Football Dynasty Essay -- essays research papers

Waking up the Echoes Throughout College Football's extensive 138 year history, there has been debate over which football team is the greatest dynasty. Many dynasties throughout the nation have the ability to be titled 'the greatest'. Nevertheless, the University of Notre Dame is undeniably the best overall College Football dynasty, when one considers not only statistics but also tradition, heart, and dedication. Notre Dame?s exceptional dynasty has many attributing factors throughout its history. These factors range from the greatest coaches and players to the contagious Irish spirit. No matter what ethnic background a Notre Dame man comes from, the minute he steps out onto 'Rockne's house'(Notre Dame Stadium), he automatically becomes one of the Fighting Irish. It is a telling act that throughout Notre Dame's history, and increasingly in recent years, many players, coaches, and fans have made the university their home purely because of their preference to be in the midst of a community of learning wher e belief is not merely tolerated, but in fact is celebrated. Notre Dame?s football history has not only been legendary but memorable. From their extraordinary hall of fame coaches to their historic rivalries, not one person can forget the Fighting Irish. During this Irish History, their dynasty could not have been ?Rock?-solid (referring to Knute Rockne who built Notre Dame Stadium) without outstanding coaches. With thirteen national titles, Notre Dame has more football championships than any other university or college in history. The thirty remarkable coaches include the greatest in Notre Dame?s history: Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holtz. The program has the highest total winning percentage, higher tha... ...s come and go, football?s greatest players and coaches yield their places in history, Nevertheless, the years fail to dim the ?glory-days? won by the Irish. The University of Notre Dame has proven itself as the best overall dynasty by its ability to persevere and prepare to bounce back under pressure. The remarkable history of the Fighting Irish will always be treasured by their fans and shows the heritage of the Irish spirit. Notre Dame?s young team for the upcoming season (2008) may lack experience but also has more potential for growth, flexibility and magnitude. Based on current statistics and facts, Notre Dame is proving its ability to come back and achieve greatness once again. No matter what the scores or numbers show or ?whether the odds be great or small, Notre Dame will win overall? as long as the spirit of dedication and perseverance continues to thrive.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Luotang Power

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION1 QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS2 i. Quantity Variance5 ii. Price Variance6 iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance7 iv. Fuel Cost Variance8 v. Other Cost Variances9 5 PORTER FORCES†¦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‚¬ ¦. 11 CONCLUSION12 INTRODUCTION Luotang Power was established by American companies who was selected bidders to operate a 600 MW coal-fired power plant project. This company was located in Hubei Province, China. Although this company wholly foreign-owned but they need to use Chinese- manufactured equipment. There are two main issues in this case study.The first issue is the positive performance of Luotang Power does not show in the financial results. Mr. Tan Min Yi was scheduled to make a presentation to the Board of Directors of his parent company, China Hua Tong Power about the results. Mr. Tan Min Yi is a general manager of the Luotang Power Company. He needs to review and investigate the financial results before presenting to the board the disappointing results. The second issue is about the quality of the coal provided by the supplier, Pingdingshan. Sometimes, the Pingdingshan will supply some of the coal with bad quality.They will send some of the coal contain high level of moisture. They need to take time to dry it and will cause additional costs to happen like storage cost. Mr. Tan wants to use a variance analysis method to better understand plant performance compared to the previous year. So, we will help Mr. Tan to solve this problem by calculating and prepare the recommendations to improve reporting and evaluation of the plant's performance. QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS As what have been introduced before, the Luotang Power CEO has to present the financial report to the board of director.But first he has to understand about the quantitative variance ana lysis. Variance Analysis is the analysis of performance by means of variances. This tool can be used to promote management action at the earliest possible stages. After a budget (based on standard costs) has been set, its usefulness lies in the review procedures which compare actual results against the budget. Variance analysis is the process of examining in detail each variance between actual and budgeted or standard costs to determine the reasons why budgeted results were not met. When the effect of variance is concerned, there are two types of variances.When the actual results are better than expected results given variance is described as favorable variance. In common use favorable variance is denoted by the letter (F). But when actual results are worse than expected results given variance is described as adverse variance, or unfavorable variance. In common it is denoted by the letter (U). There are very few plans that turn out exactly as planned. Even when the overall objective s of the plan are achieved, some, if not all components of the performance will have varied from the sub-plans or standards that make up the overall picture.So does the performance on the Luotang Power in 2011 which most of the variance is in unfavorable results. The variance analysis provides a framework for all business managers including Mr. Tan as one of Luotang Power directors to break down the overall performance of an organization, so that each individual element of the business can be isolated and analyzed in turn. The CEO facing problem with quantity variance, price variance, fuel efficiency variance, fuel cost variance and other cost variances. All these variance help him to explain about the plant performance throughout the year 2011 to the board of directors.Later, we will explain some of the variance that we have listed and all the problems related to â€Å"Luotang Power: Variance Explained† case study. This is the calculation of all variances. Variance | Calcula tion | Result| Quantity Variance| (3427351-3937377) x 0. 4219 = 215179. 97| Unfavorable| Price Variance| | Unfavorable | Fuel Efficiency Variance| [(346-347) x 0. 4219] x 3427351= 1445999387| Unfavorable| Fuel Cost Variance| (315612 – 320183)=5021| Unfavorable| Fixed Operating ; Maintainance Variance| (33178-39068)=5890(304090 – 348549)=44459| UnfavorableUnfavorable | i. Quantity Variance 3,427,351-3,937,377) x 0. 4219 = RM 215,179. 97 (UNFAVOURABLE) Based on the calculation above, we can see that amount of selling to HPPC had been declined in the year 2011 regarding HPPC produce electricity by itself. As we can see, Luotang Company never expects that demanding from HPPC will decline because looking at data, they make a bulk purchase on year 2010 and suddenly on year 2011, have dropped in demand. Ratio of coal consumed to net electricity generation| 2010| 2011| 347,000 X 100 % = 8. 1 % 3,937,377| 346,000 X 100 % = 10. 09 % 3,427,351 | Based on calculation above, we can see that in the year 2010, Luotang very effectively usage their resources accordingly to generate electricity, but in the year 2011, Luotang lack of usage of resources to generate electricity. | Excessive usage of materials that is usually a reason of unfavorable direct material quantity variance may be due to lower quality of materials, untrained workers, poor supervision. Generally, production managers are responsible for this variance.However purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials of lower quality to economize on prices. Where Purchasing Department purchases low grade direct materials at low prices to show a favorable material price variance, the material quantity variance is usually unfavorable due to lower quality of direct materials. ii. Price Variance The definition of price variance is the difference between the actual and standard prices of one product unit multiplied by how much input was used.The formula is: Price Variance = (Actual P rice – Standard Price) X Actual Quantity The price variance can be used by a business to assess the change between expected and actual input prices, since a positive price variance reflects an unfavorable cost rise, while a negative result indicates a favorable cost decrease. To adapt price variance to the type of business Luotang power it’s based upon the average price that electricity was sold to HPPC. The formula is: (Price per MWh in Current Year-Price per MWh in Prior Year) * Net Generation in Current Year From our calculation in price variance for Loutang Power we get amount RMB 6,511,9669.Since the amount is positive, that’s mean it unfavorable. Unfavorable show that Loutang Power unefficiency in managing its price and cost. We can see that demand from clients in 2010 is higher than others years because in 2010 the price is lowest. In 2009 is the highest price than its effect the demands. General Manager increases a little bit price in 2011, so the demand is decreased dramatically. This may also be caused by HPPC had its own electricity generating and produce themselves the electricity. Price is influence of the increase of cost, especially direct material cost.Luotang power must change the term of contract with the supplier. Origin contract is Luotang Power paid a fixed price per tonne. If staying with fixed price, the company must pay it although the coal quality has not reached the expected quality. Luotang Power purchase it with a large number, it’s a high risk because the supplier inconsistent provides the quality coal. So Luotang must buy the coal with a condition that if the coal is not meet the qualifications, it must be returned back to the supplier. Luotang Power must set the fix benchmark for the coal, so the supplier must follow it.If not Luotang Power doesn’t have to pay it, just return it. It saves the cost. So Luotang can set the price lower. iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance The meaning of fuel efficiency v ariance in this case study is the difference between the current year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold and the prior year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold. This is calculation how to find the fuel efficiency variance: (Mass of coal used per net MWh sold this year- Mass of coal used per net MWh sold last year) x MWh sold this year's x price of coal last yearFrom our calculation, for 2011, the fuel efficiency variance is –RMB 1,445,999,387. This show that this variance is unfavorable because the result in negative. We found several reasons that cause this to happen. The first reason is from an electricity demand from the HPPC is decreasing in 2011. This due to the HPPC have its own electricity generating units. The HPPC can produce the same electricity as the Luotang electricity. The second reason is because of the price that Luotang Power offer to HPPC. If you see in 2010, the price that the Luotang offe r is cheaper than 2011.Because of the increasing of electric price in 2011, the amount of electricity sold is decreasing. The other reason maybe for the quality of coal provided by Pingdingshan. Pingdingshan was required to supply low sulfur bituminous coal. If the Pingdingshan provides low quality of coal to the Luotang, the coal that can be used to produce electricity will decrease then, the production of electricity will be reduced. There is some recommendation that we will give to Mr. Tan to overcome this problem. We recommend that Luotang revenue does not just depend on the HPPC only.Mr. Tan needs to find other clients. Even it will cost to Luotang but it is will give advantage to Luotang’s long- term performance. The second recommendation is Luotang needs to lower the price of electricity if the company wants the HPPC buy more electricity from them. The last one is, the Luotang need too strict with the Pingdingshan regarding to the direct material, coal. If the Pingding shan provides them with a low quality of the coal, the Luotang needs to tell them or not to pay the expenses. The Luotang cannot let this happen.Although they can adjust the price but actually it will make the Luotang suffered loss in controlling their direct materials because they need to bear other cost in order to adjust back the quality of coal like the storage expenses. iv. Fuel Cost Variance In cost accounting, deviation between the actual cost and the standard cost. If the actual cost exceeds the standard cost, an unfavorable variance exists. A variance can be calculated for different cost items such as manufacturing costs (i. e. , direct material, direct labor, and overhead), selling expenses, and administrative expenses.The reasons for a variance should be identified and corrective action taken. Favorable variance can be defined as a difference between an actual cost and a budgeted or standard cost, and the actual cost is the lesser amount. In the case of revenues, a favora ble variance occurs when the actual revenues are greater than the budgeted or standard revenues. And unfavorable variance can be defined as the amount by which actual costs exceed the standard costs or budgeted costs. Also, the amount by which actual revenues are less than the budgeted revenues.After all of us do the analysis, we have found that this company having major problems in fuel cost, the fuel that Luotang receive from the Pingdingshan for this year have a low quality to compare from the last year. This has affected the production of the company. So that it brought the company a major problem that are decreasing purchase from HPPC. Analysis variance has shown that the fuel cost variance it just unfavorable. We have used the original formula, that are, Cost Variance = (cost this year-cost last year) x actual quantity this year.But we have modified the formula to calculate with Fuel Cost Variance = (price of coal this year-price of coal last year) x Mass of used per net MWh s old this year x MWh sold this year. So that we have found that Luotang have unfavorable variance. The cost is increased from the standard cost because the coal that receive from the Pingdingshan have a problem with its quality so that its take time to plant to generate or burn the coal. So that, its increase the cost with a lower quantity of production. From the analysis, we recommend Luatong should do fuel diversification.Fuel diversification implies the selection of a mix of electric generation technologies in a fashion that strikes a good balance between reduced cost and reduced risk. A long-term perspective as well as a short-term perspective can be taken on the fuel diversification problem. In a short-term perspective, the decision maker is limited to selecting power sources from existing alternatives. The construction of new generation plants and the associated fixed costs are justifiably ignored. The short-term problem translates in most instances to a scheduling problem.On t he other hand the long-term perspective on fuel diversity seeks insights that can help decision-making involved in the selection of new power plants. The long-term problem can be thought of as a resource- planning problem. Our focus is on the long-term perspective. Long-term fuel diversity has recently gained the attention of state regulators and federal policy makers. It has been argued that fuel diversity has the potential to advance several socially desirable objectives such as lower long-term prices, low price risk, less dependent on foreign sources of energy, higher power reliability and a cleaner environment. . Other Cost Variances The variance that related in this area are Coal Cost, Fixed Operating and Maintenance Cost, and Depreciation Expense. This is because in this case, only these three costs that have the useful information that help us to make an analysis of variance. Allocated cash costs are a type of expense that is clearly associated with and so can be readily assi gned to a certain business process, project or department. Allocated costs can be divided into two which allocate cash costs and allocated non-cash costs. Allocated cash costs are most probably things related to cash items.In this case it can be implemented in fixed operating and maintenance while allocating non-cash costs example is depreciation expense. The formula to calculate these two types of allocated cost is: Allocated Cash @ Non-Cash Costs = (Cost of volume allocated based on the quantity used – Actual costs) Related to the Allocated Cash Costs, in this case, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011 – Actual Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 5890 or can be denoted by 5890 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main factor that contributes to increase of act ual result is unmanageable plant management. This is including engineering, planning, accounting and cost of railway fee. While in Luotang Power, they only have depreciation expense that have a relation of Allocated Non-Cash Cost, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Non-Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Depreciation Expense 2011 – Actual Depreciation Expense 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 44459 or can be denoted by 44459 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main cause that contributes to increase of actual result is the standard cost of depreciation that have been planned is unachievable. In the previous two years, they recorded RMB 350320 in 2009 and RMB 349342 in 2010. The issue arises is why Loutang Power finance department decreases the standard cost significantly and unachievable. Our suggestion towards this company to minimize their unfavorable results is ma nage their plant in a very successful way and perhaps can decrease the unachievable amount of the fixed cost.Firstly, Luotang Power can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way. They have to manage the railway line regarding its fees, manage coal by maximizing the utilities of storage area, manage its boilers with a full efficiency of boiling point and so much more related to the site layout for 2x300MW Luotang Power Project. Next, they must take into consideration on achievable amount of the standard cost. It is essential to all standard cost setter to discuss among all of the directors and subordinates first before setting up the most accurate standard cost that can be used as a benchmark for a company. Porter Forces 1) Efficiency Based on data, we can see that Luotang Company doesn't have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing. They have made by their own estimated or standar d cost on year 2011 but when comes to producing the actual cost incurred more than standard cost. This is showing that they fail to manage their production either capability of the machine or weakness of management itself. 2) Bargain of buyer Regarding to theory 5 Porter Forces, their purchaser has power of deciding the price. When we looking at the information, Luotang depend more on HPPC as a buyer.So this made difficulties to Luotang to decide their own price although they have an efficiency in production. 3) Bargain of supplier As we know, supplier as the important agent to determine whether our company successful or not, because we rely on their capabilities to supply us with quality raw materials and reasonable price, also willing to provide us when we need. In this case, Luotang depend on Pingdingshan and recently reported that coal quality had deteriorated about 3 % from the expected quality. CONCLUSION Luotang Power Company is an international power developers to finance, d esign, construct and operate coal-fired power plant.However due to the nature of our business, we have a big problem about our supplier that have gotten changed on 2011. The supplier has supplied low quality coal to Luotang and that disturbs the progress of the production. That has caused decreases demand from a loyal customer. And its affect the financial situation of the company. Besides that, several recommendations should be taken to ensure a successful implementation of the system in our company. First of all, purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials that can define the quality of the material.Besides that, Luotang also change the term of contract with the supplier, need to find other clients not to depend to HPPC, Luotang also should do fuel diversification to make sure there are several suppliers, and Luotang can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way so that they can improve their management we ll. In addition, what we have found by concept 5 Forces in this company that their faces during their production. There are ; Luotang not have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing.Besides that, bargain of buyer that show their purchaser have power in deciding the price. And lastly, bargain of supplier that show there is a supplier that supply the raw material to Luotang. As a conclusion in overall, we can see that Luotang Power Company has a good performance in their production but it have decreased in year 2011 because there are several problems that unexpected, that come from the supplier and others. So that, Luotang should do in several ways to overcome the problem and prove it to the Boar of Directors. Luotang Power Table of Contents INTRODUCTION1 QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS2 i. Quantity Variance5 ii. Price Variance6 iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance7 iv. Fuel Cost Variance8 v. Other Cost Variances9 5 PORTER FORCES†¦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‚¬ ¦. 11 CONCLUSION12 INTRODUCTION Luotang Power was established by American companies who was selected bidders to operate a 600 MW coal-fired power plant project. This company was located in Hubei Province, China. Although this company wholly foreign-owned but they need to use Chinese- manufactured equipment. There are two main issues in this case study.The first issue is the positive performance of Luotang Power does not show in the financial results. Mr. Tan Min Yi was scheduled to make a presentation to the Board of Directors of his parent company, China Hua Tong Power about the results. Mr. Tan Min Yi is a general manager of the Luotang Power Company. He needs to review and investigate the financial results before presenting to the board the disappointing results. The second issue is about the quality of the coal provided by the supplier, Pingdingshan. Sometimes, the Pingdingshan will supply some of the coal with bad quality.They will send some of the coal contain high level of moisture. They need to take time to dry it and will cause additional costs to happen like storage cost. Mr. Tan wants to use a variance analysis method to better understand plant performance compared to the previous year. So, we will help Mr. Tan to solve this problem by calculating and prepare the recommendations to improve reporting and evaluation of the plant's performance. QUANTITATIVE VARIANCE ANALYSIS As what have been introduced before, the Luotang Power CEO has to present the financial report to the board of director.But first he has to understand about the quantitative variance ana lysis. Variance Analysis is the analysis of performance by means of variances. This tool can be used to promote management action at the earliest possible stages. After a budget (based on standard costs) has been set, its usefulness lies in the review procedures which compare actual results against the budget. Variance analysis is the process of examining in detail each variance between actual and budgeted or standard costs to determine the reasons why budgeted results were not met. When the effect of variance is concerned, there are two types of variances.When the actual results are better than expected results given variance is described as favorable variance. In common use favorable variance is denoted by the letter (F). But when actual results are worse than expected results given variance is described as adverse variance, or unfavorable variance. In common it is denoted by the letter (U). There are very few plans that turn out exactly as planned. Even when the overall objective s of the plan are achieved, some, if not all components of the performance will have varied from the sub-plans or standards that make up the overall picture.So does the performance on the Luotang Power in 2011 which most of the variance is in unfavorable results. The variance analysis provides a framework for all business managers including Mr. Tan as one of Luotang Power directors to break down the overall performance of an organization, so that each individual element of the business can be isolated and analyzed in turn. The CEO facing problem with quantity variance, price variance, fuel efficiency variance, fuel cost variance and other cost variances. All these variance help him to explain about the plant performance throughout the year 2011 to the board of directors.Later, we will explain some of the variance that we have listed and all the problems related to â€Å"Luotang Power: Variance Explained† case study. This is the calculation of all variances. Variance | Calcula tion | Result| Quantity Variance| (3427351-3937377) x 0. 4219 = 215179. 97| Unfavorable| Price Variance| | Unfavorable | Fuel Efficiency Variance| [(346-347) x 0. 4219] x 3427351= 1445999387| Unfavorable| Fuel Cost Variance| (315612 – 320183)=5021| Unfavorable| Fixed Operating ; Maintainance Variance| (33178-39068)=5890(304090 – 348549)=44459| UnfavorableUnfavorable | i. Quantity Variance 3,427,351-3,937,377) x 0. 4219 = RM 215,179. 97 (UNFAVOURABLE) Based on the calculation above, we can see that amount of selling to HPPC had been declined in the year 2011 regarding HPPC produce electricity by itself. As we can see, Luotang Company never expects that demanding from HPPC will decline because looking at data, they make a bulk purchase on year 2010 and suddenly on year 2011, have dropped in demand. Ratio of coal consumed to net electricity generation| 2010| 2011| 347,000 X 100 % = 8. 1 % 3,937,377| 346,000 X 100 % = 10. 09 % 3,427,351 | Based on calculation above, we can see that in the year 2010, Luotang very effectively usage their resources accordingly to generate electricity, but in the year 2011, Luotang lack of usage of resources to generate electricity. | Excessive usage of materials that is usually a reason of unfavorable direct material quantity variance may be due to lower quality of materials, untrained workers, poor supervision. Generally, production managers are responsible for this variance.However purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials of lower quality to economize on prices. Where Purchasing Department purchases low grade direct materials at low prices to show a favorable material price variance, the material quantity variance is usually unfavorable due to lower quality of direct materials. ii. Price Variance The definition of price variance is the difference between the actual and standard prices of one product unit multiplied by how much input was used.The formula is: Price Variance = (Actual P rice – Standard Price) X Actual Quantity The price variance can be used by a business to assess the change between expected and actual input prices, since a positive price variance reflects an unfavorable cost rise, while a negative result indicates a favorable cost decrease. To adapt price variance to the type of business Luotang power it’s based upon the average price that electricity was sold to HPPC. The formula is: (Price per MWh in Current Year-Price per MWh in Prior Year) * Net Generation in Current Year From our calculation in price variance for Loutang Power we get amount RMB 6,511,9669.Since the amount is positive, that’s mean it unfavorable. Unfavorable show that Loutang Power unefficiency in managing its price and cost. We can see that demand from clients in 2010 is higher than others years because in 2010 the price is lowest. In 2009 is the highest price than its effect the demands. General Manager increases a little bit price in 2011, so the demand is decreased dramatically. This may also be caused by HPPC had its own electricity generating and produce themselves the electricity. Price is influence of the increase of cost, especially direct material cost.Luotang power must change the term of contract with the supplier. Origin contract is Luotang Power paid a fixed price per tonne. If staying with fixed price, the company must pay it although the coal quality has not reached the expected quality. Luotang Power purchase it with a large number, it’s a high risk because the supplier inconsistent provides the quality coal. So Luotang must buy the coal with a condition that if the coal is not meet the qualifications, it must be returned back to the supplier. Luotang Power must set the fix benchmark for the coal, so the supplier must follow it.If not Luotang Power doesn’t have to pay it, just return it. It saves the cost. So Luotang can set the price lower. iii. Fuel Efficiency Variance The meaning of fuel efficiency v ariance in this case study is the difference between the current year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold and the prior year of the quantity of coal used to generate each MWh of electricity sold. This is calculation how to find the fuel efficiency variance: (Mass of coal used per net MWh sold this year- Mass of coal used per net MWh sold last year) x MWh sold this year's x price of coal last yearFrom our calculation, for 2011, the fuel efficiency variance is –RMB 1,445,999,387. This show that this variance is unfavorable because the result in negative. We found several reasons that cause this to happen. The first reason is from an electricity demand from the HPPC is decreasing in 2011. This due to the HPPC have its own electricity generating units. The HPPC can produce the same electricity as the Luotang electricity. The second reason is because of the price that Luotang Power offer to HPPC. If you see in 2010, the price that the Luotang offe r is cheaper than 2011.Because of the increasing of electric price in 2011, the amount of electricity sold is decreasing. The other reason maybe for the quality of coal provided by Pingdingshan. Pingdingshan was required to supply low sulfur bituminous coal. If the Pingdingshan provides low quality of coal to the Luotang, the coal that can be used to produce electricity will decrease then, the production of electricity will be reduced. There is some recommendation that we will give to Mr. Tan to overcome this problem. We recommend that Luotang revenue does not just depend on the HPPC only.Mr. Tan needs to find other clients. Even it will cost to Luotang but it is will give advantage to Luotang’s long- term performance. The second recommendation is Luotang needs to lower the price of electricity if the company wants the HPPC buy more electricity from them. The last one is, the Luotang need too strict with the Pingdingshan regarding to the direct material, coal. If the Pingding shan provides them with a low quality of the coal, the Luotang needs to tell them or not to pay the expenses. The Luotang cannot let this happen.Although they can adjust the price but actually it will make the Luotang suffered loss in controlling their direct materials because they need to bear other cost in order to adjust back the quality of coal like the storage expenses. iv. Fuel Cost Variance In cost accounting, deviation between the actual cost and the standard cost. If the actual cost exceeds the standard cost, an unfavorable variance exists. A variance can be calculated for different cost items such as manufacturing costs (i. e. , direct material, direct labor, and overhead), selling expenses, and administrative expenses.The reasons for a variance should be identified and corrective action taken. Favorable variance can be defined as a difference between an actual cost and a budgeted or standard cost, and the actual cost is the lesser amount. In the case of revenues, a favora ble variance occurs when the actual revenues are greater than the budgeted or standard revenues. And unfavorable variance can be defined as the amount by which actual costs exceed the standard costs or budgeted costs. Also, the amount by which actual revenues are less than the budgeted revenues.After all of us do the analysis, we have found that this company having major problems in fuel cost, the fuel that Luotang receive from the Pingdingshan for this year have a low quality to compare from the last year. This has affected the production of the company. So that it brought the company a major problem that are decreasing purchase from HPPC. Analysis variance has shown that the fuel cost variance it just unfavorable. We have used the original formula, that are, Cost Variance = (cost this year-cost last year) x actual quantity this year.But we have modified the formula to calculate with Fuel Cost Variance = (price of coal this year-price of coal last year) x Mass of used per net MWh s old this year x MWh sold this year. So that we have found that Luotang have unfavorable variance. The cost is increased from the standard cost because the coal that receive from the Pingdingshan have a problem with its quality so that its take time to plant to generate or burn the coal. So that, its increase the cost with a lower quantity of production. From the analysis, we recommend Luatong should do fuel diversification.Fuel diversification implies the selection of a mix of electric generation technologies in a fashion that strikes a good balance between reduced cost and reduced risk. A long-term perspective as well as a short-term perspective can be taken on the fuel diversification problem. In a short-term perspective, the decision maker is limited to selecting power sources from existing alternatives. The construction of new generation plants and the associated fixed costs are justifiably ignored. The short-term problem translates in most instances to a scheduling problem.On t he other hand the long-term perspective on fuel diversity seeks insights that can help decision-making involved in the selection of new power plants. The long-term problem can be thought of as a resource- planning problem. Our focus is on the long-term perspective. Long-term fuel diversity has recently gained the attention of state regulators and federal policy makers. It has been argued that fuel diversity has the potential to advance several socially desirable objectives such as lower long-term prices, low price risk, less dependent on foreign sources of energy, higher power reliability and a cleaner environment. . Other Cost Variances The variance that related in this area are Coal Cost, Fixed Operating and Maintenance Cost, and Depreciation Expense. This is because in this case, only these three costs that have the useful information that help us to make an analysis of variance. Allocated cash costs are a type of expense that is clearly associated with and so can be readily assi gned to a certain business process, project or department. Allocated costs can be divided into two which allocate cash costs and allocated non-cash costs. Allocated cash costs are most probably things related to cash items.In this case it can be implemented in fixed operating and maintenance while allocating non-cash costs example is depreciation expense. The formula to calculate these two types of allocated cost is: Allocated Cash @ Non-Cash Costs = (Cost of volume allocated based on the quantity used – Actual costs) Related to the Allocated Cash Costs, in this case, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011 – Actual Fixed Operating and Maintenance 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 5890 or can be denoted by 5890 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main factor that contributes to increase of act ual result is unmanageable plant management. This is including engineering, planning, accounting and cost of railway fee. While in Luotang Power, they only have depreciation expense that have a relation of Allocated Non-Cash Cost, we can simply use the formula: Allocated Non-Cash Costs = (Standard Cost for Depreciation Expense 2011 – Actual Depreciation Expense 2011) From our calculation, the standard cost is lower if compared with the actual coal cost in 2011.From the table, it shows that – 44459 or can be denoted by 44459 U. Which shows unfavorable result. The main cause that contributes to increase of actual result is the standard cost of depreciation that have been planned is unachievable. In the previous two years, they recorded RMB 350320 in 2009 and RMB 349342 in 2010. The issue arises is why Loutang Power finance department decreases the standard cost significantly and unachievable. Our suggestion towards this company to minimize their unfavorable results is ma nage their plant in a very successful way and perhaps can decrease the unachievable amount of the fixed cost.Firstly, Luotang Power can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way. They have to manage the railway line regarding its fees, manage coal by maximizing the utilities of storage area, manage its boilers with a full efficiency of boiling point and so much more related to the site layout for 2x300MW Luotang Power Project. Next, they must take into consideration on achievable amount of the standard cost. It is essential to all standard cost setter to discuss among all of the directors and subordinates first before setting up the most accurate standard cost that can be used as a benchmark for a company. Porter Forces 1) Efficiency Based on data, we can see that Luotang Company doesn't have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing. They have made by their own estimated or standar d cost on year 2011 but when comes to producing the actual cost incurred more than standard cost. This is showing that they fail to manage their production either capability of the machine or weakness of management itself. 2) Bargain of buyer Regarding to theory 5 Porter Forces, their purchaser has power of deciding the price. When we looking at the information, Luotang depend more on HPPC as a buyer.So this made difficulties to Luotang to decide their own price although they have an efficiency in production. 3) Bargain of supplier As we know, supplier as the important agent to determine whether our company successful or not, because we rely on their capabilities to supply us with quality raw materials and reasonable price, also willing to provide us when we need. In this case, Luotang depend on Pingdingshan and recently reported that coal quality had deteriorated about 3 % from the expected quality. CONCLUSION Luotang Power Company is an international power developers to finance, d esign, construct and operate coal-fired power plant.However due to the nature of our business, we have a big problem about our supplier that have gotten changed on 2011. The supplier has supplied low quality coal to Luotang and that disturbs the progress of the production. That has caused decreases demand from a loyal customer. And its affect the financial situation of the company. Besides that, several recommendations should be taken to ensure a successful implementation of the system in our company. First of all, purchasing department may also be held responsible for purchasing materials that can define the quality of the material.Besides that, Luotang also change the term of contract with the supplier, need to find other clients not to depend to HPPC, Luotang also should do fuel diversification to make sure there are several suppliers, and Luotang can minimize their cost of handling the management of their plant in a very strategic way so that they can improve their management we ll. In addition, what we have found by concept 5 Forces in this company that their faces during their production. There are ; Luotang not have efficiency in producing electricity because cost for fixed expenses in the year 2011 are increasing.Besides that, bargain of buyer that show their purchaser have power in deciding the price. And lastly, bargain of supplier that show there is a supplier that supply the raw material to Luotang. As a conclusion in overall, we can see that Luotang Power Company has a good performance in their production but it have decreased in year 2011 because there are several problems that unexpected, that come from the supplier and others. So that, Luotang should do in several ways to overcome the problem and prove it to the Boar of Directors.