Symbolic Logic essays

Symbolic Logic essays People use science and mathematics everyday when they make decisions through reasoning. This is known as logic. The definition of logic as in Websters dictionary is a science that deals with principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration, the science of the formal principles of reasoning. There are many forms of logic in vastly different subjects, but the logic that Im going to deal with in this writing assignment Is known as symbolic logic. In this writing project, I will define symbolic logic and give a brief insight on how Lewis Carroll used symbolic logic in his lifetime. Lewis Carroll was a very indecisive man, that seemed to change his area of study to focus on frequently. But as an inquisitive young man, Carroll was always interested in logic and logic puzzles. Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson on January 27, 1832 and died on January 14, 1898. He took on the pseudonym, Lewis Carroll, as a name for his literary works. In the 66 years of his life, he has written more than 10 books, some of them were childrens stories and some of them were texts of math and logic, since he was, for 26 years, a mathematical lecturer at Oxford. ...

Three Primes of Alchemy (Paracelsus Tria Prima)

Three Primes of Alchemy (Paracelsus Tria Prima) Paracelsus identified three primes (tria prima) of alchemy. The Primes are related to the Law of the Triangle, in which two components come together to produce the third. In modern chemistry, you cant combine the element sulfur and mercury to produce the compound table salt, yet alchemy recognized substances reacted to yield new products. Tria Prima, the Three Alchemy Primes Sulfur – The fluid connecting the High and the Low. Sulfur was used to denote the expansive force, evaporation, and dissolution.Mercury - The omnipresent spirit of life. Mercury was believed to transcend the liquid and solid states. The belief carried over into other areas, as mercury was thought to transcend life/death and heaven/earth.Salt - Base matter. Salt represented the contractive force, condensation, and crystallization. Metaphorical Meanings of the Three Primes Sulfur Mercury Salt Aspect of Matter flammable volatile solid Alchemy Element fire air earth/water Human Nature spirit mind body Holy Trinity Holy Spirit Father Son Aspect of Psyche superego ego id Existential Realm spiritual mental physical Paracelsus devised the three primes from the alchemists Sulfur-Mercury Ratio, which was the belief that each metal was made from a specific ratio of sulfur and mercury and that a metal could be converted into any other metal by adding or removing sulfur. So, if one believed this to be true, it made sense lead could be converted into gold if the correct protocol could be found for adjusting the amount of sulfur. Alchemists would work with the three primes using a process called Solve Et Coagula, which translates to mean dissolving and coagulating. Breaking apart materials so they could recombine was considered a method of purification. In modern chemistry, a similar process is used to purify elements and compounds through crystallization. Matter is either melted or else dissolved and then allowed to recombine to yield a product of higher purity than the source material. Paracelsus also held the belief that all life consisted of three parts, which could be represented by the Primes, either literally or figuratively (modern alchemy). The three-fold nature is discussed in both Eastern and Western religious traditions. The concept of two joining together to become one is also related. Opposing masculine sulfur and feminine mercury would join to produce salt or the body.

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Article Review - Essay Example On the other hand, both coal and nuclear have little or no energy storage needs and both have been thoroughly analysed in a cost analysis to promote further interest by the business community to build more plants of both types. The authors grant that both these sources come with tremendous environmental impact, and in fact refer to them as ‘environmental delinquents,’ but they purport that they both are essential ‘wedges’ in the power capacity production of the world. However the tremendous amount of carbon emissions produced by coal energy and the problem of nuclear waste storage and the high cost to produce nuclear energy are daunting problems for these resources. Coal itself produces the lion share of energy for the planet. Its use is expected to rise 73% by the year 2030, due primarily to the economic emergence of both India and China. If this scenario is true than greenhouse gases are also projected to increase by 56% within the same time frame. The authors point out that the ‘good news’ is that there are alternatives to reduce these carbon emissions by sequestering the gasses in large underground chambers. However the technology and lack of fail-safe protocols are counter productive to implementing this technology. There is also the process of Coal gassification, which separates out the various gasses from raw coal and makes the sequestering of Carbon Dioxide a more simplified process. A by-product of this would also create hydrogen gas that can be burned and also used as fuel. They also site the continued abundance of fossil fuels as a source for energy far into the future. While research continues in to the area of Clean Co al plants, most researchers admit that it is an impossible pipe dream. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, has had its bout of black-eyes such as the Cernoble and Three-Mile Island disasters. The authors admit this was very bad press for production of more nuclear

Choose one of the four topics given (Philosophy Class) Essay - 1

Choose one of the four topics given (Philosophy Class) - Essay Example In such a way, Descartes’ endeavor was a mission of knowledge, and to find that one, or many, â€Å"clear and distinct† and â€Å"perfectly certain† belief on which he could construct an entire deductive framework, reintroduce his previous beliefs with a proper justificatory structure, and construct new truths out of pure reason. To speak of Descartes’ skepticism is to speak of nothing at all; we must instead speak of the skepticism which Descartes set out to disprove, and the intellectual context in which he resolved to write the Meditations on First Philosophy. Only by understanding this context and evaluating it accordingly will we properly understand the types of themes emphasized throughout his magnum opus. In terms of the 17th century context of the Meditations we see quite clearly two major intellectual paradigm shifts. Both of these shifts presented deep challenges to the Catholic orthodoxy which had dominated for centuries throughout the Middle Ages, and troubled the Catholic Frenchman Renà © Descartes. The first was Galileo’s â€Å"new science† of induction—contrasted with the Scholastic pure deductive system. Galileo raised the doubt that what we think we see we might not really see at all. The colors of objections, for instance, seemed to be more in a person’s mind than in the objects. Descartes’ worry was that if we could be misled by something as fundamental as basic perceptive qualities, could we not be mistaken about much else besides? Or, more broadly, could we be mistaken globally; that is, about all beliefs and perceptions? Descartes consequently turns to creating his Meditations with pure reason, and not the empiricist epistemology of the Aristotelian Scholastics (Solomon). This is one way in which the historical context inexorably shaped Descartes’ methodological skepticism. Another event which both worried him and

Nursing Leadership Paper Essay Example for Free

Nursing Leadership Paper Essay They have an open concept design, select menus, and our outside landscaping that allows their residents to enjoy a comfortable setting during either their short or long term stay. Their care is directed by an interdisciplinary team of professionals that includes a Medical Director, attending physicians, 24 hour licensed nurses, a dietary manager, activity director, social worker, and therapist for physical, occupational and speech rehabilitation. At Park Manor, the goal is to provide the care and services to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of each of our residents. I got to work with the MDS nurse, an MDS nurse is the nurse in the long term care facility who schedules and completes the RAI-Resident Assessment Instrument, a detailed assessment done at least quarterly on every nursing home resident. The MDS nurse is also usually responsible to coordinate the completion of the care plans for the resident based on the results of the assessment. We were collecting data from a whole bunch of sources; from the nurses, aides, resident, families, doctors, progress notes, therapy notes, etc. Then we completed the paper/computer MDS form based on our complete assessment (using the data collected). A RUG score (or resource utilization grouper) score is generated based upon our answers which is used to determine medicare/medicaide reimbursement rates for the facility. The MDS is used to create the care plan, determines reimbursement rates and determines quality measures/indicators per federal standards. State Surveyors pull these reports prior to inspection visits and to know who is losing weight and who may have pressure ulcers, etc.

Public School Mentality in Howards End and Passage to India Essay

Public School Mentality in Howard's End and Passage to India The public-school system remains unique because it was created by the Anglo-Saxon middle classes - how perfectly it expresses their character - with its boarding houses, its compulsory games, its system of prefects and fagging, its insistence on good form and on esprit de corps - (E.M. Forster, 'Notes on the English Character', 1936.) Forster perceived the public-school system to be at the centre of the English middle-classes, defining their set of core values and moulding their behaviour. He was particularly intrigued by the notion of emotional repression being indoctrinated into public-school pupils, and the effects of this 'stiff upper lip' mentality is keenly considered in both Howards End and A Passage to India. While several of his male protagonists unquestionably display solidity and efficiency, their lack of imagination and inclination towards hypocrisy inevitably undermine any potentially positive characteristics. Their personal relationships with others are consequently affected, and in A Passage to India the failure of Anglo-Saxon relations is significantly contributed to by the small-minded selfishness of the English. Forster's skilful use of contrast means that those removed from the public-school mentality, such as the colourful characters of Leonard Bast and Aziz, can serve to expose its flaws. The extreme importance of maintaining an unruffled sense of composure, or 'good form' in all situations, even if done in an illusory manner, is an element of public-school mentality much explored by Forster. Margaret Schlegel is subjected to this when travelling in a train with the Fussells, and somewhat bemusedly notes how they raised windows for som... ...ring will inherit Howard's End is perhaps a way for Forster to applaud his emotional maturity: in contrast, Henry reaches a dead end with no prospects. The fact that Forster is clearly opposed to the public-school system and its values is responsible for much of the effectiveness of his writing, especially in Howards End and A Passage to India. His rigorous scepticism of rigid, middle-class behaviour leads to particularly vivid characterisation, and enhances the exciting tension prevalent in both novels. While he is hesitant in explicitly condemning public-school mentality - which is, incidentally, never clearly defined by Forster - his sly observations and cunning implications regarding the subject are significant. Even if one is reluctant to draw firm conclusions about his viewpoint, there can be no denying that it is a powerful vehicle for Forster's wry wit.

New Venture Creation

Introduction of a New Venture Creation Our aim- to engage with SimVenture; a business simulation that allowed us to build and sell computers through our virtual company named ‘Genesis’. The formation and running of our virtual company integrated us with new venture creation and about being an entrepreneur. It reinforced concepts previously presented in our course lectures and engaged us in a competitive and volatile business environment. SimVenture ran for three virtual years with five members on its team- each with a different role in the company. [pic]Home Screen for Genesis on SimVenture This report accounts for the working and performance of Genesis in financial and operational terms with the key decisions taken in running the organisation, and my involvement in the operation of the business. We needed to fully utilize the features that arose with new ventures, by making sound decisions. These features included innovation, fast growth, vision, employment creation and money making power, along with the ability to take greater risks for higher returns. (Stages in Planning for a New Business Venture)The Operation of Genesis After conducting market research, we decided our target market to be the ‘Corporations’ industry due to its characteristics of high order and market size. Selling points were decided after noting the requirements of Corporations, demonstrating that we used consumer driven marketing strategy where we researched the needs of the consumer before making our product. Competitor research was also carried out to see what products were offered at what prices so that we could decide the mix of attributes and price of our product.In an article ‘How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy' in Harvard Business Review (2008), Michael Porter discussed the factors that lead to changes in strategy due to competition. As per the needs of Corporations, our product design had vast features, good performance and style, and average qua lity. We purchased components for Genesis throughout the three years from a small wholesaler, Sourceline, who offered the best discounts relative to credit terms. From commencement, we decided to outsource all production since this would give us more time to invest somewhere else in the business.This however, can affect the business negatively because of problems of relying on the producer in terms of delays. Even so, this saved us time, space and equipment. (Harvard Business Review, 2008) Genesis Product Mix Customer feedback research was carried out every quarter of the financial year till the end of the period, keeping us well informed of customer feedback on our product. Customer Feedback for Genesis [pic] Our goal for Genesis was to be a well known and highly publicized brand within these three years of operation.As per our marketing strategy, rigorous advertising was carried out with the local newspaper. TV and radio adverts were included along with trade magazines. A network was joined where entrepreneurs would meet and increase their business circles and potential customer base. Leads were generated starting from 1000 going up to 9999. A premium website was also created for e-commerce and to provide online customer support. Lastly, we held annual exhibitions for three years at ‘Meet the Corporate Buyer’ to promote our product to the corporate sector.Competitive pricing was adopted, making the product relatively cheaper for the superior attributes Genesis offered as compared to the competitors. Sales channels were kept at various hours in personal selling (entrepreneurial marketing) and a contract with a distributor to sell our product from the second month of the operation of Genesis was concluded. In the third year, a major accomplishment of the business was the addition of another distributor which sufficiently expanded sales. (Establishing Competitive Prices)The ‘Organisation’ I started my role of the ‘Organisationâ⠂¬â„¢ by the completing all legal requirements within the first month of the running of Genesis. This would give us an upper hand in the future, where legal requirements may need to be met. For example, if we urgently required another employee to increase the workforce, time would not be wasted, as our Employee Contract would already be prepared. Also, setting up a Limited Company would portray Genesis as a more professional and successful company, making it better for its image.Furthermore, Health and Safety Contracts and Distributor Contracts were created in order to avoid any problems later when employees needed to be hired or when we contracted with a distributor. [pic] The second step was of recruitment and selection. With the feedback of the team, we gradually increased the number of employees working for Genesis, ensuring that all of them were proficient in a variety of skills. Joseph Schumpeter states, â€Å"Individuals with key experiences and expertise are key elements in the new venture creation†- Schumpeterian ?Unternehmergeist' (Fiery souls). Therefore, all the employees, including the entrepreneur, received significant amounts of training so that they could work to the best of their potential. As numbers of employees grew, we shifted from external sources of training to on the job training. This decreased our costs since more employees could avail the training opportunity at the same cost. It was crucial to ensure that stress levels for the employees and entrepreneur was controlled, because if neglected, this would decrease efficiency and lead to obscuring time management.The entrepreneur was heavily trained in sales and marketing, fields he was not experienced in, since being an only employee at the start, it was up to him to suffice sales. Another key decision taken was that the entrepreneur was made to work full time and quit his previous job (as long as his income was not less than that at his previous job as this could be a dissatisfa ctory factor), so that he could concentrate more on Genesis and make it his primary source of income. (Wikipedia, Joseph Schumpeter) Workforce of Genesis [pic] The third limb of organisation was resources.Before incurring any shortage of storage space, Genesis was relocated onto bigger and more favourable premises with 1000 square feet of space, gaining a better image within the first year coupled with enhancement of our customer pool. We continued to purchase tools, office equipment, furniture, and transport so that the employee to resource ratio was not distorted to lower productivity. Finally, maintenance, cleaning and IT support were also contracted out, creating a sound structural base for Genesis and saving time on trivial matters. pic] Relocated Premises of Genesis Financial Aspect of Genesis This section will critically evaluate the financial performance of Genesis and will be an explanation of the available financial data on the business. [pic] First and foremost, we needed our monetary sources mapped out to overcome the financing gap many small firms face. The ? 10000 of savings of the entrepreneur was taken as the start-up capital to finance our new venture. We also acquired two grants of ? 500 each from the government for training and promotion of new ventures.Being a new business, we could avail the option of taking a loan from friends and family or from a bank, but opted not to do so as this would only raise our future costs in terms of interest payments. Lastly, selling equity to private investors was ruled out as we did not want to dilute the ownership of the business. We hired a bookkeeper in the first month of the business so that we could be updated with the accounts and forecasting of Profit and Loss, Cashflow, Balance Sheet, Ratios, Budgets and Targets. This is crucial for any business because it shows if the company is financially viable.Moreover, we used ratios to analyze company figures. In the above figure, we see that the rate of capi tal employed is 34%, showing that the company is profitable. The current ratio is supposed to be around 1. 5 to be good in terms of liquidity. The current ratio of Genesis is at 10. 4, demonstrating that there is less risk for customers and stakeholders to lose their money. Since we took no loans, our gearing ratio is zero. The asset turnover ratio shows us that the company’s assets are being used efficiently to generate sales (greater than 1 shows that the company is operating efficiently).As discussed earlier, we purchased components from Sourceline. Sourceline offered a 30 days payment term and provided 10% discount for purchases done for over 2000 components. This was favourable for us since by the end of three years, 18500 components were ordered, availing the 10% discount. The credit terms gave us time to pay our debts and that money could be utilized somewhere else in the business. From the profit forecast, and the last operational month’s costs, we get the brea keven point of 83 units. This is considerably lower than the actual sales of 295 units and shows the success of the company by its large margin of safety.Throughout the three years, we saw a steady increase in the bank balance from ? 207,000 at the end of the first year to ? 1,044,500 by the end of the third year. This would show any viewer the success and growth of the company from its initial start up with ? 10,000. In the first two months of the third financial year, another key decision was that we decided to give a promotional 10% discount for two months on sales, resulting in increased sales as we were incurring all advertisement costs together at the beginning of the year. (Pricing Strategy)Bank Balance Increase in the 3rd Year of Operation | |Operational Year | | |1st |2nd |3rd | |Bank Balance |? 20,6951 |? 718,807 |? 1,044,510 | |Profit |? 44,837 |? 25,805 |? 8,310 | |Debtors |? 170,600 |? 96,080 |? 186,180 | Conclusion Even though we had a faced a major problem after the first mentoring session, we succeeded. Our problem- we had lost the venture on the computer! We had to play it all over again and just hope that it kept going as smooth as it did in the previous game. And it did. That being said, there were still decisions that we could have taken differently to provide a different outcome for Genesis.Perhaps we could have decided differently with respect to costing strategies, for example by dividing the costs of the business (advertising etc) evenly throughout the year instead of incurring them together at the start of each year. Also since there were a lot of leads generated and not enough sales in comparison, advertising could have been decreased, allowing more resources to be available for the business. Furthermore, we could have not implemented just-in-time (JIT) stock and kept stocks so that the first two months could have been utilized for production even though there were no sales.Another decision taken differently could have been that we c ould have started doing partial in-house production after the first year since significant idle time emerged. The product of Genesis could also have been altered to a different mix of attributes to show an innovating product which has reached its maturity period and now wants to sustain its growth. When we decided a 10% decrease in price for two months, our product was ‘better than it needed to be’, showing that we were bordering the line of giving the customer too much for its price. Lastly, we neglected to conduct a SWOT and PEST analysis.These could have provided us with a major competitive advantage if we were in the real world and in fact, would have been a necessity. Although spoken about in general, it was not officially conducted which I could say, was a mistake. PEST Analysis SWOT Analysis [pic] Every member of our group felt that our business was running like a well-oiled machine. The team worked well together and gave a professional and productive environment , as demonstrated by the outcome of Genesis. It was established that together we were going to gain much more than we could alone and that unity is what would get us ahead- be it a game or real life.For this very reason, I can call myself a team player. References 1) All business, â€Å"Establishing Competitive Prices†, Retrieved on 26th April 2010 from 2) New Venture Creation, Webct, â€Å"SWOT Analysis† and â€Å"Pest Analysis† Illustrations Porter, Michael E, Harvard Business Review (2008), â€Å"The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy†, Retrieved on 25th April 2010 from â€Å"Pricing Strategy†, Retrieved on 26th April 2010 from 3) â€Å"Stages in Planning for a New Business Venture†, Retrieved on 25th April 2010 from Wikipedia, â€Å"Joseph Schumpeter†, Retrieved on 27th April 2010 from New Venture Creation Introduction of a New Venture Creation Our aim- to engage with SimVenture; a business simulation that allowed us to build and sell computers through our virtual company named ‘Genesis’. The formation and running of our virtual company integrated us with new venture creation and about being an entrepreneur. It reinforced concepts previously presented in our course lectures and engaged us in a competitive and volatile business environment. SimVenture ran for three virtual years with five members on its team- each with a different role in the company. [pic]Home Screen for Genesis on SimVenture This report accounts for the working and performance of Genesis in financial and operational terms with the key decisions taken in running the organisation, and my involvement in the operation of the business. We needed to fully utilize the features that arose with new ventures, by making sound decisions. These features included innovation, fast growth, vision, employment creation and money making power, along with the ability to take greater risks for higher returns. (Stages in Planning for a New Business Venture)The Operation of Genesis After conducting market research, we decided our target market to be the ‘Corporations’ industry due to its characteristics of high order and market size. Selling points were decided after noting the requirements of Corporations, demonstrating that we used consumer driven marketing strategy where we researched the needs of the consumer before making our product. Competitor research was also carried out to see what products were offered at what prices so that we could decide the mix of attributes and price of our product.In an article ‘How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy' in Harvard Business Review (2008), Michael Porter discussed the factors that lead to changes in strategy due to competition. As per the needs of Corporations, our product design had vast features, good performance and style, and average qua lity. We purchased components for Genesis throughout the three years from a small wholesaler, Sourceline, who offered the best discounts relative to credit terms. From commencement, we decided to outsource all production since this would give us more time to invest somewhere else in the business.This however, can affect the business negatively because of problems of relying on the producer in terms of delays. Even so, this saved us time, space and equipment. (Harvard Business Review, 2008) Genesis Product Mix Customer feedback research was carried out every quarter of the financial year till the end of the period, keeping us well informed of customer feedback on our product. Customer Feedback for Genesis [pic] Our goal for Genesis was to be a well known and highly publicized brand within these three years of operation.As per our marketing strategy, rigorous advertising was carried out with the local newspaper. TV and radio adverts were included along with trade magazines. A network was joined where entrepreneurs would meet and increase their business circles and potential customer base. Leads were generated starting from 1000 going up to 9999. A premium website was also created for e-commerce and to provide online customer support. Lastly, we held annual exhibitions for three years at ‘Meet the Corporate Buyer’ to promote our product to the corporate sector.Competitive pricing was adopted, making the product relatively cheaper for the superior attributes Genesis offered as compared to the competitors. Sales channels were kept at various hours in personal selling (entrepreneurial marketing) and a contract with a distributor to sell our product from the second month of the operation of Genesis was concluded. In the third year, a major accomplishment of the business was the addition of another distributor which sufficiently expanded sales. (Establishing Competitive Prices)The ‘Organisation’ I started my role of the ‘Organisationâ⠂¬â„¢ by the completing all legal requirements within the first month of the running of Genesis. This would give us an upper hand in the future, where legal requirements may need to be met. For example, if we urgently required another employee to increase the workforce, time would not be wasted, as our Employee Contract would already be prepared. Also, setting up a Limited Company would portray Genesis as a more professional and successful company, making it better for its image.Furthermore, Health and Safety Contracts and Distributor Contracts were created in order to avoid any problems later when employees needed to be hired or when we contracted with a distributor. [pic] The second step was of recruitment and selection. With the feedback of the team, we gradually increased the number of employees working for Genesis, ensuring that all of them were proficient in a variety of skills. Joseph Schumpeter states, â€Å"Individuals with key experiences and expertise are key elements in the new venture creation†- Schumpeterian ?Unternehmergeist' (Fiery souls). Therefore, all the employees, including the entrepreneur, received significant amounts of training so that they could work to the best of their potential. As numbers of employees grew, we shifted from external sources of training to on the job training. This decreased our costs since more employees could avail the training opportunity at the same cost. It was crucial to ensure that stress levels for the employees and entrepreneur was controlled, because if neglected, this would decrease efficiency and lead to obscuring time management.The entrepreneur was heavily trained in sales and marketing, fields he was not experienced in, since being an only employee at the start, it was up to him to suffice sales. Another key decision taken was that the entrepreneur was made to work full time and quit his previous job (as long as his income was not less than that at his previous job as this could be a dissatisfa ctory factor), so that he could concentrate more on Genesis and make it his primary source of income. (Wikipedia, Joseph Schumpeter) Workforce of Genesis [pic] The third limb of organisation was resources.Before incurring any shortage of storage space, Genesis was relocated onto bigger and more favourable premises with 1000 square feet of space, gaining a better image within the first year coupled with enhancement of our customer pool. We continued to purchase tools, office equipment, furniture, and transport so that the employee to resource ratio was not distorted to lower productivity. Finally, maintenance, cleaning and IT support were also contracted out, creating a sound structural base for Genesis and saving time on trivial matters. pic] Relocated Premises of Genesis Financial Aspect of Genesis This section will critically evaluate the financial performance of Genesis and will be an explanation of the available financial data on the business. [pic] First and foremost, we needed our monetary sources mapped out to overcome the financing gap many small firms face. The ? 10000 of savings of the entrepreneur was taken as the start-up capital to finance our new venture. We also acquired two grants of ? 500 each from the government for training and promotion of new ventures.Being a new business, we could avail the option of taking a loan from friends and family or from a bank, but opted not to do so as this would only raise our future costs in terms of interest payments. Lastly, selling equity to private investors was ruled out as we did not want to dilute the ownership of the business. We hired a bookkeeper in the first month of the business so that we could be updated with the accounts and forecasting of Profit and Loss, Cashflow, Balance Sheet, Ratios, Budgets and Targets. This is crucial for any business because it shows if the company is financially viable.Moreover, we used ratios to analyze company figures. In the above figure, we see that the rate of capi tal employed is 34%, showing that the company is profitable. The current ratio is supposed to be around 1. 5 to be good in terms of liquidity. The current ratio of Genesis is at 10. 4, demonstrating that there is less risk for customers and stakeholders to lose their money. Since we took no loans, our gearing ratio is zero. The asset turnover ratio shows us that the company’s assets are being used efficiently to generate sales (greater than 1 shows that the company is operating efficiently).As discussed earlier, we purchased components from Sourceline. Sourceline offered a 30 days payment term and provided 10% discount for purchases done for over 2000 components. This was favourable for us since by the end of three years, 18500 components were ordered, availing the 10% discount. The credit terms gave us time to pay our debts and that money could be utilized somewhere else in the business. From the profit forecast, and the last operational month’s costs, we get the brea keven point of 83 units. This is considerably lower than the actual sales of 295 units and shows the success of the company by its large margin of safety.Throughout the three years, we saw a steady increase in the bank balance from ? 207,000 at the end of the first year to ? 1,044,500 by the end of the third year. This would show any viewer the success and growth of the company from its initial start up with ? 10,000. In the first two months of the third financial year, another key decision was that we decided to give a promotional 10% discount for two months on sales, resulting in increased sales as we were incurring all advertisement costs together at the beginning of the year. (Pricing Strategy)Bank Balance Increase in the 3rd Year of Operation | |Operational Year | | |1st |2nd |3rd | |Bank Balance |? 20,6951 |? 718,807 |? 1,044,510 | |Profit |? 44,837 |? 25,805 |? 8,310 | |Debtors |? 170,600 |? 96,080 |? 186,180 | Conclusion Even though we had a faced a major problem after the first mentoring session, we succeeded. Our problem- we had lost the venture on the computer! We had to play it all over again and just hope that it kept going as smooth as it did in the previous game. And it did. That being said, there were still decisions that we could have taken differently to provide a different outcome for Genesis.Perhaps we could have decided differently with respect to costing strategies, for example by dividing the costs of the business (advertising etc) evenly throughout the year instead of incurring them together at the start of each year. Also since there were a lot of leads generated and not enough sales in comparison, advertising could have been decreased, allowing more resources to be available for the business. Furthermore, we could have not implemented just-in-time (JIT) stock and kept stocks so that the first two months could have been utilized for production even though there were no sales.Another decision taken differently could have been that we c ould have started doing partial in-house production after the first year since significant idle time emerged. The product of Genesis could also have been altered to a different mix of attributes to show an innovating product which has reached its maturity period and now wants to sustain its growth. When we decided a 10% decrease in price for two months, our product was ‘better than it needed to be’, showing that we were bordering the line of giving the customer too much for its price. Lastly, we neglected to conduct a SWOT and PEST analysis.These could have provided us with a major competitive advantage if we were in the real world and in fact, would have been a necessity. Although spoken about in general, it was not officially conducted which I could say, was a mistake. PEST Analysis SWOT Analysis [pic] Every member of our group felt that our business was running like a well-oiled machine. The team worked well together and gave a professional and productive environment , as demonstrated by the outcome of Genesis. It was established that together we were going to gain much more than we could alone and that unity is what would get us ahead- be it a game or real life.For this very reason, I can call myself a team player. References 1) All business, â€Å"Establishing Competitive Prices†, Retrieved on 26th April 2010 from 2) New Venture Creation, Webct, â€Å"SWOT Analysis† and â€Å"Pest Analysis† Illustrations Porter, Michael E, Harvard Business Review (2008), â€Å"The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy†, Retrieved on 25th April 2010 from â€Å"Pricing Strategy†, Retrieved on 26th April 2010 from 3) â€Å"Stages in Planning for a New Business Venture†, Retrieved on 25th April 2010 from Wikipedia, â€Å"Joseph Schumpeter†, Retrieved on 27th April 2010 from

Kunta Kinte and Gustavus Vassa

Among the most haunting features of the early American history was the debate on the issue of slavery. Slavery was indeed the major cause of the American Civil War that almost divided the whole United States (Polchin). The Black and White conflict persisted to exist until both sides had finally accepted a reconciliation that ended the long years of struggle to unify the whole America and consolidate its people (Anderson). As how others have always said, there is really no winner in any war but only victims. The hostilities that slavery inflicted in the American history would not be disregarded for it would always remind the government and the people about the importance of unity and acceptance notwithstanding the differences the people may have. On the other hand, no matter how people would assert that all participants of the American Civil War were victims, surely there was a party who absorbed much of the war’s consequences. Between the Blacks and Whites, it was the Blacks who suffered and endured much of the implications of slavery. This was primarily due to the fact that the Blacks were the very ones who were discriminated, marginalized, tortured, demoralized and persecuted; the Whites were hailed as the superior ones (Anderson). The Blacks had centuries of affliction and resistance against the by-products of slavery. They were not given the rights to decide for themselves. They were employed as mere properties that can be sold or traded by their masters (Polchin). They were flogged, brutally and cruelly mistreated. For the Blacks, slavery was a disease or much worse a curse – a curse that would continue to deteriorate their bloodline if they were not going to find a way to cure it. Certainly, there were many attempts to obliterate slavery, of course, led by the Blacks. They did everything that they perceive to be effective in order to eradicate discrimination against their race and abolish laws that reinforced the evils of slavery. Analysis between Lives of Kinte and Vassa Obviously, the two protagonists were Blacks. The only difference was that Kinte was a character portrayed in a story while Vassa, whose real name was Olaudah Equiano was not a character drawn from a story or novel. They have the same roots (being Blacks) and same situation (where slavery was dominant). Both of them experienced being harshly discriminated. Kinte was held captured by White men and was roughly dejected (Haley). The same thing happened to Vassa. They were physically injured. But what really wounded them was the fact that they cannot do anything but to endure their sufferings because there was no way that they can claim to alter what was happening in their lives –such as rights. Thrashing, flogging, and battering were only the initial maltreatment and abuse that Kinte and Vassa experienced. What hurt them was the truth that anything can be taken away from them, even their lives and identities. Their names were changed upon they were sold or traded. Kinte’s name was changed to Toby (Haley) while the name Gustavus Vassa replaced Olaudah Equiano (Equiano). They served and do everything that their masters told them to do so. They lived their lives the slave way. Nonetheless, Kinte and Vassa had attempted to free themselves from slavery. Though Kinte was never really became successful in overcoming or liberating himself from the objects of slavery, he made sure that his daughter Kizzy (Keisha) would not forget their origins and their authentic identities. Hence, when Kinte died, her daughter was so proud of his father and became determined to follow his father’s ideologies (which was directed against slavery).   The scene wherein Kizzy erased the slave name of his father (as Toby) and replaced it with his real name which was Kunta Kinte symbolized that even though Kinte did not really accomplished his political purpose, he was still become successful because he was able to make her daughter value his ultimate goal in life (Haley). On the other hand, Vassa was more fortunate than Kinte because he was able to express his political ideologies against slavery. His writings narrated what slavery brought upon the Blacks and how it divided the United States. He used his works to enlighten the government and the people about the inequalities that the former America had been patronizing. As an abolitionist, he strongly advocated for the abolition of the slavery, which was considered legal and was believed to be a right of the Whites (Equiano). Though his writings became effective tools in empowering America about the evils of slavery, he failed to see the dawn of the fall of slavery – just like how he failed to complete his journey back to his homeland. Conclusion To sum up, Kinte and Vassa were both Black slaves. They had the same experiences and the same sentiments concerning the issue of slavery. Their ways in overcoming such slavery were somewhat performed in different ways but had the same impact. Their political stand against slavery was fundamentally directed towards the equality between the Whites and the Blacks. Both believe that every one regardless of their color must be given equal rights and opportunities. To end, though Kinte and Vassa died without really being able to see the products of their endeavors, their legacy would remain in the hearts of their families and fellow people who were inspired by their remarkable examples. Works Cited Anderson, Claud. Black Labor, White Wealth: The Search for Power and Economic Justice.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Powernomics Corporation of America, 1994. Equiano, Olaudah. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vass, the African. NuVision Publications, 2007. Haley, Alex. Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Vanguard Press, 2007. Polchin, Peter. American Slavery: 1619-1877. Hill and Wang, 2003.                           

Database terms essays

Database terms essays Use short answers and examples to explain the following: Hierarchical Database Model An Operational database collects and stores data that is updated dynamically. This type of database is modified on regular intervals. A database containing account records for customers of a financial institution is an example of an operational database. This database is modified as customers change account information by performing various transactions at different intervals. An Analytical database is used to store data collected at a specific time. The data in this type of database remains constant and almost never changes. Companies conducting surveys or performing research often use this type of database. A marketing company conducting surveys on customers evaluation of a specific product would use an analytical database to store the results of the survey. The hierarchical database model defines hierarchical arranged data. The best way to visualize this type of database model is to visualize an upside down tree of data. In this tree a single table acts as the root of the database with other tables branching out from it. Relationships in a hierarchical database model are thought of in terms of parents and children. A child table has only one parent whereas a parent table can have many children. Links called pointers are use to tie parents to children. A parent will have a list of pointers to each of their children. The child/parent rule ensures that data is accessed systematically. To reach a lower-level table you must start at the root and work your way down through the tree structure to the desired target. The following diagram sho ...

Abington School District v. Schempp Murray v. Curlett

Abington School District v. Schempp Murray v. Curlett Do public school officials have the authority to pick a particular version or translation of the Christian Bible and have children read passages from that Bible every day? There was a time when such practices occurred in many school districts across the country but they were challenged alongside school prayers and ultimately the Supreme Court found the tradition to be unconstitutional. Schools cannot pick Bibles to be read or recommend that Bibles be read. Fast Facts: Abington School District v. Schempp Case Argued: February 27- 28, 1963Decision Issued:  June 17, 1963Petitioner: School District of Abington Township, PennsylvaniaRespondent:   Edward Lewis SchemppKey Question: Did a Pennsylvania law requiring public school students to participate in religious exercises violate their religious rights as protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments?Majority Decision: Justices Warren, Black, Douglas, Clark, Harlan, White, Brennan, and GoldbergDissenting: Justice StewartRuling: Under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, public schools cannot sponsor Bible readings or recitations of the Lord’s Prayer.  Laws requiring participation in religious exercises directly violated the First Amendment.   Background Information Both Abington School District v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett dealt with state-approved reading of Bible passages before classes in public schools. Schempp was brought to trial by a religious family who had contacted the ACLU. The Schempps challenged a Pennsylvania law which stated that: ...at least ten verses from the Holy Bible shall be read, without comment, at the opening of each public school day. Any child shall be excused from such Bible reading, or attending such Bible reading, upon written request of his parent or guardian. This was disallowed by a federal district court. Murray was brought to trial by an atheist: Madalyn Murray (later OHair), who was working on behalf of her sons, William and Garth. Murray challenged a Baltimore statute that provided for the reading, without comment, of a chapter of the Holy Bible and/or of the Lords Prayer before the start of classes. This statute was upheld by both a state court and the Maryland Court of Appeals. Court Decision Arguments for both cases were heard on the 27th and 28th of February, 1963. On the 17th of June, 1963, the Court ruled 8-1 against of allowing the reciting of the Bible verses and the Lords Prayer. Justice Clark wrote at length in his majority opinion about the history and importance of religion in America, but his conclusion was that the Constitution forbids any establishment of religion, that prayer is a form of religion, and that hence state-sponsored or mandated Bible reading in public schools cannot be allowed. For the first time, a test was created to evaluate Establishment questions before courts: ...what are the purpose and primary effect of the enactment. If either is the advancement or inhibition of religion then the enactment exceeds the scope of legislative power as circumscribed by the Constitution. That is to say that to withstand the structures of the Establishment Clause there must be a secular legislative purpose and a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion. [emphasis added] Justice Brennan wrote in a concurring opinion that, while legislators argued that they had a secular purpose with their law, their goals could have been achieved with readings from secular document. The law, however, only specified the use of religious literature and prayer. That the Bible readings were to be made without comment demonstrated even further that the legislators knew that they were dealing with specifically religious literature and wanted to avoid sectarian interpretations. A violation of the Free Exercise Clause was also created by the coercive effect of the readings. That this might entail only minor encroachments on the First Amendment, as argued by others, was irrelevant. The comparative study of religion in public schools is not prohibited, for example, but those religious observances were not created with such studies in mind. Significance of the Case This case was essentially a repeat of the Courts earlier Court Decision in Engel v. Vitale, in which the Court identified constitutional violations and struck the legislation. As with Engel, the Court held that the voluntary nature of religious exercises (even allowing parents to exempt their children) did not prevent the statutes from violating the Establishment Clause. There was, of course, an intensely negative public reaction. In May 1964, there were more than 145 proposed constitutional amendments in the House of Representatives which would permit school prayer and effectively reverse both decisions. Representative L. Mendell Rivers accused the Court of legislating - they never adjudicate - with one eye on the Kremlin and the other on the NAACP. Cardinal Spellman claimed that the decision struck ...at the very heart of the Godly tradition in which Americas children have for so long been raised. Although people commonly claim that Murray, who later founded the American Atheists, was the women who got prayer kicked out of public schools (and she was willing to take the credit), it should be clear that even had she never existed, the Schempp case still would have come to the Court and neither case dealt directly with school prayer at all - they were, instead, about Bible readings in public schools.

Comparing bluetooth technology with infrared Essay

Comparing bluetooth technology with infrared - Essay Example Bluetooth exchanges information between devices through a globally unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, Medical (ISM) radio bands. It uses 2.4 GHz short range frequency of ISM. Bluetooth Special Interest Group(SIG) develop and license Bluetooth specifications. The SIG comprises of telecommunication, networking, computing and electronic companies (Newton, Harold). Bluetooth can transmit data between devices such as laptops, telephones, printers, digital cameras, mobile phones and video game consoles. It is a wireless protocol made for low power consumption and has short range which is based on low cost transceiver microchips in each device (Bluetooth SIG). The short ranges of Bluetooth are 1 meter, 10 meters and 100 meters and these ranges are power and class dependent. Class 1 of Bluetooth has a maximum permitted power of 100mW and approximate range of 100m; class 2 has a maximum permitted power of 2.5mW and approximate range of 10m; class 3 has a maximum permitted power of 1mW and approximate range of 1m (Newton, Harold). Bluetooth allows communication to be done among devices when they are in range. Because this system of communication uses radio waves, devices do not need to be in line of sight of each other for communication to take place. (Newton, Harold). In order for a device to be used by Bluetooth, it must be compatible with Bluetooth profiles. The most common use of Bluetooth includes wireless communication between handsets and mobile phones, wireless communication between computer input and output devices, file transfer between devices and OBEX, internet access of personal computers and communications in medical equipment. The technology of Bluetooth exists in many devices like Wi-Fi, telephones, and play stations and also in some high definition headsets and watches. This technology simplifies set up of services between devices. Devices with this technology can advertise all their services. It allows much of the security and permission configuration to be automated making its services easier for use as compared to other network types. A personal computer is required to have Bluetooth adapter in order to develop communication with other Bluetooth devices like mobile phones, keyboards and mice. Some laptops and personal computers have in built adapters while in others an external adapter is required. Through Bluetooth, multiple devices can communicate with a computer over one adapter. A Bluetooth enabled mobile phone allows it be communicated with many devices. The Open Mobile Terminal Platform has recently published a recommendation paper which recommends Bluetooth requirements in mobile phones which covers in car usage, printing and imaging. Bluetooth devices can transmit information like device names, list of services, device class and list of technical information on demand. Any Bluetooth device can undertake an inquiry to find other Bluetooth devices to connect to, and any Bluetooth device can usually respond to such inquires. However if a Bluetooth device that is trying to connect to another device knows the address of that other device than other devices always respond to the direct connection requests and transmit informat

Uncanny architecture---signifier of Victorian architecture Annotated Bibliography

Uncanny architecture---signifier of Victorian architecture - Annotated Bibliography Example Crinson also builds on his argument by offering an explanation on what the buildings represent in terms of architectural styles. He further explains that the architects made the styles absurdly incongruous. The architecture was a representation of what was happing during the time of construction. This kind of architecture is vividly applied on almost all the buildings that are dated the Victorian age. The buildings have a variety of readable meaning attributed to the architectural style, monuments, and convictions. They depict the cultural and religious aspect of the Victorian age (Crinson 5). He also notes that the architectural style, monuments and convictions, have over the years been transformed due to the continued interaction with different culture and modern architectural style from different parts of the world. Crinson does a review if the significant aspects that define the Victorian architecture noting that windows, door frames and roofing were significant aspects of the ar chitecture. He noted arched windows panels; double doors and brick roofing tiles were very significant in the Victorian architecture. Crinson provides validity to his arguments by providing evidence to support his claims. Citing an example, he gives sufficient evidence to support his claim by showing the cultural exchanges that influenced the Victorian architecture. He provides evidence through an objective overview rather than a narration of personal sentiments. The book is relevant to my study in that it addresses the qualities of the Victorian age architecture in specific the key elements that distinguish the Victorian architecture style from other architectural styles. In addition, the book provides targeted agendas on the thematic issues such as political agendas, religious, and racial aspects. The book’s targeted audience is any individual who is interested in learning about how the Western architecture has changed over time and