Knowledge and Power

Knowledge and Power Free Online Research Papers Much as I would like to be the fist-pounding orator, I’d like to begin by asking you to close your eyes and imagine. Imagine an emperor poised on his throne, armies at his command, wealth at his disposal, and servants at his beck and call. Then, imagine him illiterate about the world. And while we’re imagining things, let’s suppose he has a Grand Visor who is well-versed in science, politics and the social issues of the day. Which of the two do you think commands the real power of the throne? Let’s examine history. There have been eras where large populations were enslaved by empires. The Egyptian, the Roman and the British Empires are all examples. There have been monarchies where the rights of ordinary citizens were suppressed and they were ruled with an iron fist. Ivan the Terrible, the frightful tsar of Russia comes to mind, who regularly butchered his subjects on a whim. The French monarchy is known to have indulged in luxury while the citizenry toiled to make ends meet. All of this transpired under the umbrella of ignorance; the antithesis of knowledge. And what happened? What does history tell us? When the light of knowledge dawned on these people, the balance of power shifted dramatically. Domineering kings fell victim to the blows of enlightenment being struck against them by ordinary folk. Knowledge and power are intricately linked to one another. It’s true that there are several systems in the world, some would argue, the ugly side of the feudal system in Pakistan is one of them, where one doesn’t seem to require a lot of knowledge to exert influence. After all, these feudal lords are no Einsteins! Yet, I would argue that it is in fact the LACK of knowledge among the serfs that is responsible for the hold these lords have on them. But perhaps politics is not your cup of tea. Perhaps you’re thinking, what about science? What about art? Scientists are no kings. Artists don’t embrace thrones and issue decrees. And you’re right, they don’t. But if anyone thinks that an eminent scientist or a writer, or an artist has had no power, he or she is sorely mistaken. Again, history instructs us. Galileo overturned an entire era of philosophical thought by announcing that the Earth was actually NOT at the center of the universe. That simple suggestion rocked the theocracy of the time, who were terrified by the idea and threatened by the son of a musician from Pisa. It escalated to the point, where he had to offer a public apology of sorts, in essence for being ‘right’. There is no dispute among historians, scientists and theologians today that the ideas of people like Galileo forever altered the intellectual, social and political landscape of the world. Or how about Socrates? A short, ugly, unassuming man who grazed the streets of Ancient Greece, without a job or any resources, yet influenced some of the most prominent thinkers of the ancient world. Socrates influenced Plato who in turn was invaluable in educating and motivating the young Alexander, son of King Philip of Macedonia. Yes, indeed, I am speaking of Alexander the Great, conqueror of the known world, a man known to wield tremendous power. Can we really take away the inextricable linkage of knowledge from his power? To me, that is impossibility! In conclusion, knowledge and power appear to be two facets of the same process. The process of altering the world and the people in it. Of influencing minds and shaping ideas. The challenge before the human race is to use our knowledge wisely and to foster goodness wherever and whenever we can. In my humble opinion, that is the essence of true power! Thank you very much. Research Papers on Knowledge and PowerBringing Democracy to AfricaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Effects of Illegal Immigration

Example of ANOVA Calculation

Example of ANOVA Calculation One factor analysis of variance, also known as ANOVA, gives us a way to make multiple comparisons of several population means. Rather than doing this in a pairwise manner, we can look simultaneously at all of the means under consideration. To perform an ANOVA test, we need to compare two kinds of variation, the variation between the sample means, as well as the variation within each of our samples. We combine all of this variation into a single statistic, called the ​F statistic because it uses the F-distribution. We do this by dividing the variation between samples by the variation within each sample. The way to do this is typically handled by software, however, there is some value in seeing one such calculation worked out. It will be easy to get lost in what follows. Here is the list of steps that we will follow in the example below: Calculate the sample means for each of our samples as well as the mean for all of the sample data.Calculate the sum of squares of error. Here within each sample, we square the deviation of each data value from the sample mean. The sum of all of the squared deviations is the sum of squares of error, abbreviated SSE.Calculate the sum of squares of treatment. We square the deviation of each sample mean from the overall mean. The sum of all of these squared deviations is multiplied by one less than the number of samples we have. This number is the sum of squares of treatment, abbreviated SST.Calculate the degrees of freedom. The overall number of degrees of freedom is one less than the total number of data points in our sample, or n - 1. The number of degrees of freedom of treatment is one less than the number of samples used, or m - 1. The number of degrees of freedom of error is the total number of data points, minus the number of samples, or n - m.Calculate the mean square of error. T his is denoted MSE SSE/(n - m). Calculate the mean square of treatment. This is denoted MST SST/m - 1.Calculate the F statistic. This is the ratio of the two mean squares that we calculated. So F MST/MSE. Software does all of this quite easily, but it is good to know what is happening behind the scenes. In what follows we work out an example of ANOVA following the steps as listed above. Data and Sample Means Suppose we have four independent populations that satisfy the conditions for single factor ANOVA. We wish to test the null hypothesis H0: ÃŽ ¼1 ÃŽ ¼2 ÃŽ ¼3 ÃŽ ¼4. For purposes of this example, we will use a sample of size three from each of the populations being studied. The data from our samples is: Sample from population #1: 12, 9, 12. This has a sample mean of 11.Sample from population #2: 7, 10, 13. This has a sample mean of 10.Sample from population #3: 5, 8, 11. This has a sample mean of 8.Sample from population #4: 5, 8, 8. This has a sample mean of 7. The mean of all of the data is 9. Sum of Squares of Error We now calculate the sum of the squared deviations from each sample mean. This is called the sum of squares of error. For the sample from population #1: (12 – 11)2 (9– 11)2 (12 – 11)2 6For the sample from population #2: (7 – 10)2 (10– 10)2 (13 – 10)2 18For the sample from population #3: (5 – 8)2 (8 – 8)2 (11 – 8)2 18For the sample from population #4: (5 – 7)2 (8 – 7)2 (8 – 7)2 6. We then add all of these sum of squared deviations and obtain 6 18 18 6 48. Sum of Squares of Treatment Now we calculate the sum of squares of treatment. Here we look at the squared deviations of each sample mean from the overall mean, and multiply this number by one less than the number of populations: 3[(11 – 9)2 (10 – 9)2 (8 – 9)2 (7 – 9)2] 3[4 1 1 4] 30. Degrees of Freedom Before proceeding to the next step, we need the degrees of freedom. There are 12 data values and four samples. Thus the number of degrees of freedom of treatment is 4 – 1 3. The number of degrees of freedom of error is 12 – 4 8. Mean Squares We now divide our sum of squares by the appropriate number of degrees of freedom in order to obtain the mean squares. The mean square for treatment is 30 / 3 10.The mean square for error is 48 / 8 6. The F-statistic The final step of this is to divide the mean square for treatment by the mean square for error. This is the F-statistic from the data. Thus for our example F 10/6 5/3 1.667. Tables of values or software can be used to determine how likely it is to obtain a value of the F-statistic as extreme as this value by chance alone.

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 64

Journal - Essay Example The club hopes that the player will add to the best players they have such as Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. Suarez may have felt dissatisfaction with his former club that could not even win a single trophy. Although Suarez helped his former club, Liverpool to get into top four position in the Premier League, Liverpool manager believes that his team can still be strong even without his talisman. Liverpool has since made several signings that are likely to strengthen his team such as signing of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana from Southampton. Suarez’s issue relate to the concept that risk requires compensation and huge rewards. This was the third biting case involving Suarez but Barcelona felt that his benefits as an attacker is much more important than biting. Barcelona paid the high amount of transfer fees because of the player’s quality as a player but not his rare character of biting his opponents. Barcelona did not consider the fact that he has done the act of biting thrice and that they may risk losing him to the FIFA bans such as the one he is currently serving. Being a top player, Suarez will hugely help the club and perhaps Barcelona will be looking forward to transforming his already tarnished name. â€Å"Skysports.com†. Transfer news: Luis Suarez completes Barcelona move. BSkyB, 16 Jul. 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of Employee Voice Practices for Essay

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of Employee Voice Practices for employees - Essay Example voice practices benefit employees by turning them into equal participants of the major organizational processes, letting them express their views and impact firms’ profitability and, eventually, turning them into essential drivers of organizational growth. However, the most important limitations of employee voice practices should not be disregarded. If not delivered properly, employee voice may lead to serious shifts in status quo which may not benefit employees. Many employees have the fear of such changes and, consequently, try to avoid the use of their legitimate voice in business practices. Therefore, one of the basic tasks faced by managers in organizations is to develop and run employee voice processes in ways that do not inhibit the employee’s right for self-expression and influence on organizational performance and, simultaneously, do not turn employee voice practices into a punishment for the things employees usually want to say. In order to understand how employee voice practices benefit or damage employee positions in companies, the exact meaning of employee voice needs to be understood. This is not an easy endeavor since the meanings and implications of employee voice are numerous, and different companies handle employee voice approaches in entirely different ways (Dyne, Ang & Botero 2003). However, across these numerous meanings, employee voice is generally assumed to be a motivation and willingness of employees to express their information, ideas and opinions regarding workplace improvements (Dyne, Ang & Botero 2003). Yet, it should be noted that if the worker does not express any opinions or does not try to impact workplace-related processes, that does not mean that this employee exists in the atmosphere of silence. In many instances, employees who withhold from expressing their opinions and thoughts openly simply use their voice in a different manner. Employee voice practices may be of a different nature and may also promote different forms of

Microscopy and the Metric System Essay Example for Free

Microscopy and the Metric System Essay 1. List the components of the compound microscope and their function. 2. determine the total magnification given that you are using a compound microscope with the following objectives: 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x 3. what is meant by the depth of field? 4. what is meant by the field of view? 5. describe the process of making a wet mount. ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. -Focal adjustment; used to adjust height of stand to adjust closer too or farther from slide. -eyepiece; used to look into to see what is on the slide closer -arm; hold when carrying, also used to -objective lenses; must use smallest objective lens, they have different levels of magnification -stand; used to hold up the microscope. -light source; needs to be turned on to be able to see. -base; hold when carrying, also used for standing up microscope. 2. 4x=40x , 10x=100x , 40x=400x , 100x=1000x 3. Depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that give an image its focus in a camera. 4. Field of view is the area that is visible. 5. Mix sample to make sure it is properly suspended. Take dropper to pick up sample material. Put a small amount on the glass slide. Take a cover glass by the corners with tweezers to not get any finger prints. Put cover from corner down to avoid air bubbles. If too much water use a tissue or filter paper to suck up remaining water. Part B: 1. Linear measurements: measure the width of your textbook in cm and then convert to mm. 2. Conversions: convert 100 grams to mg and then ug 3. Weight measurements: using your scale, record the mass of an object in grams and include the name of the object you have measured. Once you have recorded your measurements in grams, please convert the measurement to mg and then ug. 4. Volume measurements: define meniscus and describe how you would read the volume of a liquid in a gradulated cylinder. 5. Temperature measurements: Record the temperature of your skin and of the room in celsius. ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. 22.4 cm is equal to 224 mm 2. 100g is equal to 100,000mg which is equal to 100ÃŽ ¼g 3. A pencil weighs 9g which is equal to 9,000mg which is equal to 9ÃŽ ¼g 4. A meniscus is the curved upper surface of a liquid in a tube or a lens that is convex on one side and concave on the other. To read the volume of a liquid in a gradulated cylinder compare the bottom of the meniscus to the nearest graduation or the ring, at eye level. 5. 37 degrees celsius on my skin and the room is 21 degrees celsius

The Island of Dr. Moreau :: essays research papers

The Island of Dr Moreau, by H.G. Wells, is not an ordinary science fiction novel. It doesn't deal with aliens or anything from outer space, but with biological science that exists on earth. The novel was about a character, Edmund Prendick that gets involved with an island of experimentation. At first glance, this tropical paradise seems idyllic. But deep in the jungles lies a terrifying secret. Moreau and Montgomery have been performing scientific research on human beings and the experiment goes terribly wrong. They have ignored the most fundamental law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. The doctor is seeking to make animals half human by means of vivisectional surgery; the transplantation of organs, and the pain involved is very vividly described. Doctor Moreau succeeds in making some of his man-animals talk and even read, but they tend to revert to the beast. So Moreau continues to try to get the entire animal out, and make a creature of his own. His creatures, which continue to come to their demise, then kill Moreau and finally all die off. When the H.M.S. Scorpion visits the island, there is nothing alive there except for a few "white moths, some hogs and rabbits and some rather peculiar rats." The theme of this novel is that science experiments can go too far, because the creatures made from the experimentation go against their creators. These creatures, known as Beast Men, were combinations of animals, like a wolf combined with a human being, and these scientists spent their entire life devoted to these "experiments." However, at one point in the novel, a conflict arises from the creatures and chaos begins. When the conflict finally comes to a halt, there is only one true human standing. H.G. Wells was born on September 21, 1866 in Bromley, Kent a suburb of London. His father, Joseph Wells, and his mother, Sarah, were married in 1853 and they had four children. An elder sister, Fanny, died at the age of 9 two years before H.G. was born. After he was born, his family was worried that he may also die like his sister Fanny, being that he was sort of a â€Å"weakling† and struggled to be healthy most of his life. Wells was apprenticed like his brothers to a draper, spending the years between 1880 and 1883 in Windsor and Southsea as a drapeist. In 1883 Wells became a teacher/pupil at Midhurst Grammar School.

Idiophones Essay

Idiophones have a long-standing tradition in African music, and that tradition is an interesting one. Trumpets, flutes and other wind instruments provide an intriguing case study because of their existence in a host of sub-Saharan African cultures. They have always been a part of not only music in those areas, but also the culture of those areas. This history dates back hundreds of years, and the instruments have seen some changes over the centuries. As the book indicates, the different variations of idiophones are inherently African in nature, and the cultures that brought them about have given these wind instruments their characteristic sound that is now commonplace in many different societies. As African Musicology indicates, instruments like the trumpet and the flute are a part of a characteristic musical phenomenon arising in sub-Saharan nations dating back to the fifteenth century. Instead of having individual performers and instruments take entire parts of various works, the musical tradition during that time saw individual performers play their own notes, each of which was combined to create the musical production in whatever social setting might have taken place. The book reads, â€Å"Musical ensembles of this kind or of a similar structure, in which the players may produce two to three notes on their flutes or trumpets, can be found in many African cultures south of the Sahara. The interlocking playing technique of this ensembles is characteristically African: the single parts individually cannot stand alone; their composition, however, is ingenious. It is the group, not the individual, that counts† (Nketia, 183). In this way, it is easy to see that idiophones were considered for what they produced as a whole, rather than what they produced individually. This is important to note as one studies the development of such instruments, since it is likely that any new implementations were designed to work alongside some other new or established instrument. When taken out of that context, new implementations might have been viewed differently from their intention. When musical styles are being discussed, it is common to compare one culture with another for the purpose of finding any commonalities or discussing differences. The book goes to great lengths to discuss the distinctiveness of African music, and points out the fact that much of traditional African music was designed to stand alone and retain its strong cultural ties. Particularly of interest is the â€Å"hocket† technique, which is discussed at length in chapter six. In the International Folk Music Journal, J. H. Kwabena Nketia discusses this technique and how it relates to music in places such as Ghana. She writes, â€Å"Closely allied to these procedures it the hockey-technique – the technique whereby constituent notes of a tune, a rhythm, or a tone pattern, or the constituent notes of a supporting ground-accompaniment, are played at the exactly appropriate point in time by those particular instruments that include them within their compass, or by those particular instruments that provide the required contrasts. This technique, discussed subsequently with particular reference to examples recorded in Ghana, shows itself in its clearest form in the music of flute ensembles, and trumpet (or ‘horn’) ensembles† (Nkeita, 1962). The book takes this to another level, noting how the music played in some African cultures is distinctive in its own right, and though it shares some similarities in name to the European style of â€Å"hoquetus†, the two styles were not born of each other. The book reads, â€Å"It becomes clear that the so-called ‘hocket’ technique in African music is not equivalent to the ‘hoquetus’ in European medieval music. Further, within these composition techniques, there is no complete uniformity to be found in South, Central, West, and East Africa† (184). From this, one can see that the wind instruments across Africa were used structurally in very different ways, with each particular culture coming up with its own rhythms based upon preference, equipment, and cultural needs. One of the issues facing musical research of wind instrument styles in Africa is that not enough solid research has been published to document the different styles. A lot of the analysis consists of speculation, since the large number of cultures across Africa made it difficult to compile information on techniques, pitch, instrument variations, and style. To this effect, the book reads, â€Å"Ethnomusicological research in this area has to be characterized as merely marginal, and little research on this topic has been published to date† (188). For that reason, it is difficult to know exactly how the Berta, Ingessana, and Gumuz people interacted from a musical standpoint. One work on the history of African music even suggests that such a study would be impractical. According to a book by Samuel A. Floyd, the fact that African nations have such diverse and vibrant religious traditions and cultural preferences, studying African music as a whole lends very little information that can be used. Instead, it must be studied individually, to be understand how these cultures developed their own uses for certain instruments, including idiophones. In The Power of Black Music, he writes, â€Å"Since African cultures are many and diverse, there is no single concept in African religion, and thus a study of them all would not be productive† (Floyd, 14). One of the things that has long characterized idiophones in African music has been the creativity of certain cultures. Many cultures have not been afraid to look beyond the traditional construct of music to find great instrument ideas and also ideas on how to most effectively play those instruments. From that, the world has been given some of its favorite types of music. An example of this type of resourcefulness can be seen in a study done by Dumisani Maraire. He writes, â€Å"Stamped sticks and stamped tubes also form another category of idiophones (in this case concussion idiophones). These sticks and tubes are held in the player’s hand and performed by being held at an angle and striking the ground or a slab of stone at an angle. On occasion three tubes are played at the same time each of which is playing a different rhythm† (Maraire). This is an important part of the African tradition that cannot be ignored if one seeks to truly understand the role of various instruments. The chapter itself did a nice job of explaining some of the important historical details about the pitch, tone, and rhythm of some of the most traditional of the African instruments. It did an especially good job of explaining the development of these musical traditions in African culture. Since so many cultures existed, musical traditions often developed individually, with each culture becoming very resourceful in the development and implementation of different styles. The isolated nature of African also comes into play, and that was explained well in the chapter. Much of the music and the musical techniques that were born in Africa over time as completely their own, since many of these areas had little contact with outsiders. This helped to increase diversity in music for all.

Financial Detective Essay

Health Products: Company A is Johnson & Johnson, which is a diversified manufacturer of prescription pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter drugs, and medical devices. Company B is Pfizer Inc., which develops, manufactures, and markets patented pharmaceuticals such as Liptor and Celebrex. The most significant strategic differences between the two firms lie in their product mix and their customer focus. J&J sells most of its products directly to the consumer while Pfizer sells exclusively to doctors and institutions. Firm B has intangibles worth more than twice as much as firm A, which may reflect firm’s B’s higher investment in R&D. Firm B may also have higher intangibles due to their ownership of patents and its investments in licensing arrangements. Firm B’s gross margin is more than 12% higher than company A’s, which reflects the higher input costs for company A’s medical diagnostics and devices product segment. Company A has a far quicker inventory turnover than company B. Company B sells almost exclusively to institutions and pharmacies, which usually take longer to exhaust their supplies compared to company A, who markets its consumer products to retailers, which have a higher turnover orientations. Many of company A’s and B’s products are branded consumer products that command a price premium. However, company B’s premium is higher, reflecting the benefits of patent protection on prescription pharmaceuticals, and the additional returns needed to support company B’s large R&D efforts. Beer: Company C is Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., which is a producer and marketer of a number of mass-market beers such as Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch. Company D is the Boston Beer Company, which is the seller of the popular Sam  Adams line of beers. Boston beer’s products are part of a microbrew. Company D’s proportion of cash and cash equivalents, which is extremely higher than company C’s show their conservative approach to its financial management. Company C shows a relatively high level of PP&E, which is consistent with its status as a major brewery. Company D has much lower net fixed assets since much of their operations are outsourced. Company C also has higher fixed assets due to its other holdings such as theme parks. Company D has higher gross profit, consistent with the premium pricing of its specialty brews versus the mass-marketing approach that was taken by company C. However, company C’s net profit margin is almost three times greater than company D’s. This may reflect the economies of scale that company C can achieve through its large size. Company D’s current assets to current liabilities ratio is three times greater than company C’s, whose current ratio is less than one. That is illustrating a careful financial approach. The commitment to financially conservative policies is shown with company D’s relatively low level of debt. Company C’s mass-market approach shows a significantly higher inventory turnover than company D’s turnover. Company D’s asset turnover is much higher due to the outsourcing. Company C’s lower turnover is consistent with a firm that owns its manufacturing facilities as well as asset-intensive theme parks. Computers: Company E is Dell Inc., a worldwide manufacturer and direct marketer of built-to-order computers and related equipment. Company F is Apple Computer  Inc., a manufacturer of a highly differentiated group of personal computers, software, and consumer electronics. This is motivated by the differentiation where company E seeks to sell a relatively high volume of lower-margin products, while company F attempts to sell an adequate volume of higher margin products. The computer and software industry is extremely volatile, which company F has experienced. Company F has extremely large holdings of cash and cash equivalents, which may represent their efforts to insure the company against any future difficulties. Company E has a higher percentage of A/P, which may reflect a higher degree of supplier financing. Company F has a lower COGS percentage, which reflects both its premium pricing and the lower cost associated with software production. Company E’s COGS is higher due to its strategy of making money on volume rather than from individual product margins. Company F has higher gross profit than company E due to its premium pricing. However, Company E’s net profit margin is almost twice as large as company F’s, which reflects their low-cost focus. Company E has low cost mail-order strategy, which leads to a lower SG&A percentage compared to company F’s who goes with a more unique retail store concept. Company F has a higher receivables turnover, which reflects the fast payments made by consumers in the form of credit card purchasers. Company E’s asset turnover is more than twice as large as company F’s. This might reflect E’s strategy as an assembler of components that have been manufactured by its supplier. Books and Music: Company G is Amazon.com, the online retailer of books and music plus a variety of other consumer goods. Company H is Barnes & Noble, Inc., the largest bookseller in the United States. The main difference between the two is that one being an established, traditional retailer and the other being a relatively new online business. Company G has more than half of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, which could be explained by its carefulness in a volatile online retail business. Company H has significantly higher proportion of inventory than company G because they have to maintain stocks of books, CDs, and videos at all of its stores, whereas company G can keep limited inventory at its distribution centers. Company G obviously has a significantly lower net fixed asset due to being an online retailer compared to having multiple stores to sell its merchandise. More than half of company G’s percentage of total liabilities and equity is comprised of long-term debt. This is most likely due to its issues of being able to raise capital after the dot-com bust environment. Company G’s beta is more than three times higher than company H’s, which shows a relatively higher risk of company G. Company G just recently started to show positive net income. Company G is able to keep a higher inventory turnover since they don’t have to sit with a lot of inventory on hand at all times compared to company H who has to store its inventory in their store, which lowers their turnover. Company H has a regular discount strategy, which could explain their lower net profit margin. Paper Products: Company I is the International Paper Company, a large, vertically integrated paper products manufacturer. Company J is the Wausau paper Paper Corporation, a small, specialty-papers operation. The distinctions between the firms arise primarily from their scale and scope. Company J carries more than twice the rate of company I, which may be the case due to its smaller size it requires the firm to carry a higher proportion of inventory in order to satisfy its demanding customers. Company I has a material lower percentage of COGS than company J, even though the raw materials are essentially the same. This illustrates the benefits of Company I having its own forests and lumber operations and their ability to negotiate lower volume-prices. Company I’s SG&A expenses are higher than J’s, which probably reflect the higher costs associated with being a large company. Hardware and Tools: Company K is Black and Decker Corporation, which manufactures and markets a broad range of power tools. Company L is Snap-on Inc., also a manufacturer of tools and other hardware, but the company is known for its high quality merchandise and for its direct sales to professional mechanics and commercial technicians. Company L has a higher percentage of receivables compared to K’s. This result occurs because K markets directly to professional end-users and provides financing, which may cause delays in repayment. On the other hand, company L primarily sells its merchandise to large retailers, which may have more regular payment schedules. Company K sells lower-priced products intended for the consumer market, whereas company L markets higher margin precision tools for the commercial customer. Therefore, Company L’s gross profit percentage is measurable  higher than K’s. Company L has a higher SG&A expenses, which corresponds to the costs associated with maintaining its large direct sales force. Company L’s payout ratio is more than four-and-a-half times greater than K’s, which may suggest its need to maintain a high rate of reinvestment to remain competitive. Retailing: Company M is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which is well known for the breadth of its merchandise and its low price strategy. Company N is Target Corporation, which also is a discount retailer, however target appeals to its customers’ more upscale tastes. Company N has much higher receivables than M, reflecting N’s substantial credit activities. Company M has higher inventory levels relative to N, which may reflect the company’s commitment to providing a vast selection of goods. Company N has relatively lower COGS percentage, reflecting its fuller price for designer-made products. M offers low prices, which would result in a higher COGS percentage. Company M has a higher receivable turnover due to its lower use of credit sales. Newspapers: Company O is Lee Enterprises, the owner of a number of small newspapers in the Midwest. Company P is New York Times Company, and their strategic difference between the two entities is along the centralization/decentralization dimension. Company P has a centralized  strategic approach while company O has a decentralized approach. Company P, who has a centralized approach, has a significantly higher level of net fixed assets than O. K bears some of the features of a decentralized operation, since its intangibles comprise almost 77% of total assets, which suggests the existence of substantial goodwill. Company P’s level of COGS is lower than O’s, which suggests that as a larger centralized company, P may be in a better position to negotiate for volume discounts than O. Although O is decentralized, the case shows that they have slightly lower SG&A expenses than P. One example to this could be that high prices may be masking a relatively high SG&A expense. Company O’s P/E ratio is higher than P’s, which may indicate the expectations of growth for O. As the dominant player on a larger scale, P may be unable to grow through strategic acquisition. O’s net profit margin is higher, which may reflect the local monopolies, or at least less intense competition outside of the major metropolitan newspaper markets.

Should I Take the PSAT as a Freshman

Should I Take the PSAT as a Freshman SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It's never too early to start planning! When should you start preparing to apply tocollege? When you sign up for the SAT? The day you choose your freshman year classes? From the time you learn to read your first picture book? This might be a matter of debate between you and your parents, but we can all agree that planning starts long before you actually start filling out applications. So to put yourself on the track for college success, should you start freshman year off by taking the PSAT? First, what exactly is the PSAT for? Understanding this will let us see whether it suits your needs as a freshman. The PSAT Is For... National Merit Distinctions and Scholarships The PSAT is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, or the NMSC. Based on your scores, the NMSC may award you distinctions like Commended Scholar, Semifinalist, or Finalist. Students in the top 1% might even win scholarships. Only high school juniors are eligible for NMSC awards. So your freshman year score, even if it's perfect, unfortunately can't count for National Merit. However, prepping and getting a practice run or two in before junior year can only improve your score, especially if you're aimingto make it into the top 1%. I strongly recommend takingthe PSAT in at least sophomore year to get in your trial run. As for freshman year? It can definitely be helpful, but it's also pretty early. You might be served just as well by focusing on your schoolwork, developing your academic skills, and doing test prep on your own for the next year. If you want to take the PSAT in 9th grade, then any real test experience can be valuable and help you score higher thenext time. Besides NMSC awards, the PSAT is helpful for another important test... Good Practice for the SAT The "P" in PSAT actually stands for "preliminary," not "practice," but this common misconception isn't too far from the truth. The new PSAT starting in 2015 is closely aligned to the content and types of questions you'll see on the new SAT. Both test your understanding of math, Critical Reading, and writing (though the PSAT does not have an essay component). Both testsfocus on determining meaning in context, whether it's analyzing a passage or interpreting data from a graph. Prepping for and taking the PSAT will help you develop the valuable skills you need to score highly on the SAT. It also helps you pace yourself under strict time limits and apply guessing strategies, like process of elimination. Both the new PSAT and new SAT feature multiple choice questions with 4 answer choices instead of the current 5, and neither has penalties for wrong answers. In addition to testing similar skills as the SAT, the PSAT helps you predict how you'll score on the SAT. The new PSAT is scored on a scale between 320 and 1520, with a range of 160 to 760 for Math and the same for Reading and Writing. The new SAT will be scored out of 1600, with a range of 200 to 800 for Math and the same for Reading and Writing. These scales are very similar, with the PSAT scores shifted down to account for the fact that it's a somewhat easier test than the SAT. How you do on the PSAT helpspredict how you'll do on the SAT, with the knowledge that the SAT is somewhat more challenging. Not onlycan you use your PSAT score as a predictor of how you are likely to score on the SAT, you can alsouse it to set goals and up your target scores. Because of this, it can only help you to begin to get familiar with the PSAT freshman year, as scoring well on these tests is all about practice and preparation. But again, it's up to you whether taking the official PSAT or simply practicing on your own, like with PSAT practice test pdfs, is most beneficial freshman year. Finally, the PSAT can put you in touch with colleges... To Connect With Colleges To state the obvious, the PSAT and SAT are tests that prepare you for applying to and succeeding in college.The PSAT can be helpful for providing your contact information to colleges (with your permission) so they can get in touch with you and share information about their campus events, deadlines, and scholarships. If you want to put yourself on colleges' radar early, then taking the PSAT may be one way to do this. Another way would be indicating interest through their individual websites. Now that you understand the various uses and applications of the PSAT, what's the final verdict: should you take the PSAT as a freshman? Final verdict? Should You Take the PSAT In 9th Grade? Freshman year is early to worry too much about the PSAT, but if you have the means and motivation, every real test is valuable experience. You'll get a sense of real testing conditions, along with an official score report that can help you set goals and design your study plan for next time. If you decide to take the PSAT in 9th grade, you'll want to talk to your school counselor about it. Juniors are usually automatically signed up for it through the school, but freshmen usually need to ask to register specifically. If you decide to skip the test for now, you'll be served well by taking practice tests and self-studying. That way, you can prep to take the PSAT as a sophomore and then be in great shape junior year, when it counts for National Merit. Want to get a head start on the PSAT NMQST? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: While you may or may not take the PSAT freshman year, you might want to consider taking an SAT Subject Test at the end of freshman year. The Subject Tests measure your mastery in a subject like Biology or Math. Depending on what courses you've taken, you may be prepared and have the content fresh in your mind as ninth grade draws to a close. Check out other considerations and SAT Subject Test dates here. Besides the PSAT, are there any other things you should focus on freshman year? Freshman Year Focus: The Essentials Colleges look at all four years of high school, whether it's the courses you select, your academic performance, your extracurricular and community involvement, or your summer activities. Colleges also love to see your involvement in a particular area deepen and develop into an area of expertise or leadership position. Admissions officers understand exploration freshman year, but they generally like to see commitment over the long run. To that end, it's a good idea to try out clubs and activities in freshman year and find ones in whichyou can not only make progress, but that might also put you in a position for leadershipor an internship later on in high school. It's also a smart move to challenge yourself in college prep and honors classes. Make sure you'll be taking Algebra and Geometry by the time you take the SAT. If you're interested in the ACT or the Math 2 Subject Test, then you also will need to have some understanding of precalculus and trigonometry. If you're reading about taking the PSAT as a freshman, then you're probably well aware of the power of prep when it comes to the PSAT and SAT. You're giving yourself a goodamount of time to get ready through studying, as well as developing critical reading, writing, and math skills in and out of the classroom. Some students even sit for the official SAT as freshmen as part of their study plan, to gauge their level and achieve a good 9th grade SAT score. Bystaying active and aware, you're already preparing to apply to college. Or maybe you've been preparing since you learned to read your first picture book! What's Next? How exactly is the PSAT scored? Check out this guide on what your PSAT score means, and the 3 steps you should take after the PSAT. Early studying is smart studying for the SAT. Learn why and how to start prepping well in advance of SAT test day. Are you taking the SAT as a sophomore? If you're scoring these scores, then you're in a good position for next year. Read about good 10th grade SAT scores and how to improve them even more. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

How to Make Your Research Proposal Abstract Rock

How to Make Your Research Proposal Abstract Rock How to Make Your Research Proposal Abstract Rock A proposal abstract for your research proposal is designed to present an idea of what you will write your research project on. It gives a summary of the project when it has already been complete. You will need to remember that when you are creating a research proposal abstract, also known as a prospectus, you will have to present your research project to an academic committee or supervisor. Therefore, it will be vital that you are able to convince them that the project is worth researching. You have to make sure that it rocks, so that you can move on to actually writing the paper instead of spending half of your allotted time for the whole project just trying to get this approval. We have compiled some very important advice to ensure that you get your prospectus or research proposal abstract approved the first time around: Always Draw up a Few Drafts Your prospectus is very important. It will save you a bunch of time if you create a few drafts first to ensure that you crush this part of the process. Don’t settle for your first run at it. You will want to make sure to create a few different drafts and then choose the best one. Include a Rationale You will need to include the rationale for choosing your topic: justify your choice and show why your topic is important. You will want to express how important it is to your discipline. You will also need to make sure that you express the limitations to your study as well. Include a Review The literature review is vital to this part of the process. You want to make sure that you include information on the sources that you will include in your research project. When you are creating your review of the various articles and sources that you will use to conduct your research, it is vital that you point out the actual information. You will need to explain how that study is going to be used to prove your point. Don’t make the mistake of simply giving a summary of the article or study. Include an Outline You will need to also include an outline. This should comprise your methodology or approach. It should explain how you will conduct your study. This can enclose information regarding the resources that will be needed to conduct your study, the costs associated, if any, and a general timeline on how long the study will take. Start with the Why and Follow with the How Always start by telling why your study is worth conducting and then move on to how you will conduct it. This way you are properly setting your paper up. Mention Important Details Make sure that you give enough information in your prospectus to ensure that you are selling your idea. You will need to pick and choose the most important pieces because you want it to be very direct. That way you won’t bore your audience. They don’t want to read the paper during this process, but rather just get the overall idea. Use the First Person Be sure to always use the first person with active verbs. It shows confidence. You are the one that will be doing the work and putting in the time, so own it. This is your â€Å"baby†. The best way to start any research proposal abstract is to get an example. So, look through some samples and get the overall idea what you need to be ready for. Then, follow the steps we offer and write an excellent abstract for your research paper. Otherwise you can buy a custom research proposal online, at writing company.

Domestic materials compactor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Domestic materials compactor - Research Paper Example The capacity is however designed to meet the requirements it is meant to work. Normally, a kitchen would not have as much as 60 cans unless on special occasions. The capacity is actually sufficient to its intended purpose. However, the provision which allows the pod to slide in and out makes increasing capacity where there is need to do so. It would simply require a larger pod probably protruding externally or downwards to increase its height. The need for a cleaner and environmentally friendly way of waste disposal is a necessity in the modern homes where space is an issue of concern (GliÃ… ¡ović and Ã… ½arko 5). There are several areas of client needs that are sufficiently addresses by the manufacturing system, including, hygiene, space, and aesthetic quality. The system ensures that waste disposal is done is a hygienically friendly way rather than have wastes loitering here and there. By compressing the cans, lesser space is required to dispose a higher volume of wastes and as such disposal space is saved. Additionally, the system allows items to be separated in an environmentally friendly way in readiness for disposal. In terms of aesthetic quality, one needs not ask much. Other than the carefully designed shape, the system is built of stainless steel and plastic which are well brushed ensuring it looks amazing great when placed in the kitchen. The pods as well as made to have a great aesthetic finish and would fit the kitchen just like other good looking appliances would. Another aspect of manufacturing sufficiently addressed by this product is convertibility and quality (Gupta 221). With regard to quality, the product is outstanding. The materials used are relevant; it looks good and completes its functions effectively. Additionally, considering its multiple fit-in parts and compartments, the product can be converted as the user deems appropriate let alone mention that it can be modified to perform other functions such as storage. It is