Letter Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter - Annotated Bibliography Example Such, we would like to know if it would be possible for your company to deliver those microwave ovens by August 15. We intend to order by quantity. Since we are operating on a budget, we would be particularly interested if you can give discounts if we order in bulk. Please send us a quotation of your discounted price for us to seriously consider. We would also like to know the specification of your microwave ovens to determine it ease of use. We hope that you will respond to our inquiry as soon as possible because we have to decide soon which seller we would order our microwave oven requirements. The information you will provide us will tremendously help us in considering your company with our requirement for microwave ovens. As our valuable client, we would like to inform you that we took the initiative to update your ledger so that it would reflect the correct transactions of your company. As an accounting firm, we understand how important it is to have a correct accounting record because the figures in your books will be used by your company in its decision making. The necessary adjustment in your company’s ledger however was not part of the quotation that Accountants For All had quoted for this year’s services. The service, although it required manual review and adjustment of the receipts and ledger, cost only $500 which will be added to the previously quoted amount for this year’s tax services. We hope that you understand the necessity why we have to manually adjust your ledger. As a valuable client, we would like to ensure that your books are correct and updated. Such, we took the initiative of proactively updating it before any issue would

Open Systems Interconnection (Osi) Model Essay Example for Free

Open Systems Interconnection (Osi) Model Essay The two most recognized network reference models are: The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model †¢ The Department of Defense (DoD) model Without the framework that network models provide, all network hardware and software would have been proprietary. Organizations would have been locked into a single vendor’s equipment, and global networks like the Internet would have been impractical, if not impossible. Network models are organized into layers, with each layer representing a specific networking function. These functions are controlled by protocols, which are rules that govern end-to-end communication between devices. Protocols on one layer will interact with protocols on the layer above and below it, forming a protocol suite or stack. The TCP/IP suite is the most prevalent protocol suite, and is the foundation of the Internet. A network model is not a physical entity – there is no OSI device. Manufacturers do not always strictly adhere to a reference model’s blueprint, and thus not every protocol fits perfectly within a single layer. Some protocols can function across multiple layers. *** All original material copyright  © 2012 by Aaron Balchunas ([emailprotected] com), unless otherwise noted. All other material copyright  © of their respective owners. This material may be copied and used freely, but may not be altered or sold without the expressed written consent of the owner of the above copyright. Updated material may be found at http://www. routeralley. com. OSI Reference Model v1. 21 – Aaron Balchunas 2 OSI Reference Model The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model was developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and formalized in 1984. It provided the first framework governing how information should be sent across a network.

The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff Essay -- Rich Brother Tobias Wolff Es

The Rich Brother by Tobias Wolff Works Cited Not Included Tobias Wolff's short story, "The Rich Brother", is a parallel story to the biblical fable of Able and Cain. The biblical story of Able and Cain is that of the first story that puts man against man. Cain and Able are children of Adam and Eve, where Cain is the eldest and Able the younger of the two. In the biblical story Cain and Able end up giving gifts (sacrifices) to appease to their God. This in turn, creates tension between the two because Able's sacrifice of the lamb is much favored by God than is Cain's offering of his crops. Cain becomes outraged because he believes that Able has purposely tried to embarrass him, ultimately, leading Cain to become so enraged that he ends up murdering his only brother in cold blood. Throughout, 'The Rich Brother', Wolff portrays Peter as Cain because he shows a lack of devotion to God, creates a rival ship with his brother, and climatically abandons his only brother Donald. Throughout the ?The Rich Brother? Pete never criticizes God but never speaks as profoundly about God as his brother does. His brother Donald is represented as almost a religious zealot where as Pete is merely portrayed as a rich business man. In the bible Cain is less favored then his younger brother Abel because of his gift to his almighty God. God favored Abel because Abel gift was that of his first born lamb whereas Cain?s gift was only part of his crop. Abel?s sacrifice of his first born lamb showe...

Profit Maximization

Firms are in business for a simple reason: To make money. Traditional economic theory suggests that firms make their decisions on supply and output on the basis of profit maximisation. However many Economists and managerial Scientists in our days question that the sole aim of a firm is the maximisation of profits. The most serious critique on the theory of the firm comes from those who question whether firms even make an effort to maximise their profits. A firm (especially a large corporation) is not a single decision-maker but a collection of people within it. This implies that in order to understand the decision-making process within firms, we have to analyse who controls the firm and what their interests are. The fact that most large companies are not run by the their owners is often brought forward to support this claim. A large corporation typically is owned by thousands of shareholders, most of whom have nothing to do with the business decisions. Those decisions are made by a professional management team, appointed by a salaried board of directors. In most cases these managers will not own stock in the company which may lead to strongly differing goals of owners and managers. Since ownership gives a person a claim on the profit of the firm, the greater the firm's profit, the higher the owners† income. Hence the owners goal will be profit maximisation. When managers† salary stays unaffected by higher profits they may pursue other goals to raise their personal utility. This behaviour strikes the critical observer regularly when for example reading or watching the financial media. Managers there often rather mention the rises in sales or the growth of their company rather then the profits. Some economists like Begg (1996) argued that managers have an incentive to promote growth as managers of larger companies usually get higher salaries. Others like Williamson (1964) suggested that managers derive further utility from perquisites such as big offices, many subordinate workers, company cars etc. Fanning (1990) gives a rather bizarre example: When WPP Group PLC took over the J. Walter Thompson Company, they found that the firm was spending $80,000 p. . to have a butler deliver a peeled orange every morning to one of their executives. An unnecessary cost clearly from the perspective of the company owners. But often it becomes difficult to identify and separate this amenity maximisation from profit maximisation. A corporate jet for example could be either justified as a profit maximising response to the high opportunity cost of a top executive or an expensive and costly executive status symbol. Baumol (1967) hypothesised that managers often attach their personal prestige to the company†s revenue or sales. A prestige maximising manager therefore would rather attempt to maximise the firms† total revenue then their profits. Figure 1 illustrates how the output choices of revenue- and profit maximising managers differ. The figure plots the marginal revenue and marginal cost curves. Total Revenue peaks at x r , which is the quantity at which the marginal revenue curve crosses the horizontal axis. Any quantity below x r , marginal revenue will be positive and the total revenue curve will rise as output goes up. Hence a revenue-maximising manager would continue to produce additional output regardless of its effects on cost. Given this information one might ask why the owners don†t intervene when their appointed managers don†t direct their actions in the interest of the owners, by maximising profits. First of all, the owners will not have the same access to information as the managers do. Where Information relates to professional skills of Business administration as well as those of the firms inner structure and its market enviroment. Furthermore, when confronted with the owners demands for profit maximising policies, a clever manager can always argue that her engagement in activities, like a damaging price war or an expensive advertising campaign serve the long-run prospect of high profits. This excuse is very difficult to challenge until it is too late. Another aspect is that managers aiming to maximise growth of their company (expecting higher salaries, power, prestige, etc. ) often operate with a profit constraint. A profit constraint is the minimum level of profit needed to keep the shareholders happy. The effects of such a profit constraint are illustrated in Figure2. Figure2 shows a total profit curve (T? ). T? is derived from the difference between TR and TC at each output level. If the minimum acceptable level of profit is ? , any output greater then Q3 will result in a profit below ?. Thus a sales-maximising manager will opt for Q3 which gives the highest level of sales at the minimum possible profit. This however would not be the profit maximising option. In order to maximise profits the manager would have to chose an output level that creates Q2, where profits are highest but sales lower then in Q3. So given this conflict of interests between the owners and the managers of a firm? What are the possible solutions available to the owners, to make their agents work in their interest? It is often suggested that an effective way to control the managers behaviour and bring it in line with the owners interests, is to make the managers owners themselves by giving them a share in the company. However, research by De Meza & Lockwood (1998) suggests that even with the managers owning assets, their performance does not necessarily become more profit raising. Rajan & Zingales (1998) assessed the impact of power and access to it on the behaviour and performance of managers. Their findings suggest that the power gained by access to critical resources is more contingent than ownership on managers or agents to make the right investment and decisions then ownership. They also report adverse effects of ownership on the incentive to specialise. Other ways to control managers include performance based pay, which can prove to be effective in the short-run but again, the long-run perspective of the firm may suffer, when managers neglect crucial Long-run investments into Research and Development, restructuring, equipment or advertising to raise short-run profits and hence their own salaries. In conclusion it is important to note that profit maximisation fails to demonstrate a general validity when applied as a theory of firm-behaviour. The real world businesses often operate on a multi-dimensional basis with many confronting interests and aims. As well as differing short-run and long run aims. Therefore profit-maximisation should be regarded as one possible goal of a firm but not necessarily its sole one. There is also a difference to be noted between the size of firms. A small family-run business for instance can easily adopt a pure profit-maximising approach, since the utility of its owners equals that of the labour-force and the management. In this setting, the income will equal profit. Therefore it is imperative to assess and develop a theory of firm behaviour on the different classes of firms with a perspective to their individual differences in management, ownership and market enviroment.

Slavery History

Slavery, social institution defined by law and custom as the most absolute involuntary form of human servitude. England entered the slave trade in the latter half of the 16th century. In 1713 the exclusive right to supply the Spanish colonies was granted to the British South Sea Company. The English based their trading in the North America. In North America the first African slaves landed at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Brought by early English privateers, they were subjected to limited servitude, a legalized status of Native American, white, and black servants preceding slavery in most, if not all, the English colonies in the New World. The number of slaves imported was small at first, and it did not seem necessary to define their legal status. Statutory recognition of slavery, however, occurred in Massachusetts in 1641, in Connecticut in 1650, and in Virginia in 1661. Contrary to what is commonly believed, slaves did have some legal rights, such as support in age or sickness, a right to limited religious instruction, and the right to bring suit and give evidence in special cases. Custom gave numerous rights also, such as private property, marriage, free time, contractual ability, and, to females, domestic or lighter plantation labor, which, however, the master was not bound to respect. Brutal treatment such as mutilation, branding, chaining, and murder were regulated or prohibited by law, but instances of cruelty were common before the 19th century. In North America the first African slaves landed at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Brought by early English privateers, they were subjected to limited servitude, a legalized status of Native American, white, and black servants preceding slavery in most, if not all, the English colonies in the New World. The number of slaves imported was small at first, and it did not seem necessary to define their legal status. Statutory recognition of slavery, however, occurred in Massachusetts in 1641, in Connecticut in 1650, and in Virginia in 1661. Abolitionists, reformers of the 18th and 19th centuries dedicated to eliminating slavery, especially in the English-speaking countries. Although the Quakers had long opposed slavery, abolitionism as an organized force began in England in the 1780s, when William Wilberforce and the Clapham Sect? a group of wealthy evangelical Anglicans? began agitating against the African slave traffic. Their success (1807) stimulated further political assaults on slavery itself. With compensation to owners and apprenticeship arrangements, Parliament abolished West Indian slavery in 1833. British example, Quaker traditions, evangelical revivalism, and northern emancipations (1776-1827) aroused interest in abolitionism in the United States. The abolitionists differed from those of moderate antislavery feelings in that they called for an immediate end to slavery. The most extreme abolitionists denied the validity of any laws that recognized slavery as an institution; thus, they systematically violated the fugitive slave laws by organizing and operating the Underground Railroad, which concealed and transported runaway slaves to Canada. The activities and propaganda of the abolitionists, although discredited in conservative northern quarters and violently opposed in the South, made slavery a national issue. Most historians cite 1831 as the beginning of the United States abolitionist movement, when William Lloyd Garrison founded The Liberator in Boston. This newspaper soon became the leading organ of American abolitionism. In 1833 the American Anti-Slavery Society was organized in Philadelphia under Garrison’s leadership; this society was the most militant of all the antislavery organizations. Viewed as fanatics by the general public, the abolitionists were relatively few in number? only about 160,000 in the period 1833 to 1840. Most were educated church people of middle-class New England or Quaker heritage. Support among the working and upper classes was minimal. In 1839 the society split into two main groups, the radicals and the gradualists. The division was caused by disagreement concerning policy and tactics. The radical leaders, who besides Garrison included Wendell Phillips, Lucretia Mott, and John Brown, refused to join a party necessarily committed to gradual and legal emancipation of the slaves; these leaders retained control of The Liberator and the American Anti-Slavery Society. The gradualists, who included James Birney, Arthur Tappan and his brother Lewis Tappan, and Theodore Weld, believed that emancipation could be achieved legally by means of religious and political pressure. Many other activists eventually supported working through political organizations to abolish slavery, including the most famous antislavery orator, Frederick Douglass. Douglass had escaped from slavery in 1838 and worked passionately for the antislavery cause. He joined other men and women, such as Sojourner Truth and Charles Lenox Remond, who traveled throughout the North testifying against slavery and organizing moral and political opposition. Abolitionist women commonly organized fairs and concerts to raise funds for antislavery work. In 1840 the Tappans founded the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, which, along with numerous state organizations, carried on most of the United States antislavery agitation. One year earlier, a group led by Birney had founded the first antislavery political party, the Liberty party, in the United States. Birney was the unsuccessful presidential candidate (1840 and 1844) of the party, the adherents of which later helped found the Free-Soil party (1848) and the Republican Party (1854). By the 1850s advocacy of violence against slave owners had replaced the earlier â€Å"moral suasion. † This was especially true during the bitter controversy over extending slavery into Kansas. Only with the victory of Union forces in the American Civil War, however, could abolitionists claim a triumph. Blood and iron, not pure idealism, won the day. Most of the American antislavery societies were dissolved following the adoption in 1870 of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 By Mark Nichol Here are some questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about subject-verb agreement and my responses. 1. In your post concerning subject-verb agreement, why would you use a singular verb for ten liters of water? â€Å"Of water† is a prepositional phrase, and the subject is liters. We have always been taught to ignore the prepositional phrase that modifies the subject when determining agreement. The sentence I used in this post exemplifies an exception to the rule: When the first noun in a â€Å"[noun] of [noun]† phrase is a percentage, distance, fraction, or amount, the verb agrees with the second noun. 2. I have a question about noun-verb agreement in conjunction with and. For example, should a sentence read, â€Å"There was no moon and no clouds† or â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon†? Either construction is acceptable; the verb form should agree with the form of the nearest noun. However, â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon† is better because the plural form of the verb agrees with both clouds and the combination of â€Å"clouds and . . . moon,† so it feels more natural. 3. When I write sums, I normally use plus and equals, but if I use and instead of plus, should I use is, or are, before the sum? In mathematical equations, when we put two or more numbers through an operation, they are considered a single set. As you note, we use a singular verb we say or write, for example, â€Å"One plus two equals three,† not â€Å"One plus two equal three† so â€Å"One plus two is three† is correct. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?26 Feel-Good WordsEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

TKAM essays

TKAM essays Japan was a smart, expanding and a large country. These points though helped in the loss of the war. Japan lost World War 2 through different aspects from before the war and during the war. The errors made played vital rolls in the war and as the errors tallied up the war headed USAs way. Before the war, Japan had already made wrong assumptions. The first wrong assumption made by the Japanese was that Germany would win the war in Europe so that the US and Britain could not turn their entire strength against Japan which would mean Japan had a stronger force and could chose whether to invade or not invade US and Britain. Secondly, US lacked fighting spirit and they thought that the bombing of Pearl Harbor would leave US demoralized and ask for compromised peace. This did not lose their fighting spirit but made them even more encouraged to win, Yesterday, December 7, 1941- date which will live in infamy said by President Roosevelt. Lastly Japan thought that the bombing of Pearl Harbor would cause the US to have barely any ships and therefore would take a long time to rebuild. Japan failed to sink 3 aircraft carriers at sea and these carriers was used to good effect at the battle of Midway. Much of the shipping destroyed in Pearl Harbor was inferior and obsolete. They had underestimated USs industrial power which led therefore to war. During the war Japan had many wrong doings. Firstly the Army and navy caused Japans war effort to weaken. Little Coordination was given in military strength and operations and the navy and army wanted to do different things such as attack and defend. In battles either one of the forces did not support each other. Japans military leaders were reluctant to revise their war strategy to deal with new allied tactical methods. They relied too much on the fighting spirit of the Japanese forces and didnt look great enough into tactics. The effects of relying on the fi...

The Complete The Child Is Father of the Man Wordsworth Quote

The Complete The Child Is Father of the Man Wordsworth Quote William Wordsworth used the expression, The child is the father of the man in his famous 1802 poem, My Heart Leaps Up, also known as The Rainbow. This quote has made its  way into popular culture. What does it mean? My Heart Leaps Up My heart leaps up when I beholdA rainbow in the sky:So was it when my life began;So is it now I am a man;So be it when I shall grow old,Or let me die!The Child is father of the Man;And I could wish my days to beBound each to each by natural piety. What Does the Poem Mean? Wordsworth uses the expression in a very positive sense, noting that seeing a rainbow produced awe and joy when he was a child, and he still felt those emotions as a grown man.  He hopes that these emotions will continue throughout his life, that he will retain that pure joy of youth. He also laments that he would rather die than lose that leap of the heart and youthful enthusiasm.   Also, note that Wordsworth was a lover of geometry, and the use of piety in the last line is a play on the number pi. In the story of Noah in the Bible, the rainbow was given by God as a sign of Gods promise that He would not again destroy the entire earth in a flood. It is the mark of a continuing covenant. That is signaled in the poem by the word bound. Modern Use of The Child Is Father of the Man While Wordsworth used the phrase to express hope that he would retain the joys of youth, we often see this expression used to imply the establishment of both positive and negative traits in youth.  In watching children at play, we notice that they demonstrate certain characteristics which may remain with them into adulthood. One interpretation- the nurture viewpoint- is that it is necessary to instill in children healthy attitudes and positive traits  so they grow up to become balanced individuals.  However, the nature viewpoint notes that children may be born with certain traits, as can be seen in studies of identical twins who were separated at birth. Different traits, attitudes, and experiences are influenced in different ways by both nature and nurture. Certainly, traumatic life experiences in youth inevitably occur which also influence us throughout life. Lessons learned both in positive and negative ways guide us all into adulthood, for better or worse. Other Appearances of the Quote The quote is paraphrased by Cormac McCarthy on the first page of the book Blood Meridian as the child the father of the  man. It also appears in the title of a song by the Beach Boys and an album by Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

Rivington Hospital Laundry Department Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rivington Hospital Laundry Department - Essay Example The existing budget is more than enough to demoralize her. This budget may cause some serious changes in the apparent behaviour of the laundry supervisor as she is not happy and satisfied with the way she has been held responsible for every cost of the laundry department. Different kinds of behaviours can be displayed by the laundry supervisor, the details of some of them are provided below: Quality Compromise The biggest change in the behaviour of the laundry supervisor would be shown in terms of the quality that she provides. After this performance report, her aim and objective would be to cut the cost and meet the targets specified in the budgets, and in doing so, if the quality of laundry service is compromised, she would not focus on it too much. After all, the administrators are more concerned with meeting the budgets, in this way the overall quality of the department may likely be hampered by such move of the administrators. Restricting the Activity Level Since the major cause of adverse variances in the existing budget is the increase in the activity level due to which more laundry services were provided and as a result the level of costs also increased in every manner, including the excessive cost of hiring an additional worker, therefore, the laundry supervisor would try to restrict the activity level to the budget level and may not provide the laundry services to the additional activity level so that the budgeted activity level should not be crossed. In this way, the excessive cost can be reduced which occurred as a result on increasing the actual activity level. This move would surely decrease the overall activity level of the hospital but result in meeting the budgeted costs. Falsification and Misrepresentation The laundry supervisor may also use some negative tactics in order to provide a better picture to the administration by reporting the falsified and misrepresented figures of the activities of the laundry department so that budgets can be ful filled accordingly. This step would cause the likelihood of frauds in the hospital. On a concluding note, if the administration is quite keen in getting the budgets fulfilled by the laundry department, it would have to include the laundry supervisor in budget setting activity so that a unanimous budget can be established which would surely be challenging but at the same time achievable to the laundry supervisor. b) Criterion for Variance Investigation The investigation of variance is undoubtedly an important objective of the organization such that the organization is more interested to find out the root cause of such variances. The variances may be either favorable or adverse in nature. The organization should focus on investigating both types of variances because generally the favorable variances are considered as good and they are not investigated but they have serious negative implications behind them. Managers normally try variances to be more favorable because in this way their performance would be marked high and they would be appraised on a better note. But on the other side of the picture, the favorable variances are pulled out deliberately by those managers such as hiring the low-skilled workers or even unskilled workers and purchasing the poor quality raw material etc. In this way, the favorable variances leave negative impacts and harm the overall organizational goals. The overall criteria to examine the variances should be based on the nature and

Museum paper- analyze ,compare duccio-Madonna and child ,Filippino Research Paper

Museum - analyze ,compare duccio-Madonna and child ,Filippino Lippi - Madonna and Child - Research Paper Example Also known as the Stoclet Madonna or Stroganoff Madonna, Duccio’s Madonna and Child is painted in tempera with decoration on wood panel and this work of art dates back to 1300. In this painting, similar to other Madonna paintings, Duccio portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus, holding the infant Jesus, and it covers a frame of 27.9 ? 21 centimeters. Filippino Lippi’s painting Madonna and Child, a.k.a. Tarquinia Madonna (ca. 1437) covers a frame of 32 x 23 1/2 in (81.3 x 59.7 cm) and is can be briefly described as tempera, oil, and gold on wood. Regarded as the earliest dated work by Lippi, Tarquinia Madonna reveals the enriched language of Lippi’s work as well as his influence of Flemish painting. â€Å"In the Tarquinia Madonna of 1437, the careful study of light and perspective, which confers movement on the Virgin’s drapery and illumines her marble throne, is evidence of a strong Flemish influence (motif of the windows putting the interior and exterior into communication, presence of the book and bed, phenomena of daily domestic life, typical of Flemish painting).† (Dobson, 814) This paper makes a profound analysis of Duccio’s Madonna and child and Filippino Lippi’s Madonna and Child in order to comprehend the similarity and difference between the themes, medium, composition, treatment of space, influence of the period in which they were created, etc. Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child (ca. 1300) is one of the greatest paintings belonging to the medieval Italian art history which is distinguished for its sublime beauty. Significantly, this painting is celebrated as the ground-breaking opening work of art in the most glorious career of Duccio’s art and the influence of the period is very much evident in this painting. At the time of its composition, Italy was divided into many city-states such as Florence, Siena, Milan, and Venice, and Duccio belonged to Siena. It is important to realize tha Duc cio is the founder of the Sienese style in painting which emphasized ornamental surfaces, winding lines, stretched-out figures and profound use of gold. The painting Madonna and Child is familiarly known as Ruccellai Madonna due to its subsequent placement in a chapel of Ruccellai family and it reveals Duccio’s style of composition. As Rachel Nicholls (2008) maintains, Duccio is generally recognized as the founder of the Sienese school of painting and â€Å"his work was so innovative and skillful that it now seen as a new departure rather than a continuation of tradition. His style did not appear in a vacuum and his approach to the painting of figures (particularly the Virgin) is a creative development of the techniques of Cimabue. His style also offers a backward look to Byzantine art with its highly stylized iconic figures against a glided background, and a forward look to a more naturalistic interpretation of human relationships.† (Nicholls, 157) Significantly, a pr ofound analysis of Madonna and Child is fundamental to an understanding of the development of Duccio’s style which is influenced by the period in which he composed his paintings. It is also important to maintain that this painting reveals a naturalistic impulse enriching the religious theme in Duccio’s art. In comparison, Filippino Lippi’s Madonna with Child (Tarquinia Madonna) is also a true representation of the period in which it was created, and it is regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Early Renaissance period. Significantly, Filippino Lippi

E-Logistics Assignment2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

E-Logistics Assignment2 - Essay Example This role of SCM in organizational functioning continues to evolve, with the incorporation of advanced technologies and other innovations. These innovations optimize the SCM, thereby reaching the product and services to the clients aptly, thereby improving the efficiencies of the organizations. It will be applicable for all organization and that includes even the fictional ones like VF Brands global supply chain strategy. From the early times, VF brands has maximally used a mix of in-house manufacturing and as part of SCM, traditional arms-length sourcing arrangements. However, with certain problems arising in these sections, and importantly with many opportunities in the anvil, the company wants to try a third approach. Through this, Third approach, VF wants to build a closer cooperation and partnerships with its supplier base. Thus, the main purpose of this 'third way' approach is to create and actualize a relationship with its suppliers, which combines accomplishment of its goals, even while maintaining flexibility in sourcing. So, this paper will analyze this case of VF Design, focusing on the challenges of the ' Third-way Supply chain strategy, and then advising Chris Fraser on supply chain strategy. ... It largely deals with procurement and sales issues in an organization. Effective supply chain is a major requirement in all firms in order to remain relevant and competitive in the current market. Supply chain management can be defined as the process of finding raw materials for production of goods and services, manufacturing of the goods, transfer of the manufactured products to the customers including the middle-men and continued flow of communication among the parties involved. â€Å"Supply Chain Management is the designing and management of the process that will ensure that the Supply Chain will be effectively carried out across organizational boundaries so as to meet the requirements of the end customer.† (supplychainmanagement.in).This is applicable to VF Brands as well, as it has a current sustaining supply chain, but wants to develop a even more stronger and effective one. Supply chain management covers the flow of information, goods and finances between the organizati on and the supplier. All these flows are bidirectional that is, the flow can be from an organization to a supplier as well as a v to the organization. Figure 1.0 category of flows in supply chain management. A supply chain cannot be fully effective if there is no communication between the organization and the supplier. This communication can be in form of orders, feedback from customer, inquiry, announcement of new offers by the supplier, etc. Communication is a vital tool to maintain good business and client. A customer’s feedback can give a manufacturer new idea on improvement of a particular product, a customer can learn about a new product from the manufacturer via this critical mode. Business can not be complete without

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - Essay Example The essay "Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee" talks about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the major organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement. In April of 1960 Ella Baker, an expert civil rights organizer, invited black college students who had taken part in the 1960 sit-ins to meet at Shaw University.Alongside specific activities targeted at gaining civil rights for Blacks, SNCC also addressed major political issues of the sixties, namely feminism and the Vietnam War. SNCC officially came out against the Vietnam War in the beginning of 1966. SNCC linked the brutal bombing of Vietnamese citizens to the U.S. government's recurrent failure to bring the murderers of black people to justice. The destruction of Vietnamese rural life in the name of "pacification" was held akin to the destruction of African culture during the period of slavery. Hence, SNCC disputed the U.S. government's "benevolent intentions." The group did not believe that the gover nment would build a truly democratic society with free elections in a foreign country when such rights were not provided for a large percentage of the Black people at home. Several people feel that SNCC opened the door for the feminist movement. It united the oppressed and it viewed discrimination, in the form of racism or sexism, as a core social dilemma. In 1964, SNCC published a position paper that described the situation that women faced within the organization itself, indicating an awareness of the problem before it was fashionable.

Article critics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article critics - Essay Example mization to receive 40 infusion of 500ml chelation solution or a placebo 40 infusion to an oral vitamin and chelation solution or oral placebo (Research Grant, 2012). Researchers found that patients receiving the chelation solution had fewer serious cardiovascular events than the control group 26% vs. 30%, and the trail was conducted in 134 sites in the United States and Canada from 2002-2012. However the article fails to report that there was high drop out in the placebo group than in the chelation. They were getting a placebo and the side effects of it. The Chelation group was significantly different in life outcomes measured with the assessment, as opposed to the Placebo group. According to the cnn analysis, the four percentage point difference between was â€Å"barley statistically significant†. The difference may have been by chance not because chelation actually works or they necessarily have bad side effects. The high dropout contributed to less accuracy in the study. It is less

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee - Essay Example The essay "Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee" talks about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the major organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement. In April of 1960 Ella Baker, an expert civil rights organizer, invited black college students who had taken part in the 1960 sit-ins to meet at Shaw University.Alongside specific activities targeted at gaining civil rights for Blacks, SNCC also addressed major political issues of the sixties, namely feminism and the Vietnam War. SNCC officially came out against the Vietnam War in the beginning of 1966. SNCC linked the brutal bombing of Vietnamese citizens to the U.S. government's recurrent failure to bring the murderers of black people to justice. The destruction of Vietnamese rural life in the name of "pacification" was held akin to the destruction of African culture during the period of slavery. Hence, SNCC disputed the U.S. government's "benevolent intentions." The group did not believe that the gover nment would build a truly democratic society with free elections in a foreign country when such rights were not provided for a large percentage of the Black people at home. Several people feel that SNCC opened the door for the feminist movement. It united the oppressed and it viewed discrimination, in the form of racism or sexism, as a core social dilemma. In 1964, SNCC published a position paper that described the situation that women faced within the organization itself, indicating an awareness of the problem before it was fashionable.

Measuring Public Sector Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Measuring Public Sector Performance - Essay Example Then, common models of performance measurement and how they were developed are investigated. Third, the public and private sectors are compared and contrasted to highlight similarities and differences in their functions, goals, and outputs. Fourth, key developments in private and public sector performance measures are reviewed and discussed to highlight the convergence in the efforts of each sector to address stakeholder expectations. The paper concludes with a set of observations that disprove the hypothesis by showing that performance measurement as a basis for financial accountability and management in both the private and public sectors has become more complex and difficult and provide challenges for everyone. Any discussion of organisational performance begins with an understanding of the nature of human organisations and why they exist. Like the human beings who establish them, every organisation exists for a purpose, a set of goals or objectives that has to be achieved. By custom and for analytical convenience, organisations are classified based on their main purpose; thus, there are private-sector, public-sector, not-for-profit, institutional, voluntary, and mixed organisations. Table 1 summarises each of these organisational types, their specific purposes, and some basic examples of each. Regardless of the type, an organisation can be ... Like the human beings who establish them, every organisation exists for a purpose, a set of goals or objectives that has to be achieved. By custom and for analytical convenience, organisations are classified based on their main purpose; thus, there are private-sector, public-sector, not-for-profit, institutional, voluntary, and mixed organisations. Table 1 summarises each of these organisational types, their specific purposes, and some basic examples of each. Regardless of the type, an organisation can be said to be successful if it meets the purpose(s) for which it is established, and with success comes its continued growth and existence. Otherwise, it would be better for an organisation that does not meet its purpose for existing to close down. This is where accounting as a management tool proves its usefulness because it helps provide public sector organisations with the means to measure performance (Jones et al., 2002). It helps any organisation determine whether it is meeting its purpose, and it is for this reason that management accountants have developed a growing body of organisational science around the notion of performance measurement. This was not, however, the case until in the previous century when increased globalisation and competition for limited resources pushed organisations to measure performance against their purpose for existence and in comparison with their competitors (Lothian, 1987; Fitzgerald et al, 1991). The term "performance" captures the notion of how an organisation operates in comparison to its purpose. Thus, performance measurement has been described (Neely, 1998; Kunz et al., 2002; Moullin, 2003) as an assessment of how an organisation performs and includes measures

The rate of photosynthesis Essay Example for Free

The rate of photosynthesis Essay Introduction: Photosynthesis is the trapping of carbon dioxide and its subsequent reduction to carbohydrate, using hydrogen from water. Hexose sugars and starch are commonly formed so the following equation is often used: light energy 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2 carbon dioxide water chlorophyll carbohydrate oxygen Photosynthesis consists of two stages: These are the light-dependent reactions, for which light energy is necessary, and the light independent reactions series of light-dependent reactions that are temperature-independent and a series of temperature-dependent reactions that are light-independent. The rate of the first series, called the light reaction, can be increased by increasing light intensity (within certain limits) but not by increasing temperature. In the second series, called the dark reaction, the rate can be increased by increasing temperature (within certain limits) but not by increasing light intensity Photosynthesis involves the production of oxygen, and the uptake of carbon dioxide. These can be used as a measure of the rate of photosynthesis. This experiment will be an investigation into the photosynthetic rate, the rate at which plants produce all their own organic substances (food) using only light energy and simple inorganic substances. The rate of photosynthesis is dependent on environmental factors, particularly the amount of light available, the level of carbon dioxide and the temperature. The effect of these factors can be tested experimentally by altering one of these factors while holding others constant. We know that light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration and temperature are three factors that can determine the rate of photosynthesis. If the level of one of these factors is changed, rate of photosynthesis changes. Normally, only changes to one of the factors will affect the rate of photosynthesis in a plant at a time. This is the factor that is nearest to its minimum, the limiting factor. Changing the limiting factor increases or decreases the rate, but changes to the other factors have no effect. This is because photosynthesis is a complex is a complex involving many steps. The overall rate of photosynthesis in a plant is determined by the rate of whichever step is proceeding most slowly at a particular time. This is called the rate-limiting step. The three limiting factors affect different rate-limiting steps. Carbon dioxide concentration: At low and medium CO2 concentrations, the rate-limiting step in the Calvin cycle is the point where CO2 is fixed to produce glycerate 3-phosphate. Ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) and NADPH accumulate. At high CO2 concentrations some other factor is limiting. Light intensity: At low light intensities, there is a shortage of the products of the light-dependant reactions NADPH and ATP. The point where glycerate 3-phosphate is reduced is the rate-limiting step in the Calvin cycle. At high light intensities some other factor is limiting. Temperature: At low temperatures, all of the enzymes that catalyse the reactions of the Calvin cycle work slowly. NADPH accumulates. At intermediate temperatures, some other factor is limiting. At high temperatures, RuBP carboxylase does not work effectively, so the rate-limiting step in the Calvin cycle is the point where CO2 is fixed. NADPH accumulates. Research question: How does altering the carbon dioxide concentration affect the rate of photosynthesis? Prediction: I predict that the rate of photosynthesis is positively related with CO2 concentration. I predict that increasing the CO2 concentration will increase the rate of photosynthesis proportionally to it. Applied to my experiment, that means the higher the sodium hydrogen carbonate solution concentration (which provides the CO2 for the cress disks in order to photosynthesize), the faster oxygen is produced as a waste product and the faster the cress discs rise to the top of the beaker. Variables The independent variable: Carbon dioxide concentration: Sodium hydrogen carbonate solution was used to provide the CO2 for the cress disks in order to photosynthesize. In the experiment different NaHCO3 concentrations were made up using pure NaHCO3 solution and distilled water, always making up 60cm3 of liquid. Controlled Variables: Light intensity: A bench lamp was used as the light source in the experiment. It was always constantly placed 5cm above the liquid surface so that the same amount of light falls on the beaker with the cress disks inside the hydrogen carbonate solution for every experiment. Temperature: The temperature should stay constant for all of the carried out experiments, room temperature of about 20 °C being the case. Dependent variable: Amount of oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis produced: In the experiment we didnt measure the amount of oxygen produced directly. Instead a stop watch was used to monitor how long it took for the individual cress disks to rise to the top of the beaker. Being the dependent variable, the time it took for cress disks to rise at different NaHCO3 concentrations, was the recorded data. In the experiment the NaHCO3 solution enters the air spaces of the cress disks. As it provides the cress disks with the CO2, say the higher the NaHCO3 concentration meant the more oxygen is produced as a waste product of photosynthesis. The quicker the cress disks rose to the top of the beaker means that more oxygen is produced during photosynthesis. Apparatus 1 Plastic straw 3 Small Beakers (100cm) 2 Plastic Syringes (20cm) 1 Plastic Syringe (10cm) 1 stopwatch 1 Thermometer 1 cress plant Method 1. Use a plastic straw to punch out 5 discs from the cotyledons of the cress plants provided. Do this by placing a finger underneath the cotyledon to support it. Keep the discs in the straw for the moment. 2. The plunger from a 10cm3 plastic syringe was removed. Then I placed a finger over the nozzle and approximately half-filled the syringe with sodium  hydrogen carbonate solution. Gently blow the discs from the straw into the syringe. I replace the plunger, inverted the syringe and then pushed the plunger up far enough to expel the air from the syringe. 3. Place a finger over the nozzle of the syringe and gently pull out the plunger a short distance (past a 3cm3 distance on the syringe barrel). This procedure was done in order to pull the air out of the air spaces of the cress discs and replace it with the surrounding solution. I had to hold the plunger at this position for a few seconds to make sure the air really gets pulled out the discs air spaces, and then removed my finger from the nozzle. 4. Repeat this procedure twice more. Tap the syringe barrel between each evacuation. At this stage the discs should sink. If this does not happen repeat the evacuation process. 5. Use pure sodium hydrogen carbonate solution and distilled water in order to always make up 60cm3 liquid of different NaHCO3 concentrations Using two 20cm3 plastic syringes for each the pure sodium hydrogen carbonate solution and the distilled water, the needed quantities are given into a beaker to make up the wanted NaHCO3 concentrations. 6. Then the syringe plunger was removed and the contents are tipped into the beaker. 7. Check that the discs have sunk to the bottom and if not remove and discard those ones. A minimum of 4 sunken discs is required in order to have sufficient data for the experiment. 8. The beaker with the contents is placed immediately under a bench lamp. This has to stand not more than 5 cm above the solutions surface but so that it still allows one to see the discs. 9. The bench lamp is turned on and the stopwatch is started. The discs are observed until they have all risen to the surface. The time in seconds it takes for each disc to rise is recorded. 10. This procedure is repeated using different concentrations of sodium hydrogen carbonate solution. Results The following tables show the amount of time (in seconds) it took for the discs under different NaHCO3 concentrations to rise to the water surface. Every experiment was done twice in order to account for reliability of the first results. Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 10 cm of NaHCO3 10 cm pure NaHCO3 solution + 50 cm H2O 1st reading per seconds 2nd in seconds Average in seconds disc 1 524 502 513.0 disc 2 592 575 583.5 disc 3 642 618 630.0 disc 4 680 658 668.5 disc 5 767 698 732.5 Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 20 cm of NaHCO3 20 cm pure NaHCO3 solution + 40 cm H2O 1st experiment in seconds 2nd in seconds Average in seconds . disc 1 387 362 374.5 disc 2 428 401 414.5 disc 3 470 452 461.0 disc 4 502 486 494.0 disc 5 544 587 565.5 Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 30 cm of NaHCO3 30 cm pure NaHCO3 solution + 30 cm H2O 1st experiment in seconds 2nd in seconds Average in seconds disc 1 265 282 273.5 disc 2 279 336 307.5 disc 3 360 398 379.0 disc 4 446 458 452.0 disc 5 507 532 519.5 Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 40 cm of NaHCO3 40 cm pure NaHCO3 solution + 20 cm H2O 1st experiment in seconds 2nd in seconds . Average in seconds disc 1 313 301 307.0 disc 2 354 360 357.0 disc 3 378 401 389.0 disc 4 428 476 452.0 disc 5 487 498 492.5 Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 50 cm of NaHCO3 50 cm pure NaHCO3 solution + 10 cm H2O 1st experiment in seconds 2nd in seconds Average in seconds disc 1 263 282 272.5 disc 2 287 299 293.0 disc 3 343 318 330.5 disc 4 398 419 408.5 disc 5 456 443 449.5 Time taken in seconds for discs to rise in 60 cm of NaHCO3 60 cm pure NaHCO3 solution 1st experiment in seconds 2nd in seconds Average in seconds disc 1 259 245 252.0 disc 2 265 271 268.0 disc 3 303 288 295.5 disc 4 313 302 295.5 disc 5 319 311 315.0 Table showing 1/time for the different NaHCO3 solutions (CO2 concentration) 1st run Concentration of CO2 (NaHCO3 solution in cm3) 1 / time it takes for disc 1 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 2 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 3 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 4 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 5 to rise to surface in seconds Average of 1 / time for the 5 disks Concentration of CO2 (NaHCO3 solution in cm3) 1 / time it takes for disc 1 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 2 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 3 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 4 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 5 to rise to surface in seconds Average of 1 / time for the 5 disks Average Concentration of CO2 (NaHCO3 solution in cm3) 1 / time it takes for disc 1 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 2 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 3 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 4 to rise to surface in seconds 1 / time it takes for disc 5 to rise to surface in seconds Average of 1 / time for the 5 disks Comments on results As one can see from the tables, in general the time it takes for the cress discs to rise to the surface of the beaker decreases as the concentration of NaHCO3 increases. In average, when 10cm3 of NaHCO3 where used, disc 1 rose after 513.0 seconds, disc 5 after 732.5 seconds. When 60cm of NaHCO3 where it took only 252.0 seconds for disc 1, and 315.0 seconds for disc 5 to rise. The basic pattern that as NaHCO3 concentration increases the time for the discs to come to the top decreases can be seen. This would mean that more oxygen is produced by the leaf discs as NaHCO3 concentration increases, and as a result the time to rise to the top decreases. As oxygen production can be used as a measure of photosynthesis, in taking the time of how long it takes for the discs to come to the surface, we get values that are proportional to the oxygen production. One can therefore calculate the rate of photosynthesis by dividing 1 over the average time it took for the discs to rise to the top. From the results table above the general pattern that the rate of photosynthesis increases as the concentration of CO2 (NaHCO3) is raised. At a CO2 concentration when 10cm3 NaHCO3 are used the rate of photosynthesis is 0.0016223. At a CO2 concentration when 60cm3 NaHCO3 are used the rate of photosynthesis is 0.00352848. However the table shows that at a CO2 concentration when 40cm3 NaHCO3 were used the average rate is 0.0025744 which is lower than at 30cm3 NaHCO3 which gave a rate of 0.00273684. This explains the little dink in the graph at the CO2 concentration of 40cm3 NaHCO3 before the line continues to go up again from a CO2 concentration of 50cm3 NaHCO3. The graph very well displays that the rate of photosynthesis increases fairly quickly as the CO2 concentration is increased and that the line is starting to level off at higher CO2 concentrations. Analysis My results clearly show that the average time it takes for the cress discs to rise decreases as the concentration of NaHCO3 increases. This is because the higher the CO2 concentration the higher the rate of photosynthesis. As a result of the photosynthetic rate increasing, the production of oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis increases as well. As the cress discs produce oxygen quicker at higher CO2 concentrations that means the oxygen will make the discs rise quicker. With more oxygen produced the buoyancy of the cress discs increases and this leads to the discs floating to the top of the beaker. With the discs rising faster and indicating that the amount of oxygen produced increases with higher CO2 concentration, will mean that the rate of photosynthesis increases as well. My results support this statement, too. My graph shows that at low to fairly high CO2 concentrations the rate of photosynthesis is positively correlated with CO2 concentration. This implies for my graph except for the CO2 concentration of 40cm3 which is therefore clearly an anomalous result. The graph also shows that at high CO2 concentrations the rate of photosynthesis is slowing down and moving towards a plateau. This is because at high CO2 concentrations there is some other factor limiting the rate of photosynthesis. Conclusion In general my results support my hypothesis that the rate of photosynthesis is positively related with CO2 concentration. My results from experiment have shown that at higher CO2 concentrations more oxygen is produced by the cress discs. This oxygen will make them rise to the surface more quickly as the leaf discs buoyancy increases. My results table and graph show that at constant light intensities and temperature, the rate of photosynthesis initially increases with an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide, but is starting to reach a plateau at higher concentrations. At low concentrations of carbon dioxide, the supply of carbon dioxide is the rate-limiting factor. At higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, other factors such as light intensity and temperature are rate limiting. The rate of photosynthesis is determined by the rate-limiting step which is the step that is proceeding most slowly at a time. At low to medium CO2 concentrations, the rate-limiting step in the Calvin cycle is the point where CO2 is fixed to produce glycerate 3-phosphate. RuBP and NADPH accumulate. The plateau on my graph however shows that at higher CO2 concentrations some other factor is limiting, meaning either light intensity or temperature are too low for the rate of photosynthesis to increase further. To the extent that the rate of photosynthesis increases as the rate of CO2 concentration increases, my prediction overlaps with my results. However my results have also shown me the fact that this relationship doesnt continue like that forever. Having done this experiment, has shown me that the rate of photosynthesis increases with increasing CO2 but is limited by the factor which is nearest to its lowest value. Accuracy of observations In general, the accuracy of the equipment is very good, however, for each of them there is some element of inaccuracy in terms of the readings to be made this also includes the human element in making the reading. For the most  accurate results, the reading has to be made with the scale being on eye level. The 20cm plastic syringes have an accuracy of + 0.5cm3; the beakers as well show an accuracy of + 0.5cm3. The 10cm3 syringes however are accurate to + 0.25cm3 Thus for all the solutions we have to assume that the maximum error of the readings made could be + 1.25cm, which is very important. Improvements to method: Even though, the method could be improved still. One issue for instance that could be used to slightly improve the method and thus the accuracy of the results would be to use a water bath in order to make sure that the experiment is conducted under generally stable conditions as for this will ensure that the temperature stays the same throughout the whole experiment. This would be of great importance for conducting an experiment which implies of temperature being one of the limiting factors. Using a water bath one could also set up the experiment in a way that the oxygen produced as waste product of photosynthesis could be directly collected under water. Evaluation and anomalous results In general the method wasnt changed much to the preliminary work. However, in my preliminary work I first used a total amount of 100cm3 NaHCO3 solution to make up the different NaHCO3 concentrations. This showed that when low NaHCO3 concentrations (little pure NaHCO3 being used) were used, it took more than 10minutes for the cress discs to rise to the surface of the beaker. This is simply too long and wouldnt have given me enough time to do sufficient repeats of the experiment. Thats why I decided to reduce the total amount of NaHCO3 solution used to 60cm3. I think that my results have shown that a general pattern can be seen. The collected data, illustrated in tables and diagrams backs up my prediction.  However the reliability is not too strong, as significant differences can be seen in the time taken for the discs to rise, especially at a NaHCO3 concentration of 40cm3. Throughout the experiment the same plastic straw was used to cut discs out from cress leaves. The plastic straw had a diameter of about 4mm, meaning that all cress discs had the same diameter throughout the investigation. However other variations in the size of the cress discs could have occurred. For example the thickness of the cress leaves might have varied, resulting in thicker and thinner and cress discs between experiments. These structural differences might have accounted for the anomalous results but also for the significant differences in the time it took for the discs to come up to the surface, between run 1 and 2 of the same concentration. A factor that wasnt particularly controlled at all was temperature. The light source of the investigation was a simple bench lamp. As I have observed the light bulb got really hot after a few minutes of usage. This would mean that at the beginning, namely the very first concentration of the first experiment wouldnt have been affected by the light bulb. However by the time the next concentration was used the light bulb was already hot. This would have resulted in the heat that given off by the light bulb to increase the temperature of the NaHCO3 solution the seed discs were floating in. Even further as the time it took for discs to rise varied with different NaHCO3 concentrations means that the time the NaHCO3 solution exposed to the heat given off by the light bulb varied, too. This means the temperature of the different NaHCO3 solutions must have varied as well. As temperature is one of the limiting factors of photosynthesis this could have had significant effects on the experiment. Temperature being higher at some NaHCO3 concentrations means that the reaction of photosynthesis must have taken place faster, resulting in a faster production of oxygen, meaning that the cress discs rose to the surface quicker. In addition there are some anomalous results found in the graph. However, the graph shows a trough at a CO2 concentration of 40cm NaHCO. This should not be the case; the line should go up further and then level off properly. My graph however doesnt show a clear plateau which should be seen when high CO2 concentrations have been reached as slowly no more oxygen can be produced in the same time. Optimally at low to fairly high CO2 concentrations the graph should show that the rate of photosynthesis is directly proportional to CO2 concentration. These factors could be down to the fact mentioned earlier that the cress discs might have been of different structures, e.g. thicker and therefore affected the experiment. However I think that one also has to consider the fact that the experiment involved living organisms. Just like human beings, plants dont always act in an expected way. This is what essentially makes biology interesting in that the expected is not always happening. In doing this experiment we were measuring the time it took for cress discs to rise to the surface of a beaker at different NaHCO3 concentrations. In doing so we were effectively trying to collect data, namely time, which is proportional to the production of oxygen of the seed discs in order to get information about the rate of photosynthesis. The seed discs producing more oxygen meant that they would rise faster. Oxygen being a by-product of photosynthesis can be used to get a picture of the rate of photosynthesis of a plant. So ideally an experiment carried out measure the amount of this oxygen production would be better designed to get an indication of the rate of photosynthesis of a plant. The oxygen collection would take place in water; a water bath could be used for example.

Business and Economic Environment in Lagos | Analysis

Business and Economic Environment in Lagos | Analysis 1.0  INTRODUCTION Business is seen to operate within an environment. This environment could either present a threat or an opportunity to the organizations that operate in it. This essay aims to describe the business environment in the city where the researcher lives. The first section will give an overview of what business environment is all about. Furthermore, Lagos state will be used as a case study to examine the business environment where the researcher lives. Then, different forces or conditions that encourage or inhibit business activities in Lagos state will be discussed 2.0  AN OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT According to Nyandat (2013) Business environment can be defined as forces or surroundings that affect business operations. These forces may include customers, competitors, suppliers, distributors, industry trends, substitutes, regulations, government activities, and economy, social, political and cultural factors. Ogunro (2014) explained business environment as the combination of all environmental conditions and influences that are capable of affecting or influencing business activities. Furthermore, Obiwuru et al (2011) also defined environment of business as the aggregation of the pattern of all the external and internal conditions and influences that affects the existence, growth and development of the business. For the purpose of this essay, Lagos state in Nigeria will be used as a case study to analyze the business environment in the city where the researcher resides. Lagos state is the former capital of Africa’s largest country, Nigeria; it is the most populated city in sub-Saharan region with more than 15 million people. Lagos is called center of excellence because of its reputation of housing the very best of Nigeria’s skilled workforce. It is also home to the country’s top industries and businesses with over 65% of imported goods passing through its ports and 80% of manufacturing being handled within or around its vicinity. With such massive economic facts, Lagos is the life-wire of the Nigerian economy. This is best explained by the fact that no macro-economic activity can ever succeed with Lagos being alienated. There are forces or conditions that encourage or inhibit business activity in Lagos and these include: 2.1  Human Capital: The population of Lagos is a very good advantage for business entrepreneurs because both skilled and unskilled workforce is available and very cheap. Lagos state has a population of more than 15 million people of which 75% of them are youths and eager to work in order to earn a living. The city has the best of skilled workforce from diverse regions including foreign experts. This has helped the business activity because you can get any expert you want at a very affordable price. 2. 2 Inadequate Power Supply: Inadequate power supply is one of the major challenges that affect the business activity in Lagos. Every company has a standby power generator which is being used when there is power failure .Firms expenditure on diesel and petrol (as the case may be) is unbearable and this is affecting the productivity. This development is impacting negatively on the business investment due to increased expenditure on diesel and petrol by enterprises. This also comes with the consequences of declining productivity and competitiveness. Many companies have been closed down due to inadequate power supply while some companies where forced to relocate to the nearby country. Nigeria has lost very huge amount of money due to inadequate power. â€Å"In 1990, the World Bank estimated the economic loss to the country from power inefficiency, at about N1 billion† (Adenikinju, 2005, p.3). Using telecom industry in Nigeria as an example; which is an Oligopolistic market where we have very few telecom industries; their major challenge is power which they use to power all the base stations across the country. Most of them spend an outrageous amount of money to power these base stations because they cannot afford to have network failure due to power outage. â€Å"Telecom Operators Spend N10 Billion Annually to Power BTS† (Nurudeen, 2014, p.1) 2.3  Security Situation Insecurity is another major concern that affects businesses in Lagos, there is very high rate of insecurity in the city and this made some foreign investors to decline from investing in the country. The security agencies are trying to ensure a secure and peaceful society but the government still needs to do more in order to give the foreign investors courage to come in and invest. Using Oil and Gas sector as an example, where we have Oligopolistic market structure and the price is being controlled and regulated by the government, there is a lot of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the downstream sector which affects the economy. â€Å"The latest estimates by the Finance Minister, Dr Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala put the oil theft at about 400,000 barrels per day; the environment of the affected communities also suffers serious degradation as a consequence of this problem†. (Ibru, 2014, p.2) 2.4 Poor Infrastructures Lack of good infrastructure in the city is another major challenge; many companies have their industries located at the industrial layout which is quite far from the metropolis. Commuters find it very difficult to access some remote places to buy products due to bad roads. (Gilbert, 2009) Access to raw materials for the company use is a major challenge; also distribution of goods and services to the metropolis is also a big problem due to bad roads. There is a lot of traffic congestion in the metropolis and valuable hours are being lost due to traffic which is caused by bad roads. There is no good health care sector for the poor masses, many people could not have access to medical care because of widespread poverty in the country and this is causing very big negative impact to the country due to high mortality rate. 3.0 Conclusion: The economic environment in Lagos state has been facing a lot of challenges but despite all that, they were able to create jobs, wealth for individuals, as well as revenue for the government through employment and taxation. 4.0 References: Adenikinju, F. (2005) Analysis of the cost of infrastructure failures in a developing economy: the case of the electricity sector in Nigeria. Volume 148 of AERC research paper, African Economic Research Consortium. Gilbert, C. (2009). Nigerias Bad Roads Are Getting Worse. Available: http://www.voanews.com/content/nigerias-bad-roads-are-getting-worse-74805987/415952.html. [Accessed 4th June 2014] Ibru, G. (2013) Press conference on the economy by the Lagos chamber of commerce and industry. 2nd Quarter [Online] Available from: [Accessed 27th May 2014]. Neyandat, C. (2013) how do you analyze the business environment? Gakus, 21st Oct. Available from: http://www.gaksu.com/allpdf/140_notes.pdf [Accessed 4th June 2014] Nurudeen, A. (2014) Interview with the C.E.O of Airtel Nigeria, Daily Trust, [Online] 10th February.p.1. Available from: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402100424.html?viewall=1 [Accessed 28th May 2014] Obiwuru T. Oluwalaiye, B. Okwu, T. (2011) External and Internal Environments of Businesses in Nigeria: An Appraisal in International Bulletin of Business Administration (12) OGUNRO, O. (2014).International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 4th ed. Rufus Giwa Polythecnic, Owo, Ondo state, Nigeria: HR Mars. Question 2 1.0 INRODUCTION: Macroeconomics can be defined as study of economics that is more concerned with government structures, behavior and decision making which affects the country as a whole. It deals more with the country’s economy which includes; gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment rate, price indices, exchange rate, Inflation. When a country is experiencing macroeconomic stability, it means that the country’s economy is very stable; the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is very good, unemployment is reduced to the minimal rate and low inflation. The aim of this essay is to examine the effectiveness of various approaches that may be used to reduce macroeconomic instability; while exploring different policies which a country’s government could use to achieve macroeconomic goals 2.0 AN OVERVIEW OF MACROECONOMICS: Macroeconomics is concerned with government economic performance, it focuses on the economic trend of a nation. Macroeconomics deals with factors that that affect the country’s economy. Macroeconomic instability is major concern to any government and all possible measure must be taken to ensure that economic stability is maintained. Any country that suffers macroeconomic instability will possibly have a high rate of inflation, unemployment, low GDP or total recession. Different kinds of measure are taking by different countries to ensure that they maintained a stable economy. Below are some highlighted measures/policies which can be used to ensure that macroeconomic instability is reduced. 2.1 Privatization Privatization can be defined as a process by which some inefficient and ineffective sector is being transferred to be managed by more efficient private sector for the benefit of economic growth. This will allow the government to perform its primary functions, that is administration of law and order thereby leaving the actual running of business enterprise to private sectors. Nwoye (2012) defined privatization as the transfer of ownership and control of enterprise from state to the private sector. The main reason why government privatize the public sector is because of economic stability and this could be explained below: To enhance efficiency in the public sector: there are so many inefficiency in public sector due to nonchalant attitude of the workers. Most of the public servants believe that government are for the people, so they can do whatever they want without being fired and this affect the governments economy, there are so many ghost workers being paid by the government which affects the expenditure. But when handed over to private sector, they become more efficient and generate more revenue for the government because the private sector cannot afford to lose money like the government, they will cut down the cost overhead to the barest minimum to be able to generate revenue which will help in the economic growth of the country. To decontrol the economic system by reducing unnecessary administrative controls of the government : deregulating the economic system helps the government to focus more on the administration of the nation by implementing law and order and good policies that will help in the economic growth. The government handing over the business management to the private sector will reduce their cost overhead and also increase efficiency in the administration of the nation. To decrease the volume of unproductive instruments in the public sector: as mentioned earlier, there are a lot of unproductive people and instrument in the public sector, nepotism and godfathers has contributed to inefficiency in the public sector where round peg is been put in a square hole. But when these sectors are being privatized, all these unproductive people and instrument will be removed and replaced with more productive instrument which will increase the employment and delivering of the goods and services thereby generating sufficient revenue for the government. To fortify the role of the private sector in the economy which will warranty employment and higher capacity utilization: Fortification of the role of the private sector in the economy is very important as this will help in decreasing the level of unemployment in the country and which helps in economic stability. Reduction of political interference in the public sector: politicial interference in the public sector increases the rate of corruption which affects the economy, but without the interference of the politicians when privatized, the sectors will be more productive with less corrupt practices. 2.2 Public Private Partnership (PPP) Omoh (2012) confirmed that government across the globe have come to terms with the fact that public sector cannot provide the needed infrastructure and have come to the conclusion that private sector participation in the provision of infrastructure in inevitable. Public private partnership is where the government and private sector goes into partnership to bring economic growth through building and construction of infrastructures, managing them for a shot term or long term and finally hand them over to the government after a stipulated period as agreed. This partnership helps to increase the gross domestic product and it can be done is so many ways; it could take the form of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Operate-Own (BOO), Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT), Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT), Design-Build-Finance and Operate (DBFO). Other less common ones are; Build-Rent/Lease-Transfer (BRT or BLT) Build-Transfer and Operate (BTO). Omoh (2012) The Scope for the public private partnership ranges from Power generation plant and transmission, roads and bridges, ports, airports, railways, inland container depots and logistics hubs, gas and petroleum, water supply, housing, educational facilities (e.g. Schools, Universities) and healthcare facilities. This helps the government to spend less money on these areas while the partners will finance and manage these sectors for some time to recover their invested money. 2.3 Fiscal Policy Heakal (2013) defines fiscal policy as the means by which a government adjust its spending activity and tax rates in order to monitor and influence a nation’s economy. Heakal (2003) also confirms that fiscal policy is based on the renowned British economist, John Mynard Keynes, who is known as Keynesian economics; his theory shows that government can influence macroeconomic stability / productivity level by increasing or decreasing tax levels and public spending. This influence will in turn curb inflation, increase employment and maintain a healthy value of money. Gbosi (2008) says that fiscal policy entails the government’s management of the economy through the controlling of its income and spending power in order to achieve certain desired macroeconomics objectives in which economic growth and stability is among them. Jhingan (2006) also acknowledges the power of fiscal policy as an instrument of macroeconomic stabilization. Iyeli Ijomah (2013) also established that if fiscal policy is used with circumspection and synchronized with other measures, it will possibly smoothen out business cycle which leads to economic growth and stability. Based on the above explanations, it could be said that Fiscal policy is a way or method the government is using to control economic goals in order to maintain stability in the nation’s economy. Fiscal policy can come as increase in taxation or government expenditure in order to influence aggregate demand (AD) and level of economic activity. AD can be defined as the total level of planned expenditure in an economy (AD= C+ I + G + X – M) where C= Consumer spending, I= Investment, G=Government Spending, X= export, M= Imports) The government might implement the fiscal policy in order to stimulate economic growth in a period of a recession, the government can also use fiscal policy to keep inflation low. Mainly, fiscal policy aims to stabilize economic growth in order to avoid boom and bust economic cycle. 2.4 Taxation Anyanwu (1997) defined taxation as the compulsory transfer or payment from private individuals, institutions or groups to the government. Nzotta (2007) stated the four key issues that must be understood for taxation to play its function in the society; first, a tax is a compulsory contribution made by citizens to the government and this contributions is for general common use. Secondly, a tax imposes a general obligation on the taxpayer. Thirdly, there is a presumption that the contribution to the public revenue made by taxpayer may not be equivalent to the benefits received. Finally, a tax is not imposed on a citizen by government because it has rendered specific services to him or his family Anyanwu (1993) also pointed out that there are three basic objectives of taxation; these are to raise revenue for the government, to regulate economic activities and to control income and employment. Nzotta (2007) also confirmed that taxes generally have allocation, distribution and stabilization functions. The allocation function of taxes talks about determination of the pattern of production, the goods that should be produced, who produces them, the distribution function of taxes relates to the manner in which the effective demand over economic goods is divided among the individuals in the society while the stabilization function of taxes deals with attaining high level of employment, a reasonable level of price stability and appropriate rate of economic growth, with allowances for effects on trade. Conclusion: The above listed methods/ policies has been used by so many countries to maintain economic stability and Nigeria as a country has introduced these policies which is now helping the government to stabilize the economy. References Anyanwu, J.C., 1993. Monetary Economics: Theory, Policy and Institutions. Hybrid Publishers, Onitsha Anyanwu, J.C., 1997. Nigerian Public Finance. Joanne Educational Publishers, Onitsha Gbosi, A.N (2008) Contemporary Macroeconomic problems and stabilization policies, Portharcourt, Automatic Ventures. Heakal. R. (2013) Investopedia. What is fiscal policy? [Online] Available rom: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/051904.asp [accessed 2nd June 2014]. Iyeli I.I Ijomah M.A (2013) A Re-examination of fiscal policy applicability in Nigeria’s economic growth process: An econometric policy evaluation from empirical evidence. Vol 3. (4 July 2013) P.180 – 188 Jhingan, M.L (2006) Macroeconomic Theory. New Delhi. Vrinda Publishers. Nwoye .I. 2013, Privatization of Public Enterprises in Nigeria: The views and counterviews. [Online] Available from: http://www.globalizacija.com/doc_en/e0062pri.htm [Accessed 3rd June 2014] Nzotta, S.M., 2007. Tax evasion problems in Nigeria: A critique. Niger. Account. 40(2): 40-43 Omoh G. (2012) Public Private Partnership: The new way to infrastructural provision, Vanguard, [Online] 17th December. P.7. Available from: www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/public-private-partnershi-the-new-way-to-infrastructural-provision [Accessed 30th May 2014]

American Homefront During World War II Essay -- American History

The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends. During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood. In the 1940's, there was a population growth of 19 million, which doubled the rise of the 1930's. However, in 1957, America experienced a "baby boom", and by 1957 the population increased by 29 million. "The rising birthrate was the dominant factor affecting population growth" (text, 847). Along with the escalated birth rate was an upsurge of divorces due to problems with separation and infidelity. "In 1945, more than half a million marriages were dissolved" (Bailey, 147). The death rate was on the decline and life expectancy rose during this period. New medical developments were made with the federal funding of medical research in which penicillin and streptomycin were developed. These advancements in medicine cured many bacterial infections and severe illnesses. Later, in 1952, Jonas Salk introduced a polio vaccine. There was a vast migratory pattern of many Americans during this time period. During the 1940's, millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North in search of industrial opportunities. As a result of this migration, a third of all black Amer... ...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends. Adams, Michael C.C. "The Best War Ever America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994 Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999 Duis, Perry 0 The War in American Culture, The University of Chicago Press, 1994 Schultz, Stanley K. American History 102 Civil War to the Present Copyright 1999 Board of regents of the University of Wisconsin http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture21.html

Blood Promise Chapter Five

The rest of the trip passed uneventfully. Sydney never entirely lost that discomfort she seemed to have around me, but sometimes, while I was trying to figure out Russian television, she'd take the time to explain what was going on. There were some cultural differences between these shows and the ones we'd both grown up with, so we had that in common. Every once in a while, she'd crack a smile over something we both found funny, and I'd sense there was someone in there I could possibly be friends with. I knew there was no way I'd ever find a replacement for Lissa, but I think some part of me still longed to fill the void of friendship that had been opened up when I left her behind. Sydney napped throughout the day, and I began to think she was just an insomniac with bizarre sleep patterns. She also continued her equally odd treatment of food, hardly touching her meals. She always let me have the leftovers and was a bit more adventurous with Russian cuisine. I'd had to experiment when I first arrived, and it was nice to have the guidance of someone who, though not a local, knew a lot more about this country than me. On the third day of our trip, we arrived in Omsk. Omsk was a larger and prettier city than I'd expected of Siberia. Dimitri had always teased me that my images of Siberia looking like Antarctica were wrong, and I could tell that he was right-at least as far as the southern part of the region was concerned. The weather wasn't much different from what I'd have found in Montana this time of year, cool spring air occasionally warmed by sunshine. Sydney had told me when we got there, she'd get us a ride from some Moroi she knew. Several lived in the city, blending in with the large population. Yet as the day went on, we discovered a problem. No Moroi would take us to the village. Apparently, the road was dangerous. Strigoi often hung out near it at night, hoping to catch traveling Moroi or dhampirs. The more Sydney explained it, the more worried I became about my plan. Apparently, there weren't many Strigoi in Dimitri's town itself. According to her, they lurked on the town's periphery, but few lived out there permanently. If that was the case, my odds of finding Dimitri had dropped. Things got even worse as Sydney continued describing the situation. â€Å"A lot of Strigoi travel the country looking for victims, and the village is just an area they pass through,† she explained. â€Å"The road is kind of remote, so some Strigoi will stay for a while and try to get easy prey. Then they move on.† â€Å"In the U.S., Strigoi often hide in large cities,† I said uneasily. â€Å"They do that here too. It's easier for them to take victims without being noticed.† Yes, this definitely threw a wrench into my plans. If Dimitri wasn't residing in this town, I was going to have some serious problems. I'd known Strigoi liked big cities, but somehow, I'd convinced myself Dimitri would return to the place where he grew up. But if Dimitri wasn't there†¦ well, suddenly, the enormity of Siberia hit me. I'd learned Omsk wasn't even the biggest city in the region, and finding even one Strigoi here could be hard. Looking for him in any number of cities that might be larger? Things could get very, very ugly if my hunch proved wrong. Since setting out to find Dimitri, I'd occasionally had weak moments in which I half-hoped I'd never find him. The idea of him as a Strigoi still tormented me. I was also visited by other images†¦ images of the way he'd been and memories of the time we'd spent together. I think my most precious memory was of just before he was turned. It was one of those times when I'd sucked up a lot of the spirit-induced darkness from Lissa. I'd been out of control, unable to get a grip. I was afraid of becoming a monster, afraid of killing myself like another shadow kissed guardian had. Dimitri had brought me back to myself, lending me his strength. I'd realized then just how strong our connection was, how perfectly we understood each other. I'd been skeptical about people being soul mates in the past, but at that moment, I knew it was true. And with that emotional connection had come a physical one. Dimitri and I had finally given in to the attraction. We'd sworn we never would, but†¦ well, our feelings were just too strong. Staying away from each other had turned out to be impossible. We'd had sex, and it had been my first time ever. Sometimes I felt certain it would be my only time. The act itself had been amazing, and I'd been unable to separate the physical joy from the emotional. Afterward, we'd lain together in that small cabin for as long as we dared, and that had been amazing too. It had been one of the few moments where I'd felt he was truly mine. â€Å"Do you remember Victor's lust charm?† I had asked, snuggling closer against him. Dimitri looked at me like I was crazy. â€Å"Of course.† Victor Dashkov was a royal Moroi, one who had been friends with Lissa and her family. Little did we know that he'd secretly studied spirit for years and had identified Lissa as a spirit user before she even knew. He'd tortured her with all sorts of mind games that truly made her think she was going crazy. His schemes had fully culminated in his kidnapping and torturing her until she healed the disease that was killing him. Victor was now in prison for life, both for what he'd done to Lissa and because of his treasonous plans for rebellion against the Moroi government. He had been one of the few to know about my relationship with Dimitri, something that had worried me to no end. He'd even furthered our relationship by creating a lust charm-a necklace infused with earth and compulsion. The charm was full of dangerous magic that had made Dimitri and me give into our most basic instincts. We had pulled back at the last moment, and until our night in the cabin, I had believed our charm induced encounter to be the ultimate physical high. â€Å"I didn't realize it could get better,† I had told Dimitri after we'd actually slept together. I felt a little shy talking about it. â€Å"I thought about it all the time†¦ what happened between us.† He turned to me, tugging the covers up. The cabin was cold, but its bed had warm blankets. I suppose we could have put clothes on, but that was the last thing I wanted to do. Being pressed skin-to-skin felt too good. â€Å"I did too.† â€Å"You did?† I asked, surprised. â€Å"I thought†¦ I don't know. I thought you were too disciplined for that. I thought you'd try to forget it.† Dimitri laughed and kissed my neck. â€Å"Rose, how could I forget being naked with someone as beautiful as you? I stayed awake so many nights, replaying every detail. I told myself over and over that it was wrong, but you're impossible to forget.† His lips moved to my collarbone, and his hand stroked my hip. â€Å"You're burned into my mind forever. There is nothing, nothing in this world that will ever change that.† And it was memories like that that made it so hard to comprehend this quest to kill him, even if he was a Strigoi. Yet†¦ at the same time, it was exactly because of memories like that that I had to destroy him. I needed to remember him as the man who'd loved me and held me in bed. I needed to remember that that man would not want to stay a monster. I wasn't very excited when Sydney showed me the car she'd bought, particularly since I'd given her the money for it. â€Å"We're going in that?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Can it even make it that far?† The trip was apparently seven hours. She gave me a shocked look. â€Å"Are you serious? Do you know what this is? It's a 1972 Citroen. These things are amazing. Do you have any idea how hard it would have been to get this into the country back in the Soviet days? I can't believe that guy actually sold it. He's clueless.† I knew little about the Soviet era and even less about classic cars, but Sydney stroked the shiny red hood like she was in love. Who would have guessed? She was a car geek. Maybe it was valuable, and I just couldn't appreciate it. I was more into sleek, brand-new sports cars. To be fair, this car didn't have any dents or rust, and aside from an outdated look, it appeared clean and well cared for. â€Å"Will it run?† I asked. If possible, her expression grew even more incredulous. â€Å"Of course!† And it did. The engine sprang to life with a steady hum, and with the way it accelerated, I started to understand her fascination. She wanted to drive, and I was about to argue that it had been my money that bought it. Seeing the adoring look on her face, though, I finally decided not to come between her and the car. I was just glad we were leaving right away. It was already late afternoon. If the road was as dangerous as everyone claimed, we wouldn't want to be out there while it was dark. Sydney agreed but said we could get most of the trip in before sundown and then stay overnight at a place she knew. We'd arrive at our destination in the morning. The farther we drove from Omsk, the more remote the terrain became. As I studied it, I began to understand Dimitri's love of this land. It had a scrubby, barren look, true, but spring was turning the plains green, and there was something hauntingly beautiful about seeing all this untouched wilderness. It reminded me of Montana in some ways yet had a certain quality that was all its own. I couldn't help but use Sydney's crush on the car as a means of conversation. â€Å"Do you know a lot about cars?† I asked. â€Å"Some,† she said. â€Å"My dad's the Alchemist in our family, but my mom's a mechanic.† â€Å"Really?† I asked, surprised. â€Å"That's kind of†¦ unusual.† Of course, I was hardly one to talk about gender roles. Considering my life was dedicated to fighting and killing, I couldn't really claim to have a traditionally feminine job either. â€Å"She's really good and taught me a lot. I wouldn't have minded doing that for a living. Wouldn't have minded going to college, either.† There was a bitter note in her voice. â€Å"I guess there are a lot of other things I wish I could do.† â€Å"Why can't you?† â€Å"I had to be the next family Alchemist. My sister†¦ well, she's older, and usually it's the oldest kid who has to do the job. But, she's kind of†¦ worthless.† â€Å"That's harsh.† â€Å"Yeah, maybe. But she just couldn't handle this kind of thing. When it comes to organizing her lip gloss collection, she's unstoppable. But managing the kinds of networks and people we do? No, she'd never be able to do it. Dad said I was the only one capable of it.† â€Å"That's a compliment, at least.† â€Å"I guess.† Sydney looked so sad now that I felt bad for bringing it up. â€Å"If you could go to college, what would you study?† â€Å"Greek and Roman architecture.† I decided then it was a good thing I wasn't behind the wheel, because I probably would have driven off the road. â€Å"Seriously?† â€Å"You know anything about it?† â€Å"Um, no.† â€Å"It's amazing.† The sad expression was replaced by one of wonder-she looked nearly as enamored as she'd been of the car. I understood then why she'd liked the train station. â€Å"The ingenuity it took for some of that†¦ well, it's just unreal. If the Alchemists won't send me back to the U.S. after this, I'm hoping I'll get assigned to Greece or Italy.† â€Å"That would be cool.† â€Å"Yeah.† Her smile faded. â€Å"But there are no guarantees you'll get what you want with this job.† She fell silent after that, and I decided that coaxing her into this small conversation had been victory enough. I left her to her own thoughts of classic cars and architecture while my mind wandered to topics of my own. Strigoi. Duty. Dimitri. Always Dimitri†¦ Well, Dimitri and Lissa. It was always a toss-up over who would cause me more pain. Today, as the car lulled me into a daze, it was Lissa I went to, thanks largely to Adrian's recent visit in my dream. Early evening in Russia meant early morning in Montana. Of course, since the school ran on a nocturnal schedule, it was technically night for them too in spite of the sunshine. It was nearly curfew, and everyone would have to return to their own dorms soon. Lissa was with Adrian, over in his room in guest housing. Adrian, like Avery, had graduated, but as the only other known spirit user, he'd come to stay indefinitely at the school and work with Lissa. They'd just spent a long, exhausting evening working on dream walking and sat on the floor facing each other. With a sigh, Lissa collapsed back and lay down, stretching her arms over her head. â€Å"This is useless,† she groaned. â€Å"I'm never going to learn it.† â€Å"Never took you for a quitter, cousin.† Adrian's voice was as flippant as usual, but I could tell he was weary too. They weren't really cousins; that was just a term royals sometimes used with each other. â€Å"I just don't understand how you do it.† â€Å"I don't know how to explain it. I just think about it, and†¦ well, it happens.† He shrugged and pulled out the cigarettes he always carried. â€Å"Do you mind?† â€Å"Yes,† she said. To my surprise, he put them away. What the hell? He'd never asked me if I minded if he smoked-which I did. In fact, half the time, I swore he did it to annoy me, which made no sense. Adrian was way past the age when guys tried to attract girls they liked by picking on them. He tried to explain the process. â€Å"I just think about who I want and sort of†¦ I don't know. Expand my mind toward them.† Lissa sat up and crossed her legs. â€Å"Sounds a lot like how Rose described reading me.† â€Å"Probably the same principle. Look, it took you a while to learn auras. This is no different. And you're not the only one with a learning curve. I'm only now finally moving past healing scratches, and you can bring back the dead, which-call me crazy-is kind of hard-core.† He paused. â€Å"Of course, some would argue that I am actually crazy.† At the mention of auras, she studied him and summoned the ability to see the field of light that shone around every living thing. His aura came into focus, surrounding him in a golden glow. According to Adrian, her aura was the same. No other Moroi had that kind of pure gold. Lissa and Adrian figured it was unique to spirit users. He smiled, guessing what she was doing. â€Å"How's it look?† â€Å"The same.† â€Å"See how good you are at it now? Just be patient with the dreams.† Lissa wanted so badly to walk dreams the same way he could. Despite her disappointment, I was glad she couldn't. Adrian's dream visits were hard enough on me. Seeing her would†¦ well, I wasn't entirely sure, but it would make this cool, hard attitude I was trying to maintain in Russia a lot harder. â€Å"I just want to know how she is,† said Lissa in a small voice. â€Å"I can't stand not knowing.† It was the conversation with Christian all over again. â€Å"I saw her the other day. She's fine. And I'll go again soon.† Lissa nodded. â€Å"Do you think she'll do it? Do you think she can kill Dimitri?† Adrian took a long time in answering. â€Å"I think she can. The question will be if it kills her in the process.† Lissa flinched, and I was a bit surprised. The answer was as blunt as one Christian might give. â€Å"God, I wish she hadn't decided to go after him.† â€Å"Wishing's useless now. Rose has got to do this. It's the only way we can get her back.† He paused. â€Å"It's the only way she'll be able to move on.† Adrian surprised me sometimes, but this took the prize. Lissa thought it was foolish and suicidal to go after Dimitri. I knew Sydney would agree if I told her the truth about this trip. But Adrian†¦ silly, shallow, party-boy Adrian understood? Studying him through Lissa's eyes, I realized he actually did. He didn't like it, and I could hear the hurt in his words. He cared about me. My having such strong feelings for someone else caused him pain. And yet†¦ he truly believed that I was doing the right thing-the only thing I could do. Lissa looked at the clock. â€Å"I've got to go before curfew. I should probably study for my history test, too.† Adrian grinned. â€Å"Studying's overrated. Just find someone smart to copy off.† She stood up. â€Å"Are you saying I'm not smart?† â€Å"Hell no.† He rose also and went to pour himself a drink from the fully stocked bar he kept on hand. Self-medicating was his irresponsible way of keeping spirit's effects at bay, and if he'd been using spirit all night, he would want the numbness of his vices. â€Å"You're the smartest person I know. But that doesn't mean you have to do unnecessary work.† â€Å"You can't succeed in life if you don't work. Copying from others won't get you anywhere.† â€Å"Whatever,† he said with a grin. â€Å"I copied all through school, and look how well I'm doing today.† With an eye roll, Lissa gave him a quick hug goodbye and left. Once out of his sight, her smile faded a bit. In fact, her thoughts took a decidedly dark turn. Mentioning me had stirred up all sorts of feelings within. She was worried about me-desperately worried. She'd told Christian that she felt bad about what had happened between us, but the full force of that didn't hit me until now. She was racked by guilt and confusion, continually berating herself for what she should have done. And above all, she missed me. She had that same feeling I did-like a part of her had been cut out. Adrian lived on the fourth floor, and Lissa opted for the stairs rather than the elevator. All the while, her mind spun with worry. Worries about whether she'd ever master spirit. Worry for me. Worry that she wasn't currently feeling spirit's dark side effects, which made her wonder if I was absorbing them, just as a guardian named Anna had. She'd lived centuries ago and was bonded to St. Vladimir, the school's namesake. She'd absorbed spirit's nasty effects from him-and had been driven insane. On the second floor, Lissa could make out the sounds of shouting, even through the door that separated the stairwell from the hallway. Despite knowing it had nothing to do with her, she hesitated, curiosity getting the best of her. A moment later, she quietly pushed the door open and stepped into the hall. The voices were coming from around the corner. She carefully peered around it-not that she needed to. She recognized the voices. Avery Lazar stood in the hallway, hands on her hips as she stared at her father. He stood in the doorway to what must have been his suite. Their stances were rigid and hostile, and anger crackled between them. â€Å"I'll do what I want,† she yelled. â€Å"I'm not your slave.† â€Å"You're my daughter,† he said in a voice both calm and condescending. â€Å"Though at times I wish you weren't.† Ouch. Both Lissa and I were shocked. â€Å"Then why are you making me stay in this hellhole? Let me go back to Court!† â€Å"And embarrass me further? We barely got out without damaging this family's reputation-much. No way am I going to send you there alone and let you do God knows what.† â€Å"Then send me to Mom! Switzerland's got to be better than this place.† There was a pause. â€Å"Your mother is†¦ busy.† â€Å"Oh, nice,† said Avery, voice heavy with sarcasm. â€Å"That's a polite way of saying she doesn't want me. No surprise. I'd just interfere with her and that guy she's sleeping with.† â€Å"Avery!† His voice rang out loud and angry. Lissa flinched and stepped back. â€Å"This conversation is done. Get back to your room and sober up before someone sees you. I expect you at breakfast tomorrow, and I expect you to be respectable. We have some important visitors.† â€Å"Yeah, and God knows we've got to keep up appearances.† â€Å"Go to your room,† he repeated. â€Å"Before I call Simon and make him drag you there.† â€Å"Yes, sir,† she simpered. â€Å"Right away, sir. Anything you say, sir.† And with that, he slammed the door. Lissa, ducking back behind the corner, could hardly believe he'd said those things to his own daughter. For a few moments, there was silence. Then, Lissa heard the sound of footsteps-coming toward her. Avery suddenly rounded the corner and stopped in front of Lissa, giving us our first good look of her. Avery was wearing a tight, short dress made of some kind of blue fabric that shone silvery in the light. Her hair hung long and wild, and the tears pouring from her blue-gray eyes had destroyed the heavy makeup she wore. The scent of alcohol came through loud and clear. She hastily ran a hand over her eyes, obviously embarrassed at being seen like this. â€Å"Well,† she said flatly. â€Å"I guess you overheard our family drama.† Lissa felt equally embarrassed at being caught spying. â€Å"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just passing by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Avery gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"Well, I don't think it matters. Probably everyone in the building heard us.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Lissa repeated. â€Å"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong.† â€Å"No†¦ I mean, I'm sorry he†¦ you know, said those things to you.† â€Å"It's part of being a ? ®good' family. Everyone's got skeletons in their closet.† Avery crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Even upset and messy, she was beautiful. â€Å"God, I hate him sometimes. No offense, but this place is so fucking boring. I found some sophomore guys to hang with tonight, but†¦ they were pretty boring too. The only thing they had going for them was their beer.† â€Å"Why†¦ why did your dad bring you here?† Lissa asked. â€Å"Why aren't you†¦ I don't know, in college?† Avery gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"He doesn't trust me enough. When we were at Court, I got involved with this cute guy who worked there-total nonroyal, of course. Dad freaked out and was afraid people would find out. So when he got the job here, he brought me along to keep an eye on me and torture me. I think he's afraid I'll run off with a human if I go to college.† She sighed. â€Å"I swear to God, if Reed wasn't here, I'd just run away, period.† Lissa didn't say anything for a long time. She'd gone out of her way to avoid Avery diligently. With all the orders the queen was giving Lissa lately, this seemed the only way Lissa could fight back and stop herself from being controlled. But now, she wondered if she'd been wrong about Avery. Avery didn't seem like a spy for Tatiana. She didn't seem like someone who wanted to mold Lissa into a perfect royal. Mostly, Avery seemed like a sad, hurting girl, whose life was spinning out of control. Someone who was being ordered around as much as Lissa was lately. With a deep breath, Lissa rushed forward with her next words. â€Å"Do you want to eat lunch with Christian and me tomorrow? No one would mind if you came to our lunch period. I can't promise it'll be, um, as exciting as you want.† Avery smiled again, but this time, it was less bitter. â€Å"Well, my other plans were to get drunk by myself in my room.† She lifted a bottle of what looked like whiskey out of her purse. â€Å"Scored some stuff of my own.† Lissa wasn't entirely sure what kind of an answer that was. â€Å"So†¦ I'll see you at lunch?† Now Avery hesitated. But slowly, a faint gleam of hope and interest appeared on her face. Concentrating, Lissa tried to bring up her aura. She had a little difficulty at first, probably worn out from all the practice with Adrian tonight. But when she was finally able to get a grip on Avery's aura, she saw it was a mix of colors: green, blue, and gold. Not uncommon. It was currently ringed in red, as often happened when people were upset. But right before Lissa's eyes, that redness faded. â€Å"Yeah,† Avery said at last. â€Å"That would be great.† â€Å"I think this is as far as we can go today.† On the other side of the world, Sydney's voice startled me out of Lissa's thoughts. I didn't know how long I'd been daydreaming, but Sydney had turned off the main highway and was driving us into a small town that fit perfectly with my backwoods images of Siberia. In fact, â€Å"town† was a total exaggeration. There were a few scattered houses, a store, and a gas station. Farmland stretched beyond the buildings, and I saw more horses than cars. The few people who were out stared at our car in amazement. The sky had turned deep orange, and the sun was sinking farther and farther into the horizon. Sydney was right. It was nearly nightfall, and we needed to be off the road. â€Å"We're only a couple hours away at most,† she continued. â€Å"We made really good time and should get there pretty quickly in the morning.† She drove to the other side of the village-which took, like, a minute-and pulled up in front of a plain white house with a barn beside it. â€Å"Here's where we're staying.† We got out of the car and approached the house. â€Å"Are these friends of yours?† â€Å"Nope. Never met them. But they're expecting us.† More mysterious Alchemist connections. The door was answered by a friendly looking human in her twenties who urged us to come inside. She only spoke a few words of English, but Sydney's translation skills carried us through. Sydney was more outgoing and charming than I'd seen her thus far, probably because our hosts weren't despicable vampiric offspring. You wouldn't think riding in a car all day would be tiring, but I felt exhausted and was anxious to get an early start in the morning. So after dinner and a little TV, Sydney and I went to the room that had been prepared for us. It was small and plain but had two twin beds covered in thick, fluffy blankets. I snuggled into mine, grateful for the softness and the warmth, and wondered if I'd dream of Lissa or Adrian. I didn't. I did, however, wake up to a slight wave of nausea rolling through me-the nausea that told me there was a Strigoi nearby.