Thursday, September 19, 2019
How Nuclear Power Works :: essays research papers
How Nuclear Power Works Nuclear power plants provide about 17 percent of the world's electricity. Some countries depend more on nuclear power for electricity than others. In France, for instance, about 75 percent of the electricity is generated from nuclear power, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the United States, nuclear power supplies about 15 percent of the electricity overall, but some states get more power from nuclear plants than others. There are more than 400 nuclear power plants around the world, with more than 100 in the United States. The dome-shaped containment building at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant near Raleigh, NC Have you ever wondered how a nuclear power plant works or how safe nuclear power is? In this article, we will examine how a nuclear reactor and a power plant work. We'll explain nuclear fission and give you a view inside a nuclear reactor. Uranium Uranium is a fairly common element on Earth, incorporated into the planet during the planet's formation. Uranium is originally formed in stars. Old stars exploded, and the dust from these shattered stars aggregated together to form our planet. Uranium-238 (U-238) has an extremely long half-life> (4.5 billion years), and therefore is still present in fairly large quantities. U-238 makes up 99 percent of the uranium on the planet. U-235 makes up about 0.7 percent of the remaining uranium found naturally, while U-234 is even more rare and is formed by the decay of U-238. (Uranium-238 goes through many stages or alpha and beta decay to form a stable isotope of lead, and U-234 is one link in that chain.) Uranium-235 has an interesting property that makes it useful for both nuclear power production and for nuclear bomb production. U-235 decays naturally, just as U-238 does, by alpha radiation. U-235 also undergoes spontaneous fission a small percentage of the time. However, U-235 is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission. If a free neutron runs into a U-235 nucleus, the nucleus will absorb the neutron without hesitation, become unstable and split immediately. See How Nuclear Radiation Works for complete details. Nuclear Fission The animation below shows a uranium-235 nucleus with a neutron approaching from the top. As soon as the nucleus captures the neutron, it splits into two lighter atoms and throws off two or three new neutrons (the number of ejected neutrons depends on how the U-235 atom happens to split).
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Turning Points in History :: essays research papers fc
Turning Points in History      Turning points in history can mean a change in the way the things are done in the past, sometimes for the better, and other times for the worse. Two notable turning points in history were the Industrial Revolution and also World War I. These both had some political, social and cultural impacts.      The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change and increased efficiency. No more would be goods be produced by sole means of farming and agriculture, but now by the use of machinery and factories. Technology was beginning to increase along with the food supply as well as the population. However, this increase in population would greatly impact the social aspect of that time. Urbanization was becoming much more widespread. Cities were becoming overwhelmingly crowded and there was an increase in disease as well as harsh child labor. Although child labor would be reduced somewhat due to unions, the Industrial Revolution still contained both it’s positive and negative results.      World War I was another major turning point in history. This turning point consisted in the way war was fought and how it has changed due to the advances in technology that took place during this time in the 1900’s. War was triggered in the Balkans where the Ottoman Empire had once maintained control. Industrialization and technology had both contributed to the advances in the development of weapons. This devastatingly was the cause of millions of deaths in World War I. War was now fought in trenches and they used machine guns as well as tanks and grenades. There was definitely a turning point in the way war would be fought. However, the most important turning point in the war had to be the involvement of the US. The US tried to remain neutral in the war but ended up joining the Allies. Thanks to the US’s involvement, however, the Allies received the help needed to win the war.      In conclusion we can see that revolutions and wars can lead to positive and negative turning points.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Infant Motor Developm
Infant Motor DevelopmentI.  First MonthA.   can already raise its head for a momentB.    twists its head from side to side when lying on rearC.    hands remain grittedD.   has already a sturdy clutch reflexE.    stares and goes after object moving ahead of him/her (range of 45 degrees)F.     performs husky soundsG.   gazes closely at parents when they speak to him/herII.               Second MonthA.   raises its head about 45 degrees when resting on stomachB.    head nods forward when grasp in sitting positionC.    clutch reflex declinesD.   goes after hanging objects with eyesE.    makes smilesIII.            Third MonthA.   begins to stand partial load on both legs when clutched in a standing positionB.    able to grasp head up when sitting but still nods frontwardC.    can lift head and shoulders when resting on stomach (amid 45 and 90 degrees)D.   stands load on forearmsE.    grasps objects but does not get in touch with themF.     grasps own hands and drags at bedspreads and clothesG.   goes after object (180 degrees)H.   makes more soundsI.      smiles when sees recognizable features.IV. Fourth MonthA.   has already a fine head controlB.    sits with helpC.    stands some load on legs when clutched erectD.   lifts head and chest off plane (90 degree angle)E.    turns from back to sideF.     discovers and plays with handsG.   attempts to get in touch with but missesH.   clutches objects with two handsV.  Fifth MonthA.  sign of teething startsB.  grasps head up when sittingC.  turns from abdomen to rearD.  p laces feet to mouth when resting on rearE.   freely holds objects and gets objects openly to mouthVI. Sixth MonthA.   starts to masticate and nibbleB.    raises head when dragged to a sitting positionC.    turns form rear to abdomenD.   holds and manages small objectsE.    clutches bottleF.     seizes feet and drags to mouthG.   bends body to make out an objectH.   twists head from side to side and then stares up or downVII. Seventh MonthA.  learns to sit without help (may bend forwards on two hands)B.  stands full load on feetC.  springs when grasped in standing positionD.  shifts objects from one hand to anotherE.  hits objects on planesF.   and able to grip on small objectsVIII.   Eight MonthA.  sits fine without helpB.   stands load on legs and may rest holding on to fixturesC.   lifts out up objects by index, fourth, and fifth fi nger alongside thumbD.   able to discharge objectsE.   drags cords to get objectsF.   seeks for objects that are farIX.  Ninth MonthA.   starts swarmingB.    drags up to standing position from sittingC.   sits for extended time (at most 10 minutes)D.  employs thumb and index finger to lift up objectsE.   places arms ahead of face to shun having it washedX.  Tenth MonthA.  goes from abdomen to sitting positionB.  sits by rundownC.  recuperates balance effortlessly while sittingD.  raises one foot to make a step while standingE.   wields byeF.   recurs actions that draw attentionXI.  Eleventh MonthA.   learns to stroll gripping on to fixtures or other objectsB.    puts one object following another into a potC.    returns back to lift up an object while sittingD.   able to control objects out of stretched fitting placesE.    turns a ball when requested, and quakes head for rebuffXII.  Twelfth MonthA.   strolls with one hand graspB.    bears and tries first steps unaidedC.    rests from standing position aloneD.   tries to construct two chunk towers but may fall shortE.    goes after fast moving objectsF.     grips to parents in odd circumstancesG.   seeks object where it was previously seenReferences:Piek, J. P. (2006). Infant Motor Development. Human Kinetics Publishers.Gallahue, D. L. (2006). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents,      Adults. McGraw-Hill Companies.
Monday, September 16, 2019
National Fabricators
Key Events/Case Synopsis National Fabricators Inc. is a company that specializes in the manufacturing of lockers, school furniture, toilet partitions, steel shelving, and is now currently owned by Tom Kruger after buying out $75,000 of shares from shareholders in 1992. The industry is very competitive as costs are rising and prices being cut while the economy declines at the same time. As the president of National Fabricators, Tom Kruger needs to bring the company back on its feet in order to generate profits and reduce its losses of $480,315 and outstanding bank loans of $784,000.Tom Kruger also predicts that sales would fall as much as 10% during the 1994 fiscal year due to government cutbacks on medical and educational spending as well as a sluggish level of consumer confidence. Tom Kruger is now faced with trying to get a 60 day extension for his temporary line of credit in order to get the company to start making profits again. Problem Statement and Objectives To save the compan y, Tom Kruger needs to get an extension of 60 days on his temporary line of credit so that he can keep losses to a minimum and start generating more profits.At the same time, the economy is declining, competitors are setting low prices, and the government is cutting back on educational spending. Tom Kruger realizes that his plant is not being utilized at full capacity and most of the operations were being primarily financed on bank credit due to insufficient cash at hand. To address these problems, Tom Kruger is now planning on developing a new plant layout for efficiency as well as requesting a line of credit extension in order to finance debt. Situation Analysis PortersAs we can see from the case, the metal industry is not an attractive industry because of high competition with low bids, unstable economy, high bargaining power of buyers, and high start up costs. Since the buyers have very little suppliers to choose from to do business with, it can be concluded that suppliers have bargaining power in this industry. Buyers on the other hand only have power when they are specialized at what they do and offer a very low price. Substitution is quite limited due to different specifications offered by the major companies.Barriers to entry on the other hand are very high due to the huge amount of capital needed to get a foot in to the industry. All in all competition is very high in this industry and one must bid aggressively in order to gain a contract. However, this is hard when everyone is giving their lowest bid. SWOT Analysis Overall, for National Fabricators the weaknesses outweigh the strengths for due to its failure towards managing both finance and operations for approximately 10 years.The threats also outweigh the opportunities mostly due the intense competition whcih provides a negative trend towards profits for National Fabricators within the industry. Strengths: †¢ The company has kept all of their old employees at the management level and this wil l allow them to keep stability while the company is under new ownership. †¢ With a strong sales team being compenstated on a commission basis, this will isnpire each employ to work harder to make and close sales; which in the long run will increase company profits. National Fabricator has contracts from purchaser who are very unlikely to default on their payables, because majority of them come from the government. †¢ Mr. Kruger, is well experienced for this position mostly due to his education and qualifications Weaknesses: †¢ The company lacks in a sufficient inventory management and cost management system, which impacts profits. †¢ With a deficiency of cash flow it forced the company to purchase materials from more costly warehouses other than Steelmills which is cheaper, which inreturn had increased manufacturing cost. Inproper scheduling and status reporting for work in progress caused a major ineffectiveness on plant capacity use, which had openly increased operating cost and reduced net profits. Opportunities: †¢ Buying from the Steelmills will result in an increase of operating profit while costs are being decreased. †¢ The company has the opportunity to grow in various markets and aquire new customers such as malls, hotels, offices, and motels not only in Canada but as well as the United States. Threats: †¢ Tremendous price and wage competition in a recurring industry will lead to additional losses in profits. The highest risk for National Fabricators is the three companies which are dominating the industry that have the investment ability to control industry standards and requirements, which could lead to a decrease in profits. †¢ Due to the long term contracts from the government it is impacting the company’s cash flow in a negative trend. Historical Financial Analysis †¢ Sales fluctuate due to the frequently cyclic nature of the industry but they aim to remain above 3 million annually. †¢ In 1 993 cost of goods sold being 90% of sales and 9. 6% gross profit of sales.Company’s lack of ability to manage inventory and lack of cash forced them to order from more expensive (12-15%more) warehouse than steel mills. †¢ Net profit margin has been negative and no major patterns over the 9 year period on net profit since the trend of the industry is based mostly on economic factors, and whether or not they secure contracts. Due to high percentage of COGS they are only left with a net profit of $980 or 0. 024% of sales in 1993. As a result, if the company lower the material cost, the profit margin will improve drastically. †¢ In 1984 current ratio went from 2. 07 to 1. 2 in 1993 which still is at an acceptable level, mainly due to the fact that operations were losing money in the past few years and there was a large cash drain on the company which resulted in the lowering of the current ratio. †¢ Operations were being financed by National Fabricators bank credit which resulted in outstanding bank loans of $784,000; this could cause serious problems on their credit rating from the local bank due to the worse intereage coverage ratio. †¢ Their average age of receivables in days is 78. 79 which had been steady around that number except in 1993 with 101 days mainly due to the holdback on large accounts.Since it is taking longer for them to convert accounts receivable into cash, the liquidity ability for the company is getting worse. | |1993 |1992 |1991 |1990 | |Liquidity | | | | | |Current Ratio |1. 12 |1. 34 |1. 32 |1. 58 | |Quick Ratio |0. 70 |0. 4 |0. 81 |0. 81 | |Profitability | | | | | |%Sales Growth |25. 7% |(17. 6%) |14. 4% | | |Gross Margin |9. 6% |10. 7% |7. 0% |7. 0% | |Net Margin |0. 02% |(1. 8%) |(5. 6%) |(6. %) | |Expenses/Sales |10. 0% |13. 3% |12. 8% |14. 1% | |ROE |0. 2% |(11. 4%) |(37. 8%) |(26. 3%) | |ROA |0. 04% |(4. 1%) |(12. 8%) |(11. 9%) | | | | | | | |Debt/Assets |75. % |64. 2% |66. 1% |54. 7% | |Debt/Equity |310. 4 % |179. 4% |195. 0% |121. 2% | Recommendation and Analysis We have chosen to recommend alternative #1, which will focus on improving their profits because they will be reducing the cost of materials from purchasing directly from Steel Mills rather than buying from the warehouses. By doing so this will help them convince Confederation Bank.Purchasing from producers rather than the warehouses will significantly save us an approximate 12-15%. This can help drastically with their profits being made. Another way to improve profit is by increasing profit margins and to do so they need to cut the cost of materials, which will be approximately 68%. By having cut material cost by 13. 5% National Fabricators will have $314,600, which is the amount they saved from the materials and it would increase their gross profits by that amount. Having laid out this plan everything looks very convincing but there are a couple set backs, which need to be worked out.Delivery is three months once purchased from the producers directly rather than one-day delivery from the warehouses, this may cause problems for daily operations. National Fabricators now has to pay off their suppliers in 30 days payments. It used to be 60-90 days but the change requires the need for more cash on hand. Nationals Fabricators will require the financial support of Confederation Bank in order to solve these set backs that will take place if they don't receive the help financial help they require. Being able to execute this plan we believe that National Fabricators would be able to convince the bank to extend the loan.This will benefit the company because not doing so will increase the financial problems. The reason being we didn't choose alternative 2 was because it was just too risky and way too costly especially with the risk at hand. Yes it was to better their sales but factor in that their attempts to migrate in the U. S. market also have the risk of not being successful. Also the number of other compani es already settled their will give a great competitive market and putting all this together would just show that there is much more risk at hand than reward. Exhibits and Analysis: Attached on next page
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Storey’s Three Comopnent Model
Moving on to the second part of the question looking at Storey’s , â€Å"Three Component Model†and how useful it is in identifying the key characteristics of successful growth businesses. Most of the small businesses do not grow beyond their classification as a micro firm, very few of the small firms rise to become a medium-size enterprise, and even fewer rise to become large companies in the future. Storey (1994) has identified three key components in the analysis of the growth of the small firms, they are influenced by the characteristics of the entrepreneur, the characteristics of the organization; and the types of strategy associated. Various different characteristics of each component can lead to a different type of growth within the SME. The characteristics of the entrepreneur are widely accepted as the vital ingredient that influences growth. For example, the personal goals of an entrepreneur are likely to influence why a business was started in the first place, as well as the strength of the firm’s growth orientation once it was established. Storey’s places less emphasis on personality per se and more on the personal characteristics which influence access to resources. These include * Motivation: This is likely to be the most indispensable and essential action or a commitment by the entrepreneur which makes a considerable difference in the growth of the enterprise. * Previous management experience: Earlier knowhow of organizing people and processes is important in maintaining growth. * Demographics of the entrepreneur: This is essentially with regard to the personality traits of the entrepreneur viz. Age and Education. These two traits can influence the growth of the firm, Entrepreneurs with higher educational qualifications are more likely to find high-tech and knowledge-based firms which in turn can be linked with higher growth rate of the firm. * Team management over individual management: Access to a wide range of resources, skills, experiences, advice and other resources is important to growth. A group of entrepreneurs are more liable to have the attributes wanted than just one person. Alongside these characteristics are more personal ones. Owners have a need to be independent and want to be their own managers. They believe that they can control and change the environment within which they work, to their benefit. They are often high achievers and are looking for recognition of their success. †(Burns, 2001). The characteristics of the enterprise also have an influence on its growth prospects: Ownership and Legal form: A limited company is more likely to grow than a sole trader or partner ship. Limited companies offer greater goodwill thereby attracting more customers and resources that it needs to accelerate its growth. It is also possible that as the companies develop they acquire a limited liability status so that the legal form is a result of growth. Firms Age: Younger firms tend to grow more and faster than the existing old firms, which reflects the need of the younger firm to attain a significant level of ‘critical mass’ to survive in the marketplace. Firms Size: Small firms find it very hard to grow to level of the bigger firms, as they lack the resources, skills and competitive edge. One of the main reasons being the entrepreneurs with a micro-firm do not wish to grow because of the reasons stated above. â€Å"Management devolution is essential for growth as it becomes impossible for the entrepreneur to manage on their own. Those firms that recruit experienced managers from larger firms are likely to be more successful. †(Storey, 1994). Storey’s review of area where management strategy may influence the growth of small firms includes: Introduction of new products: Companies cannot rely on a smaller product or service range for growth. They continuous innovation in the form of new products and services is a key to growth. This also includes modification of the existing products. Sharing of Equity: Willingness to share equity with external individuals or organizations was identified in small firms that actually achieved high rates of growth. Market position: Adopting defined niche markets is a key ingredient for the growth of the company
Saturday, September 14, 2019
MITI and the Japanese Miracle
The book â€Å"MITI and the Japanese Miracle†by Chalmers Johnson should be considered the classic of contemporary historical and economic studies because it significantly contributes the fields by examining and analyzing developmental states. In particular, Johnson discusses economic development strategies of East Asian country – Japan. Nowadays Japan’s economy is swiftly developing and in future Japan is very likely to achieve leading positions on the world scale. Therefore, the author decided to provide detailed overview of Japan economic development – how undeveloped country managed to improve economic positions and become very influential. I think that book is very informative and analytic because the author doesn’t tend to be dry and technical. Actually, the book is a well-written and coherent novel. The book highlights past details with new expressiveness. It is necessary to outline that Johnson depicts the discourse of Japanese economy in terms of mercantilism. Johnson states that the Japanese economy is labeled as mercantilist after anti-trade economies of Spain and Portugal have been attacked by Adam Smith. Thus, Johnson developed more exact political-economic model of capitalist development state. Japanese economy was characterized by suppression of consumption, supervision of domestic industries, and funneling savings into business development. Johnson provides overview of the history of MITI stressing that it is central to political and economic history of Japan. He argues that mercantilism seemed to be vanished long before the economics took shape. In other words, mercantilism can’t be defined as operating economic theory as it was simply pragmatic adaptation. Mercantilism is claimed to anticipate and even to contradict market concepts and signals. The goal of mercantilism is to channel the resources to selected sectors pursuing the interests of elite groups and powerful figures. Apparently, mercantilism resulted in income discrimination. Johnson cites economists who state that mercantilism is nothing more than death of market efficiency. Market should be more efficient that the wisdom of the state, Johnson assumes. Also mercantilism affects resource allocation leading to rent-seeking distortions. So, mercantilism is associated to do harm rather than to provide benefits for economic development and national wealth. The author asserts that resource allocation shouldn’t be guided by the state because its role is to provide overall good and to respond adequately to market threats and opportunities. This kind of role is labeled as regulatory state. For example, Great Britain and the United States of America are regulatory state. According to Johnson, the task of regulatory state is to set rule aimed at governing competition, investment opportunities, pricing policies, entries and exits, and many other market functions. This process is called economic regulation. It is noted that economic regulation should establish a framework for market operation and should respond to problems and failures of market. Johnson examines Japan as developmental states and says that economic regulation in the country goes beyond the market maintenance. In developmental state the primary mission is to ensure long-term national welfare. The state is very likely to intervene actively into all economic and financial activities with the purpose of improving international competitiveness of the country. Japan is very bureaucratic state and economic and business readers don’t accept the strategies of laissez-faire, open markets, and free trade. Japanese leaders viewed the mentioned concepts as protection of economically powerful and influential exporters. Therefore, Japan’s strategy as developmental state is to reject the extant hierarchy of competitive advantage, as far as high return sectors would ensure high growth rates. However, such sectors aren’t associated with developing countries. Also there is no need for developing countries to rest with labor-intensive industries and agriculture. As Chalmers Johnson claims, these sectors should be with low growth prospect or, in other words, they should be low value-added. Developmental states should pay more attention to such strategy. Japanese government tends to utilize activist policies to promote and practice competitive advantage strategy. In this respect, developmental state is the result of neo-mercantilism and economic nationalism. Japan is also driven by such motive as the country refers to economic regulation to intensify and enhance technological development, as well as competitiveness of country’s leading industries, and capacity growth. Competitiveness is considered to be very essential for national economy. The abovementioned models don’t reject the role of the state in economic activities. Nevertheless, they are different as far as they provide different perspectives on resource allocation. Neoclassical economists stress state efficiency, whereas the point of neo-mercantilism is state effectiveness. The author argues that there is no empirical criterion how to judge which model is valid because each model is supported by evidence. Everything depends on the trends which are constantly changing. Johnson captured public attention and interest for its timing rather than for theoretical superiority. The author describes 1980s when economy has lost its effectiveness. Johnson writes that the United States also failed to compete decently both at the world and domestic markets. In that period the economies of developed and developing countries weren’t on the peak of success. In those days states were interested in comparative advantage and competitiveness. Johnson claims both competitive advantage and competitiveness are rather effectiveness rather than efficiency. If economy is efficient, it may perform effectively at world and domestic markets. Japan was  a teacher rather than formidable competitor. That is why the book catches attention. Johnson appeared to be the only writer who discussed Japan’s economy in such terms. In his book Johnson challenges neoclassical economic theory. References Johnson, Ch. (2003). MITI and the Japanese Miracle: the Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Â
Friday, September 13, 2019
Job analysis on Priority Plastics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Job analysis on Priority Plastics - Case Study Example To achieve this goal, Priority Plastics, Inc. needs a job analysis plan. In essence, job analysis creates job descriptions that in turn define the duties and responsibilities of the employee. The realized job description also highlights qualification requirements desired by the employer, as well as how they relate or enhance job performance. The first step in Priority Plastics, Inc.’s plan is to determine the scope of its human resource needs. As the situation stands, the company needs to hire more employees, replace those who are leaving the company, and fill other vacant positions in other departments. In this respect, the scope is relatively wide because it covers other departments within the firm. The second step in the plan is to define the process and procedure of developing job descriptions. In this case, this effort will be an interdepartmental affair. The Human resource manager and the part-time HR Generalist need to consult with employees, supervisors, managers, and other stakeholders to determine the possible number of positions that need to be created in the company. Once this is determined, the plan goes to the next level. After consulting with key stakeholders about every aspect that relates to the company’s hiring needs, the next step is to undertake job audits. Job auditing evaluates the current human resource structuring to identify areas of success, failure, overlaps, or gaps in the human resource system (Robinson & Franklin, 2013). The primary goal of job audits is to match employees with what they are currently doing in the firm and determine areas of improvement in the next hiring cycle. In essence, the planned hiring should come in to make the company even more effective and efficient. Following job auditing, it will be clear which employees handle which tasks, and what duties or responsibilities should be directed towards new employees (Wilson, Bennett,
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