Skills Gap Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Skills Gap - Article Example The labor force is suffering a great deal. However, Murphy (2014) indicates that the solution to skills gap lies in the hands of the entire society. In the event that training programs are invented, the skills crisis will be solved a great deal. Additionally, competitive wages can be paid to the workers as a way of motivating them. The government can also link up with community colleges in an endeavor to provide them with funds that can help create a skilled workforce for the present day demanding market (Murphy, 2014). Prior to completing their studies, college studies can be absorbed in the market so as they can attain the expected skills before getting fully absorbed. These students will also be imparted with the right skills that are required of their careers. Murphy (2014) argues that a lot of career builders are wary of the present skills gap. The statistics of these career builders stand at 80% though half of these professionals do not care much about the existing problem (Murphy, 2014). A lot of employers have resulted to being choosy when hiring employees. The employment standards have risen with the hope of getting the best persons for the right kind of employment. With the many requirements piling up on the desks of many managers, the skills gap is likely to increase with the day (Murphy, 2014). Still, with lots of employers failing to settle for a lesser candidate, the process of hiring is also likely to get more complicated with the day. The logic of the skills gap is indeed real. Even with many business persons thinking of the fact as a fantasy, it is evident that a lot needs to be done regarding the issue (Murphy, 2014). It is recommended that businesses take the initiate of bridging the gap that exists in the labor force. As opposed to compiling of the incompetence of the employees, the managers may opt to hire workers then initiate training programs that will help the workers make a difference in the labor market

Reserach Methodology Essay Example for Free

Reserach Methodology Essay 3.1 Research Design This study is a quantitative-descriptive in nature where the purpose is to describe the level of student’s satisfaction on services provided by the school towards the enrollment system through quantitative research method to quantify and reflect in numbers the observation made of the respondents being studied (Sampa, 2012). It attempts to explore and explain while providing additional information about the topic. This is where research is trying to describe what is happening in more detail, filling in the missing parts and expanding our understanding. This is also where as much information is collected as possible instead of making guesses or elaborate models to predict the future the what and how, rather than the why. The researchers used a modified questionnaire which answers the first two objectives of this study which is the extent to which students meets and/or exceeds their expectations and perceptions towards the enrollment system provided by the University of Mindanao. 3.2 Research Respondents The respondents of this study were the students of University of Mindanao selected randomly according to their year level and their type (freshmen, old student, and transferee). 3.2.1 Population Population, statistically, refers to the entire aggregate of items, i.e., group of people or element, who shares common set of characteristics or interest, from which samples can be drawn, in which the researcher wishes to investigate. University of Mindanao has large population of students from both Bolton Campus and Matina Campus, hence, the population refers to the University of Mindanao students who are enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.2 Sampling Frame Sampling Frame refers to the target population. In this study, 60 respondents was selected from students currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.2.3 Types of Sampling Technique The researcher chose the simple random sampling whereby every element is selected independently and the sample is drawn by a random procedure from  the sampling frame. Sekaran(2003) as cited by Abdullah (2005) points out that through simple random sampling technique, all elements in the population are carefully weigh and each element has an equal chance of being chosen as the subject. If the main objective of this study is to generalize the ability of the findings to the whole population then, this sampling design is best suited. 3.2.4 Sampling Size It is concerned with how many people that should be surveyed. The sample size larger than 30 and less than 500 are appropriate for most research (Roscoe (1975) cited by Abdullah ( 2005)). It is believe that large sample generates inevitable results than smaller samples. However, it is not necessary to sample the entire target population or even a material portion to have reliable results. With this, the researcher only chose 60 sample units as the sampling size randomly due to the time constraints, cost and other human resources. Sixty questionnaires were being distributed to respondents who are currently enrolled in Matina Campus. 3.3 Research Instruments The researchers used a survey questionnaire in checklist form. This instrument was modified by the researchers to establish the level of student’s satisfaction on enrolment system provided by University of Mindanao. The instrument determined, among others, the gender, type of student (freshmen, old student and transferees), and year level of the respondents. The Itemized Rating Scale survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to answer the survey easily. Though, it is somewhat similar to Likert Scale but it uses other than agreement /disagreement item statement. This rating scale requires the subject to indicate his or her level of satisfaction to a statement. In this type of questionnaire, the respondents were given five response choices.

Strategic Goals Within The Automobile Industry Management Essay

Strategic Goals Within The Automobile Industry Management Essay This Report looks the performance of Firm C against strategic goals within the automobile industry. We will be looking on how Firm C has used the strategic principles and theories in order to compete with other six automobile firms in same industry. Basing on the areas of study we can see how Firm C has managed to utilize the resources. Using simulation technology over a number of weeks the company used market information to inform strategy and monitor performance. In retrospect, as this report concludes, much more informed decision-making processes and governance would have assisted in ensuring the performance of the company and achievement of the mission of Firm C. However through this simulation game, individuals have managed to relate the theory they have learnt in class and apply them in the really field. A companys strategy is managements game plan for growing the business, staking out a market position, attracting and pleasing customers, competing successfully, conducting operations, and achieving targeted objectives. (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble 2005, p 3) As described Thompson, Strickland and Gamble (2005) who explained that for a company to have a sustainable competitive advantages, needs to have a differentiated products with features such as added performance , high quality and wider product choices. This is what Firm C tried to achieve by reducing cost of production so that the price of cars should go down, the reasons for this is to get to a wide range of customers. Therefore, the firm concentrate on the price sensitive category, value seekers, customers with more disposable income and fairly price sensitive customers. Strategy Thinking One of Firm Cs strategies was to have a first mover advantage. This can be defined as: an organisation that moves down the experience curve by getting into a market first should be able to reduce its cost because of the accumulated experience it builds up over its rivals by being first. (Thompson, Strickland and Gamble 2005) Firm C has done this by being one of the first firms to produce a new concept car and by being the only firm to focus more on quality and safety. Adopting the Boston Matrix, Kotler and Keller (2006), the company used market feedback to place products in the market into the appropriate categories and used this to inform investment decisions. Using market data (consumer and external trading conditions) the company contextualised their strategic decisions by understanding customer needs, available market spend and trends linked to the overall economy, such as affordability and luxury. One key strand to ensuring high performance was focusing the models produced on a core market, but to provide a number of models. This approach allowed a diversification of products without overstretching the companys range of products. This, in turn, would allow for marketing to focus on the core offerings of the products. Through focusing on the core market, and limited development of new products, whilst maximizing plant capacity and marketing, it was considered to be part of the long term strategy to offer a return to investors and increase the value of the company without compromising customer perceived valued of the products and brand. Short-Term versus Long Term Considerations All decision -taken on these six periods was to ensure the company is doing well in car manufacturing industry and keeps on meeting customers expectations. This would give a company to have efficient production and hence result to profit maximization. The Short-term investment in product development allowed minor upgrades to come to market quicker in response to customer demands for safety and quality above luxury. No long-term decisions were taken at the immediate outturn whilst the company assessed the long-term prospects. The long term was taken when there was a necessary change in what customers prefer and in order to go together with the technology changes. Firm C has one of the highest technology capabilities in terms of interior, quality and styling with the highest technology capability than any other firm in the StratSim world to produce safe cars. This is one reason that has made Firm C to have competitive advantage over other firms in StratSim world which has set our cars to be safest over all cars. Mission Vision Mission and vision can be defined as: A mission is a general expression of the overall purpose of the organisation, which ideally, is in line with the values and expectations of major stakeholders and concerned with the scope and boundaries of the organisation. (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington 2005, p 13) The firms mission is to deliver a long-term high return for investors over the lifetime of products Vision is an integral part of strategic management and adds value to the process by integrating the products of strategic planning into a coherent and meaningful whole. (Wilson 2003, p 65) The firms vision is to produce the safest cars for people who want to travel safely. External Environment Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005) explain that the growth rate in an industry may affect the degree of competitive rivalry in an industry. For example, in situations of growth an organisation might expect to achieve its own growth through the growth in the market place whereas when markets are mature this has to be achieved by taking market share from competitors. Another example is high exit barriers; high investment in non transferable fixed assets may also increase competition because there is likely to be the persistence of excess capacity. Within this exercise, Firm C benefited from the lower performance of rival companies in the earlier stages. This ensured that the market place was one where companies could grow a significant market share in the early periods. Following major production years (period 4 and beyond), the market became more competitive with other company output increasing at a time when Firm C were decreasing output and incurring additional costs through utilizing a lower percentage of production capacity without the associated decision to reduce manufacturing capacity. Other factors included general population wealth and market factors (GDP) and the sensitivity of oil prices, focusing consumers to look not just at the short term purchasing price of vehicles, but the longer-term running costs. This explains the greater interest in hybrid models as the exercise progressed. Low-end market for gas vehicles remained robust for those with purely a purchase price consideration; this benefited Firm G in the short term, although longer term investments and a reduction in dealerships as well as manufacturing capacity hindered the companys ability to meet market demand related to external factors. Internal Environment The internal environment within the company is much easier to maintain a longer-term strategy, as well as making short-term adjustments to meat company objectives. However, it is the control of the internal factors that proved to be the single weakness in the deliver of the company strategy. Thorpe and Homan (2000) suggest that cost efficiency is determined by a number of cost drivers: for example, economies of scale. This was a key consideration in reaching the top performing market share as low-cost production created value for consumers and permitted a higher volume of unit production sales. In periods 2 4, the company strategy appeared to be paying dividends. Stock value price was attractive to investors in the early stages due to a large dividend pay out and strong sales / production outputs, promising even greater returns as a result of a longer-term strategy and the companys market position. In many of the key indicators set out in the appendices, Firm C was indeed the market leader. This led the company to believe that the existing strategy was correct and to maintain investment in the key areas that were driving performance. However, a number of internal factors were changed that hindered the product lifecycle, including decreasing the number of dealerships that then prevent the sales of our star products. Additionally, an overproduction of a vehicle coupled with a move towards producing a new type of hybrid vehicle distracted from the core performance resulting in poor sales across the board. As a result of the poor sales, reactive marketing spend was increased to try to attract a formerly strong consumer based. This reduced the investment in research and development and plant capacity, in turn hitting the bottom line of the company. In effect, it was a rapid downward spiral of performance. This poor performance, slow sales, inefficient manufacturing, loss of market share (through dealership reduction) reduced the overall market value of the company and therefore the attractiveness to shareholders. Irrespective of the strength of the core product, the company allowed itself to become distracted from what was going well, onto a short-term reactive stance without out any return. One area not monitored was the percentage return on sales. This would have been a better indictor of the overall health of the company as opposed to market share or sales totals. By periods 5 onward, the company failed to take any meaningful decisions related to market intelligence, and was starting a rapid decline in all key indicators. By period 7, the decline of the company had seen it outperforming rivals to rival companies taking the market share and sales off Firm G, whilst the stock price collapsed. The inactivity, rather than the activity, in decision making was the most significant cause of the companys failure in these periods. Internal considerations and decision-making chronology are set out in appendix 4. Personal learning The textbook did provide many very useful theories which made decision making more measurable, for example, the strengths and weaknesses of the SWOT theory. This did not however take out the uncertainty of decisions such as which car will be the best option to produce first, one learned that this can be reconciled by playing it safe as to not produce the Hybrid car first which the firm thought everybody will see as a new opportunity and instead focused on a different car design and see what the strategic moves of the competitors will be and then react to that with a better version car. The purpose and the priorities of the firm was not clearly established from the beginning of the StratSim exercise, this made it difficult to set the firms objectives and developing steps to achieve objectives in the long term and short term. In retrospect, the corporate governance of the firm was not planned very well. The company should have worked out a corporate governance method by splitting the responsibility of decisions between the team members. For example team member 1 was responsible for the inventory of the firm and team member 2 responsible for the marketing and so forth. This way, a more in depth understanding of the StratSim world would have been the result. In contrast, the time management of the firm was in the beginning stages more managed, but towards the end of the StratSim exercise the cooperation of the firm disappeared, a personal lesson learned was to for future references, to agree on set times when decisions needs to be made. More research should have been done on how the StratSim world works and what requirements were necessary to perform well. For example, the firm did not plan the firm inventory very well, resulting in too little or too many cars being produced. Furthermore, plant capacity was in the beginning stages below 100,000: this increased the unit cost and decreased profits. Conclusion This report has set out the strategic goals and rationale for Firm C; this was explained by giving an explanation for the short and long-term goals and decisions that was taken to gain a share in the vehicle manufacturing industry. The performance of Firm C started out healthy but because of poor informed decision-making processes and governance, the performance of Firm C radically declined and resulted in the failure of the firm to realise their mission which was to become one of the biggest car manufacturing firms in the StratSim world. The decisions the firm took reflected a reactive management style as opposed to a proactive one, for example with the inaccurate inventory control which saw the firm producing too little or too many cars and reacting to competitors decisions as appose to developing steps to become the market leaders. Strategic Models that were available for example, the Boston matrix, the product lifecycle and Value chain were never completely integrated into the companys decision-making which resulted in uninformed decisions been made, with consequences that resulted in shareholders loosing an interest in the firm and sales spiralling downwards. Reference Arthur, A., Thompson, Jr., Strickland, A. J. and Gamble, J.E. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy, 14th Edition, New York, McGraw-Hill Irwin Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Text and Cases, 7th Edition, Essex, Prentice Hall Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2006) Marketing Management, 12th Edition, New Jersey, Prentice Hall Stacey, RD. (2000) Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics, 3rd Edition, Essex, Prentice Hall Segal-Horne, S. (2001) The Strategy Reader, Oxford, Blackwell Business Thorpe R. and Homan G. (2000) Strategic Reward Systems, Essex, Prentice Hall Wilson, I. (2003) The Subtle Art of Strategy, London, Praeger Appendix Final Results Decision Summary: Firm C, for Period 6 Technology Capabilities Interior Styling Safety Quality Curr. Expenditure (mill.) $240 $330 $399 $412 Product Development Dev Ctr Project Class Status Size HP Int Sty Saf Qua Curr Exp 1 Cameo Economy upgr: launch Per. 7 22 135 5 5 5 6 $129 2 Cafav Family upgr: launch Per. 7 28 155 4 3 5 4 $124 3 Crash Truck upgr: launch Per. 7 77 230 3 6 5 4 $124 Total (mill.) $376 Consumer Marketing Budget (mill.)   Regional Corp. Adv. $40 Direct Mail $3 Public Relations $8   Ã‚  Total $51 Direct Mail Targets:  Value Seekers(1), Families(2), Singles(3), High Income(4) Product Marketing Vehicle Platform MSRP   Dealer Disc.  Ã‚   Adv.   (mill.) Adv. Theme Promo. (mill.)  Ã‚   Cafav No Change $20,350 15.0% $70 Safety $60 Cameo No Change $13,500 18.0% $70 Styling $55 Crash No Change $21,598 16.0% $65 Interior $50 Total $205 $165 Plant Capacity Current Capacity (000s) 3,050 Capacity Change (000s) 0 Vehicle Production Vehicle Previous Sales  Ã‚   (000s)   Current   Inventory (000s)   Scheduled Production (000s)  Ã‚   Flexible Production Retooling Costs  Ã‚   (mill.)  Ã‚   Cafav 660 0 660 X $0 Cameo 605 0 605 X $0 Crash 442 8 450 X $0 Total 1,707 8 1,715 $0 Dealerships North South East West Total Dealer Inc./Dec. 0 0 0 0 0 Training and Support (mill.) $3 Financing Amount ($ mill.) Bonds Issued $60 Stock Repurchase $50 Dividends Paid $100 Bonds Issued Issued Amount (mill.)   Rate  Ã‚   Status Period 4 $10 8.5% callable in 1 year Period 5 $60 9.0% callable in 2 years StratSim Ind:ind1 Firm:c Period 5 User gre9313

Gift and Novelty Economics Forecast :: essays research papers

Economic Forecasts The retail consumer market must take into consideration many indicator forecasts that help estimate what the economic market will be like for the future. The following information contains two or more forecasts based on our teams six pre-selected indicators. This team will provide reconciliation between both forecasts and will apply economic theory in deciding which one may be the most relevant to the gift and novelty industry. GDP Information retrieved from the Economist Intelligence Unit Data Services (2005), the GDP (in billions) is expected to be 13034.5 in 2006 and 13766.2 in 2007. However, according to the data retrieved from the Blue Chip economic indicator, the forecasted GDP (in billions) is 12907 for 2006 and 13617 in 2007 (The White House, 2005). Foreign investment is a factor that is increasing the overall GDP. Over a period of time this will eventually bring higher gross domestic investments, resulting in more productive physical capital in the U.S economy. The additional capital will make labor more productive, which provides an increase in GDP and wages. Based on this information, it is thought that the EIU forecast is more correct than the Blue Chip indicator. Unemployment Unemployment is another area that can affect this industry. Data retrieved from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) projects that the unemployment rate in 2006 will be at 5% (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2005). Data derived from the Blue Chip consensus indicator, however, projects the unemployment rate for 2006 will be at 5.2% (The White House, 2005). By taking into consideration many outside indicators, such as the GDP—that show a slow but constant growth, will allow private investment to remain constant. This will encourage private industry to maintain their employment at a constant level. In understanding what this nation faces in the near future, this team recognizes that many of the Baby Boomers will retire, which reinforces the premise that unemployment will eventually stay at or fall below 5 %. Housing Starts Housing starts seems to be one of the most visible in regards to economic growth. Based on the analytical tables provided by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Steele Analytics, 2005 and 2006, housing starts will decline slightly. NAHB shows that 2005 housing starts (in thousands) at 1,969 decreasing in 2006 to 1,855 (NAHB, 2005). Steele Analytics also shows housing starts (in thousands) for 2005 start at 1,883 with a slight decrease in 2006 to 1,825 (Steele Analytics, 2005). It

Real Friend

A real friend is one who stands by his friend in the hour of his need person deserts his friend at a time when he needs him the most, he cannot be called a real friend if two persons simply know each other, and they can call friends. The real test of friendship is, therefore, not mere acquaintance but the will to render timely help to a friend in distress. It is indeed very di to find a true friend in this world. Of course, there have been a few examples of true friendship in this Lord Krishna and Susana were class-fellows. They had studied under same Guru.When they grew up, Lord Krishna became a king, but became a pauper. Once Sudama went to Lord Krishna to seek his help, Krishna welcomed his old friend with open arms. He sent out his men to a palatial house for Sudama and gave liberal financial assistance to his ft to overcome their poverty. Lord Krishna thus proved to be a real friend of’ Sudama. Another classical example is that of the abiding friendship between’ Ma rx and Engels. Karl Marx was a great philosopher but very poor, where friend Engels was a rich mill-owner. The friendship between them was so1 that they wrote books together.Engels always helped his friend Marx money. Nowadays true and faithful friends are very rare. All that glitters is gold. We should always distinguish between good and bad friends. We should remember that only a person who is sincere and honest prove to be a good friend. A good friend is a source of happiness he not only our joys but also our sorrows. A rich student can help his poor friend with money. If the poor friend is brilliant in studies, he can help his rich friend by helping him in his studied other words, each person should help the other with whatever one Friendship is a two-way traffic.It grows on mutual trust and help. I am very fortunate that I have a real friend. He is Mr. Mohan Lai. He best friend. We have been studying together in the same school for teeny He lives near my house. We spend most of our time together. My friend belongs to a rich family. His father is the Manager and mother is also employed. She is a teacher in a Public School. They live bungalow. Though his parents are well off, they are not proud of their wealth. They are very God-fearing persons. They treat me as their own son. They love me very much.My friend is a brilliant student. He always stands first in the class. We study together. He helps me in studying subjects in which I am weak so that I may catch up with him. I am not jealous of him. Rather, I am grateful to him for helping me in my studies. Unfortunately, my friend was not very good in sports. But I am a very good player of cricket. I have, therefore, been coaching him in the game of cricket. He has learnt a lot about this game. By constant and regular practice under my guidance he has become a first class player of cricket.His health has also improved a lot. He is grateful to me for grooming him in the game of cricket. My friend is the monitor of our class. He is very popular among our classmates. He is liked by his teachers. He has cordial relations with one and all. He helps the poor in every possible way. He coaches them in his spare time. He lends his books to them. If a poor student is unable to pay his fee, Mohan Lai comes to his rescue by paying his fee. Once my friend won a cash prize of Rs. 200 for writing the best essay on a given topic he donated the entire amount of Rs. 00 to the Poor Students’ Fund of our school. He is well-known for his compassion for the poor. My friend hates evil but not the evil-doer. He avoids bad company but does not hate those who have fallen prey to it. He feels that is better to reform them. Our friendship has stood the test of time. We have always helped each other all these years. We have never allowed any misunderstanding to come our way. We stand by each other through thick and thin. We are proud that we are real friends and will remain so throughout our lives.

To Learn English as an English Teacher

Omar Alfaro Reyes ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES TO LEARN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Why learning English as a second language? Nowadays learning another language is important because it is the most common language in the world, almost 60% people in the world use English regularly. Sometimes people think that learning English is difficult because most of the students can have different difficulties and problems in learning another language for example they make mistakes in their pronunciations, grammar, spelling and vocabulary usage.However it is worth for the wealth of information and the opportunity to open up for a person, for instance, the use of information and communication by internet or traveling abroad the world, they are two advantages for learning English. Also most of the students think to learn English is difficult because they speak English as speak Spanish or because students have lack vocabulary and they are two disadvantages to learn English as a second language. The ability to speak English fluently opens up a world of information and communication for a person.Information and communication by internet is a good idea for people or students that can surf in the web sites for looking examples or exercises about grammar for studying more in English. This is the best way for people can study another language, for instance the use of internet will allow them to chat with people from all over the world in chat-room. The second advantage is traveling abroad the world. English is often spoken in other country as a universal language for example Trinidad y Tobago, Puerto Rico and other ones. Knowing English is a great advantage to learn English because they can improve their knowledge in a real way.A much more serious problem for learners of English is the extent of the vocabulary. People think they can speak English as speak Spanish, this is the reason for a lot of misunderstandings happen when two non-English people talk with each other in English. S ometimes is confused because the people do not practice a lot and they are think that is really difficult. Second problem is that people have lack vocabulary, also for people are really difficult to learn English because they want to communicate but all the time is stressful for do not have a lot of vocabulary. 0% of people in Mexico think that English is really difficult to learn for instances because they do not have feeling for learning English and this are big disadvantages to learn English. In conclusion, the most important thing to do in this situation is to maximize your opportunities: to speak English, and not only speak English also try to practice a lot and try to understand in class and use English whenever possible outside the class. If you follow these rules, you will not have problems to learn a second language.

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus

Facts and Figures About Seismosaurus Most paleontologists refer to Seismosaurus (pronounced SIZE-moe-SORE-us), the earthquake lizard, as a deprecated genusthat is, a dinosaur that was once thought to be unique, but has since been demonstrated to belong to an already existing genus. Size of the Seismosaurus Once considered among the biggest and most impressive of all dinosaurs, most experts now agree that the house-sized Seismosaurus was probably an unusually large species of the much better-known Diplodocus. Theres also a distinct possibility that Seismosaurus wasnt quite as big as once believed. Some researchers now say this late Jurassic sauropod weighed as little as 25 tons and was considerably shorter than its stated length of 120 feet, though not everyone agrees with these drastically scaled-down estimates. By this accounting, Seismosaurus was a mere runt compared to the gigantic titanosaurs that lived millions of years later, such as Argentinosaurus and Bruhathkayosaurus. Discovering the Seismosaurus Seismosaurus has an interesting taxonomic history. Its type fossil was discovered by a trio of hikers, in New Mexico in 1979, but it was only in 1985 that the paleontologist David Gillette embarked on a detailed study. In 1991, Gillette published a paper announcing Seismosaurus halli, which in a burst of reckless enthusiasm he said may have measured over 170 feet long from head to tail. This certainly generated impressive newspaper headlines, but one imagines it didnt do much for Gillettes reputation, as his fellow scientists re-checked the evidence and calculated much more petite proportions (in the process, of course, stripping Seismosaurus of its genus status). The (indisputably) extreme length of Seismosaurus neck- at 30 to 40 feet, it was much longer than the necks of most other sauropod genera, with the possible exception of the Asian Mamenchisaurus- raises an interesting question: could this dinosaurs heart possibly have been strong enough to pump blood all the way to the top of its head? This may seem like an arcane question, but it bears on the controversy of whether or not plant-eating dinosaurs, like their meat-eating cousins, were equipped with warm-blooded metabolisms. Its most likely that Seismosaurus held its neck roughly parallel to the ground, sweeping its head back and forth like the hose of a giant vacuum cleaner, rather than in the more taxing vertical position. Quick Facts Habitat: Woodlands of southern North AmericaHistorical Period: Late Jurassic (155-145 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 90 to 120 feet long and 25 to 50 tons.Diet:LeavesDistinguishing Characteristics: Enormous body; quadrupedal posture; long neck with relatively small head

Learn More About Georg Ohm and Ohms Law

Learn More About Georg Ohm and Ohm's Law Georg Simon Ohm was born in 1787 in Erlangen, Germany. Ohm came from a Protestant family. His father, Johann Wolfgang Ohm, was a locksmith and his mother, Maria Elizabeth Beck, was the daughter of a tailor. Had Ohms brothers and sisters all survived he would have been one of a large family but, as was common back then, several of the children died young. Only two of Georgs siblings survived, his brother  Martin  who went on to become a well-known mathematician, and his sister Elizabeth Barbara. Although his parents had not been formally educated, Ohms father was a remarkable man who had educated himself and was able to give his sons an excellent education through his own teachings. Education and Early Work In 1805, Ohm entered the University of Erlangen and received a doctorate  and immediately joined the staff as a mathematics lecturer. After three semesters, Ohm gave up his university post. He could not see how he could attain a better status at Erlangen as prospects there were poor while he essentially lived in poverty in the lecturing post. The Bavarian government offered him a post as a teacher of mathematics and physics at a poor quality school in Bamberg and he took up the post there in January 1813. Ohm  wrote an elementary geometry book while teaching mathematics at several schools. Ohm began experimental work in a school physics laboratory after he had learned of the discovery of electromagnetism in 1820. In two important papers in 1826, Ohm gave a mathematical description of conduction in circuits modeled on Fouriers study of heat conduction. These papers continue Ohms deduction of results from experimental evidence and, particularly in the second, he was able to propose laws which went a long way to explaining results of others working on galvanic electricity. Ohm's Law Using the results of his experiments, Ohm was able to define the fundamental relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. What is now known  as Ohms law appeared in his most famous work, a book published in 1827 that gave his complete theory of  electricity. The equation I V/R is known as Ohm’s Law. It states that the amount of steady current through a material is directly proportional to the voltage across the material divided by the electrical resistance of the material. The ohm (R), a unit of electrical resistance, is equal to that of a conductor in which a current (I) of one ampere is produced by a potential of one volt (V) across its terminals. These fundamental relationships represent the true beginning of electrical circuit analysis. Current flows in an electric circuit in accordance with several definite laws. The basic law of current flow is Ohms law. Ohms law states that the amount of current flowing in a circuit made up of only resistors is related to the voltage on the circuit and the total resistance of the circuit. The law is usually expressed by the formula V IR (described in the above paragraph), where I is the current in amperes, V is voltage (in volts), and R is the resistance in ohms. The ohm, a unit of electrical resistance, is equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere is produced by a potential of one volt across its terminals.

Background information on how the development LASIK

However, the majority of humans who wear glasses or contact lenses are bothering from it. Therefore, Jose Barraquer discovered LASIK in 1950, which is considered one of the recent technologies in vision correction. LASIK is a Latin word that indicates to create a thin layer of the cornea (black eye) and then using the laser vision correction (LASIK Portal, 2010). Background information on how the development LASIK Lasik is one of the most important types of eye surgery in advance medical that intended for improving in particular Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism. It was invention by Jose Barraquer at the first time, where he effectuated the first operationto reduce the thin flaps in the cornea to change its shape by keratomileusis. By 1981, the Alaximr Laser was been founded which worked on ultraviolet radiation, and it was used at the first time by Rangaswamy Srinivasan to decrease tissue in specific way through extract layers of thin films without any effects thermal in surrounding area. As a result, he could use this kind of Laser without any side effect compared to different type of Laser which worked in the field of visible radiation. After a number of experiments, the Lasik technique has been improved in 1990 by Ioannis Pallikaris and Lucio Buratto to become more accuracy than keratomileusis. All of these results led Stephen Brint and Stephen Slade to performed surgery operation in the United States for the first time (Ezine Articles, 2011). With the development of technology, Lasik has become more fast than before and it has been improved to be better (Wikipedia, 2011). The way the LASIK has affected peoples’ lives; . The majority of humans bother from wearing spectacles or contact lenses therefore they want to eliminate them by Lasik. Lasik has many positive effects on humans including that Lasik has ability to accurately correct most layers of Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism. Moreover, its surgery occupies five to ten minutes with painless or very little pain. It is one of the easiest operations because it is operated by computer and does not require any stitches after it.One of the most important factors of Lasik that most patients are not longer needed corrective glasses. Conclusion Background information on how the development LASIK However, the majority of humans who wear glasses or contact lenses are bothering from it. Therefore, Jose Barraquer discovered LASIK in 1950, which is considered one of the recent technologies in vision correction. LASIK is a Latin word that indicates to create a thin layer of the cornea (black eye) and then using the laser vision correction (LASIK Portal, 2010). Background information on how the development LASIK Lasik is one of the most important types of eye surgery in advance medical that intended for improving in particular Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism. It was invention by Jose Barraquer at the first time, where he effectuated the first operationto reduce the thin flaps in the cornea to change its shape by keratomileusis. By 1981, the Alaximr Laser was been founded which worked on ultraviolet radiation, and it was used at the first time by Rangaswamy Srinivasan to decrease tissue in specific way through extract layers of thin films without any effects thermal in surrounding area. As a result, he could use this kind of Laser without any side effect compared to different type of Laser which worked in the field of visible radiation. After a number of experiments, the Lasik technique has been improved in 1990 by Ioannis Pallikaris and Lucio Buratto to become more accuracy than keratomileusis. All of these results led Stephen Brint and Stephen Slade to performed surgery operation in the United States for the first time (Ezine Articles, 2011). With the development of technology, Lasik has become more fast than before and it has been improved to be better (Wikipedia, 2011). The way the LASIK has affected peoples’ lives; . The majority of humans bother from wearing spectacles or contact lenses therefore they want to eliminate them by Lasik. Lasik has many positive effects on humans including that Lasik has ability to accurately correct most layers of Myopia, Hyperopia and Astigmatism. Moreover, its surgery occupies five to ten minutes with painless or very little pain. It is one of the easiest operations because it is operated by computer and does not require any stitches after it.One of the most important factors of Lasik that most patients are not longer needed corrective glasses. Conclusion

Ancient Africa and Andrea Primary Sources Assignment

Ancient Africa and Andrea Primary Sources - Assignment Example This shows the importance of the river and the important role which it played in the growth of the Oyo kingdom. In the land of the Seyon, the red sea and the historic ivory trade routes influenced the development of the Ethiopian kingdom. In regard to this, Andrea and Overfield (2001) record that the Ethiopian kingdom thrived as a result of its strategic location between the trade route that joined the Mediterranean world and Egypt. The adoption of Christianity in the Ethiopian kingdom during the reign of King Ezana was also a factor to the growth of the kingdom (Andrea & Overfield, 2001). The religion served to unite the people of Ethiopia. Historical markets and geographical tropical rainforests were also very influential in the development of kingdoms in the medieval Africa. Andrea and Overfield (2001) note that the Berber and Arab Merchants showed keen interest in the land of Ghana-Western Sudan kingdom because of its location between the tropical rainforests and the markets of North Africa. In addition, the cities of the Mediterranean north developed because of the gold mines, as Andrea and Overfield (2001) records. Similarly, the kingdom of the land of Zanj grew as a result of its closeness to the Indian ocean. The Indian ocean offered transport for traders and a conducive environment for the tremendous rise of the kingdom. In sum, the medieval African continental societal changes were greatly influenced by geographical features like the rivers, mountains, seas and the

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces - Essay Example â€Å"The glottis is the opening in the larynx that exists anteriorly (to the front) between the vocal folds and posteriorly (to the back) between the arytenoid cartilages. The part of the glottis between the vocal folds is known as the membranous glottis and the part of the glottis between the arytenoid cartilages is known as the cartilaginous glottis† {Mannel 2005] The function of the vocal folds in terms of closing and opening depends on the air pressure that is developed below and above the glottis. The glottal flow or glottal pulse remains zero when the phonation is in the closed phase, and the glottal pulse slowly increases during the opening phase of the phonation process. â€Å"The nature of phonation is such that the glottal pulses occurs as a series of pulses. The vibration has involves the pulse rate of the glottis with the additional function of the myoelastic and the aerodynamic forces. The combination of the elastic and the aerodynamic forces sets up as an oscillatory opening and closing of the glottis, causing what would otherwise be a steady air stream leaving lungs to be broken into a series of puffs of air many times per second †¦The sound that results form these puffs is called as phonation.†[Sherman Fitch III 1986]. The myolelastic and aerodynamic force initiates the vibration of the vocal folds. This aerodynamic forces initiates the vibrations of the tissues†. [Courey [2003]

Reflected Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflected Summery - Essay Example vities that occur within the organizational environment, models like McKinsey 7-S help to secure better methodology for many different university activities. These include marketing, employee relationship development, training, and developing better core competencies to give the university more enrollment and better brand presence. Consultation with literature regarding risk management identified that many for-profit businesses struggle with identifying risks proactively. However, models like the McKinsey 7-S model provide opportunities to expand beyond just the internal structural and operational environments and view the impact of activities on the outside world. At the same time, it helps to understand what forces pull or push new decision-making when considering external forces, such as customers, partnerships with external consultants, and building relationships with outside stakeholders. These understandings are vital for universities that are always in a constant state of change and for one like Heriot that is looking for new methods to stay competitive and meet student needs effectively. The core competency of culture is another important identity for Heriot since it is necessary to gain inter-organizational support to meet the objective of a more future-focused and student-centered philosophy. The attitudes, values and activities of staff, administration and students, as well as external partners, require a variety of cohesive strategies to ensure that the entire organization is aligned to meeting tomorrow’s goals. There is so much of strategy involved in university operations, upon reflection, based on the mission and vision of a change objective and trying to project where the organization might be five or even 10 years into the future. The Focus on the Future project provided knowledge about the long-term consequences of improper change, inability to gain cultural support from within, and putting too much reliance on the expertise of outside

The Politics of Public-Private Partnerships Literature review

The Politics of Public-Private Partnerships - Literature review Example The validity of his argument regarding the associated costs of PPPs is the essential point presented in this paper. Flinders’ major argument The article â€Å"The Politics of Public-Private Partnerships† is a particular argument that presents PPPs as potential factors that provide the opportunity for political issues and tensions to proliferate in the government (Flinders, 2005). According to Flinders, political issues and tensions are largely been overlooked, which may be eventually observed from the point of view of efficiency, risk, complexity, accountability and governance and the future of state projects. Through PPP, efficiency gains and service improvements in some policy areas may be observed, but based on the thoughts of Flinders these also have corresponding political and democratic costs. In other words, PPPs may have provided significant benefits at some point, but on the other hand, these can only be generated with substantial political and democratic costs . For Flinders, short-term benefits linked to PPPs may be outweighed by the long-term problems. Therefore, it emphasises more of the probable threats or risks. Thus, Flinders adopted the definition of PPP as a risk-sharing relationship existing between the public and private sectors just to result to the desired public policy outcome. In order to explicate this point, Flinders was able to subdivide his arguments into various sections. The first section deals with the Labour government’s approach to public sector reform since May 1, 1997. In the second section, the author examines Public Interest Companies (PICs) prior to a more detailed analysis of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in the UK. The third section introduces the framework to elaborate the idea of the political issues and debates around PPPs. Then finally, the last section provides information concerning the reasons why the government may commit to PPPs. Central to the idea concerning the first section is the p revailing diverse models of service delivery that the public and private sectors implemented. This at some point, according to Flinders provided the opportunity to the birth of political administrative perspective. The second section tries to enhance the idea of ‘back-door privitisation’ which may have potentially evolved from PICs down to PFI. In this case, various political concerns surfaced and the issue was far from monetary consideration. The third section introduces some relevant themes surrounding PPPs in the UK. Based on the argument of Flinders, these themes may have substantially provide opportunity for the public sectors to be served, but the bottom line of these themes may provide implication for the advantage only of the few and not the majority. The fourth section is a significant confirmation of the elemental drawbacks linked to controversial PFI deals. However, the government seems to have no other choice, but to continuously rely on the private sectors in the future to provide public services resulting to partnerships with associated political challenges. It is now important to consider some remarkable insights regarding the stand of Flinders on PPPs. Key insights In this section, the work at hand presents the key insights into the relationship between government and business based on the relevant points from the article. One major insight that can be generated from the article includes the point that the government is

Early Graphic Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Graphic Design - Essay Example Social Factors – the rise of the Industrial Revolution with the invention of the steam engine in many ways brought about disruptive changes to society, in which the previous agricultural or feudal system gave way to industrialisation due to a new economic system of capitalism. It gave rise to urban slums where family members were separated, an exploitation of labour and the rise of a new wealthy class of capitalists, in addition to landed aristocracy and royalty. Economic Factors – capitalism is enhanced by the new economic system of industrialisation, in which goods were mass produced for consumption, unlike the previous production system of individually-crafted products made by skilled artisans and their guilds. The sheer number of new products on the market required a new way of marketing these products to people and one way to distinguish one product from another is the use of graphic design to entice buyers.The mass production of goods caused the birth of graphic d esign as a form of advertisement, but this kind of new art was considered a poor imitation of the earlier Gothic style of designs. The Gothic or medieval style was more detailed and thought to be real works of art borne out of the dedicated and loving work of artisans who produce these art works for only few people but not for the mass market. The Gothic style, according to Pugin, represented religion and it was also considered to be English, in contrast to the classical style which he thought as pagan and worldly.

Reflected Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflected Summery - Essay Example vities that occur within the organizational environment, models like McKinsey 7-S help to secure better methodology for many different university activities. These include marketing, employee relationship development, training, and developing better core competencies to give the university more enrollment and better brand presence. Consultation with literature regarding risk management identified that many for-profit businesses struggle with identifying risks proactively. However, models like the McKinsey 7-S model provide opportunities to expand beyond just the internal structural and operational environments and view the impact of activities on the outside world. At the same time, it helps to understand what forces pull or push new decision-making when considering external forces, such as customers, partnerships with external consultants, and building relationships with outside stakeholders. These understandings are vital for universities that are always in a constant state of change and for one like Heriot that is looking for new methods to stay competitive and meet student needs effectively. The core competency of culture is another important identity for Heriot since it is necessary to gain inter-organizational support to meet the objective of a more future-focused and student-centered philosophy. The attitudes, values and activities of staff, administration and students, as well as external partners, require a variety of cohesive strategies to ensure that the entire organization is aligned to meeting tomorrow’s goals. There is so much of strategy involved in university operations, upon reflection, based on the mission and vision of a change objective and trying to project where the organization might be five or even 10 years into the future. The Focus on the Future project provided knowledge about the long-term consequences of improper change, inability to gain cultural support from within, and putting too much reliance on the expertise of outside

Early Graphic Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Early Graphic Design - Essay Example Social Factors – the rise of the Industrial Revolution with the invention of the steam engine in many ways brought about disruptive changes to society, in which the previous agricultural or feudal system gave way to industrialisation due to a new economic system of capitalism. It gave rise to urban slums where family members were separated, an exploitation of labour and the rise of a new wealthy class of capitalists, in addition to landed aristocracy and royalty. Economic Factors – capitalism is enhanced by the new economic system of industrialisation, in which goods were mass produced for consumption, unlike the previous production system of individually-crafted products made by skilled artisans and their guilds. The sheer number of new products on the market required a new way of marketing these products to people and one way to distinguish one product from another is the use of graphic design to entice buyers.The mass production of goods caused the birth of graphic d esign as a form of advertisement, but this kind of new art was considered a poor imitation of the earlier Gothic style of designs. The Gothic or medieval style was more detailed and thought to be real works of art borne out of the dedicated and loving work of artisans who produce these art works for only few people but not for the mass market. The Gothic style, according to Pugin, represented religion and it was also considered to be English, in contrast to the classical style which he thought as pagan and worldly.

The Canterbury Tales Essay Example for Free

The Canterbury Tales Essay What do we learn about religion from studying the general prologue of The Canterbury Tales, With reference to two of the characters, the prioress and the Monk? Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1340, his family were from London. Chaucer became a page in royal court and was educated with highly experience of people around him from the very rich to the ordinary working man helped him to write the Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales is a framework story. It is about a group of pilgrims who go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. While at the Tabard Inn, on the night before the journey, Chaucer describes them, The Monk and the Prioress are two of the pilgrims travelling with Chaucer. Using irony, Chaser seems at first to be compliment them. This is when his character he realises he is pointing out their fault and the criticising the church. The prioress was a Nun who travelled with Chaucer to Canterbury. While in the Inn Chaucer describes her, saying, That of hie smylyng was ful simple and coy. Chaucer also writes, hir gretteste ooth was by saint Loy. Nuns are meant to be holy, they have committed there lives to God, they are meant to follow the commandments given to Moses, not even to swear a little bit is acceptable let alone to swear at all. Chaucer also writes, Ful;wel she song the survace divine, She was singing not to please God but to catch the eye of the other people in the church. Chaucer says that the prioress ate her meal with elegance, he said she had beautiful manners and that she was entertaining to watch, Mate wel y taught was she with alla, Amyable of port. Later on in the text Chaucer comments about her beauty on a number of occasions. Nuns have to take a vow of poverty and should not have any possessions. Clearly she possesses make-up and fine clothes. God should be the Centre of her life and she should only be doing things he wants her to do. Chaucer thinks that the prioress isnt acting and behaving as she should and that she should forget about the pilgrimage to Canterbury and start to learn once again about being a nun. The Monk was according to Chaucer a fine looking man, Fair for the mainstrve, This man was not just a monk but an outryere. In those days lots of irony was used and an outrider was a person who could go out of his monasteries to do work for the church. Chaucer also sats that this monk, lovede Venerye and Ful many a deyntee hors haddle he in stable. The monk had taken a vow of poverty just like the prioress, so this monk shouldent have any possessions. Chaucer also writes about his brydel which was Gynglen in a whistynge waynge wynd. This monk was also drawing attention to himself while he was meant to be out doing the work of the church; he was treating this work like a holiday. This monk was fashionable and enjoyed best quality food. A fat swan love he best of any roast. Swans were very expensive, so he must have eaten this while he was out doing the work of the church. He was caring for his freedom, not commitment while he should have been caring for the poor not indulging himself. Although Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales about 600 years ago, it is still valid today. The nun and the Monk speak for themselves, they say that human nature doesnt change and that some people will always be greedy and selficha dns some people will be nice and kind, this was Chaucers job, to show them up in his writings.

LNG Markets and Carriers

LNG Markets and Carriers LNG Ship Market Natural gas is a hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting mainly of methane, which is used as an energy source for many applications, such as electricity generation, heating and transportation. It can be considered the cleanest of all fossil fuels, producing up to 29% less CO2 per Joule than oil, and minimal amounts of sulphur (1). Combined with its relatively low price and high energy content per weight, natural gas could have been a viable energy solution many decades ago, but its widespread use was hindered by the difficulty to store and transport it. Nowadays, its majority is transported through pipelines and as liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by shipment (around 27%). LNG is natural gas that has been converted to liquid form for ease of storage and transport, requiring only about 1/600 of its volume in gaseous state. LNG transportation by ships is used particularly when geographical constraints deem pipeline use unfeasible. An aspect that has held back LNG, and by extension natural gas us e, is the very high capital costs associated with the LNG supply chain (gas exploration, liquefaction, transportation and regasification) (2). These required high investments, mandated security of LNG supply and led to long term cooperation between buyers and sellers. This resulted in a highly structured LNG market, with rigid contracts of 20 years or more and very few vessels left spare for use in spot trade. This initial market profile could be characterized as an oligopoly, formed by large state-controlled or regulated oil and gas companies and a small number of independent ship owners. A bad period for the LNG market were the 1980s, where energy prices were high and the demand was low. At the time of the markets revival (early 1990s) the LNG trade was firmly divided between the Atlantic Basin and Asia Pacific markets. However after the 1990s, with additional liquefaction plants being built in exporting countries and cost reductions in all segments of the supply chain, a surplus of LNG available was created and a lot of new investments were triggered. This led to gradual liberation of the gas market with short term contracts also being signed. However, long term contracts, also known as SPAs (Sale and Purchase Agreements) still dominate the market, as no supplier undertakes a new project without contracting and securing its outlet first. At the moment spot rates represent up to 15% of the total market, with indications that contracts are increasingly becoming more flexible in volumes and price mechanisms (3). The market is also increasingly international, with another major export area being the Middle East. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, Qatar is nowadays the biggest LNG exporting country, with a share of over 25% of world exports. The main importing countries are Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Spain, UK and Italy all of which are either countries in need of large energy amounts, or face domestic energy supply shortages (4). Japan in particular, after the Fukus hima Daiichi nuclear disaster became an even larger importer, accounting for a third of world LNG imports. China is expected to dramatically increase its LNG imports in order to achieve its goal of decreasing air pollution by doubling natural gas usage for power by 2016 and relying less on coal for energy production (5).ÂÂ   Europe on the other hand has seen a decrease in LNG importing in recent years, mainly due to the recent financial crisis and volatile market, and also because of the drop in spot rates and the fact that Asian and American countries are paying more for gas. The outlook on future LNG trade is positive however, as seen in Figure 3 (6), especially when considering the steady and linear LNG market increase up to the late 90s (Figure 4) (7). In terms of the LNG carrier fleet, there are around 380 LNG vessels operating today, with 94 new buildings scheduled for delivery until 2017 (8). In Figure 5, it can be observed that the average capacity of LNG carriers on or der is between 150.000 160.000 m3 while the average operating LNG carrier has a size between 120.000 140.000ÂÂ   m3. This indicates a trend of increasing vessel sizes, in line with what is happening to other merchant shipping markets in recent years. LNG Ship Structures The most striking difference between LNG carriers and typical tankers is the complex cargo containment and handling systems found on LNG ships. These serve several purposes. They seal the LNG in a positive pressure, gas tight compartment to avoid mixing with air;ÂÂ   insulate it from outside heat in order to keep the entire cargo amount at -162 oC, thus minimizing boil-off gas, and also prevent this very low temperature from reaching the hull structure and cause steel brittleness (9). LNG vessels normally have between four and six cargo tanks which are either independent, self-supporting tanks or membrane-type tanks. By default all LNG ships are double hull vessels. Self-supporting tanks are independent to the ship hull and are free to thermally expand and contract. They are also easy to inspect for leakage, but on the downside they do not make efficient use of space (10). The tank type that is typically used on LNG carriers is the Type B independent tank, which is usually spher ical (Figure 6). This design, also known as the Kvaerner-Moss System, initially used storage tanks made of 9% nickel-steel, but these were quickly replaced by aluminium tanks which are more resilient to thermal and mechanical stresses are and easier to form. The tanks feature an equatorial ring from which they suspend, and therefore the majority of mechanical and thermal stresses are exerted on that area (11) . Because of their enhanced design, Type B tanks only require a partial secondary barrier in the form of a dip tray. The hold space is normally filled with dry inert gas; however dry air can also be used if the system is capable of providing inert gas to the area in a case of case leakage. A protective steel dome covers the primary barrier above deck level and insulation is applied to the outside of the tank (12). Insulation materials are typically glass, wool, vapour permeable aluminium foil and a number of expansion foam types. Type B tanks can also have a prismatic shape to maximise volumetric efficiency. The other major tank type is the membrane-type tank, with the No.96 System from Gaz Transport and the Mk III System from Technigaz being the main two sub categories. Both types utilize a thin and flexible primary membrane (0.7 1.5mm) which is in contact with the cargo and a secondary barrier on the outside. The pressure is applied on the membrane from both the cargo on the inside and the insulation on the outside, and the entire arrangement rests on the ships structure, forming an integral part of it. The Gaz Transport 96 system utilizes 0.7 mm thick invar (36% nickel, 0.2% carbon steel alloy) for both the primary and the secondary layer, with boxes filled with perlite used as insulation in between the membranes and in between the secondary membrane and the vessels structure. The entire construction leans on each consecutive layer and finally on the ships structure (Figure 7). Invar is used primarily because of its low coefficient of thermal expansio n which makes the use of expansion boxes or corrugations unnecessary. On the other hand, the Mk III system from Technigaz features a primary stainless steel barrier of 1.2mm in thickness, with corrugations which enable thermal expansion and contraction. Polyurethane foam reinforced with fiberglass is used as insulation, while the second membrane is a simpler and cheaper one, made of triplex, a type of vapour permissible plastic mass. Both systems permit a boil-off of up to 0.15% but in reality this is much less (12). In 1994 Tehnigaz and Gaz Transport merged and their respective systems since bore a GTT suffix in their names. GTT also developed a third membrane containment system for LNG carriers named Combine System One (CSO), which combines elements from both designs (11). Propulsion Systems using LNG as Fuel The use of LNG as a propulsion fuel is a relatively new trend for non-LNG carrier vessels. The reason for considering LNG as a fuel for tankers, bulk carriers and ferries is mainly because it is much more environmentally friendly when compared to other types of fuel such as heavy fuel oil and marine diesel oil. This is especially important for vessels operating in emission controlled areas (ECAs), and with future IMO plans of expanding these areas, many ship operators are considering alternative solutions. The option of using LNG offers the benefit of almost sulphur-free emissions, and therefore access to ECAs, at a price much lower than that of low sulphur heavy fuel oil. However, LNG bunkering stations are not very widespread, and the high investment required for propulsion and fuel handling systems is also a deterring factor. Nevertheless, LNG has been used as a fuel on LNG tankers ever since 1964 (13). Early systems utilised steam turbines for propulsion, which were powered by st eam produced in boilers that operated by burning the boil-off gas from the cargo tanks. Even though this propulsion type is not very efficient (about 28%), the ability to utilise cargo which would otherwise just be disposed of provided major economic advantages to operators. This type of propulsion system is still found in the majority of LNG carriers up to this day. Nowadays however, because of the relatively high price of natural gas, re-liquefaction plants are starting to be utilised, in order to capture and re-store boil off gas, and slow speed diesel engines burning heavy fuel oil are used for propulsion. This results in significant fuel savings (slow speed diesels are around 50% efficient) but does not solve the ever growing emission problem. Therefore, dual fuel engines are also starting to be used in the industry. These are primarily diesel engines working on the same principle, with the difference that gas is also introduced with air in the induction stroke, and is burned t ogether with diesel fuel when that is injected at the end of the compression stroke. The result is much cleaner emissions and fuel savings. Duel fuel engines can either be direct drive or coupled to generators for electric propulsion. For direct drive systems slow speed dual fuel engines can be used but medium speed engines for electric propulsion are the predominant choice at the moment. Dual fuel gas turbines can also be used for that matter but are not widely utilised on LNG carriers (14). In Figure 9, a distribution of propulsion systems for new LNG carriers on order can be seen. References 1. Natural Gas and the Environment. s.l. : NaturalGas.org. 2. LNG shipping business versus dry cargo shipping a comparative study. S.Kamalakannan and Dr.B.Madhavan. 2012, ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics Management Research. 3. History, trends and prospects for LNG shipping. Leroy, Paul-Albert. Athens : Barry Rogliano Salles, 2012. 4. White, Bill. Alaka Natural Gas Transportation Projects. [Online] 6 September 2011. [Cited: 12 March 2014.] http://www.arcticgas.gov/global-LNG-rapid-growth-overestimated-demand-excess-capacity. 5. Cunningham, Nick. The Diplomat. [Online] 5 December 2013. [Cited: 12 March 2014.] http://thediplomat.com/2013/12/china-increases-purchases-of-lng-on-spot-market/. 6. Kurt Oswald, Joerg Doerler, Akshat Seth. ATKerney. [Online] December 2011. [Cited: 12 March 2014.] http://www.atkearney.com/paper/-/asset_publisher/dVxv4Hz2h8bS/content/the-future-of-the-european-gas-supply/10192. 7. White, Bill. Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project. [Online] 13 August 2013. [Cited: 12 March 2014.] http://www.arcticgas.gov/alaska-lng-could-have-right-heat-content-asia-buyers. 8. Almeida, Rob. Whos Building LNG Carriers? gCaptain. [Online] 22 April 2013. [Cited: 12 March 2014.] http://gcaptain.com/whos-building-carriers/. 9. Michael D. Tusiani, Gordon Shearer. LNG: A Nontechnical Guide. Tulsa, Oklahoma : PennWell Corporation, 2007. 10. Zhou, Prof. Peilin. NM952/21525 Advanced Marine Engineering course notes. Glasgow : s.n., 2014. 11. Sacchi, Alan. Types of LNG Carriers. Hrvatsko pomorsko dobro. [Online] [Cited: 13 March 2014.] http://www.pomorskodobro.com/en/types-of-lng-carriers.html. 12. International Safety Guide for Inland Navigation Tank-barges and Terminals. Types of Gas Carriers. ISGINTT. [Online] 2010. [Cited: 13 March 2014.] http://www.isgintt.org/files/Chapter_33en_isgintt_062010.pdf. 13. MAN Diesel and Turbo. Propulsion Trends in LNG Carriers. MAN. [Online] [Cited: 13 March 2014.] http://www.mandiesel.com/files/news/filesof8074/5510-0035-01ppr.pdf. 14. Wartsila. LNG the Pros Cons. Wartsila. [Online] June 2012. [Cited: 13 March 2014.] http://www.wartsila.com/en/lng-the-pros-and-cons. Appendix Figure 1: Main LNG Exporting Countries in 2010 (4) Figure 2: Main LNG Importing Countries in 2010 (4) Figure 3: Projected LNG demand by region until 2020 (6) Figure 4: LNG demand up to 2012 (7) Figure 5: LNG Carrier New Build by Size Figure 6: Self-supporting spherical Type B tank (12) Figure 7: GT 96 Membrane Containment System (12) Figure 8: GT Mk III Membrane Containment System (12) Figure 9:ÂÂ   Distribution of propulsion systems of LNG fleet on order (13)

Biomes of the World Essay -- The Worlds Biomes

A biome, also known as life zones, consists of all plants, animals, and other organisms, as well the physical environment in a particular area. A biome is characterized by its’ plant life, climate, and location. The climate and physical features determine the boundaries of a biome. A biome is made up of many different ecosystems. The ecosystems tend to have the same pants and animals as neighboring biomes around the boundaries. The major biomes are the tundra, taiga, tropical rain forest, temperate forests, desert, grassland, savanna, chaparral, and marine. Each biome has it’s own characteristics such as the tundra. The tundra is a biome that is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the world. It circles the North Pole and reaches down to the taiga. The tundra has a very cold and harsh climate, especially in the winters. The average winter temperatures is about -30Â °F and average summer temperatures is roughly 37-54Â °F. The yearly amount of precipitation, which includes melting snow, averages to about 6 to 10 inches. With these conditions it makes for a short growing season of about 50-60 days. In some parts it can be up to 180 days. This is only found in the more southern part of the tundra. Another aspect of the tundra includes the vegetation that is found there and the adaptations that have been made. The tundra is known for its’ cold temperatures, but also its’ limited plant species. The growth of the vegetation is primarily low to the ground and the biomass of plants is concentrated in the roots. Here the plants reproduce more likely by division and building than by flower pollination. Some of that growthforms that you will find in the tundra include tussock, mats or cushion plants, rosettes, and dwarf shru... ...enthic, coral reef, and estuaries. Some freshwater habitats include marches, lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, and bogs. All the biomes of the world have climates, plants, and animals all their own. Traveling through each zone you can pick out the similar adaptations of each plant and animal. Biomes are unique to their location, each one of great importance to the world. Bibliography 1. Biomes, http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes 2. Aquatic Biomes, http://redbaron.bishops.ntc.nf.ca/wells/biomes/html/aquatic.htm 3. Biomes, SLW, October 1996, http://runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes 4. Chaparral, http://www.csun.edu/csc24235/hairach.html 5. Northern Coniferous Forest, http://www.uwsp.edu/acaddept/geog/faculty/ritter/geog101/biomes_northern_forest.html 6. The World of Biology, 4th ed., Davis, Solomon, Berg; Saunders College Publishing, Ó1994.

Is Walmart Good? Essay -- Business, Global Powerhouse

Wal-Mart, the multi-billion company and the second largest employer in the world, is the most controversial corporation in the world. Wal-Mart is a global powerhouse and affects many people around the world. Wal-Mart is constantly getting attacked from unions, human rights groups, small towns and small businesses. Wal-Mart is accused of treating their workers poorly and driving small businesses out of business. But however these accusations are false or over exaggerated. Wal-Mart offers families and low income people quality products. Also, they pay their workers competitive wages and treat them with respect. Wal-Mart opens their stores in rural and under developed areas. Wal-Mart improves the lives of the people who live rural area and improves their lifestyles. Wal-Mart opens stores at rural areas that are destitute. These people don’t have the ability to buy the newest and best products around. That lifestyle of buying and getting the newest item is foreign to them. Thanks to Wal-Mart these people are able to see this lifestyle and experience themselves (Coster 1). Wal-Mart provides low prices for people to afford more of these great products and to stretch their dollar more. People are saving hundreds of dollars and those savings due add up. According to a study by the New England Consulting group, U.S. consumers save $100 billion annually, or $600 for the average America family (Maich 6). These savings for consumers and families are astounding. This data is not only about for those who shop at Wal-Mart but this data is about all consumers. This is so because â€Å"Wal-Mart sells for less, it forces competitors to cut prices in order to compete† (Maich 6). A study by a UBS Warburg analysts show the impact Wal-Mart has on c ompet... ...ses. No other retailers offer these benefits. Wal-Mart employees are content because of these benefits. Hewitt Associates, a human resource consulting firm, ranked Wal-Mart as the best retailor for workers satisfaction for three years. (Maich 5) This data shows that Wal-Mart is a great place to work for. Wal-Mart is beneficial to many types of people. Wal-Mart is good for the economy and good to it workers. Wal-Mart hires many people from different walks of life and offers their workers many benefits that others retailers don’t offer. Wal-Mart with their low prices benefits consumers and help consumers to save. Wal-Mart is a positive to local economies and improves profits of local businesses. Wal-Mart is not a monster as critics’ states and all these attacks by critics are incorrect. Wal-Mart is not perfect but it is better than most of the other corporations.

Problems Facing Leader in Multinational Organization Essay

Abstract This research suggests that there is a lack of congruence between the Iranian Institutes of Higher Education culture and the faculties desired culture. This conclusion is based on empirical data that indicate that faculties believe that they operate on a day-to day basis in a profession whose culture is characterized by an overarching desire for stability and control, formal rules and policies, coordination and efficiency, goal and results oriented, and harddriving competitiveness. Emphasizing this lack of cultural congruence, the respondents of this study also indicated that the faculties culture should be one that emphasizes flexibility, discretion, participation, human resource development, innovation, creativity, risk-taking, and a long-term emphasis on professional growth and the acquisition of new professional knowledge and skills, which is more aligned with the universities strategic external environment. One of the principal reasons for the popular interest in the study of organizational culture is to determine the linkage between it and organizational performance (Berrio, 2003). This study has reviewed a previously assumed but unverified connection between organizational culture and leadership styles. It has uncovered a lack of congruence between the dominant type of organizational culture and leadership styles. This observed lack of congruence may be inhibiting performance and unconsciously perpetuating a cycle of caution and an over reliance on stability and control. Key words: Organizational culture- Leadership styles-Higher education 1.Introduction An examination of the literature in the fields of organizational culture and leadership finds that the two areas have been independently linked to organizational performance. For example, researchers have examined the links between leadership styles and performance (see Bycio et al., 1995), and also  between organizational culture and performance (see Kotter and Heskett, 1992). Furthermore, numerous aspects of the organizational culture literature allude to the role of leaders in ‘creating’ and ‘maintaining’ particular types of culture (for example, Schein , 1992). Equally, the literature on leadership suggests that the ability to understand and work within a culture is a prerequisite to managerial effectiveness. However, despite the implicit and explicit linking of culture and leadership in many parts of organization theory, little critical research attention has been devoted to understanding the links between the two concepts and the impact that such an association might have on managerial effectiveness. The absence of critical literature exploring the effectiveness implications of the links between organizational culture and leadership is surprising given the numerous references to the importance of the two concepts in the functioning of organizations (see, Schein, 1992). The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the links between different types of organizational culture, a range of leadership styles and managerial effectiveness. This is achieved through the presentation of the results of a cross sectional survey of leadership style, organizational culture, and managerial effectiveness across nine universities in Iran. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on organizational culture and leadership. This is followed by a discussion of the methodology adopted for the study and the presentation of the findings and analysis of responses to questionnaire exploring the links between the two concepts and managerial effectiveness. The evidence demonstrates t hat the relationship between leadership style and effectiveness is mediated by cultural congruence. In the final part of the paper, the conclusions and implications of the study are highlighted. As more and more universities enter into new arrangements in 21st century, the need to assess organisational cultures becomes more important .The term ‘organisational culture’ has proved difficult to define, but several of its important components are agreed on by most researchers. These include the norms, perspectives, values, assumptions and beliefs shared by organisational members. Due to the abstract nature of these elements, there is a considerable challenge for external researchers who want to assess organisational culture. It is even difficult for members of an organization to describe their own culture. Cameron and Freeman (1991, p.31) use the old  proverb â€Å"Fish discover water last† to illustrate the problem of assessing culture among those immersed in it. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the construct of culture and its relationship with leadership styles in the context of higher education institutions , and to discuss competing values framework as one of approaches to measurement of culture. The paper starts with a discussion on how the concept of organisational culture is understood in the setting of higher education institutions, and is followed by a brief introduction to the tradeoffs between qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess culture. Based on the basic psychometric requirements for measuring culture, this study concludes by identifying some of the implications of selecting or designing instruments for assess cultural differences in higher education institutions. 2.Organizational Culture and Leadership Styles Before attempting to describe the content of organizational culture, one should first know the concept of organisational culture. Organizational culture has been criticized as being conceptually weak, since it has been defined in many ways (Jelinek et al., 1983) and each definition emphasizes a particular focus or level. Since Schein (1992) published the book Organisational Culture and Leadership, more researchers have recognized culture as a multidimensional and multilevel concept. Schein describes three levels of culture. The first level consists of visible organisational structures and actions, such as dress code, facilities and procedures. This level of culture can be easily observed. The second level consists of espoused values manifested in the public images of organisations, such as strategies, goals, and philosophies. While not as visible as the artefacts present in the first level, these values can be ascertained by norms, the way things are done in the organisation. The third level consists of basic assumptions, or unconscious beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. These determine both behaviour norms (the way people should behave) and organisational values (the things that are highly valued). According to Buono and Bowditch (1989, p.137-139), the visible elements created by an organization on the first level are treated as objective organizational culture, while the elements on the second and the third levels are concerned with subjective organizational culture. Most researchers agree that subjective culture is more important as a significant determinant of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours, and it thus provides a more distinctive basis for characterizing and interpreting similarities and differences among people in different organizations. On this understanding, university culture as a particular form of organisational culture can be defined â€Å"as the collective, mutually shaping patterns of norms, values, practices, beliefs, and assumptions that guide the behaviour of individuals and groups in an institute of higher education and provide a frame of reference within which to interpret the meaning of events and actions on and off campus† (Kuh & Whitt, 2000, p.1 62). While the term organisational culture is used as if an organisation has a monolithic culture, most organisations have more than one set of beliefs influencing the behaviour of their members (Morgan, 1986; Sathe, 1985). Cultural diversity appears to be more obvious in higher education institutions (Kuh & Whitt, 2000, p.161). The ‘small homogenous society’ analogues used in anthropological studies of culture is sorely strained when applied to many contemporary institutions of higher education. Large public, multipurpose universities are comprised of many different groups whose members may or may not share or abide by all of the institution’s norms, values, practices, beliefs, and meanings. Instead of viewing colleges and universities as monolithic entities, it is more realistic to analyze them as multicultural contexts that are host to numerous subgroups with different priorities, traditions, and values (Kuh & Whitt, 2000 p.161) . This study pays particular attention to academic staff and specifically those engaged at the departmental level. Therefore, from the perspective of this paper, the culture refers to values, beliefs, and assumptions developed within an academic department by academic staff and  those who manage academics through joint experiences over long periods of time. Nevertheless, disciplinary identity is not the sole source of the culture shared by academic staff members within an academic sub-unit. It is also subject to a variety of circumstances, such as national context, professional culture and organisational character (Austin, 1992; Clark, 1983, p.75; Và ¤limaa, 1998). 3.A Review of the CVF Model and the Study Methodology An Overview of the Competing Values Framework (CVF) Model The Competing Values Framework (CVF) evolved from the work of Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) as they attempted to circumscribe the elusive definition for a generally agreed upon theoretical framework of the concept of organizational effectiveness. This framework was chosen for this study because it was experimentally derived and found to have a high degree of face and empirical validity. Additionally, the CVF was identified as having a high level of reliability matching or exceeding that of other instruments commonly used in the social and organizational sciences (Cameron and Ettington, 1988; Cameron and Quinn, 2006; Berrio, 2003). The four quadrants of the framework, representing the four major cultural types: clan, adhocracy, market, hierarchy, provide a robust explanation of the differing orientations and competing values that characterize human behavior. The richness provided by the CVF is based on its ability to identify the basic assumptions, orientations, and values of each of the four cultural types. These three elements comprise the core of organizational culture. â€Å"The OCAI, therefore, is an instrument that allows you to diagnose the dominant orientation of your own organization based on these core culture types. It also assists you in diagnosing your organization’s cultural strength, cultural type, and cultural congruence† (Cameron and Quinn,2006, p. 33). In their research concerning organizational effectiveness, Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981, 1983) statistically analyzed 39 indicators of organizational effectiveness as identified by Campbell, et al, (1974). Quinn and Rohrbaugh’s analysis resulted in the bifurcation of the 39 effectiveness criteria between two major dimensions. The first dimension, which is labeled the â€Å"Structure† dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize flexibility, discretion, and dynamism and those that  emphasize stability, order, and control. The second dimension, which is labeled the â€Å"Focus† dimension, differentiates the organizational effectiveness criteria between those that emphasize internal orientation, integration, and unity and those effectiveness criteria that emphasize an external orientation, differentiation, and rivalry (Quinn and Rohrbaugh, 1981 and 1983; Cameron and Quinn, 2006). Within each of these two dimensions there is also a third set of values, which produces an emphasis ranging from organizational processes, such as planning and goal setting at one end of the spectrum, to an emphasis on results, such as resource acquisition at the other end. Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1981) labeled this third set of values as the organizational â€Å"Means –Ends† continuum. The two primary dimensions differentiating between organizational values emphasizing â€Å"Structure† and â€Å"Focus† produce four clusters of effectiveness criteria as depicted in Figure 1. The â€Å"Structure† axis is represented 100 by the â€Å"Flexibility – Control† continuum, while the â€Å"Focus† axis is represented by the â€Å"People – Organization† continuum in Figure 1 . Within each of these four quadrants the relevant â€Å"Means – Ends† values are enumerated.

Stat 200 Exam 2

Top of Form Points Awarded| 34. 00| Points Missed| 6. 00| Percentage| 85. 0%| 1. The level of significance associated with a significance test is the probability A)  of rejecting a true null hypothesis. B)  of not rejecting a true null hypothesis. C)  that the null hypothesis is true. D)  that the alternative hypothesis is true. Feedback:  This level of significance, commonly set to ? equal to 0. 05, is used to set the cut-off as the maximum probability a researcher would use in order to reject a true null hypothesis. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 2.A null hypothesis is that the average pulse rate of adults is 70. For a sample of 64 adults, the average pulse rate is 71. 8. A significance test is done and the p-value is 0. 02. What is the  most  appropriate conclusion based on ? of 0. 05? A)  Conclude that the population average pulse rate is 70. B)  Conclude that the population average pulse rate is 71. 8. C)  Reject the hypothesis that the p opulation average pulse rate is 70. D)  Reject the hypothesis that the sample average pulse rate is 70. Feedback:  Since the p-value is less than ? we would reject the Ho the null hypothesis that the population average pulse rate is 70.Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 3. If the result of a hypothesis test for a proportion is statistically significant, then A)  the null hypothesis is rejected. B)  the alternative hypothesis is rejected. C)  the population proportion must equal the null value. Feedback:  When a hypothesis test is statistically significant then we reject Ho the null hypothesis Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 4. Which of the following conclusions is  not  equivalent to rejecting the null hypothesis? A)  The results are statistically significant. B)  The results are not statistically significant.C)  The alternative hypothesis is accepted. D)  The p-value < ? (the significance level) Feedback:  All are eq uivalent conclusions for rejecting Ho except when results are  not  statistically significant (i. e. we do  not  reject Ho) Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 5. Determine if the statement is a typical null hypothesis (Ho) or alternative hypothesis (Ha). There is no difference between the proportion of overweight men and overweight women in America. A)  Null hypothesis B)  Alternative hypothesis Feedback:  Ho refers to no difference or change or equal to.Ha will be the research hypothesis that involves either a difference, greater than, or less than. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 6. A safety officer wants to prove that ? = the average speed of cars driven by a school is less than 25 mph. Suppose that a random sample of 14 cars shows an average speed of 24. 0 mph, with a sample standard deviation of 2. 2 mph. Assume that the speeds of cars are normally distributed. What are the appropriate null and alternative hypotheses? A)  Ho: ? = 25 and Ha: ? < 25 B)  Ho: ? = 25 and Ha: ? > 25 C)  Ho: ? = 25 and Ha: ? ? 25 D)  Ho: ? ? 25 and Ha: ? = 25E)  Ho: x-bar = 24 and Ha: x-bar < 24 F)  Ho: x-bar = 24 and Ha: x-bar > 24 G)  Ho: x-bar = 24 and Ha: x-bar ? 24 H)  Ho: x-bar ? 24 and Ha: x-bar = 24 Feedback:  The word  less  is the key term in determining the correct Ha expression. Exceeds implies that the investigator is only interested in whether the true  population  mean is  less  than 25. The value of 24 is the  sample  mean. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 7. An ESP experiment is done in which a participant guesses which of 4 cards the researcher has randomly picked, where each card is equally likely. This is repeated for 200 trials.The null hypothesis is that the subject is guessing, while the alternative is that the subject has ESP and can guess at higher than the chance rate. The subject actually gets 70 correct answers out of the 200 trials. Whi ch of the following describes the probability represented by the p-value for this test? A)  The probability that the subject has ESP B)  The probability that the subject is just guessing. C)  The probability of 70 or more correct guesses if the subject has ESP. D)  The probability of 70 or more correct guesses if the subject is guessing at the chance rate. Feedback:  The null hypothesis would be that the subject is guessing, i. . Ho: ? = 1/4. Then the p-value is the probability that if the subject were guessing that they would get 70 or more right Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 8. Suppose the significance level for a hypothesis test is ? = 0. 05. If the p-value is 0. 049, the decision is to A)  reject the null hypothesis. B)  accept the null hypothesis. C)  not reject the null hypothesis. Feedback:  With p-value <e; ? our decision is to reject the null hypothesis Ho Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 9. Which statement is tr ue about x-bar and ? -hat? A)  They are both parameters. B)  They are both statistics.C)  x-bar is a parameter and ? -hat is a statistic. D)  ? -hat is a parameter and x-bar is a statistic. Feedback:  Both x-bar and ? -hat represent statistics. Points Earned:| 0. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 10. Which of the following statements is correct about a parameter and a statistic associated with repeated random samples of the same size from the same population? A)  Values of a parameter will vary from sample to sample but values of a statistic will not. B)  Values of both a parameter and a statistic may vary from sample to sample. C)  Values of a parameter will vary according to the sampling distribution for that parameter.D)  Values of a statistic will vary according to the sampling distribution for that statistic. Feedback:  The population parameter does not vary, however, the values of the statistic will vary based on the sampling distribution of that statistic P oints Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 11. For a random sample of 10 men, the mean head circumference is x = 57. 3 cm and the sample standard deviation is s = 2 cm. The standard error of the sample mean is A)  0. 200 B)  0. 447 C)  0. 500 D)  0. 632 Feedback:  The standard error equals S/Sq. Rt. of N = 2/3. 16 = 0. 632 Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| |Correct Answer(s):| D| 12. Suppose that a 95% confidence interval for the proportion of first-year students at a school who played in intramural sports is 35% plus or minus 5%. The margin of error for the confidence interval is A)  5% B)  35% C)  95% Feedback:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"plus or minus† indicates the margin of error which is 5% Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 13. In a past General Social Survey, a random sample of men and women answered the question â€Å"Are you a member of any sports groups? † Based on the sample data, 95% confidence intervals for the population proportion who wou ld answer yes are 0. 3 to 0. 19 for women and 0. 25 to 0. 33 for men. Based on these results, you can reasonably conclude that A)  at least 25% of American men and American women belong to sports clubs. B)  there is no conclusive evidence of a gender difference in the proportions of men and women who belong to sports clubs. C)  there is conclusive evidence of a gender difference in proportions of American men and American women who belong to sports clubs. Feedback:  Since the two confidence intervals do not overlap there is conclusive evidence that a difference in the proportions exists Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| |Correct Answer(s):| C| 14. In a past General Social Survey, 87% of a random sample of n = 990 respondents answered yes to the question â€Å"Would you approve of an adult male punching a stranger if the stranger had broken into the man's house? † A 90% confidence interval for the proportion of all Americans who approve of punching an intruder is A)  0. 852 to 0. 888 B)  0. 849 to 0. 891 C)  0. 845 to 0. 895 D)  0. 842 to 0. 898 Feedback:  A confidence interval is found by sample statistic  ± Zmultiplier*StandardError. With p-hat of 0. 87, Zmultiplier of 1. 65 and n = 990, the 90% confidence interval is 0. 49 to 0. 891 Points Earned:| 0. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 15. A randomly selected sample of n =51 men in Brazil had an average lifespan of 59 years. The standard deviation was 10 years and the standard error was 1. 400. Calculate a 98% confidence interval for the average lifespan for all men in Brazil. A)  (55. 6, 62. 4) B)  (56. 2, 61. 8) C)  (35. 0, 83. 0) Feedback:  Using degrees of freedom equal to 51 – 1 gives a t* of 2. 40 for confidence level of 98%. The standard error is equal to s/vn = 10/v51 = 1. 400 [given! ]. The interval then is 59  ± 2. 40*1. 400 = (55. 6, 62. 4) Points Earned:| 1. /1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 16. In a random sample of 1000 students, 80% were in favor of longer hour s at the school library. The standard error of ? -hat is approximately: A)  0. 013 B)  0. 160 C)  0. 640. D)  0. 800 Feedback:  The standard error is found by taking the square root of [(0. 80)(0. 20)/1000] = 0. 013 Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 17. A researcher wants to assess if there is a difference in the average age of onset of a certain disease for men and women who get the disease. Let ? 1  = average age of onset for women and ? 2  = average age of onset for men.A random sample of 30 women with the disease showed an average age of onset of 83 years, with a sample standard deviation of 11. 5 years. A random sample of 20 men with the disease showed an average age of onset of 77 years, with a sample standard deviation of 4. 5 years. Assume that ages at onset of this disease are normally distributed for each gender, do not assume the population variances are equal. What are the appropriate null and alternative hypotheses? A)  ? 1  = ? 2   and Ha: ? 1  ? ?2 B)  ? 1  ? ?2  and Ha: ? 1  = ? 2 C)  ? 1  = ? 2  and Ha: ? 1  < ? 2 D)  ? 1  = ? 2  and Ha: ? 1  > ? 2Feedback:  Since the researcher is interested in detecting only a  difference  this would imply that any difference will do, thus the Ha is ? Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 18. It is known that for right-handed people, the dominant (right) hand tends to be stronger. For left-handed people who live in a world designed for right-handed people, the same may  not  be true. To test this, muscle strength was measured on the right and left hands of a random sample of 15 left-handed men and the difference (left – right) was found. The alternative hypothesis is one-sided (left hand stronger).The resulting t-statistic was 1. 90. This is an example of A)  a two-sample t-test. B)  a paired t-test. C)  a pooled t-test. D)  an unpooled t-test. Feedback:  Since two measurements were taken per individ ual (i. e. for each man sampled muscle strength was measured on his right hand then his left hand) this would be a study using paired data. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 19. It is known that for right-handed people, the dominant (right) hand tends to be stronger. For left-handed people who live in a world designed for right-handed people, the same may  not  be true.To test this, muscle strength was measured on the right and left hands of a random sample of 15 left-handed men and the difference (left – right) was found. The alternative hypothesis is one-sided (left hand stronger). The resulting t-statistic was 1. 90. Assuming the conditions are met, based on the t-statistic of 1. 90 the appropriate decision for this test using ? = 0. 05 and using  T-Table  is: A)  df = 14, so p-value < 0. 05 and the null hypothesis can be rejected. B)  df = 14, so p-value > 0. 05 and the null hypothesis cannot be rejected. C)  df = 28, so p-value < 0. 05 and the null hypothesis can be rejected.D)  df = 28, so p-value > 0. 05 and the null hypothesis cannot be rejected. Feedback:  From  T-Table  and degrees of freedom equal to 15 ? 1 = 14 and a t-statistic of 1. 90, the p-value is between 0. 025 and 0. 050 which is less than 0. 05 making the appropriate decision to reject Ho. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 20. A shoe company wants to compare two materials, A and B, for use on the soles of boys' shoes. In this example, each of ten boys in a study wore a special pair of shoes with the sole of one shoe made from Material A and the sole on the other shoe made from Material B.The sole types were randomly assigned to account for systematic differences in wear between the left and right foot. After three months, the shoes are measured for wear. Let Ho: ? d  = 0 versus Ha: ? d  ? 0. From this random sample of 10 boys, the sample mean difference was 0. 41 and Sd  was 0. 387. If the p-value for this t est is 0. 009, then for a significance level of alpha = 0. 05, are the results statistically significant? A)  No, results are not statistically significant because the p-value < 0. 05. B)  Yes, results are statistically significant because the p-value < 0. 05.C)  No, results are not statistically significant because the p-value > 0. 05   D)  Yes, results are statistically significant because the p-value > 0. 05. Feedback:  Yes, results are statistically significant because the p-value < 0. 05. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 21. The maximum distance at which a highway sign can be read is determined for a sample of young people and a sample of older people. The mean distance is computed for each age group. What is the most appropriate  null  hypothesis about the means of the two groups? A)  The population means are different.B)  The sample means are different. C)  The population means are the same. D)  The sample means are th e same. Feedback:  The null hypothesis, Ho, would indicate that there is no difference and that this would take place in the population. The sample is used to test for a population difference. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 22. The p-value for a one-sided test for a mean was 0. 04. The p-value for the corresponding two-sided test would be: A)  0. 02 B)  0. 04 C)  0. 06 D)  0. 08 Feedback:  When we go from a 1-sided test of hypotheses to a 2-sided test we would double the p-value.Conversely, going from a 2-sided to a 1-sided we would cut the p-value in half. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 23. A shopper wanted to test whether there was a difference in the average waiting times at the check-out counter among 5 different supermarkets. She selected a random sample of 20 shoppers from each of the five supermarkets. What is the alternative hypothesis for this situation? A)  The average waiting time to check out is 25 minutes for all f ive supermarkets. B)  The average waiting time to check out is the same for all five supermarkets.C)  The average waiting time for each of the 100 shoppers is different. D)  The average waiting time to check out is not the same for all five supermarkets. Feedback:  The alternative hypothesis for an ANOVA test is that all the means are not the same, i. e. the means are not all equal. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 24. Which one of the following choices describes a problem for which an analysis of variance would be appropriate? A)  Comparing the proportion of successes for three different treatments of anxiety. Each treatment is tried on 100 patients.B)  Analyzing the relationship between high school GPA and college GPA. C)  Comparing the mean birth weights of newborn babies for three different racial groups. D)  Analyzing the relationship between gender and opinion about capital punishment (favor or oppose). Feedback:  The dependent (response) v ariable needs to be continuous and the different levels of the independent variable need to be mutually exclusive and categorical. This leads to the correct answer of mean birth weights (continuous response) across three racial groups (mutually exclusive, categorical). Points Earned:| 0. /1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 25. A study compared grade point averages (GPA) for students in a class: students were divided by 6 locations where they usually sat during lecture (i. e. left or right front, left or right center, left or right rear). A total sample size of 12 students was studied (2 students from each section) using one-way analysis of variance. What are the numerator and denominator degrees of freedom for the ANOVA F-test? A)  6 for numerator and 12 for denominator. B)  5 for numerator and 11 for denominator. C)  5 for numerator and 6 for denominator.Feedback:  The numerator degrees of freedom are found by taking the number of group levels minus 1 (this case 6 ? 1 = 5) and the denominator degrees of freedom are found by taking the total sample size minus the number of group levels (12 ? 6 = 6) Points Earned:| 0. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 26. A study compared testosterone levels among athletes in four sports: soccer, track, Lacrosse, and water polo. The total sample size was n =30 (10 soccer, 10 track, 5 Lacrosse, and 5 water polo). A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the population mean levels for the four sports.The sum of squared errors is SS Error = 100. What is the value of the Mean Square Error (MS Error)? A)  10 B)  3. 45 C)  3. 85 Feedback:  The MS Error is equal to the SS Error divided by the Error degrees of freedom (which are equal to the total sample size minus the number of group levels: 30 ? 4 = 26). Therefore, the answer is 100/26 = 3. 85 Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 27. On a survey conducted at a university, students were asked how they felt about their weight (about right, overweight , or underweight), and also were asked to record their grade point average (GPA).There were 235 responses, with 160 saying their weight was about right, 50 said they were overweight, and 17 underweight. The question of interest is whether mean GPA is the same or differs for different weight attitude populations. The test F-statistic value is 4. 98. The p-value of 0. 008 is found by calculating: A)  the area to the right of 4. 98 under an F-distribution with 2 and 232 degrees of freedom. B)  the area to the right of 4. 98 under an F-distribution with 2 and 234 degrees of freedom. C)  the area to the right of 4. 98 under an F-distribution with 2 and 231 degrees of freedom.Feedback:  The p-value is the probability of being greater than the F-statistic or simply the area to the right of the F-statistic with the corresponding degrees of freedom for the group (number of group levels minus 1, or 3 ? 1 = 2) and error (total sample size minus the number of group levels, or 235 ? 3 = 232) Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 28. Ninety people with high cholesterol are randomly divided into three groups of thirty, and a different treatment program for decreasing cholesterol is assigned to each group.The response variable is the change in cholesterol level after two months of treatment. An analysis of variance will be used to compare the three treatments. What null hypothesis is tested by this ANOVA F-test? A)  The sample variances are equal for the three treatment groups. B)  The population variances are equal for the three treatments. C)  The sample means are equal for the three treatment groups. D)  The population means are equal for the three treatments Feedback:  The null hypothesis for an ANOVA test is that all population means are equal. Points Earned:| 0. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 29.A study done by the Center for Academic Integrity at Rutgers University surveyed 2116 students at 21 colleges and universities. Some of the sch ools had an â€Å"honor code† and others did not. Of the students at schools with an honor code, 7% reported having plagiarized a paper via the Internet, while at schools with no honor code, 13% did so. (Sacramento Bee, Feb 29, 2000, D1. ) For this study, which of the following statements about percent increase in risk is correct? A)  There is a 185. 7% increase in the risk of plagiarism at a school with no honor code, compared to a school with an honor code. B)  There is an 85. % increase in the risk of plagiarism at a school with no honor code, compared to a school with an honor code. C)  There is a 53. 8% increase in the risk of plagiarism at a school with no honor code, compared to a school with an honor code. D)  There is a 6% increase in the risk of plagiarism at a school with no honor code, compared to a school with an honor code. Feedback:  The percentage increase is found by taking the difference in risks between one group minus the baseline and then dividi ng this difference by the baseline risk. Here the answer that makes sense is one using the â€Å"with honor† as the baseline.Doing so produces: (13%-7%)/7% = 85. 7% increase in plagiarism from â€Å"with honor† to â€Å"without honor†. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 30. Which of the following variables  COULD  be used in a Chi-Square analysis? A)  Gender B)  Political Party Affiliation C)  Race D)  Age E)  Course Section Number F)  All of the above Feedback:  All are possible as you could categorize age. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| F| 31. A survey looked at the opinions of 321 respondents from the General Social Survey by whether they owned a gun (or not) and whether they favored (or opposed) a law requiring a permit to own a gun.What is the correct  null  hypothesis for this survey? A)  There is  no  relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law perm it   B)  There is  no  relationship  in the sample  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit   C)  There  is  a relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit   D)  There  is  a relationship  in the sample  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit Feedback:  There is  no  relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit Points Earned:| 1. /1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 32. Based on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the percentage of 17-year olds who ever tried cigarette smoking is 56. 2%. The relative risk of ever smoking for a 17-year old versus a 12-year old is 3. 6. What is the risk of smoking for a 12-year-old (i. e. what was the percentage of 12-year olds who ever tried smoking)? A)  14. 1% B)  15. 6% C)  50. 0% D)  56. 2% Feedback:  You need to use algebra to solve: Relative risk (3. 6) = one group of interest (17 year olds who tried smoking = 56. %) divided by another group of interest (12 year olds who tried smoking and is unknown). Solving for the unknown comes to (3. 6)*(0. 562) = 0. 156 or 15. 6% Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 33. A survey examined the opinions of 321 respondents from the General Social Survey by whether they owned a gun (or not) and whether they favored (or opposed) a law requiring a permit to own a gun. What is the correct  alternative  hypothesis for this survey?A)  There is  no  relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit   B)  There is  no  relationship  in the sample  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit   C)  There  is  a relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit   D)  There  is  a relationship  in the sample  between gun ownership and opinion regard ing gun law permit Feedback:  There  is  a relationship  in the population  between gun ownership and opinion regarding gun law permit Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| |Correct Answer(s):| C| 34. A survey examined the opinions of 1447 respondents in the General Social Survey to the question â€Å"Do you favor or oppose the death penalty for persons convicted of murder? † The purpose of examining the data is to see if there is a gender difference in how people would respond to this question. State the  null  hypotheses for this study. A)  There is  no  relationship  in the population  between gender and opinion on the death penalty. B)  There is  no  relationship  in the sample  between gender and opinion on the death penalty.C)  There  is  a relationship  in the population  between gender and opinion on the death penalty. D)  There  is  a relationship  in the sample  between gender and opinion on the death penalty. Feedback:   The null hypothesis speaks of no relationship between the variables in the population. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 35. A regression was done for 20 cities with latitude as the explanatory variable (x) and average January temperature as the response variable (y). The latitude is measured in degrees and average January temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.The latitudes ranged from 26 (Miami) to 47 (Duluth) The regression equation is * y = 49. 4 – 0. 313x The city of Miami, Florida has latitude 26 degrees with average January temperature of 67 degrees Fahrenheit. 1. What is the estimated average January temperature for Miami, and  2. based on the regression equation, what is the residual? A)  Estimated January temperature is 36. 88 and the residual is – 11. 88   B)  Estimated January temperature is 36. 88 and the residual is 11. 88   C)  Estimated January temperature is 41. 3 and the residual is – 25.    D)  Estimated January te mperature is 41. 3 and the residual is 25. 7 Feedback:  The estimated January temperature is 41. 3 degrees Fahrenheit. The residual is 25. 7 degrees (residual = observed minus predicted) Points Earned:| 0. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| D| 36. Which of the following correlations indicates a stronger linear relationship between two variables? A)  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 0. 90 B)  0. 75 C)  0. 50 D)  1. 25 Feedback:  The correct answer is -0. 90. Recall that the  value  of the correlation indicates the strength and this value cannot be less than – 1 nor greater than + 1 (thus ruling out 1. 5 as an answer). The negative sign just indicates the direction of the relationship (positive or negative) and has no bearing on the strength of the relationship. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| A| 37. What is the effect of an outlier on the value of a correlation coefficient? A)  An outlier will always decrease a correlation coefficient. B)  An outlier will always increa se a correlation coefficient. C)  An outlier might either decrease or increase a correlation coefficient, depending on where it is in relation to the other points.D)  An outlier will have no effect on a correlation coefficient. Feedback:  See the lecture notes! Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 38. A group of adults aged 20 to 80 were tested to see how far away they could first hear an ambulance coming towards them. An equation describing the relationship between distance (in feet) and age was found to be: * Distance = 600 – 3 ? Age Based on the equation, what is the direction of the association between distance and age? A)  Positive B)  Negative C)  ZeroD)  Direction can’t be determined from the equation. Feedback:  The direction of an association can be ascertained by considering the sign of the slope. Since the slope is negative then so is the association. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| B| 39. Past data has shown t hat the regression line relating the final exam score and the midterm exam score for students who take statistics from a certain professor is * final exam = 50 + 0. 5 ? midterm For a student with a midterm score of 50, the predicted final exam score is: A)  50.B)  50. 5. C)  75. D)  100. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| 40. Which of the following is a possible values of R2  indicates the strongest linear relationship between two quantitative variables? A)  -90% B)  0% C)  80% D)  120% Feedback:  Remember that the range of R2  is from 0 to 100%. Thus 80% would indicate the strongest linear relationship, i. e. correlation, based on the square root of 0. 8 is greater than the square root or 0. Points Earned:| 1. 0/1. 0| | Correct Answer(s):| C| Bottom of Form