Impact of Social Networking and Blogging on Internet Usage Essay

Impact of Social Networking and Blogging on Internet Usage - Essay Example These are just limited uses of blogging and social networking. The wide spectrum of using these interactivities online entails that blogging and social networking bring people closer and turning the world into a global village where there are no distances (Jacqui 2010). Introduction Social networking has become an integral part of millions of Internet users around the world. When people come back to home from their work places and educational institutes, the first thing most of them prefer to do is to check their personal profiles on social networking websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and many others. They find it a facilitating medium for interacting with hundreds of people within and outside their national borders. Social network or social networking websites actually provides Internet user a virtual interface where they can share their ideas and thoughts. The social networking websites are usually used for studying the social relationships of people. The term social networking d escribes a person’s or group of persons’ social structure and is determined with the help of their communication and interaction with others (Lusted 2011, Aleman and Wartman 2009). On the other hand, blogs or blogging websites provides a personal space to Internet users where they can lodge their posts, ides, believes and views on certain issues, keeping in view the area of interest. Blogs usually contain write-up of a person, group of personals or organization aiming to discuss a single agenda subject. Scholars and web technologists first utilized blogs in 90s and to post content containing ideas and beliefs of these scholars and technologists. Since then, non-technical users are using blogs as well (Rettberg 2008). Social media and blogs has attracted masses towards utilizing these internet tools to share ideas, market their products and services and help out individuals who are looking for solutions to their problems, let it be professional or academic one. A resear ch conducted by University of Maryland reveals that people across the globe are becoming addicted to using social networking sites and blogs. Social media especially has become a major source of communicating with rest of the world. The academic research conducted on understanding how the social networking sites are reshaping the behavior states that Facebook, world’s most used social networking website, has become a primary source of communication among students. On professional level, social networking and blogging is utilized extensively for providing business solutions and discussing new technologies and innovations. In broader spectrum, Internet usage has increased after the introduction of blogging and social networking websites and the analysis of statistical data shows that it is expected to increase even more. Academic Usage of Internet Societies and individuals living in these societies are of the view that their internet usage has increased since the arrival of inf otainment add ons like Facebook, Twitter, Blogger Online, Flickr, and others (Ishak 2010). This is because these individuals can share their precious moments with others, and also, take guidance and suggestions regarding the problems and issues they are facing. Students goes to social networking sites and blogs at least four times a day in order to keep in touch with their friends, to ask their teachers for solutions to

Consumer culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer culture - Essay Example The second edition of  Consumer Culture  see the sights the nature and position of using up in up to date societies. Celia Lurys the latest revision of this flourishing classic set up the significance of latest object-based studies for consumer culture, and slot in new chapters on making and the increase of moral consumption. A "consumer culture" is that whose financial system is defined by the retail and expenditure of consumers. Consumer culture is strongly tied to capitalism, because it is determined by money. What differentiates it, though, is that it is not focused so much on the authority of money as it is on the joy that can be accquired through buying and owning personal property (SCHNEIDER, Anna, 2011). This review discusses the second, revised edition of Celia Lurys book Consumer Culture, which was initially published in 1996. Lury looked at the subject of consumer culture from the viewpoint of cultural sociology, arguing next to other sociologists that it arrive at far ahead of the area of the economic. Her plan is to give students and further concerned readers with a good quality, effortlessly reachable impression of the unusual features of consumer culture and the divergent angles as of which it can be observed. To achieve that, the book is divided into eight sections. The first chapter launches the idea of material culture (culture manifest in and being prejudiced by objects) of which consumer culture is viewed as a particular outline and of substance as mover of significance. The following part concentrates on the economical aspects of consumption, while chapter three cope with the function and changed insight of objects suggestive of somewhat ahead of their real worth in economy and daily utilization and their interrelationship with subjects to draw attention to the position attributable to consumer

Light Microscope to Determine Scale of Object

Light Microscope to Determine Scale of Object Light Microscope Syed Ibrahim Introduction The development of the microscope has been vital to much scientific advancement in biology (Kriss Kriss 1998). Microscopes allow humans to see objects that would otherwise be unseen by the naked eye. The light microscope uses a series of three lenses to magnify an object. The condenser lens align and focus the light from the illumination source through the stage, onto the specimen. (Murphy, 2001) After passing through the specimen, the light goes to the objective lens which collect diffracted light and magnify the image of the specimen, typically 4X, 10X, 40X, or 100X (Murphy, 2001). The light finally reaches the ocular lens. The ocular lens also focus and magnify the image, but this is typically 10X or 15X (Murphy, 2001). After passing through the ocular lens, the light reaches the observer’s eyes. Microscopes do not just magnify the image of an object, but also increase its resolution (Heidcamp et al., 2014). Magnification is the increase in the dimensions of an image, while resolution is the ability to distinguish two components of the image (Alberts et al., 2008). In other words, the magnification is the size of the image while the resolution is the clarity or quality of the image (Heidcamp et al., 2014). There is no limit of magnification because the size of an image can be increased indefinitely, but there is a limit of resolution because of the properties of light (Alberts et al., 2008). Due to diffraction, the limit of resolution for light microscopes is close to half the wavelength of light divided by the numerical aperture. (Hell, 2007). The numerical aperture is a measure of the number of light rays collected by the objective lens of a microscope, and it is dependent on the refractive index and the sine of half of the cone angle (Heidcamp et al., 2014). These can be c ombined to give the following equation (Heidcamp et al., 2014): Where: = wavelength of light = refractive index = half of the cone angle Based on the above equation, decreasing the wavelength of light, increasing the refractive index, or increasing the cone angle will decrease the limit of resolution, thus increasing the resolution of an image. The smallest limit of resolution of a light microscope is 0.2ÃŽ ¼m (Alberts et al., 2008). Microscopes can be used to examine microorganisms. In this lab Spirogyra, Paramecium and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were examined. Spirogyra are filamentous algae that are typically 10 µm-100 µm wide and their filaments may be a few centimeters long (Parmentier, 1999). Spirogyra are often found in freshwater are distinguishable by their spiral chloroplasts (Fathima et al., 2007). Paramecium are unicellular protists with cilia that are typically found in aquatic habitats and are usually 100 µm-3500 µm (Morgan, 1999; Wichterman, 1986). Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeasts) are unicellular fungi that are typically 3 µm-6 µm in size (Schneiter, 2004). Since the naked eyes limit of resolution is 100 µm, these organisms are too small to be observed by the human eye alone (Heidcamp et al., 2014). Light microscopy was used to increase magnification and resolution so that the individual organism as well as their internal structures may be clearly observed. The purpose of this lab was to use a bright field microscope to determine the scale of each objective, to examine Spirogyra, Paramecium, wild-type yeasts and fab1Δ mutant yeasts under a microscope, as well as to learn the essentials of micropipetting. Results Part A: Lab 1 Report Sheets Please refer to attached sheets. Part B: Answers to Assigned Questions When the dimensions for the letter â€Å"e† using 4X, 10X or the naked eye were compared in Exercise 1.2, they were all approximately the same, as seen below. Using the light microscope gave more precise dimensions as compared to the naked eye. When comparing the different magnifications of the light microscope, they had percentage differences of 4% and 8% in the length and width respectively. Overall, it makes sense that all three measurements gave roughly the same dimensions as they were all measuring the same specimen. Dimensions of the letter â€Å"e† Naked Eye: Light Microscope (4X): Light Microscope (10X): Percentage difference between 4X and 10X Based on the observations from Exercise 1.3, it was apparent that Spirogyra have cell walls while Paramecium do not. As well, Paramecium have cilia while Spirogyra do not. After pipetting as required for Exercise 1.4, a minute amount of water remained in the Eppendorf tube, and there was no air gap in the tip of the pipette. This means that slightly more than 50ÃŽ ¼L of water was pipetted into the Eppendorf tube. For this reason we practiced again, and this time no liquid remained. For future labs, we must ensure that we are extra attentive to ensure we pipette the correct amount of liquid. During Exercise 1.5, it was observed that fab1Δ mutant yeasts appeared to have a thicker cell membrane than the wild-type yeasts. This thicker cell membrane may have been an enlarged vacuole within the cell that was pressing up against the cell membrane. Part C: Research There are many types of light microscopes, including bright-field microscopes, dark-field microscopes and phase-contrast microscopes (Alberts et al., 2008). Phase contrast microscopes rely on the phase-shifting of light as it passes through parts of the specimen of different relative thickness and density (Zernike, 1942). Search Engine: Web of Science Search Terms: phase contrast microscopic [filtered by date from 1900 to 1950] Reference: Zernike, F. (1942). Phase contrast, a new method for the microscopic observation of transparent objects.Physica,9(7), 686-698. After researching, a microscope was found with the following specifications and price (Cole-Parmer, 2014): Microscope: Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera (3 megapixels), Binocular, 115 VAC, 60 Hz Distributer: Cole-Parmer Model Number: RK-48925-04 Approximate Price: $2,932.46CND/EACH Search Engine: Google Search Terms: Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera Reference: Cole-Parmer. (2014). Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera.Cole-Parmer. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.coleparmer.ca/Product/Phase_Contrast_Microscope_with_Digital_Camera_Binocular_115_VAC_60_Hz/RK-48925-04 References Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., Walter, P. (2008).Molecular Biology of the Cell(5th ed.). New York: Garland Science. Cole-Parmer. (2014). Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera.Cole-Parmer. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.coleparmer.ca/Product/Phase_Contrast_Microscope_with_Digital_Camera_Binocular_115_VAC_60_Hz/RK-48925-04 Fathima, M., Shantha, N., Rajagovindan, N. (2007).Botany(Revised ed.). Chennai: Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation. Heidcamp, W., Antonescu, C., Botelho, R., Victorio-Walz, L. (2014).Laboratory Manual: Cell Biology BLG311(Fall 2014 ed.). Toronto: Ryerson University. Hell, S. W. (2007). Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy.Science,316(5828), 1153-1158. Kriss, T. C., Kriss, V. M. (1998). History of the Operating Microscope: From Magnifying Glass to Microneurosurgery. Neurosurgery,42(4), 899-907. Morgan, M. (1999). Paramecium. Microscopy-UK. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/paramecium.html Murphy, D. B. (2001).Fundamentals of light microscopy and electronic imaging. New York: Wiley-Liss. Parmentier, J. (1999). Spirogyra. Microscopy-UK. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/spirogyra.html Schneiter, R. (2004).Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology of Yeast. Fribourg : University of Fribourg Switzerland. Wichterman, R. (1986).The Biology of Paramecium(2nd ed.). New York: Plenum Press. Zernike, F. (1942). Phase contrast, a new method for the microscopic observation of transparent objects.Physica,9(7), 686-698.

Knowledge Is Power & Words Are Strong :: Teaching Teachers Education Essays

Knowledge Is Power & Words Are Strong It was the end of my junior year of high school, when the excitement of summer vanished in two seconds. All my life I have always been placed in advanced classes, until my senior year. My junior year, my English teacher took me in the hall during one of our classes. Those few seconds in the hallway echo in my brain almost everyday. Without hesitation, she began saying, "Shafali, I think it would be best if you did not take A.P. English next year. I don’t think you will make it in the class." Feeling sick to my stomach, I returned to my seat. My self-confidence in myself was shot down. Words are strong; they can be used for good as well as bad. Teachers are more than "teachers." They have the power to encourage and fulfill dreams, however they also have the power to discourage and crush dreams. I have this wonderful dream to be able to see all the uniqueness and possibilities in all children. As a teacher if I am ever placed in a similar situation as above, I hope to encourage the student’s strengths and help improve on the student’s weaknesses. I will approach teaching as an adventure and not a chore. In my class, the students will not be the only one’s learning. I will be learning as much as the students. I have a BA in Communication Arts, seeking a BS in Education with a specialization in English 5-9 and Oral Communications 9-Adult. The combination of these two degrees will enable me to take a creative approach to motivate and teach my students. I believe each student is a great student; some students just do not know how to communicate their knowledge. People communicate 85% of the day to accomplish a task, yet the education system does not encourage communication classes. Oral communications will be an essential element in my classes, whether it is role playing or giving a speech. People’s number one fear is public speaking. If I can get students to overcome this fear, their self-confidence will enable them to accomplish anything. To accomplish my goal of having a motivating and creative class, I will encourage a lot of cooperative learning. In groups, students are able to motivate each other and collect a variety of ideas. I have always received positive feedback on group projects. My experience in school when studying for a test is ending up with an entire book highlighted from beginning to end.

Business Plan for Small Business Essay

Introduction While food trucks are very popular in the U.S, it seems under the strict by-laws in Ottawa as well as other cities in Canada as the government want to protect its citizens. With a growing demand for food trucks, the City of Ottawa has been forced to loosen restrictions on the mobile eateries, much to the approval of locals as well as chefs trying to make a mark on the culinary environment. In 2012, City Council approved the New Street Food Vending Program to encourage new, convenient and culturally diverse fare on City streets. There are now a total of 61 street food vendors permitted on Ottawa’s streets (32 trucks & 29 carts). In the spring of 2013, there was an addition of 17 new vendors (10 trucks & 7 carts). From oriental cuisine to Mexican treats, seasonal creations to sustainable seafood, these new vendors will complement the existing mix of street foods vendors and satisfy the diverse appetites of residents and tourists alike. According to the Ottawa’s new street food vending program, a food truck cannot be greater than 10 meters in length (33 feet), by 2.6 meters in width (8.5 feet), by 4.3 meters in height (14 feet). Refreshment trucks must: be clean and sanitary all the times be in compliance with size regulations be safe and stable condition and state of good repair have recycling and trash receptacles outside of the unit have a trade name written on both sides of vehicle with letters no smaller than 7cm in height be removed from City streets during non operating hours (11pm – 5:30am) not be left unattended for longer than 30 minutes during operating hours In addition, all licenses and permit holders must: dispose of grease and water in accordance with all laws and regulations ensure trash/recyclables resulting from the vending activity are collected and removed from the vending area before leaving for the day. Street Vending Insurance Information As a condition of being issued a mobile refreshment vehicle or cart license, you are required to obtain and maintain General Commercial Liability Insurance coverage which meets the following requirements: insurance for Public Liability and Property Damage for vehicles with a limit of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence insurance for Public Liability and Property Damage for carts with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence the City of Ottawa is named as an additional insured the policy must contain an endorsement to provide the City with 30 days prior notice of cancellation or change that would diminish coverage A mobile refreshment vehicle or cart license will not be issued until sufficient proof of insurance has been received and approved. Arrange for a vehicle or cart inspection Prepared to schedule for final inspection in time through By-law and Regulatory Services Branch. Contact Officer Jacqueline Mundy at 613 580 2424 EXT 33340 or by e-mail at jacqueline.mundy@ottawa.ca to arrange your on-site inspection. Food service inspection across Canada is generally carried out by these organizations: provincial governments, municipalities and regional health authorities Executive Summary The business is the restaurant/service industry. It is important for us to understand that customers are our top priority, and for this reason our business is entirely devoted to serving their needs There was recently an article in globe and mail about food allergies in Canada: â€Å"It is estimated that 5 to 6 per cent of young children and 3 to 4 per cent of adults suffer from food allergies. Nearly 1 per cent of the population is affected by celiac disease; for them, the consumption of foods containing gluten can lead to long-term complications.† (Galloway, 2012) The general public should not be worried for their health when they go out to enjoy a meal with loved ones, they should not have to concern themselves with counter-active measures every time they dine away from home. The Food Truck is a limited partnership and has both limited and general partners. The Food Truck will strive to provide the highest quality of food and service to their customers. This business idea had been put together by five people from different parts of the world, making a total contribution of $54543. The Food Truck targets a wide variety of markets, people from all parts of the world. Our number one goal is to make customers happy, no matter the cost, so that they feel happy, confident and motivated to recommend us to their friends, family and colleagues The Food Truck specializes in allergy free food. The menu that ‘The Food Truck’ has is all allergy-free products. However, we target all the potential customers but our biggest target market is people with food allergies or intolerance and these individuals are definitely going to love this food. People on limited diets experience challenges finding food that they can enjoy and The Food Truck will provide a simple and convenient dining experience. According to the analysis, a rough sketch of costs and expenses that are going to occur after selling 200 menu items a day will be: Due to the nature of our product, and the service our business provides to the community, our target market can be both broad and focused at the same time. It is broad in the sense that we will be serving the entirety of the Ottawa region on a region-by-region basis, a population that can be narrowed demographically to only an estimate of those people who have a food allergy or intolerance. For the first six months of business operations, we are simply looking to breakeven in terms of profitability. Any extra earned above and beyond our costs can be used to improve or upgrade our business, so that when our pricing objectives change, we can be one step ahead in terms of our ability to offer a better, more inclusive product. As our price objectives increase, we can further use the projected increase in profitability to both upgrade our primary location, and begin planning for  expansion. Based on initial investments by the management team, to create our start-up ownership spread in the business’ shares, we have $20,000 to apply to our beginning costs in this business venture (100 shares x $200/share). This will cover around half of the purchase of a food truck to use (Lagorio, 2010), or the total licensing fees and partial inventory needed to get started. This brings us up short around $60,000-$75,000 to cover our start up costs and first year expenses to ensure our business runs smoothly and has the time to begin showing its own profit. This report will analyze the very crucial information for the allergy food truck business. The information will be divided into different categories for better illustration. We will first discuss how our food truck business is unique and different from other types of food truck business. This report will give each individual or grouped investor better understanding of our unique food truck business and demonstrate great potential and opportunity that the allergy food truck has. And since the funding covers 90% of the start-up cost, it shouldn’t be hard for the owners to easily cover any unexpected expenses that can happen in business. And in case the funding is not granted, we have a backup plan (Plan B). So then we will be looking for other forms of financing, beginning with business loans from banks, and other investors. Manufacturing and Operation Plan The first step in our plan will be getting licensed from the City of Ottawa. Food truck design is also crucial. It’s almost like designing a new kitchen for a new restaurant. Because the food truck is smaller than most of restaurant kitchens, every inch of the space has to be utilized. A designated area for cooking, storing, and serving is needed. Dry goods, paper goods and other perishable items will be stored in the cabinets and cupboards which will be secured while driving. Built-in prep counter will be made of stainless steel and all the hazardous materials will always be kept away from food and serving utensils. Since we only serve specific items in our menu, we’ll use a medium size truck that can give us enough space to prep and serve. The serving window and the kitchen prep area will be made of stainless steel. All the freezers and coolers will be bolted for safety. In summer the ideal places are beaches and the Byward market. This truck will give enough space for employees to do their jobs and will also allow customers to order and get their food with ease. According to my analysis, a rough sketch of costs and expenses that are going to occur after selling 200 menu items in a month will be: Once the menu and business hits the market, the company will expand its business by buying a bigger truck which will have larger kitchen and serving area and where people can enjoy their food in the truck. So basically, it will be a mobile restaurant. Customers will have two choices, either enjoying their food on the roof or take out. The units will be equipped with proper ventilation and electrical outlets. The outside counter will hold sausages, napkins and all stuff like that as shown in first image. An awning over the window will also be handy in case of rain or bad weather (Mealy). The ownership and shares will cover the expenses for the first year and the licensing cost. The government funding will cover the cost of the truck and other expenses that cannot be covered by owners. And in case government funding is not granted, plan B will cover the cost of truck and other expenses. Once the business is up and running, the target is to sell between 7200-8000 items over the year, which means 15-20 items per day on average, which is easily achievable. After selling 7200 items, projected net profit after paying wages are calculated around $35000 which can be divided between the owners. Human Resources Plan The Key members of our business team are Suzanne Crabtree, Brent Grinstead, Phuong Anh Phan, Ding Sun and Amrinder Singh. Each member holds a varying number of shares for the company as detailed below: Name# Shares Held% Ownership Suzanne Crabtree40[40%] Brent Grinstead 30[30%] Phuong Anh Phan10[10%] Amrinder Singh10[10%] Ding Sun10[10%] Phuong Anh Phan graduated from Interior Decorating Program iscurrently completing Small and Medium Enterprise Management Program. Phuong Anh has worked 1 year as a designer at UMA, a design company. After that, 2 years of work experience were completed as an office administrator and designer at Markham Center Realty. Amrinder Singh completed high school in India before deciding to go overseas for higher studies and chose Algonquin College. He has worked as a cashier in a bank in India. In Canada, he has done roofing, worked in warehouses, mac’s as well as security positions. From all of this experience he has learnt how to run a business and things that we should and shouldn’t do. Ding Sun was originally born in China and at the age of fifteen came to Canada. Elementary and middle school was completed in China. High school was completed in Canada. Ding transferred from the University of Ottawa to Algonquin College for post-secondary studies. After an unhappy experience at the University of Ottawa, Ding decided to take business administration with a major in accounting. Ding Sun has worked in a dollar store as a store worker and cashier for one summer also as an assembler for a small factory. Outside of school Ding enjoys listening to music and playing video games. Brent Grinstead has switched educational goals twice in the last five years. Because of this, he has a diploma in Radio Broadcasting, a semester’s worth of pre-design courses, and his current program is Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Through his work in the Radio Broadcasting program, he has learned how to juggle multiple tasks at once. During his time as a radio station manager he was responsible for creating the structure for how the material was played over the air, scheduling students for air time, and both scheduling and approving commercial and music content. Business Administration has helped him learn new ways of looking behind the scenes of the business world, as well as providing many opportunities to gain new skills with those things in mind. He has learned how to do a wide range of new tasks such as writing fund proposals, how to write a variety of business reports, creating and presenting marketing strategies to help existing companies, and learning how to properly present financial statements at the end of fiscal periods. In his varied work experience with a mix of duties, Brent has learned a variety of skills including time management in an office setting, how to manage tasks according to importance, how to deal with the post public, and how client records and receivables were maintained. Suzie Crabtree completed her early education in the gifted program in Ottawa which helped teach her valuable learning and communications skills. After high school she began her post secondary education with three years at Carleton University. When she discovered that it was not the right fit, she transferred over to Algonquin College to complete Business Administration. In terms of work experience, she has worked for the City of Ottawa, the Federal Government, a toy store and McDonald’s. All of these experiences have provided her with exposure to a variety of different tasks. She has an excellent understanding of human resources and how to manage a successful team. She is a great communicator and is able to provide excellent customer service. These work experiences have also allowed her to have an inside look at the finances and other procedures involved in running a business such as inventory and payroll. Before we begin to hire staff for The Food Truck, each member of the management team will need to undergo some training in food allergies and intolerances so that they are better prepared to run the business and help  hire and train new staff. Due to a lack of relevant experience, menu creation and planning will have to be outsourced. As well, outside help will have to be brought in to train staff on new menu items. The Food Truck will require a total of eight (8) employees’ altogether. There will be one (1) full-time Manager, one (1) full-time Assistant Manager, one (1) full-time cook, one (1) full-time cashier, two (2) part-time cooks, and two (2) part-time cashiers. This balance of staff will allow The Food Truck to offer a reasonable range of working hours while still working to control labour costs. The Manager and Assistant Manager will be responsible for all of the day-to-day activities of the business and the business team listed above will oversee the overall running of the business. Our job application for The Food Truck is provided below. We are looking for employees with experience as a cook or cashier depending on the position applied for. Our Manager and Assistant Manager will need to have previous managerial experience in a food-related business. They should possess excellent administrative and analytical skills. They should be planning-oriented, cautious and focused on the short term. Our cooks and cashiers should have some previous experience in their related area and should be open to receiving training related to food allergies and intolerances. Experience is not mandatory and we are willing to train new individuals. Our cashiers must be friendly and outgoing and must possess excellent customer service skills. Experience handling money would be an asset for the cashiers. All individuals must be willing to work as a part of a team and must understand the close quarter’s nature of the food truck business. The cooks should also be friendly in nature since they will be working as a part of a team in a cramped space. All individuals must be responsible and committed to coming to work on time and doing a great job. To evaluate employees there will be periodic performance review sessions. The first review session will be a probationary session and will take place 60 days after hire. This session will determine whether or not the employee has a future with the organization. After the initial probationary session,  performance reviews will occur every 6 months. These performance reviews will allow employees’ to discuss ideas, questions, complaints and job expectations. Employee behaviour and attitudes will also be monitored on a daily basis and discussions regarding performance may take place at any point between review sessions. Wage increases will occur on a yearly basis with a performance review session at the end of the fiscal year. Employees will start off with a competitive wage varying from minimum wage to higher levels based on their experience, training and performance. Employees will be offered bonuses and incentives for working special events and help to attract and retain customers. Marketing Plan The Concept Our product is specifically targeted at people who have an allergy or intolerance to certain foods or food ingredients. We are striving to give them an alternative, healthy, safe option with respect to their needs with regards to these intolerances when they are looking for food options away from home. Because allergies are not a limited condition to a particular age group, the beginnings of our targeting will revolve around the population of Ottawa, from families with young children at home to college students to the elderly, anyone with an allergy or intolerance will fall within the realm of our market. We are looking to target those that are health conscious and looking for an alternative to the regular run-of-the-mill take-out food options in the city. Market Breakdown Due to the nature of our product, and the service our business provides to the community, our target market can be both broad and focused at the same time. It is broad in the sense that we will be serving the entirety of the Ottawa region on a region-by-region basis, a population that can be narrowed demographically to only an estimate of those people who have a food allergy or intolerance. The total population of the city of Ottawa was projected at  roughly 920,178 people for 2011, based on three possible scenarios the city officials examined, and an average taken of the results (City of Ottawa, 2001-13). Taking this number, we can further narrow our market by only targeting those that self-report an allergy or food intolerance, which is roughly 7% of Canadians (Health Canada, 2012). Using this percentage, we can limit our target market to around 64,412 people in the Ottawa region. Now, further, according to a study done by Statistics Canada, roughly a quarter of people in Ontario (26.8%) consume food from a fast food outlet on a regular basis (Garriguet, 2004), which further narrows our potential target market to around 17,262 regular users. The rest of the projected market (the remaining 47,150) can still be sought after as occasional users, but can’t be relied upon for a regular consumer or income base. Advantages and Disadvantages Because we will be operating a food-based business, there are a few advantages and disadvantages to consider, which include the following: Advantages Disadvantages We offer a unique product, and it is the sole product we market, making our niche market fill very focused We have analyzed and are trying to fill a very specific consumer need We can broaden our consumer base by reaching out to people who don’t have allergies, strictly on the premise that our food is a healthier alternative to regular take-out We are able to modify our menu as needed to better represent what our consumers are asking for or looking for in this kind of setting Alternatively, we can modify our menu based on profitability of items, trying new options with more inexpensive ingredients There are a wide range of food providers currently on the market (with some restaurants already offering allergy and intolerance alternatives) Allergy alternatives (making the same dishes with allergy conscious ingredients) can be more expensive to supply Starting up with one location may make it difficult to reach the broadest possible consumer base, until the foundation is reached and the business expands Proximity to other food providers may provide unnecessarily high levels of competition, making it difficult to  make an impact when starting up Environmental Analysis On top of these advantages and disadvantages, there are also a number of other environmental factors to be considered when evaluating our ability to make a strong market entry. Factors such as the competing businesses currently in the market, the legal climate and regulations specific to our business type, the political climate in the city (if relevant to our business), technological progress that may impact our business, the economic stability of the region, and any socio-cultural factors that may influence our target consumers either for or against our offerings. Some of the main points for each of these factors are summarized in the table below: Factor Description/Details Competition Based on a look at the food trucks around Ottawa that have reportedly been open recently (and can be considered our direct competition, due to the nature of business), only one in 22 boasts having gluten-free and vegetarian alternatives (and at least three are strictly dessert/snack style foods) (Street Food App, 2013), which further strengthens our niche, as consumers would need to venture into a restaurant to find other options. As well, 22 food trucks serving all of Ottawa makes it both an obviously lucrative venture, and a rather thinly spread one. Legal There are many regulatory acts in Canada concerning the sale of food, which is understandable, due to the consumable nature of food products, and the ramifications of bad foods. From acts concerning dairy products, to those concerning agriculture, to those that cover the licensing of food sales (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2013), all would need to be considered in beginning the start-up plans for our business. Political N/A Economic The average income of an Ottawa family in 2010 was $94,700 (Statistics Canada, 2012), which, when tied into the previous stated market size numbers, we can easily state with confidence that there are around 16,000 targetable families in the Ottawa region with this average income level. In addition, when tying the similar food economy to this, when taking into account that there are only 22 similar businesses open in Ottawa at any given time (most of which don’t offer allergy alternatives), the demand for a product similar to our own is fairly high, with a low supply. Technological The main technological factors that impact our business are any advances in allergy treatment. Elizabeth Landau of CNN reported that new experiments involving gradual exposure to allergens for people with severe allergies to foods such as peanuts has shown promise in increasing the tolerance of these people to the reaction-inducing foods (2010). With time, advances such as this could make allergy-free foods unnecessary, causing our business model to become obsolete. However, there is still no true cure for allergies. Socio-Cultural We are aiming to provide a location where the clientele can feel as though their allergies are understood as allergies and not as preferences (Hadley, 2006). As well, we are providing the assured cleanliness that people with allergies will come to expect, being assured that their food hasn’t come into contact with any risk factors, ensuring their comfort in dining out at our locations. The Plan We are looking to fill a very noticeable gap in the food market of the Ottawa region with a business that provides allergy conscious foods, foods that are provided with the guarantee that they have not come into contact with our individual consumers’ intolerances or allergies. We intend on doing this from a food truck style location, something that can be moved from location to location to better provide for our broadly spaced consumer base. This will also provide us with a higher ease of expanding the business as it begins to gain traction in the community, as we can simply purchase a new truck as the funds become available to better provide for our clientele. Pricing In terms of pricing, upon market entry, we intend on pursuing a penetrative pricing strategy, ensuring our prices fall slightly below the market average in order to encourage consumers to approach our business to satisfy their needs. As our client base increases, we can adopt a more aggressive pricing strategy like status quo to begin to increase our profitability as a business. Projections for this switch will fall around the six month after opening mark, in order to give our business the time it needs to properly establish a presence in both the market and the community it serves. Further down the line, we may adopt an even higher pricing strategy, leaning for towards premium pricing, to ensure we can offer the best product possible to our consumers. As we gain consumer base, and as their individual needs become prevalent, it may become clear that we aren’t equipped to satisfy all of their needs at the current cost point. Increasing our pricing in such a way shouldn’t discourage loyal consumers, but will enable us to better approach a broader, more inclusive menu of products that has the potential to vastly increase and improve our client relations. For the first six months of business operations, we are simply looking to breakeven in terms of profitability. Any extra earned above and beyond our costs can be used to improve or upgrade our business, so that when our pricing objectives change, we can be one step ahead in terms of our ability to offer a better, more inclusive product. As our price objectives increase, we can further use the projected increase in profitability to both upgrade our primary location, and begin planning for expansion. Distribution Our distribution plan is purely a point-of-sale endeavour. Consumers would come to our location, and we would serve them allergy free dishes there. As our business grows, however, we may begin to consider catering opportunities to help businesses with staff lunches and similar events. As well, we could delve into simply catering family events for families looking to be able to meet the needs of relatives, children, and so on who have food allergies or intolerances when planning larger family functions. These ideas would be pursued after a proper evaluation of the business model two or three years  into operations, based on how profitable the business is, where the demand for our product stands, how far our business has been able to expand, and whether we have the resources to pursue a venture such as this in addition to our standard operations. Advertising/Promotion Advertising efforts should be focused in the month prior to opening, for a huge push towards the grand opening of the business. The following outlines some of the standard rates available for advertising in Ottawa and the area: Advertising Method Costs Associated Newspaper Standard advertising with a newspaper such as the Ottawa Citizen ranges up to $60 an ad for their online site (Ottawa Citizen, 2013), something that would be worth considering as the online movement for news and newspapers has been fairly large, as traditional print media has started to decline in popularity. This would make it fairly easy to run an effective newspaper campaign for around or under $500 in the weeks leading up to the opening of our business. Radio Based on a contact at KISS FM in Ottawa, a standard rate for a 30 second radio commercial is $115, and they often offer one free for every one purchased (Tompkins, 2013). Because this is more expensive than newspaper advertising, within the last week before opening, we could run an effective campaign for $1150 (4 commercials per day x 5 days) Word of Mouth Word of mouth advertising is often the most important form that can be used, as people are far more willing to believe and trust what their friends have done or experienced than what an advertisement tells them. Following opening the business, it would be profitable to offer small incentives to the initial wave of consumers in order to encourage them to bring their friends out to the food truck (for example, offering 20% off their next dish if they bring a friend with them). The results of this marketing push can easily be determined through an assessment of weekly revenues when weighed against costs. If weeks go by consecutively where there is minimal or no profits showing, then it would be crucial to reassess the plan and make changes where necessary or able to. Though, when there are significant profits showing in the books, it may be wise at that point to continue as planned, to ensure the plan continues to be an effective means of profit generation. Financial Plan Based on initial investments by the management team, to create our start-up ownership spread in the business’ shares, we have $20,000 to apply to our beginning costs in this business venture (100 shares x $200/share). This will cover around half of the purchase of a food truck to use (Lagorio, 2010), or the total licensing fees and partial inventory needed to get started. This brings us up short around $60,000-$75,000 to cover our start up costs and first year expenses to ensure our business runs smoothly and has the time to begin showing its own profit. Funding we are expecting to receive include small business grants from the Government of Canada. This grant and loan system offers to cover up to 90% of the financing required to get a new small business started (Industry Canada, 2013). However, this funding isn’t guaranteed, so we will be looking for other forms of financing, beginning with business loans from banks, and other investors. According to our operating budgets, our two weeks first year costs will run at around $3,940, which will be more than covered with our projected sales numbers, which allow for peak season in the spring and summer months, and a slow season in the late fall and winter months (when people aren’t out on the street as much and running a food truck becomes costly and slightly impractical). In order to break even, we would have to sell 7200-8000 4,124 meal items over the course of the year, at a cost of $5 per item, or an average of 15-2011 items per day, which is a completely feasible goal to meet. With summer months bringing in more customers than the winter, the overflow would easily balance out those slow months, ensuring our goal was met and likely garnering some profits to put towards expansion and annual costs for our second year of business. And if the target is met, we can easily be able to pay a huge part of our debt or use the money in taking the business to the next level . The total projected yearly net income after paying wages are calculated to be around $35000 which can be divided by owners in their respective shares. Exit Strategy Our food truck concept is offering food alternatives without the reaction–including ingredients. Our service is serving the Ottawa communities from all range of different customers and different cultures as well. We hope to raise awareness of food allergies in the city, and demonstrate our own working solution to combat the shortage of allergy-friendly alternatives in the Ottawa area. As the business grows, we plan to turn our food truck shop into a franchise. According to Ottawa Public Health regulations related to food handling and storage, there are currently no restrictions on the types of food that may be sold on the street. On-street food vendors require a mobile refreshment vehicle business license and designated space permit issued by the City of Ottawa. The total annual fee for truck ranges from $4,703 to $6,748. The breakdown of these fees is as follows: Annual Business License Fee for Trucks: $2,981 6 Month Business License Fee for Trucks: $1,945 Annual Designated Space Permit Fee: Truck (Downtown Core): $3,767 Truck (Outside Core): $1,722 Permits and business licenses are issued annually and expire on May 15th. After the initial issuance of the permit and license, it is required to renew the permit and business license within the renewal period of April 25th to May 15th each year. Furthermore, we are aware of policies relating to food truck business as following: Public health oversight of food truck operations The operation of food trucks in public right-of-ways Policy statements pertaining to mobile food vending Economic development programs applicable to food trucks such as financial incentives, social media/technology tools or training Program for encouraging/promoting innovation in food trucks The Food Truck is a Corporation owned by five members. A Corporation Agreement is included to allocate the profits or losses in any ratio agreed to between the partners. Each partner will consult a separate attorney at the outset, and all members should agree on the set terms and conditions of the corporation. We believe that a food truck is a unique business niche; therefore we come up with a mini business review based on our business strategy, competitive landscape analysis, menu fit to consumer demographics, financial performance, management roles and responsibilities, employee qualifications, and community connection. We hope to expand our business to franchise in the next 3 years. However, we also look in consideration if there is an exit scenario for our business during the period or afterward. Because of this, we are focusing our energy on creating a business that buyers will want. We are working on our profitability, competitive edge, sustainability, scalability and corporate culture. In term of selling or passing on our business, we plan to hire the financial, legal tax and business advisor to help shepherd the sale through. This will prevent us  from stressful, time-consuming process fraught with moving parts and paperwork. Along with the financial, legal tax and business advisor, we will also find a business broker banker in the area. This will help us to set a realistic asking price and assembling the necessary marketing materials for our business. The broker will discreetly contact potential buyers on our behalf. When it comes to risks, we are looking into the matters with close focus to identify the current and future problems for further analysis and desired actions required to close the gap. There are vehicle risks, operation risks, and liability risks. For vehicle risks, the risks include auto accidents, fire, theft, flood, wind damage, hail damage and electrical breakdowns. These risks can be lessened through education and training. A commercial auto insurance coverage will help to mitigate the cost of damage and loss of operational readiness due to the physical structure of our business. For operator risks, we are faced with slips, falls, cuts, burns, smoke inhalation and back injury from all the heavy lifting that is required during the workload of the day. We are aware that our employees are our biggest asset and can also be our biggest liabilities. It is important to have them well trained for their jobs and duties. Worker’s compensation insurance will be added in their working contracts. For liability risks, food trucks pose liabilities to employees in many ways. Not only that they may hurt themselves during work, they are also at risk of food-related illnesses and auto accidents that are somewhat unique to food trucks. We are carefully considering investing in business insurance for liability, spoilage insurance, business automobile insurance and worker’s compensation in order to adequately cover their bases. We have also analyzed our competitive landscape that includes competitive food trucks, restaurants, and food carts in the regions of Ottawa. This will keep us up to date of the marketplace and our competitors. Beside the risks, we are building up our business strategy: Business physical location is the priority pick. We are in the process of choosing our business location. There are some options such as near office complexes, downtown urban areas, along busy roads, recreation destinations. We also cater private and public events if we can get the contract. Business physical design is an eye-catch for the first sight customers. Keeping the  menu simple that customers can read easily Keeping the menu at a degree of flavor familiarity which contain locally grown and allergy free ingredients Charging competitive prices. Budget discounts for bad weather (sales can falls up to 50%) Establishing a regular customer base by providing the same quality food and products Keeping a clean and welcoming business environment Having competent leaders and managers who guide the effort and monitor results Being flexible, with a willingness to re-evaluate based on performance feedback and to make necessary changes throughout the process in order to get the desired results As important as business strategy, marketing techniques are a must in this society of social and network. Using word of mouth Using social media (today’s special, chef tips, social only discounts, online to offline social gatherings), network to advertise our business (email marketing) Investing in business cards Hosting a grand opening event to establish our food truck as a member in the local community Having loyalty program for returning customers (Buy 10 get 1 free) Creating awareness by joining in charity funds Serving for holiday parties We are aware that customer service is the most signification investment that we should pay attention to in our business. We will show people that we love what we do. We will try to maintain a great product for a great price. Bibliography Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2013, April 26). Acts and Regulations. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Canadian Food Inspection Agency: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/acts-and-regulations/eng/1299846777345/1299847442232 City of Ottawa. (2001-2013). 1.4 Projection Results. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Ottawa: http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/get-know-your-city/statistics/14-projection-results City Of Ottawa. (n.d.). New street food vending program. Retrieved from http://ottawa.ca/en/business/business-licenses-applications-and-permits/business-licensing/new-street-food-vending City of Ottawa. (n.d.). Ottawa’s new street food vending program . Retrieved from http://ottawa.ca/sites/ottawa.ca/files/attachments/ottpage/nsf_vend_info_en_0.pdf Garriguet, D. (2004). Overview of Canadians’ Eating Habits. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Statistics Canada: http://publications.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/82-620-M/82-620-MIE2006002.pdf EMBO Reports: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1679775/ Hadley, C. (2006, November 11). Food allergies on the rise? Determining the prevalence of food allergies, and how quickly it is increasing, is the first step in tackling the problem. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Health Canada. (2012, August 22). Food Allergies and Intolerances. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/index-eng.php Industry Canada. (2013, April 2). Canada Small Business Financing Program. Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Industry Canada: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/csbfp-pfpec.nsf/eng/h_la00007.html Lagorio, C. (2010, May 12). How to Open a (Successful) Food Truck. Retrieved July 17, 2013, from Inc.: http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/opening-a-successful-food-truck.html Landau, E. (2010, February 19). ‘Exciting’ advance reported in peanut allergy therapy. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/19/aaas.food.allergies/index.html Mealy, L. (n.d.). Food truck design . Retrieved from http://restaurants.about.com/od/restaurantconcepts/a/food_truck_design.htm Ottawa Citizen. (2010-2013). Specs & Guides: Rate Card. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/about-ottawa-citizen/advertising/specs/rate-card.html Statistics Canada. (2012, June 27). Median total income, by family type, by census metropolitan area . Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Government of Canada: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/famil107a-eng.htm Street Food App. (2011-2013). Ottawa Food Trucks. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from Street Food App: http://streetfoodapp.com/ottawa Street food ottawa. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://streetfoodott.com/trucks-2/ Tompkins, J. (2013, May 21). quote (Email communication). Ottawa, ON, Canada.

“Beowulf” and “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Essay

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:The Importance of Literary Genre and Time Difference†They said that of all the kings upon earth / he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, / kindest to his people and keenest to win fame,† (Beowulf 97 ln. 3180-82). This is a description of the great king Beowulf, from the epic poem of the same name. â€Å"†¦Sir Gawain you are, / Whom all the world worships, whereso you ride; / Your honor, your courtesy are higest acclaimed / By lords and by ladies, by all living men,† (Sir Gawain 139 ln. 1226-29). This is a description of Sir Gawain, from the romantic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both of these heroes are obviously very highly viewed by those around them, although almost 600 years separates the writing of the two manuscripts. Beowulf, an epic poem, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a romantic poem, are two great literary works, both with nameless and possibly countless authors, separated by literary g enre and 6oo years of societal development. Beowulf is an epic, and as such follows certain characteristics that are unique to this form of poetry. The key to any epic is its hero and his flaw; the hero is required to have a flaw because the epic is a form of serious and tragic poetry that allows for few lighthearted moments. This particular epic centers around a young and eager adventurer named, of course, Beowulf, who is fueled by a desire to be remembered forever as a great hero. His calling comes when â€Å"†¦a fiend out of hell, / began to work his evil in the world. / Grendel was the name of this grim demon / haunting the marshes, marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens;† (Beowulf 33 ln. 100-04). Grendel also brings in the first otherworldly element of the poem, a characteristic specific to epics; this element is expanded upon when Beowulf tells of many sea monsters he destroyed in his youth, later when Grendel’s mother seeks revenge, and finally when the great dragon threatens Beowulfâ€℠¢s kingdom. The purpose for extremely long epics such as Beowulf (which is over 3000 lines, and likely longer due to destroyed sections of the original manuscript) lies in tradition and preservation. It is thought that the actual Beowulf lived around 450 A.D., but the epic was not recorded until approximately 700 A.D. – during this long gap, tales of Beowulf were passed down orally, a tradition of the Anglo-Saxons based upon the preservation of their unique culture. This culture was a serious one because the times of  the Anglo-Saxons were extremely dangerous – outside of their own clan they had no one to trust as any outsider was just as likely to kill them as look at them, lest he end up slain first. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in contrast to the epic, is a romance: a circular and lighter version of the epic based around a single quest. Like the hero of the epic, Gawain has a flaw that leads to his failing, but as the romance is lighter it does not lead to his death. Gawain is a pure young knight whose quest presents itself upon the appearance of the Green Knight at a holiday feast at King Arthur’s court. As in the epic, there is also an element of the fantastic present: â€Å"Great wonder grew in hall / At his hue most strange to see, / For man and gear and all / Were green as green could be,† (Sir Gawain 117 ln 147-50). The style of Sir Gawain follows the alliterative style of Beowulf that makes it easier to perform orally, but the romance mostly serves to entertain rather than preserve tradition or culture, as is the purpose of the epic. This is likely because while 1375 (the estimated time of Sir Gawain’s recording) was certainly still a rough time for anyone survival-wise, it was a less animalistic time than 700 A.D. as society had 600 years to develop in the interim. Camelot is described as a prosperous place with a grand castle and many luxuries – in the time of Beowulf the structures that preserved the Anglo-Saxons were more or less gigantic huts. Further, while Gawain does set out on a quest with his life on the line, there are no giant serpents attacking Camelot and eating its court members out of spite. To the Anglo-Saxons in 700 A.D., the comitatus was very important as all the thanes had was each other; the comitatus is also important in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but on a lesser level. This argument can be made because, although Sir Gawain sets out on a task to preserve his comitatus back at Camelot, he makes the adventure by himself; Beowulf is constantly surrounded by his band of men. Beowulf does separate from his thanes when he battles Grendel and his mother, but it is in the interest of their immediate preservation as the two monsters would happily gobble up any of them. The dire importance of the comitatus is also seen in Beowulf through the theme of revenge, which is not present in Sir Gawain. In 700 A.D., it was every  tribe for itself and there was no set form of law or legal system: if a man was murdered, the only reparations that could be made against his killer were those belonging to wergild. In the time that Sir Gawain takes place, there were entire kingdoms under the rule of the leader versus small tribes, and there was a better-established legal system for dealing with crimes such as murder. This legal system is also evident through the many contracts found in Sir Gawain, such as those between Gawain and the host during his stay: â€Å"‘And Gawain,’ said the good host, ‘agree now to this: / Whatever I win in the woods I will give you at eve, / And all you have earned you must offer to me,† (Sir Gawain 137 ln 1105-07). This particular contract also draws away from the importance of the comitatus because it involves the interest of only two men – if Beowulf received such an offer, it is likely he would split whatever he acquired amongst himself and his thanes. Religion is an important difference between the two novels and the times they were set in. In the time of Beowulf Paganism was still commonly present. In the time of Sir Gawain Christianity was the widely accepted religion. Religion in general is much more present in Sir Gawain, as the entire plot of the book revolves around Christian holidays and celebrations. Christianity affects even the attire of characters in the story. Sir Gawain’s shield shows that â€Å"he fittingly had / On the inner part of his shield [Mary’s] image portrayed, / That when his look on it lighted, he never lost heart,† (Sir Gawain 128 ln 648-50). The downfall Gawain suffers also has to do with his religion, as he puts faith in a magic baldric instead of in God, and in doing so is belittled and shamed by the Green Knight. In Beowulf, there is mention of God, but merely in passing – it is obvious that religion is not as important to the Anglo-Saxons of 700 A.D. as is the comitatus. T his goes back to the harshness of the time and the fact that all the faith the thanes had, they put in one another. The main factors that divide Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are literary genre and time difference. Throughout the 600 years that separated the creation of the two manuscripts, society developed, the legal system developed, the emphasis on the comitatus changed, and the popular religion turned from Paganism to Christianity. While all of these factors altered the  style of writing and the content of the two poems, the fact remains that Beowulf and Sir Gawain are two great literary heroes who strove to be all that they could. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. â€Å"Beowulf.† The Norton Anthology of EnglishLiterature. 8th ed. 2006. Greenblatt, Stephen. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† The Norton Anthology of EnglishLiterature. 8th ed. 2006.

Free Essays on The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare had a great understanding of human experiences. In the tragedy Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, the characters face problems still present today. Some examples of these problems are; manipulation, friends turning on friends, and not listening to others' warnings. In the play most of the problems were connected with Marcus Brutus, a close friend of Caesar's. First, is manipulation. Brutus manipulates Antony and all of Rome that Caesar's death was rightful and justified, by saying that he was becoming too powerful. Next is having a friend turn on you. Caesar had his best friend turn on him, when Brutus lead a conspiracy that successfully murdered Caesar. Last is not listening to the warnings of others. When the soothsayer told Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March", he didn't listen. Later, when it was the Ides of March, Caesar boasted to the soothsayer that "The Ides of March have come", and he was fine. The soothsayer then said "They have come, but not gone". Caesar also ignored this warning, and shortly after, he was killed. William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was in charge of the assassination was ironically, Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After examining Brutus’ relationship to Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy, and his importance to the plot, the truth can be revealed. Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Caesar, has a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. Brutus is very close to Caesar. In Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is close to him/her. In many points of the play, Brutus was talking and next to Caesar. Brutus also loves Caesar but fears his power. In the early acts of the play, Brutus says t... Free Essays on The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar Free Essays on The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar William Shakespeare had a great understanding of human experiences. In the tragedy Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, the characters face problems still present today. Some examples of these problems are; manipulation, friends turning on friends, and not listening to others' warnings. In the play most of the problems were connected with Marcus Brutus, a close friend of Caesar's. First, is manipulation. Brutus manipulates Antony and all of Rome that Caesar's death was rightful and justified, by saying that he was becoming too powerful. Next is having a friend turn on you. Caesar had his best friend turn on him, when Brutus lead a conspiracy that successfully murdered Caesar. Last is not listening to the warnings of others. When the soothsayer told Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March", he didn't listen. Later, when it was the Ides of March, Caesar boasted to the soothsayer that "The Ides of March have come", and he was fine. The soothsayer then said "They have come, but not gone". Caesar also ignored this warning, and shortly after, he was killed. William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was in charge of the assassination was ironically, Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After examining Brutus’ relationship to Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy, and his importance to the plot, the truth can be revealed. Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Caesar, has a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. Brutus is very close to Caesar. In Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is close to him/her. In many points of the play, Brutus was talking and next to Caesar. Brutus also loves Caesar but fears his power. In the early acts of the play, Brutus says t...

International Accounting Standards Board Relevance

International Accounting Standards Board Relevance Introduction The ‘International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) develops relevant standards for different accounting practices’ (Saudagaran 2011, p. 27). The IASB also promotes the application and use of different accounting standards. This agency identifies, develops, supports, and approves various International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Accounting Standards Board Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The IFRS Foundation monitors the operations and activities of the IASB. The IASB has been developing and promoting new IFRSs in an attempt to change the nature of accounting. This discussion explores how the IASB has become less relevant and representative today. How Representative and Relevant is the IASB? Many corporations and accountants are currently criticizing the role and relevance of this agency (Harper et al. 2012). For instance, t he IASB released new accounting standards between 2011 and 2014. Such standards have the power to change the manner in which corporations record their revenues. According to Zeff (2012, p. 812), ‘such standards will force companies to speed up the rate of revenue booking’. These practices will also defer revenues. This approach can also result in new accounting scandals or frauds. The issue of Revenue Reporting (RR) is another source of controversy. This is undeniable because it is impossible to establish when a company gets its revenues. The other issue arises from the use of International Financial Reporting Standards. This practice will have numerous implications on many companies and countries. For example, ‘the new standards will affect revenues because companies will have to examine the implications of different taxation laws’ (Harper et al. 2012, p. 469). These new changes do not examine the implications of different trade-offs and political interfer ences. These standards will ensure every company loses its quality. This development ‘will also increase the costs of capital’ (Saudagaran 2011, p. 59). The above situation explains why these new changes might not produce the targeted goals. Every market has its economic frameworks and factors. This fact explains why such international standards will have numerous impacts on different markets (Zeff 2012). Those who are opposed to the transparency of the original standards might not get the best results. The best practice is focusing on new accounting practices that have the potential to produce positive results.Advertising Looking for report on accounting? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These new accounting standards ‘have the potential to make the earnings of companies more volatile’ (Danjou 2014, p. 4). The standards will encourage more accountants and companies to change the time when th ey earned their revenues. Companies might incur numerous costs in an attempt to provide the required financial disclosures. The new practice will become extremely difficult for more companies. Most of these new rules will complicate the lives of different accountants and managers. As mentioned above, these new IASB accounting standards are detestable. The agency’s main goal was to identify new standards that can produce uniform accounting practices. However, this new move has not yielded much fruits. This is the case because such changes are currently under attack. This situation explains why the IASB has become less relevant today (Danjou 2014). This is the case because the new composition and governance of the IASB fails to consider the issues affecting different markets, regions, and companies (Zeff 2012). Conclusion The agreeable fact is that the IASB has been critical towards producing and supporting the most appropriate accounting principles. However, this idea of conve rgence will affect many corporations in different corners of the world. This problem explains why the agency should identify new changes. This approach will be critical towards making the IASB more relevant and representative. List of References Danjou, P 2014, An update on international financial reporting standards (IFRSS), https://www.ifrs.org/. Harper, A, Leatherbury, L, Machuca, A, Philips, J 2012, ‘The Impact of Switching to International Financial Stands on United States Businesses’, Journal of International Education Research, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 467-472.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Accounting Standards Board Relevance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Saudagaran, S 2011, International Accounting: A User Perspective, CCH, New York. Zeff, S 2012, ‘The Evolution of the IASC into the IASB and the Challenges it Faces’, The Accounting Review, vol. 87, no. 3, pp. 807-837.

About the U.S. House of Representatives

About the U.S. House of Representatives The United States is a large, fractured, diverse and yet still unified nation, and few government bodies reflect the paradox that is this country better than the House of Representatives. Key Takeaways: U.S. House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the two legislative bodies in the United States federal government.The House is currently made up of 435 representatives- referred to as congressmen or congresswomen- who serve an unlimited number of two-year terms. The number of representatives from each state is based on the state’s population.As required by the Constitution, representatives must reside in the state from which they are elected, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and be at least 25 years old.A representative’s primary duties include introducing, debating, and voting on bills, proposing amendments to bills, and serving on committees.The House has the exclusive powers to initiate all tax and spending bills and to impeach federal officials.   Metrics of the House The House is the lower of the two legislative bodies in the U.S. government. It has 435 members, with the number of representatives per state dependent upon that states population. House members serve two-year terms. Rather than represent their entire state, as Senate members do, they represent a specific district. This tends to give House members a closer link to their constituents-and more accountability, since they have but two years to satisfy voters before having to run for re-election. Also referred to as a congressman or congresswoman, a representative’s primary duties include introducing bills and resolutions, offering amendments and serving on committees.   Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, all sprawling but sparsely populated states, have just one representative each in the House; tiny states like Delaware and Vermont also send just one representative to the House. By contrast, California sends 53 representatives; Texas sends 32; New York sends 29, and Florida sends 25 representatives to Capitol Hill. The number of representatives each state is allotted is determined every 10 years in accordance with the federal census. Although the number has changed periodically through the years, the House has remained at 435 members since 1913, with shifts in representation occurring among different states. The system of House representation based on district population was part of the Great Compromise of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which led to the Permanent Seat of Government Act establishing the nations federal capital in Washington, DC. The House assembled for the first time in New York in 1789, moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, DC, in 1800. The Powers of the House While the Senates more exclusive membership may make it seem the more powerful of the two chambers of Congress, the House is charged with a vital task: the power to raise revenue through taxes. The House of Representatives also has the power of impeachment, in which a sitting president, vice president or other civil officials such as judges may be removed for high crimes and misdemeanors, as enumerated in the Constitution. The House is solely responsible for calling for impeachment. Once it decides to do so, the Senate tries that official to determine whether he or she should be convicted, which means automatic removal from office. Leading the House House leadership rests with the speaker of the house, usually a senior member of the majority party. The speaker applies House rules and refers bills to specific House committees for review. The speaker is also third in line to the presidency, after the vice president. Other leadership positions include the majority and minority leaders who monitor legislative activity on the floor, and the majority and minority whips who ensure that House members vote according to their respective parties positions. The  House Committee System The House is divided into committees in order to tackle the complex and various matters on which it legislates. House committees study bills and hold public hearings, gathering expert testimony and listening to voters. If a committee approves a bill, it then puts it before the entire House for debate. House committees have changed and evolved over time. Current committees include those on: agriculture;appropriations;armed services;the budget, education, and labor;energy and commerce;financial services;foreign affairs;homeland security;House administration;judiciary;natural resources;oversight and government reform;rules;science and technology;small business;standards of official conduct;transportation and infrastructure;veterans affairs; andways and means. In addition, House members may serve on joint committees with Senate members. The Raucous Chamber Given the shorter terms of House members, their relative proximity to their constituents and their larger numbers, the House is generally the more fractious and partisan of the two chambers. Its proceedings and deliberations, like those of the Senate, are recorded in the Congressional Record, ensuring transparency in the legislative process. Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer who also works as a copy editor for the Camden Courier-Post. She formerly worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she wrote about books, religion, sports, music, films, and restaurants. Updated by Robert Longley

Technology Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Technology Management - Essay Example In current era of technology, an important asset of the organization is technology. Strategy and planning considerations are considered to include the technology. Company objectives have direct links with the technology resources achieved through communication. There is lack of an appropriate framework that supports the technology management in a customer service organization. Organizations do not give importance to strategic significance of technology to deliver the value and competitive advantages. If a firm has adopted the information technology implementation, then at execution and controlling stages communication issues among the project participants are produced. IT project has various challenges for project managers that differ substantially from features of the non-ICT traditional assignments. Continuous advancement in technology where IT project operates has led the organization towards the considerable uncertainty and risk. Changing requirements and scope of the business firm produces the high level risk for the firm’s management (Fenech and Raffaele, 2013). In a firm, collaboration culture is not embedded with the empowerment of employees to use the advanced technology tools including the social networks, participation in a network and knowledge sharing. Employees do not post their ideas and avoid the information sharing due to lack of encouragement for technology use in the organization. Workers in the firm do not have the exclusive rights to their firm’s knowledge. Knowledge is only accumulated at top level in the firms and low level employees or workers are kept away from knowledge accumulation. A class of employees known as clerical workers who support their managers do not access the document management, emails, workflows and related activities through the software. Employees’ performance in the firm is linked associated with the technology change.

Mergers and Acquisitions of Vodafone Research Paper

Mergers and Acquisitions of Vodafone - Research Paper Example Verizon Wireless, which had been a part of Vodafone Plc., was growing very fast, and Vodafone wanted to dispose of its assets in the United States and focus on Europe. Vodafone had not had much success with Verizon Wireless compared to its other subsidiaries in Europe and Africa. As a result, it identified Verizon Wireless as a possible obstacle to its expansion in Europe and Africa. On the other hand, Verizon Communications – the parent company of Verizon Wireless, wanted to solidify its presence in the US market after making several acquisitions in the past years. It should also be noted that Verizon Communications previously owned Vodafone Italy that was part of an agreement they had signed previously. Vodafone wanted to buy back Vodafone Italy so that it could shore up its operations in Europe while Verizon Communications wanted to solidify its presence in the US market. Out of all the motivations for this acquisition, the two core ones were Vodafone’s need to exit the US market and Verizon’s need to expand. The result was the acquisition. The positive impacts of the deal were far-reaching. Vodafone shareholders received cash payments as a result of the deal, and this boosted investor confidence in the company. Vodafone’s shareholders received large payouts and after this deal was more likely to stick with the company than ever before. On the other hand, Verizon’s shareholders were in line to receive increments in dividend income and possible increments in the company’s stock.

How Does the Iranian Nuclear Program Affect the GCC Countries National Research Paper

How Does the Iranian Nuclear Program Affect the GCC Countries National Security - Research Paper Example The national security also supports inclusion of any environmental threats such as natural disasters and occurrences resulting in damaging the environment of a state. If we go down to the memory lane of the Iranian history that is linked with nuclear arsenal, it is indicative that their nuclear program was initiated in the year 1957, when a proposed agreement for cooperation in research for the peaceful use of atomic energy came into being under the guise of Eisenhowers  Atoms for Peace program. Later in the year 1967, an institution known as  Tehran Nuclear Research Center  (TNRC) was established, run by the  Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). TNRC was comprised of U.S supplied 5 megawatt nuclear  research reactor, fueled by  highly enriched uranium. In 1968 Iran had signed the  Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty  (NPT) ratified in the year 1970 that makes Irans nuclear program subject to verification of IAEA. During the era of Shah, plan was approved to construct 23 nuclear power stations with the assistance of USA to be completed by the end of 2000.  In March 1974, Shah categorically announced that Petroleum is a precious material to burn. In future, we will be producing, 23,000 megawatts of electricity through utilization of nuclear plants as soon as we can just to save the expensive material. U.S. and European companies are beating about the bush, to get the job done in Iran.  The first plant at Bushehr, was established to provide energy to the city of Shiraz. For this purpose, in the year 1975, a contract worth $4 to  $6 billion was signed executed by Siemens AG  and  AEG respectively  to build  pressurized water reactor  nuclear power plant in 1981. Further development that took place at a later stage is that Sweden’s 10% share in  Eurodif  gone to Iran.  Cogà ©ma the subsidiary of French government  and the Iranian Government had established the Sofidif Company with 60% and 40% shares. In return, the Sofidif acquired a

Final Essay Exam Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Exam - Essay Example A clear path on which to formulate or base project costs is almost non- existent. For instance, each software project is distinct it might be mobile app for a specific institution like a University, bank, or government institution. The initial project cost might be underestimated due to the initial inadequacy of details. The cost quickly increases at the instance of an arising complication. For instance, in installing the hardware might be incompatible with the software. Alternatively, the scope might expand to unexpected dimensions. In addition, IT projects often entail the integration of new technologies. There are high risks associated with the use of new technologies in projects. The complex problems that arise during the project might lead to increased prices or closure of the project. New technology can swiftly derail the budget project to unexpectedly high volumes (Bittner and Gregorc 45). For instance, software is often developed independent of the operating system. Consequently, if the software developed is not compatible with the operating system then, it must be adjusted. This usually results in many and unexpected costs. Thus, more often than not, the cost management of an IT project is not accurately done by the IT professionals. Furthermore, IT professionals lack a business background. Therefore, they do not understand the significance of basic finance and accounting principles. They do not understand concepts such as value analysis, sunk costs, profits, learning curve theory, and return on investm ent or pay back analysis (Bittner and Gregorc 45). The inability to grasp these concepts often leads to cost overruns or abandonment of the project. Earned value management is an analysis technique applied in monitoring a projects status and progress. It is a highly valuable tool in forecasting the probable future performance of the project. Earned value management utilizes cost, schedule, and scope in the analysis

Building an Access Control System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Building an Access Control System - Case Study Example Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system.   The use of smart cards will be implemented in this case scenario. Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system. The microelectronic access control system allows access based on the permit presented on the cards. When access is allowed, the door is unlocked for a programmed time frame and the operation is recorded on a database located in another location on a computer. When access is not granted, then the door remains locked and the attempted entrance is recorded onto the system to assist in future auditing. The system is also expected to monitor the door and provides an alarm sound notification in case the door remains open for long after being unlocked or in the event the door is forcefully opened. The term access control denotes the exercise of limiting access to a building, a property, or a room to accredited persons. Thus, for an access control system, there are a set of policies that are mandatory for configuration onto the system with an expertise and high level trusted the programmer to administrate the system. This event is expected to involve a read operation on the smart card to acquire entity information. A write operation can be involved after authentication of the read operation on the card to verify the credentials of a given user who wants to access the system at a given time. This process entails the authentication of cards information and its linkage to a particular user registered on the system. Credentials are essential to be able to trace back transaction and document them on the data storage units allied to the system databases. The identification process is aimed at verifying that the entities involved with the system are allowed and their identities are bound to them. This can be a PIN number or serial number assigned to them by a system administrator. In this case scenario, the use of smart cards will have barcodes or magnetic codes which aid in information storage about a single user.

LOVE Bussines Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LOVE Bussines Law - Essay Example At the same time, employment law also deals with the various actions of workers and employers, human rights and responsibilities, in addition to their affiliation with one another. In this particular case, Jill Johansen is an MBA graduate from recognized university and this enhances her capability for quick employment in any firm. Soon after this, she applies for a job in St. Louis, Missouri, a firm of â€Å"Momma Mia.† After careful examination of all the resumes, the company wishes to hire a young MBA graduate who can support their business development, enhance their public image and influence customers and clients with pleasantness and charm. However, the company primarily intends to cash on the beauty of the incumbent. The position would need the workers to travel and build up other professionals in the branch offices. After the interview, selection, photo shoot test and on camera presentation, Jill is hired as an independent contractor and in that capability she signs a agreement for $90,000.00 as year for 5years. The agreement includes an arbitration mediation clause, which needs her to complete this process if there is an agreement dispute and th e results will be lawfully binding and she will waive her future civil rights in state and federal court to contest any kinds of violations in employment. Within two months of her posting, she finds that the company also needs her to be the one of the key participant of the client escort service. It is clear that during the initial selection procedure she is aware of this job requirement. She comes from a background of strong religious beliefs and, therefore, she is not in a position to do the escort service. Thus, she opposes the organization’s service and approaches the justice department to turn out be a key witness. Once the organization is indicted, they fire her and refuse to honor the agreement. In this case, she is liable to get compensation from the company. A contract proposes to

Building an Access Control System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Building an Access Control System - Case Study Example Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system.   The use of smart cards will be implemented in this case scenario. Card readers will be utilized in decoding personal information and data when using the system. The microelectronic access control system allows access based on the permit presented on the cards. When access is allowed, the door is unlocked for a programmed time frame and the operation is recorded on a database located in another location on a computer. When access is not granted, then the door remains locked and the attempted entrance is recorded onto the system to assist in future auditing. The system is also expected to monitor the door and provides an alarm sound notification in case the door remains open for long after being unlocked or in the event the door is forcefully opened. The term access control denotes the exercise of limiting access to a building, a property, or a room to accredited persons. Thus, for an access control system, there are a set of policies that are mandatory for configuration onto the system with an expertise and high level trusted the programmer to administrate the system. This event is expected to involve a read operation on the smart card to acquire entity information. A write operation can be involved after authentication of the read operation on the card to verify the credentials of a given user who wants to access the system at a given time. This process entails the authentication of cards information and its linkage to a particular user registered on the system. Credentials are essential to be able to trace back transaction and document them on the data storage units allied to the system databases. The identification process is aimed at verifying that the entities involved with the system are allowed and their identities are bound to them. This can be a PIN number or serial number assigned to them by a system administrator. In this case scenario, the use of smart cards will have barcodes or magnetic codes which aid in information storage about a single user.

Hawaii Watersports Essay Example for Free

Hawaii Watersports Essay With the white sandy beaches and crystal clear water Hawaii is the ideal place for ocean water sports. There are a wide range of water sports, from highly aggressive to leisurely sports that all types of people can enjoy. There are even sports which are specific only to the exotic islands encompassing this magnificent state. Taking a look at each individual sport will excite and possible mystify the sports enthusiast. Today we will take a look at sea kayaking, kite boarding, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, and scuba diving. Sea kayaking is an exhilarating and physically challenging sport. One must be sure to have the proper equipment and technique before heading out into the salty blue. It is said that kayakers ‘wear their kayaks’ and selecting a proper sea kayak, one that fits comfortably to your body type, can be a difficult task. First make sure that you fit comfortable in the pit. It should be snug, but not tight. If it is loose it may be difficult to maneuver. Kayaking is relaxing and comfortable sport especially around the islands. There are many ecological kayaking tours offered throughout Hawaii that will take you places and show you some of the amazing creatures and sites of the islands. Kite boarding is a new age surface water sport that is trendy among young people. Kite boarding is very similar to wakeboarding with the exception that the board is controlling their own movements with a kite, fully equipped with handle, instead of being pulled by a boat. Kite boarding is an extreme sport combining balance and coordination with the unique technique of keeping a kite in the air. Kite boarders have an unrivaled experience as they let the wind control their moves and can sometimes reach heights of 30 feet, and if they skilled and adventurous they may be able to do flips and other stunts before smoothly returning to the ocean. It is recommended that the new kite boarder takes a few lessons to learn proper techniques before venturing out on a kite boarding adventure. Surfing is a timeless and classic sport. Surfing like kite boarding is a surface water sport where the participant rides waves while balancing on a surf board. Surfing can actually be broken into many categories including body boarding, windsurfing, and body surfing. Body boarding is best described by using your body to ride a foam board over waves. Windsurfing uses both aspects of surfing and sailing. A windsurf board is a surf board with a sail attached. The windsurfer steers themselves with the sail and rides the wave as a surfer would. Body surfing is actually what the name implies, using one’s body to ride the waves. Body surfers are usually equipped with nothing by swim fins to take on the task of riding the breaking waves. Sailing is a leisurely recreation sport in which a person, or group of people, steer a ship or sail boat using sails. Sail boats move forward because of the inertia caused when the wind is caught in the sail. Sailing is a technical sport and the proper skills must be learned before heading out to sea. Scuba diving is another popular sport among the islands. Scuba requires a certification because of the danger involved. There are many short certification courses for tourists to partake in. These courses cover the essentials and make time for some short open water dives were the scuba can explore the exotic world on ocean water. Hawaii is an exotic place with many things to offer the adventurer or sports enthusiast. It is important to learn the techniques of the sports one wishes to indulge themselves in to ensure a safe and happy stay on the islands.

Effect Of Substrates On The Respiration Of Yeast Biology Essay

Effect Of Substrates On The Respiration Of Yeast Biology Essay The aim of this investigation is to examine what effects different substrates have on the respiration of yeast. I will investigate this by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide evolved during anaerobic respiration. Pilot Experiment: Before we could test which carbohydrate and type of yeast produced more carbon dioxide, we had to standardise the other variables of this experiment; temperature and concentration. Therefore, in order to find the optimum conditions we carried out a pilot experiment. In this experiment we used a range of temperatures from 10ËÅ ¡ to 60ËÅ ¡C and three different concentrations of carbohydrate 1%, 5% and 10%. The experiment was carried out as a group experiment with everyone being allocated a different temperature and concentration to test. It was carried out over a standardised period of 5 minutes. The rationale for conducting this pilot experiment was that enzymes are biological catalysts that are made up of globular proteins which are activated to work by temperature. They exist in the yeast and our bodies and therefore work best at 40ËÅ ¡C, however, they denature soon after and so our body temperature is kept at 37ËÅ ¡C to ensure this does not happen. Denaturation is the irreversible loss of 3D structure of enzymes and can be caused by excess heat or a change in PH. According to the Collision theory however, in order for a reaction to take place a certain level of energy, called the activation energy, must be reached. This energy needs to be reached by the particles colliding in the right way and fast enough, so a reaction can take place. By giving the particles more energy it encourages more to collide therefore the activation energy can be reached and a reaction can happen. The kinetic theory explains the effect of temperature, volume and pressure on the number of collisions. The theory states that if temperature is increased the particles gain more energy and there are more collisions in a given time. Similarly, increasing the concentration means than there is a higher chance of a collision happening because there are more particles in a given volume. If the concentration of carbohydrate/yeast is increased there are more enzymes known as z ymase, produced. This means there are more active sites for the carbohydrate substrate to attach to and the reaction happens faster. Therefore a balance must be reached between temperature so it does not denature the enzymes but is high enough to activate a reaction. Also, having a highly concentrated solution is seemingly advantageous but this can cause osmotic problems, so another balance must be reached, as to avoid this problem, but not to discourage a reaction. Apparatus: Beehive shelf Clamp Stand 50ml conical flask Trough Clamp Thermometer 50cm3 measuring cylinder Heat proof mat Spill 500ml beaker Bunsen burner Delivery tube with bung Tripod Gauze Stopwatch 25cm3 of bakers yeast 25cm3 of sucrose Electronic water-bath Method: 25cm3 of bakers yeast and 25 cm3 of sucrose was mixed together and preheated at the required temperature for 15 minutes in an electronic water-bath. 400cm3 of water was preheated to the same temperature as the yeast using the Bunsen burner. The trough was filled with water and a measuring cylinder was inverted by filling it with water then pressing a piece of paper onto the top to prevent any air bubbles from getting in. The beehive shelf was placed in the centre of the trough and the measuring cylinder was clamped in place, with the top resting on the beehive shelf, the hole being directly under it. The yeast was placed in the preheated water-bath and the bung from the delivery tube was replaced. The delivery tube was inserted into the hole in the side of the beehive shelf and the stop watch was started. Thirty seconds was timed then the beaker with the yeast/carbohydrate mix was swirled for 5 seconds to mix the yeast/carbohydrate. This was repeated every thirty seconds for fifteen minutes, with readings being taken at three five minute intervals. The correct temperature in the water bath was maintained by adding more hot water to it throughout the experiment. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: YEAST Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as yeast, is a micro organism that uses saprophytic digestion to break down substrates. This is achieved through releasing specific enzymes to break down specific substrates, but if yeast does not contain a certain types of enzyme then it cannot break down its substrate. The more the enzyme of a particular substrate, the faster the rate of breakdown and therefore the more CO2 is produced. This will help me to test how much CO2 each substrate produces. Yeast can also respire aerobically and anerobically depending on the availability of O2. If there is plentiful of O2 then yeast would respire aerobically with sugars, producing H2O and CO2 as waste products. However, if no oxygen is available then the fermentation would occur which converts sugars into CO2 and ethanol. RESPIRATION Respiration is the process by which energy is released energy from glucose in the presence of Oxygen, forming carbon dioxide and water as waste products. Glucose releases energy in a series of reactions that take place inside components of the cell. The stages are briefly explained below: GLYCOLYSIS To get the sugar in a more reactive form it is produced to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate by the addition 2 phosphate molecules. This process is a phosphorylation reaction. The fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is then broken down into 2 molecules of glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate, which comprises of 3C each. The glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate converted into pyruvate via the oxidation process where each GAL3P molecule releases 2 hydrogen ions and 2 electrons. The electrons are then transferred to NAD to produce NADH (reduced NAD) and the energy is used to produce 4ATP from 4ADP and 4Pi. Finally there is a net yield of 2 molecules of ATP, and 2 molecules of pyruvate which is used in the link reaction and 2 molecules of reduced NAD which carries on to the link reaction. LINK REACTION In the link reaction the 2 molecules of pyruvate leave the cytoplasm of the cell and enter the mitochondrial matrix. This is an oxidation reaction where 2 NAD molecules oxidise 2 pyruvate molecules into 2 acid molecules. These 2 molecules of acetic acid then go on to combine with 2 coenzyme-A molecules to form Acetyl Co enzyme A. in the end of this stage 2 molecules of reduced NAD form, 2 molecules of CO2 is lost and most importantly, Acetyl Co enzyme A is formed through the conversion of pyruvate. This is then used in the next stage of respiration. KREBS CYCLE At the start Acetyl Coenzyme A , combines with Citrate Synthase an enzyme as well and a 4 carbon molecule called oxaloacetate, forming Citrate. Then, Citrate goes through the process of oxidative decarboxylation which forms a 5 carbon molecule called oxoglutarate.at this point NADH is produced and CO2 is removed. In the latter stages of the krebs cycle, the oxoglutarate is changed into a 4 carbon oxaloacetate molecule. NADH is made and 1 molecule ATP is also made. The volume of CO2 that is produced in the krebs cycle is important as this is the dependant variable. ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN In this stage all of the NADH and FADH that has been produced in the previous stages is converted into ATP. This takes place in the cristae of the mitochondria. The NADH and FADH electrons move. When the electrons pass from one carrier to another, a series of reduction and oxidation reactions take place which releases energy in the process. This energy is used to pump H+ ions from the matrix into the intermembrane space, thus creating a gradient where the concentration of the H+ ions in the intermembranal space is higher than it s in the matrix. The inner membrane contains enzymes called ATP Synthase and The H+ ions diffuse through these enzymes causing energy to be released which is used to synthesise ATP through phosphorylation. The process is called because the final terminal electron acceptor is oxygen which picks up the electrons from the chain and the H+ ion from the matrix to form H20 as a waste product. This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme Cytochrome Oxidase For every NADH which enters the chain and is oxidised by NADH dehydrogenase, 3 ATP are produced. For each FADH that enters the chain, 2 molecules of ATP are made. ENZYMES Enzymes are proteins that can effectively increase the rate of a reaction by lowering the required energy (activation energy) needed in order for the reaction to occur. Enzymes have a tertiary structure which decides the shape of the active site. The substrate must be specific to the active site because if they were not complementary to each other, then the substrate can no longer bind to the active site, thus the enzyme substrate complex does not form. The performance of enzymes can be affected in several ways some of which I have explained below. TEMPERATURE An increase in temperature will cause an increase in the rate of reaction because both the enzyme particles and substrate particles have gained kinetic energy. This will result in the particles to move faster, thus increasing collision frequency and the numbers of successful collisions as the particles have the required activation energy. If the temperature rises above the optimum temperature then the enzymes can become denatured. This happens because the enzyme molecule vibrates more causing the weak hydrogen bonds (holding the 3D structure of the enzyme together) to break. This eventually leads to the shape of the active site being altered. Consequently, the substrate will not be able to bind with the substrate as the shape of the active site is no longer complementary so the substrate enzyme complex can not form. This is important in my experiment because if the yeast (enzyme) was to become denatured then it would not be able to bind with the substrate (e.g. glucose) and the react ion would not be catalysed, preventing any CO2 from being formed. I must ensure that temperature is kept constant throughout. PH Another factor which can affect enzymes is pH. Enzymes also have an optimum pH which is pH enzymes work best at. Changing the pH can change the tertiary structure due to the number of H+ ion in an acid or the OH- ions in an alkali. These ions disrupt the hydrogen and ionic bonds between -NH2 and -COOH. This will cause the tertiary structure to break down and changing the active site in the process. Once again, the substrate will no longer be able to bind with the active site, hence no substrate enzyme complex will form. I intend to use a buffer solution which will resist any changes in pH. SUBSTRATE CONCENTRATION Increasing substrate concentration increases enzyme activity as they are more molecules to occupy the active site, thus a faster reaction. If more enzyme substrate complex forms then more CO2 will be produced. However this is occurs only for a certain period until all the active sites are saturated with substrates. Therefore an increase in substrate concentration will not result in a increase in the rate of reaction. Carbohydrates such as glucose and sucrose are too soluble and reactive to be stored as they come as they would present osmotic problems and so they are stored in much more complex, insoluble structures known as polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are macromolecules formed by the joining of many monosaccharides together in condensation reactions. There can be more than 3000 repeating units in a chain, joined by glycosidic bonds, forming many complicated structures, one being starch. Starch is a polymer of alpha glucose, where the hydroxyl group is below the ring, and is made up of 30% amylose and 70% amylopectin. Amylose is a long polymer consisting of over 300 monomers joined by 1,4 glycosidic bonds. Amylopectin gives starch its compact store of energy property as it consists of monomers of glucose in 1,4 and 1,6 linkages causing the chain to branch out. Amylopectin can contain several thousand monomers and forms a coiled up structure which is a valuable store of energy for living organisms. Starch is suited to storage as it is insoluble in water and therefore cannot move out of the cells during osmosis. However, it can easily be broken down to produce simpler carbohydrates by a hydrolysis reaction via the enzyme zymase produced by yeast. It is broken down firstly into maltose then into glucose then into carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol. In this experiment we used two different types of the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (saccharo meaning sugar and myces meaning fungus) sub- species of yeast to respire the carbohydrates; bakers and brewers. Both are made up of small cells, separated by walls of cellulose with a living organism inside called a protoplasm. Yeast cells reproduce by budding, and do so every two to three hours under ideal conditions. All types of yeast will respire carbohydrates to make energy in order to reproduce. Therefore, when sugar is added to the Brewers yeast, the yeast cells secrete the enzyme zymase to begin respiring the carbohydrate substrate according to the following equation: C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + 2900kJ Glucose + Oxygen = Carbon + water + Energy dioxide This is known as aerobic respiration due to the presence of oxygen, (defined as free or molecular oxygen atoms participating in the respiratory breakdown of organic substances). Brewers, however, are more interested in anaerobic respiration, (defined as when the respiratory breakdown of organic substrates takes place without the participation of free or molecular oxygen atoms). In yeast, anaerobic respiration is sometimes called fermentation. This happens when the enzyme secreted by yeast, known as zymase, catalyses the break down of glucose to produce ethyl alcohol, in abundance and less carbon dioxide, (which they use to create the fizz). It happens that starch is broken down to form maltose, maltose is broken down into glucose and glucose breaks down according to either the aerobic or anaerobic respiration equation, depending on the conditions. Therefore, Brewers use anaerobic (airtight) conditions and most of the reaction happens according to this equation: C6H12O6= 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 + 84kJ Glucose = Ethyl + Carbon + Energy Alcohol dioxide This produces the desired product i.e. the alcohol and the bi- product of carbon dioxide, which we collect in this experiment. The Bakers yeast is very similar to Brewers except it is used for a slightly different commercial purpose i.e. bread making. The yeast respires aerobically in this process as the main function is to inflate the dough to make it softer, and therefore, the desired product comes from the first equation: C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + 2900kJ Glucose + Oxygen = Carbon + water + Energy dioxide The reaction also requires nitrogen from the air to act as a nucleating site for the carbon dioxide to form bubbles against and therefore produces a good yield of carbon dioxide. In most processes where yeast is used, it will have been cultivated to suit that purpose, e.g. to produce more carbon dioxide or more ethyl alcohol, therefore there will often be a big difference between the behaviour of the two yeasts. We can test this in this experiment as the variable of the condition (whether it is in aerobic or anaerobic conditions) is being standardised by both the experiments being carried out in aerobic conditions. This is due to the fact that there is a good oxygen supply whilst the yeast is preheated and during gas collection, when the system is air tight, it is not left long enough for it to use up the oxygen and respire anaerobically. This is a favourable condition for maximum CO2 production however as, according to the equation, there are six moles of CO2 produced aerobically and only two moles of gas produced anaerobically. Aim: The aim of the pilot experiment is to investigate the optimum temperature and concentration of carbohydrate, that, when respired with yeast, produces the biggest volume of carbon dioxide. PLANNING: THE DEPENDANT AND INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The dependant variable will be the volume of C02 produced during respiration and the independent variable will be the substrates that I decide to use in the experiment. These are Glucose, Fructose, Maltose, Lactose and Sucrose. NULL HYPOTHESIS: The type of carbohydrate being respired will have no significant effect on the amount of carbon dioxide produced in a given time. HYPOTHESIS: In accordance with the information that has been gathered, the following hypotheses were derived; Hypothesis one: When respired by yeast, different types of carbohydrates will produce different amounts of CO2. I believe this because glucose is a monosaccharide which consists of one molecule, sucrose is a disaccharide, which consists of two molecules and starch is a polysaccharide, consisting of many molecules. This means they all have different molecular structures and therefore will break down with different levels of ease. In order to keep an open mind however, the following null hypothesis was also noted; Null hypothesis one: The type of carbohydrate being respired will have no significant effect on the amount of carbon dioxide produced in a given time. The second hypothesis was theorised relating to the variable of the yeast: Hypothesis two; Different types of yeast will produce different volumes of CO2. I predict this because the commercial purposes of Bakers and Brewers yeasts are different and therefore special cultivations might have made the yeast better designed for one purpose than the other. Again a null hypothesis was also adopted; Null hypothesis two: There will be no significant difference between the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the Bakers and the Brewers yeast. Apparatus: The following apparatus will be used when conducting the experiment: Beehive shelf Trough 200cm3 measuring cylinder 500ml beaker Tripod 25cm3 of bakers yeast 25cm3 of brewers yeast 25cm3 of sucrose 25cm3 of glucose 25cm3 of starch Bunsen burner Gauze Heat proof mat Rubber tubing 50ml conical flask Thermometer Spill Delivery tube with bung Stopwatch Clamp Clamp stand METHOD: 25cm3 of the desired yeast and 25 cm3 of the desired carbohydrate was mixed together and preheated at the required temperature for 1 hour in an electronic water-bath. 400cm3 of water was preheated to the same temperature as the yeast using the Bunsen burner. The trough was filled with water and a 200cm3 measuring cylinder was inverted by filling it with water then pressing a piece of paper onto the top to prevent any air bubbles from getting in. The beehive shelf was placed in the centre of the trough and the measuring cylinder was clamped in place, with the top resting on the beehive shelf, the hole being directly under it. A small piece of rubber tubing was inserted into the beehive shelf through the hole in the side, up into the inverted cylinder, and the other end was attached to the delivery tube. The yeast was placed in the preheated water-bath and the bung from the delivery tube was replaced. The delivery tube was inserted into the hole in the side of the beehive shelf and the stop watch was started. Thirty seconds was timed then the beaker with the yeast/carbohydrate mix was swirled for 5 seconds to mix the yeast/carbohydrate. This was repeated every thirty seconds for fifteen minutes, with readings being taken at three five minute intervals. The correct temperature in the water bath was maintained by adding more hot water to it throughout the experiment. This was repeated using each different type of sugar with each different type of yeast: Bakers glucose, Bakers sucrose, Bakers starch, Brewers glucose, Brewers sucrose, Brewers starch. Control of the variables of the method: In order for this experiment to be run fairly there are certain controls that should be taken into consideration: -The temperature must be kept constant by refilling the water bath with warm water. -The yeast/carbohydrate solution should be pre-mixed and preheated for the same amount of time i.e. one hour, in each experiment. -The gas should be collected at three 5 minute intervals for each condition. -The solution should be swirled every thirty seconds for five seconds to mix the yeast and carbohydrate together. -The temperature and concentration should be the same for each experiment; 35ËÅ ¡C and 7.5% respectively. -The amount of yeast to carbohydrate should be kept constant i.e. 25cm3 of each. -The same method should be used; the rubber tube, collection of gas in an inverted measuring cylinder, as certain ways are more accurate than others. Control of the measurements: When taking measurements, the following points should be noted: -When measuring the gas, measure to the bottom of the meniscus of the water. -Make sure the measuring cylinder is perpendicular to the clamp stand to ensure that the water lies at the correct level. -When timing, do not shake at 30 seconds by the stopwatch because 5 seconds is added on each time (while it is shaken) and therefore by the sixth minute or so it will require shaking as soon as it has been shaken. -Keep a constant check on the thermometer to ensure the temperature does not drop. Results: A summary table to show volume of gas produced by bakers and brewers yeast with three different carbohydrate substrates: Amount of CO2 produced in cm3 in fifteen minutes in each condition The table above shows the results of our practical, including my own, highlighted in blue. The average volume of gas collected in each separate condition is shown and reveals that most gas was produced in the brewers glucose experiment, at 115.6 cm3 and the condition that produced the lowest average was brewers starch, at 9.4. The range of the averages was 94.3, showing there was a large difference between the values. Analysis of the results: The graph above clearly shows the difference between the three carbohydrate substrates to be significant. It is clear that the order for most CO2 produced is glucose, sucrose, starch, the greatest difference being between sucrose and starch. It also appears that the results are closer together for bakers yeast than for brewers. The average for bakers yeast was slightly higher at 74cm3 than the Brewers at 71.2cm3. Students T test: The descriptive statistics above, however, only tell us what has been found, they do not tell us the probability of achieving the scores we did, and therefore an inferential students t test was applied. The students t test was devised to analyse smaller sets of samples; to determine whether the results were due to chance or the manipulation of the independent variable. It works out that if the difference between the variance of the sum of the two means (of the two samples) is greater than twice the standard deviation of the difference between the means (of the two samples) then this is unlikely to have of occurred by chance, and therefore our data is significant. Glucose v Sucrose bakers: t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 103.6667 93.25641 Variance 927.0702 595.5641 Observations 39 39 Pooled Variance 761.3171 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 76 t Stat 1.66608 P(T