Monday, September 30, 2019

Data compression

Presentation or Weeping Presentation or Weeping (2) Describe the fields that â€Å"could be† or â€Å"are† merged Not Just name and address. More detail needed e. G. Firestone, surname. House name or number. Street, Village, Town, Postcode If none exists explain what the end user would like you to produce. If none exists analyses a similar web page if your local football team does not have one analyses another football teams website. Purpose + Audience + DATA Identify the special features, e. . Video, sound, animations included or could be included Automated Document (2) These could be actual automated documents or manual documents which have the potential to be an automated process If none exists explain what the end user would like you to produce For the automated process you must identify: Purpose of the letter *audience + DATA What is the purpose, audience and data of the website or presentation Identify and describe its purpose.This could be an actual automated doc ument or a one which includes a process which could be automated If you are looking at an actual set of web pages identify the feature on the page do not Just give a list. (Good practice is to use an arrow pointing to the feature and label it or try to write a short sentence about it. Specific detail needed on type of sound, video, animation, hotshot and hyperlink, etc.. In describing the potential features DO NOT generalist Be specific video of Links to what†¦.Sound files about † An email link to 2 Task 1 – DTV Mark Criteria Purpose of your document Analysis of house style Design Detailed design of documents Use of basic features Different font styles and sizes Purpose of document and audience House style / ethos of your document This may not always be the same as the ones you have looked at. NOT DESCRIPTIVE NOT it will have a blue background and use comic sans font. WHY? Designs – basic Bold, centre and underline Autographs Right or full Justification Bull et points Needs both parts What image are you trying to project How are you going to project it? . G. Friendly and fun, so I will use lots of picture of people smiling and enjoying themselves Outline layout with inherent page orientation and identifying which frames are text and which are for pictures. (If only 1 page no marks can be awarded) Details of Data – both text and graphics graphics. Fonts & Font Sizes 1 mark awarded for details of fonts and font sizes to be used – (80% coverage) 1 mark awarded for details of 8 different features to be used such as margins, tab settings, line spacing, paragraph styles, etc.Show the 8 different features that you are going to use Use of different font styles and sizes Use of bold, centre and underline (need all three) Autograph Need all three but not necessarily on the same words or page Any Autograph Justification Right or Full NOT left aligned and more than two lines Cannot be awarded if only 1 bullet not in a clear list use ( 3 in list) right or centre Justification skews the bullets 3 Must be clear Worrywart and not Just large fonts Could also be text from external text generators/ sources, e. G. Collect. Mom e. G. Clouded text boxes, shaded tables, Clouded borders in tables, Clouded text Worrywart Shading effects Shading Effects Headers and footers Two forms of electronic combination Use of at least two different types of graphical image, from different sources added to document Screenings evidence required Tables Must include grisliness unless evidence is clear 5 Each of the following may be awarded one mark – up too maximum of 5 marks for this section. Each of the following may be awarded one mark – up to a maximum of 5 marks for this section.Advanced Features Different Paragraph formats up to five of: Different paragraph formats, Different line spacing, Superscript and subscript, Customized tables, Page or frame borders, Set and use win tabs, Set and use own indents, Watermarks, Pagina tion, Use of layering (forward and behind), Own style sheets Different line spacing Super Script and Subscript Set and use own Tabs Set and use own indents Layering Water marks Both need to be present and appear on the same place on every page on the printed document An image from Clipper, Internet, Scanner, Digital Camera, etc. Mark for each form/source of image) e. G. Scanned images, graphics from web, clipper from disc, digital camera images, graphs from spreadsheets, graphics from cad packages or paint. Must have before and after screen shots as evidenceSensible use – not automatic – evidence of before and after or no marks can be awarded NOT use of default tab settings in body of text or bullets – evidence of before and after or no marks can be awarded In main body of text both left & right hand sides evidence of before and after or no marks can be awarded Use of layering forward and behind – not Just moving on top – evidence of before and aft er or no 4 Own Style Sheets construction evidence needed Page or Frame Borders Pagination Customized bullets Added to original list Photo – editing Must be Customized tables – cell merging / text direction not Just Clouded cells or bordersPage numbers – must appear on all pages in the same place (If this has been used in Header & Footer cannot be counted twice) A second set of bullet points needed External image from a file (Not internal fonts and characters) needed as the customization If complex not Just crop, rotate, etc, needs at least 3 layered effect and construction evidence required Task 2 Automated Document User Requirements Purpose of document Intended user House style Purpose of document + Professional ethos Basic layout and page orientation Automated features Font styles and Sizes used Data Basic Features Wordiness's template import data from external source 1 mark awarded for the basic layout and page orientation 1 mark awarded for design of automat ed features including mail merged fields (not just address block/greeting lines) and THREE macros 1 mark for font styles and sizes used Data and contact details Not Just ‘body of letter' 1 mark awarded for the wordiness's template document showing the fields incorporated into the document. (The letter must not be cropped and should clearly identify both the merged fields and their position on the document and the data in the letter) Suitable format and layout for data Database Evidence

Fedex and UPS Essay

1. Accounting Treatments Capital Lease -Lessee Initially, the lessee recognizes the asset under his property, plant and equipment. The amount that should be debited is the Lower of asset’s fair value and present value of minimum lease payments. The present value is determined by discounting minimum lease payments using interest rates implicit in the lease. Also, initial direct cost that the lessee incurs in relation to the lease is added to the cost of recognized asset. On the credit side of the entry should be lease liabilities, which is in fact, some kind of a loan. The lease liabilities should be split into current and noncurrent liabilities as some payments are made within 12 months while others are made after 12 month of the reporting date. Subsequently, there are two things we must take care of. First, we must depreciate the lease asset over the economic life, not over the lease term because that doesn’t necessarily need to be the same. The entry is to debit depreciation expense in profit or loss and credit th e accumulated depreciation account. Secondly, we need to allocate the lease liability or minimum lease payments paid to the lessor into two parts; reduction of lease liability and finance charge or interest. IAS 17 requires the finance charge to be allocated so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest (interest rate implicit in the lease) on the remaining balance sheet liability. (Refer to appendix A for journal entries Capital lease-Lessor The lessor is a finance provider, and therefore records lease receivables as the debit side of the entry. The lease receivable is the net investment in the lease, which is the total of minimum lease payments and unguaranteed residual value. Total of these two figures is gross investment in the lease and we need to discount it to present value using discount rate implicit in the lease and all this must be equal to fair value of the asset plus initial direct cost. The credit side to this entry is simply cash given out by the lessor. Subsequently, we have to split minimum lease payments received from the lessee between reduction of finance lease receivable and finance income similar to what the lessee would do. (Finance income should reflect a constant periodic rate of return on the lessor’s net  investment in the lease.) (Refer to appendix A for journal entries) Operating Lease-Lessee In an operating lease, the lessee does not recognize any asset. The lease payments are recognized as rent expense in profit or loss on a straight-line basis. The journal entries would include a debit to rent expense and credit to cash or accounts payable. (Refer to appendix A for journal entries) Operating -lessor Lease payments received from the lessee are recognized as revenue in profit or loss on a straight-line basis. The lessor keeps the asset on his financial statement and depreciates it in line with its fixed asset accounting policy. (Refer to appendix A for journal entries) Advantages of Operating Lease In an operating lease, the lessee is considered to be renting the equipment and thus the lease payment is recorded as rental expense. No assets or liabilities are recorded on the balance sheet (Off-balance sheet financing). This is beneficial for companies because it will result in a lower asset base, therefore creating a higher ROA. Operating lease will also display more desirable solvency ratios such as lower debt to equity. This off balance sheet method of recording will also produce better debt covenant ratios for the company to show its debt lenders. Moreover, some companies associate management bonuses to certain ratios such as return on capital, which would be more optimal looking if recorded under operating lease. Another major benefit of operating leases is the potential tax benefits. An operating lease may allow the company to deduct payments as operating expenses during the period in which they are paid. If the company purchases equipment, they may be able to deduct the in terest, as well as the cost of the depreciation. 2. Under current Financial Accounting Standards Board regulations, what business arrangements might FedEx have made in order to account for leases as operating leases rather than capital leases? An operating lease is usually coined as anything that is not classified as a finance lease.  Factors that an operating lease may include are: 1. If a lease does not significantly transfer all the risks and rewards, associated with ownership of an asset the lease 2. If the ownership of the asset is more likely to go back to lessor at the end of the term 3. The lessee does not have the option to buy the asset at a cost significantly below the fair value of the asset → ie. a bargain price. The term of the lease is not a major part of the economic life of the lease item. IAS 17 does not explicitly say how much is a major portion however ASPE states that 75% and above is a major portion. 5. If there is little or no risk to the lessee; all major risks are borne by the lessor. An example wo uld be cancellation costs. 6. The leased asset is of common nature; not specialized and can only be used by the lessee. 7. The present value of the total amount of minimum lease payments do not equal or is close to the fair value of the asset leased. Other Additional Criteria can be: 8. Whether fluctuation in fair value at the end of the lease accrue to the lessor 9. If the lessee does not have the option to extend the lease for a secondary period at a â€Å"below the market† price Arrangements FedEx would have to make to disclose the operating lease would include disclosures about: the outstanding payments left for non-cancellable operating leases for the time periods: within one year within two to five years after more than five years the total future minimum sublease income for non-cancellable subleases the lease and sublease payments recognised in income for the period the contingent rent recognised as an expense  the general description of significant leasing arrangements, including contingent rent provisions, renewal or purchase options, and restrictions imposed on dividends, borrowings, or further leasing For operating leases, IAS 17 states that the total lease payments should be incurred as an expense and would appear on the income statement regularly with the amount on a straight-line basis over the entire lease term. Any enticements that the lessee may have received from the lessor to enter into the lease arrangement, must also be divided on a straight line basis to offset the  rental expense. 4. Lease Capitalization on Financial Variable and Ratios Unrecorded Lease Liability and Debt-to-Equity Ratio Based on the ratios and calculations performed there are many incentives for companies to report leases as operating leases rather than capitalize them. It can be concluded that the impact of lease capitalization on the financial statements is far greater for FedEx than UPS, however both companies are reaping benefits from reporting leases as operating leases. Capitalizing leases requires that leases are recorded as assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. The Unrecorded Lease Liability is 98.41% of existing liabilities for FedEx and 8.27% for UPS. Thus, by not capitalizing leases, firms are able to decrease their liabilities and present a more lower debt/equity ratio.The Debt/Equity ratio gives stakeholders an indication of the capital structure of the firm. The ratio for FedEx moves from 0.97 to 2.70, which indicates a more leveraged capital structure. UPS ratio moves from 0.87 to 1.28. The capitalization of leases would not a llow FedEx to maintain a debt-equity ratio below 1, which would change shareholder’s view on the financial flexibility of the firm. If FedEx wishes to maintain a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio on their financial statements it would be unfavourable to capitalize leases. Return on Asset The Return on Assets (ROA) is another key ratio that is affected when leases are capitalized due to the increase in assets that the company owns. When leases are capitalized there is a decrease in ROA for both FedEx and UPS by 1.69% and 0.32%, respectively. This is a relatively significant drop in efficiency and further motivates firms to record leases as operating leases. Interest Coverage Ratio The interest coverage ratio informs stakeholders of a company’s ability to pay back their interest. There is a significant drop of 17.26 in FedEx’s interest-coverage ratio and a drop of 9.2 in UPS’s interest coverage ratio. This means that a certain amount of profit is attributed to the fact that leases are not capitalized. In conclusion, it is clear from the variables and the ratios analyzed why companies prefer to record leases as operating leases rather than capitalize them. Operating leases are kept off the balance sheet and their main impact on the income statement is rent expense since the risks of ownership are not assumed. On the other hand, when leases are capitalized, the present value of payments including interest expense,  is treated as a liability on the balance sheet. These two accounting methods result in ratios to be more favourable for the firm when leases are recorded as operating leases rather than financial leases. 5. New Exposure Draft: A Contract-Based Approach Development of Contract-Based Approach Leasing is a critical activity in business as it is a means of gaining access to assets, obtaining finance and reducing an entity’s exposure to the risks of asset ownership. Some key advantages of leasing assets rather than purchasing assets are 100% financing, flexibility and the tax advantages. Therefore it is crucial that leases are appropriately accounted for and nature and duration of the lease agreement is considered. Current models require lessees and lessors to account for leases as either finance leases or operating leases. A recurring criticism of this approach is that lessees are not required to recognize assets and liabilities arising from operating leases. We can see the benefits of this in the financial statements and ratios of FedEx and UPS, as discussed above. In our opinion capitalizing leases provides stakeholders of a less aggressive view of a company’s financial statements. The contract based approach ensures th at companies recognise the right to use an asset along with the contractual liability on its balance sheet. Recognition and Measurement (Lessee) IASB and FASB are proposing a new approach to lease accounting that ensures entities record assets and liabilities arising from a lease. With this new approach, a lessee would recognize assets and liabilities for leases with a maximum possible term of more than 12 months. Under this contract-based approach, the asset is taken on by the lessee as the right to use to asset and not the asset itself. This a key difference between the contract-based approach and finance leases. When the lease is acquired, the lessee would recognise a lease liability. This would refer to the obligation of the lessee to make recurring lease payments. Additionally, the lessee would recognize a right-of-use asset representing a lessee’s right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The right-of-use asset would include the initial measurement of the lease liability, any lease payments made at or before commencement date and any initial direct costs incurred by the lessee. The proposal further categorizes the leases into Type A and Type B leases. Type A Lease Recognition Leased assets other  than property (such as equipment and vehicles) would be classified as a Type A lease. However, if the following two conditions are met, the lease would be classified as a Type B: if the lease term is an insignificant portion of the asset’s economic life and if the present value of the lease payments is insignificant relative to their fair value. Initial measurements for a Type A lease would include a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. The lease liability would be measured at the present value of the lease payments, measured at the rate charged by the lessor. If that rate cannot be immediately determined, the lessee uses the incremental borrowing rate. Subsequent measurements would recognize interest expense and the amortization of the right-of-use asset separately on the income statement and balance sheet. This would be accounted for separately from the amortization of the asset. Type B Lease Recognition Leased assets of property (such as land or a building) would be classified as Type B leases. Initial measurements would be parallel to the initial measurements of Type A assets. However, subsequent measurements would recognize a single lease cost. This cost would be a measurement of the interest expense as well as the amortization of the asset. This combined figure would be calculated on a straight-line basis. Effect on Existing Operating Lease Existing operating leases must be appropriately treated based on the a ccounting standards for leases. Leases that were previously reported as operating leases by lessees should be recognised using the new approach at the beginning of the earliest comparative period. The lessee should recognize the lease liability, which is the present value of the remaining lease payments. For Type A leases, a right-of-use asset is measured as a proportion of the lease liability. The proportion is based on the remaining lease term at the time of the earliest comparative period. Additionally, the right-of-use asset recorded should be adjusted for any previously recognised prepaid or accrued lease payments. On the other hand, for Type B leases, a right-of-use asset is measured at an amount that equals the lease liability. The asset is then adjusted for previously recognised prepaid or accrued lease payments.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Mass Society Theories, Social Responsibilty Theory and the Media Essay

The first half of the twentieth century played a vital role in the state of the present media. The century commenced with the influx of new forms of media as modernization uncontrollably invaded all social forms. The dominant medium of the nineteenth century, the newspaper, sustained its power at the beginning of the century. Moving pictures, or film, was born and started to form its own cult of followers. The entrance of radio and television also received a warm welcome from the masses in the succeeding decades. These innovations in media technology received harsh criticisms from different sources (Baran & Davis, 1995). The impact of the new media technology in the recent course of history was evident. Thus, it incited chaos among the social elites that started relentless criticism of the power of media and the formulation of what is now known as the mass society theory. Leaders of established social and political institutions feared the kind of society that would grow out of this aspect of modernization. Long-term effects of the ‘uncontrolled’ use of media were the focus of the mass society theory. Mass society theorists highly regarded the power of media, especially the new, more technologically-advanced ones, and how it could influence the average people in the society, which are potentially more powerful than the social elites. They also feared that the power of media could be a tool for the rise of a totalitarian social order in America, as what some parts of Europe had experienced (Baran & Davis, 1995). The reputation of the media also led the theorists to push their assumptions forward. The powerful people manipulated what was supposedly a ‘free’ media. Yellow journalism was rampant to protect their reputation. Sensationalized and over-dramatized news stories were as widespread to attract audiences for profit. The elites also started to question the quality of culture the media projected. It was accused of being cheap and tasteless, and that the media practitioners were not qualified to formulate that type of entertainment which instantly became popular to the masses. With all these issues raised against the dominant and emerging forms of media, scholars and some media practitioners volunteered and attempted to lead media reform and ‘prescribe’ how media system should function, giving birth to the normative theories. Earlier thoughts of authoritarianism and libertarianism were strongly criticized. Many were not convinced what authoritarianism proposed – to subject the media to governing authorities that would control these media and sustain social order (Baran & Davis, 1995). Libertarian thought, on the other hand, seeks total freedom of the media from control. After the World War II, the Hutchins’ Commission formulated the social responsibility theory that compromised the authoritarian and libertarian thoughts. The principles of the social responsibility theory could be considered innovative as it was able to make the two opposing thoughts meet at a certain point. It, somehow, answered the key points of mass society theory, but not totally scrapping them as these assumptions can still be observed today. Social responsibility theory regarded the media the same as the mass society in terms of media’s power. The theory considered how much these media could influence the society, and that the media has the power to corrupt people’s minds. Social responsibility theory advised that media should consider their obligations to the society through professional ethics and by promoting what was lacking or needed in the society. At that point, most media companies had accepted this thought and strived to achieve its ideals. The social responsibility theory encouraged media owners to recognize their role to the society and that they were an effective catalyst to social change, or to a ‘Great Community’, as the Chicago School envisioned. In that way, the fear of a totalitarian social order was reduced since social responsibility theory appealed for idealism of individual media practitioners through being able to identify their active role in preserving democracy (Baran & Davis, 1995). As the twentieth century moved towards its second half, media systems had exerted efforts to absorb the ideals of the social responsibility theory. It diluted the bad image of media that the mass society theorists projected while the social responsibility theory aimed for informativeness, truth, accuracy, objectivity, and balance (Baran & Davis, 1995). Up until now when traditional media boundaries are slowly melting caused by the rapid innovations in technology, the threats posed by the mass society theory are still present and the social responsibility theory’s ideals are still being tried and tested. Reference: Baran, Stanley J., & Davis, Dennis K. (1995). Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Like A Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Like A Girl - Essay Example The first impression of this video is that it does not show anything wrong. It shows an adolescent boy who shows how girls do things. It also shows people that adolescent boys are usually conscious of people telling them they are doing things like girls (Kuypers 32). It plays the idea that what an adolescent boy wants is to be appreciated as a grown man. This video convinces the audience that it is normal for people to attribute things to girls, which means that an individual is doing something in a weaker manner.Deeper ImpactThe main message of this video is the idea that people believe that doing things like a girl is comparable to doing things in a frailer way. Both boys and men believe that girls do things in a weaker manner. It is surprising that even adolescent women believe they are fragile hence they do things in a punier style (Kuypers 43). On the other hand, young boys are confident of themselves and believe they are equal to men since they do things with a lot of energy co mpared to adolescent boys. It is obvious that people believe that girls are the weaker gender, which is why they prefer doing things in a feminine manner.An alternative interpretation of this video is that it is insulting to tell someone that they are doing things like a girl. This is a false assumption because young boys feel they are equals to men and can do things with the same energy. Even though boys feel they are insulted when told this phrase, it is evident that they portray themselves to be real men.

Standardized Coding Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Standardized Coding Systems - Assignment Example A standard language improves patient care and also the adherence to the standards of nursing care. Assessment of nursing competency is also made possible. Communication among Nurses as well as other Health care practitioners is made better thus; documents by a particular nurse can be used by any other nurse thus flexible service providence (Nursing World Organisation, 2014). As the technology changes, the mode of recording and keeping health related data and documents has also changed. Most of the records are Electronic documents(ED). The use of ED can only be effective with a standardise vocabularies to descried key components of the health care process (Thompson, 2013). The Committee for Nursing Practice Information Infrastructure (CNPII) of the America Nurses Association (ANA) recognize thirteen standardized languages one of which has been discarded. Two of then languages are interdisciplinary while two are minimum data set. The rest seven languages are nursing specific. Any individual m ay develop a language and then submit it to the CNPII for approval voluntary. The developer should only make sure that, the nomenclature, classification, data set and terminologies of the language supports the nursing practices and that there is no ambiguity (Philadelphia: NANDA (2012). Standardisation is necessary as data collection and analysis to evaluate nursing care outcomes are enhanced (Nursing World Organisation, 2014). Standardized Nursing Language: What Does It Mean for Nursing Practice? (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2014, from

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Critically analyse whether courts too readily intervene in the Research Paper

Critically analyse whether courts too readily intervene in the international commercial arbitration process, so that party autonomy is qualified - Research Paper Example that they want to settle their matter in way that is alternative to the courts, and, by agreeing to an arbitration clause, the parties have explicitly rejected the courts jurisdiction. This can occur for any number of reasons, including the unacceptability, unsuitability and the inappropriateness of the court. Whatever the reason, arbitration clauses make clear the parties intent, and this intent is to not litigate their dispute. 3 The arbitral tribunal has the responsibility in disposing of all matters that are subject to dispute.4 Therefore, court intervention in these matters is potentially problematic, and can even be said to be contrary to the parties intentions. Yet, courts routinely get involved in matters that are set to be resolved by arbitration. Although there are some advantages to court intervention, there are significant disadvantages as well. For one, court intervention introduces the complications that arbitration is designed to avoid – it makes arbitration expensive, lengthy, and less efficient. Arbitration challenges â€Å"result in parallel proceedings, create potentially lengthy appeals, and require parties to retain local counsel at the seat of arbitration.†5 Moreover, according to at least one commentator, court intervention is usually only seen when emotions are high,6 which means that court intervention would tend to have even more of a deleterious affect on arbitration proceedings. There are a variety of reasons why courts get involved, and the forms of court involved are also varied. At base, courts cannot be completely excluded from the arbitration process because they are required to enforce arbitration agreements and awards, and need to police and support the arbitration process with international standards.7 The power that the courts have in the arbitration process may be categorised as powers of assistance, powers of intervention, powers of supervision or control, and powers of recognition and enforcement.8 The courts

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Financial management of channel tunnel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial management of channel tunnel - Essay Example Eurotunnel was mainly financed by bank loans from a large consortium of over 100 European and Japanese banks. Eurotunnel also raised substantial amounts of equity in four public offerings during the construction of the Tunnel, mainly from small shareholders in France and the UK. The marketing of the shares was pitched towards small shareholders. In the end, the Channel Tunnel costs about 10 billion to build (compared with initial estimates 8 years earlier of about 5 billion). Of this 10 billion, 8 billion was raised in debt from banks and 2 billion in equity. The last fund-raising exercise took place in May 1994, just 2 months before the new services were to begin, when 800 million of new equity and 700 million of debt was raised to get the project finished and up and running. By then the banks and many shareholders were very nervous about the costs and delays to the project and the prospects of recouping their investment. Eurotunnel shareholders have seen their investment crumble by around 90% since the company went public in 1987. Construction costs spiralled and revenues fell short of forecasts, leaving the company struggling with debts of 9bn (6.4bn). Shareholders have never been paid a dividend. The UK government has already made it clear that there can be no question of any public money for Eurotunnel, and there is no change in that position. Eurotunnel shareholders are mostly French private investors. But it said it could not afford to do so without help in cutting the burden of repayments on debts which it ran up during vast cost over-runs on the tunnel's construction in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Euro tunnel begs for rescue plan (Clark, 2004)2. 2. Andrew, Clark, (2004) Guardian, retrieved from the website on 19th Feb' 06. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/) Financial Management of Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) is the largest civil engineering infrastructure project currently being constructed in the UK with a budget of 5.3 billion (S$14.8 billion). The Project is split into two sections. Section 1, 70 km long from the Channel Tunnel to Fawkham Junction in North Kent is scheduled for completion and operational running of Eurostar trains by September 2003. Section 2, 39 km long, completes the Link from North Kent to St Pancras in central London and is programmed to be operational in January 2007 (Davies and Joy, 2004)2. The London & Continental Railways Limited (LCR) was awarded the contract to build the CTRL in February 1996 and to run the British arm of the Eurostar International train service (Eurostar UK). Initially, LCR proposed to fund the construction of the link from private finance through debt and equity raised on the back of future revenue from Eurostar, UK and from direct government grants. This overtly optimistic plan backfired and LCR abandoned its plans to raise private finance and approached the Department for additional grants in return for a share of future profits. After reviewing the options, the department of transport decided to restructure the existing deal with LCR. In 1998, the government set out the principles of a negotiated restructuring which enhanced public

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The ebonics Dialect Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The ebonics Dialect - Research Paper Example language has a natural growth trajectory is wrong, but that rather, the way language grows is controlled by humans as opposed to language growing on its own. As Wilson (89) says, the way people attach certain meanings to various words and phrases is what gives language meaning. Orwell is likely to have a different view of the usage of the N word from Wallace. First, it is important to understand that the N word has evolved over the last few decades. From the derogatory word Negro, the ebonic word Nigga has been derived, especially among the African American community. Unlike the derogatory nature of the word from which the Nigga is used, the word Nigga is used as a word of respect in among the African American community. Orwell would agree with this kind of language shift and may be appreciate the fact that this kind of development is necessary for the growth of language. However, a person like Wallace would have reservation against the use of this word and see this as a negative change from the requirements of language. Wallace admits to being a language nerd, the kind who looks to make sure that every rule has been observed. In this regard, he would most likely object to the N word, either in the form of Nigga, or Negro. This is because the word Nigga could be seen by a grammar expert as an informal word while Negro is seen as offensive and derogatory (Ernest 145). As a result, for a person like Wallace, he would probably have a problem with the use of this world. Orwell on the other hand seems to have a different view of the rules of language. He argues that the way people modify language leads to the way language plays out in politics, and then the political affects the way people modify language. In this regard, he is most likely to appreciate the fact that language grows in such ways that maintain archaic rules of grammar may neither be necessary nor feasible. As an English teacher, Curzan talks about teaching grammar and grammar rules. She starts her

Monday, September 23, 2019

Home Depot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Home Depot - Essay Example ided in the case study, both the stores have developed their own unique selling propositions and the degree of differentiation between the two largely depends upon the non-pricing factors. Lowe’s cater more to the women and those who are involved in providing finishing decorative touch to their homes. Home Depot however aims to capture the market of men and contractors and serious DIY individuals. It is also important to note that the number of stores and wider product choices are also the important factors which have resulted into the differentiation between the two stores. Lowe’s has better competitive image because of the better customer services and the product choice which it offers to its customers. Though most of the factors on which competition can be done are similar however, what distinguish Lowe from Home Depot is its ability to offer superior customer services which is making it one of the distinctive stores in the market thus holding better competitive image in the eyes of its

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Darkness out there Essay Example for Free

The Darkness out there Essay Changing the mood during a story makes it more exciting and less predictable which captivates the readers interest. Both stories show evidence of significant mood change, which created a successful amount of suspense when I read them. The endings of the three stories are all quite similar because the characters die at the end because of what they have been through. Frankenstein ends as it began with letters written from Walton to his sister. Frankenstein has journeyed to the Arctic in pursuit of his creation and has lived to tell the extraordinary tale of his life. The reader finds out that the end of Frankensteins story was in the prologue and everything is pieced together, for example, the sighting of the gigantic stature in the beginning. After completing his story, Frankenstein dies on the boat and his monster finds him. The compassion he once felt for his creator returns to him as he confesses he wants to die too. The morals used throughout the story are summed up here in part of the monsters speech. I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on Here, Shelley communicates the idea that everyone should be loved no matter how they look. This could be related to many modern issues, for example, a mother abandoning her baby. The ending matched the theme of the story, e. g. death and bereavement, and was very detailed. I liked the way the letters at the beginning and the end made the story very complete, and gave the story more of a purpose to be told. Walton wanted to hear it; Frankenstein wanted to tell it. Many of the ideas Shelley used in the novel were talked about by the monster at the end which also made the story educational because it talked about very realistic issues. In The Raven Poe leaves you unsure about the ending he has written. It is quite evident that the man is dead and the raven has frightened the man to death because his soul from out that shadow lies floating on the floor, which seems as if he has left his body but we are never sure why. The only evidence we have is that the man was a firm believer of superstition and maybe he was so scared of the thought of dying that it killed him. This is like the ending in The Tell Tale Heart, also by Edgar Allan Poe. At the end you know that the younger man has killed the older man but you cant figure out why. Poe lets the readers decide for themselves what has truly happened which involves their imaginations, which makes it a more memorable ending because the reader has had to think about it more. In Man Overboard it is safe to assume that a shark killed the man because he was praying to die and suddenly His last appeal had been heard and a fin approached him slowly. In Frankenstein and Man Overboard the men wanted to die so the ending is satisfactory to the character and reader because it was what was expected. In one of the stories it might have been better to keep the character alive for longer to create more fear in the characters mind which would have built up more suspense in the story if the character had to keep going through more horror. The ending of The Raven was good because the man didnt want to die but he did. This made the story more horrific because the character didnt want what happened in the end, making him more frightened and adding more fear and tension to the story for the reader because they could be so involved in the story that they would feel what the character is feeling. Linking ideas throughout a story is an effective way of keeping a reader interested. It keeps the story exciting if the reader is able to piece parts of different plots together. However, if the writer continually keeps inventing new plots that have no relevance to any of the current ones and make up a new story on their own, the reader may start to lose interest because it may confuse them. In Frankenstein, Shelley links many plots to one another as the novel progresses. This helps the reader to develop a clearer understanding of what is happening because each plot supports another one. The letters in Frankenstein are a good example of the way Shelley links different characters ideas together in the story. The letters Frankenstein received when he was away at Ingolstadt were about what was happening at his home. These letters made it easier for me to understand the story when Frankenstein returned home because all of the information had already been supplied about the environment and characters. I didnt have to concentrate on figuring out things about the story, which made it easier to read. The letters acting as the prologue and epilogue from Walton to his sister also linked the story together very well. When I had finished the story I realised what everything meant at the beginning, for example when Frankenstein said to Walton I have lost everything and cannot begin life anew. Reading statements like that at the beginning built up a lot of suspense and made me want to keep reading to find out more. This helped me enjoy the story more because I was always searching for something to find out about in the text. In The Raven, Poe links ideas with words, rhyme and verse structure. The way he wrote about the raven saying Nevermore at the end of each verse gave the plot more continuation because it provided a reason for man to keep reacting to in the next verse. It made me wonder whether the raven would say anything else so it kept me interested. The verses and the rhyming patterns are very structured, which linked each verse of the story together because they were of similar length and sound. The way the rhyming of the ore sound kept appearing in the same places in each verse gave the poem more rhythm and familiarity and linked the verses together even more because I was able to tell when the next rhyme would be. In Man Overboard, Churchill links the song with the setting very well. This is very important because the song is the cause of the ending of the story. Rowdy Dowdy Boys is a sea song and as the story is set on a ship, this makes it very appropriate and makes the atmosphere feel more realistic. It makes it easier to imagine the song being sung in its surroundings and puts the story into context more effectively. The main difference between these two stories is the type of language they contain because of the different periods they were written in, and the effect the language has on the style of the story. The Old Nurses Story and The Darkness Out There were written in different periods of history. The Old Nurses Story uses a more formal style of English.. The style of writing in The Darkness Out There may still be used in writing today. The style of language used in each story makes them very different from each other and we can identify the period in which they were written in very easily by looking at some of the words used and things written about that were popular at that time. I found that both stories contain many realistic and relevant ideas about morals and the contrasting behaviour of adults and children. Mukwinda Phiri 10Wn English 7 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Effect of Climate Change on Agricultural Activities

Effect of Climate Change on Agricultural Activities Chapter 1: Introduction Global Climate Change Climate is changing with the slow and steady pattern. The term Global Warming is referred to the annual average temperature increment of the earth. The average annual temperature of the earth has increased to 0.8  °C since the early 20th century and more than 66 percent of this increment happened after 1980. In this sense, especially in the context of environmental policy, the term climate change has become synonymous with the anthropogenic global warming. In many scientific journals, the term global warming refers to surface temperature increase while climate change includes global warming and everything else that increasing greenhouse gas levels will affect. Americas Climate Choices. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. 2011. p.15.  ISBN978-0-309-14585-5. The average temperature of the Earths surface increased by about1.4 °F(0.8 °C) over the past 100 years, with about1.0 °F(0.6 °C) of this warming occurring over just the past three decades. Climate Change is a natural phenomenon may change the average weather conditions of any area because of some reasons. These reasons are biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. It is also observed that humans are also contributing to the climate change by their activities and these activities can cause significant change to the Climate, this phenomenon is called Global Warming. Change in the annual temperature, rainfall, and wind patterns of an area can cause significant impacts to the plant productivity of any area positively or negatively. Global warming can be a problem for coastal areas where it can cause rise in the sea level and thus may destroy the coastal areas and land. Rise of sea level may also pollute the underground fresh water and people may face water related problems. Climate Change may be beneficial for the lands covered in the ice like Polar Regions through which a large area can be vacated but it may invites some new disasters which would affect the life of humans in other parts of the world. Environment is a very sensitive system, when something new enters in the environment doesn’t accept it easily because it is holding the whole food chain with it and we humans are also very much linked with this food chain and when one link of this chain is disturbed it would directly or indirectly affect the whole chain. Thus it is very important to keep the chain intact and proper protection to this chain should be provided. Rise is temperature changes the whole habitat of an area because when temperature of an area rises the wind patterns of that area change because high temperature would make the air hot in the area and the air would move up and a low pressure area would be formed. To fill this low pressure area the airs from surrounding areas will come which will be cold and sometimes full of moisture and it would result in cloud formation and as a result rainfall would occur. But if this process gains more temperature then it would trigger the whole process and thus the climate of the area would be changing. This research addresses the climate changing in the district Gujrat which is affecting the agricultural activities of the area and vegetation cover is also being affected by the climate change. As we know that our food necessities are directly associated with vegetation cover and if the vegetation is disturbed by the climate change then it is going to affect all the people associated with it. So this research is important in the context that the vegetation is important for us and if there should be proper measures taken to control the impacts of climate change on vegetation. Agriculture Agriculture is the most renowned activity in the under-developing countries, because of unlimited availability of fertile land and less trend towards industrialization and other secondary and tertiary activities. Primary activities are those activities which are related to agriculture (both subsistence and commercial), mining, forestry, farming, grazing, hunting and gathering, fishing, and quarrying. The primary sector of the economy extracts or harvests products from the earth. The primary sector includes the production of raw material and basic foods. The major reason for primary activities in under-developed countries are the less education, less urbanization, less demand for development, and bad economic conditions. Primary activities also prevails in the developed countries but these activities are very less as compared to the secondary and tertiary activities. About 3% of America is engaged in primary activities as compared to under-developed countries where the percentage of p rimary activities is more than 50-60%. (http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/sectorseconomy.htm) In developed countries, the primary activities are very less in ratio as compared to other activities plus these countries have proper techniques for saving their agriculture from being destroyed due to change of climate or any other disaster. On the other hand the underdeveloped countries are having very large ratio of agriculture in there economy and other primary activities nor do they have the techniques to save their economic source. This research is mainly concerned with one type of these countries which are underdeveloped and totally relying on the agricultural activities or other primary activities to fulfill their economic needs. That country is Pakistan, Pakistan is one of these countries which is relying on the agricultural activities. Agriculture in Punjab Agricultural of Pakistan is depending upon two kind of water resources; riverine water and rain water. Rivers are providing water through different canals. Rain is not the efficient source of providing water to the agriculture because it is very scarce in Pakistan and only the northern and western regions receive the amount of rainfall necessary for agriculture. The southern regions such as Sindh, South Punjab and Baluchistan don’t receive the rainfall required for agriculture Agriculture through Irrigation There are seven link canals in Pakistan which are substantially important for agriculture in Pakistan these canals are as follow; Chashma Jhelum Link Taunsa Panjnad Link Rasul Qadirabad Link Qadirabad Balloki Link Balloki Sulemanki Link II Trimmu Sidhnai Link Sidhnai – Milsi – Bahawal Link These are the canals which being utilized for irrigation purposes and dependency on rain water does not exist. Agriculture through Rains The second source of agriculture is rain water, playing a substantial role in those areas where there is no river or canal. Rain recharges the ground water in those areas and that water is utilized in the dry season for the agriculture and other uses. In Punjab the high quantity of rainfall is towards the northern areas which are close to the Jammu Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The average annual rainfall of Northern Punjab is almost 700mm which is because the North Punjab receives two types of rainfall one is through Monsoons coming from the east from Bay of Bengal and the other is through Western winds coming from the Caspian Sea and Mediterranean Ocean Area of Interest (Gujrat) District Gujrat is the North Eastern District in Punjab where it is bounded with the Azad Kashmir from North East, Mandi Bahauddin from the South western side which was once part of this district but after 1996 it was separated from this district, Jhelum from the North Western side separated by the river Jhelum and Gujranwala and Sialkot from the Southern side separated by the river Chenab. It is between two important rivers of Pakistan Jhelum and Chenab which makes it the most fertile land of Pakistan. According to the Indus pact of 1960 both of these rivers were given to Pakistan that’s why the flow of these rivers remains constant throughout the year unlike other rivers of Pakistan which don’t flow during the winter season. The language Punjabi is being spoken in this part of Pakistan according to the Census of 1998 and 95% of people speak it with following dialects; Majhi or Standard (Majority) Potohari (Few people near jehlum district) Shah puri dialect (Few people speak this dialect) Other than Punjabi there are two more languages being spoken in this area which are Urdu and English. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the total population of Gujrat district was 2,048,008 of which 1,026,000 are males and 1,022,000 are females, with a population density of 642 persons per square kilometer. Over 25.62% of the population was recorded as being urban. 1998 Census of Pakistan figures Urban Resource Centre The city of Gujrat is divided into two circles, City Circle (Head office Gujrat City) and Sadar Circle (Head office Jalalpur Jattan. The major source of income among the people of the city are agriculture and small industries. As agriculture is the major source of income among the people of city Gujrat then it is very important to stay safe from any kind of disaster which can damage agricultural prospect of the city suburbs. Chenab is a major river flowing between India and Pakistan, originates from the upper Himalaya where Indian state of Himachal Pradesh exists, reaches Punjab flowing through Jammu and Kashmir. It has many tributaries which are in Pakistan and also In India. According the Indus water treaty the water of river Chenab is allocated to Pakistan. It enters Pakistan forming a boundary between two districts of Punjab which are Sialkot and Gujrat. It provides water to the Pakistan throughout the year, in winter season the water quantity is decreased while in summer season the water coming as a result of monsoon rains causes floods in the southern Punjab. The flood of 2010 in Pakistan had a lot of contribution from this river. Chenab being a large river body is surrounding the city of Gujrat and fulfilling the water needs of the city. As we know that water is an essential element for the agriculture, the agriculture of the city Gujrat is also relying on the water of this river. As river recharges the ground water of this city which is utilized in the season of winter when the crops need more water and rainfall can’t fulfill the needs of the city’s agricultural land. Climate The city of Gujrat is located in temperate zone where the temperature shoots up to 45 ° Centigrade during the summer season while hot spells are short because of proximity of the Azad Kashmir Mountains with the city of Gujrat. In the season of winter the temperature may fall to 2 ° Centigrade. The average rainfall on the Kashmir border is over 1000 mm, at Kharian it is 750 mm, at Gujrat 670 mm, and at Dinga 500 mm. Gujrat city receives the average annual rainfall of 67cm (670mm) according to the data received from Meteorological department. Summer receives the heavy monsoons which are almost 80 percent of the annual rainfall and winter receives the rest of 20 percent rainfall which is as a result of western winds coming from Mediterranean and Caspian seas bringing moisture with them and release while passing through different regions, when western winds reaches Gujrat they turn almost dry that’s why the contribution of western winds to the annual rainfall is small. The monsoon winds are originated from the east near the Bay of Bengal in the summer season when the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) pushes to the North after the 21st March of every year. This change of ITCZ create a lot of low pressures in the regions and it also helps evaporate enough water from the ocean. Forming of different low pressures attract winds from the surrounding areas so these monsoon winds starts moving towards these low pressure areas and this is how they reach Gujrat at the end of month of June and start the rains which are sometimes disastrous for crops because of excessive rainfall or lateness of rainfall commonly known as failing of the monsoon rains. Wavelengths Sun emit radiations which are composed of different wavelengths, some of these wavelengths are very harmful and some of these wavelengths are helpful for us. Harmful wavelengths are having high frequency such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Ultra Violet rays are blocked by our atmosphere and they don’t reach us because of the thick wall of ozone layer. Helpful rays are those which have frequencies and high wavelengths they are not blocked by the atmosphere and they are beneficial for the human because visible portion is also included in this part. Visible Spectrum Visible portion is composed of three important rays having wavelengths from 0.4 to 0.7ÃŽ ¼m and are termed as Blue, Green and Red. These rays are the only wavelengths which a human eye can see while all the other wavelengths can’t be seen by the human eye and the spectrum of wavelength is very large. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (Ndvi) Normalized difference Vegetation Index is often called NDVI, a technique used to determine vegetation cover of any area through satellite data. Sunlight reaches the earth surface and hit different targets, those targets may include all objects placed on the earth surface. These objects have specific reflectance curve (reflectance values as a result of interaction with the sunlight). Vegetation also have a reflectance curve according to which the pigment in plant leaves, chlorophyll, strongly absorbs visible light (from 0.4 to 0.7 ÃŽ ¼m) for use in photosynthesis. The cell structure of the leaves, on the other hand, strongly reflects near infrared light (from 0.7 to 1.1 ÃŽ ¼m). The more leaves a plant has, the more these wavelengths of light are affected, respectively. Vegetation appears very different at visible and near infrared wavelengths. In visible light (top), vegetated areas are very dark, almost black, while desert regions (like the Sahara) are light. At near-infrared wavelengths, the vegetation is brighter and deserts are about the same. By comparing visible and infrared light, scientists measure the relative amount of vegetation. NDVI is calculated from the visible and near-infrared light reflected by vegetation. Healthy vegetation (left) absorbs most of the visible light that hits it, and reflects a large portion of the near-infrared light. Unhealthy or sparse vegetation (right) reflects more visible light and less near infrared light. The numbers on the figure above are representative of actual values, but real vegetation is much more varied. (Illustration by Robert Simmon). Nearly all satellite Vegetation Indices employ this difference formula to quantify the density of plant growth on the Earth — near-infrared radiation minus visible radiation divided by near-infrared radiation plus visible radiation. The result of this formula is called the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Written mathematically, the formula is: NDVI = (NIR — VIS)/ (NIR + VIS) Calculations of NDVI for a given pixel always result in a number that ranges from minus one (-1) to plus one (+1); however, no green leaves gives a value close to zero. A zero means no vegetation and close to +1 (0.8 0.9) indicates the highest possible density of green leaves.