Dow Chemical Business Analysis Essay

Historically, the chemical industry has operated in a competitive environment, which is not anticipated to change. Dow experiences significant competitions in each of its operating segments as well as in each of the geographic areas in which it operates. Dow competes globally on the foundation of quality, technology, price, and customer service and operates in an integrated manufacturing environment. Basic raw materials are processed through many stages to produce many products that are sold as finished goods at different points in the process. Dow has two major raw material streams that feed the production of the finished goods which are chlorine-based and hydrocarbon based raw materials. (Dow Chemical Company, n.d.) Business Environment The business environment of Dow is one that has strategically positioned itself to withstand the ever-changing forces of economic, social, political and technological factors it faces daily. Dow consistently identifies opportunities and new technologies before its competition which stimulates their industry-leader position. (1) Financial Health Dow has great financial strength. Their sensible financial discipline has proven beneficial in recent global economic challenges and has actually helped position it for future growth. The recent global economic challenges forced Dow to take steps towards strengthening and diversifying its portfolio. The company has come out on the other side of the challenges with a portfolio that is better equipped for economic uncertainties. (Dow Chemical Company, n.d.) During 2011, Dow: * had double-digit gains in revenue and earnings per share * posted  record revenues at a Company level, as well as in emerging geographies * introduced â€Å"game-changing† investments and partnerships that will allow the Company to capture more demand in the world’s fastest growing regions * recognized a stronger than ever before R&D innovation pipeline Analyzing the data attained from Dow’s 2011 financial statements confirm the Company’s financial heath and sustainability. Dow’s Liquidity ratio is a follows: Current Assets = 23,442 million Current Liabilities = 13,634 million Liquidity ratio = 23,422/13,634 = 1.72 Dow has $1.72 of current assets for every $1.00 of current liability. The current ratio should be at a 2 or greater to be considered a safe risk; however, Dow is a reputable global organization accepting the investment to be a safe risk. Dow’s Acid-test ratio is a follows: Cash = 5,444 million Accounts Receivable = 4,900 million Measurable Securities = 7,057 million Current Liabilities = 13,634 million Acid-test ratio = 4,444+4,900+7,057/13,634 = 1.28 Dow has 1.28 acid-test ratio. The ratio needs to be between a 0.05 and 1.0 to be satisfactory. The acid-test ratio determines whether an organization has enough short-term assets to cover immediate liabilities without selling inventory. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) Dow’s ratio is just slightly above 1.0, allowing it to be considered satisfactory. Dow’s Debt to owners’ ratio is as follows: Total Liabilities = 27,476 million Owners’ Equity = 22,281 million Debt to owners’ ratio = 27,476/22,281 = 1.23 or 123% The debt to owners’ ratio should be anything 100% or less. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) Dow is just over; however, other competitors in the industry have similar ratios signifying debt financing in the chemical industry is more acceptable and commonplace. Dow’s Return on sales is as follows: Net Income = 3,200 million Net Sales = 52,985 million Return on sales = 3,200/52,985 = 0.06 or 6% Return on sales for Dow is slightly lower than its researched competitors in producing income from sales. Competitors As previously stated, the chemical industry is a highly competitive environment. Two of Dow’s leading competitors include BASF and DuPont. BASF is the world’s leading chemical company with about 111,000 employees and just under 370 production sites worldwide. BASF serve customers and partners in almost every country in the world. In 2011, BASF posted sales of $73.5 billion. (BASF web site) BASF’s Liquidity ratio is a follows: Current Assets = 27,088 million Current Liabilities = 16,447 million Liquidity ratio = 27,088/16,477 = 1.64 BASF has $1.64 of current assets for every $1.00 of current liability. The current ratio should be at a 2 or greater to be considered a safe risk; however, BASF is a reputable global organization considering the investment to be a safe risk. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) BASF’s Acid-test ratio is a follows: Cash = 2,048 million Accounts Receivable = 10,886 million Current Liabilities = 16,477 million Acid-test ratio = 2,048+10,886/16,477 =. 78 BASF has a .78 acid-test ratio. The ratio needs to be between a 0.05 and 1.0 to be satisfactory. The acid-test ratio determines whether an organization has enough short-term assets to cover immediate liabilities without selling inventory. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) BASF’s ratio is in line and right where it should be; furthermore, considered satisfactory in regards to this measure. BASF’s Debt to owners’ ratio is as follows: Total Liabilities = 35,790 million Owner’s Equity = 25,385 million Debt to owners’ ratio = 35,790/25,385 = 1.41 or 141% The Debt to owners’ ratio should be anything 100% or less. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) BASF is just over; however, other competitors in the industry have similar ratios signifying debt financing in the chemical industry is more acceptable. BASF’s Return on sales is as follows: Net Income = 6,188 million Net Sales = 73,497 million Return on sales = 6,188/73,497 = 0.08 or 8% Return on sales is higher than Dow’s and lower than DuPont. Another strong competitor is DuPont. DuPont is a world leader in market-driven innovation and science. DuPont brings science and engineering to the global marketplace through innovative products, materials and services which enable their customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. (DuPont.com) DuPont’s Liquidity ratio is a follows: Current Assets = 18,058 million Current Liabilities = 11,185 million Liquidity ratio = 18,058/11,185 = 1.61 DuPont has $1.61 of current assets for every $1.00 of current liability. The current ratio should be at a 2 or greater to be considered a safe risk; however, DuPont is a reputable global organization permitting the investment as a safe risk. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) DuPont’s Acid-test ratio is a follows: Cash = 3,586 million Accounts Receivable = 4,598 million Measurable Securities = 433 million Current Liabilities = 11,185 million Acid-test ratio = 3,586+4,598+433/11,185 = .77 DuPont has a 0.77 acid-test ratio. The ratio needs to be between a 0.05 and 1.0 to be satisfactory. The acid-test ratio determines whether an organization has enough short-term assets to cover immediate liabilities without selling inventory. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) DuPont’s ratio is satisfactory. DuPont’s Debt to owners’ ratio is as follows: Total Liabilities = 39,899 million Owner’s Equity = 8,593 million Debt to owners’ ratio = 39,899/8,593 = 4.64 or 464% The Debt to owners’ ratio should be anything 100% or less. (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2010, p. 20-21) DuPont is significantly over this desired range at 464%, indicating that the significantly financed based on borrowed funds that must be paid back. In comparing this ratio to industry competitors, DuPont is still considerably over. DuPont’s Return on sales is as follows: Net Income = 3,474 million Net Sales = 37,961 million Return on sales = 3,474/37.961 = 0.09 or 9% DuPont’s return on sales is strong when comparing DuPont to Dow and BASF. Technological Advantages Dow’s innovation sets them apart from the competition on numerous levels. Dow is the world’s: * largest and most experienced ethylene and chlorine producer * largest producer of chlorine and caustic * leader in the production of purified ethylene oxide As of December 31, 2011, Dow owned a total of 18,120 patents world-wide. These patents protect the results of its research. The company had revenue related to patents and technology royalties of $437 million in 2011. Today, Dow’s innovation efforts further supports a new level world-wide growth, generates strong cash flows and enables them to commercialize or bring the technologies to the market. (Dow Chemical Company, n.d.) Dow’s innovations from 2011 include: * DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle – a solar panel which aesthetically looks like a shingle for the housing industry. * PASCAL Technology – a new polyurethane insulating solution to boost energy efficiency in appliances. * EVOQUE Pre-Composite Polymer Technology – allows paint manufactures to maximize hiding efficiencies. Globalization In an effort to satisfy the demands of a growing world, Dow is putting their innovations to work on every continent. In 2011, 32% of sales were gained from emerging geographies. Dow’s increasing investment into developed and emerging regions of the globe is empowering them to take advantage and capitalize on growth where it is happening. (Dow Chemical Company, n.d.) Benchmarking Dow’s vast and well-balanced portfolio enables the company to face the complex realities of today and the future head-on. The company has united its businesses with geographies and end-markets for significant growth. Dow is commercializing game-changing technologies today that are delivering real value to the bottom line. In 2011 nearly one-third of its sales were from products launched in the last five years reinforcing their strategic goals. DuPont is an industry leader in safety. DuPont quickly realized that in order for the organization’s safety mindset to be successful, safety had to be embraced from the top down. The safety culture of the company has proven successful in many areas. In 2000, over 90% of DuPont’s sites world-wide, operated with zero injuries, an unheard of accomplishment. In addition, DuPont has leveraged its acclaimed safety program and had provided safety training to other companies including General Motors, GE and Alcoa, Inc. (Vinas, 2002) Conclusion Dow is the third largest chemical company in the world. The healthy business environment fosters sustainability for decades to come. Dow offers financial and technological strengths with a promising future in the world-wide market. References Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding Business (9th ed.). : McGraw-Hill. Dow Chemical Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dow.com BASF Chemical Company. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.basf.com DuPont. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.dupont.com Vinas, T. (2002, Summer). Best Practices DuPont safety starts at the top. Industry Week, (), Retrieved from http://hhtp:www.industryweek.com/articles/best_practices_—_dupont_safety_starts_at_the_top

Benefits of Organic Food on Children Essay

It is believed that the most noteworthy of choices we can make based on enhancement of our own health and environmental health is the consumption of organic food. Organic food or otherwise you bet that a number of individuals would prefer organic food to the conventionally produced one. This is so because of a number of discoveries made crediting organic food to be better. For instance, a major European Union study concluded in 2007 found out that organic foods were 40% more rich in antioxidants than their conventional equivalents with a similar percentage for organic milk going as high as 60%. Earlier, in 2001, Washington State University researchers had established that organic apples were sweeter and firmer as compared to their conventional equivalents. Other separate studies elsewhere have since established that generally, organic fruits and vegetables contain higher nutrient levels. Regardless of who is conducting the study or where and when the study is conducted, the bottom line remains that organic food is of superior quality than their conventional equivalents and this explains why they are expensive besides their high demand. This paper seeks to investigate the benefits of organic food on children. Introduction Organic farming has been embraced recently especially by developed 1st and 2nd world countries. Organic food is that kind of food obtained in their very natural environment without contamination of any kind i. e. if it is plants they are produced without the conventional use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides etc. These artificial substances are avoided as a way of maintaining the natural composition of plant cells. It should be noted that if these substances are used they are incorporated into the plant tissues and cells thus causing contamination. If any fertilizer has to be used then it has to be from livestock and poultry which in turn have never been fed on artificial substances such as antibiotics, growth hormones etc. The food generated by this kind of farming is termed as organic food. It should be noted that organic produce may not necessarily be genetically modified. With the increased embrace of this kind of farming, some countries have moved to make sure that the farmers are certified in order to produce and market their produce as organic. Such countries include US, Canada, EU, Japan and many more. Historically the practice of organic farming was limited to a private family affair making organic food scarce and available only in farmer’s markets and small stores. Nevertheless, since the 90’s the demand for organic food has appreciably grown forcing the production of the food also to grow averagely at the rate of 20% pa. The growth proceeded right into the 21st century and as of April 2008 the organic food had claimed almost 2% of the total world food sales. At the moment it is projected that the growth rate may supersede the historical 20% pa to stand at 40-50% pa based on the country (Davis & Winter, 2006). The best processed organic food is the one that contains almost 100% natural ingredients. However if the non organic ingredients happen to be present, then their percentages must be very minimal and allow the animal and plant ingredients command more than 95% in Canada, US and Australia. How do you ascertain the percentage printed on the packages of these organic foods? Initially, people eating organic food insisted on knowing the organic farmer and visiting that farmer so as to trust the food produced. However with the growth of the organic food production industry, food production is not easily ascertainable and labeling of products as organic is easily trusted. The responsibility of ascertaining and ensuring that the food labeled as organic is indeed organic and it is produced as per the dictates of organic farming and processing regulations set out in the given country has been left to the government and other third party inspectors. The government legislation and the role of the third party inspectors have been relied on for assurance (Government of Canada, 2006). In Canada for instance, the organic food production is highly regulated and the government regulations governing organic food (farming and processing) need to be followed to the letter. There are no genetic modification, no food additives and there are no artificial processing methods such as chemical ripening and food irradiation. If organic food is being imported to Canada, then it has to come with an attestation from the source country. All these regulations are maintained and implemented basically on consumer protection grounds. Some food producers are likely to falsify information such as to reap high profit margins associated with organic food. The high profit margins in organic food is due to the 10 to 40% extra cost on organic food as compared to the food that is conventionally produced. Benefits of Organic Food on Children Based on the method of production of organic food, they are the best and safe for consumption especially for children whose body systems are more sensitive than the adults’. It is common knowledge that the choice of nutrition and food plays a major role in either triggering or preventing conditions such as obesity, asthma and diabetes. It has been established that healthy foods such as organic foods help prevent the onset of conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, hearty diseases and even cancer. Therefore, organic foods are quite beneficial to mankind especially to children (Finnamore, 2008). Since there are no artificial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides used in the production of organic food, then it means that the food lacks the residue levels of pesticides and herbicides witnessed in the conventionally produced food. Such residue herbicides and pesticides have been known to trigger cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Children are more susceptible to toxins such as the residual pesticides because of a combination of factors such as immature and developing organs and brains thus reduced detoxification and immune system. Therefore, feeding children on the conventionally produced food which has residual pesticide levels far above the recommended safety levels exposes them to the pesticides and herbicides which may cause cancer, cardiovascular diseases and nervous system defects. Feeding children on organic food protects them from the toxic pesticides guarantying their health as they develop. The hyperactivity in children has been blamed on the residual pesticides and herbicides in the conventionally produced foods. Therefore if children are fed on organic food, hyperactivity in school going children is likely to be reduced. Conventionally produced food has some food additives such as sweeteners, preservatives flavorings colorings hydrogenated fat, and phosphoric acid added during processing. These substances may pose toxic threat to the child’s immature brain and organs hence having adverse effects on the children. Such additives are prohibited in organic food production and this protects children from possible toxic effects of the food additives the additives. According, to doctors, the least the artificial additives and sweeteners in children’s’ food, the better.

An Introduction To Network Topology

An Introduction To Network Topology In the context of a communication network, the term topology refers to that way in which the end points, or stations, attached to the network are interconnected or it is the arrangements of systems in a computer network. It can be either physical or logical. The physical topology refers that, a way in which a network is laid out physically and it will include the devices, installation and location. Logical topology refers that how a data transfers in a network as opposed to its design. The network topology can be categorized into bus, ring, star, tree and mesh. Hybrid networks (They are the complex networks, which can be built of two or more topologies). Bus Topology A Bus topology is characterized by the use of a multi point medium. A long and single cable acts as a backbone to connect all the devices in a network. In a bus topology, all computers or stations attach through the appropriate hardware interfacing known as a tap, directly to a bus network. Full duplex operation between the station and tap allows data to transmit onto the bus and received from the bus. A transmission from any station propagates the length of the medium in both directions and can be received by all other stations. At each end of the bus is a terminator, which absorbs any signal, removing it from the bus. Nodes are connected to the bus cable by drop lines and taps. A drop line is a connection running between the device and the main cable. A tap is a connector that either splices into the main cable or punctures the sheathing of a cable to create a contact with the metallic core. A bus network work best with a limited number of computers. Advantages Bus topology can install very easily on a network. Cabling will be less compare to other topologies because of the main backbone cable laid efficiently in the network path. Bus topology suited for a small network. If one computer fails in the network, the other computers are not affected they will continue to work. It is also less expensi ve than star topology. Disadvantages The cable length will limited and there by limits the number of stations. If the backbone cable fails, the entire network will goes down. It is very difficult to trouble shoot. Maintenance cost is very high in a long run. Terminators are required for both the ends of the cable. Ring topology The ring topology the network consists of dedicated point to point connection and a set of repeaters in a closed loop. A signal is passed along the ring in one direction, from device to device, until it reaches its destination. It may be clock wise or anti clock wise. When a device receives a signal intend for another device, its repeater generates the bits and passes them along. As with the bus and tree, data are transmitted in frames. As a frame circulates past all the other stations, the destination station recognize its address and copies the frame into a local buffer as it goes by. The frame continues to circulate until it returns to the source station, where it is removed. These topologies are used in school campuses and some office buildings.

AFA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AFA - Essay Example Hegel asserted that African did not have the capacity or the spirit to steer development. However, the transformation that Africa has gone through is proof of the true of African spirit that chose to rule itself after European. The statements of Hegel were appreciated a century later by Hugh Trevor-Roper. Trevor-Roper’s compilation, The Rise of Christian Europe, likened the history of Africa to darkness, and the present Africa has undeniable traces of Europe history. The purpose of this essay is to debunk the mythical and stereotyped assertions made by Hegel and Trevor-Roper. The present Africa has made remarkable history by holding on to social, political and economic practices that trace back to the pre-colonial era. The transformation social-cultural institutions have gone through cannot escape notice. Hegel and Trevor-Roper ignore the rich traditional culture that existed before the scramble for Africa. The family unit recognized unequal role between men and women in the family unit. Men were considered as protectors and breadwinners in the family while women tended to children and farms. The superior role of men was appreciated in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria South Africa where the societies were patriarch in nature (Archive.unu.edu).The family units did not undergo many transformations despite the coming of European and Asians from as early as 1800s. The West Africa nations retained the male supremacy and any attitude or practice that favored the role of the men in the society. However, post-colonial periods features family units where both and women have equal roles. The adoption of European religion has played a crucial role in setting modern trends within the African family units. There are communities that embrace male supremacy but are gradually orienting to the new wo rld order on equality. Indigenous African education system featured practices and customs that were taught by the older

The explanation of the various management problems Essay

The explanation of the various management problems - Essay Example All of these fields are characterized with problem solving and decision making on the various management issues which is vital to the success and better performance of any organization in the context of the various department that are comprised in an organization. Through the study the student is able to make accurate, reliable and valid decisions on the management issues following the procedures and the guidelines that are consistent, feasible and in conformity with the better management practice and theories that aim at solving the underlying problems. With the effect of globalization and the advent of the new technologies taking its action in the various organizations, management has become an important tool and a vital aspect in the achievement of the set goals and objectives thus emerging the need to have a quality management team that is able to deliver the goal and objectives of the organization. Solving management problems requires the student to have adequate skills, qualifi cations and extensive understanding on the management and leadership which involves decision making. Although decision making has the tendency of being a natural and characterized with personal attributes it is important to integrate the various concepts of the management to improve the management decision quality and effectiveness. This implies that the management theories are acts as the facilitators of an effective, reliable, consistent and valid decisions made by the individual students who are the prospective managers of the various fields of management in the various contexts. The management theories assist management master’s degree students to be able to accurately interlink the management problem solving and the management decisions that are made at the various levels of management depending on the situation of an organization. The study of the management masters degree enables the students as potential managers to be able to apply the basic principles, laws and guid elines of the management process with the aim of optimally utilizing resources which are bound to be scarce. This process involves minimizing cost with anticipated maximum profitability and returns, and the whole process is facilitated by the modern management science and the availably technologies. In the field of management science and engineering the students of master’s degree will have acquired skills from the general management theories, operations management which is the core functional strategy of an engineering field, management system engineering, and information technology management - all these are incorporated with the decision making, game theory and the organizational theory. These theories mainly involve the designing of the economics management in engineering and the evaluation methods of the best engineering management practices. Secondly, there is the business administration where the study of the management theories is applied in the management of the corp oration businesses as well as the non-profit making organization. The

Writting paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Writting paper - Essay Example It is also found that the Ms. Werther favors certain surgeons and allots more time to their surgery than other. James Grover is the President of the hospital and needs the conflict to be resolved between the hospital administrator, Edward Hoffman, who argues that firing of the staff comes under his administration and Dr. Young, who asserts that he has authority over issues that compromise good medical practice and good patient care. There is role ambiguity between the role and duties of hospital administrator and chief of surgery. The controversary has risen due to the fact that heads of different departments of the organizations may take their role and duties literally without considering the needs and requirements of other department which may have direct impact on their performance outcome. In this case, the manner in which the staff of one department discharged her duty, adversely affected the performance of person of another department. This is a case of conflict of authority because Mr. Hoffman strongly objects to Dr. Young’s discharging a staff from her job as he believes that as administrator, his is responsible for quality patient care and the appointment and discharge of hospital staff. On the other hand, Dr. Young, who has fired Ms. Wether, believes that as head of surgery, he is entitled to fire a person from the job if he finds that his or her acts adversely affect the quality discharge of surgical duties properly of the medical practitioners or doctors. As a chief of surgery, Dr. Young has more knowledge about the highly technical and sensitive issue of surgical operations and clinical guidelines. He is also responsible for implementing the same in the hospital and therefore, he is empowered to act against any person as he sees appropriate to maintain high standard of medical ethics and services. Since Ms Werther was scheduling operation suite for surgical procedures that was not conducive to perform

What has been the impact on money supply in the U.S. of the recent Essay

What has been the impact on money supply in the U.S. of the recent mortgage crisis - Essay Example In America over the preceding few years, loads of home buyers had procured costly houses with out of the line mortgage products funded by unrelenting mortgage lenders. The incidents have wrecked the liaison between money supply growth and the recital of the US financial system. The current deceleration in housing trade, inferior house costs and the retuning of mortgage variable rates has initiated a downturn in the mortgage sector. The predicaments are principally manifested in the "sub-prime" sector and are imitated in swiftly growing delinquency, non-payment and foreclosure rates. This paper hereby briefly analyzes the impacts of current US mortgage crisis on money supply.It is an undeniable fact that Money Supply has an influential effect on economical commotions. Amplification in money supply inspires improved expenditure as it places added money in the hands of customers making them to feel richer and eventually inspiring them to swell their expenses causing temporary boost in financial activities and controlling deflation. (Handa, 2008) The phase of 2003-2006 witnessed exceptionally near to the ground interest rates along with consumer hopes of increase in double-digit house costs, assisted a record $3.2 trillion in house mortgages being written by lenders, with approximately 20% of this sum contribution towards subprime. The subprime mortgage sector also served supplicants having bad credit history at elevated interest rates. (Handa, 2008) It is now well known that in array to boost their profits, banks issued huge loans to investors engaged in US housing markets, but owing to sudden price decrease in housing sector, the quantity of loan defaulters increased causing liquidity crunch for banking institutions creating an environment of money crunch for the markets based on investor and end-user relations and eventually led the international markets to face mortgage crisis. (Ashdown, 2002) The mortgage crisis led countries to increase the money supply to control the sudden swell in economic inflation and increased interest rates. Faced with the slither in the actual economy and the crisis in the financial system, the Federal Reserve implemented extraordinary moves i.e. a $200 billion loan package was issued to stanch money constrictions. (Axilrod, 2009) In 2008, the majority of US money supply augmented noticeably as the governmental authorities interceded to infuse money into the system. Traditionally, an impulsive boost in the money supply resulted in a raise in interest rates to deflect price increases or inflationary prospects. (Ashdown, 2002) Source: New York fed The US government, up to now had issued huge amount of currency to assist procuring of lethal mortgage-backed securities and other badly performing resources from banks owing to the anticipated risk of price increases and dollar depression. Though, this risk is of a reduced amount of worry to the Fed as compare to the depression and languish growth as in 2008. Owing to the black economical month of March, 2007 in which over 25 subprime lenders declared insolvency, large losses or setting themselves up for sale, several lenders discontinue home equity as well as "stated income" loans. To control the total collapse of mortgage industry in July, 2007 Federal Reserve increased money supply by approximately $100 billion to facilitate retail financial institutions with credits at lower rate following with another $41 billion during late Oct - Nov, 2007 which was the biggest lone increase by the Federal Reserve since Sept 19, 2001 i.e. $50.35 billion. (Barth, 2009) In accordance with the review of literature provided by several economists, it is revealed that Money Supply is not dependable on the quantity of currency printed but it depends on the pace of flow i.e. "how many times it changes hand." (Mishkin, 2008) The trouble is that the rate of circulation had felled

Persuasive paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persuasive paper - Essay Example I want to argue for the strict adherence of school uniforms in school campus and this paper analyses various factors in favor and against the implementation of school uniforms. â€Å"The school uniform is the single-most visible element of any school. Students in school uniform are in fact walking advertisements for a school, giving an impression of the school for good or for bad throughout an entire town or city.† (School Uniform) The school uniform actually is the talking symbol of the educational level and the discipline in the school. Only the reputed schools will be more particular about strictly implementing or maintaining dress codes in schools. Casual dresses in schools will never help the students in focusing their studies since they will take education also casually. The wearing of school uniform will create a sense among students that they are going to place called schools and the purpose of their journey is to acquire knowledge. On the other hand casual wears will never encourage children to think in that way. Moreover in schools if some students bring attractive casuals then the whole attention of other students will be on their colleag ues’ dresses rather than concentrating in the class. Moreover such expensive dresses will encourage other students to persuade their poor parents to purchase such expensive items for them. The safety argument is that school uniforms make it more difficult for unwelcome outsiders to infiltrate the school grounds (Those disgusting School Uniforms) Implementation of school uniform would help to identify the intruders in the school compound and hence the violent crimes can be reduced. In most of the schools the outsiders are responsible for creating problems. If the school uniforms are not there it is difficult for the authorities to identify the intruders and hence the chances of crimes will be increased. ‘School uniforms can help in;

The Collaborative Network of the Boeing Company Research Paper

The Collaborative Network of the Boeing Company - Research Paper Example Several production and engineering innovations were introduced by the Boeing Company. For example, one of the innovations was the construction of the 787 families of aeroplanes from a plastic resin of carbon fibre in place of aluminium that was traditionally used for the making of aeroplanes till then. This provided the Boeing Company with a way to increase the fuel efficiency of the 787 aeroplanes. The 787 aeroplanes have a communications system based on satellite installed in them to provide the passengers with access to the Internet, help improve the monitoring maintenance with the wireless networks, and make electronic flight bags accessible to the crew that consists of reference data and charts. The windows of the 787 aeroplanes are larger in size as compared to other aircraft made till then. The larger size provides the passengers with additional comfort by increasing humidity and air pressure. â€Å"With the 787, Boeing was dreaming big dreams. They wanted to create a next-ge neration plane – a plan that was everything a 21st-century airline could possibly want. And they wanted to slash the cost of production, as well as the cost of operation. It was a daunting challenge. But Infosys was up to the task, co-developing innovative solutions in Information Technology (IT)† (Infosys, 2006). The customers have responded to the Dreamliner enthusiastically. This can be estimated from the fact that in spite of certain cancellations, the Boeing Company received the orders from 55 customers for 850 aeroplanes in April 2009 (boeing.com, 2009).

Linguistic Changes of an Individual in Migration Essay Example for Free

Linguistic Changes of an Individual in Migration Essay As the world becomes increasingly globalised, we observe a rising trend where individuals migrate for educational and economic opportunities. The prestige of being educated in a highly ranked university and the prospects of higher paying jobs are definitely important pull factors for both internal and international migration (Welch, 1970). When people move, they also transfer the use of their existing linguistic repertoire to their host country. However, what might have been effective at home might be interpreted differently when placed in different socioeconomic contexts. Hence, the relative value of linguistic repertoire one possesses and how mobile are one’s language skills in the world determines how a migrant interacts with a new community. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide insight on how the relative value of linguistic resources affects one’s mobility and decisions in community interactions. Drawing on Blommaert’s study on the sociolinguistics of globalisation, this discussion will focus on how an individual’s linguistic repertoire is being used to one’s advantage within the community. It also highlights the changes which occur when one attempts to transfer the same linguistic repertoire as the shift to a place of varying cultural and linguistic ability. As Blommaert suggests, â€Å"placed resources are resources that are functional in one particular place but can become dysfunctional as soon as they are moved to other places† (Blommaert, 2003). Essentially, this essay seeks to expound on the changes of one’s linguistic repertoire and how it affects one’s interactions with new communities resulting from migration. Linguistic repertoire refers to linguistic varieties acquired by an individual to different degrees of proficiency and for different uses (Crystal, 1990). The acquisition of linguistic repertoire thus extends not only to the procurement of different types of language codes like English and Hindi, but also the speech styles and genres within each language. In light of this definition, this paper chooses to trace how one’s use of language repertoire might change in the context of internal migration and international migration. With this in mind, a migrant from India who experienced both types of migration was chosen. India boasts twenty-two official languages as per the Constitution of India, where English is determined as the secondary official language and is used as lingua franca throughout India. Within the context of this paper, the experiences of the migrant serve to provide personal insight on language mobility within the transmigrational arena. Research methodology and background of interviewee With this in mind, a fifty minute interview was carried out on 16th October 2012 to gather substantial data in order to provide a comparison between internal and international migration. The sole participant is Joshua Cherian, aged 24 who is currently pursuing a postgraduate education in Singapore. He was born and raised in Kerala, Southern India, after which he moved to Jamshedpur, Northern India to pursue a tertiary education before working in New Delhi. He was taught English at a young age and learnt Hindi during university, while his mother tongue is Malayalam. During the interview, questions were asked ranging from the interviewee’s experiences of language acquisition and his experiences in India and Singapore to language policies in India. Utilising his personal insights on adapting to different communities and observing it through the concepts provided in Blommaert’s study, the relative value of linguistic repertoire consequently becomes more obvious not only from country to country but also within different areas of the community. Language repertoire in internal migration Within India, it is said to have a de-facto three plus minus one language policy. Those who neither speak the language of the state nor the two official languages, English and Hindi, now have to grapple with learning four languages in order to pass the school systems and secure jobs within the modern sector (Laitin. D, 1989). Consequently, many people who migrate in the pursuit of education or jobs find it necessary to expand their language repertoire in order to compete for the chance of upward socioeconomic mobility within India. Joshua notes that: â€Å"There is a divide between the corporate world and industrial world, where managers and people in multinational companies speak in english, but those in manufacturing speak Hindi in work. In the north of India everyone speaks Hindi, so I had to learn Hindi. When I worked in Delhi, I spoke mostly Hindi in my workplace, because I am a manager of labourers and those who just passed tenth standard, they just need to make something so they don’t need English. People who do software need to interact with clients overseas, so it is important for them to speak English.† Due the demands of his job, Joshua was required to expand his language repertoire to include fluent Hindi in order to communicate with his subordinates effectively. Although English could have sufficed in interacting with white-collar professionals, learning Hindi would have enabled Joshua to ensure a smooth running of operations that he was in charge with. As such, it is observed that migrants tend to expand their language repertoire within internal migration according to which languages are most functional within their community. Furthermore, an expansion of linguistic repertoire also affects one’s interaction the community. As immigrants acquire proficiency in more languages, there is a tendency to broaden their participation in various communities within the area that they have settled in. This is especially evident in Joshua’s recount: â€Å"In India you would have to know many languages in order to fit into different communities. University students will use English because it is prestigious. It shows you are well educated. Outside of the education system, everyone speaks their own dialect or their own state language. I used to hang out with many friends when I was studying in Jamshedpur who came from all over India. I also managed to become my student governing body’s president, so speaking the many languages helped me reach out to a lot of people.† Even though migrants who migrate within their home country experience a new environment, there are common cultural familiarities that they can relate to by being in the same country. Naturally, this allows them to assimilate into the communities easily since they already share similar cultural and national identities. Rather, this pre-existing factor enables immigrants like Joshua to interact with different groups of people. Such a preference is also extremely beneficial to an individual within a new community as they are able to called upon a large network of acquaintances should they need help in the future. Hence, the broadening of one’s interaction with many communities would be positively correlated to the acquisition of language repertoire because both serve the same purpose of helping the migrant assimilate well into the new environment they are in. Language Repertoire in International Migration In contrast to internal migration, one’s use of language repertoire might decrease across different geographical spaces. It is noted that international migration denotes a shift to a foreign culture in which the values placed upon certain languages is different from one’s original country. As such, many migrants would utilise a language within their repertoire that is widely used in the world. Joshua relates his experience moving from India to Singapore: â€Å"When I first arrived in Singapore, everything was easy for me to get used to because I was already proficient in English. Even if I needed help, I could just approach anyone and they would reply me in English. I don’t even Hindi anymore because the friends and people I meet with speak only in English. Perhaps it is because there are so many races here so communication needs to be in a common language. Although I have friends from India here, they never speak in their mother tongue! Everyone would rather speak in English than Hindi! Despite Joshua’s extensive language repertoire, he only speaks in English in Singapore, thereby showing a decrease in language repertoire employed in daily life. In most cases of international migration, migrants often move from the ‘periphery’ to the ‘core’ of the world system. As one attempts to transfer one’s language repertoire from one country to another, the languages employed more frequently within the core global system would be more mobile compared to other languages. In particular, because Singapore is a multi-racial community, it requires English as a lingua franca in order to achieve cohesiveness and efficiency. Consequently, rather than expanding one’s linguistic repertoire to gain access to every community, a migrant in Singapore need only focus on speaking proficient English, which subsequently narrows his language repertoire within the host country. Parallel to one’s decrease in language repertoire, it is observed that migrants narrow their participation to a few communities that they are comfortable with. While migrants who migrate internally tend to broaden their participation in a wide array of communities, people who migrate internationally prefer to focus their efforts in interacting with a particular community where they feel most comfortable with. Joshua, expresses that: â€Å" I like to be in a place where I can interact with people well. When I came to Singapore, everybody spoke â€Å"Singlish†. It was especially hard for me to understand the jokes of my Singaporean friends. Thats why I wanted to be in a Christian group, so I went around to look for churches and even joined the varsity christian fellowship. Then I found a church cell group to be in and we could talk about common things, at least everyone there understands what I am going through when I talk about my struggles and life. I don’t meet with the Indian community much because everyone here speaks English anyway and I am more comfortable speaking in English, so when I talk about God and faith, I don’t get any puzzled looks when I am with church people† For most immigrants, being in a foreign community could be unsettling because there exists stark differences in culture that they might not understand. In Joshua’s case, not being able to understand Singlish hindered his active participation in various communities, especially in understanding humour within the sociocultural context of Singaporean society. As such, by participating in communities with specific shared beliefs that the migrant can identify with, it could be easier for him to assimilate into a new environment. Communities with shared beliefs also tend to share a similar use of register in their daily speech. Drawing on Joshua’s case of finding a christian community, a christian setting could be more comfortable for him because he understands the semantics of words such as â€Å"communion† and â€Å"faith† used frequently in that community. Additionally, by narrowing one’s participation to few communities, individuals would have more time to spend more effort on forging closer relationships within a particular communities. This in turn could be more beneficial to the migrant as this niche area of society provides a source of emotional support for the migrant in order to cope with the anxiety of being away from home. Conclusion What Joshua has experienced demonstrates the constant change of the value of language resources as he shifts between places in migration. This relative value of one’s linguistic resources is largely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors that have shaped the community to place emphasis on certain languages and speech styles. As such, an immigrant’s increase or decrease language repertoire is largely affected by the placed importance of certain languages within their host communities. In conclusion, this paper has asserts that language mobility is profoundly affected by the changing values of linguistic resources which vary from place to place, especially when there is a shift of resources from the periphery to the core of the world system. Whether one participates in a wide number of communities or chooses to focus their efforts in a single community depends on a change in one’s use of his language repertoire. References 0. Blommaert, J. (2003). Commentary: A Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7/4, 2003: 607-623 0. Crystal, D. (1990). A Liturgical Language in a Sociolinguistic Perspective. In D. R.C.D. Jasper (eds),Language and the worship of the church (Basingstoke: Macmillan), 120-46 0. Laitin D. D. (1989). Language Policy and Political Strategy in India. Policy Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 3/4, Policymaking in Developing Countries (1989), pp. 415-436 0. Welch F. (1970). ‘Education in Production, Journal of Political Economy, 78 (1), January/February, 35-59

Poems By Ann Bradstreet And Edward Taylor

Poems By Ann Bradstreet And Edward Taylor Ann Dudley Bradley was an American writer who was born in the year 1612 and lived for 60 years and died in 1672. Among her many works that she wrote included the poem titled The Prologue. She is best remembered as the first American poet to be published during colonisation of America. Edward Taylor was born in Sketchley, Leicestershire, England in 1642 and he lived for 87 years till in 1729. He too was an American poet during the colonisation of America. A Pastor and a Physician, one of his poems published was titled Prologue. The prologue by Ann has eight stanzas and each stanza has six lines, the stanzas of the poem have been arranged in a simple and clear manner; while in comparison with the prologue by Edward, written in 1939 from Preparatory Meditation has five stanzas and six lines. The first and the third line of every stanza have been indented left. Ann Bradley in her poem in the first stanza seems to despise the tendency to praise and adore war, captains and the kings and th eir cities and wealth that are as a resultant of war. She seems not to be able to compel herself into taking her pen and paper and praise them. (For my mean pen are too superior things). To her, it is the duty of poets and historians to set the facts straight. In her poem there is a thin line between the facts of history and the illusions of the kings and captains plus their wealth: and there worth will not be deemed by her writing. The perception of Ann and the emotions of her heart seem to look down about the colonisers good way of life (great bartas sugared lines) and she feels saddened about the state of her fellow Americans in the middle of plenty. In the Prologue by Edward Taylor, the poet seems to ask God a rhetoric question, that its very obvious like a clear sky that the dust that is on the earth (men) can not outweigh the totality of the grand mountains (superiority of God) on the earth caused its not their design nor show that can befit the grandeur of the divinity. To hi m he is self-agreeing that being handed a moistures pen (pen that is ready to be written with) will guide him in giving a wonderful praise to the lord. In the second stanza, he glorifies a pen that has been expectedly made for writing using a super refined ink that can even write on the most unlikely surface (in crystal leaves) where it can write ferociously till the writer stops. Both writers seem to praise the art of writing in bringing out their perception and in glorifying heavenly and in seeking self worth. (2nd stanza for Edward and the fifth and the sixth line of the first stanza for Ann.) In the fourth to the sixth stanzas, Ann Bradley states that they do not expect, any expressive language (rhetoric) from the school boys nor music (sweet consort) from old musical equipments (broken strings) nor a beauty that dance to their tune and so her thoughts also sings out but all this is in vain as whatever the issue at hand, it is not reversible as cause nature made it so. These has made her to dislike the Greek who through art discovered that there desires can be partly fulfilled by art to a certain extent , but at the end of the day an injured brain does not accept therapy.( the fifth stanza). The poet is intolerable to every nagging tongue that prejudices her hand that writes and scorns at her work just because of the superiority of her works and because sh e is female. This brings about the theme of gender bias and inequality through her works (Who says my hand a needle better fits.)and its her duty to prove them wrong through her works ( a poets pen all scorn) even though proving them wrong through her works will lead them to stating that her works and intelligence are not original but its plagiarized( last two sentence of the sixth stanza) Edward Taylor, in the third to the fifth and the last stanza refers himself to be the crump of dust that is so low in the society and its only through his pen that he can bring himself to the level of the praise and high life like the mountains and these he is to do through praising of the Lord through written poems written in the most refined if inks (Â  And Write in Liquid Gold upon Thy Name; My Letters till Thy glory forth doth flame.) He continues by stating that no one should attempt to neither break down his endeavours nor laugh at his works. He applies to the lord to inspire his works and may glory be given to the lord who may have mercy to all those that are looking down at his works of praise (Nor laugh Thou them to scorn but pardon give). For if glory is given then it will last (Thy dust shall live.) And that the people should be careful not to scorn at the short coming of his works as they are still part of his works. (They being Slips slipped from Thy Crumb of Dust.) Edw ard as the crump of dust seeks God( the mountain) to guide him so that he can show case his prowess and give praise and glory to the almighty god (the last stanza)In the last three stanza for Ann Bradley, she looks back at the ancient Greeks who were mild in there treatment of there women but they are still pretenders (Else of our sex why feigned they those Nine). To her Greeks are Greeks and that men should stop waging wars to prove to the women as they have an advantage and they will always excel, all that women are seeking from the men is some respect and acknowledgement for all that they do( Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours) For even the birds that fly the skies fly high but catch their prey and that men can stop looking down the women achievements then women achievement including her works is bound to bring more wealth to the men by simply acknowledging them.( last stanza) . To conclude both writers are looking at the art of writing as a means of fulfilling there de sires. For Ann Acknowledgement from men and for Edward praise to the lord.