Impacts of the Globalization on International Law and Tradition on Research Paper

Impacts of the Globalization on International Law and Tradition on Quatar and the UAE - Research Paper Example According to the Universal Declaration on human rights however restricting the accessibility of the facilities, goods, and services on the basis of gender is unlawful. Hence the UN has criticized the human rights law practiced in Qatar on multiple occasions. The international laws practiced in UAE have also been largely criticized by the international institutions on law enforcement. Example: The UAE’s Draft Labor Law introduced in 2007 received a number of sever criticisms from the Human Rights Watch. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for provisions of workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, protecting all the categories of workers including local farmers and grazing workers by the labor law, clarifying the minimum age of employment and non discriminatory accessibility to all the categories of work by women and local labors. Further, the remedies or sanctions that are placed to deter the violations of UAE labor law are inadequate according to the Unive rsal Declaration of Human Rights. The government is advised to provide effective penalties for violations and be effective and efficient in applying them (HRW, 2007 p.13). Nevertheless, Qatar ranked in 36 among the 186 countries listed in the Human Development Index (HDI), 2012. Evidently adopting a legislation which is heavily different from the dominating western countries has not impeded the socio economic development of Qatar. It can be due to the fact that Qatar’s strategic restrictions that are placed upon the International trade. International trade regulations had been highly liberal despite the controversy status in human rights. Example: Export tax are not imposed in Qatar despite import and sale of... This paper is one of the best examples of comparison of the evolution of legislative systems of two of the most economically developed countries of the Middle East region, the UAE and Qatar, which is driven by the globalization process. The influence of the globalization on cultural traditions of these two countries is also assessed. Establishing international level interdependencies can improve the laws and traditions practiced in countries. However the profitability of such international alliances largely depends on the availability of common interests, values, principles and procedures that are transparent across all the member states. Successfully implemented globalized economies are more powerful than the individual states. Globalization has positively influenced the international law in Qatar and the UAE. These two countries have significantly improved the international laws during the late 2000. This lead to decrease the cost of labor in the country. In 2005, the number of migrants in UAE labor market amounted approximately 2.7 million . It is evident that labor law and migrant law have supported the high economic growth rates in UAE. The traditions of the UAE and Qatar however face significant challenges in a rapidly globalizing environment. Although similar domestic legislation and traditions are observed in both the countries, international law has been substantially different. Differences in international have been unfavorable towards the UAE compared to the Qatar.

Toyota’s Accelerator and Public Relations Crisis Essay Example for Free

Toyota’s Accelerator and Public Relations Crisis Essay One of the world’s top automakers, Toyota was once one of the leaders in automobile and business improvement and manufacturing. However, in 2009 the top builder of reliable and high quality cars went through one of the largest recalls in the history of the United States. Consumers had considered Toyota one of the top in the race for automobile and automobile selling among car manufacturers. They have always had a reputation as being a leader of quality and efficiency in terms of their production and manufacturing standards. Since the recall Toyota has taken a tremendous blow to its reputation and its loyal customer basis. Consumers are questioning whether Toyota was hiding the truth from the public regarding their well know accelerator issues and why they were trying to fix the problems after the issue became serious and not immediately. Some may question if this incident will permanently affect Toyota’s reputation or if Toyota handled this situation properly. In this paper we will discuss these questions as well as the cause of the problem. Several different Toyota and Lexus models were reported to have gotten in accidents regarding acceleration issues. The accelerator’s in some of the Toyota models were getting stuck, which did not allow the drivers of these vehicles to slow down or stop in time to prevent an accident. When this issue was originally brought to light Toyota claimed that â€Å"faulty floor mat placement† was to blame and that the gas pedal would get stuck behind the floor mats which would cause the inability to slow down or stop. According to Bob Carter, general manager of the Toyota-brand division of Toyota Motor Sales USA â€Å" The risk of the accelerator getting jammed is strictly a problem of unintended loose or ill fitting floor mats ( Niedermeyer)†. â€Å"Toyota refuted speculation in the press that other defects might be causing its vehicles to accelerate uncontrollable, citing its own and federal safety studies (Niedermeyer)†. After further investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the actual problem may not have anything to do with â€Å"faulty floor mat placement† but with several model’s accelerator  mechanism. They found that â€Å"the design of the accelerator pedal (â€Å"one-piece, nonarticulating†) allowed it to become easily entrapped in the groove of the rubber all-weather floor mat if the rubber mat was not properly secured with at least of the two retaining hooks (Jensen)†. Toyota finally issued a consumer safety advisory to all Toyota and Lexus owners at the end of September 2009 and at the end of October 2009 mailed certain Toyota owners safety notices to alert them of the potential problems. It is still unknown the exact date that Toyota knew their models were faulty but it is known that reports of the faulty vehicles began arising as early as 1999. The initial problem was not made public until problems persisted over the next 10 years. Even then it took the death of 4 individuals in California driving a Lexus with a stuck accelerator to final discuss Toyota’s accelerator issues. Toyota then announced they would be recalling millions of models of Toyota Vehicles. There were several Toyota models effected which include the company’s three best sellers- the Camry, Corolla, and Rav4 SUV. â€Å"Between them, they accounted for more than half of the Toyota brand’s U.S. sales in 2009 (Isidore)†. Although Toyota should have taken this situation more seriously years ago when the problem first happened, are they really to blame? When the accelerator problem happened to only a few vehicles throughout the years it’s hard to say that Toyota is to blame. I think the fact of the matter is that they tried to pass the buck blaming the floor mat placement instead of really investigating the issue. Had they investigated the issue more carefully consumer’s confidence in Toyota may not have been tarnished. People are not buying a Toyota for just their looks, they are buying the Toyota brand because of the fact they are known to be a reliable and safe vehicle that can last â€Å"forever†. Chris Isidore says it best when he says† For years, Toyota Motor was the automaker that could do no wrong. Now it’s made a major mistake likely to have a lasting impact on the company (Isidore)†. Not only did the recall effect some of Toyota’s best selling vehicles it caused five North American plants to halt production which affected about 14,000 employees. To halt production to its vehicles is tough in an economy where there is strict competition. Erich Merkle, president of Autoconomy.com, an industry analysis  firm says â€Å"American rivals like General Motors and Ford Motor have similar vehicles to the ones recalled by Toyota, which are far more competitive than they’ve been previously. Loyal Toyota customers who decide to look at other offering are more likely to find something they like than they might have been in the past. Toyota fending off those rivals was going to be enough of a challenge without the safety issues.† Toyota does realize the negative impact this recall has is definitely not positive but they are determined to restore consumer’s confidence in their products. Many experts think that â€Å"the damage to the Toyota brand and the company’s sales may already have been done (Isidore)†. Toyota’s stock prices have gone downhill ever since the news of the recalls went public. Although the company is trying to resolve the issue with their floor mats and accelerator issues the media and customer dissatisfaction have put the company in a tight spot to respond to its troubles. This has cause competitors like Ford and Hyundai to react quickly and offer Toyotas customers incentives to trade in their Toyota’s for one of the competitor’s models. Some are even offering incentives of $1,000 and 0 percent financing to attract Toyota’s customer base. Every brand has its strengths and weakness. Toyota focused on a sub branch approach, in which most of its cars are linked to a single corporate brand. For Toyota that means that a problem with any vehicle at Toyota will not only affect sales of the effected model in question but to its entire inventory of vehicles. Therefore it comes as no big surprise that several of their vehicles were included in there recall. Audi was another car manufacturer that went through a very similar recall issue with accelerator problems. The overall impact this had on Audi was crucial. The resale value of the Audi 5000, which had been involve in a number of fatal accelerator accidents declined significantly as a result of the recall. This also had a snowball effect on other Audi vehicles such as a the Audi 4000, which lost significant resale value, and to a lesser extent also effected the Audi Quattro all due to the fact that they were a part of the same company. Any technical hitch with one car can als o mean problems with others when the auto world in known for using shared parts and technologies across multiple models. Another recall that that was notorious in history was with the Ford Pinto. This was definitely not one of the largest recalls because it only  affected about 1.5 million vehicles but some considered it the most dangerous. With this recall a driver could be subject to an exploding gas tank in the event of an accident. Initially Ford didn’t even want to recall these vehicles and would have rather dealt with lawsuits, which sparked a huge public outcry. In 1995 Honda another car manufacturer that is know for its reliability also had a recall on the Honda Accord and several other Honda and Acura models. This recall affected about 3.7 million vehicles. The main cause of the recall was the seat belt chassis, which had become either broken or unreliable in many cars. Chevy, Ford, and GM have also had their fair share of significant recalls throughout the years. These recalls affected millions as well. Most people realize that at one point or another something is going to wrong with their car. Repairs are to be expected and for the most part most cars and trucks will at some point have a recall. Recalls address safety problems, whether they are minor or major. Toyota’s recall was not so much a part had to be recalled but more of the fact they tried to blame it on the placement of a floor mat. When companies try to bush issues under the rug that’s when people remember. Although at this time the recall may affect Toyota negatively overall I think its customer’s will remain loyal. When bad things tend to happen, companies need the right strategy for talking their way out of a mess and avoiding a tarnished reputation. Choosing the best way to respond is not always easy but can make a difference towards the company’s survival. Toyota was aware there were issues with the accelerators and waited until they were in a crisis to resolve this issue. Toyota response to the recall not only affected its consumer base in the US but may have had the same negative impact with its Chinese consumers. One report indicated that â€Å"the large majority of Chinese car consumers (74 percent) are aware of Toyota’s present difficulties. Almost every two out of three of these consumers acknowledge that their confidence in the Japanese car maker has been affected (62 percent) and that the current recall practice degrades their image perception of Toyota. Among the owners, the impact is much less important though, as only a little less than one in every seven Toyota cus tomers strongly agree on a degraded image perception and decrease in trust (15 percent), compared with one out of  every four car owners of competitor brands (27 percent and 25 percent respectively) (WPP)†. The real question is did Toyota handle this situation correctly? The most important thing Toyota did was keep their customers informed, even if it was what some considered a delayed response. They issued recalls on all affected vehicles and they stopped production on their vehicles which shows consumers they are willing to correct the problem. They are also not willing to restart production or release any affected vehicles before the problem is correct. They have been working with dealers to manage the process of the recall as best as possible to limit customer dissatisfaction. With all of these positive approaches Toyota is trying to make, the concerns consumers still have are the overall reliability of Toyota and the potential effect this recall may have on the resale value of their vehicles. Several people have commented on their feelings towards Toyota after the recall. The majorities have been loyal Toyota customers that have owned one or more Toyota vehicle and the others have never owned a Toyota. Many of the Toyota customers felt that the media made a monster out of this recall and caused fear and panic in consumers. They also felt that the media created this perception that Toyota’s were no longer a reliable vehicle. Other people who never owned a Toyota feel that the Toyota name will be tarnished and that these problems were to be expected. If people really looked at the whole picture they may find these comments to be true. For several years car manufacturers have been sending out recalls. This is not the first one in history to happen and it will surely not be the last. Most industries anticipate for supply and demand. Toyota sales may have gone down since the recall but that is to be expected. Car industry forecasters do not anticipate that Toyota’s loss will cause a drop in overall demand. As long as Toyota continues to make new cars, people will buy them. May reports have indicated that people who initially thought about purchasing a Toyota before this major crisis would still purchase one. They realize that this recall is no different then other recalls that have happened through out history, with maybe the exception that Toyota did not act as quickly as the media and some consumers expected they should have. Toyota is a well known company. They will bounce back from this crisis eventually and may even try to offer its  customer’s incentives to purchase vehicles through one of their dealers that other car dealers may not be able to offer right now. Overall this recall just like anything else will pass and Toyota’s sales will be among the top again. People realize that the perception the media creates can sometimes have a long lasting impact, but then something else bigger will happen and things will return right back to normal for Toyota. It is a vicious cycle that we all live in. What people may lose now in resale value is really nothing major. People can actually benefit from this by purchasing a used Toyota at a lower price than what they would have had to pay years ago. Overall Toyota has a long history of loyal customer. This and the fact that Toyota is know for being a good quality car will allow it to bounce back from some mistakes they have made during this recall. Although its reputation may have been tarnished to some extent, they still have several loyal customers that will continue to purchase their vehicles through Toyota. This is just another obstacle they will get through. They will be able to use this incident to improve on their vehicle production and rebuild the Toyota brand and image. Works Cited 1. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/toyota-floor-mat-problem-was-known-two-years-ago/ 2. http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/27/news/companies/toyota_sales_halt/index.htm?postversion=2010012718 3. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/11/toyota-fllor-mats-absolutely-positively-100-certainly-the-problem/ 4. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/opinion/09wed2.html1?_r=1 5. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national.2010/01/29/106990.htm

Distinction Between Marginal Cost And Incremental Cost Economics Essay

Distinction Between Marginal Cost And Incremental Cost Economics Essay 2) (a) What is the distinction between marginal cost and incremental cost? (b) How are sunk costs treated in managerial decision making? Why (a)Incremental costs are closely related to the concept of marginal cost but with a relatively wider connotation. While marginal cost refers to the change in total cost resulting from producing an additional unit of output, incremental cost refers to total additional cost associated with the decision to expand output or to add a new variety of product etc. It represents the difference between two alternatives. So both are concerned with the change in the total cost where marginal costs refers to the increase or decrease in that results from producing or distributing an additional unit of output and, incremental cost refers to the change in the total output as a result of change in the methods of production or distribution such as addition of a product or territory, use of improved technology or selection of a additional sales channel. (b)A sunk cost is a cost that has been already incurred and cannot be changed or altered by any decision made now or in future. For example , once it is decided to make incremental investment expenditure and funds are allocated and spent, all preceding cost are considered as sunk cost. Such cost are based on prior commitment and cannot be revised or recovered when there is a change in market condition or in business decision makings. The sunk cost are ignored in managerial decision making as they are irrelevant costs which will not affect the decision. Suppose a company paid $50000 to purchase machinery five years back. The machine was used to produce for last few years and now it is obsolete and no longer can be sold .The amount paid is already incurred and cannot be recovered. So the cost of the obsolete machine will not be considered in making managerial decisions. (8) What shape of the LAC curve has been found in many empirical studies? What does this mean for the survival of small firms in the industry? Answer: In the empirical studies the shape of long run average cost curve to be L-shaped with a scale of economics . This means largest firms tend to have cost advantage and the industry tends to become monopoly which is called natural monopoly. The L-shaped shows that per unit producing a product decline initially and then forms L- shaped which cost advantage for longer period resulting to economies of scale due to optimum utilization of recourses. It was believed that economics outstrips diseconomies of scale as firms expand from small size up to a certain size. For the smaller firms in the industry will face diseconomies of scale and no economic profit as there will be lesser amount of recourses and output level.As marginal cost are raising function of rate of out and falling function of the volume. (9) (a) What is the meaning of economies of scope? How do they differ from economies of scale? (b) What do learning curves show? How do they differ from economies of scale? What is the usefulness of learning curves as a managerial tool? What is the reason for rising international trade in inputs and the use of foreign skilled labor? Answer: (a) Economies of scope exist if a firm can produce several product lines at a given output level more cheaply than a combination of separate firms each producing a single product at the same output level. Economies of scope occur where it is cheaper to produce a  wider range of products  rather than specialize in just a handful of products. Expanding the product range to  exploit the value of existing brands  is a good way of exploiting economies of scope. E.g. Amazon expanding into selling toys, sports goods or McDonalds expanding the range of their products to include salads and health foods. Economies of scope is relatively a new approach to business strategy, and is heavily based on the development of high technology. Economies of scale are reductions in average costs imputable to production volume increases. Economies of scope differ from economies of scale in that a firm receives a cost advantage by producing a complementary variety of products with a concentration on a core competency. While economies of scope and scale are often positively correlated and interdependent, strictly speaking the benefits from scope have little to do with the size of output. (b)The aircraft industry was the first to develop the learning curve. The curve that represents the declining trend in the long run average cost of production is called the learning curve. Economies of scale is the are the reduction in average cost as the result of increase in production volume whereas learning curve shows the graphical presentation of the falling average cost curve with respect to increase in production. The learning curve is widely used by business managers and serves as an important managerial tool to foresee and predict the possible trend in long run average cost of production and plan production accordingly. The basic purpose behind the use learning curve is to forecast the unit cost with cumulative increase in output. It is also used to forecast manpower, machinery, material needs of the company, to determine and quote the future competitive price of the product and for planning production. (c) International trade is the exchange of goods, services and capital across the international territory or borders. The use of foreign labor will be more costly due to the reason that borders imposes additional costs such as tariffs , time costs due to border delays and costs associated country difference . A rise in the use of foreign skilled labor will have a direct impact in the international trade resulting in an increase in the imports which may affect the balance of trade. Chapter 7 Problems 2) Given the following total cost schedule of a firm, (a) derive the total fixed cost and total variable cost schedule of the firm, and from them derive the average fixed cost, average variable cost, average total cost, and marginal cost schedules of the firm. Q 0 1 2 3 4 5 TC $30 50 60 81 118 180 Answer: Total cost = Total fixed cost +Total variable cost Marginal cost= Total cost of producing additional unit total cost of producing the previous unit. Average variable cost=Total variable cost/Number of units Average fixed cost=Total fixed cost / Number of units Total average cost=Average fixed cost + Average variable cost Q 0 1 2 3 4 5 TC $30 50 60 81 118 180 TFC $30 30 30 30 30 3 TVC $0 20 30 51 88 150 MC $ 20 10 21 37 62 ATC $ 50 30 27 29.5 36 AFC $ 30 15 10 7.5 6 AVC $ 20 15 17 22 36 3) Airway Express has an evening flight from Los Angeles to New York with an average of 80 passengers and a return flight the next afternoon with an average of 50 passengers. The plan makes no other trip. The charge for the plane remaining in New York overnight is $1,200 and would be $0 in Los Angeles. The airline is considering eliminating the night flight out of Los Angeles and replacing it with a morning flight. The estimated number of passengers is 70 in the morning flight and 50 in the return afternoon flight. The one-way ticket is $200 for any flight. The operating cost of the plane for each flight is $11,000. The fixed costs for the plane are $3000 a day whether it flies or not. 3(a): Please calculate and compare the profit under each flight. 3(b) is asking should Airway Express continue providing the flight between Los Angeles and New York. Even Airway Express decides not to fly, it still have to pay the fixed costs of $3,000 per day. Answer-Given, Cost of the ticket =$200 Operating cost =$11,000 Fixed cost=$3000 Overnight charge=$1,200 Total cost = $11,000+$3,000+$1,200=$15,200 I. Profit for the evening flight from Los Angeles to New York which has average passengers of 80 and cost of the tickets is given as $200 so the average revenue will be $16,000. Profit=Revenue-Cost $16,000-$15,200 $800 Thus, average Profit for the flight is $800 II. Profit for the afternoon flight next day from New York to Los Angeles carrying average passengers of 50, so the average revenue will be $10000 Profit=$10,000 -$15,200 -5,200 The fight is showing average loss of $5,200 III. Profit for the morning flight eliminating with the night flight from Los Angeles to New York carrying an average passengers of 70, the revenue will be $14,000. Cost of operation =fixed cost + operating cost $3,000+$11,000 $14000 Profit=Revenue earned cost incurred $14000 $14000 $0 The flight is nor earning average profit or average loss. IV. Profit for the afternoon flight from New York to Los Angeles with estimated passengers of 50, the revenue will be $10,000 Profit=$10,000-$14000 $4000 The flight is incurring loss of $4000. (b)The Airway express flying evening flight from Los Angeles is earning a profit of $800 with average passengers of 80 and whereas incurring loss of $5,200 in the return trip. In the next case, the airline is making no profit and no loss in the morning flight from Los Angeles to New York, whereas making a loss of $4000 in the return trip . The airline should discontinue providing flights between Los Angeles and New York. Although, it has a fixed cost of $3000 per day which come to $90,000 but the airline will be incurring huge cost of $14000 per day which comes to $42, 00,000 in a month. So it would be a better option to discontinue the operation of the airline from Los Angeles to New York. 4) Electric utility companies usually operate their most modern and efficient equipment continuously (i.e. around the clock) and use their older less efficient equipment only to meet periods of peak demand. 4(a) Will the short-run marginal cost decrease or increase? Answer: Electric Utility firms retire old plants, modernize generating units, and occasionally build new plants, generally after a lengthy period of licensing, regulatory review, and construction. But this not possible in short run as in short run there are fixed factors which cannot be changed in short run as they tend to use their older less efficient equipment to meet the periods of peak demand. In Electric utility companies variable cost consist mainly energy costs. Fixed cost are the cost which cannot be changed with the level of output and in electric utility companies fixed are analogues to capacity cost. As a result the marginal cost in the short run decreases . The reason is the marginal cost curve will turn up when utility will be forced to less efficient during on peak-periods. 11) The Goldberg-Scheinman Publishing Company is publishing a new managerial economics text for which it has estimated the following total fixed and average variable costs: Total fixed costs: Copy editing $10,000 Typesetting $70,000 Selling and promotion $20,000 Total fixed cost $100,000 Average Variable cost: Printing and binding $6 Administrative costs $2 Sales commission $1 Bookstore discounts $7 Authors royalties $4 Average variable cost $20 Project selling price $30 Determine the breakeven output and total sales revenues. (b) Determine the output that would generate a total profit of $60,000 and the total sales revenues at that output level. Answer: (a)At the breakeven point is the point where cost and revenue are equal. Calculations: Breakeven point (sales) =Fixed cost/(Selling price -Variable cost) =$100,000/($30-$20) =$10,000 Breakeven output=$10,000/$30 =333.3 units (b)Sales=Variable cost + fixed cost +profit =$20+$100000+$60000 =$160020 Output level-$160020/$30 =5334 units. Chapter 8 Discussion 2) (a) Under what conditions should a firm continue to produce in the short run if it incurs losses at the best level of output? (b) Are the normal returns on investment included as part of costs or as part of profits in managerial economics? Why Answer: In short run, there is only one variable input (labor) and other inputs (especially capital) are held constant. In other words, the size of labor may increase or decrease but the capital and other inputs will remain fixed. If the Incurs losses at its best level of output then, the firm should try to reduce marginal cost and operate at the level where marginal and average product are positive or increasing. If price falls below average total cost, but remains above average variable cost, the firm will continue to operate in the short run, producing the quantity where  MR  =  MC  doing so minimizes its losses. Whereas If price falls below average variable cost, the firm will shut down in the short run, reducing output to zero. The lowest point on the average variable cost curve is called the shutdown point. (b)Normal returns on investment is also referred as normal profit, is the level of profit required to keep the engaged in a particular activity .The normal rate of return is the Average profit necessary to attract and retain investment .A normal rate of return, or profit, is necessary to induce individuals to invest funds rather than spend them for current consumption. Normal profit is simply a cost for capital as it is no different from the cost of other recourses (materials, energy or labor).As a result , the normal rate of return are included as a part of cost in managerial economics. 8) What happen to the Dollar price that a U.S. (a) importer pays and (b) exporter receives if prices are agreed in Euros and the Dollar then appreciates by 10 percent with respect to the Euro? Answer: The exchange rate is the price of one currency expressed in terms of another. If the importer pays i.e. in dollars to the foreign country and the value of the foreign country currency is devalued the dollar value of promised payment will fall. Whereas if the foreign currency value appreciates the dollar value of the promised payment will rise resulting to a disfavor to the importer country. If prices are agreed in Euros and the Dollar then appreciates by 10 percent with respect to the Euro and the exporters pay, the value of the promised payment will fall. 13) (a) What are the choice-related variables for a firm under monopolistic competition? (b) What is non-price competition? (c) Product Variation? (d) Selling expenses? Answer: (a)Monopolistic competition is defined as market setting in which large number of sellers sells differentiated products. A firm will produce output where MR=MC. The consumers are willing to purchase given amount of product for the given price. The price is determined by demand curve. In short run firms can give positive profits .Positive profits encourages new firms to enter in the market. In the long run due to the entrance of new firms economic profit is zero i.e. P=AC. The main objective of firms under monopolistic competition is profit maximization. (b)Non price competition- The market situation in which firms or the competitors will not lower the price for a fear of price war. So, instead they focus on extensive promotion to highlight distinctive features or benefit of the products. It refers to the competition among firms that choose to distinguish between their products on the basis of attribute, design are non price means e.g. promotions, style etc. It is often used by firms that want to differentiate between virtually identical products. The reason for this is that firms are that operate in monopolistic competition are the price taker as they do not have the influence in changing the price of their goods. Consequently to distinguish themselves they use the strategy of non price such as product innovation and advertisement. (c) Product variations-Product variation is the change in the product properties or features in timing. For example, passenger cars companies bring new models out in the exiting classs e.g. Gulf I, gulf II. Product variation is the modification by changing one or more features of the product to enhance consumer appeal .It will provide a competitive advantage as the company may be able to charge a higher price and enhance loyalty. The variation is made on quality, performance and design. The product variation is, thus, the improvements in the existing product line with new features, appearance, better quality, better performance etc giving a new outlook to it. (d)Selling expenses-Selling expenses are the part of operating expenses along with administrative expenses. Selling expense is the cost incurred to sell or distribute merchandise .Selling expenses includes advertising, sales commission, promotional materials distributed, salaries and fringe benefits of sales personnel , rent of sales office, utilities usage in the sales department. Chapter 8 Problems:- 2) Starting with the market demand and supply functions in Problem 1, determine algebraically the new equilibrium price and quantity if the demand function changes to QD= 12,000- 1,000P or to QD= 8,000- 1,000P. (b) the market supply function changes to QS*= -4,000+1,000P or to QS**= 1,000P. Solution: We know , at the equilibrium point Quantity supplied equals quantity demanded i.e. QD=QS or QS=QD We have, QD=10000-1000P QS= -2000-1000P If demand function changes to QD=12000-1000P or QD=8000-1000 We get , 12000-1000P=2000-1000P -1000P+1000P= -12000P-2000P P = 12000 P= 12000 The new equilibrium price will be $12000 BY substituting the value of P in the demand function and supply function, 12000-1000(12000)=-2000-1000(12000) 12000-120,00,000= -2000-120,00,000 14000 The new equilibrium quantity is 14000 For market supply function, QS= 4000 +1000P or QS=1000P Now, the equation will be 10000-1000P=-4000+1000P -1000P-1000P= -4000- 10000 -P= -14000 P=14000 The equilibrium price is $16000 By substituting the value of P, will be , 10000-1000P=1000P 10000-1000(16000)=-4000+1000(16000) 10000-140,00,000=-4000+140,00,000 6000 The equilibrium quantity will be 6000 7) From Figure 8-4, determine the effect of a 33 percent import tariff on commodity X. * The tariff-inclusive price will be $3(1+.33) = $4. What are the impacts of tariff on domestic consumption, domestic production, imports, and governments tariff revenue? Please show the numbers, for example, the domestic consumption will decrease from 600X to 500X. Solution: The tariff inclusive price will be $3(1+.33)=$4 , the price of the commodity will be $4 and as a result the price of the commodity X will rise from $3 to $4.Tariff is a tax added to the costs imported goods and sometimes to exported goods. The domestic consumption will decrease due to the addition of tariff which will result to an increase in the price of the commodity. As the price of the commodity will increase, the demand for the commodity will decline which will result in a reduction in consumption from 600X to 500X. The domestic production will increase as the producers in the importing country will experience an increase in well-being as a result of tariff from 200X to 300X. The increase in the price of their product on the domestic market increases producer surplus in the industry. The government tariffs revenue will increase as a result of increase in tariffs as governments receives the tariff and also depends on the way how the government spends. 9) Starting from Figure 8-6 showing the short-run price and output determination by the monopolist, suppose that the average fixed costs of the monopolist increase by $5 and that its AVC is $6 less than the new ATC at the best level of output. ATC=AFC+AVC. After AFC increases by $5, ATC will increase by $5 (ATC curve moves up vertically by $5 for every output Q) and MC, D and MR stay the same. The AFC for 500 units is $6, in other words, the TFC is $3,000. Answer: Average total cost-Average fixed cost + Average variable cost Given ATC=$8, a increase in average fixed cost $5 and AVC is $6 less then, After the increase in AFC the ATC will be appreciated by $5 as a result of this ATC curve will move upwards vertically by $5 for every level of output. The best level of out is where MC=MR which is 500 units. AFC for best level of output i.e. 500 is $6 and TFC is $30,000.

Cloning Essay -- Clone Science Nature Wildlife Conservation Essays

Cloning Abstract The question to clone or not to clone is currently center stage of scientific debate. Since the birth of Dolly, the sheep, in 1997 the controversial question of cloning has been paramount throughout the entire globe. The question is no longer whether it can be done, but whether is should be done and to what extent. We have already cloned goats, mice, monkeys, cattle, and pigs (Cloning fact sheet). Scientists are now trying to get approval to clone humans or at least parts of them (Eccleston, CNN). All of these clonings have led to much criticism and controversy, but the latest attempt at cloning is that of endangered and possibly already extinct species in hopes of preserving them. This short paper will give a brief description of cloning and the pros and cons of preserving endangered and extinct species via means of cloning. Introduction There are different types of cloning. One type led by researchers at the Human Genome Project entails the copying of genes and parts of chromosomes in order to get enough identical genetic material to do further research, which they believe could help prevent human diseases in the future (Cloning fact sheet). Another type of cloning is called Blastomere separation, also known as twinning. In this case they split an egg (embryo), soon after it has been fertilized which results in two or more embryos, twins, containing the same exact DNA from both parents (Cloning fact sheet). However, Dolly, was cloned from only one parent. To do this, scientists must take an egg, empty out its genetic material, and replace it with genetic material from another animal by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer (Cloning fact sheet). This means that on... ...ed: Eccleston, J., Baum, M.D. 2000. Cloning complications: British plan on human embryos stirs an international debate. http://www.cnn.com/2000/fyi/news/08/29/human.cloning/index.tr.html. 3 pages. Accessed 10/26/2000. Lanza, R.P., Dresser, B.L., Damiani, P. 2000. Cloning Noah's Ark: biotechnology might offer the best way to keep some endangered species from disappearing from the planet. Scientific American. Vol. 283: 84-89. Myers, N., Mittermeier, R., Mittermeier, C.G., Da Fonseca, G.A.B., Kent, J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature. Vol. 403: 853-858. Reaves, J. 2000. Bring back the DoDo! Brave new strides in animal cloning. Time daily. http://www.time.com/time/daily/0,2960,57207,00.html. 2 pages. Accessed 10/26/2000. Unknown. Cloning Fact Sheet. www.ornl.gov/hgmis. 3 pages. Accessed 10/26/2000.

Critical Thinking Essay

Today is the era of information culture and most facts come from critical thinking. More and more people are faced regularly with information they have to make proper decisions about. Critical thinking is the vital component of decision-making process and business world. Critical thinking is defined as the process of determining the accuracy, authenticity and worth of data and information, arguments, knowledge and claims. Critical thinking is generating, analyzing and examining ideas, learning to be cautious and sympathetic, learning to manipulate. The key point of critical thinking is to find and marshal good arguments and information, to avoid distortion and manipulation, to define truth and fallacies before product advertising. Actually, it helps expert to develop new approaches, to attract new customers and to retain the power on the old ones. Decision-making should be critical in its thinking and deliver properly selected and analyzed promotional plans, find technical solutions to existing problems, design new production lines, etc. (Feldman 2002) The purpose of critical thinking is rather three-fold: it has to be relevant to the segment of target market; it has to be memorable and recognizable beyond the moment of its exposure; it has to attract attention of indented viewer. In decision-making process critical thinking is a generative and lateral force, because it allows: to examine all ideas and arguments, to separate the ideas from their vehicles, to define false from true, and to separate accurate from distorted, incomplete from complete, etc. (Harris 1998) Example from Personal Experience I really appreciate the role of critical thinking in decision-making process. Sometimes, decision may seem less effective, though in perspective it will appear a winning one. Such situation happened to me. Once I had been working at confectionery. The idea was to put cake mixes on the market and manufacturers decided to put the highest quality into mixes. Women were required simply to add water, but, unfortunately, mixes fail to be sold good. I had to refer to my critical thinking to realize the women might feel guilty for not being good wives as they had to take shortcut to make a cake. I thought it would be better to take off milk and eggs as it would allow women to do something. Despite the fact that solution appeared to less efficient in theoretical terms, it was more practical. It was the first time I admitted the importance of critical thinking in decision-making. (Harris 1998) Benefits and Importance of Critical Thinking Critical thinking gives business experts and employees an opportunity to develop new fresh solutions to problems. Critical thinking gives the possibility to enjoy analyzing data and information and then to develop opinions and conclusions. In many cases employees analyze what is wrong with the idea or on-going process and then try to point out how to make this process right. Critical thinking in decision-making is used when it is necessary: to increase brand loyalty, to increase visibility and awareness of the goods and services that are being delivered, to stimulate increase in sales, to create opportunities to display products, to be socially responsible, and to entertain customers and prospects. (Harris 1998) Critical thinking is used when it is required to develop the habit of analyzing and to think about problematic issues instead of reacting to them. Thus, critical thinking sets them apart and then sees what is going on with them. One more benefit of critical thinking is developing attention. Critical thinking is necessary when paying attention to the opportunities opened ahead. It is a matter of fact that many original ideas are lost because of lack of attention and lazy attitude towards information. Critical thinking helps employees to find the best words and phrases to create a strong impression and impact on customers. Further, critical thinking develops awareness in decision-making process. It means that employees are able to look a round and to encompass the universe of thought. Employees possessing developed critical thinking won’t be fixed within the narrow confines of own perspective. They will be aware of different approaches available to problem solving. Critical thinking together with strong imagination is the best combination for a strong leader, because they allow him/her to play with data and to sort it in many different ways. Simply saying, critical thinking is optimistic curiosity, because really critically thinking employees want to know things. (Feldman 2002) Critical leaders are able to view opposing arguments with interest and sympathy. They prefer to listen thoughtfully and patiently to other workers and consider them carefully. Therefore, critical thinking provides them with knowledge what is going on in information society and with possible ways of verbal and non-verbal manipulations. They will create different meanings and impressions. It is a matter of fact that critical thinking gives the opportunity to form independent judgments that are based good evidence. Critically thinking people are able to not only to collect necessary data, but also to put them together into something new and meaningful. (Feldman 2002) Critical thinking is necessary for decision-making process, because it gives excellent possibilities to expand their own boundaries of thoughts and to broaden their ideas and perspectives in many ways by talking to people whose point of view is completely different, by listening to customers with respect to their needs and desires, by reading books and articles with deeper understanding of changes in society, by understanding different lifestyle and different cultures. (Harris 1998) Critical thinking is useful for driving growth in corporate and social marketing strategies, for building and maintaining markets and to make positive social contribution. What is more important is that critical thinking is the showcase of social responsibility. Employees with critical thinking can find ways how to increase influence and impact on customers’ behavior and how to contribute ethical reputation of the company or organization. (Feldman 2002) References Feldman, Daniel. (2002). Critical Thinking: Strategies for Decision Making. Boston, MA: Thomson Place. Harris, Robert. (1998, July 1). Introduction to Critical Thinking. Retrieved January 30, 2007, from http://www. virtualsalt. com/crebook1. htm

Sustainable development toward an eco-build homes The WritePass Journal

Sustainable development toward an eco-build homes Introduction Sustainable development toward an eco-build homes IntroductionAim and ObjectiveClimate ChangeSustainable DevelopmentLiterature ReviewConclusionRelated Introduction Sustainability in construction is a common issue today, ranging from sustainable design to sustainable technologies. These issues have made the United Kingdom’s Government push forward for alternative advances in various technologies and renewable energies. The government are also looking for any other strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions because the scientific evidence shows that the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions are growing rapidly in UK. Due to 47% of the national energy consumption that is used by the UK homes and domestic buildings regardless of when lighting, appliances and buildings are energy efficient as well as having zero carbon technologies are installed. Due to the higher rate of energy consumption that homes in United Kingdom’s generate, the government came out with an idea that, all newly built homes in England and Wales should be built to zero carbon by 2016. By progressively tightening the energy efficiency building regulations by 25% in 2010; and by 44% by 2013 leading up to the zero carbon target in 2016. Aim and Objective The aim and objective of this project is to design a three bedroom family house that will achieve code level 6 zero carbon footprint. This can be done by using a sustainable and eco friendly materials. Research will also carried out on current zero carbon homes project and also looking into the past project that has already achieved code level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Climate Change The word of climate change is one of the biggest threats to the global environment especially to the developed country like UK. It needs an urgent and radical response if we want to secure and enhanced our prosperity and quality of life. The uses of fossil fuel (oil, coal and gas) for energy and transport has already damage our climate and as a result of this, the climate change is already having impact on our live and is expected to destroy the live hoods of many people in the developing world as well as ecosystem and species, The research carried out shows that greenhouse gasses is the main contributors to the climate change and the government are committed to reduce the production of greenhouse gasses particular on carbon dioxide. In November 2008, the climate change act became law this is because the government want to reduce carbon dioxide emission CO2 by a minimum of 26% by the year 2020 with a long time goal of 80% reduction by 2050. The scientific evidence shows that 47% of carbon dioxide emission CO2 in the UK come from the energy used in our house and other domestic building e.g. hospital, school and offices. In other to eliminate carbon emissions from the built environment by 2050, we need to start making our building as energy efficient as possible and using on site renewable energy, community scale renewable and decarbonisation of the grid. The UK government has done a lot in other to achieve the commitment of the climate change Act by introducing mandatory energy performance certificate for sale and purchase of new and existing homes, The government banned incandescent light bulbs in favour of energy saving light bulb, introducing the climate change level where businesses must pay additional tax on their use that is non renewable energy and by passing energy act 2008 which introduce measure such as the feed in tariff, smart metering, renewable heat incentive and carbon capture storage. The government even went as far as introducing the renewable obligation whereby all electricity suppliers must provide 10% of the electricity they sell from renewable sources. The issue of the climate change is behind why we arrived on the sustainable development. Sustainable Development Sustainable development has become generally accepted as planning goals in UK, which was defined by Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions London (2000) as; â€Å"The simple initiative of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come† The intention of the definitions is to achieve social, economic and environmental objectives and at the same time given us more inclusive society by which the benefit of increased economic prosperity are widely shared, with less pollution and more efficient use of natural resources. The key objective of achieving the sustainable development is as follow; The sensible use of natural resources The effective protection of the environment Maintaining high levels of economic growth and employment Social progress that recognises the needs of everyone The sustainable development is a serious matter because need for growth is becoming huge as ever especially in a developing world. At this point of time, the environments are struggling to cope with the current levels of consumptions, e.g. Energy Consumption which is having huge impact on the climate change. The government has to come out with a new way of meeting people’s need, prospect and aspiration to ensure that our economy, society and environment grow and develop in harmony. We should also know that, the design and construction of a building play major role in contributing to the sustainable development. The issues of sustainable development lead us to the sustainable design which concentrates on how individual or groups of building complies with the objective of sustainable development. This is by ensuring that the sustainable designs are; The construction of buildings should minimises the amount of resources they use, including energy, waste and pollution The materials used for construction should be environmentally and eco friendly The existing built fabric should be re-used as far as possible Buildings are energy efficient The issue of sustainable design usually focus on long term benefit rather than short term saving reason is that, sustainable building will cost less to build and has smaller impact on the environment in terms of natural resources that are used during the construction. Literature Review Scope of the Chapter This chapter explains what zero carbon homes is also the sustainable principle and sustainable codes. All relevant building regulations especially Part L 2006 will be looking at in other to accomplish the aim of the project. Analysing case study on the previous project that already achieved code level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 Conclusion Research will be on case studies, materials and design of past projects will be discussed and at a later date incorporated it into proposed three bedrooms family house. The discussion on how the building will achieve code level 6 will on be considered in the chapter and the consumption of energy that the house use will also be detailed.

Henry J. Raymond

Henry J. Raymond Henry J. Raymond, political activist and journalist, founded the New York Times in 1851 and served as its dominant editorial voice for nearly two decades. When Raymond launched the Times, New York City was already home to thriving newspapers edited by prominent editors such as Horace Greeley and James Gordon Bennett. But the 31-year-old Raymond believed he could provide the public with something new, a newspaper devoted to honest and reliable coverage without overt political crusading. Despite Raymonds deliberately moderate stance as a journalist, he was always quite active in politics. He was prominent in Whig Party affairs until the mid-1850s, when he became an early supporter of the new anti-slavery Republican Party. Raymond and the New York Times helped bring Abraham Lincoln to national prominence after his February 1860 speech at Cooper Union, and the newspaper supported Lincoln and the Union cause throughout the Civil War. Following the Civil War, Raymond, who had been the chairman of the National Republican Party, served in the House of Representatives. He was involved in a number of controversies over Reconstruction policy and his time in Congress was extremely difficult. Habitually afflicted by overwork, Raymond died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age  of 49. His legacy was the creation of the New York Times and what amounted to a new style of journalism focused on the honest presentation of both sides of critical issues. Early Life Henry Jarvis Raymond was born in Lima, New York, on January 24, 1820. His family owned a prosperous farm and young Henry received a good childhood education. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1840, though not after becoming dangerously ill from overwork.   While in college he began to contribute  essays to a magazine edited by Horace Greeley. And after college he secured a job working for Greeley at his new newspaper, the New York Tribune. Raymond took to city journalism, and became indoctrinated with the idea that newspapers should perform a social service. Raymond befriended a young man in the Tribunes business office, George Jones, and the two began to think about forming their own newspaper. The idea was put on hold while Jones went to work for a bank in Albany, New York,  and Raymonds career took him to other newspapers and deepening involvement with Whig Party politics. In 1849, while working for a New York City newspaper, the Courier and Examiner, Raymond  was elected to the New York State legislature. He  was soon elected speaker of the assembly, but was determined to launch his own newspaper. In early 1851 Raymond was conversing with his friend George Jones in Albany, and they finally decided to start  their own newspaper. Founding of the New York Times With some investors from Albany and New York City, Jones and Raymond set about finding an office, purchasing a new Hoe printing press, and recruiting staff. And on September 18, 1851 the first edition appeared. On page two of the first issue Raymond issued a lengthy statement of purpose under the headline A Word About Ourselves. He explained that the paper was priced at one cent so as to obtain a large circulation and corresponding influence. He also took issue with speculation and gossip about the new paper which had circulated throughout the summer of 1851. He mentioned that the Times was rumored to be supporting several different, and contradictory, candidates. Raymond spoke eloquently about how the new paper would address issues, and he seemed to be making reference to the two dominant temperamental editors of the day, Greeley of the New York Tribune and Bennett of the New York Herald: We do not mean to write as if we were in a passion, unless that shall really be the case; and we shall make it a point to get into a passion as rarely as possible. There are very few things in this world which it is worthwhile to get angry about; and they are just the things that anger will not improve. In controversies with other journals, with individuals, or with parties, we shall engage only when, in our opinion, some important public interest can be promoted thereby; and even then, we shall endeavor to rely more upon fair argument than upon misrepresentation or abusive language. The new newspaper was successful, but its first years were difficult. Its hard to imagine the New York Tijmes as the scrappy upstart, but thats what it was as compared to Greeleys Tribune or Bennetts Herald. An incident from the early years of the Times demonstrates the competition among New York City newspapers at the time. When the steamship Arctic sank in September 1854, James Gordon Bennett arranged to have an interview with a survivor. Editors at the Times thought it unfair that Bennett and the Herald would have an exclusive interview, as the newspapers tended to cooperate in such matters. So the Times managed to get the earliest copies of the Heralds interview and set it in type and rushed their version out to the street first. By 1854 standards, the New York Times had essentially hacked the more established Herald. The antagonism between Bennett and Raymond percolated for years. In a move that would surprise those familiar with the modern New York Times, the newspaper published a mean-spirited ethnic caricature of Bennett in December 1861. The front-page cartoon depicted Bennett, who had been born in Scotland, as a devil playing a bagpipe. Talented Journalist Though Raymond was only 31 when he began editing the New York Times, he was already an accomplished journalist known for solid reporting skills and an astounding ability to not only write well but write very fast. Many stories were told about Raymonds ability to write quickly in longhand, immediately handing the pages to compositors who would set his words into type. A famous example was when the politician and great orator Daniel Webster died in October 1852. On October 25, 1852, the New York Times published a lengthy biography of Webster running to 26 columns. A  friend and colleague of Raymonds later recalled that Raymond had written 16 columns of it himself. He essentially wrote three complete pages of a daily newspaper in a few hours, between the time the news arrived by telegraph and the time the type had to go to press. Besides being an inordinately talented writer, Raymond loved the competition of city journalism. He guided the Times when they battled to be first on stories, such as when the steamship Arctic sank in September 1854 and all the papers were scrambling to get the news. Support for Lincoln In the early 1850s Raymond, like many others, gravitated to the new Republican Party as the Whig Party essentially dissolved. And when Abraham Lincoln began to rise to prominence in Republican circles, Raymond recognized him as having presidential potential. At the 1860 Republican convention, Raymond supported the candidacy of fellow New Yorker William Seward. But once Lincoln was nominated Raymond, and the New York Times, supported him. In 1864 Raymond was very active at the Republican National Convention at which Lincoln was renominated and Andrew Johnson added to the ticket. During that summer Raymond wrote to Lincoln expressing his fear that Lincoln would lose in November. But with military victories in the fall, Lincoln won a second term. Lincolns second term, of course, only lasted six weeks. Raymond, who had been elected to Congress, found himself generally at odds with the more radical members of his own party, including Thaddeus Stevens. Raymonds time in Congress was generally disastrous. It was often observed that his success in journalism did not extend to politics, and he would have been better off to stay out of politics entirely. The Republican Party did not renominate Raymond to run for Congress in 1868. And by that time he was exhausted from the constant internal warfare in the party.   On the morning of Friday, June 18, 1869, Raymond died, of an apparent cerebral hemorrhage, at his home in Greenwich Village.  The next days New York Times was published with thick black mourning borders between the columns on page one. The newspapers story announcing his death began: It is our sad duty to announce the death of Mr. Henry J. Raymond, the founder and editor of the Times, who died suddenly at his residence yesterday morning of an attack of apoplexy. The intelligence of this painful event, which has robbed American journalism of one of its more eminent supporters, and deprived the nation of a patriotic statesman, whose wise and moderate counsels can ill be spared at the present juncture of affairs, will be received with deep sorrow throughout the country, not alone by those who enjoyed his personal friendship, and shared his political convictions, but by those also who knew him only as a journalist and public man. His death will be felt as a national loss. Legacy of Henry J. Raymond Following the death of Raymond, the New York Times endured. And the ideas advanced by Raymond, that newspapers should report both sides of an issue and show moderation, eventually became standard in American journalism. Raymond was often criticized for not being able to make up his mind about about an issue, unlike his competitors Greeley and Bennett. He addressed that quirk of his own personality directly: If those of my friends who call me a waverer  could only know how impossible it is for me to see but one aspect of a question, or to espouse but one side of a cause, they would pity rather than condemn me; and however much I may wish myself differently constituted, yet I cannot unmake the original structure of my mind. His death at such a young age came as a shock to New York City and especially its journalistic community. The following day the main competitors of the New York Times, Greeleys Tribune and Bennetts Herald, printed heartfelt  tributes to Raymond.

The use of smartphones has become an inalienable p Essays

The use of smartphones has become an inalienable p Essays The use of smartphones has become an inalienable part of everyday life of people of almost all ages globally. 91% of the world population owns a mobile device. According to surveys, young people have the strongest need in mobile devices. 18-24 years old respondents reported they could not imagine their routine without smartphones as they take pivotal role in various processes: communication with friends and family, jobs, studies, reading news etc. On average, people spend 3 hours a day using mobile technologies. For majority of the people, smartphones are the most convenient way for communication because they make the process of communication faster and easier. Emailing is faster, and messaging is also effective. People cannot leave from their home without taking the smartphones with them. Staff needs smartphone for faster and easier communication at their workplace. One more thing is that smartphones keep your family and friends in contact. For example, the parents are also gifting the children with smartphones for many reasons. The major reason for these types of gifts is the concern about the safety of the children. Without smartphones, family and friends seem to lose their contact. The business people are now making use of the smart phones to advertise their products. It is amazing how the smart phones have helped in marketing and strategizing. Reaching to target customers is much easier. The education sector has also been positively affected by the use of the smart phones technology in the society. The students can access valuable educative information from the internet with the help of smart phones. Those in online learning can access all notes and materials and easily submit assignments from any part of the globe. Health information and healthy practices can be accessible with the use of the smart phone technology. The future looks very promising for the Smartphone. In just a few years, Smartphones have become very popular, and it is almost unheard of for someone to not own one. As major developers create new ways in which we can use our Smartphone, the opportunities our endless. I certainly believe the Smartphone will become more "human", as we can already see a preview of that in Apple iPhone's Siri.

Traditional Way and Agile Way of Management Essay

Traditional Way and Agile Way of Management - Essay Example Iterative or agile method involves incremental development. The system and the process is gradually built and has an advantage over other methods. For instance, if there is a need to modify the management process or the direction of the system needs to go through sudden abrupt changes; agile management system has a better chance to cater for the change then other methods. One relatively rigid method is ‘waterfall method’.In comparison with the agile project management, the waterfall method uses clearly (or with less flexibility) defined deliverables for the life cycle of the project. The higher management of a company performs a complete audit of the system before it is incorporated into the project management. Agile project management method cuts the processing time considerably. Projects that took months to complete in the past are being accomplished within weeks or days. This project managing method modifies the conventional iteration processes waterfall and makes the m more flexible and advanced.Despite the fact that agile management is rarely used to manage a mega project, it is no less crucial than the conventional of traditional project management methods and tools. A mega project can be divided into several parts and then these small parts can then be governed and managed by agile management. That is why a collage of management methods and tactics are incorporated in one project. The core difference between agile and traditional project management rests in their estimating techniques.

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project 2 - Essay Example The site was published in 1999 and was developed from a paper published in 1996. Consequently, some of the information in the site may be out of date and it does not represent state-of-the-art research. Nevertheless, the site provides a valuable resource, and the information that it contains is important for understanding geological phenomena throughout the world. The Glomar Challenger and JOIDES Resolution The Glomar Challenger is a research vessel developed in the 1960s, which studies of marine biology, and had the ability to collect core samples from the deep ocean floor. The ship was involved in a scientific expedition in 1968 that provided important evidence towards the seafloor spreading hypothesis. In the 1990’s a ship was designed for the Joint Oceanographic Institutions for Deep Earth Sampling (JOIDES), named the JOIDES Resolution. This vessel is also focused on research, and has the ability to drill deeper than the Glomar Challenger and to produce higher precision po sitioning. The ship carries more than 9,000 meters of pipe for drilling (Kious & Tilling, 1999b). Having research vessels such as these allows researchers to develop extensive knowledge about the way that the processes within the earth interact, and what can be expected from these interactions. Major concentrations of earthquakes Throughout the world, earthquakes tend to be centered along oceanic spreading ridges and trenches. The most prominent of these are the Wadati-Benioff zones. The continental earthquakes that occur are highly concentrated in The People’s Republic of China. Additionally, there is also a high concentration of earthquakes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is a particularly relevant area as it is considered to be the world’s most seismically active zone (Kious & Tilling, 1999d). The majority of earthquakes in Europe are concentrated in the Caribbean region, and there are relatively few inland. Undersea hot springs In 1977, scientists discovered hot springs that occurred on the Galapagos Rift at a depth of 2.5 kilometers. This discovery was significant as it was the first such hot spring that had been found on the deep ocean floor, although their existence had been predicted since the 1970s. The remarkable fact about these (and other) undersea hot springs is that diversity and abundance of unusual sea life that lives surrounding these springs. For example, large clams and mussels as well as giant sea worms, were found around the 1977 system. Unusual bacteria have also been found in these systems that oxidize hydrogen sulfide. These provide the lowest level of the hot springs ecosystem, and they obtain their nutrients from the gases which exit the hot springs. Consequently, these areas represent a unique ecosystem, as the temperature of the spring can be up to 380Â °C (Kious & Tilling, 1999a). Plate boundaries The first type of plate boundary is a divergent boundary. This occurs wh

ClamDoor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ClamDoor - Essay Example The company found out that to increase traffic to ClamDoor.com marketing campaign should be the most efficient idea to implement which will in turn grow direct sales to homeowners. They believe in speed, quality service and investing in high-quality machinery, which increases productivity. A SWOT analysis shows that ClamDoor lack a well-organized manufacturing process, the use of single mold system is incapable of increasing production in case of high demand. Moreover, they products are easy to install, installation tips and guides are always on the website. Products are highly priced compared to their competitors whose prices are much lower. ClamDoor’s lowest priced cellar door is $1,490. Roughly, double the price of the top selling cellar door Bilco Classic Series, Powder Coated Steel Door. A projection shows that they will use a budget of up to $42,000 to make a profit of $48,000. The projections solely depend on the assumptions that the company’s sales will increase , and production cost will reduce. In addition, they make utility by assuming that there will be no interferences from the government and industry regulation, and production will increase. The company strategy understands that technology has changed for the past years and is still changing and perceives that internet strategy must be seriously covered; a good website must be developed immediately. They manufacture high-quality bulkheads that are 100% weather-tight and energy efficient with 100% fiberglass. The ClamDoors are durable and do not rust, they are easy to install and weigh much less than steel doors (Akyol 4). ClamDoor’s main objective is to build a brand awareness to expand market share on local and international level. Other objectives are to reduce production costs in order to reduce product cost, to access the total cost of sales through large retailers and increase online orders at their website. ClamDoor

The Veil in Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Veil in Islam - Research Paper Example Muslim women who strictly adhere to the requirement believe that it is an act of obedience to God and a stride towards freedom. In this regard, women’s freedom can be evaluated by their physical appearance rather than their intellect. The concept of veiling in Islam emanates from the need to maintain the association between the body and mind. It is often believed that covering the body is one way of shielding the heart from impurities. For that reason, men are admonished to avert their eyes from women, and subsequently, women are required to put on loose outer garments, and cover up their bosoms and heads (Hibri 8). Although the Holy Qur’an directs that women needs to veil themselves, the degree and style varies considerably depending on the situation. Veiling in Islam women is highly dependent on interpretation of various scriptures on the practice, culture, and personal preferences. According to chapter 33, verse 60 of the Qur’an, Allah says â€Å"O prophet! T ell your wives and your daughters, and women of the believers, that they should pull down upon them of their outer cloaks from their heads over their faces. That is more likely that they may thus be recognized and not molested†. There are two distinct interpretations of this scripture that has created two forms of veiling. In light of the instruction, some Muslim women choose to cover their heads while others choose to cover their faces. However, there are others who choose to adopt a compromised position of the two by covering their faces, only when they apply makeup (Ali 719). Majority of Muslim women veil themselves because of the need to uphold modesty, dignity, respect, and safeguard themselves from evils and harm. There are two fundamental parameters, which come from hadith or traditional reports, and Qur’an that guide the Islamic women dress code. The first parameter comes from Qur’an, and is indicated that a woman’s body should be covered in such a manner that only her feet, hands, and face are revealed, except under uncontrolled circumstances (Qur’an 24: 30-31). Additionally, women are required to put on loose clothing so that their body structure is not revealed. The second parameter come from hadith, and states that Muslim women should not put on clothing similar to that of men, or in a manner similar to those who do not believe God. This implies that their clothing should be simply modest, and not overly fancy or ragged. The traditional reports or hadiths presented a number of instances where women were admonished to cover up their nakedness. Scrutiny of the reports reveals that the definition of a woman’s nakedness is so wide and covers her entire body. Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1: 349) posited â€Å"all of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness† (Ali 412). In the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunna, there are some fundamental requirements that suggested the manner in which Muslim women are supposed to dress that includes; the extent of covering, thickness, looseness, color, appearance, and demeanor, variation from men’s clothing, variation from unbelievers clothing, and prohibition of ostentatious or vain dressing. Although modest dressing and hijab is mandated in the Qur’an, many Muslims dispute that it is not a strict condition, but simply a strong suggestion. Because of varied interpretations and cultural differences, many women in the Islamic world have adopted fashions of their country.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 149

Assignment Example d that there exists several success along with critical issues pertaining to ERP implementation that acts as strong determinants for effective operation of the system. Correspondingly, those organizations willing to implement ERP system within its supply chain are required to combine skills, experience and know-how along with meeting the financial requirements. With respect to ERP system implementation in Nike, it was observed that the system failed to deliver the expected outcome (Nicolo, 2012; Wong et al., 2005) It was later observed that various factors contributed towards the failure and the degraded quality of the overall ERP system. Among the myriad factors responsible for low quality ERP system, one of the major aspects was particularly due to high rate of project team turnovers. Besides, it was also ascertained that consultant responsible for providing professional level advice to project team members relatively had low experience that resulted in ineffective communication of project goals during all phases of project management. In addition, poor quality training provided to personnel engaged in the project along with inadequate knowledge sharing amid the project team members, were also ascertained to have an adverse impact on the quality of effectiveness of new ERP system within Nike. Project managers involved in the project were not able to execute substantial control over the project management and to minimize the level of risks that arose during the course of ERP implementation. The insufficient financial resources provided by the top management within the organization also contributed towards the reduced quality of the ERP system. The project schedules were also extremely tight that forced to conduct the implementation activities in rush and eventually influencing the quality of the project outcome. The users within the organization also reveal certain degree of resistance and its impact was later visible in terms of poor quality of the ERP system

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology - Assignment Example The humanistic theories are also discussed in the chapter (Ellen et al.: slides 16-18), and these theories are presented as more humanistic than Freud’s theories. In this case, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is outlined. The chapter analysis that under these theories, although parents set up conditions for their children, there is a person centered therapy where people are taught to live by their own values. Moreover, the chapter discusses trait theories (Ellen et al.: slides 19-23) and the way they explain personality and differences among people with regard to personal characteristics that consider situations. It explores some ideas proposed by early trait theorists. The chapter concludes the topic by listing five factors that were considered by trait theorists as most significant in personality. The chapter also discusses cognitive theories (Ellen et al.: slides 24-27) where the situation trait debate is analyzed. The components of Bandura’s reciprocal determinism model are discussed, in addition to the locus of control and what it contributes to personality. Lastly (slides 28-38), the nature, nurture and personality are discussed and the way personality differs across culture. The chapter concludes by discussing personality assessment methods, the rating scales and tests. In this light, chapter eleven highlights the projection of the result’s insight to personality. Chapter twelve discusses psychological disorders including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders. The chapter starts by defining psychological disorder (Ellen et al.: slide 2-8) as mental processes or behavioral pattern that leads to emotional distress and finally impairs the mental functioning of an individual. The criteria to be used to determine abnormal behavior are discussed with the inclusion of DSM-IV-TR, which is used by clinicians. The ways of preventing psychological disorders and the theoretical approaches used to explain

The Veil in Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Veil in Islam - Research Paper Example Muslim women who strictly adhere to the requirement believe that it is an act of obedience to God and a stride towards freedom. In this regard, women’s freedom can be evaluated by their physical appearance rather than their intellect. The concept of veiling in Islam emanates from the need to maintain the association between the body and mind. It is often believed that covering the body is one way of shielding the heart from impurities. For that reason, men are admonished to avert their eyes from women, and subsequently, women are required to put on loose outer garments, and cover up their bosoms and heads (Hibri 8). Although the Holy Qur’an directs that women needs to veil themselves, the degree and style varies considerably depending on the situation. Veiling in Islam women is highly dependent on interpretation of various scriptures on the practice, culture, and personal preferences. According to chapter 33, verse 60 of the Qur’an, Allah says â€Å"O prophet! T ell your wives and your daughters, and women of the believers, that they should pull down upon them of their outer cloaks from their heads over their faces. That is more likely that they may thus be recognized and not molested†. There are two distinct interpretations of this scripture that has created two forms of veiling. In light of the instruction, some Muslim women choose to cover their heads while others choose to cover their faces. However, there are others who choose to adopt a compromised position of the two by covering their faces, only when they apply makeup (Ali 719). Majority of Muslim women veil themselves because of the need to uphold modesty, dignity, respect, and safeguard themselves from evils and harm. There are two fundamental parameters, which come from hadith or traditional reports, and Qur’an that guide the Islamic women dress code. The first parameter comes from Qur’an, and is indicated that a woman’s body should be covered in such a manner that only her feet, hands, and face are revealed, except under uncontrolled circumstances (Qur’an 24: 30-31). Additionally, women are required to put on loose clothing so that their body structure is not revealed. The second parameter come from hadith, and states that Muslim women should not put on clothing similar to that of men, or in a manner similar to those who do not believe God. This implies that their clothing should be simply modest, and not overly fancy or ragged. The traditional reports or hadiths presented a number of instances where women were admonished to cover up their nakedness. Scrutiny of the reports reveals that the definition of a woman’s nakedness is so wide and covers her entire body. Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1: 349) posited â€Å"all of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness† (Ali 412). In the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunna, there are some fundamental requirements that suggested the manner in which Muslim women are supposed to dress that includes; the extent of covering, thickness, looseness, color, appearance, and demeanor, variation from men’s clothing, variation from unbelievers clothing, and prohibition of ostentatious or vain dressing. Although modest dressing and hijab is mandated in the Qur’an, many Muslims dispute that it is not a strict condition, but simply a strong suggestion. Because of varied interpretations and cultural differences, many women in the Islamic world have adopted fashions of their country.

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology - Assignment Example The humanistic theories are also discussed in the chapter (Ellen et al.: slides 16-18), and these theories are presented as more humanistic than Freud’s theories. In this case, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is outlined. The chapter analysis that under these theories, although parents set up conditions for their children, there is a person centered therapy where people are taught to live by their own values. Moreover, the chapter discusses trait theories (Ellen et al.: slides 19-23) and the way they explain personality and differences among people with regard to personal characteristics that consider situations. It explores some ideas proposed by early trait theorists. The chapter concludes the topic by listing five factors that were considered by trait theorists as most significant in personality. The chapter also discusses cognitive theories (Ellen et al.: slides 24-27) where the situation trait debate is analyzed. The components of Bandura’s reciprocal determinism model are discussed, in addition to the locus of control and what it contributes to personality. Lastly (slides 28-38), the nature, nurture and personality are discussed and the way personality differs across culture. The chapter concludes by discussing personality assessment methods, the rating scales and tests. In this light, chapter eleven highlights the projection of the result’s insight to personality. Chapter twelve discusses psychological disorders including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders. The chapter starts by defining psychological disorder (Ellen et al.: slide 2-8) as mental processes or behavioral pattern that leads to emotional distress and finally impairs the mental functioning of an individual. The criteria to be used to determine abnormal behavior are discussed with the inclusion of DSM-IV-TR, which is used by clinicians. The ways of preventing psychological disorders and the theoretical approaches used to explain

Meaningful Social Studies Essay Example for Free

Meaningful Social Studies Essay The democratic principles and ideals of citizenship reinforces effective social studies. By focusing on rights, responsibilities, and respect, a solid base of social studies knowledge and skills develops civic competence. The foundation of four core disciplines, or strands, from the social sciences are: geography, civics, economics, and history. They are the Louisiana framework for social studies. Each of these disciplines offers a distinct perspective for examining the world. Within these strands, other social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology, are incorporated.  §103. Louisiana Content Standards Foundation Skills The Louisiana Content Standards Task Force has developed the following foundational skills which should apply to all students in all disciplines: Communication, Problem Solving, Resource Access and Utilization, and Linking and Generating Knowledge. Through research, activities, discussions, and real-life experiences, children can and will learn that diversity can be positive and socially enriching. A pluralistic perspective involves students building unbiased, open-minded views towards diversity among their fellow human beings. Teachers of this generation have the combined blessing and challenge of helping students make the most of a world that is rapidly changing. Students must develop the perspective that cultural and philosophical differences are necessary and desirable qualities of a democratic community (NCSS, 1994). I chose the concept of â€Å"Problem Solving† for Grade 6-8th in which I will be teaching in the near future. Problem solving identify an obstacle or challenge and uses the application of knowledge and thinking processes which include reasoning, decision making, and inquiry in order to reach a solution using multiple pathways, even when no routine path is apparent. Bringing students into contact with other people’s various views and conflicting values is very important. In the school and local community, therefore, problem solving/inquiry problems are most often found. Questioning and cooperative learning are two strategies that are frequently used to support meaningful learning. Questioning. This is where all learning begins. The types of questions teachers use guide students’ engagement in the lesson (Harvey Goudvis, 2000). The amount of time a teacher waits between asking questions and calling on students for responses, or responding to answers, affects student responses (Rowe, 1996). On average, teachers wait less than a second before calling on a student or responding to a student’s comment, this has been proven by classroom research. If the teacher wait 3 or more seconds before calling on a student or acknowledging a response, this can increase the length of student responses, the number of appropriate responses, and the cognitive level of the responses. Questions should be planned in advance, relate to the lesson activities, and are written into lesson plans. The Learning cycle lessons begin with questions that all students have a chance to answer. All answers are accepted by the teacher even though some answers may explain more than others. In the class such questions engaged by all of the students. In every learning cycle a central key question is planned for the exploratory phase. In a lesson focusing on the concept of presidential elections, for example, the teacher may ask the key question â€Å"What do you have to do to be elected president?† This is an open question that involves each student in thinking about the main idea of the lesson. Development phase, questions focusing student inquiry on the main concepts, skills, and attitudes of the lesson is done during the lesson. During the lesson development, many questions are narrow or closed. Questions are used to help students apply the concept in a new context, during the expansion phase of the lesson. On open questions, the emphasis is greater although some closed questions may be used. Effects of Emphasizing Student Control What students learn is influenced by how they are taught, the quality of individual and social processes occurring in the classroom, and the perceptions and understanding of social studies as a subject to be taught and learned (NCSS, 1994b). Matching Instructional Strategies to Student Needs One aim of education is to help students be self-directing (NCSS, 1994a, pp. 11–12). The amount of student control during the learning process, is a key factor. The categories, in order from least to greatest student control, are expository, guided discovery, and inquiry and problem solving/decision making. An appropriate instructional strategy is chosen by the teacher that matches the student’s level of social studies content, skill, attitudinal objectives, and developmental needs. These instructional methods are very effective and appropriate in helping students attain a particular level of learning objective. Expository, or Direct, Instructional Methods: Lower Student Control Students are provided with little control over the direction or extent of the learning process using the Expository instructional methods, or direct instruction method. Activity lessons using expository methods include the following characteristics: * The teacher controls the situation, providing adequate directions and motivation. The teacher provides ample opportunities to practice the skill in a wide variety of situations. * The teacher supplies immediate and continuous feedback focusing on correct answers. * The teacher uses lecture and closed, narrow questions to control the learning situation but must provide extensive and adequate directions for the student. Expository Guided Inquiry/Problem Solving Discovery and Decision Making Expository methods require external motivation and careful classroom management. Only lower levels of learning: recall and memorization are produced by these methods. Development of the affective areas of attending and willingness to receive information is facilitated by Expository methods. These methods are occasionally useful in the lesson development phase of the learning cycle in which the teacher explains the key idea of the lesson and the lesson focus involves the need for recall (Rosenshine, 1986). Guided Discovery Instructional Methods: Mixed Teacher and Student Control Students are involved in activities related to a concept and form an understanding of them when using guided discovery instructional methods before they are offered or explained by the teacher. A problem to investigate is created by the teacher and he/or she determines procedures and materials needed, but students collect and analyze data and evaluate the results as they relate to the problem. Guided discovery has four characteristics. 1. Students are provided with the time and opportunity to study relationships in data and form a new idea. 2. Students use several activities focusing on one concept, generalization, value, or skill. 3. Students’ main role is to investigate and discover answers to the questions posed, discussing and displaying data to do so. 4. The teacher provides directions and asks questions that help students begin activities with the learned resources selected. From data students can learn inquiry skills such as inferring, predicting, organizing, interpreting, and draw conclusions. Inquiry and Problem-Solving/Decision-Making Instructional Methods: Greater Student Control Inquiry involving significant student control over the direction the lesson takes, is the third social studies instructional method. The Students create a problem to investigate, determine procedures and materials needed, collect and analyze data, and evaluate results. These lessons have five characteristics: 1. Students are competent in basic social studies inquiry skills. 2. Students select problem areas to investigate. 3. Students work in groups, orally reporting the results of investigations. 4. The teacher guides students in defining the problem to investigate and in helping to identify resources. 5. A safe and supportive classroom environment is maintained. Activities using the Inquiry method are intrinsically motivating because students direct their own learning. A first-grader even is likely to use higher thought processes during an inquiry. For example, a young student’s social studies project could involve making a drawing showing where items in her personal materials basket (scissors, glue stick, crayons, etc.) should be placed. After the student lists three or more problems with the basket, such as the glue stick always falling over, the drawing is made. This allows the student to ask questions, communicate information, make inferences, and build prediction. Facts may form the basic content of the narrative, when writing stories about the experience, but students also often make inferences and construct generalizations. In inquiry and problem-solving/decision-making method activities, students are involved in practicing the full range of inquiry skills. Key social studies ideas and skills are carefully selected and is needed because inquiry methods reduce the amount of material covered to a greater extent than other instructional methods. Meaningful learning of generalizations and higher-order inquiry skills, as well as improved long-term memory and transfer of learning, occurs. Problem solving and decision making is what inquiry focuses on mainly. Students plan how they can participate and work together (Dunfee Sagl, 1967; Meyerson Secules, 2001). Conclusion By building on a core of effective practices in teaching and by designing activities and lessons with learning objectives in place, teachers encourage students to use their strengths and to respond successfully to challenges. They support students as active learners in meaningful activities. Focusing on helping young students identify multiple perspectives on issues and problems is a major learning outcome related to global issues. So also is discussing what are good and positive actions, moral positions, and appropriate behaviors. References Research Evaluation Strategies for Early Childhood Education. Research In Early Childhood Education in Handbook Research on the Education of Younger Children. Springer (2007). Retrieved from http://ww.library.gcu.edu.2048/login?qurl.http$3A2F%2F% www.credoreference.com/entry/sprihsei/table_of_contents. Social Studies Content Standards – Division of Adminstration www.doc.louisiana.gov/osr/28v121/28v121.pdf Sunal-Szymanski, C. Haas, M.E. Social Studies for the Elementary Middle Grades: A Constructive Approach, (4th Ed.). Published by Allyn Bacon copyright (2011) by Pearson Education, Inc. The Evolving Role of Teachers In Effective Schools in Springer International Handbooks of Education: International Handbooks of School Effectiveness and Improvement.

Method for Measuring the Area of Radiometric Apertures

Method for Measuring the Area of Radiometric Apertures ERREIRA DA   Method for measuring the area of radiometric apertures using the ratio of Gaussian beams I propose and demonstrate a method for determining the area of radiometric apertures using the power ratio between Gaussian beams. The result relies on measuring the power of an optical beam of known radius with and without the radiometric aperture. The impact of the characterization of the laser beam and of the radiometric measurements on the area estimation is discussed and a 3-mm in-diameter sample is measured for validation. The contactless method is fast and simple and results in a relative uncertainty of 0.12%.   Calibration of the area of an aperture is necessary for radiometric and photometric measurements, including spectral irradiance [1- 4] and the realization of the SI unit candela [5-7]. The plethora of methods reported in literature can be assorted whether they are contact or contactless. Contact methods include probing the aperture border with an stylus, which position is mapped by an interferometric system [8]. Contactless methods are preferable as the possibility of damaging the sharp edge of the aperture during the measurement is avoided. A camera with an objective lens can be used for taking digital pictures of parts of the inner perimeter of the aperture, while an interferometric system is used for measuring the displacement of the images, allowing them to be further stithed together [9]. Another approach consists in raster scanning the aperture relative to a laser focused in a small spot in the aperture plane to determine the diameter at some radial angles [10]. Methods based on radiometric ratios have also been reported and depend on comparing measurements performed with a light overfilled aperture and a reference value. A spatially-uniform beam emerging from an integrating sphere can be used to compare the radiometric values obtained with the aperture under calibration and with the reference one [11]. Similarly a matrix of small-spot laser sources can be used [12, 13], with the reference provided by the known uniform irradiance distribution. In this paper I propose a method for determining the area of a radiometric aperture using the ratio between Gaussian laser beams. The result is obtained from measurements of the optical power transmitted through the overfilled aperture compared to the total optical power without the aperture, with the beam radius at the aperture plane previously characterized. The technique is contactless and the measurement is relatively fast, providing an alternative way for measuring radiometric apertures. A. Model The method proposed for determining the area of the aperture is based on measuring the radiometric ratio between the beam limited by the aperture and the full beam. Consider a Gaussian beam propagating along the zˆ  axis with an intensity distribution in the radial direction à Ã‚  on the transversal plane described as I (1) where the beam radius à Ã¢â‚¬ ° (z) is [14] (2) and the waist radius is à Ã¢â‚¬ °0 = à Ã¢â‚¬ ° (0). The beam radii in the analysis are taken at 1/e2 of the maximum intensity. The total optical power of the beam is obtained by integrating its intensity over the transversal area as   Ã‚   Ptotal /2(3) The circular radiometric aperture is modelled as a Boxcar function with mean radius r à Ã¢â‚¬ ° (z) and transmittance given by g (x, y) = rect(4) Positioning the aperture in the plane orthogonal to the beam axis at à Ã‚ =0 reduces the measured optical power in eq. (3) to Z r Pap (z) =I (à Ã‚ , z) 2à Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ Ã‚ dà Ã‚ (5) 0 The ratio between the optical power limited by the aperture at position z and the total optical power of the beam is thus [14] (z)2r2 R(6) The radius of the aperture is obtained by inverting eq. (6), resulting in r (7) Equation (7) reveals the dependence of the aperture radius on the beam radius à Ã¢â‚¬ ° and radiometric ratio R measured at a given axial position. The sensitivity coefficients of the radius equation relative to those components are 2(8) (z) The uncertainty of the measured area is composed [15] as ur (9) The area of the radiometric aperture is then trivially obtained from the circle formula, S = à Ã¢â€š ¬r2, with uncertainty given by uS = 2à Ã¢â€š ¬rur. B. Method The first step of the method is the determination of the longitudinal profile of the Gaussian beam. This can be accomplished in practice by using the knife-edge scanning method [16] or using a spatially-resolving photodetector (for example, a CMOS or CCD camera). While the later can be troubling for beams wider than the sensitive area of the camera, the primer requires caution relative to radial asymmetries in the beam profile. The astigmatism of the beam must be verified by knife-edge scanning along orthogonal directions in the transversal plane and the mean radius is considered. The beam longitudinal profile reveals important information about the tolerance of the axial positioning of the aperture relative to the transversal plane where the beam is determined. Next step consists on positioning the aperture in the beam path. Carefully placing the aperture front plane at the axial position where the beam has been characterized avoids the need for a correction on the beam radius value. The aperture under measurement must then be centralized relative to the beam axis. A recursive gradient search can be performed along the plane axes until convergence at the maximum optical power, where à Ã‚ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 0. The value of the optical power measured with the aperture is compared to the total optical power measured without it. This ratio and the mean beam radius are substituted in eq. (7) and the aperture radius is determined. Research Article Applied Optics 2 A laser diode with continuous-wave emission at 633 nm is collected with an objective lens into a meter-long single-mode optical fiber (Thorlabs SM600 [17]), which acts as a spatial filter by selecting the LP01 transversal mode. The beam is launched into free-space through the tip of an FC-PC connector and collimated using an 1-large AR-coated plano-convex lens (L2) with a focal length of 38.2 mm, as illustrated in Fig. 1. A similar lens (L3) with 150-mm long focal length focuses the beam into the photo-detector. Fig. 1. Experimental setup. LD: laser diode; L: plano-convex lens; C: fiber connector; PD: photo-detector; PC: personal computer. The beam profile is determined using the knife-edge method. A pair of razor blades is scanned in the plane orthogonal to the optical beam in both xˆ  (horizontal) and yˆ  (vertical) directions, using a pair of linear actuators (Newport TRA25PPD and CMA25PP). The optical power is measured by an optical power meter with a diffuser probe (Thorlabs PM100). Data acquisition and transversal positioning of the knives and aperture are performed with a personal computer. Flip mounts allow for selecting either the knives or the aperture, which are placed in the same xˆ  à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ yˆ  translation stage. The translation stages, the lens L3 and the photo-detector are fixed into a platform and move together to the desired position in axial direction zˆ . The aperture under characterization has nominal diameter of 3 mm and is built in anodized aluminium with sharp edges. The offset distance between the planes of the knives and the aperture is set within 0.05 mm using a multi-probe optical reflectometer [18]. An automated routine is used to position the aperture in the transversal plane relative to the optical beam by scanning it along xˆ  and yˆ  directions until it is centralized. The radiometric ratio is obtained by removing and reinserting the aperture using the flip mount while the power is measured using a silicon photodiode (Hamamatsu S1227-1010BQ) in photovoltaic mode. Calibrated trans-impedance amplifier (LabKinetics Vinculum) and digital voltmeter (Agilent 34401A) are used. Conditioning the signals for using a single range of these devices avoids linearity issues. The detector typical linearity is better than 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢5 [19]. A. Beam width The width of the Gaussian beam is determined at different positions along the axial direction in both horizontal and vertical axes. Figure 2 shows a sample of the transversal beam profile Fig. 2. Sample of the transversal intensity profile of the beam. The slices in the details cross the center and are Gaussian fit. The longitudinal profile of the beam is evaluated by applying the knife-edge analysis at different axial positions. The optical power measured as a function of the knife position in xˆ  direction is modelled as the integral of the Gaussian intensity, resulting in the error function: P (10) Equation (10) indicates that the measured power profile reveals the horizontal beam radius à Ã¢â‚¬ °x (z). The procedure performed along the yˆ  direction returns a similar result as a function of the vertical beam radius à Ã¢â‚¬ °y (z). Figures 3a and 3b show the power measured with the knifeedge method along both xˆ  and yˆ  directions, respectively. A group of 10 scans, with 0.25-mm steps, is taken at a given axial position. Data is interpolated to steps of 0.1 mm using piecewise cubic Hermite interpolating polynomials [20]. Non-linear curve fit (Levemberg-Marquadt method) is globally applied to data with the beam radius parameter shared by all curves in the group. The beam radius values as a function of the axial distance to the collimating lens are shown in Fig. 3c. Observe that the beam profile behaves linearly at the sampled axial positions. Fitting data with eq. (2) reveals the horizontal and vertical waists localized at about 3.3 m and 3.7 m, respectively. The slope of 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢4 indicates that a positioning error between the knives and the aperture of 0.05 mm has negligible impact on estimated radius. The beam is slightly astigmatic (horizontal radius about 1% greater than the vertical one), so the average radius is computed from both horizontal and vertical radii as /2(11) B. Radiometric ratio The radiometric ratio is determined from five groups of measurement of the total beam power, alternated with four measurements of the power limited by the aperture. Interleaved measurements allows for data interpolation and avoids slow drift effects. Each measurement is composed by a group of 30 data points, corrected by the dark measurement. Three measurement were performed at each axial position. The calibration data of the trans-impedance amplifier and voltmeter are used for correction and considered in the uncertainty budget see next section. The average ratio of 0.3373 allows for performing both measurements (with and without the aperture) in the same scale of the amplifier and voltmeter. Keeping the measurement range of the equipment fixed avoids linearity issues, which must otherwise be corrected and could burden on the uncertainty budged. C. Aperture radius/area and uncertainty budget The aperture radius is computed from the measured values of à Ã¢â‚¬ ° (z) and R (z) using eq. (7). The result obtained at three different axial distances from the collimating lens are presented in Fig. 4a. The uncertainty budget for the radius measurement is presented in Table 1. The uncertainty of the beam width and power ratio are combined with the reproducibility of the measurement. The radius measurement is obtained from the global fit of the knife-edge scan measurements. The impact of the beam divergence is obtained by multiplying this value by the maximum axial offset between the knife-edge and the aperture plane. The beam width uncertainty is dominant over all other components. Improvements over this estimation would greatly benefit the final uncertainty. The repeatability comes from the statistics of the ratio measurements. Stability of the laser source is the major component and could be iproved using a further power stabilization closedloop. The amplifier and voltmeter uncertainties are obtained Fig. 4. Experimental results: (a) aperture radius measurements and (b) its final area. The reference values are certified results. Standard uncertainties represent k=1. Table 1. Uncertainty budget for the measurement of the aperture radius (relative values). Component Type Uncertainty (k=1) Radius measurements B 5.3 ÃÆ'- 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢4 Beam divergence [mm] B 2.3 ÃÆ'- 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢5 Trans-impedance amplifier B 6.3 ÃÆ'- 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢5 Voltmeter B 5.5 ÃÆ'- 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢5 Photodiode linearity B 6.2 ÃÆ'- 10à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢6 Power ratio 0.00017 Reproducibility [mm] A 0.00027 Aperture radius [mm] 0.00062 from their calibration uncertainty and from the linear regression over the measurement range. The photo-diode linearity is taken from literature. The reproducibility is taken from the independent repetitions. Among other factors, it accounts for small room temperature variation (oC), different axial positions, and repositioning of the aperture center relative to the beam axis. The final relative uncertainty obtained for the measurement of area is 0.12%. The validation of the method is assessed by comparing the results to a certified value, as shown in Table 2. The certificates present a relative uncertainty (k=1) of 0.0065 mm2 for the area value and a calibration drift (rectangular distribution) between bi-annual measurements of 0.0410 mm2 is observed, composing a combined uncertainty of 0.415 mm2. Research Article Applied Optics 4 Table 2. Experimental results and validation (k=1). Measured area Certified Relative Normalized [mm2] area [mm2] difference [%] error 7.0056  ± 0.0087 6.998  ± 0.042 0.11 0.18 The relative error between the measured and certificated values is 0.11%, while the normalized error [15] is below unit, indicating the compatibility of the results. The coverage factor of the measurements, calculated for a confidence interval of 95.45%, is k=2. The area of an aperture impacts directly on the determination of some radiometric and photometric quantities. This paper presents a simple and fast contactless method for characterizing an aperture area through the measurement of radiometric ratio of characterized Gaussian beams. The model is presented and the measurement uncertainty budget is discussed. The results are validated and indicate the method as suitable for metrology applications. References       M. White, N. P. Fox, V. E. Ralph, and N. J. Harrison, The characterization of a high-temperature black body as the basis for the NPL spectralirradiance scale, Metrologia 32, 431-434 (1995/96). P. Sperfeld, K.-H. Raatz, B. Nawo, W. Mà ¶ller, and J. Metzdorf, Spectralirradiance scale based on radiometric black-body temperature measurements, Metrologia 32, 435-439 (1995/96). P. Kà ¤rhà ¤, P. Toivanen, F. Manoochehri, and E. Ikonen, Development of a detector-based absolute spectral irradiance scale in the 380-900-nm spectral range, App. Opt. 36, 8909-8918 (1997). H. W. Yoon, C. E. Gibson, and P. Y. Barnes, Realization of the National Institute of Standards and Technology detector-based spectral irradiance scale, App. Opt. 41, 5879-5890 (2002). L. P. Boivin, A. A. Gaertner, and D. S. 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