Thursday, October 31, 2019

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

ECONOMICS - Assignment Example The country’s urban population is also increasing (World Bank 20). Ethiopia covers an area of about 1,000,000 km2. Using the 2010 national population figures, we get a national population density of 85 people/km2. The level of economic development in Ethiopia is still low indicated by the 2010 Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.328% and low GDP of US$28,526.50 billion in 2009. The general standards of living are also low with 38.70% of the people living below a dollar. There is a high dependency ratio as is common among developing countries for example 86.5% in 2010. In 2008, 85.1% of the population lived without electricity. In 2010, its life expectancy was 56.1%, a figure that was common among other developing countries (World Bank 16). Difference between Ethiopia and other developing countries Unlike most developing countries, Ethiopia has a very large surface coverage. It emerges the second largest in Africa. According to (World Bank 20), the percentage of urban population in Ethiopia is below 20% unlike other developing countries. In 2010, these figures were 16.7% compared 35.4% and 38.4% in Guinea and Sierra Leone respectively in during the same year.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Golden Ratio Essay Example for Free

The Golden Ratio Essay The Golden Ratio is a fascinating number which can be found almost everywhere –from nature to architecture to art. To 18 decimal places, it has a value of 1. 618033988749894848 but is usually shortened to 1. 618 much like ? is usually rounded off to 3. 1416 (Powis, n. d. ). Signified by the letter Phi (? ), the Golden Ratio can be simply defined as â€Å"to square it, you just add 1† (Knott, 2007). Written in mathematical equation, this definition becomes ? 2 = ? + 1. When the resulting quadratic equation ? 2- ? 1=0 is solved, there are two solutions: 1. 6180339887†¦ and -0. 6180339887†¦. Notice that the two solutions have identical decimal parts. The positive number is the one considered to be the Golden Ratio. Another definition for ? is â€Å"the number which when you take away one becomes the value of its reciprocal† (Powis, n. d. ). Notice that the value of the reciprocal of 1. 618 (1/1. 618) is 0. 618 which is just one less than the Golden Ratio. The Origins of the Golden Ratio Euclid of Alexandria (ca. 300 BC) in the Elements, defines a proportion derived from the division of a line into segments (Livio, 2002). His definition is as follows: A straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the lesser. In order to be more understandable, let’s take Figure 1 as an example. In the diagram, point C divides the line in such a way that the ratio of AC to CB is equal to the ratio of AB to AC (Livio, 2002). When this happens, the ratio can be calculated as 1. 618. This is the one of the first ever documented definitions of the Golden Ratio although Euclid did not call it such at that time. A C B Figure 1. Point C divides line segment AB according to the Golden Ratio The Golden Ratio 3 The Golden Ratio in Art and Architecture Throughout history, the Golden Ratio, when used in architecture, has been found to be the most pleasing to the eye (Blacker, Polanski Schwach, n. d. ). Rectangles whose ratio of its length and width equal the Golden Ratio are called golden rectangles. The exterior dimensions of the Parthenon in Athens, sculpted by Phidias, form a perfect golden rectangle. Phidias also used the Golden Ratio extensively in his other works of sculpture. The Egyptians, who lived before Phidias, were believed to have used the ? in the design and construction of the Pyramids (Blacker, Polanski Schwach, n. d. ). This belief however has both supporters and critics. Theories that support or reject the idea of the Golden Ratio being used in the construction of the Pyramids do exist it is up to the reader to decide which ones are more reasonable (Knott, 2007). Many books also claim that the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci used the Golden Ratio in painting the Mona Lisa (Livio, 2002). These books state that if you draw a rectangle around the face of Mona Lisa, the ratio of the height to the width of the rectangle is equal to the Golden Ratio. There has been no documented evidence that points to da Vinci’s conscious use of the Golden Ratio but what cannot be denied is that Leonardo is a close personal friend of Luca Paciolo, who wrote extensively about the Golden Ratio. Unlike da Vinci, the surrealist painter Salvador Dali deliberately used the Golden Ratio in his painting Sacrament of the Last Supper. The ratio of the dimensions of his painting is equal to ? (Livio, 2002). The Golden Ratio in Nature The Golden Ratio can also be found in nature. One of the most common examples is snail shells. If you draw a rectangle with proportions according to the Golden Ratio then consequently draw smaller golden rectangles within it, and then join the diagonal corners The Golden Ratio 4 with an arc, the result is a perfect snail shell (Singh, 2002). There have also been ongoing debates and conflicting research results regarding the relationship of beauty and  in humans. Some argue that human faces whose dimensions follow the Golden Ratio are more physically attractive than those who don’t (Livio, 2002). With conflicting results aside, the existence of the Golden Ratio just shows that beauty (whether in art, architecture or in nature) can be linked to mathematics. The Golden Ratio 5 References Blacker, S. , Polanski, J. and Schwach, M. (n. d. ). The golden ratio. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. geom. uiuc. edu/~demo5337/s97b/. Knott, R. (2007). The golden section ratio: Phi. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. mcs. surrey. ac. uk/Personal/R. Knott/Fibonacci/phi. html. Livio, M. (2002). The golden ratio and aesthetics. Plus Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://plus. maths. org/issue22/features/golden/index. html. Powis, A. (n. d). The golden ratio. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://people. bath. ac. uk/ajp24/goldenratio. html. Singh, S. (2002 March). The golden ratio. BBC Radio. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www. bbc. co. uk/radio4/science/5numbers3. shtml.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster Accident Causation Gauley Bridge Disaster Industrial disasters were common during the great depression because of the disregard for safety guidelines by contracting companies. Accident causations during this period were mainly the inability by organization to uphold the safety regulations for employees working in hazardous conditions such as silicosis infection as in the case of the Gauley Bridge disaster. The Gauley Bridge disaster is one of the largest industrial disasters in the United States. The disaster occurred in 1930s during the great recession (Corn 132). The project that led to the occurrence of the disaster involved the construction of a hydroelectric generation power in West Virginia. This required the diversion of water of the two rivers in the area to enhance the power generation process (Magnuson 322). The Rinehart and Dennis Company and the New Kanahwa Power Company companies were involved in the construction the tunnel and power plant respectively. The Rinehart and Dennis Company contracted both African-Americans and Caucasians to work in the construction of the tunnel in 1930s. The construction of the tunnel involved drilling through a rock that had a high percentage of silicon. Research indicates that some of the rocks in the area, had approximately 99.3% silicon, which was very hazardous to humans. In addition, the workforce at the tunnel were not provided with the appropriate safety gears and the machinery used contributed to increase in dust from the site (Corn 133). The individuals working at the site were exposed to high levels of silicon from the rock and hence contracted silicosis. The exact number of individuals who died from the disaster was not established by the approximate number provided was 700 individuals; most of whom were African-Americans. The causes of the disaster involved the failure by the company to examine the conditions of the area in terms of silicon percentage in order to employ the appropriate safety mechanisms (Magnuson 324). In addition, the workers were not provided with dust masks which could have reduced the number of deaths as well as silicosis infections. Bhopal Disaster The Bhopal disaster occurred because of the leakage of the methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from various storage tanks of the Union Carbide factory in India.   The Union carbide factory is located in the region of Madhya Pradesh at Bhopal, India. The methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas is used as an intermediate in the production of pesticides and is produced by mixing phosgene gas with methyl amine. The total amount of gas that was released to the air from the factory is estimated to be 36 tones (Bowonder and Harold 184). The methyl isocyanate gas had various effects on the environment and residents of Bhopal such as chest tightness, burning sensation in the eyes and reduction of levels of oxygen from the environment. This gas accident caused approximately 2500 deaths and caused permanent physical body damage to approximately 17000 individuals. The pollution caused by this disaster continue to affect the residents of Bhopal due to the pollution of water and soils in the surrounding areas (Bowo nder and Harold 190). The causes of the Bhopal disaster were both technical and safety issues. The inappropriate storage of the gas in tanks for long duration violated the safety guidelines. In addition, the location of the factory in a populous neighborhood contributed to the high number of causalities. Other causes include the malfunctioning of the refrigeration units and safety devices at the factory. This accident could have be prevented through the implementation of various safety guidelines such as installation of adequate number of safety devices and the storage of the gas at the right containers based on the safety guidelines (Bowonder and Harold 200). The factory should be located in sparsely populous areas to minimize the number of casualties in case of an accident. Related Accidents or Disasters Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: This industrial accident occurred in New York City in 1905. The disaster caused approximately 100 workers through burning and injuries while escaping fire. The disaster was caused by malfunctioning of the machines and failure by the company to uphold safety guidelines on fire. A legislation requiring improved safety guidelines in the industries was established to prevent future accidents. Chicago Crib Disaster: This disaster occurred in 1909 when fire broke out during the construction of a Chicago water intake tunnel. Data indicates that approximately 60 workers died from burns and by drowning in the lake. Various safety legislations have been enacted to ensure the safety of workers as well as installation of appropriate fire escape mechanisms in risky working sites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Bowonder, B., and Harold A. Linstone. Notes on the Bhopal accident: Risk analysis and multiple perspectives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 32.2 (1987): 183-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   202. Corn, Jacqueline K. Historical aspects of industrial hygiene-II. Silicosis. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 41.2 (1980): 125-133. Magnuson, Harold J. Health hazards in the construction industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 3.7 (1961): 321-325.

Friday, October 25, 2019

How Sainsburys Has Used Performance Management to Increase their Qualit

How Sainsburys Has Used Performance Management to Increase their Quality of Service   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This report will show how Sainsburys have used performance management to increase their ability to provide a quality service and gain a competitive advantage, it will also show how systems have been implemented to achieve this and what Sainsburys have changed in recent years to achieve the competitive advantage it was looking for, The main area Sainsburys have changed is there Supply chain which had a cost gap of around  £60 million. It will also look at how the operations functions carried out by Sainsburys can be linked in with other areas of the business like Finance, Human Resource Management and Marketing. The main contents of this report will be based on the theory about performance management; it will start with a section explaining what the theory is and how it is generally applied in business. It will also contain my own experiences and insight into how operations have had an effect from my own viewpoint. It will have a conclusion on how I believe my ex periences of operations management has helped me and or hindered Sainsburys. There will also be a report conclusion showing how I think Sainsburys operations strategies have evolved over time. Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This section will be looking at the theory which will be applied to Sainsburys and how it can be applied in this way. The main theories I will be looking at will be Capacity management, Open Systems, Quality Management, Performance Management and how Socio-technical Systems can be implemented into Sainsburys business. Capacity Management The meaning of capacity itself is being the ability to produce work in a given time, must be measured in the unit of work. There are three main types of Capacity management when looked at through operations. These are †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Potential Capacity The capacity that can be made available to influence the planning of senior management (e.g. in helping them to make decisions about overall business growth, investment etc). This is essentially a long-term decision that does not influence day-to-day production management †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediate Capacity The amount of production capacity that can be made available in the short-term. This is the maximum potential capacity - assuming that it is used productively †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective Capacity An important concept. Not all produc... ...y chain transformation, â€Å"the biggest project of its kind in Europe and one of the largest in the world†, was still out. A newspaper commentary summarized the concerns: â€Å"The UK’s number two is meeting turnaround targets set by Sir Peter Davis, CEO, two years ago. But the complexity of Sainsbury’s regimen means its healthy overall financial appearance could disguise selective bingeing. Growth has still lagged behind that of market leader Tesco, and Tesco has a lower investment as a percentage of sales. Sainsbury is recovering from a disastrous patch in the late 1990s. It is on target to achieve the  £700 million of cost savings promised by 2004, and margins seem to be creeping slowly towards its targeted 5.5%. But it can hide behind its cost savings while it buys time to demonstrate that improvements in the brand and supply chain will have a sustainable impact on its competitive position. They might. But investors need stronger sales momentum to give them comfort, especially as the market becomes more difficult and competitors such as ASDA continue to outperform. Until Sainsbury’s shows it is building up muscle - not just shedding fat - fitter rival Tesco deserves its 15% premium.† How Sainsburys Has Used Performance Management to Increase their Qualit How Sainsburys Has Used Performance Management to Increase their Quality of Service   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This report will show how Sainsburys have used performance management to increase their ability to provide a quality service and gain a competitive advantage, it will also show how systems have been implemented to achieve this and what Sainsburys have changed in recent years to achieve the competitive advantage it was looking for, The main area Sainsburys have changed is there Supply chain which had a cost gap of around  £60 million. It will also look at how the operations functions carried out by Sainsburys can be linked in with other areas of the business like Finance, Human Resource Management and Marketing. The main contents of this report will be based on the theory about performance management; it will start with a section explaining what the theory is and how it is generally applied in business. It will also contain my own experiences and insight into how operations have had an effect from my own viewpoint. It will have a conclusion on how I believe my ex periences of operations management has helped me and or hindered Sainsburys. There will also be a report conclusion showing how I think Sainsburys operations strategies have evolved over time. Theory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This section will be looking at the theory which will be applied to Sainsburys and how it can be applied in this way. The main theories I will be looking at will be Capacity management, Open Systems, Quality Management, Performance Management and how Socio-technical Systems can be implemented into Sainsburys business. Capacity Management The meaning of capacity itself is being the ability to produce work in a given time, must be measured in the unit of work. There are three main types of Capacity management when looked at through operations. These are †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Potential Capacity The capacity that can be made available to influence the planning of senior management (e.g. in helping them to make decisions about overall business growth, investment etc). This is essentially a long-term decision that does not influence day-to-day production management †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediate Capacity The amount of production capacity that can be made available in the short-term. This is the maximum potential capacity - assuming that it is used productively †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective Capacity An important concept. Not all produc... ...y chain transformation, â€Å"the biggest project of its kind in Europe and one of the largest in the world†, was still out. A newspaper commentary summarized the concerns: â€Å"The UK’s number two is meeting turnaround targets set by Sir Peter Davis, CEO, two years ago. But the complexity of Sainsbury’s regimen means its healthy overall financial appearance could disguise selective bingeing. Growth has still lagged behind that of market leader Tesco, and Tesco has a lower investment as a percentage of sales. Sainsbury is recovering from a disastrous patch in the late 1990s. It is on target to achieve the  £700 million of cost savings promised by 2004, and margins seem to be creeping slowly towards its targeted 5.5%. But it can hide behind its cost savings while it buys time to demonstrate that improvements in the brand and supply chain will have a sustainable impact on its competitive position. They might. But investors need stronger sales momentum to give them comfort, especially as the market becomes more difficult and competitors such as ASDA continue to outperform. Until Sainsbury’s shows it is building up muscle - not just shedding fat - fitter rival Tesco deserves its 15% premium.†

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Summer of My 15th Birthday

This summer was the best summer ever, because it was my 15th birthday. I celebrated on a cruise with 3 of my friends. When I got to the airplane I was very excited. Then I started to watch a movie on the airplane. The movie that I saw was one of my favorites Leap Year. When we landed to Miami, Florida I was more excited because I always wanted to go to Miami. When we got there my cousin picked us up on the airport. Then we went to the most famous place to have fun with friends called Lincoln Road. There we went to the apple store were my cousin works. Later we ate at a Cuban restaurant very delicious. There I order the most famous plate, which has â€Å"congri† rice with pork. Then we were so tired and went to the apartment. The next day we wanted to go to bay side. A very famous place in Miami with lots of stores. Like for example the one that all girls like, Victoria secret. There we ate at a famous restaurant called the Knife also very delicious. We stayed all day there and later went to a boat with music and had a lot of fun. The next day we had breakfast at IHOP. There I ate the best breakfast that is called the pancake combo. That has egg, 2 pancakes, bacon, and hash brown. Later after the breakfast we went to the most famous mall that has all kinds of expensive stores like Dolce and Gabanna, Channel, Louise Vitton, Carolina Herrera, Tiffany and Co., Etc. There I loved it because there it was all my favorites’ stores. From there we started to go to all Miami. The next day we went to the duck boat that goes in the road and then goes into the water. The tour goes to Palm Island and Star Island where the famous people live. The next day was the day to get on the cruise. I was very excited because I knew we were going to have lot of fun. We got in the cruise and first went to do the fun things like rock claiming, the flow rider and ice skating. In the flow rider I fell a lot but that’s part of the experience. When we got to the rock claiming was better because I’m good at it and I did all stages. Then we got to dinner, the next day we went to Haiti there we went to the beach went to a rollercoaster very cool and had a lot of fun. There we ate and the food very delicious. Later we didn’t have too much to do there so we went to the cruise. We stayed there just relaxing and getting some tan. That night we were walking the entire cruise to see it and look for the fun and cool places to go. The next day we were going to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. There we went to a cascade very cool that was slippery and we fell a lot of times but we all laugh we each other and didn’t care. The water was very cold but was a very fun experience. From there we went to a part where there was lots of little stores selling lots of cool thing from there of Jamaica. We went again to the cruise and the next day we went to Grand Caimans Island there we went to the beach and went on a banana boat. That was very funny we rented kayaks and just being in the beach and having some tanning. The next day we went to Cozumel, Mexico and there my father was very happy because his favorite beer is the corona. And there in Mexico were very cheap were at 1 dollar each. There we went to the beach and went snorkeling. We ate Mexican food and it was very spicy but also delicious. That was the last place we went. The next day we stayed all day on the cruise we went ice skating and my friend Bernadette fell, but very funny and I couldn’t stop laughing thank God it didn’t hurt and we all started laughing, that day was very funny she made my day. Bernadette and I every day went to an ice cream machine and at least we ate like 3 ice creams a day that was the best. The next day was the day we had to leave but this vacation was the best. I had a lot of fun and was the best birthday ever I loved it because I did so many things and went to so many cool places. I also had a very good experience in the places that I went, his is a vacation I’ll never forget.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Issues In The Psychology Of Aging

I really don't know how I’m going to deal with this aging process we go through, especially after researching the information I have. At my age, I find that I can become really frustrated when I can't remember what I have just done after doing it, or the name of a really good friend of mine that is standing right next to me. I chose to do my paper on the question that dealt with memory, because I, like most other people, have never taken the time to think about this aspect of getting old that naturally happens and that I may be able to prolong if I take the right measurements. Although there are many types of memory, only a majority of them are affected by aging, and only some of the reasons are due to nature. Regardless of the amount of loss we suffer, there's always an impact, we just need to learn how to cope with these declines. Three things happen when the mind wants to store knowledge: it is translated so the brain can encode it, it is stored for the essential amount of time, and when necessary, it can be retrieved. It was noted in our text that by the age of twenty-five, the speed that information is processed slows down. This issue is not one to be argued with because of substantial amount of research and evidence there is that proves this. The generalized slowing hypothesis, or Birren hypothesis, suggests that the slowing of information processing is an indivisible determinant of cognitive ability (Cunningham, 1989). This means speed has a direct impact on cognition. Memory is one of those aspects that can be greatly influenced. Information is able to be passed through the brain in three different storage sizes, and they all are affected by aging on different degrees. Short term memory is an example of that which is able to stay constant with age. It is something that is in use constantly and consists of a limited capacity that is able to store temporary information that is either being used at that momen... Free Essays on Issues In The Psychology Of Aging Free Essays on Issues In The Psychology Of Aging I really don't know how I’m going to deal with this aging process we go through, especially after researching the information I have. At my age, I find that I can become really frustrated when I can't remember what I have just done after doing it, or the name of a really good friend of mine that is standing right next to me. I chose to do my paper on the question that dealt with memory, because I, like most other people, have never taken the time to think about this aspect of getting old that naturally happens and that I may be able to prolong if I take the right measurements. Although there are many types of memory, only a majority of them are affected by aging, and only some of the reasons are due to nature. Regardless of the amount of loss we suffer, there's always an impact, we just need to learn how to cope with these declines. Three things happen when the mind wants to store knowledge: it is translated so the brain can encode it, it is stored for the essential amount of time, and when necessary, it can be retrieved. It was noted in our text that by the age of twenty-five, the speed that information is processed slows down. This issue is not one to be argued with because of substantial amount of research and evidence there is that proves this. The generalized slowing hypothesis, or Birren hypothesis, suggests that the slowing of information processing is an indivisible determinant of cognitive ability (Cunningham, 1989). This means speed has a direct impact on cognition. Memory is one of those aspects that can be greatly influenced. Information is able to be passed through the brain in three different storage sizes, and they all are affected by aging on different degrees. Short term memory is an example of that which is able to stay constant with age. It is something that is in use constantly and consists of a limited capacity that is able to store temporary information that is either being used at that momen...