Accounting for Leaders ( Case study analysis) Essay

Accounting for Leaders ( Case study analysis) - Essay Example As a result a number of car owners would pass by Bob’s shop which facilitated in increasing the popularity of the shop. However since this parking system was stopped, Bob felt that his business was losing popularity. Bob also noticed that the general sales of children’s bicycles had dropped considerably. Bob suspects that a large amount of sales of his shop has shifted to the bicycle and car maintenance retailing chain located at the town’s main shopping centre. The Christmas sale of the shop was also much lower than expected. The shop was clammed with cheaper bikes clearly depicting that the shops had declining number of customers. The recent recession also had a negative impact upon the business (Cowen and Hoffer, 1985). Bob’s cafà © is run by Bob’s wife Sophie. Apart from providing internet services, the shop also provides services such as computer and software upgrade, computer repair, software installation, cleaning and configuration of computers. Sophie is concerned regarding the cash flow of the business rather than profitability. The bank overdraft of the business has been continuously rising since the last two years. Sophie could not understand the reasons behind such an increase. Sophie although provides services on credit in order to increase her sales, but she has not come across any bad debts (Brigham and Houston, 2011). The information required for taking decision in respect of Bob’s Bikes is obtained through the different rations computed from the business’s annual financial statements. The financial ratios of 2012 and 2013 were taken into consideration for taking the required decisions. Bob’s main issue is to analyze the profitability of the business. Financial ratios are considered as a suitable measure for analyzing business performance. Evaluating the progress of any business is vital and financial ratios are a suitable tool in examining the same. Financial ratios facilitate comparison of the performance

Springer's Article on African American Women Essay

Springer's Article on African American Women - Essay Example She argues that feminism has lost its connection with empowerment. Women remain locked into a life of being there for everyone else while trying to maintain a sense of self. The bitter black woman image perpetuates the loss of empowerment or loss of self. "For the films discussed in this essay, when black women leave work and become homemakers they lose themselves and their connection to being black" (272). This means that black women negate their freedom, and will be seen as lazy for not remaining in the workforce. Black women now have an important duty: to remain educated and uphold the race through continued achievements (272). Through these achievements, black women are then viewed as divas or evil black bitches. The term diva formerly described lauded opera singers, but is currently defined as "a powerful and entertaining, if pushy and bitchy, woman" (255). The evil black bitches image has risen due to editing methods utilized on reality t.v. shows. These women are seen as villains, manipulate other persons and situations, and are hostile without reason. The power of editing making it possible. According to Springer, the image that is portrayed within the play Diary of a Mad Black Woman is the bitter black woman.

Article Analysis Essay Example for Free

Article Analysis Essay This article gives us an insight on whether how a society in a specific country especially like of China can have a say on what their government is doing especially on projects that in return might have an effect on their lives, and also giving added revenue to their government and at the same time protecting the lives of their citizens. Even the social activist like Xue ye of the Beijing – based Friends of Nature had stated that â€Å"We are weak, but we have a chance. † He already knew that it would be hard for them to convince the villagers around the place where there is a project or a construction that has to be created by the government. There may be some factors, which may take effect if the projects will continue. That is why it must be thoroughly evaluated first by all sectors before they allow it to pursue. They must not think on the benefits alone upon the relocation but through a lifetime perspective too. It is not only their future but also for the future generation of their country. The whole article is a depiction of social construction regarding the issue of trade and industry. There are different evidences and justifications that the author has redeemed. He also stated his own opinion and ideologies regarding the issue, which somehow important to the whole article because it will state the stand of the author in representation of the society based on the evidences that were found and researched. From all of this, the whole article shows the facts and data exist within the situation will state its own ideologies and perceptions of the social realization. It means that the author has its own depiction of truth and accuracy of facts and data that he has stated whether it is for or against the authorities of the society. Reference (Author). (Date). Power to the People. (Publisher)

Challenges And Constraints Of Solar Energy Environmental Sciences Essay

Challenges And Constraints Of Solar Energy Environmental Sciences Essay The biggest challenge that Solar Energy faces today is the alternative conventional energy sources that are cheaper in terms of consumption measures (Rupees per KWh).Electricity generated from Solar Energy is costlier compared to that produced from coal-fired power plants. Government and enterprises are working on producing cheaper solar cells to reduce cost of usage. Although the price of Solar Photovoltaic technology has decreased in the last years, it is still not a feasible solution for large scale power generation purposes. In India, the average cost of Photovoltaic modules is around Rs. 2 lc/KWh and the cost of electricity generation of electricity from Solar Photovoltaic and Solar thermal route is in the range of Rs. 12 -20 per kWh and Rs. 10 15 per kWh respectively. The electricity produced this way is four-five times costlier from that produced from conventional sources. Advancement in technology is required to reduce this gap. The manufacturing process needs to be more cost- effective since the Solar Photovoltaic conversion of electricity is a high-technology process demanding high level of skills and expertise. Companies are allocating special funds for research and development in the industry to encourage innovations to improve the process. Since the field is a relatively new one with less knowledge in the field, new companies face challenges in coping up with the existing players in the field. India is suitably located to receive sufficient sunlight all round the year. However there are a few places which do not receive enough solar energy throughout the year, which affects the cost of production. Areas which receive huge amounts of rainfall and are clouded for most parts of the year, automatically get ruled out as prospective sites for Solar Energy generation. Another major challenge that solar energy faces is storage of the generated power. Electricity from Photovolatic cells cannot be generated during the night and during cloudy days and hence suitable measures have to be adopted to store the energy produced during the other times of the day. Another major disadvantage is that access on a short term basis cannot be predicted. Since India is located near to the equator the incoming radiation fluctuate a little every year, it is however difficult to predict the incoming radiations on a day to day basis. Apart of this there are seasonal variations which cause the supply and demand to grow out of phase. It is thus imperative that Solar Energy cannot be relied upon as the only source of electricity for potential uses like space heating, till proper storage measures are invented. It is also difficult to store energy since it also increases the cost of production and installation. Only once this issue gets resolved can solar energy actually com pete with other existent sources of energy. ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS Due to absence of proper government regulation ,local government and individuals are skeptical about the effect that setting up of big solar power plants will have on the individuals and environment. A large scale solar power plant typically requires approximately one square kilometer for every 20-60MW generated. RAW MATERIAL AND WASTE PRODUCTS Some of the materials ( like Cadmium) used for producing Solar PV cells are hazardous and other raw materials like plastics used for the packaging of the cells are non-biodegradable, thereby impacting the environment. Although some of the waste generated during the manufacturing process is recyclable (silicon), not all other materials are recyclable and disposal of the same is a challenging process. AESTHETICS AND DESIGN Another barrier to wider adoption of solar cell and solar module products and systems among commercial and residential consumers is aesthetics and design. Consumers have resisted solar products for aesthetic reasons. Established solar products are heavy, rigid, fragile and non-modular. Solar cell and solar module manufacturers can improve aesthetics by developing products that can be more attractively integrated into building structures, and that are lighter, flexible and modular and hence more feasible. Growth in future and driving factors Concentrated Solar Vs Photovoltaic Solar Solar energy utilization technologies can be broadly classified into two categories as Concentrated Solar Technology Photovoltaic Solar Technology In Concentrated Solar Technology the solar energy converts heat liquids into steam, which is then used to drive turbines to produce electricity, heating and cooling purposes, providing hot water etc. In PV Solar, solar panels are used to produce electricity. The Concentrated Solar technology provides a good alternative to PV solar, one that is less expensive and more versatile. Benefits of concentrated solar technology are: It uses existing resources like generators, piping and mirrors. Due to which the production costs are much lower than PV solar In producing solar energy no hazardous materials are used. Thus it is free from production hassles that could arise due to future government laws or policies. It can also store the heat that is generated during the day, and use it at a later time when the electricity is needed. Storing heat is much more efficient than most forms of storing electricity, and does not require expensive equipment or large tracks of land. Due to the aforementioned benefits Concentrated Solar Technology is currently a more sought after method. But the potential for PV Solar Technology is higher and is being worked over across all countries. Government incentives Major percentage of the solar energy production has been backed by the government world over. Few of the government incentives in the following ways are: FIT (mainly in europe) Direct Subsidy on panels Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS, in US) ITC (Investment tax credits, in US) Some of the goals with respect to solar energy of different countries driven by government initiatives are: The  European Union  has linked goals to get 20% of its energy from clean sources by 2012. Chinas Renewable Energy Law aims to raise the total percentage of renewable energy used in the country to 15% by 2020. The U.S. Stimulus Bill of February of 2009 included $60 billion in loan guarantees for companies building solar and wind plants with the goal of doubling renewable energy production from 2009 to 2012. In June of 2008, Germany approved a law cutting its solar subsidies by 10%. Further, under the law subsidies will fall another 8%-10% each year for the next three years. The Spanish Government cut its solar subsidies by 30%. Renewable energy demand Shifts in renewable energy demand are a major driver for the solar market. Two major drivers of this shift are climate change  and  peak oil. Climate Change With more people than ever being aware of global warming and its potential effects, and fear of the repercussions of a carbon-based energy scheme is driving consumer demand for alternatives like solar. With increasing number of people being aware of global warming and its harmful effects, rising fear caused due to carbon based energy production, the demand for alternative energy resources are in demand. The number of awareness campaigns to promote the use of alternative resources has increased tremendously over the past few years and will continue to rise in the future. Wind and Solar energy are the first potential step taken into consideration. Peak Oil and Energy Independence The ever rising oil prices and the scarcity of finding the mines and oil reserves are a growing concern. It is predicted that the oil resources will dwindle to such an extent that the growth of any country will be a standstill if measures are not taken today to curtail the dependence. Furthermore, a large part of the world oil supply can be found in politically turbulent countries; with OPEC having dominant control over world oil supply (and, therefore, prices), many countries desire energy alternatives in order to break dependence on geopolitically unstable nations. Technology and Silicon Supply Silicon was previously used extensively by the semiconductor industry. But, with the advent of solar power and its rapid growth the demand for them has increased exponentially, resulting in an under-supply of silicon unable to meet the current demand. Thus the higher prices in silicon mean higher production costs for solar companies and lower margins. For a sustainable growth and control in costs of production in the future the demand-supply equilibrium must be in check. In recent years the technical advancements in the field of solar power has been rapid and tremendous. Everyone across the value chain, manufacturers and suppliers are working towards producing more solar energy out of the existing solar equipment. Advancements have included increasing cell energy efficiency, using thinner wafers, and increasing generating power in low-light (generation of energy even on a cloudy day). The advancement in two new manufacturing processes namely string-ribbon technology and thin-film technology, designed to drastically reduce the  silicon  required to make PV cells, could dramatically decrease the cost of new PV cells. The use of a new nanotechnology based approach using Tetrapod Quantum Dots (TQ-Dots) is being considered. It is an economical alternative to replace the silicon wafer based solar cells with flexible TQ-Dot solar cells and has the advantage of generating electricity from UV and infrared wavelengths allowing generation 24/7. Government Regulation As the solar industry continues to grow at 25% per annum, the government is faced with the challenge to regulate the industry to allow for equitable distribution of the industry benefits. The Union Ministry has set up a separate Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources later renamed as Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The government is trying hard to bring India to the number 1 level by introducing grid based incentives and providing concession at various levels of manufacturing and distribution in its recent budget 2010-11. Effect on the Environment: There is an ongoing debate on how Concentrated Solar Plants especially inare affecting the environment. There is a concern how the use of vast amounts of public land for Solar Energy development will affect local inhabitants. Local Government and Environmental bodies have raised concern for reliable regulatory measures to be setup to understand the affect on the operations of such large plants on the environment. It is expected that the government will frame certain special energy zones, where concentrated solar plants will be setup. Permitting: The permit fees to set up Solar Plants varies in different areas in the countries, which causes variations in the setup price causing a dilemma in the minds of prospective investors.The cost of Solar Installation in a city varies from Rs.15,000 to Rs. 50,000.Many countries that used to face such issues are now migrating to a uniform permit fees system to encourage investment in this field. Regulating Solar Energy Providers: As part of JNNSM, government has dedicated NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam, for the purchase of Solar Energy by independent solar plants, the prices of which are fixed by the Central Regulatory Electricity Commission for a given period of time. The power distribution companies will purchase the power generated from these plants at the prices set by the regulator.They would also follow the below mentioned norms: CERC has announced tariff of Rs. 18.44 per unit for solar PV power and Rs. 13.45 per unit for solar thermal power for 25 years; Zero or concessional duty to be applied on import of some specific items; Zero Excise duty on manufacture of many solar energy devices within the country; NTPC VVN will purchase solar power for a period of 25 years at fixed tariff announced by CERC; CERC will review the costs every year and fix tariff accordingly for new projects. Union Budget 2010-11: Government has announced an allocation of $10bn for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The budget also provides incentives to private solar companies by reducing customs duty on solar panel by 5% and exempting excise duty on photovoltaic panels.

Create a Writing Technology :: Invention Writing Technology Technological Essays

Create a Writing Technology I never thought about writing something down with a pen on plain lined paper involved technology. It always seemed to me that those things were around, pen and paper had just been there, for one reason or another for the purpose of writing down things, organizing ideas, or just jotting down notes. Much like Ong says, â€Å"The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence. (Tribble and Trubek, 316-317) Creating a writing technology is something that takes a lot of thought. The process, materials, words written down, and the purpose of writing things down although common to modern society, was something that proved daunting to create. When I was assigned to create my own writing technology I thought, â€Å"that’s going to be easy.† It was not easy. When conflicted with this assignment, the first thing I had to think about was â€Å"what am I going to write with?† I decided after what seemed like hours of brainstorm, to settle on a stick for a writing utensil. Next came ink. I first debated on creating my own ink, for this I would have to use things like books, or the Internet. Since books or use of the Internet were not in the spirit of the assignment, I used something else. I had to think what would stick to a surface and create enough of a contrast that someone would be able to read it. I came up with the idea of using some sort of fresh fruit. Frozen fruit, although cheaper, probably wouldn’t have worked well. Blueberries, as expensive as they were, seemed to be the best solution. I mashed the blueberries into a little dish, and then began to write. But then I realized I had nothing to write on. Making paper would have been hard. I can’t write on the ground, cause it wouldn’t be as permanent or portable. I found some bark from firewood that my dad had cut up. I grabbed the biggest chunk and began to write using my own creation.

Requirements for Success in an Industry and the Attributes of Successfu

Requirements for Success in an Industry and the Attributes of Successful Leaders In terms of hospitality, leadership is defined as: leading is the process by which a person with vision is able to influence the activities and outcomes of others in a desired way (Walker 543). David P. Norton from Decision Point, Inc says, â€Å"Leadership-the availability of qualified leaders at all levels to mobilize the organization toward its strategy.† Both of these definitions are correct depending on your perception of the word. Leadership has many complexities which result in different types of leadership, individual perceptions of it and many definitions. The hospitality industry finds that leadership is not only a wonderful quality to have, but also a very important tool in managing and running an organization. Leaders are very important and carry with them certain traits that contribute to their success. To leave an impact that many people care about and remember you by is achieved through being a good leader as well as a manger because leadership is pa rt of managing. As a result of the complexities of leadership, there are three types: transactional, situational and transformational leadership. Transactional leadership is viewed as a process by which a leader is able to bring about desired actions from others by using certain behaviors, rewards, or incentives (Walker 543). Basically saying do this for that. The leader promises to exchange something an employee might desire for a task they do for the leader, the coming together of a leader, follower, and situation. For example, the leader might ask that you as a follower achieve certain goals for a bonus. A second type of leadership is situational which ... ... 2004. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Guidelines During one of my food service classes we were to come up with HACCP guidelines for a food. This allowed me to analyze and critique the entire procedure from the point food is received till it is prepared. I learned how important it is to pay attention to the little things involved with food preparation to the obvious. Meal Planning Project This project was done my sophomore year in college. It was a very time consuming project that was challenging and well worth it. The meal planning project gave me a chance to plan a menu for a full day that meets the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines, the Food Guide Pyramid and the Recommended Dietary Allowances for an individual of your age and sex. The project limited me again with a budget of $4.00 total for the day.

Entrepreneurial Organization Essay

In Business today the Entrepreneurial Organizations continue to grow, thrive and help change the way companies and people do business. These Entrepreneurial changes that happen internal to large organizations or at small start-up companies all have some of the same traits in common with each other and use some of the same tactics to create business opportunities. Some of the traits they share to promote their business are: Individual action and initiative, Innovation, Differentiation and Risk Taking. Individual action and initiatives taken by the employees within the organization are to create new product offerings or enhance existing products. These actions do not always succeed in creating revenue for the business, but might help start another product line that will create revenue in the future, but the failures of these products is not seen as a negative within the organization but are treated as growth and are seen as positive steps. Innovation is a primary and necessary building block for the entrepreneurial organization. There are 2 types of innovation that should be looked at, used, changed and viewed when using innovation and these are Product and Process. These types of innovation will create change in either a product or process but both are essential to using innovation within the organization and will be used to create new ideas, process and test new theories. Differentiation is another advantage that has to be used, displayed and shown for an entrepreneurial organization. This shows the advantage to customers and investors what unique good, service, talent and innovation that the organization has that makes the customers willing to pay a premium for their services. Risk taking from a large or small organization requires some sort of investment on the part of the company, either in personal resources or financial resources. The level of risk that the organization is willing to support shows the employees that the organization is willing and able to make changes if the risks are worth the reward. But risks must be taken in these types of organizations to create and discover new opportunities. In conclusion, these are four reasons why entrepreneurial organizations seek to use innovation to create new opportunities and are  some of the building blocks for many large and successful companies. With the landscape of business always changing, if companies are not willing to use innovation to try and create new opportunities they might not be successful in the future.