Category: Samples

Critically discuss state-NGOs roles and relationships, in developing countries.
Essay assessment is a complex process that cannot be reduced to a simple formula. However, it is possible to articulate some of the features that your lecturers will expect to find in each of the marking categories.
First class essays (70-100%) will: address the question or title; follow a structured and signposted sequence; demonstrate familiarity with the relevant literature; present an analysis and evaluation of the ideas and theories discussed; reveal internal integration and coherence; use references and examples to support the claims and arguments made; provide detailed references and sources in the bibliography or reference section; be written in good and grammatically correct English. Differences within the range are usually attributable to differences in the quality of analysis and evaluation and internal integration and coherence.

Upper second class essays (60-69%) will: address the title; follow a structured sequence; demonstrate familiarity with relevant literature; use references and examples. The difference between essays in this class and a first class pieced of work is often the quality of the analysis and evaluation presented and the degree to which it is integrated around its central theme.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

  

Stress

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

 

Introduction

Stress is a negative kind of concept that affects human mind and their bodily well-being.  It is still not clear whether stress is an effect or a cause, or whether it is a connection of the two. According to Keil (2004), stress is a Latin word stringere derivative which means to draw tight (p.659). However, according to Koolhaas (2011), the meaning of the word stress should be really restricted to conditions where environmental demands exceed the natural regulatory capacity of an organism (p.1291).

The brain is said to play an important role in regulating body stress especially the central nervous system. This part of the body regulates the reaction of the body towards the stressors. The central nervous system normally works closely to the endocrine system in regulating the body regulation mechanism. The sympathetic nervous system of the human body becomes very active in response to stress. This helps in regulating most of the psychological duties in the body in order to make one adapt to the surrounding environment.

Effects of stress on immune system

Stress can be regarded as the reaction of the body to any source of disturbing its equilibrium.  According to Kansari et al.  (1990), if the equilibrium of hormones in the body is altered the resultant changes are harmful to the body immune system (p.170). The stressors reduce the ability of the body to protect it against any foreign attacks. Kansari et al. also noted that in cases of people infected with a certain virus, for example the HIV virus, those with stress were likely to develop AIDS 2 to 3 times than those without.

 Chronic stress

One can be said to have acquired chronic stress if they have had a long period of encounter with both internal and external stressors. These stressors are likely to result into bodily manifestations, for example, inform of diseases like back pains, fatigue, irritable bowels syndrome, asthma, ulcers or even headaches. If chronic stress affects the blood pressure, it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, depression, infertility and even premature aging. Certain events or perceived events may also result in stress that reduces the body immune system. For instance, according to Graham et al. (2006), students have reduced immune system when taking examinations because of the struggles they face during revision and the actual writing of the exams (p.389).

Coping with stress

Human beings respond to stress in various ways, for example, psychological coping like anxiety, stress management, or even depression. They can also adapt to stress.  Since stress affects our health, then a proper mechanism of dealing with it must be realized and implemented. These mechanisms are supposed to enable the person faced with stressors to either cope with or better still change the stressors and the environment. One can do this by taking control of the source of this stressor or better still ignore some likely stressors. Taking time in sports and music or other hobbies may also be a good way of diverting stress. They act as ventilators.

One can also perform a cognitive appraisal on the stressed person. According to Lazarus (1966), for a psychological situation to be stressful, then it ought to be appraised as stressful (p.8).  It is important therefore to use the cognitive processes in determining the stages of stress for the best treatment. One can adopt the problem focused coping strategy or the emotion focused coping strategy to manage any bad emotions.

Symptoms of stress can be divided into various categories. These include emotional, behavioral and physical. The cognitive symptoms of stress include inability to concentrate, memory problems, anxiety and racing thoughts, poor judgment and constant worrying (Clin 1997, p.4).

The emotional symptoms include feeling overwhelmed, moodiness, senses of loneliness and isolation, depression, agitation and general unhappiness. The physical symptoms include pains and aches, nausea, constipation, dizziness, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, frequent colds and loss of sex drive. The behavioral symptoms include eating more food or even very little food, isolating oneself from the rest, loss of sleep or sleeping too much, neglecting ones responsibilities or procrastinating issues, over use of drugs, cigarettes and alcohol abuse, nervous habits like biting of nails and pacing.

Psychologists have classified stress into various stages. These stages include alarm stage, which is further divided into shock stage where the body can endure the stressors, and anti-shock stage when the stressors can be realized. The resistance stage is where the body fights the stressing mechanism and the recovery where the body resistance mechanisms completely overdo the stressors. The exhaustion phase is where the body retreats due to its exhaustion and the resistance is completely overcome by the stressors effects on the systematic nervous system becomes evident for example increased rate of heartbeat, and the body immune system become weak hence the victim becomes prone to opportunistic diseases.

 

References

Graham, J., Christian, L. & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. (2006). Stress, Age, and Immune Function: Toward a Lifespan Approach. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29, p.389.

Khansari, D., Murgo, A., & Faith, R. (1990). Effects of stress on the immune system.        Immunology Today, 11, p. 170.

Keil, R.M.K. (2004) Coping and stress: a conceptual analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing,         45(6), 659–665

Koolhaas, J., et al. (2011) “Stress revisited: A critical evaluation of the stress concept.”      Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 35, p. 1291

J. Clin Psychiatry (1997). 58(suppl. 2) p. 4.

Lazarus, R.S. (1966). Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. New York: McGraw-Hill.

 

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Name:

Course:

Date:

Review of documentary “Gasland”

The short film highlights the problems, which arise from the drilling for natural resources such as gas. As the title of the movie indicates, it explores and documents evidenced in terms of narrations from the public in the various states in the United States such as Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Texas. The effects traverse, environmental conditions, health issues and the infrastructural conditions of the surrounding areas. The documentary evaluates the positions of numerous people such as engineers, scientists, politicians and gas industry tycoons in the gas industry. After interviews of various people, Fox finds himself in the midst of a meeting in Congress, which aims at enacting law for regulation of hydraulic fracturing in extraction of resources. Hence it is agreeable that there is dire need for the reevaluation of the existent laws, regulations and policies to ensure the protection of interests of the population, the environment as well as ensuring prosperity through ecologically sensitive extraction of gas and other resources.

This is because the extraction process uses hydraulic fracturing which uses a lot of water and chemicals to bring out the natural resources. In the course of the documentary, Fox comes across a meeting, which discusses the Fracturing Responsibility, and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which aims at ensuring that hydraulic fracturing is a federally regulated activity as provided under the Safe Drinking Water Act. This seeks to ensure that entities engaged in the extraction of natural resources using hydraulic means are liable for contamination of drinking water for both human and animal consumption. Hence, it sought to ensure due care in extraction process using hydraulic fracturing.

The contamination of water is evident in that majority of households in areas undertaking extraction of resources through hydraulic fracturing. This has been a driver of numerous health complications because of the ferocity of extraction processes resulting in destruction of natural water supply systems such as aquifers, underground streams and rivers as well as natural systems such as clean water pipelines. Thus, extraction of resources using hydraulic processes result in unwarranted negative effects such as health problems.

Contamination of water supply is a serious issue since it results in the disruption of water supply to the population in an area. Water decontamination processes are expensive, which could be financially draining to the respective local authority of an area. In addition, it also results in loss of property value in areas surrounded by the extraction sites. This is because the pollution associated with such a process is extensive. There is noise pollution resulting in loss of peace for local residents. Degradation of land results in loss of value of land in an area. However, the economic benefits include increased revenues for the local authority, increased employment opportunities, new business startups related to the gas extraction sites, and increased circulation of funds due to increased population and employment opportunities provided by the extraction plants.

The film could highlight both advantages and disadvantages of the establishment of gas extraction plants, which use hydraulic fracturing as a means of extraction. The film focuses on the negative aspects of such undertakings. It could incorporate alternative methods to the hydraulic fracturing process, which causes detrimental effects to the environment and populace of an area. The film focuses on the effects of hydraulic fracturing processes. This could be highlighted with evidence of the effects such as spills into lakes, and water sources, damage to local infrastructure such as roads and pollution of the air due to large amounts of dust mixed with chemicals. Documented evidence is essential to provide the audience with succinct views of the effects of the extraction process on the environment and on the local populace of a given area.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

(Your name)

(Course instructor)

(Course title)

(Date of submission)

 

Design Natural Gas Powered Vehicles

History of natural gas powered vehicles (Hydrogen gas vehicles)

The world is adapting to technologies that are environmental friendly. This is in line with mitigating climate change and effects of global warming. Hydrogen vehicles use hydrogen instead of fossil fuels for their motive power.  Examples of vehicles that use hydrogen include automobiles, space rockets and other vehicles used for transportation services.

Natural gas is the widely used clean energy that is found within our environments (Field 6). It is used in generation of electricity and manufacturing of chemical fertilizers.  The gas is one of the second cheapest alternatives that can be used in the fueling of vehicles. However, the low lumber of vehicles that use the gas is a clear indication of the fact that the gas cannot replace gasoline, which is widely used in vehicles, and other machines that run under energy.

Natural gas has been used for transportation needs for decades. It is a non-renewable source of energy and environmentally friendly. The gas is one of the best alternative fuels in this era, where manufacturing of traditional forms of energy is expensive and in short supply. The energy crises and oil shortage experienced in 1960s and 1970s provided a shift in the manufacture of hydrocarbon gas vehicles.

Natural gas vehicles are dated back as early as 1930s. These vehicles propelled on manufactured natural gas.  However, crude oil that was invented caused production of natural gases to go down. In America, these vehicles did not disappear as experienced in other countries. The standards of vehicles operating on natural gas were similar to those that operated on gasoline.  However, for the purpose of market conversions, vehicles were designed to operate both on gasoline and on natural gas. The natural gas vehicles used space-saving compressed natural gas that was stored in fiberglass which was protected, in the composite metal that acted as a storage tank. This has evolved and now small and lighter weight and safer models are now manufactured. After recovering from the cold war in early 1970s and 1980s, the United States embarked on importation of oil rather than on development of the new energy (Darley 26). This increase reliance on alternative sources of energy had negative impacts on the global environment and was instrumental to the subsequent economic crisis that marred United States. In 1980s, the U.S was still evaluating its possibilities of using natural gas in its vehicles as an alternative source of fuel.

At the heel of gulf war in 1993, the revised clean air act of 1990 and energy policy act of 1992 was not implemented by the U.S automakers. The reasons for their failure to implement it were because millions of U.S roads operated on natural gas and due to customer’s preferences and the potentiality of decrease in profitability. These reasons contributed to many U.S companies failing to produce natural gas vehicles. However, the fuel car-pilot program conducted in California resulted into positive results. Many people in California adopted the decisions and this has seen many vehicles in California run on natural gases. The impact has been positive as the rate of pollution has decreased and even earned California as the state with the least effects of environmental pollution.

The number of vehicles that operate on natural gas has been increasing over the years, but in small percentage.  For instance, currently, it is estimated that almost nine million vehicles in the world use natural gases while it is estimated that approximately 130000 vehicles use natural gases in the U.S.  There are around 1200 natural gas filing stations. Therefore, it is a small percentage of the total number of vehicles that use natural vehicles compared to those that use alternative fuels.  Natural gas is used in a variety of vehicles including personal cars, passenger vehicles, forklifts, busies, heavy-duty trucks, commercial fleets and taxies among many others. Natural gas is considered as safer form of energy compared to gasoline because of its smaller range of flammability and higher ignition range. Further, it is not toxic or corrosive hence cannot contaminate ground water.

It is important to note that the amount of carbon dioxide present in natural gas is less compared to that found in the gasoline. For instance, natural gas emits 20 percent less green gas emissions compared to other forms of energy such as gasoline vehicles. This explains the reason why the gas has fewer effects on environment. It means that if these vehicles were increased in their production, the world would reduce its total green gas emissions on the environment hence the effects of global warming that cause climate change would not arise. The future generation would be guaranteed a safer and cleaner future.

However, despite the great potential to replace dependency on petroleum products in America, many consumers have not expressed any willingness to switch from depending on petroleum products.  For instance, in the recent years, companies manufacturing vehicles such as General motors and Ford have relinquished their plans of manufacturing natural gas vehicles, but instead focus on manufacture of hybrid and related technologies.  However, few companies such as Honda still design natural gas vehicle but at a slow pace. These developments are clear indications that indeed these natural gas vehicles are not a priority in various countries (Cannon 65).

Modern energy crises continuously being experienced in America may however trigger initiatives of the government to rethink about these new technologies to ensure that there is adequate supply of energy. Reports indicate that natural gas reserve in America can last for about 60 years. This is a very good investment, as it will help to liberate the country from fuel shortages. The country will also have to benefit from improved environment because the rate of emissions will decrease drastically.

Types of gas vehicles

Various types of vehicles operate on hydrocarbon gases. These include trains, buses, PHB bicycles, golf carts, canal boats, ships, wheelchairs, motorcycles, airplanes, rockets, submarines, among many others.

Buses

Buses are normally larger and have a big sitting capacity. The fuel cell buses are under testing by various manufactures in different countries. They are seeking to find out whether these buses can operate under this natural gas.   The first buses to operate on these gasses had hydrogen stored in the mounted tanks in the roofs. Others incorporated on boards tanks, while in double-decked buses models it was stored between the floor tanks.

Bicycles

There are various designs of bicycles that can be manufactured and which are able to operate on hydrogen carbon gas. One of the bicycles built to operate on the natural gas pearl hydrogen power sources was manufactured in Shanghai China. The bicycle was availed in 2007 during the ninth China international exhibition of gas technology.

Motorcycles and scooters

These are manufactured by ENV and are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Companies such as Vectrix are still working to manufacture scooters and so far, some of them have been made from hydrogen, which include FHybrid and Suzuki Burgman fuel cell scooter.  The European Union approved Burgman and therefore it has been found viable and can be produced in larger scale.

Airplanes

The use of hydrogen fuel is also under testing in many aviation companies. Companies such as Boeing, German aerospace center and Lange aviation have indicated or tried to purse hydrogen in their unmanned and manned airplanes.  For instance, Boeing Company tested an aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cell in 2008. Furthermore, various testes have been conducted on the unmanned airplanes in various countries.  Experts in the field of aviations have explained or expressed their opinions that these hydrogen fuel cells are not appropriate for larger airplanes because they cannot power the engines. However, they could be used as auxiliary power units of back onboard.

A phantom eye UAV was unveiled in July 2010 by Boeing that used two-fold internal combustion engines, which later were converted to operate on the hydrogen.  Even though the application of use of hydrogen is not permissible on larger jets, there is substantial evidence that indeed hydrocarbon gases can be applied in aviation.  More or further researches need to be conducted to ensure that satisfactory evidence or results are found to ensure that future aero planes can be manufactured using this cheap, available and clean form of fuel (Field 6)

Fork trucks

Fork trucks or forklifts are used to lift or transport materials from one point to another. These lifts are powered by internal combustion engine that is hydrogen fuels that helps or provides power for the forklift to move from one point to another. The tank-hydrogen is filled with an average of 26 litres of hydrogen at a pressure of 350 bar. This pressure helps the folk to move from one place to another.

Rockets

Rockets are other area that uses hydrogen in their movement.  Liquid hydrogen is used in these rockets. The major advantage why hydrogen in rocket fuels is preferred in rockets is because they have a very high and effective exhaust velocity when compared to other forms of energy such as kerosene.

People’s contribution to enhance the vehicles

Hydrogen gas has elicited debate in various quarters of the society with some quarters supporting the move, while other opposing it. Those who support its use in vehicles cite the reasons such as environmental conservation through reduced emissions. It is one of the cleanest sources of engine and this will ensure that environment is clean and remains carbon dioxide free. Secondly, this form of energy is not difficulty to process as the costs involved is manageable. Third, it is easily available. It can be harnessed for our environment hence its benefits.

However, there are mixed reactions that have marred this debate. For instance, the Obama administration reduced the amount of funding that was required to support the extraction of this natural gas and in the development of fuel cells vehicles (Motavalli para. 6). The argument for reduction in its funding was because new emerging technologies were more favorable and would help in reduction of emissions in a very short period.  Therefore, by not providing funding, the government was not willing to promote its production.

Furthermore, the U.S secretary of energy Steven Chu noted in his statements in 2009 that there was no way that hydrogen vehicles were going to be practical in the coming 10 to 20 years.  However, he agreed that this fuel cell were more economical feasible just as natural gas prices had decreased and hydrogen forming technologies had improved (Woodyard para. 3). Washington post is also remembered to have send a post claiming that hydrogen vehicles were not the right option to gas (Motavalli para. 6). This is because, it is not practical to store energy in form of hydrogen and then use the hydrogen to produce electricity. Hydrogen cannot be commercialized because most people use their electricity in their homes and other appliances. Further, there are other alternative sources of energy that were popular and convenience to use.

A study that was published in the Journal of Power Sources UVC Davis in December 2009 revealed that hydrogen vehicles would emit high amounts of hydrogen as opposed to gasoline vehicles over time. Furthermore, in 2011, the General Motors CEO Akerson Daniel stated that the cost of purchasing the hydrogen fuel cars is reducing and such kind of a crisis is still expensive and therefore still not in reach of a poor person until 2020 and the years to come (Cannon 65). The views suggest that the idea of exploitation of natural gas is far beyond reach.

Furthermore, it was established through the Wall Street journals reports of 2008 that top management from various companies: Toyota Motor Corp and General Motors had expressed doubts about their continual participation in the production of such cars or motor vehicles. However, other companies in the industry are still determined to keep on with their production for the hope of the market shifts. The journal also suggested that this form of energy is the best because it reduces the amount of fuel used to purchase paraffin that is used in the lamps and for cooking. Furthermore, embarking on such form of energy will have to cut or reduce the level of emissions to the environment. Therefore, this guarantees that there is safe environments to ensure that sustainability is enhanced (Cannon 65). Former U.S department of energy official Romm expressed his fear of adoption of hydrogen gas because it was not the safe way to ensure that greenhouse gases reduced.  It is one of the most expensive ways of ensuring that these effects are minimized

Therefore, various people have different inclination on adoption of hydrogen gas or natural gas in their motor vehicles. The mixed reaction is because of the different thinking and perceived benefit cost ration of natural gas. Those opposed perceive that natural gas is less important and should not be exploited. However, those in support argue that its adoption will help in environmental conservation and reduce costs involved in its production. Either the way, I believe that natural gas vehicles would have impacted positively on our environment and therefore, governments should consider revisiting their stances on its extraction.

Works Cited

Cannon, James. Paving the Way to Natural Gas Vehicles. New York, NY: Inform, Inc (1993).

Darley, Julian. High Noon for Natural Gas: The New Energy Crisis. White River   Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing Company (2005).

Field, Alan. New, more efficient technologies make LNG-powered trucks competitive with          diesel, Canadian Sailings, (2001): 6-38. Print.

Motavalli, Jim. “Cheap Natural Gas Prompts Energy Department to Soften Its Line on Fuel          Cells”, The New York Times, 29 May 2012

Matthew, Wald. U.S. Drops Research Into Fuel Cells for Cars, New York Times, Web.    9.5.2009.

Woodyard, Chris. “Natural-gas powered cars: Who even knows they exist?” USA             Today. May 9,             2007. Accessed: November 2, 2012.

 

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Name:

Instructor:

Course:

Date:

The Plight of Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia

            It is common knowledge that more than half of the workforce in Saudi Arabia is obtained from migrant workers. It is expected that since they are so important to the economy of the country, then they be treated benevolently. However, this is not the case in some situations since some employers may not treat them well. Several stories of foreigners who traveled to Saudi Arabia in search of employment, and were not treated according to standard have circulated all over the world. Such is the story of Mohamed Sakoor, a young Sri Lankan national. He had gone to Saudi for employment as a wageworker since he had no chances in his native country. He signed a two-year contract with his employer on the terms and conditions of the job he was to obtain. Sakoor then traveled to Saudi for his job with high hopes. They were crushed when he arrived and called his employer. The employer asked him to travel to the place of work in a taxi. The problem was that Sakoor had absolutely no money. He stayed in the airport for two days until one taxi driver accepted to buy his watch. With this little money, he was able to get to the location of work. He was overworked and not paid any overtime for the extra hours he had worked. The plight of the Saudi Arabian migrant wageworkers should be taken into consideration by the Saudi government and the other countries’ whose citizens work there (Standing, 1). This is because they are paid meager wages since they come from poor countries where what they earn would be considered a fortune.

The Saudi government should take action against such employers in the country. If the government set up laws and regulations against this practice, it will surely stop. However, since the laws that are in place do not cover all migrant issues, some employers can pay their employees as they wish. The government should enforce laws that protect the employees from such poor pay. For instance, on the breach of the employment contract by the employer, the employee should be able to sue him or her or leave the job in search of another one. A breach of contract may occur, for example, in the lesser payments of the employees’ salaries. Another law that would be beneficial to the employees would be their right to privacy. In this case, their employers would be prevented from taking their passports to stop them from leaving. This should be implemented since most employers take the passports and poorly pay their employees since they know they cannot leave the country without the passport. Finally, in the case of a court case between the employer and employee, the government should provide legal counsel to the employee. This is because most of the employees cannot afford to get a lawyer for themselves. For this reason, they go to court unrepresented and almost 97% of the employees who go to court are convicted (Walt and Bower, 3). By the provision of the lawyers, the employees will be able to defend themselves against their employers.

The native Saudi employees should treat the migrant workers humanely. This is because the treatment that they receive from a few individuals is not so good. The cost of treatment is also very high and the employees themselves cannot afford it. This is in complete breach of the contract since most of them state that the employer should cater for the employee’s healthcare. For this reason, they let the wounds heal by themselves and most of the injuries are prone to re-infection. Their immunity is compromised. Poor health will reduce their efficiency, which will lead to lesser pay. This vicious cycle continues all through the employment period. In addition to this, a small portion of female migrant workers has claimed to be subjected to sexual abuse in the hands of their employers. After the instances of abuse, some employees try to escape to their countries’ embassies; however, the greater majority cannot escape this and have to live through it. If the employees try to report the perpetrators of these actions, the employers lie and blame the employers of fornication or adultery. Since it is a Muslim country, such offences carry very serious ramifications like death penalties or life imprisonment.

Knowledge of these few instances of mistreatment is known by several countries whose citizens work in Saudi Arabia. These countries should team up and defend their citizens from this. The countries that are affected the most are Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia (Sherry, 55). If these countries and the other minority countries were to forge an alliance to defend their citizens, they will undoubtedly be successful. They may also get the help of prominent organizations like the United Nations to help and support them. By so doing, they will be able to change the working conditions in Saudi Arabia. The joint action of these countries against Saudi Arabia will result in an improvement in the way the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia are treated by their employers.

There is a lot that can be done to improve the lives of the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. By improving the working conditions, their productivity is expected to increase. Subsequently, the economy of the country will also develop. However, for those few who are mistreated, the employees work since they are forced to and are scared of the outcomes if they do not. If nothing is done about this, the number of migrant workers who are abused in Saudi can increase over the coming years. Therefore, the Saudi government and the other countries should consider the plight of the migrant workers in Saudi Arabia as well.

Works Cited

Sherry, VirginiaN.Saudi Arabia: Bad Dreams, Exploitation and Abuse of Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia.New York: Human Rights Watch, 2004. Print.

Standing, Edmund. “The Plight of Migrant Workers in Saudi Arabia.” Butterflies & Wheels. Mar 4, 2009: 1-3. Web. Nov 2 2012.

Walt, Vivienne and Bower, Amanda. “Follow the Money” Working Lives. N.d. 1-5. Print.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Name:

Course:

Lecturer:

Date:

Financial Analysis

            The main purpose of this report is to provide an analysis of the financial performance of Coca-Cola Company Ltd for 2011. This report provides information that has been obtained through a financial analysis concerning the profitability, cost benefit, risk analysis and liquidity of Coca-Cola Company Ltd for the year ending 31 December 2011. This report will pay more attention to the financial ratios of the company such as the liquidity ratios. Also highlighted are the improvements or growth made by the company in terms of performance in comparison to the previous years. The report also highlights some of its financial strengths and weaknesses and comment on its financial stability and some of the observable changes.

For the past few years, Coca-Cola Company Ltd has shown an increased growth except for the year 2009 when economic crisis had hit hard. However, the following years have seen a good growth overall in the company regarding increased revenues and profits. This can be illustrated by the three-year income statement shown below. Revenues have grown by an average of 22.5% for the past three years. Although the revenue has continued to grow, gross profit margin ration has shown a decrease indicating that cost of sales is increasing. The Gross profit margins for the three years starting 2011 are 60.86%, 63.85% and 64.22%. The earnings before interest and tax margin indicates the same trend where the margin has been reducing from 26.56% in 2009, 24.05% in 2010 and to 21.81% in 2011. This indicates an increase in the expenses of the company over the years (forbes.com 2012). Looking at the net operating income before income tax, interests and tax, one can realize a growth. However, in relation to increase in revenues, there is a difference as indicated by the financial ratios.

On the other hand, the balance sheet indicates the financial position of the company as well. Through some of the balance sheet ratios, the financial standing of coca cola can be understood. The current ratio shows that the company is in a position to cover its current liabilities with its current asset. The ratio for 2011 is 1.05, 1.16 in 2010 and a.27 in 2009. This shows that the company is loosing its ability to cover its current liabilities. Additionally, at this standing, the ratio is quite low and need to improve. Additionally, the quick ratio shows that the company has been increasing its current liabilities while its liquid assets have not been increasing the same way. This could also indicate that the company is relying too heavily on inventory among other assets for covering its current liabilities. The ratios for the three years starting with 2011 backwards are 0.78, 0.85 and 0.94. This has been a continuous reduction. To fid out how well revenues are utilized to generate the revenue, the revenue on asset ratio is used, which is 0.58 for 2011, 0.48 in 2010 and 0.63 in 2009. This shows that revenue generation from the assets has improved over the last year but not to regain to its initial position (forbes.com 2012).

In general, the overall performance of Coca-Cola Company has been improving by looking at the revue and profit generated. However, a closer look at its financial ratios indicates a different idea where the ratios show a decrease in performance. It indicates that as the revenues rises, the costs rise by a faster rate to reduce the profit margins. The company’s major risk is foreign currency exchange rates (The Coca Cola Company 76). The company uses derivative instruments to reduce their risk to currency exchange rate fluctuations. The company seeks to offset its exposure through operating on a consolidated basis. This work in favor since when one currency goes down another may be higher. This is possible because the company operates in almost all countries all over the world. Another risk is interest rates. Which the company monitors through a mix of fixed rates as well as variable-rate debts (The Coca Cola Company 76)

 

 

Income statement

12 months ended	Dec 31, 2011	Dec 31, 2010	Dec 31, 2009
Net operating revenues	46,542	35,119	30,990
Cost of goods sold	(18,216)	(12,693)	(11,088)
Gross profit	28,326	22,426	19,902
Selling general & administrative	(17,440)	(13,158)	(11,358)
Other operating charges	(732)	(819)	(313)
Operating income	10,154	8,449	8,231
Interest income	483	317	249
Interest expense	(417)	(733)	(355)
Equity income (loss), net	690	1,025	781
Other income (loss), net	529	5,185	40
Income before income taxes	11,439	14,243	8,946
Income taxes	(2,805)	(2,384)	(2,040)
Consolidated net income	8,634	11,859	6,906
Net income attributable to non controlling interests	(62)	(50)	(82)
Net income attributable to shareowners of The Coca-Cola Company	8,572	11,809	6,824

 

 

 

Balance Sheet

Assets	2011	2010	2009
Cash & Short Term Investments	14.04B	11.34B	9.213B
Receivables	4.92B	4.43B	3.758B
Inventory	3.092B	2.65B	2.354B
Prepaid Expenses	3.45B	3.162B	2.226B
Other Current Assets
Total Current Assets	25.50B	21.58B	17.55B
Gross Property, Plant & Equipment	23.15B	21.71B	16.47B
Accumulated Depreciation	8.212B	6.979B	6.906B
Net Property, Plant & Equipment	14.94B	14.73B	9.561B
Long Term Investments	16.14B	15.10B	8.708B
Goodwill & Intangibles	19.90B	19.40B	10.88B
Other Long Term Assets	3.495B	2.121B	1.976B
Total Long Term Assets	54.48B	51.34B	31.12B
Total Assets	79.97B	72.92B	48.67B
Liabilities	2011	2010	2009
Current Portion of Long Term Debt	2.041B	1.276B	51.00M
Accounts Payable	9.009B	8.859B	6.657B
Accrued Expenses
Deferred Revenues
Other Current Liabilities
Total Current Liabilities	24.28B	18.51B	13.72B
Total Long Term Debt	13.66B	14.04B	5.059B
Deferred Income Tax	4.694B	4.261B	1.58B
Other Long Term Liabilities	5.42B	4.794B	2.965B
Total Long Term Liabilities	23.77B	23.10B	9.604B
Total Liabilities	48.05B	41.60B	23.32B
Shareholder’s Equity	2011	2010	2009
Common Shares Outstanding	4.526B	4.584B	4.606B
Preferred Stock
Common Stock, Net	880.00M	880.00M	880.00M
Additional Paid-in Capital	11.21B	10.06B	8.537B
Retained Earnings	53.55B	49.28B	41.54B
Treasury Stock	31.30B	27.76B	25.40B
Other Shareholder’s Equity	286.00M	314.00M	547.00M
Minority Interest
Shareholder’s Equity	31.92B	31.32B	25.35B

 

 

Work cited

Forbes.com. Coca Cola Co (NYSE: KO). forbes.com, 2012. Web. November 3, 2012.

The Coca Cola Company. United States Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K.Washington, D.C.20549. Print.

 

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Name:

Instructor:

Course:

Date:

Doing Ethnography – “Through the Looking Glass”

            Ethnography refers to the research that primarily aims to understand culture. This is done by analyzing the perspectives that the people have concerning various aspects of their lives. This research method has been used in various fields like biology and the social side of the people under study. Ethnography is broadly classified as a branch of anthropology. Ordinarily, the research method includes the history of the subject matter, some geography of the areas the people lived in like the climate of the area. Ethnography is very important in anthropology since it provides significant information about the subject matter and their beliefs and opinions concerning diverse matters (Robbins, 78)

The location selected for this particular ethnographic study is a church. The church looks old but it is remarkable condition. It is called the old Roman Catholic Church of North America. Arnold Mathew Harris established the church in 1910 (Avis, 150) has no association with the catholic denomination but their belief is somewhat similar. It claims to have nine fundamental differences that differentiate it from the Catholic Church. These differences form the basis of their ideologies and methods of worship. However, this church does not reject the presence of the pope as the head of the church worldwide. The most prominent difference between these two churches is the requirement of celibacy that is required by the Catholics but in this church, it is not.

A key symbol in the Old Catholic Church is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is considered the core foundation of this church. It is shared during each service held in the church. Sharing of the Eucharist is believed to signify unity and communion with each other. In addition to this, the Eucharist is considered the greatest expression of God’s love for human kind. This is because the Eucharist is assumed the body of Jesus who sacrificed his life for the salvation pf the whole world. Therefore, the Eucharist is supposed to be an expression of victory over sin and all the evil caused by Satan in the world. This belief in the Eucharist is shared by most Christian denominations. This is the most important symbol of the Old Catholic Church.

Based on the beliefs of the church in question, it is necessary to discuss the relations that the symbols have on other aspects of the society. In the case of the Eucharist, it is evident that the church encourages sharing of meals. This kindness should not be limited to a person’s immediate family but should extend to their neighbors as well. Another important symbol that differentiates this church from the others is the ability of clergy men tot get married. In addition to this, the church also began the ordination of women to serve as clergy people. Initially, this role was only for the males. It is believed that the borrowed this from the Catholic Church where only the males could become priests. However, the Old Catholic Church amended this to facilitate the presence of women in the clergy.

Women in the clergy had the same responsibilities as the men did. For instance, the females could lead services and even head various organizations that the church owned. This has a great effect on the society especially to those people who believed in certain stereotypes. In the case of the genders, the ordination of women has created a sort of equality between the two genders. Initially, the males were alleged superior to the females. This was evidenced by the tasks and jobs that they were given as compared tot their counterparts, the females. However, with his development in the church, more women participated in the church more boldly than they did before. People who believed in stereotypes were also affected by this change. Ideally, the y believed that leadership belonged to the males but all that changed. For this reason, they had to change their opinions and views towards the relationship that existed between males and females.

The leadership of the church is another symbol of the Old Catholic Church. The paramount head of the church is the archbishop. He makes all the important decision related to the church and serves as a unifying factor in the church. By the belief in one leader, unity is fostered in the church and the chances of disagreements occurring are limited. Unity in the church has been one of the key reasons why the church has lasted for over 100 years since its inception. The effect of unity on the society is that it maintains good relationships between the members of the church. This good relationship enables the community to live in harmony. The ethnographic analysis of this church has been based on the key factors that differentiate it from the other denominations in Christianity. The analysis has also included the effects the symbols have on the society and the followers of the church. For this reason, ethnographic methods are important in the understanding of various people’s cultures and beliefs pertaining to a certain matter. 

Works Cited

Robbins, Richard H. Cultural Anthropology. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth, 2011. Print

Avis, Paul D. L. The Christian Church: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. London: SPCK, 2002. Print.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Name:

Course:

Date:

Project Portfolio Management

            Portfolio management in business is a very crucial process for the business organizations and firms in the market. The process of prioritizing, selecting and clarifying the ventures the firm intends to undertake is project portfolio management. This process is very important since it enables the company to plan for its projects effectively. This process encompasses techniques that make sure that the projects in question are in line with the objectives of the company. If the techniques in question are effective, the firm will register remarkable growth levels. A portfolio management process needs to be strong in order to increase the chances of its success in the organization that chooses to implement it.

If the process is not effective on the other hand, it may result in the reduction of the desirability of the product the company is producing. For this reason, the organization should take its time to create efficient techniques that will ensure that it will succeed. Specific and strategic steps need to be followed in order to ensure that the project portfolio management process is effectual. Some steps the organization may take include consolidation of demand, management of the portfolio, management of the resources the company owns and project execution. Each of the named steps will be discussed in detail with the provision of the advantages and disadvantages that are related to each.

Step one: Demand Consolidation

            Consolidation of demand is the first step towards achievement of a valuable portfolio management process. Consolidating demand is an essential step since it ensures that the firm is aware of all the demands that placed on it. This can be done by the use of IT. The use of IT is recommended since it reduces the workload on the employees yet it still provides high levels of accuracy to the organization. In most cases, the company has several projects that have been suggested by the management of the company. However, not all the projects are viable. For this reason, the company has to sort out the most feasible ones and implement them. The most feasible ones should be the ones with few risks associated with them ant they should also ensure a high rate of returns to the business.

The process of demand consolidation enables the firm to decide on the most suitable projects to be implemented. Is does this by the provision of the projected demand values related to each project. For the one with higher demand, it will be considered a high business priority and, therefore, will be implemented.  However, the demand is not the only factor that should be considered during the selection of the most viable project. The organization should also consider the resources that they have as well as the number of the staff. In addition to this, they should ensure that the staff in question would be able to perform all the duties they will be required to with the inception of the new project.

Another thing the company should keep in mind while selecting the process is the regulations that have been put in place by the government. These laws may prohibit the project the company intended to implement. For this reason, they should investigate the laws in their industry and decide whether the project will infringe on these regulations or not. If it does not break any of the laws set by the government, the company can go ahead with the project. After all these considerations have been addressed, the company may initiate the preliminary implementation processes of the project they have selected. Therefore, demand consolidation is a very important step in the selection of the most viable project a company may want to implement.

Step two: Management of the Portfolio     

The second step towards the achievement of an effective project portfolio management is the management of the portfolio. In particular, this step stresses on the unity of the departments in the organization in question. For most companies they view their portfolios as individual projects rather than one portfolio belonging to them. This individualization causes some projects to be more successful than others do. Because of this, the different departments develop unhealthy competition towards each other. This unwarranted competition makes the poorly performing departments to perform even worse in most cases. For this reason, the morale of the employees in that department is significantly reduced. Subsequently, the productivity of the department in question also decreases.

With the decreased productivity, the output of the company is also affected and finally the firm will have to shoulder some huge losses if this is not tackled in time. However, with the proper management of the portfolio, this may all be avoided. The company should view the projects as one even though they may be working on different things. This will foster good relationships within the company and they will help each other out if need be. Unhealthy competition will be eliminated in this case and the productivity of the firm will then increase simultaneously.

Portfolio management is also advantageous to the firm in that it will be able to monitor the different projects that have been implemented. In the case of large companies, it may be difficult for them to keep an eye on all the projects they have. This may result in the success of a few while the greater majority will be failures. However, with efficient portfolio management, they will be able to supervise all the projects that are going on in the firm. This process may be made even more effective by the use of technology in order to merge all the systems into one main system. Technology like the use of cloud computing may be utilized in order to facilitate effective supervision of the projects in the organization.

Step three: Project Execution

Another step that will ensure successful project portfolio management is the execution of the project. This process involves the intricate details that pertain to the implementation of the project in question by the organization. The process of implementation has to be precise to facilitate the success of the project. It should be remembered that the organizations are constantly faced with several different projects. It is their decision to select the most suitable ones for their companies. This may be very difficult and may take a long time. However, the selection process is not crucial, implementation for the selected project is.

The implementation process should be developed exclusively for the needs of the company in question. This is because if the execution of the project is faulty, the project will not be successful. The management of the company should collaborate in order to come up with the best execution strategies for the project they plan to implement. The project execution process should encompass the risks that may be associated with the implementation for the project. These effects may involve the firm and the surrounding communities. If these risks pose a greater danger, the company may decide to halt the execution of the project since it will have a negative effect on the people who stay around the company. An example of such a situation occurs mostly in the chemical manufacturing organizations.

Therefore, the company must ensure the project will not have any negative effects on the community that surrounds the company. Project execution is an important element of successful project portfolio management. This is why several companies concentrate a lot on this aspect of the project. Effectual project evaluation should encompass all the processes and stages that will be undertaken. Failure of good planning on the side of the management of the company will undoubtedly result in the failure of the project in question. The failure of a project will have dramatic effects on the net worth of business. Therefore, the process of project execution is an important step in the portfolio management.

Step four: Resource Management

The fourth step is resource management. Resources in an organization are not limited to the work force as several people think. Apart from the employees a company has, other resources include the assets the company may own such as buildings and computers for instance. Resource management is another key step that has to be regarded in order to attain effective project portfolio management. This is because the labor of the firm is the most important aspect of the company. Without effective labor force, the company would not succeed at all. For this reason, in order to make sure that the project portfolio is managed effectively, the human resources should be considered.

Before the selection and implementation of a project, the management of the firm should investigate if the employees will be able to support the project. A suitable project should not cause any strain to the employees. Strain will reduce the productivity of the employees’ and subsequently the company. Therefore, since the employees will the key implementers of the proposed project, their well-being should be considered. Their consideration will undoubtedly ascertain that the project will be executed successfully without any problems. The appropriate staff should be selected for various projects. This is because different employees have varied strengths. For this reason, based on the project to be realized, the management should choose the most qualified personnel to work on the project. This will increase the chances of the project’s success since the most appropriate people have been selected.

Step five: Inclusion of all investments in a central repository

The final step to ensure proper project portfolio management is the inclusion of all the company’s investments in a central repository. The investments of a company are very important since they are alternative sources of capital for the company. Repositories refer to a set of databases, which business organizations use to store sensitive information that pertains to the company. Therefore, a central depository is the main server in the institution where all the information is locates. From the central repository, all the other computers may access information provided they have the passwords or clearance to do so. Each company should set up a central repository to improve on their levels of security.

The central repository will include information like the different investors in the company and the net worth of the company. In addition to this, the repository may also include the projects the company is interested in as well as the assets the business owns. Since this information is important to the organization, it should be stored safely since its loss will cause the firm a lot of trouble. The inception of a central repository in the organization will improve the insight, control and visibility of the business. Improved control will ensure that the productivity of the firm increases. Subsequently, the company will make more profits and will develop more. The centralization of this fundamental data in repositories is chief in effective project portfolio.

The five steps that have been discussed will ensure that the process of project portfolio management is conducted smoothly. Portfolio management is critical for the success of a business. This is because it ensures that the profitability of the business venture is maintained. Business organizations are faced with several business proposals and they have to select the best ones for the organization. The utilization of these steps may help several businesses to select the most appropriate projects for themselves. Therefore, the five steps enumerated in this paper will play a great role on the success of the portfolio management process. For this reason, the businesses, which want to take up the process of project portfolio management, should consider keenly these steps since they will prove invaluable in the processes in question.

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

 

Factors to consider in analyzing the data in an investigation

Institutional Affiliation

Student’s Name

Factors to consider in analyzing the data in an investigation  

                                           Alcohol and breast cancer

The National Cancer Institute of United States has found some relationship between breast cancer and alcohol consumption. There has been evidence from scientific researches that enough intake of vitamin B-9 can do away with the risk of cancer of the breast that has been linked with alcohol consumption. For example a according to Breast Journal (2009) study that was conducted in Australia on 17,000 women aged between 40 and 69 and within a ten year period confirmed this fact.

From this research it was found that  women who could drink alcohol amounting to 40 grams every day  which is estimated to be at least three drinks and then take 200 micrograms vitamin B9 daily could have a lower risk of contracting breast cancer that their counterparts who did not take any alcohol.  Vitamin B9 could be obtained from food that is rich in folate for example citrus juice, dried beans, citrus fruit, and also from peas. This indicated that moderate alcohol consumption lowered the risk of breast cancer in women.

The risk of breast cancer in relation to alcohol consumption is relatively low. For example, according to the Breast Journal (2009) an ordinary woman of 50 years may have a predisposition to cancer risk of about 3%. If the national health risk is approximated to rise by 30%, her personal risk still remain at 30%. This is very low compared to the risk of cardiovascular heart cancer posed by alcohol consumption. The risk of death of women occurring from cardiovascular heart disease is higher; it is about ten times greater than that of women dying from breast cancer.

According to the Breast Journal (2009) it is approximated that about 5% of women in the United States die of breast cancer. Drinking moderately results in improved health and eventually longer life spans.  If unchecked too much drinking of alcohol can predispose women to cardio vascular disease of the heart. It is estimated that about 50% of women who die in the United States die from cardiovascular heart disease.

It is therefore imperative that women should always consult their doctors whenever they intend to engage in drinking alcohol in order to reduce the risk of breast cancer. According to the Breast Journal (2009) individual women should get help from qualified medical doctors in weighing the posed risk of cardiovascular disease against that of breast cancer by alcohol consumption. This enables them to determine whether they should reduce their alcohol consumption rate.

According to the directions from the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA) women should not drink more than three drinks daily and not more than seven drinks every week. Standard drinks should have equivalent alcohol amount. For example thee drinks of alcohol that are recommended should contain 12 ounce. This is the regular beer.

Women should avoid too much smoking which is more likely to increase their risk of breast cancer. It is also recommended that women should take care of their health. They should ensure that they are not overweight since being overweight predisposes them to heart illnesses. Women should also exercise regularly. This will also ensure that their weight and the functioning of their heart are healthy. There is no clear evidence that alcohol in its any form be it beer, liquor or even distilled alcohol really predisposes women to breast cancer.

 

Reference

Bissonauth, Vishnee, et al. (2009). Risk of breast cancer among French-Canadian women, noncarriers of more frequent BRCA1/2 mutations and consumption of total energy, coffee, and alcohol. Breast Journal 15( Supp.1), S63-S71.

 

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]

Institutional Affiliation

Student’s Name

Internal Services Functions

Government is an institution that is mandated to carry out various functions to ensure that it meets the objectives of its citizens.  For it to ensure that, it achieves its mandate it is required to put in place various measures to ensure that qualified administrators manage its assets and services.   The internal service functions in a government setting relates to  issues such as management of property, risk management and issues dealing with pension funds among many other functions.

An organization or any other institution that provides services should have qualified personnel to run and handle various functions.  Concerning internal function, I do understand fully, the way an organization or an institution needs to do in order to ensure that its functions satisfies or meets the needs and the goals of an organization. For instance, in the management of property, there are various requirements or conditions that should be put in place to ensure that property are well managed. One of the fundamental requirement and mandatory is to ensure that human capital in charge of such property is well qualified and understand procurement and general issues to do with accounting on property.  This is related to aspect of leadership. The leadership should be competent enough to ensure that these properties are well managed to avoid any misappropriation. The organization should put in place enough control measures that will help minimize any misappropriation of these property. It is also salient that frequent investigation and auditing is carried out to check whether these properties are well managed or not.  Taking and managing risk is also something that many organization are not aware of or do not give it enough support in their operations. Business risks are important and may be an opportunity for an organization to achieve its objectives. However, sometimes some risks are not worth taking because of the adverse effects that they may impact to the organization. Therefore, to ensure proper management of such risks, it requires proper investigation and analysis of any project before taking a step further to invest in such.

In the reading, there are various issues which did not make sense. In my opinion, I regard leadership as the foundation and the pillar of success of any organization. The top-most leader is the most important person in the organization when it comes to implementation and instituting change. Poor leaders are manifested through lack of vision and general leadership in the organization. Good leaders in an organization take or make their decision by consulting key stakeholders. Therefore, in any given department of an organization, leaders have the authority to consult others before making important decisions. Employees in the areas should not be the only one who are consulted but all stakeholders because, some decisions may not be affecting employees alone.

The success of an organization or an institution is therefore achieved through combination of all important aspects in an organization. The leader needs support from the subordinates. The reverse is actually true. In situations where there are good leaders and the subordinates lack the same vision, it becomes difficult for such organizations to achieve their goals and visions. Nevertheless, there are various concepts that have encouraged me and which I feel can be applied in my career to ensure that I achieve my goals. Working together as a team is important in ensuring that an individual achieves his/her goals.  Such opportunity helps and acquaints an individual with different perspectives and views that can help in enhancing or propelling the level of understanding hence important in my career.  This can be applied through formation of groups. The groups must have a common goal and agree to work together as a unit to achieve the team’s objective. Therefore, this will require good leadership in the group to unite the members towards achievement of the set goals. Sometimes it may not be easy; however, challenges makes a person grow stronger and are therefore welcome.

In conclusion, it is therefore important for organizations to have a clear vision on what they want to achieve. Good leadership to provide good administration services is also important in ensuring that an organization achieves its goals. This can be achieved by having proper and organized internal services functions to ensure that all aspects that contribute towards success are pursued and realized. It requires having adequate skills in the specific areas of specialization and being open and transparent. 

Reference

Borodzicz, E. (2005). Risk, Crisis and Security Management. New York: Wiley.

Robert, S., Lynch, T. (2003). Public Budgeting in America, Fifth edition, Parson    Publisher.

 

Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.

[order_calculator]