Arguments Against Relativism

Arguments Against Relativism There is plenty of evidence favoring the genuineness of a relativistic attitude in a wide variety of situations. Cultural relativism, religious relativism, linguistic relativism, scientific relativism, relativism moving from different historical perspectives or miscellaneous social positions: this is just the beginning of a list of sources motivating the genuineness of contrasting perspectives on a specific topic at hand. And yet, on some occasions, one may want to resist the idea that the relativistic stance is the best theoretical option: in some cases, it just seems that one of the contrasting views should ​get it more right than the others. On what grounds could such a claim be made? Truth The first ground on which a relativistic attitude can be resisted is truth. If you accept relativism, while holding a certain position, it seems that you are at once undermining that position. Suppose, for instance, that you claim that abortion shall never be endorsed while agreeing that such a judgment is relative to your upbringing; aren’t you at once conceding that abortion may be reasonably endorsed by those who had a different upbringing? Thus, it seems, a relativist is committed to the truth of a claim X, while holding at once that X may not be true when contemplated from a different perspective. That seems an outright contradiction. Cultural Universals A second point that has been stressed is the presence of universal traits across different cultures. True enough the idea of a person, of beauty, of good, of family, or of private property differ across cultures; but, if we look close enough, we can also find common traits. It can hardly be disputed that human beings can adapt their cultural development to the circumstances they come to live in. No matter who your parents are, you can equally learn English or Tagalog if you grow up with a community of native speakers of one or the other language; ditto for traits concerning manual or bodily skills, such as cooking or dancing. Common Traits in Perception Even when it comes to perception, it is easy to see that there is an agreement across different cultures. No matter what your culture is, it is probable that a powerful earthquake or a fierce tsunami will elicit fear in you; no matter your social upbringing, you will be moved by the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Similar considerations hold for the brightness of the sun at midday or the feeling of discomfort provoked by a room at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. While it is certainly the case that different human beings have different experiences of the nuances of perceptions, there seems also to be a shared common core, on the basis of which a non-relativistic account of perception may be built. Semantic Overlap What goes for perception goes also for the meaning of our words, that which is studied by the branch of Philosophy of Language that goes under the name of Semantics. When I say â€Å"spicy† I may not mean exactly what you mean; at the same time, it seems that there has to be some kind of overlap in meaning if the communication is effective at all. Thus, what my words mean cannot be fully relative to my own perspective and experience, on pain of an impossibility of communication.

Understanding Uniform Probability

Understanding Uniform Probability A discrete uniform probability distribution is one in which all elementary events in the sample space have an equal opportunity of occurring. As a result, for a finite sample space of size n, the probability of an elementary event occurring is 1/n. Uniform distributions are very common for initial studies of probability. The histogram of this distribution will look rectangular in shape. Examples One well-known example of a uniform probability distribution is found when rolling a standard die. If we assume that the die is fair, then each of the sides numbered one through six has an equal probability of being rolled. There are six possibilities, and so the probability that a two is rolled is 1/6. Likewise, the probability that a three is rolled is also 1/6. Another common example is a fair coin. Each side of the coin, heads or tails, has an equal probability of landing up. Thus the probability of a head is 1/2, and the probability of a tail is also 1/2. If we remove the assumption that the dice we are working with are fair, then the probability distribution is no longer uniform. A loaded die favors one number over the others, and so it would be more likely to show this number than the other five. If there is any question, repeated experiments would help us to determine if the dice we are using are really fair and if we can assume uniformity. Assumption of Uniform Many times, for real-world scenarios, it is practical to assume that we are working with a uniform distribution, even though that may not actually be the case. We should exercise caution when doing this. Such an assumption should be verified by some empirical evidence, and we should clearly state that we are making an assumption of a uniform distribution. For a prime example of this, consider birthdays. Studies have shown that birthdays are not spread uniformly throughout the year. Due to a variety of factors, some dates have more people born on them than others. However, the differences in popularity of birthdays are negligible enough that for most applications, such as the birthday problem, it is safe to assume that all birthdays (with the exception of leap day) are equally likely to occur.

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate governance - Essay Example The Fraud was first discovered when its budget and financial Analyst Kim Emigh blew the whistle in December of 2000 when he asked engineers in Richardson, Texas unit and elsewhere to stop charging their time for long term projects to capital expenditures (Young 2002). It was also when he told his accounting manager Frank Guckes after receiving an email to charge it to another account that it is fraud and that it is a SEC violation that he should make everybody aware of it because Kim Emigh will (Young 2002). Ten weeks later, Kim Emigh was fired which prompted him to sue WorldCom leading to a congressional and SEC inquiry which eventually led to WorldCom’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 21, 2002. Later, its CEO Bernard Ebbers was found guilty on March 15, 2005 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. WorldCom’s other officials such as its CFO Scott Sullivan, former controller David Myers, former accounting director Buford Yates and former accounting managers Betty Vinson and Troy Normand all plead guilty to fraud, conspiracy and filing of false statements. II. Crisis as a pretext of WorldCom corporate governance failure The WorldCom financial scandal came about from the backdrop of several crises that put pressure on the liquidity of the company that may have triggered its shady accounting practice. Beginning in late 1990s, the telecom industry was already beginning slow down and the Argentinian bank crisis in 2001 prompted bank to adopt a conservative fiscal policy by increasing its interest rates. This has affected the dotcom companies whose rapid appreciation in the market was propelled mainly by cheap capital afforded by lower interest rates. When the dotcom bubble burst, it contributed to the slowdown of the telecoms industry of which WorldCom is a player. The increasing conservatism of banks led them to pressure WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers to cover margin calls of his declining WorldCom stock because it was used to financ e his other businesses. In 2001, Ebbers urged the board of WorldCom to provide him $400 to cover these margin calls whose strategy did not work. This added pressure to the finances of the company to resort to shady accounting practices to cover its deteriorating financial position and save the value of its stocks so as not to add to the margin calls it has to cover. III. Corporate government failures of WorldCom WorldCom’s problem started when its CEO Bernard Ebbers used WorldCom stocks to guarantee his loan from banks that will finance his other businesses. As a business practice, it is not ideal to juggle funds between companies because they do not only confuse the accounting of both companies but also brings other financial complications not to mention unethical such as what happened to WorldCom. When the series of crisis begun in late 1990’s which was triggered by a multitude of factors such as bank crisis, dotcom burst and Enron scandal, its stocks depreciated bec ause of industry slowdown that can be attributed to the dire macroeconomic condition during that time and the inappropriateness of juggling its funds by Bernard Ebbers was highlighted and sired many problems in the company. This also put pressure on the finances of WorldCom that instead of restructuring itself as part of good corporate governa

Fundamental of International Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fundamental of International Buisness - Essay Example As the discussion declares the company decided to expand globally It also wanted to get ahead of other retailers who were also heading in the same direction. In addition to greater growth, by gaining international reach, Wal-Mart has been able to demand deeper discounts from the local operations of its global suppliers thus increasing its potential to lower customer prices , gaining market share and ultimately earning greater profits. This paper stresses that Walmart is arguably as american a company as it can get.So when the decision was made to expand globally,there was plenty of skepticism to go around.Some of the major management decisions involved questions concerning where to begin , how to go about it and how to customize their products to a foreign clientele. While its retailing practices thrived in America ,there were a multitude of challenges it would have to face in other countries where infrastructure is different, government policies vary, and customer tastes and preferences are â€Å"foreign†. Not to mention the competition in the form of established retailers already having the leading edge .After its successful venture into the foreign market in the border and neighboring countries of the United States notably Canada and Mexico(where it’s the biggest private employer),it looked towards Europe for its next move. UK and Germany, countries with the biggest family incomes, became its next targets.

Type Of Tax-Book Difference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Type Of Tax-Book Difference - Essay Example The contribution that can be deductible by the employer must not exceed 25% of employee's total compensation (Green, n.d., retrieved 07.09.06). The employer receives a tax deduction equaling his contribution in the employee's defined contribution plan. The employees benefit from deduction of contribution from pre-tax salary, which enables them to save taxes and fund the retirement plan with the gross amount. The tax continues to be deferred until the plan is distributed and therefore there remain opportunities for fast investment growth (Building Your Retirement Funds, 2006). The advantages for defined contribution plan are that this plan allows the employees to save the tax payments until the plan is withdrawn, employees also benefit from employer contribution into the fund, the employees will have the opportunity after the retirement to either receive the entire amount or a series of payment over their entire life etc. The major advantage for employer underlying this plan is that it enables him to evade the risk on investment and also the burden of plan contribution is shared between the employer and the employees. Its major disadvantage is the complexity and strictness of the rules concerning the plan administration (Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans, 2005). Being the one who establishes the pension plan, an employer is expected to administer it and meet its requirements. The employer will monitor and supervise the investment poured into the plan and review the growth of funds. Moreover, he is also required to provide periodical information to the e mployees concerning the operation and status of the invested funds (Retirement Plan Basics, n.d. retrieved 08.09.06) The contribution on the part of employer is limited to a maximum of $40,000 or 25% of the employees' compensation whereas, for the year 2006, the contribution by employees has been defined as limited to 100% of his compensation up to the maximum of $15,000 (Green, n.d., retrieved 07.09.06). The distribution from a defined contributed plan is not allowed whilst the employee is still working. However, when this distribution takes place, it is taxed as an ordinary income. The Internal Revenue Service states the minimum age limit for pension plan distribution as 70-1/2 years, from which the employees should start withdrawing the funds. The distribution is not allowed before the employees reach the age of 59-1/2. If it is done, the investment would be subjected to an early-withdrawal penalty of 10% (Retirement Planning, 2006). The financial statements of XYZ Corporation should include a statement of net assets available for benefits at the end of the plan year. Moreover, the company also needs to present a statement of changes in net assets available for the benefits at the same time. Also, the GAAP requires the financial statements to be prepared under the accrual basis so as to ease the evaluation of plan assets composition (Defined Contribution Pension Plans, 2005) REQUIREMENT 2 Type Of Tax-Book Difference The discrepancies in the rules and principles set down for financial reporting and tax accounting lead to significant differences in the tax amounts shown in financial statements and the tax returns. These differences are known as the book-tax differences, which are further classified as either temporary or permanent tax differences (Michel, 2005). Permanent tax difference originates when an income or expense amount needs to be recognized by any of the two methods but not by both of

Population Learning Importance To Quantity Of Education Economics Essay

Population Learning Importance To Quantity Of Education Economics Essay In every economy, the education sector is considered to be one of the biggest industries and in the twenty first century it is regarded as major contributor to economic growth and development of any country. There is a positive link between economic productivity and investment in human capital as they both are dependent on each other. Many authors have studied that a country can earn high returns if they invest properly in human capital. However today, many developing countries are facing problems with education quality. And there is an argument in academics also that what contributes to economic development quality or quantity in education (Hanushek Kimko, 2000, Gills et al., 1996, Mingat and Tan, 1996; Psacharopoulos, 1994; Krueger Lindahl, 2000; Hanushek Woessmann, 2007, Heyneman, 2004). Many theoretical and empirical findings have suggested that the economic development of a country is determined by its human capital and human capital is considered to be critical especially for the under developed or developing countries as they need to strive hard to achieve high economic growth (Barro, 1991, 1997, Barro Lee, 1993, Chen, Feng, 1996, Feng, 1997, Persson Tabellini, 1992 cited in Chen Feng, 2000). UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2007. As in the case of China, whose GDP growth rate has been very impressive from several years the demand for education has been increased. However, the resources required to meet this educational demand are not sufficient. Hence the government in China has decided to invest immensely in the education sector in coming years as that leads to economic development and also raises the standards of living. (Wen and Yang, 2005 cited in Iacov.D, 2009).13.0% of government spending goes to education in China (UNESCO, 2007). There has been a debate in the literature as to whether what matters the most in the economic development of a country is it quality or quantity of education? (Ferranti, 2003, Cheng Tam, 1997, Link Ratledge, 1975). It has been argued when evaluating approximately the effect of education on economic development of a country it is crucial to focus on knowledge and learning instead of counting how long students have attended the school i.e. Quality is more important rather than mere quantity. It has also been suggested that although quality and quantity of education both leads to economic development of a country but quality of education has major effect on economic growth of a country (Hanushek Woessmann, 2007, Barro, 2001, Bosworth Collins, 2003). From several years the literature on link between education and economic growth of any country has been focusing on the importance of quantity of education and purely neglected the issue of quality of education and has also overlooked the core of what education is all about. It has been suggested that the earnings of an individual is directly affected by improvement in quality of education as it leads to greater productivity. An individual who procures more knowledge can enter the labour markets quickly and with greater capacity. However, it has been argued by Wolf, 2004 that although higher education can lead to high productivity and better quality of education but then it differs from country to country as circumstances are different in each of the countries. It has also been suggested that the workers productivity cannot be increased in the labour market by just spending long years of schooling (quantitative) rather than that it depends on workers experience (qualitative) (Solmon, 1985, Monastiriotis, 2002, Wolf, 2004). However, it has been argued that measuring the impact of quantity of education on the economic development of a country is not easy. And one of the main reasons for this is that both quality and quantity of education are equally necessary in order to determine the effects of education on the skills of work force i.e. High levels of schooling and greater amount of knowledge acquired at each level of education. However, Mingat 1996 argues that Quantity can be easily measured through various means like enrolment ratio and years of schooling because as the technology changes the demand for higher level of education increases. It has also been argued that there has been no sufficient research conducted on the subject of quality of education by the academics (Cheng, 1995, Mingat, 1996, Smart, 2004). However it has been argued that if an individual possesses higher education he is in better position to earn higher wages in the labour market than those who just have knowledge and skills. But this may not necessarily lead to the economic development of the country. In the past there was limited need of education because people were mainly engaged in agriculture which required less knowledge and experience. But today at the various stages of economic development of a country labour market demands for well qualified, trained and educated workforce has been increasing. Therefore, the central issue here is that quantity of education is more important as the supply of qualified people in the labour markets is a necessary criterion today which contributes to the economic development (Ramlee, 2007, Card 1994, Sianesi Reenen, 2003). Behrman and Birdsall, 1983 Boissiere et al., 1985 cited in Mingat 1996 that the governments throughout the world are investing heavily in the quality of education. In several countries like Brazil, Tanzania and Kenya research that was linked to job performance and education was conducted and it was seen that not only quantity but the quality of education is crucial for economic development of a country. It has been stated that to measure the returns from education and its impact on economic development of a country both the quality of learning and the quantity of schooling must be considered (Mingat, 1996). However in the case of developing country like China, the country is struggling with the issue of quality of education as there has been rapid massification of higher education in China. In China quality of education is very low than what has been expected. This is because their attitude towards adopting western culture is not very encouraging. But still China is making efforts to increase its quality of education by joining hands with Germanyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s experts on quality management and quality assurance. This will be beneficial for China as Germany has one of the worldà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s best known quality education system. Also In vocational training and higher education, Germany has developed quality management and quality assurance standards in accordance with the Bologna Process and Copenhagen Process. From several years China has been mainly focusing on the issue of quantity of education and they have completely ignored the qualitative a spects which had led to the mismatch of demand and supply of Chinese Graduates in the labour market, thus leaving many graduates unemployed (Guyer, 2005, Brandenburg Zhu, 2007, Schulte, 2010, RIETI, 2010). Also For example in a country like Mauritius, they have been concentrating on improving both the quantity and quality of its higher education system. Since 1989, the number of students enrolling themselves in universities has been increasing tremendously it was around 40 initially which has risen to over 400 students today. It has also collaborated with other universities for improving their quality issues in education. Economic Growth of the country has been the central focus of the education system in Mauritius. They have designed their educational courses in such a way that the economy benefits the most from courses like engineering, it has lead to the technological development, textile, it has been the major contributor of economic growth since several years in Mauritius, law and management etc as all the above degrees contributes to the economic growth of the country and the economy can diversify into the highly profitable sectors. Hence quality and quantity of education has bee n the crucial factor for the economic development of Mauritius. (Bloom, Canning Chan, 2006). However, it has been critically argued that as and when the earnings of an individual increases, and people become richer the demand for education in turn also increases but there is lack of empirical evidence as to whether the countries who spend more on education and training reap economic benefits or not an also there is still consensus in the literature that whether quality or quantity of education leads to economic development of a country (Wolf, 2004). The second issue has been the role of Human capital theory and screening theory in quality and quantity of education and its effect on economic growth. Both of these theories are considered to be most important theories in the economics of education. These theories suggest that there exists a direct and positive relationship between earnings and education which leads to the economic development of the country. Human capital theory suggests that the skills of an individual are directly affected by education and it also affects ability of a person to earn profits in the labour market. The main reason behind this is that the better educated and trained workers have higher productivity and also they possess ability to learn more which in turn leads to the economic benefit as well as social benefit. This further leads to economic development of a country. The Human capital theory suggests that if an individual enrol themselves in number of courses, obtain high scores in their exams and fi nd a suitable job for themselves this all will improve the earning capacity of an individual. Human Capital theory further states that the education comes with economic benefits so it is generally productive. (Weiss, 1995, Becker, 1964, Schultz, 1975, Feng Liang, 2009). However in contrast to human capital theory, screening hypothesis assumes that the capacity for productivity depends on individuals themselves and that the education rarely has any effect on productivity of an individual. And according to screening hypothesis, high test scores and class ranks will not necessarily lead to significantly higher earnings or economic development of a country. Also screening theory argues for the informative value of education. In short human capital theory suggests that economic value of education is productive as compared to screening theory which argues that greater productivity can be obtained through informative value of education which enhances economic growth. (Spence, 1973; Stiglitz, 1975; Riley, 1979 cited in Feng Liang, 2009). On the basis of empirical research it was seen that Chinese labour market for higher education graduates is characterised by the signalling or screening hypothesis. In the Chinese labour market, employers give priority to the total number of degrees obtained by an individual and years of schooling i.e. quantity of education rather than the ranks of an individual in class or credits obtained by them i.e. quality of education. Also the higher education system of China has adopted screening hypothesis to admit deserving students (FengLiang, 2009). There is another major argument in the literature, about who should pay for education? It was observed that in many developing countries the Central Government finances the basic education on a large scale. It has been suggested that the subsidies which government provides to finance education of a country increases the quality as well as quantity of education. Also many Individuals consider education as a cost rather than an investment this may hamper the economic development of a country because less number of students will enrol themselves in the higher education courses. And governments should pay only for primary education as it leads to social benefit whereas investment in higher education leads to private benefits. Hence investment in mandatory education increases the quality of education as people are equipped with basic knowledge and skills which also leads to the economic growth of a country as its literacy rate increases. An individual should pay for higher education becau se he gets better qualifications and he can eventually earn more when he enters the labour market. High earnings can lead to high productivity and lower the rate of unemployment, also when well educated and trained individuals earn more they need to pay more taxes to government and hence the burden of government finances on education decreases which will increase quality and quantity of education and thus the government can use that money to invest in other sectors of the economy which further contributes to the economic development of the country. (Cummings Riddell, 1994, Woodward, et al, 2000, Bloom et al, 2006). However the idea of individual spending on education has remained a subject of debate and it has been argued that government alone should not pay for education. Tilak argues that an individual benefits the most from the basic as well as higher education so he should pay for his education expenses and government should not intervene in this. Moreover the demand for training and education institutions have been increasing this clearly indicates that people are willing to invest in private education so government should not be the main suppliers. It has been argued that if the governments are the only suppliers of financing the education then there can be a problem because the education resources for public are declining and the demand for the same has been increasing tremendously so if only the government pays for education then the quality of education will be declined this is the case with China as well. (Alchian, 1968 cited in Brown, 2001 and West, 1995 cited in Raines, Leathers, 2003, Mwikisa, 1999, Tilak, 2003). Ling and Zhang, 2006 cited in Iacov, 2009 that the funding of education in China has been very low and this is still the same. The education system in China has undergone a change wherein previously they had centralised system of financing for education i.e. the Central Government was considered to be the main supplier of education. But now they have adopted decentralised system of education and hence the Central Government is not the sole administrator or financier of basic and secondary education. The local Chinese governments mainly finances the mandatory education and generally the full cost of secondary education this will improve the quality of education (Iacov, 2009, Rong and Shi, 2001, Zhao, 2009). However, Zhang Kong, 2009 argues that the Chinese Government must make increasing efforts to raise their investments in the education system because it is essential for the economic development of a country and also education is the major contributor to the GDP of any country. People must be relieved from contributing to the cost of education (Zhang Kong, 2009) Summers, 1992 cited in Mingat, 1998 that investment in primary education is generally regarded as a cost effective instrument as broader social objectives can be achieved which leads to the social economic development of the country. Harbison and Hanushek, 1992 Hanushek, Lavy, and Hitomi, 2006 cited in Hanushek, Woessmann, 2007 that there is the direct link between education quality and primary education as in the case of Brazil there are increasing rates of repeaters and school dropouts hence achieving skills through primary education can lower the chances of getting failed. In many primary schools of Egypt the dropout ratios of students are higher because of the low quality of Primary education and failure to achieve cognitive skills at primary level. This in turn has affected the economic growth of the country, hence it is crucial for governments to invest in quality of Primary education so that the dropouts and repeaters ratio is reduced and economic development of the country is achieved (Mingat, 1998, Hanushek, Woessmann, 2007). It was also found that the Asian Economies who were investing heavily in the primary education were very successful in achieving the quality of education which further leads to the social benefits and the overall economic growth for the country. It has been stated that the economic growth and productivity of a country depends upon its investment in quality of primary education. In a study done by Hanushek and Wobman, 2007 it was suggested that as the number of years of schooling advances it contributes to the economic growth of the country by 0.58% (Burnett, 1996, Yeung Mathieson, 1998, UNESCO/ OECD 2003). However, Psacharopoulos, 1994 cited in Mingat, 1996 and Hanushek and Wobman, 2007 argues that in the developing countries even though rate of return is higher from lower levels of education but this higher rate of return from lower levels do not necessarily contribute to the economic development of country. It has been critically argued that in the countries like Ghana, Brazil, Pakistan, United States, Mexico, and Indonesia although investment in Primary education leads to greater returns but as compared to the secondary and higher education the returns are relatively low. Also it has been argued that if the quality of primary education is very poor then the returns will also be low. Some of the countries like India, China, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh they donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t spend much for primary education it is just around 7% of the per capita Gross Domestic Product (Fasih, 2008, Schultz, 2003, Ferranti, 2003, Manacorda, Sanchez, Paramo and Schady 2005 cited in Fasih, 2008, Kingdon and Soderbom, 2007, Copper, 1980). However, there have been many problems in investing in the primary education one of them is there is a wide gap between years of schooling and the investments made in it hence it takes long time for educated and well qualified people to enter the labour markets. Secondly, some portion of Investments are also lost due to number of dropouts, repeaters and if the quality of training and education is low. The Third main problem of investing in the primary education is that some of the individuals after completing their education they never take part in the labour markets because of some restrictions this is generally prominent in the case of women and also many talented, well qualified and trained individuals migrate to some other countries hence there is a loss of stock of human capital which further affects the development of any economy as brain drain is a kind of loss to the country (Psacharopoulos and Arriagada, 1986). Conclusion

SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Holdings PLC Essay example -- business, case

This report is based on Ryanair Holdings PLC which was established in 1985. â€Å"Ryanair obtains permission from the regulatory authorities to challenge the British Airways and Aer Lingus' high fare duopoly on the Dublin-London route. Services are launched with two (46-seater) turbo prop BAE748 aircraft† (Ryanair, ND). Ryanair Holdings PLC is an Ireland based airline which is the largest low fare airline with 32 bases & over 800 low fare routes across 26 countries, connecting 146 destinations. Ryanair fleets are made up of 196 Boeing 737-800 crafts with a seating capacity of 189 seats. Its aims are to deliver a further 102 aircrafts over the next 3 years. Ryanair currently employs more than 6,000 people and expects to carry over 67 million passengers this year. This report is giving me the chance to highlight Ryanair’s strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats which they face now and in the near future. Introduction Strengths Ryanair is known as Europe’s first low-cost, no-frills airline company. This alone is one of the company’s strongest selling points. It carries around 34 million passengers a year across 107 locations round Europe, totalling some 266 routes. The company has a leading market share on most UK and Ireland routes and around 43 percent of all Dublin-London and 45 percent of all other Dublin passenger loads. The ‘no-frills’ strategy resulted in the increase of customers and expansion of their operations, wherein the staff increased from an initial 57 to an amazing 3,400 staff and almost 37 million passengers. Ryanair has a strong business strategy, which capitalizes on a number of key advantages: fare-conscious leisure and business travelers, sales of one-way seats based on changing demand, the use of ... ...le to compete with this. Substitute transportation such as cars and high speed trains are also a threat as customers are getting luxury treatment also at a lower price. Conclusion Ryanair has established leading position within the European low-cost airline business due to a effective business strategy and expansion plan. Nevertheless, its reliance on the UK and Irish market and lack of hedging pose considerable future risks. In order for Ryanair to survive in this current climate, they should increase prices to keep up with rising oil prices. Bibliography Ryanair (ND). ‘History of Ryanair’, Available at http://www.ryanair.com/en/about. Accessed 11 November 2009. Guardian(2009). ‘Lunatic bloggers can keep the blogosphere’. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/feb/25/ryanair-socialnetworking. Accessed 11 November 2009.

Belief Fact Infer

There is this one belief that I feel strongly about and that is religion. I believe that it is important to have a religion. A religion where you can rely on, where in your faith is based on having belief towards God. Religion is a man’s expression of his acknowledgement of the divine. Throughout the ages and throughout the world, people have been baffled by the unknown and the mysteries of life for which they have no ready answer. As I look around and observe the magnificent things, I can really say to myself that how awesome is he who created the heavens and the earth.I can truly say to myself that there is someone up there, who is greater than us and omnipotent. There are times that I try to figure out things but the truth is I cannot fathom it; thus, that is how religion came in. But there is one thing that I have great doubts with, and that is if Religion is still important today as it was before? Are the religious convictions still present in this generation? Many people nowadays are much busier than before. They are too preoccupied with other things such as money, success, fame, treasures and material possessions.And even if they do not religiously go to church and have an established religion, they still manage to be so happy and successful. I really wonder why. And there are others who have an established religion, but live their lives with miseries. Is not it unfair? As we all know critical thinking is a process where in one carefully analyzes a certain situation that serves as a tool for something to achieve or to be done. Suppressing critical thinking is sometimes the effect of minding too much of other things and avoid getting so stressed out and pressured.Sleeping, eating, winding up and having fun are some of the methods used to suppress one’s critical thinking. Fact is the truth. A thing can be made a fact when it is being supported with theories, and evidence. A fact is real when it is already accepted by great theorist, scientist , sociologists and others and also backed up with tangible evidences. Yes, facts are open to subjective interpretation, since we have our own ways of conceiving things.Some of us do not accept established facts while others do. To infer means to prove, to display truth. No, I think it is not the same as fact. Because in fact, it is already made evident or true while to infer is to make something into a truth or a fact. There is still a process involved in it. For example; The student is asking their professor to infer that humans really came from apes; The student nurse is to infer that the reason why she was absent from her duty was due to her hospitalization.

Life of John Rolfe, Husband of Pocahontas

Life of John Rolfe, Husband of Pocahontas John Rolfe (1585–1622) was a British colonist of the Americas. He was an important figure in Virginia politics and an entrepreneur who played a significant role in founding the Virginia tobacco trade. However, he is best known as the man who married Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, head of the Powhatan confederacy of Algonquin tribes.   Fast Facts: John Rolfe Known For: British colonist who married Pocahontas  Born: October 17, 1562 in Heacham, England  Died: March 1622 in Henrico, Virginia  Spouses Names: Sarah Hacker (m. 1608–1610), Pocahontas (m. 1614–1617), Jane Pierce (m. 1619)  Childrens Names: Thomas Rolfe (son of Pocahontas), Elizabeth Rolfe (daughter of Jane Pierce) Early Years Rolfe was born on Oct. 17, 1562 to a wealthy family in Heacham, England. His family owned Heacham manor and his father was a successful merchant in Lynn.   Not much is known about Rolfes education or life in England, but in July of 1609, he left for Virginia on the Sea-Venture, the flagship of several vessels carrying settlers and provisions and the first group of government officials to the new colony at Jamestown.   Shipwrecked in Bermuda Rolfe brought with him his first wife, Sarah Hacker. The Sea-Venture was wrecked in a storm on the Bermudas, but all the passengers survived and Rolfe and his wife stayed on Bermuda for eight months. There they had a daughter, who they named Bermuda, and- importantly for his future career- Rolfe may have obtained samples of West Indies tobacco.  Ã‚   Rolfe lost both his first wife and daughter in Bermuda.  Rolfe and the surviving shipwrecked passengers left Bermuda in 1610. When they arrived in May 1610, the Virginia colony had just suffered through the starving time, a grim period in early American history. Over the winter of 1609–1610, the colonists were beset by plague and yellow fever, and sieges by the local inhabitants. An estimated three-quarters of the English colonists of Virginia died of starvation or starvation-related diseases that winter.   Tobacco Between 1610 and 1613, Rolfe experimented with the native tobacco at his home in Henricus and succeeded in producing a leaf that was more pleasing to the British palate. His version was named the Orinoco, and it was developed from the combination of a local version and seeds from Trinidad that he had brought with him from Spain or perhaps obtained in Bermuda. He is also credited with inventing a curing process to prevent rot during the long sea voyage to England, as well as the dampness of the English climate.   By 1614, active exports of tobacco were being sent back to England, and  Rolfe is often credited as the first person to suggest cultivating tobacco as a cash crop in the Americas, the major source of income for Virginia for centuries to follow. Marrying Pocahontas Throughout this period, the Jamestown colony continued to suffer from an adversarial relationship with the Native American inhabitants, the Powhatan tribe. In 1613, Captain Samuel Argall kidnapped Powhatans favorite daughter, Pocahontas, and eventually, she was brought to Henricus.  There she received religious instruction from the settlements minister, Rev. Alexander Whitaker, and converted to Christianity, taking the name Rebecca. She also met John Rolfe.   Rolfe married her around April 5, 1614, after sending a letter to the governor of Virginia asking for permission to do so, for the good of the Plantation, the honor of our Country, for the Glory of God, for my own salvation, and for the Converting to the true knowledge of Jesus Christ an unbelieving Creature, namely Pocahontas.   A Temporary Peace After Rolfe married Pocahontas, relationships between the British settlers and Pocahontas tribe settled into a time of friendly commerce and trade. That freedom created opportunities to build up the colony as it had not seen before.   Pocahontas had a son, Thomas Rolfe, born in 1615, and on April 21, 1616, Rolfe and his family joined an expedition back to Britain to publicize the Virginia colony. In England, Pocahontas as the Lady Rebecca was received enthusiastically: among other events, she attended The Vision of Delight, a royal court masque written by Ben Jonson for King James I and his wife Queen Anne.   Return to Virginia In March of 1616, Rolfe and Pocahontas started for home, but she was ill and died aboard the ship before it left England. She was buried at Gravesend; their infant son, too ill to survive the voyage, was left behind to be raised by Rolfes brother Henry.   Before and after Rolfe returned to his estate in Henricus, he held several prominent positions in the Jamestown colony. He was named Secretary in 1614 and in 1617 held the office of Recorder General.  Ã‚   Death and Legacy In 1620, Rolfe married Jane Pierce, the daughter of Captain William Pierce, and they had a daughter named Elizabeth. In 1621, the Virginia colony began actively raising funds for the College of Henricus, a boarding school for young Native Americans to train them to become more English.   Rolfe grew ill in 1621, and he wrote a will, which was drawn up in Jamestown on March 10th of 1621. The will was eventually probated in London on May 21, 1630, and that copy has survived.   Rolfe died in 1622, a few weeks before the Great Indian Massacre of March 22, 1622, led by Pocahontass uncle Opechancanough. Nearly 350 of the British colonists were killed, ending the uneasy peace which had been established, and nearly putting an end to Jamestown itself. John Rolfe had a significant impact on the Jamestown colony in Virginia, in his marriage to Pocahontas which established an eight-year-long peace, and in the creation of a cash crop, tobacco, on which the fledgling colonies could use to survive economically.   Sources Carson, Jane. The Will of John Rolfe. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 58.1 (1950): 58–65. Print.Kramer, Michael Jude. The 1622 Powhatan Uprising and Its Impact on Anglo-Indian Relations. Illinois State University 2016. Print.Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. Apathy and Death in Early Jamestown. The Journal of American History 66.1 (1979): 24–40. Print.Rolfe, Jo. Letter from John Rolfe to Sir Thos. Dale. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 22.2 (1914): 150–57. Print.Tratner, Michael. Translating Values: Mercantilism and the Many Biographies of Pocahontas. Biography 32.1 (2009): 128–36. Print.Vaughan, Alden T. Expulsion of the Salvages: English Policy and the Virginia Massacre of 1622. The William and Mary Quarterly 35.1 (1978): 57–84. Print.

Isotopes And Atomic Mass Essays - Mass, Chemical Properties

Isotopes And Atomic Mass Essays - Mass, Chemical Properties Isotopes and Atomic Mass Objective: 1. Determine the average weight of each isotope of the fictitious element vegium. 2. Determine the relative abundance of isotopes of vegium. 3. Calculate from experimental data the atomic mass of vegium. Materials: A sample of vegium on a plastic cupsmall-scale balance Procedures: 1. Weigh all the beans, all the peas, and all the corn. 2. count all the beans, all the peas, and all the corn. 3. Divide all the mass of each by the isotope (beans, peas, and corn) by the number of each isotope to get the average mass of each isotope. 4. Divide the number of each isotope by the total number of particles, and multiply by 100 to get the percent abundance of each isotope. 5. Divide the percent abundance from step 4 by 100 to get the relative abundance of each isotope. 6. Multiply the relative abundance from step 5 by the average mass of each isotope to get the relative weight of each isotope. 7. Add the relative weights to get the average mass of all particles in vegium, the "atomic mass." Note: When you weigh the various types of vegetables, you may encounter some problems. For example, the sample of beans might be too large to weigh on your balance. You might solve this problem by making more weights or by using a larger counterweight on your balance. This approach increases your balance?s capacity. Keep in mind that it also results in a heavier beam, which reduces the sensitivity of your balance. Alternatively, you might weigh a portion of your vegetables, say half, and then multiply your result by two (or a fifth and multiply by five). The beans are various in sizes, so if you weigh just one bean, and multiply by the number of beans to get the total weight of beans, a significant error might result. Weigh a large enough sample so you get a good estimation of the average weight of a bean. Data: BeansPeasCorn Total Mass of each isotope19.2g15.2g36.1g70.5g Number of each isotope68186216470 Average mass of each.2823529g.0817204g.1671296g.15g Percent of each14.468%39.574%45.957%99.999% Relative Abundance.14468.39574.45957.99999 Relative Weight.0408508g.032407g.0768078g.1499985g Analysis: We followed the directions listed in procedures. To get the Relative abundance, we divided by 100. About the same as moving the decimal to the left 2 places. To ensure that the answers were right, the percent of each is supposed to be as close to 100% as possible. We came very close. Conclusion: In determining we found all the averages of the weights of each isotope. In calculating the experimental data the atomic mass of vegium, we answered that question successfully. And in the second determining, we determined the relative abundance of isotopes successfully. SOE: 1. While counting the beans, there were more than 450 total pieces, so while counting we could have miscounted because the half-peas looked a lot like corn. 2. While weighing, we had to tare the beaker, This can sometimes prove to be inaccurate. 3. The percent of each row, the total is 99.999%, to be 100% accurate, the number has to be 100%. This proves that somewhere down the line, we didn?t calculate right. The probable cause for this is that we didn?t list all numbers. The real numbers were over 10 characters long, we used SigFigs.

Wind Turbine Design and Construction Lab Report

Wind Turbine Design and Construction - Lab Report Example In its very basic nature, the wind turbine consists of the rotating blades, a component that points the turbine to the wind, a system to convert the mechanical rotation of the blades into other forms of energy, the control system, as well as the start and stop mechanisms. There are two main wind turbine designs, the horizontal axis and the vertical axis designs (Spera, 2009). Specifications of the Wind Device For this project, the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is considered. The horizontal axis machine is preferred due to the fact that less cost is incurred in the foundation (as a fraction of the total cost) of the structure compared to its vertical axis counterpart (Veritas, 2001). This essentially makes HAWT cheaper in cost. The design is also preferred since it does not need to be pointed at the wind direction especially where the wind direction varies almost constantly. The wind turbine is expected to operate at room temperatures (between -200C to 400C). Operating beyond these temperatures may cause the wind turbine generator to work inefficiently or cause structural damage. Furthermore, at extremely low temperatures, the generator may need external power to internal heating. The wind turbine should be ale to work efficiently at different wind speeds and directions. Very high wind speeds (beyond the survival speed) often lead to wind turbine damages according to Veritas (2001). In order to reduce the speed of rotation, a mechanical (disc) braking system will be used. The design will take into consideration the three modes of operation of the turbine; beyond rated speed, around rated speed and below rated speed operations. In order to ensure that the wind turbine operates efficiently at different wind directions, a wind vane will be fitted at the rear of the devices. The vane which also forms the tail of the wind turbine is made of a thin steel plate welded to a slender metal strip. Steel is suitable for its strength and low cost. According to past studies, the mass of a wind turbine for the survivable wind speed is best proportional to the blade length cubed (Stiesdal, 1998). The square of the blade length is also proportional to the power of the wind tha t is intercepted by the turbine (Stiesdal, 1998). The Rotor Unit As a matter of fact, the most visible and most vital part of the wind turbine is the bladed rotor. The rotor is the part that transforms wind energy into mechanical energy. This energy in turn causes the rotation of the turbine’s main shaft. The turbine blade is designed in such a way as to allow the streamlined flow of wind, the material at best remaining inflexible. Considering this need, the blades will be made of steel sheets. The thickness, twist and width of the blade is a compromise between the need for strength and for the streamline flow of wind (Stiesdal, 1998). Considering that the more the number of blades the greater the aerodynamic efficiency but with reducing return, the turbine to be constructed will have three blades. The transmission system The transmission system of the wind turbines acts as the link between the rotor system and the generator. The transmission system of the wind turbine is bas ically presented in the following figure. Fig. Transmission system The hub is made of cast iron. The complicated shape of the hub makes casting the most appropriate method for its production according to Stiesdal (1998). The material for the hub is cast iron, the material’s desirable property being its high resistance to fatigue. For such a small turbine, normal cast iron, although the material is fragile and may fracture if exposed to extreme blasts. Fig: The Wind turbine hub The main shaft of the wind turbine is commonly made of hardened steel that is tempered. For this project, hardened steel will

Capital Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital Budgeting - Essay Example There are various capital budgeting techniques which are used in evaluation of a project so to determine its viability they include; net present value, internal rate of return, profitability index, average rate of return, pay-back period and modified internal rate of return. Guillermo Furniture is faced with three investment situations, which are to continue with the current production, adopt high-tech production, or act as a broker. Therefore, there is need to ascertain which of the investment will yield the highest returns to the firm. In order to carry out efficient investment appraisal, we will involve four capital budgeting techniques. The techniques that will be applied in this case will include; computation of net present value, internal rate of return, average rate of return and the profitability index. Net present value is capital techniques which uses discounted cash flows. It estimate the present value of future cash out flow and discount the future cash flow using cost of capital of the country ( the cost of equity for unlevered firm and Weighted average cost of capital for the levered firm). After ascertaining the present value of all cash flow of Guillermo furniture, the cash flow are summed up (cash inflows are positive while cash outflows are negative) (Shapiro, 2005).