Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics Assignment

Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics - Assignment Example The following paper will inquest and scrutinize the factors which are responsible for the volatile behavior of commodity process in the agricultural sector. Agricultural commodities are the hub of the world economy as every thing is dependent on the agricultural products especially in third world (Goodman, 1997). Different data sources and analysis techniques will be deployed in order to depict the exact factors responsible for the fluctuations in the agricultural commodities. Discussion The first and foremost factor in the fluctuations in the commodity prices of the agricultural sector is the increasing gap between the demand and the supply. The demand has been increasing every day in third world countries, many parts of Asia and China whereas there has been no emphasis on the production part which is basically focused on the first world countries (Johnston & Mellor, 1961). Similarly, numerous macroeconomic and financial factors are censurable for the metamorphosis of the prices of commodities in the agricultural sector. In the similar fashion, high novelty and revision in the dollar prices due to the global shifts in the political and financial crisis is also responsible for these rate changes and imbalance in the prices. ... There are many other factors on which the experts have a split. For example, Gilbert and Morgan (2010) and De Schutter (2010) said that the fluctuations in the local agricultural commodities and food items are caused by irresponsible speculations and bad rumors culture which can bring the market up and down within no time. The stock market example has been used by them as an analogy but there is a difference o opinion in this theory and many experts like Irwin and Sanders (2010), do not consider this theory conforming the practical approach. According to a study, the extent of fluctuations in the prices o agricultural commodities have been recorded as the highest in past nineteen years and this is a very alarming measure indeed because of these high ate o fluctuations, the global economies are taking new turns. Other minute factors include climate changes, unintended wars, disasters and cultural collapses throughout the world. Another very important factor behind the dramatic rise of agricultural commodities is the integration initiatives of the energy and agricultural markets in many production based countries. For example, in America, the prices for the paramount and importunate agricultural commodities like soybean, corn and wheat rose up with a rate of around 148, 123, and 154 percent respectively. According to experts in America, around 70 to 75 percent of increase in the agricultural commodities is due the engendering and production of bio fuel and diesel based materials. The periodic abatements in the hedging efficiency is also a very conspicuous and considerable factor in the changes of prices agricultural commodities. For example, the hedging

The Lancre Festival Essay Example for Free

The Lancre Festival Essay I think my homepage is good because the colours go together. However, the colours I chose are not contrasting colours. I think it wouldve been better if I made the background or text a different colour so it would stand out more. I feel that the layout of this page is good because it is clear and everything isnt too close together. There is sufficient space between the text boxes and pictures. The hyperlinks are clear and stand out. I used one of the pictures given to me, and another from clip art. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlinks to the other pages 2) Large heading: The Lancre Festival 2007 3) Dates 4) Text about Lancre 5) Photographs I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 2: Where to Stay I think this page isnt good because it looks plain and there is only a small picture. There is only one, small one because I didnt have enough space. I also think there is too much information on the page. The hyperlink back to the homepage is clear. The office phone number is also clear. I think the heading is big and bold. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlink back to the homepage 2) List of the different types of accommodation with descriptions 3) Have subheadings that stand out 4) Have at least one picture 5) Must have the office phone number I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 3: Festival Events I think this page is good because there is some text and a map. I used the same background as the other pages. The office address is clear and bold. The hyperlink is clear and on the same place as the other pages. The free events are in bold writing to make it stand out more. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have the program of events 2) Make it clear which events are free (Put the word Free in a large font) 3) Have a map showing where the events are taking place 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 6) Have the office address 7) Instructions for ordering tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 4: See The Purple Spiders Live at Lancre Festival I think this page is good because it is clear. There are pictures of the band and the information is easy to understand. The link back to the homepage is in the same place like the other pages. However, I think there is not enough text on this page and the heading is too long. I didnt have a choice with the heading so I couldnt do anything about that. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 2) Have 2 pictures of the Purple Spiders 3) Cost of tickets 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Information about tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Also, there is a consistent design with all the pages.

Mechanical Strength of Mild Steel

Mechanical Strength of Mild Steel Introduction CE 2.1 One day on National Geographic channel I was watching a program in which they were experimenting with the finite element analysis software to observe structure and thermal load effects on the wing of Boeing 747s wing. Luckily, during the same time, in my 8th semester back in 2013 we were taught the introduction to Finite Element Methods by our professor, Dr. Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhary in University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. The curiosity in that subject laid the initial foundations of my interesting project named as Drop Test Calculations for Mild Steel where I worked as a Team Leader. This experience paved my way to two more leadership roles. Background CE 2.2 It was almost four years in UET Lahore. And being a student of engineering I almost had the fundamental knowledge of the field by that point. I wanted to use my theoretical knowledge in some practical way. I had already studied the mechanics of materials 1 and 2. And performed various experiments in lab to find out the material properties such as; ductility, malleability, brittleness and toughness. In 8th semester ANSYS was being used as external load analysis software in Finite Element Analysis course. I was assigned a project to select a topic and perform it in the lab and as well as analyze it using ANSYS. That was a good opportunity to gain practical experience and integrate the knowledge of Mechanics of Materials and Finite Element Analysis. Nature of Project: CE 2.3 This project included the calculation for drop testing of mild steel. In industry and real world different items and object face different kind of environmental conditions. Drop testing was used for shock loading effects. First of all, theoretical modeling was done for drop table to check either items can survive shock or not. Then commercial finite element software was used to investigate the response of drop table. Objective of the Project: CE 2.4 The objective of the report was to determine mechanical strength of mild steel. I had to use drop testing method then I investigated its behavior on finite element software. Nature of My Particular Work Area CE 2.5 In this project, I had to perform calculations for drop table by taking it as a fixed beam at both ends and applying a sinusoidal shock load of 100 gram. Then calculations were made to calculate the maximum binding stress produced in drop table. CE 2.6 Organizational Structure CE 2.7 Statement of Duties Being leader of the group my scope of duties included: To plan the project for timely completion. To make work packs to ensure health and safety. Conduct meeting with members and supervisor for mutual feedback. Theoretical calculation of drop test mechanism on mild steel. Report writing and technical presentation. Personal Engineering Activity CE 2.8 I started with literature review about drop testing and FEA on internet and library. Subsequent discussions with my professor led me up to kick off my calculations. The second step of course was to select certain parameters and their dimensions for drop testing. These parameters are given in the table below. The drop table material and the shock load value was assigned to us by our professor. I chose the dimensions of the table and mass of test item carefully. If the mass of the table is too less it wont be able to bear the shock itself let alone the test item. To make things more clear, test item is always on the top of table when shock is being applied on it. Now the next step was to calculate the weight of the table.Table thickness = d = 0.0125mTable length = l = 0.3mTable width = b = 0.3m Weight of the table =W1 = density * volume*gW1 = 86.75 NWeight of the test item = W2= 20KG = 196 NTotal Weight = W = W1+W2 = 282.75 N Moment of Inertia = I = 4.88 * 10-8 m-4 The rest of the calculations are shown belowTo calculate shock factor, F, I needed to calculate . Shock duration, , is 0.01 s and the natural time period, , is given as below: Where ,, is the static deflection and is calculated as follows: Where, W = Weight per unit length, N/m = E = Youngs modulus of Elasticity of Mild Steel = 210 x 109 N/m2 So, after substituting the values in the above equation Hence, As a result, CE 2.9 By using the graph below in Figure 1, we deduce that F factor comes out to be 1.2. Figure 1: Calculation of Factor F Moreover, some of the basic calculations are done below: Dynamic load is calculated as Pd = F * M * AA= Applied Shock = 100gM= Total Weight/gravitational force (g) Therefore , Pd = 33930 Newton Now, I have to calculate maximum bending stress Max Bending Stress =(Bending Moment * Distance from axis)/ Inertia Max Bending Stress = 48.88 MPa I verified the bending moment calculations as they were performed by my team mate and it is beyond the scope of this report to discuss it fully here. CE 2.9 According to the principle of mechanics, if the maximum bending stress produced by the applied load is less than the ultimate tensile strength of the material then the material can withstand the applied load without failure and vice versa. In this case, since the ultimate tensile strength of mild steel is 165 MPa which is greater than the maximum bending stress of 48.88 MPa produced by the applied load, drop table will easily sustain the 100 g shock loading. CE 2.10 Computational dynamics came into play in the form of FEA as I used ANSYS to simulate static deflection of the drop table subjected to 100 g shock loading. The load is applied on the top surface of drop table in form of pressure and both ends of the table are fixed by using fixed support. Material properties used for the drop table are shown in the figure 2 below. Figure 2: Material properties of the test piece CE 2.11 I still remember that there came a point where my team was very much stressed out because of the criticality of the extensive calculations involved. In fact, my team failed in couple of iterative processes and they wanted to give up on this project. I summoned a meeting where I emphasized on the fact that every failure is itself a step towards success. By omitting those factors which are causing us disappointment should be identified and removed. My team appreciated the gesture and went on to complete the project with more enthusiasm and that is when we finally got the 3D mesh of the work piece as shown below in figure 3: Figure 3: 3D meshing of the drop table The parameters for meshing details are show in figure 4 below. Figure 4: Meshing parameters obtained during FEA CE 2.11 After the meshing, the sinusoidal shock load of 100 g, shown in figure below, depicts that the maximum Von Mises stress produced in drop table amounts to be 50.23 MPa. Our theoretical calculated maximum stress comes out to be 48.88 MPa. Again, I can surely say that this stress is within the bearable load limits of the table load and hence wont fracture. The stress patterns are shown in figure 5 below. Figure 5: Static structural analysis of drop table CE 2.12 Mild steel is a very stiff material so a very high shock wave is generated when drop table hits the mild steel. On the other hand, due to its stiffness the duration of the shock is very low. In case of mild steel peak shock value calculated was 55.84 g when a drop table is dropped from a height of 330 m. Below figure 6 depicts this behavior in the form of a graph. Figure 6: Shock loading VS Time Graph CE 2.13 Von Mises stress contours produced when drop table strikes with mild steel attached sensors are shown in the figure below. Stress contours clearly shows that high stresses are produced in region where drop table makes contact with the object. Highest stress produced is 49.9 MPa as shown in figure 7. Figure7: Von Mises stress contours produced in case of mild steel programmers contact CE 2.14 As we had to use Lab with heavy machinery and metal pieces, I made sure that every used proper safety procedure such as wearing PPE. Toolbox talks and near miss discussions were conducted before every session. That was the reason project was completed without any accidents. Summary CE 2.15 The timely completion of this project boosted up my technical knowledge and had an ever lasting impact on my people and time management skills. Later on, during one of my internships I realized that my quality check department was facing a material failure issue. Keeping in view this project I performed the drop testing and deduced that the material wasnt strong enough to resist the stresses and buckled in extreme loading conditions. My study was well praised and they switched from Steel to Aluminum and since then have got fewer failures.

Macbeth :: essays research papers

Through the chronicles of history there have always been heroes. Men and women that stand up and take charge and are moral leaders of countries. Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Genghis Khan and Churchill are only a few examples of people that are remember eternally for what they have done. There are also other leaders that people would like to forget because they are moral cowards killing their subject and causing evil. Stalin, Fidel Castro, and the Character of Macbeth are all examples of this. Macbeth is a moral coward. During the play Macbeth often shows that he is morale coward. For instance, when he is planning Duncan’s murder. Likewise he also shows cowardice by killing Banquo. Lastly he shows how spineless he is when he orders Macduffs family to be murdered. A coward is an individual that is easily scared or has difficulty performing functions because of possible reprocutions. Macbeth shows notable cowardice when planning the murder of Duncan. Macbeth leans from one side to the other because he is fearful of the reprocutions. Macbeth says, “ If {we} should fail';. This shows that he is fearful and too cowardly to act. Lady Macbeth also states, “Are thou afeard to be the same in thine own act';. Again showing how cowardly Macbeth is because he will not act. Likewise Macbeth is a coward because he murders Duncan in the middle of the night and does not give a formal challenge. Instead he pretends to be his friend then kills Duncan while he is sleeping. This is what a coward would do. Likewise Macbeth also shows cowardice by killing Banquo. This shows cowardice on Macbeth’s part because his only true reason for killing him is that he is afraid of Banquo’s royalty of nature. Banquo poses no real threat to Macbeth’s throne and is visibly loyal to him. Still Macbeth fears Banquo because he is a good guy and is very respected. Macbeth is spineless because he even believes that his friend is after him and is a danger to his throne. Macbeth says “our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared';. Macbeth is pusillanimous to the point that he even believes that his friend posses the greatest opposition for him as king. As well as this Macbeth is also a coward because he himself does not kill Banquo.

Feeding Habits of the Grey Nurse Sharks and Cone Snails Essay

The Grey Nurse Sharks and Cone Snails are two distinct creatures that live in water. They may have the same habitat but the two organisms have different ways on how to nourish their respective systems. For the grey nurse sharks, they are considered as huge slow-moving migratory sharks who like to swim in warm-temperate waters. They are usually found in â€Å"shallow and sandy waters near the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.† Even though this type of sharks prefer to do things alone, it has been observed that they prefer to do cooperative feeding with a small group of sharks by â€Å"congregating or nursing their prey into a compact school first before feeding together†(McGrouther, 2007). In the food chain, the grey nurse sharks are on top wherein they eat sea creatures that are smaller than their body size such as lobsters, squids, sting rays and others that they can easily sink their ragged teeth into (Cooper, 2009). Meanwhile, the cone snails have chemoreceptive cells which function as their sense organs for detecting their preys. They use different strategies to catch their prey particularly at night because they are nocturnal and venomous creatures. Usually, these snails would hide in order for their prey not to notice them. When the prey is within reach, they would extend their long venomous appendages and swallow their prey. For other types of cone snails, they would just open their mouth and let their prey catch the bait (Remigio and Duda, 2008). Their usual diet is composed of small fish, crabs and worms (Maris, 2006). Moreover, nurse grey sharks particularly the young ones can also become preys of other organisms. When the population of grey nurse grey sharks decrease, the number of sting ray increases. But grey nurse grey sharks have the capability to control the population of their preys reducing the extinction of some species. On the other hand, cone snails regulate the population of the mollusks and worms. When they reproduce, there is a high possibility that they can become â€Å"hosts to disease-causing microorganisms† which can work their way to the human body (Cooper, 2009). References Chivian, E. (2001). Environment and health: 7. Species loss and ecosystem disruption – the implications for human health. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 164, 1. Cooper, P. (2009). Sand Tiger Shark. Florida Museum of National History. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from www.flmnh.ufl.edu/ Marris, E. (2006). Drugs from the Deep. Nature Publishin, 443, 1. McGrouther. (2007). Grey Nurse Shark. Australian Museum Fish. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/ Remigio, E.A. and Duda, T.F. (2008). Evolution of ecological specialization and venom of a predatory marine gastropod. Molecular Ecology 17, 1156-1162.

Progressive Discipline †Employee/Labor Relations Essay

Discipline within the workplace is and has been a controversial subject. With so much at stake, employers and employees have different opinions on types of discipline and the effectiveness of these processes. One largely debated form of workplace discipline is progressive discipline. Should employees be encouraged to rehabilitate in the workplace? Should management be protected against legal action if they are to terminate an employee for unacceptable performance or behavior? There are many different situation and answers to these questions. Progressive discipline has become standard in unionized environments, and is becoming more common in other settings, such as government, hospitals, and high-school classrooms. ((Pinker, S, 2010) Progressive discipline is practice of establishing a series of steps of escalating seriousness and cumulating in the major (termination). (Dad, D., 2011) Within these boundaries lie other steps that are used with progressive discipline. These steps usuall y include a verbal warning, a written warning with increasing punishment, and a suspension-most likely without pay. The idea of this type of discipline is to give the employee ample opportunity to turn problems around. (Dad, D. 2011) Discipline within the workplace can take place for a number of reasons, and there are times where discipline is appropriate and inappropriate for certain wrongdoing. Infractions of company policy, tardiness, misbehavior, and other misdemeanors are examples of where the use of progressive discipline can be justified. There also may be instances where discipline is not appropriate; arbitrators have drawn a distinction between voluntary and involuntary unacceptable behavior on part of the employee. (Eden, G., 1992) If an employee’s infraction is due to a lack of their personal skills or knowledge, other forms of discipline can be recommended. Also, if the behavior is so serious that it is grounds for immediate dismissal, progressive discipline may not be required. A progressive disciplinary approach combines the concept of stiffer penalties for more serious violations with that of increasingly more serious penalties for recidivism. (Billikopf, G., 2006) When applying a progressive disciplinary approach, there are rules that should be followed to be sure the steps are applied and the treatment is fair. The first thing a manager should consider is that communication is key. There needs to be sure that there is certain understanding between the person applying the rules and the person who is subject to them. The manager should explain the infraction and follow it with a clear statement of the expected behavior. Also, there should be justification of what the next step in the process will be as far as discipline if the violation is repeated. Managers can use the seven steps of just cause to be sure a proposed disciplinary action if firmly and fairly grounded. (Seven Steps of Just Cause, 2007) The University of Iowa lists these steps as: Notice, Re asonable Rules and Orders, Investigation, Fair Investigation, Proof, Equal Treatment, and Penalty. An employee must be able to easily access the rules and regulation of conduct that is expected of them and they should also be periodically reminded of them. Sometimes, this can result in a need for re-orientation, sign copies of receipts of the Employee Handbook, and/or coaching from management. Training is a better approach than taking punitive steps. One reason is that Courts expect employers to â€Å"meet people halfway†. Offering employees ways to improve via training not only helps them to correct the problem, but it also shows that the company is a responsible employer that is willing to rehabilitate. (Falcone, P., 2000) Notice is the first and one of the most important steps of progressive discipline. If an employee is not clear on what is expected, how can they be required to produce the optimal results? Management will need to be certain that they are applying reasonable rules and orders. They should check with the collective bargaining units to make sure they are not in violation of any agreements. Also, they want to make sure they apply these rules consistently and make sure they are related to the necessity of the business. (The Seven Steps of Just Cause, 2007) When a manager deems that a behavior in unacceptable or inappropriate, they should conduct an investigation. This can give the manager time to express their concerns and also give the employee time to respond. Sometimes, an employee may not be aware that their behavior is unacceptable or their performance is not meeting expectations. The investigation can ease the process. It gives the manager time to explain the concerns and give the employee a specific time frame to deliver results. Having an unbiased investigation can sometimes correct an issue before other or any disciplinary actions are needed. Once the employee is aware of the undesirable behavior, the manager can then start to consider all evidence, p ro and con, and continue to conduct a thorough investigation. Investigations should be timely and occur before discipline is imposed. (Seven Steps, 2007) Also, an employee has a right to have union representation or to have another employee present during the investigation. The manager needs to be sure that they make the employee aware of this. In the United States, such an opportunity to request the presence of a co-worker is based on the Weingarten case. The National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) has determined that an employee’s request for a co-worker to be present involves protected concerted activity, and thus should be extended to all employees, even those not covered by a collective bargaining unit. (Billikopf, G., 2006) When disciplinary action is to be imposed on an employee, there needs to be substantial proof that a violation was committed; the more serious the infraction, the larger the burden of proof. When an employee is accused of improper behavior that could lead to dismissal, embarrassment, or criminal prosecution, a fals e accusation could put the manager in a bad position. If someone will be disciplined or terminated for dishonesty, theft, sexual harassment, assault, threats of violence, or working under the conditions of drugs or alcohol, management needs to be certain of the employees’ guilt. (Billikopf, G., 2006) The company and manager need to be aware of the policies and be sure that they are exercising equal treatment of employees when applying progressive discipline. The rules need to be applied even-handedly, justly, and without discrimination. (Seven Steps, 2007) Although there are not many instances where the violations of one employee are identical to another’s, management must take into consideration the severity of the infraction, the previous history of the employee, the employees’ attitude, and the mitigating circumstances. (Billikopf, G., 2006) Sometimes managers can find it easier to apply rules evenly if they discuss the instances with each other. Privacy should remain a main concern when discussing and manager sh ould use concealment and modification when communicating about employees. The last of the seven steps of just cause is the application of penalty. Penalties must remain fair, not arbitrary or capricious or based on emotion. (Seven Steps, 2007) When deciding on a penalty to implement, there should be a few factors taken into consideration. The use of progressive discipline includes the increased severity of recurring actions, so the prior use of this type of discipline on the employee should play a large factor in how a penalty is applied. The person applying the rules should be aware of the employee’s length of service and prior infractions and factor those into their considerations. A study done by Janice Beyer of State University of New York at Buffalo and Harrison Trice of Cornell University stated: Data from two samples of supervisors in a large corporation show that (1) supervisors used discipline primarily as a response to certain behaviors and when the work context was supportive of its use; and (2) use of discipline had small but significant effects on the subsequent work performance of target employees. The study took into account different dependant and independent variables such as employee age, characteristics, social settings, supervisor age, education, and ideologies. The results showed that most supervisors in the samples used some form of discipline to deal with employees they considered difficult. Over 95 percent had at least one informal discussion with the problem employees. The great majority-76 percent- used both constructive and confrontive topics in these discussions. (Beyer, J. M., & Trice, H. M., 1984) Written warnings were used in 49 percent of cases. Even suspensions without pay were used quite frequently; 27 percent of these problem employees had been suspended, for an average of about 4 days. Discharge was used with only 3 percent of the cases, but another 7 percent of these employees left the company. Clearly, despite the strong international unions that represented most of these employees in these companies, it is possible to get rid of some disruptive employees. (Beyer, J. M., & Trice, H. M., 1984) WORKS CITED Anonymous. (2005, May 11). WRONGFUL DISMISSAL: Progressive discipline needed to terminate for cumulative misconduct. Canadian Employment Law Today, (437), 3421-3424. Retrieved from ProQuest database. (212227123) Bank’s Failure to Follow Progressive Discipline Justified in Light of Clear Policy; No Disparate Treatment. (2007, June 1). Fair Employment Practice Guidelines, (625), 4-5. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. (25537303) Beyer, J. M., & Trice, H. M. (1984, December). A Field Study of the Use and Perceived Effects of Discipline in Controlling Work Performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 27(4), 743-764. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici=0001-4273%28198412%2727%3A4%3C743%3AAFSOTU%E2.0.CO%3B2-R Billikopf, G. (2006, August 11). Discipline and Termination: Labor Management in Ag. Dad, D. (2011, March 16). Progressive Discipline and the tenure clock. Eden, G. (1992). An Oxymoron? Les Presses de l’Universite Laval, 47(3), 511-524. Falcone, Paul. (2000) A blueprint for progressive discipline and terminations. HR Focus. 77(8), 3. Paul Berube v. Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Inc., No. 08-1229-cv (2d Cir. Oct. 15, 2009), http://www.legale.com. Pinker, S. (2010, February 27). The Great Discipline Dilemma. The Globe and Mail, p. b.17. Retrieved from ProQuest database. (382583397) Progressive Discipline Steps. (2007, August 9). Employee and Labor Relations. Retrieved from Office of the Vice President for Research website: http://www.uiowa.edu The Seven Steps of Just Cause. (2007, February 28). Employee and Labor Relations. Retrieved from Office of the Vice President for Research website: http://www.uiowa.edu Wright, T. (2006, January 23). Fired Worker can sue employer for not following discipline policy. Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.