Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free PDF Chemistry Worksheets To Download or Print

Free PDF Chemistry Worksheets To Download or Print This is a collection of chemistry worksheets in pdf format. The answers to the questions are available on separate worksheets so you can fill them out and then check your work. Please feel free to download these to your computer, print them, and use them as hand-outs. Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids WorksheetMetric to English Conversions WorksheetMetric to English Conversions AnswersMetric to Metric Conversions WorksheetMetric to Metric Conversions AnswersTemperature Conversions WorksheetTemperature Conversions AnswersTemperature Conversions Worksheet #2Temperature Conversions Answers #2Moles to Grams Conversions WorksheetMoles to Grams Conversions AnswersFormula or Molar Mass WorksheetFormula or Molar Mass Worksheet AnswersPracticing Balancing Chemical Equations - WorksheetBalancing Chemical Equations - AnswersPracticing Balancing Chemical Equations - Worksheet #2Balancing Chemical Equations - Answers #2Practicing Balancing Chemical Equations - Worksheet #3Balancing Chemical Equations - Answers #3Balancing Equations - Worksheet #4Balancing Equations - Answer Key #4Common Acid Names Formulas - WorksheetAcid Names and Formulas - AnswersPractice Calculations with Moles - WorksheetMole Calculations - AnswersAcid Base pH - WorksheetAcid Base pH - Answers Gas LawsGas Laws AnswersGas Laws Answers - Shown WorkLimiting Reagent - WorksheetLimiting Reagent - AnswersCalculating Molarity - WorksheetCalculating Molarity - AnswersBalancing Redox Reactions - WorksheetBalancing Redox Reactions - AnswersPrintable Element CrosswordPrintable Element Crossword - AnswersChemical Names to Chemical Formulas - WorksheetChemical Names to Chemical Formulas - Answer KeyChemical Formulas to Chemical Names - WorksheetChemical Formulas to Chemical Names - Answer Key Printable Periodic Tables Here are some printable periodic tables to help you out, also in pdf format. Color Printable Periodic Table - Pretty much everything you need that can fit on a page and still be readable. Color table with atomic numbers, element symbols, element names, atomic weights, periods, and groups. [2013 Edition] [2012 Edition]Black/white Printable Periodic Table - Black/white table with atomic numbers, element symbols, element names, atomic weights, periods. [2013 Edition] [2012 Edition]Blank Printable Periodic Table - Fill in the boxes yourself.Electron Configuration Periodic Table - Periodic table that lists the electron configurations for each element.Color Printable Periodic Table - Color table with atomic numbers, element symbols, atomic weights, periods, and groups. (no names)Basic Printable Periodic Table - Black/white table with atomic numbers, element symbols, atomic weights, periods. (no names)Basic Periodic Table with Element Names - Black/white table with element symbols, names, atomic numbers, and periods. (no weights)Basic Periodic Table with Element Nam es (color) - Color periodic table with element symbols, names, atomic numbers, periods, and groups. (no weights) The atomic weights given on these tables are the most recent (2007) values as accepted by the IUPAC. Printable Scientific Method Flow Chart This is a flow chart of the steps of the scientific method, available as a PDF file: Scientific Method PDF Also available is a PDF of a pie chart of the elemental composition of the human body.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Calculating the Change in Entropy From Heat of Reaction

Calculating the Change in Entropy From Heat of Reaction The term entropy refers to disorder or chaos in a system. The greater the entropy, the greater the disorder. Entropy exists in physics and chemistry, but can also be said to exist in human organizations or situations. In general, systems tend toward greater entropy; in fact, according to the second law of thermodynamics, the  entropy  of an isolated system can never spontaneously decrease. This example problem demonstrates how to calculate the change in entropy of a systems surroundings following a chemical reaction at constant temperature and pressure. What Change in Entropy Means First, notice you never calculate entropy, S, but rather change in entropy,  ÃŽâ€S. This is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system. When  ÃŽâ€S is positive it means the surroundings increased entropy. The reaction was exothermic or exergonic (assuming energy can be released in forms besides heat). When heat is released, the energy increases the motion of atoms and molecules, leading to increased disorder. When ΔS is negative it means entropy of the surroundings were reduced or that the surroundings gained order. A negative change in entropy draws heat (endothermic) or energy (endergonic) from the surroundings, which reduces the randomness or chaos. An important point to keep in mind is that the values for  ÃŽâ€S are for  the surroundings! Its a matter of point of view. If you change liquid water into water vapor, entropy increases for the water, even though it decreases for the surroundings. Its even more confusing if you consider a combustion reaction. On the one hand, it seems breaking a fuel into its components would increase disorder, yet the reaction also includes oxygen, which forms other molecules. Entropy Example Calculate the entropy of the surroundings for the following two reactions.a.) C2H8(g) 5 O2(g) → 3 CO2(g) 4H2O(g)ΔH -2045 kJb.) H2O(l) → H2O(g)ΔH 44 kJSolutionThe change in entropy of the surroundings after a chemical reaction at constant pressure and temperature can be expressed by the formulaΔSsurr -ΔH/TwhereΔSsurr is the change in entropy of the surroundings-ΔH is heat of reactionT Absolute Temperature in KelvinReaction aΔSsurr -ΔH/TΔSsurr -(-2045 kJ)/(25 273)**Remember to convert  °C to K**ΔSsurr 2045 kJ/298 KΔSsurr 6.86 kJ/K or 6860 J/KNote the increase in the surrounding entropy since the reaction was exothermic.  An exothermic reaction is indicated by a positive  ÃŽâ€S  value. This means heat was released to the surroundings or that the environment gained energy. This reaction is an example of a combustion reaction. If you recognize this reaction type, you should always expect an exothermic reaction a nd positive change in entropy.Reaction bΔSsurr -ΔH/TΔSsurr -(44 kJ)/298 KΔSsurr -0.15 kJ/K or -150 J/KThis reaction needed energy from the surroundings to proceed and reduced the entropy of the surroundings. A negative  ÃŽâ€S  value indicates an endothermic reaction occurred, which absorbed heat from the surroundings.Answer:The change in entropy of the surroundings of reaction 1 and 2 was 6860 J/K and -150 J/K respectively.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Poetry reaearch eassy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poetry reaearch eassy - Essay Example The interconnection of various words in the poem, like the, â€Å"fear no more,† brings out the emphasis of death on various aspects of this poem. Shakespeare in this poem of â€Å"fear no more heat† uses some euphonic words to emphasize the serenity towards the subject of death that is being brought out in this poem and consequently, people should have a peaceful death. Shakespeare considers that death is one kind of extrication. As for this reason, I chose â€Å"Fear no more the heat o’ the sun† because I like the theme of the poem which indicates that we should fearless face death since death is inevitable. Generally, the tone of the poem is a deep melancholy describing death. Nonetheless, the poet regards death as a part of human life, and he encourages people to have a positive attitude towards facing it. Moreover, Shakespeare is seeing the world’s attitude towards death and put it with a soft, gentle voice comforting people to face death peace fully. Also, this emphasis is followed by, â€Å"must†¦; come to dust,† in the fifth and sixth lines of the three stanzas of the poem. Shakespeare uses refrain to reiterate the author’s central idea. The author uses such words like, â€Å"golden lads and girls,† to show that even the young and wealthy girls will face death. He also uses words like, â€Å"chimney sweepers,† which stand for the old and the poor. He means that both rich and poor will also have to face death. At the beginning of the poem, Shakespeare depicts that people toil for their work in order to survive. The Consonance used brings out rhythm such as â€Å"sun† and â€Å"done† that makes the cadence of the poem flows smoothly. Next, in the second stanza, the poet has used various stylistic devices such as alliteration â€Å"though art past the tyrant’s stroke, care no further to clothe and eat;† (9). there is the

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Contemporary Management Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Contemporary Management Problem - Essay Example Organizational sustainability depends on efficiency of management team. The organization is not a mere set of employees or top management. Organizational sustainability depends on synchronization between top level management, middle level management and lower level management. Business management helps to integrate functions of each department to increase the efficiency of service delivery. Business management plays a cordial role to solve critical organizational issues (labour related problem, irregular trade practices, employee disruption, maintaining transparency between each department’s works, designing vision and mission statement and maintaining a stable organizational hierarchy). Many companies use Business Crisis Management (BCM) and Continuity Management (CM) to identify and solve business related problems. Centrality of management functions revolves around few departments of the organizations. Various departments (like production, marketing, finance, operation) play pivotal role to decide the dynamics of business management. Business management plays important role in solving people related issues of management. Many organizations have failed due to poor performance of top level management in last few years. ... Learning organization concept has been used by many management research scholars to distinguish between successful and failed organizations. Learning organization can be described in the following manner. The organization gives importance on acquiring or creating and transferring information and knowledge (Porth and McCall, n.d.). Four key things are important for a learning organization. They are- 1-problem solving in an ethical and systemic manner, 2- encouraging new thoughts or process to change the management functions, trying to learn from past mistakes committed by other organizations, 3- trying to maintain equilibrium between good business practise by other organizations and self evaluation, 4- maintaining transparent communication dynamics across the organization. Free flowing communication model helps to spread the knowledge across every department of organization (Garvin, 1993, p. 81). Many organizations failed to maintain a steady business policy to create a sustainable or ganizational structure. Various management problems are explained in the following section. Organisational structure (problems regarding management hierarchy, board members are not very clear about their responsibilities, lack of communication between different functional departments). Leadership (organization is running without any mission and vision statement, organization is managing business without any long term objectives). Motivation (lack of motivation among employees to perform a particular task, lack of support from the top level management creates communication gap between them and employees). Business ethics (many companies fail to maintain fair business

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Immigration Legislation Essay Example for Free

Immigration Legislation Essay In general, there has been much debate about the first settlers in the United States; one theory is that the original settlers were from Northeast Asia who eventually were the ancestors of the Native Americans (Rapid Immigration web site, n. d. ). The second theory is that settlers were from â€Å"Polynesia, South Asia or even Europe† (Rapid Immigration web site, n. d. ). The first recorded discovery was of Florida by Spain through Ponce de Leon in 1513 (Danilov, 2003). Spain discovered and explored other parts such as â€Å"Texas, New Mexico and Arizona† and Colorado and Mississippi Rivers through de Vaca, Coronado, and De Soto, respectively (Danilov, 2003). The Spaniards settled in Florida, California and the south-west area of America. The Spaniards engaged primarily in mining of precious metals. The 16th century marked the arrival of English explorers for the purpose of establishing government in overseas colonies and for economic purposes as well (Danilov, 2003). They settled in Virginia in 1607. The Dutch established trading posts and were the ascendants of three Presidents of the U. S. The English people arrived steadily and established settlement in different areas (Danilov, 2003). The French arrived in 1700. There was a war that ensued between the English and French and the former won until the French was defeated at Quebec. The term ‘immigrant’ came about in 1787 with an issue as to the distinction between those who merely colonized and settled in America vis-a-vis those who arrived when laws, customs and language have been established and set (Danilov, 2003). There was agriculture depression in Europe, thus, 15,000 people sailed to North America in 1830. A large number of Irish and Italians engaged in agriculture while in Massachusetts, mill towns were established. Germans also immigrated to America due to the failed German revolution. Most of the German Jews were engaged in business. Russians moved to America in the last part of the 19th century (Danilov, 2003). Italians on the other hand, settled in America in the early 20th century. In fine, the immigrants from Europe and Asia settled in America â€Å"to seek their fortune† because they thought that the country had unlimited resources and opportunities. The Africans on the other hand, did not settle in America voluntarily, they were brought to serve as slaves (Rapid Immigration web site, n. d. ). Historical Perspective of Immigration of Latinos Many believed that the Latinos or Hispanics arrived in America between the years 1496-1542 when Hernando de Soto who led the Spanish expedition to the southeastern region of the U. S. (Leidermann, 2007). Latinos settled in other areas like Arkansas in early 1890s. They lacked â€Å"education, skills and knowledge of the English language† (Leidermann, 2007). Most of them were employed in the agricultural businesses. When there was construction boom in the early part of 1980, demand for labor increased and they were the ones who filled the job need. The unskilled Latino workers filled also the jobs related to the poultry industry (Leidermann, 2007). The Cubans passed through the port of Mariel such that the refugees were named ‘Marielitos. ’ Some established residence in Florida, Fort Chafee near the Sebastian County (Leidermann, 2007). In bigger cities, â€Å", Latinos are moving up the economic scale and hold better jobs, own homes, and are business entrepreneurs and managers† (Leidermann, 2007). According to Suarez-Orozco Sommer, the Latin Americans comprise the largest percentage of immigrant group category (Suarez-Orozco Sommer, 2000). The total figure of people from Europe who emigrated in the U. S. is equivalent to the figure of those from Latin America. Based on the U. S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 31 million Latinos which comprise 11. 2% of the total population (Suarez-Orozco Sommer, 2000). In 2003, they are the largest number of minority in the U. S. (Saenz, 2005). â€Å"Of the top ten sender countries in the last decade, four are Latin American and Caribbean: Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica; in the next ten are Haiti, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru† (Suarez-Orozco Sommer, 2000). Border Fence Act The Border Security Act (H. R. 6061) was just recently passed in 2006 and sponsored by Representative King (Thomas Library of Congress web site, n. d. ). The law was signed by President Bush on October 26, 2006 (Fletcher Weisman, 2006). According to him, illegal immigration is on the rise and it is necessary to enforce the laws and provide for a comprehensive immigration system (Fletcher Weisman, 2006). This law provides the establishment of a 700-mile fence â€Å"between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico† (Robbins, 2008). The law seeks to achieve reform in the immigration system and policies of the country and its enforcement through apprehension of those who may illegally cross the fence (Robbins, 2008). The law directs the Homeland Security to â€Å"achieve operational control over U. S. international and maritime borders† which includes border patrol and surveillance and the use of equipment and technology to achieve this end as well as physical infrastructure to discourage illegal entry (Thomas Library of Congress web site, n. d. ). The fence is described as a â€Å"double-and-triple fence. † The first layer is made of airplane landing mates while the second is a steel mesh developed by Sandia National Laboratories. The â€Å"third chain link fence† is â€Å"topped with barbed wire† (Fletcher Weisman, 2006). There is a 150 foot of open space between the first and second fences used to station vehicles and surveillance cameras (Fletcher Weisman, 2006). In addition, there are air and ground border patrol agents deployed. Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) was signed into law in 1996 as a product of different and diverse efforts to address a variety of issues (University of Michigan web site, n. d. ). The two tragic incidents that led to the drafting and passage of this were the Oklahoma and World Trade Center incidents (Doyle, 1996). Among the other provisions, most salient to immigration is Title IV which refers to terrorists and criminal alien removal and exclusion. The Immigration and Nationality Act, specifically section 241(a)(4)(D) terrorist aliens may be deported, however, these aliens exploit and use â€Å"procedural and substantive provisions† to delay expulsion (Doyle, 1996). Thus, the need for a better crafted procedure is imperative. This law has in fact addressed such problem. In a nutshell, the Federal Rules on Evidence does not apply in these proceedings; evidence in a camera can be admitted by the court; evidence gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act can be presented as evidence; the Attorney General is authorized to detain alien at the start of the proceedings (Doyle, 1996). The law also authorizes the Attorney General to grant asylum only in cases where persons are not threats to national security. Asylum procedures and criminal alien proceeding have been improved (Doyle, 1996). Right of Police to Question Immigration Status Fears and protestations arouse due to the impression that the police are authorized to inquire into the immigration status of immigrants, i. e. Latinos. However, Los Angeles police clarified that Special Order 40 does not authorize police to inquire into the immigrant status of aliens (Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, 2001). The concern and inquiry shall only be when there is present, a larger criminal investigation involving the alien suspect (Day, 2006). The pertinent Special Order was already adopted in 1979 and it had negative effect on immigrants considering that it led to abuse both of those who are documented as well as those, undocumented. The Latinos felt that the very police who were supposed to protect them were the very ones who abused them (Day, 2006). In Phoenix on the other hand, a different policy was devised as authored by Governor Phil Gordon (Archibold, 2008). Under this new policy, all those involved in criminal charges will be questioned about the status of their stay in the United States. Moreover, the police are empowered to coordinate and report to the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Archibold, 2008). Conclusion With the enactment of Border Fence Act, it has singled out Hispanics with an apparent bias. The border fence which oppositionist calls as the ‘Berlin Wall’ segregates Mexico where majority Hispanic immigrants come from. This decision was largely due to the fact that number of Hispanic immigrants is the largest compared to other groups of immigrants. The Border Fence has not been effective because reports reveal that the number of illegal immigrants who entered have in fact, increased. Moreover, the success rate of the Government is based on a measure which is not reflective of its effectiveness. Apprehensions are counted to determine success but a person may be apprehended ten times and get through the 11th time. It is also opined that the fence disrupts the movement of migration because people from Mexico travel to the U. S. for a seasonal work. The AEDPA is also criticized as not being effective. The expulsion proceedings take so much time and can easily be delayed. The most criticized move is the right of the police to question immigration status. To many it violates their right of privacy and which may lead to racial and ethnic profiling because the Latinos are being singled out from the other illegal immigrants. The U. S. is known to be a democratic country with full opportunities for everyone. In enacting and enforcing its immigration laws it should be guided also by that policy with the end in view of treating immigrants in equal footing rather than singling out a particular race or ethnicity simply because it comprised the largest number of illegal immigrants. It should equally and uniformly enforce and implement its laws and policies regardless of ethinic or racial considerations. References Archibold, R. Phoenix police to check arrestees’ immigrant status. New York Times web site. February 16, 2008. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. nytimes. com/2008/02/16/us/16phoenix. html? _r=1oref=slogin Danilov, D. Immigrating in the U. S. A. Self-Counsel Press, 2003. Day, D. Brief: special order 40 spells out LAPD policy regarding immigration status. Immigration Outpost web site, March 7, 2006. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://immigrationoutpost. com/brief-special-order-40-spells-out-lapd-policy-regarding-immigration-status/ Doyle, C. Antiterrorism and effective death penalty act of 1996. Federation of American Scientists web site. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. fas. org/irp/crs/96-499. htm Fletcher, M. Weisman, J. Bush signs bill authorizing 700-mile fence for border. Washington Post, October 27, 2006. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/26/AR2006102600120. html Immigration web site. U. S. Immigration History. Retrieved on April 13, 2008, from http://www. rapidimmigration. com/usa/1_eng_immigration_history. html Leidermann, M. Latino immigration. Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. encyclopediaofarkansas. net/encyclopedia/entry-detail. aspx? entryID=2733 Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. A report concerning special order 40. February 1, 2001. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. lacity. org/oig/Special_Order_40_708061_v1. pdf Robbins, T. Bush signs border fence Act; funds not found. National Public Radio web site. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=6388548 Saenz, R. The demography of Latino immigration: trends and trajectories. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. mexnor. org/programs/TRP/April%20cumbre%20saenz%2004-22-05. pdf Suarez-Orozco, M. Sommer, D. Becoming Latinos. DRCLAS Newsletter, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University. Spring, 2000: 3-5 Thomas Library of Congress web site. H. R 6061. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://thomas. loc. gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z? d109:HR06061:@@@Dsumm2=m University of Michigan web site. Antiterrorism and effective death penalty act of 1996. Retrieved on April 14, 2008, from http://www. lib. umich. edu/govdocs/pdf/pl104132. pdf

Thursday, November 14, 2019

fidel castro :: essays research papers

Fidel Castro was born near Mayari Cuba in 1926. In 1950, he graduated from the University of Havana with a law degree and opened a law office with two partners. Two years later he ran for election to the Cuban House of Representatives. The elections were never carried out because then dictator Fulgencio Batista halted them and ended democracy in Cuba. This was perhaps, the defining moment in Castro's life. As a result of Batista's action, Castro assembled a small force and attacked the Moncada Army Barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26. Castro was captured and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. In 1955, however, Batista released him. Castro immediately went into exile in Mexico where he began to train a group of revolutionaries called the 26th of July Movement. In December 1956, Castro's forces invaded Cuba. The rebels suffered losses, but many were able to escape to the Sierra Maestra, a mountain range in southeast Cuba. From there, Castro was able to direct his revolution. Over the next two years, he gained increasing support from the Cuban people and on January 1, 1959, Batista fled the country. Shortly after Castro took control of the government, relations with the United States declined. In 1960, he took over U.S. oil refineries in Cuba. The United States then stopped buying Cuban sugar and Castro responded by taking over all U.S. businesses in Cuba. Angered by Castro's actions, President Kennedy, authorized an attempt to overthrow the Cuban dictator in 1961, known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. The invasion failed but made Castro wary of another U.S. attempt. Consequently, when Khrushchev offered to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, he agreed. Castro's role in the crisis differs greatly from the other two leaders. Once he decided to accept the missiles, he lost control over their fate. Castro was merely a pawn in the international chess match and Cuba was merely a playing field. Neither Castro nor Cuba were of great international importance. The missile confrontation could have taken place anywhere in the world, unfortunately for the Cuban people, it occurred on their island.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Peculiarities of Translation of the Advertising Text

Introduction The main task of the translator – to use all knowledge of theoretical bases of translation for transfer the communicative function of the original, as knowledge of theoretical bases of translation and extralinguistic realities are necessary conditions of translation. Suppliers and producers of production do everything possible to attract as much as possible consumers. For this purpose advertizing appears on screens of our television, by radio, also it appears in the form of advertizing brochures, texts and slogans.Quite often advertizing brochures of this or that production or service go in original language, and proceeding from it it is possible to speak about relevance of creation of more or less uniform strategy and the concept of translation of the such text. When translating advertizing brochures on other languages it is necessary to consider ethical, psychological and personal characteristics of audience and the consumer, specifics and culture of the country for which this brochure is intended.For many practicians of advertizing activity the text of a foreign language serves only as means for understanding of idea of an advertized product, the text of the brochure is often written anew in language of the country of the consumer taking into account its national specifics. When exact transfer is represented for some reason or other undesirable, the translator uses approximate phrases on sense which surely have to consider traditional ethnic, national and social features, stereotypes of behavior of concrete audience on which production designated in the advertizing brochure is directed.The purpose of the real work – to designate the main strategy and receptions of translation of English-language advertizing texts into Russian. According to a research objective performance of the following tasks is supposed: 1) To give definitions to concepts the text and a discourse 2) To give definitions to concept the advertizing text 3) To consi der classification of the advertizing text 4) To define features of translation of advertizing texts 5) To carry out the comparative comparative analysis of advertizing texts in English and Russian languages As object of research texts of English-speaking advertizing served.The choice as a material of texts of English advertizing is caused by that huge role which English-speaking media play texts in world information space. Research method – comparative, that is English and Russian advertizing texts are compared, compared. On the structure work consists of the introduction, two theoretical heads and one research, and also the conclusions, the list of sources and the appendix with characteristic examples of advertizing texts.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition

The Manufacturing Practices of the Footwear Industry: Nike vs. the Competition Steven Van Dusen The current manufacturing practices of the sneaker industry, in particular companies such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance, takes place throughout the globe. With the industry experiencing severe competition, and the product requiring intensive labor, firms are facing extreme pressure to increase their profit margins through their sourcing practices. The following paper will analyze the sneaker industry, while examining the multitude of viable manufacturing options, and critiquing their current manufacturing structure. Footwear Industry – Players, Revenues, Market Share To properly review the manufacturing in the footwear industry, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of the dominant leaders in the marketplace. The industry is currently experiencing hypercompetition, led by six main firms – Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Converse, and New Balance (see exhibit 1), with nearly $7 billion in revenues domestically. Nike is the industry leader, with a 47% market share, followed by Reebok, a distant second at 16%, and Adidas at 6% (see exhibit 2). This category is facing decreasing demand and the rising popularity of alternative footwear, resulting in more pressure than ever before to achieve high gross margins through effective global sourcing practices. Manufacturing options Footwear companies have two basic options in the manufacturing of their products, they can both own and operate the factories that produce their products, or subcontract their products out to secondary manufacturers. These facilities can be located either domestically or internationally, and both present a myriad of positives and negatives. Firms that produce domestically benefit from ease of monitoring, skilled workforce, government stability, job creation, and well understood labor rules, while suffering from the relatively high wages required in the U. S. as compared to developing countries. By manufacturing products overseas, in particular in third world economies, tremendous efficiencies are gained in the form of reduced wages, but are countered by the increased difficulty of monitoring the quality of their products and the actual working conditions in the factories. Companies that are vertically integrated, who own and operate the factories where their products are manufactured, are faced with large capital expenditure requirements and the management of the factories themselves, resulting in lower profit margins. Strategic Outsourcing In analyzing the sneaker industry, we are faced with the question, â€Å"What are these firms core competencies? † If manufacturing falls under this umbrella, then firms should look to produce internally. However, the core skills that set these companies apart from the competition, are their marketing, distribution, and technological expertise. Applying the dominant sneaker companies areas of expertise, let’s review the following questions: Is internalization a source of competitive advantage? Is manufacturing a skill our firm does better than anybody else? Will firms be able to leverage their manufacturing expertise in the future? Are we releasing any of the firm’s proprietary skills/information by outsourcing? With all of the above questions posed to any of the big four sneaker companies, they would respond with a resounding â€Å"no†. Therefore, in today’s global environment, the most strategically viable manufacturing strategy is the outsourcing of their products. The efficiencies that are gained, in the form of shifting of risk, reduced capital requirements, lower wages, and ability to focus on their core competencies, strongly outweigh all other manufacturing options. The Evolution of Manufacturing in Third World Countries As the economies of countries around world expand, so does their ability and skill level in all facets of manufacturing. Beginning in London in the early 1900’s, and followed through to the present day, manufacturing in its simplest form consists of light manufacturing, which uses unskilled labor to produce items such as shirts, shorts, and jeans. As the economy develops along with the skill of manufacturing, countries begin moderately technical light manufacturing, which includes footwear, outerwear and, performance sportswear. The next step in this growth involves the production of technical consumer products such as radios, calculators, and wristwatches. With the most developed economies gaining high levels of technical expertise, manufacturing grows to include technical durables, which includes automobiles and computers. This progression represents the advancement of economies throughout the world today, and provides the reasoning behind sneaker companies manufacturing beginning in the United States and Germany, and passing through Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, to its present day central areas of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. As these three countries progress over the next decade, and large amounts of new capital is pumped into their economies, their standard of living will rise along with their manufacturing expertise. Companies will be forced to relocate their manufacturing in countries such as Cambodia, Pakistan, and underdeveloped regions of Africa in search of lower wages. Nike Nike currently enjoys a 47% market share of the domestic footwear industry, with sales of $3. 77 billion. Nike has been manufacturing throughout the Asian region for over twenty-five years, and there are over 500,000 people today directly engaged in the production of their products. They utilize an outsourcing strategy, using only subcontractors throughout the globe. Their majority of their output today is produced in factories in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, but they also have factories in Italy, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. These factories are 100% owned by subcontractors, with the majority of their output consisting solely of Nike products. However, Nike does employ teams of four expatriates per each of the big three countries (China, Indonesia, Vietnam), that focus on both quality of product and quality of working conditions, visiting the factories weekly. They also developed their code of conduct in 1992 and have implemented it across the globe, as its goal is to set the standard for subcontractors to follow if they wish to do business with Nike. However, due to a manufacturing network of this magnitude, they have faced numerous violations involving factory conditions and human rights issues, which have been widely publicized. They have responded to these issues through the Andrew Young report, the Dartmouth Study, and Ernst & Young’s continual monitoring, but are still approximately two years away from completely addressing these problems throughout the globe. Reebok Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1. 28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. They have created and implemented their own code of conduct for manufactures to follow, but have less infrastructure than Nike across the globe to enforce it. They are facing scrutiny in regards to wage, overtime, and air quality issues, and like Nike, are working to address these issues. However, their strength, the creation and distribution of a global brand, is allowed to foster under this manufacturing strategy, as they focus on their core competencies, and outsource their production. Adidas Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. They have been shielded from bad publicity by the two Goliath’s of the industry, Nike and Reebok, and are reaping the rewards substantially. They have adjusted their manufacturing strategy, from a vertical operation in Germany in the 60’s and 70’s, to an outsourcing focus today throughout Asia. Unlike the big two, they do not have a code of conduct, and their factories are considered to be the worst in the industry. It is just a matter of time before they are exposed, with an underground swelling of negativity already occurring today. In order to avoid the negative effects and lost revenues that Nike and Reebok have received, they need to immediately begin to take a proactive stance in regards to the working conditions of their factories. Converse With a market share of 3% and revenues of $280 million, Converse manufactures their products both domestically and internationally. It is important to note that the only product they continue to manufacture in the U. S. oday, is the Chuck Taylor All Star, with plants in Lumberton, NC and Mission, TX. This is a product where the â€Å"Made in the USA† label is crucial to its success, and internalization is a source of competitive advantage. These two factors serving as the sole reason why the production remains within the U. S. All other shoe models are outsourced in Asia, with the explanation of reduced wages driving this strategy. Converse, lik e Adidas, must also generate a higher degree of internal monitoring of their subcontractors, or they will soon face increased scrutiny New Balance New Balance is the one company that has kept a substantial amount of manufacturing in the United States, and has a 3% market share with sales of $260 million. They currently operate five plants in New England, employing over 1400 workers, that produces 50% of their output. With this mixed strategy, of vertical integration and outsourcing, they are very unique, with their strategic reasoning based on the advantages gained through higher levels of quality domestically, and the â€Å"Made in the USA† label. They are in a highly specialized, niche business, running shoes, and closeness of factories is more essential to their customer base than the other companies because of special orders. For their most technical products they employ outsourcing, following the strategy of their competitors. Although there is something to be said for manufacturing domestically, they are straying away from the skills that they do better than anybody else – the design and marketing of the premier running shoe in the industry. Their long-term strategy should shift to a 100% outsourcing model, allowing them to control this niche for the future. Summary Manufacturing in the footwear industry has evolved dramatically over the course of the last century. As economies grow and skills are enhanced, production has been forced to spread to less developed regions around the world. While Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Converse, and New Balance each have their own manufacturing structure, the reason behind their rise to dominance in this industry is their ability to focus on the core skills that they perform better than anybody else. The outsourcing trend that dominates the industry today will only increase in the future. The major issues facing these firms today, working conditions and human rights, must be addressed in the short-term. Through either one firm’s leadership, or all footwear companies strategically aligning, these issues will be addressed; the question is â€Å"Just how long will it take before the footwear companies say Just Do It? † Copyright, 1998 Van Dusen, INTS 092 UNC – Chapel Hill

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Recovery-watch update - Emphasis

Recovery-watch update Recovery-watch update As the seasons turn and the nights draw in, we continue to track how often the terms recovery and green shoots appear in the broadsheets. And we ask: can we look to the newspapers for renewed hope, or mere cold comfort? With only the most intermittent exception, it is the latter. This pessimism has dominated since the news on 23 October that we still havent pulled out of the recession. Our research shows a huge drop-off in references to green shoots: at a feeble 41 (compared with 94 last month, and 167 in August), it is at its lowest number since 2008. This term has been becoming increasingly unpopular, not to mention mocked, as the situation drags on. The amount of articles featuring the word recovery has fallen to 1316 (from 1685 in September), which puts it about level with the June figures: a month when the Government came under attack for their role in the crisis. Theres little gentle solace here. The language of attack, war and brutality is prevalent in Octobers articles: emotive words like decimated, pummelled, crashing and shattering abound. Our hopes are mourned; the tyranny of numbers is feared; and we stand in the debris of shopping streets [] like bombsites. The purpose of such prose, besides sheer frustration by the authors, is unclear. Are we to rally in the face of this (we shall fight in BHS; we shall fight in Somerfields and on the High Street ) or hang our heads in defeat?

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Edwin H. Colbert - Profile of the Famous Paleontologist

Edwin H. Colbert - Profile of the Famous Paleontologist Name: Edwin H. Colbert Born/Died: 1905-2001 Nationality: American Dinosaurs Discovered: Scutellosaurus, Staurikosaurus, Effigia, Lystrosaurus, Coelophysis About Edwin H. Colbert During his long life, Edwin H. Colbert made his share of major fossil discoveries; he was in charge of the team that unearthed a dozen Coelophysis skeletons at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, in 1947, and he also named Staurikosaurus, one of the earliest known dinosaurs of the late Triassic period. For 40 years, Colbert was a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where his mentor was the distinguished fossil hunter Henry Fairfield Osborn, and he wrote a series of popular books (including 1945s seminal The Dinosaur Book: The Ruling Reptiles and Their Relatives) that helped introduce baby-boomer kids to paleontology. When he was already past 60, Colbert accepted a post as curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Today, aside from Coelophysis, Colbert is best known for his 1969 discovery of the skeleton of an early therapsid, or mammal-like reptile, Lystrosaurus, in Antarctica. Before Colberts expedition, various Lystrosaurus fossils had been unearthed in South Africa, and paleontologists had come to the conclusion that this creature couldnt possibly have been a good swimmer. Colberts discovery proved that Antarctica and South Africa had once been joined in a single southern continent, Gondwana, thus lending support to the theory of continental drift (that is, that the earth’s continents have slowly been joining, separating, and moving around over the last 500 million years or so).

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Proteins and Vegetarians, Fats and Heart Disease Essay

Proteins and Vegetarians, Fats and Heart Disease - Essay Example Proteins are broken down into energy during some exercises or during starvation. Proteins maintain some of the processes in the body through substances made from proteins. Enzymes made from proteins facilitate the process of digestion. Breast feed milk used to feed children is made from proteins consumed by man. Vegetarians should ensure that they protein rich from breakfast to super time. Such foods include legumes, grains, nuts vegetables, and fats. The vegetarians should ensure that they consume adequate amounts of proteins in each serving. Other foods should also be served in the diet to ensure a balanced diet (Christophe Blecker, et al 225). Fats and Heart Disease The body stores energy through fat reservoirs in the body. These fats are used when the body needs energy. This fat is at least 10percent of an individual’s weight. Fats are used to transporting soluble nutrients around the body. Such nutrients include vitamin A, D, E and K. Fats located under the skin help insulate the body from temperature change. Fats form structural components of the cell such as the cell wall that regulates the movement of substances in the cell. Fats are used in the production of hormones that regulate body operations. Fats are used to producing milk used to feed newborns after pregnancy. Saturated fats are bad for health as they increase cholesterol levels. Increase in cholesterol clog vessels in a process called atherosclerosis. Cholesterol in heart vessels caused heart attacks (Vercambre, Grodstein, and Kang 1136).