Alfalfa hay yield prediction using yield monitor data and satellite Research Paper

Alfalfa hay yield prediction using yield monitor data and satellite imagery - Research Paper Example These variables can be used as yield indicators upon which crop growth models are based (Clevers et al, 1994). Accurate yield estimation relies on the availability and quality of actual crop status data. Satellite images provide a spatial resolution in spectral bands and offer coverage cycles. A number of studies have used such satellite images for monitoring of crop development (Watz et al, 1996) a characterization of natural vegetation (Saiz et al,1996). Information about the crops can be obtained from Vegetation indices (Tucker, 1979). These are functions that measure crop reflectance in terms of spectral analysis. Studies support the fact the use of Vis from the sensors were effective in determining the spatial variation and phonological changes in vegetation, though there are several Vis defined the most commonly used VI is the NDVI(normalized difference vegetation index) (Schowengerdt,1997). Techniques to improve the use of NDVIs are being developed, for example to normalize mu lti-temporal NDVs derived from NOAA AVHRR data for atmospheric effects. (Potdar et al, 1999). The reason for the variations was the low correlation coefficients. (Groten, 1993, Sharma 1993, Rosema, 1998) The main goal of agricultural crop management is to guarantee food resource for its population. Crop yield prediction ahead of harvest time and involving large regions is important for all countries. Crop yield prediction entails the application of crop growth models and crop yield models. Despite advances in crop yield prediction models, the applicability of such a model is limited to particular crops, cultivation practices, and growing conditions (Gommes, 1998). In addition, there is recognition that an integral part of predicting yield lies in accurate identification of growing sites and measurement of crop sown area, prior to using VI based methods for predicting crop growth and yield (Gommes , 2001). Thus, the goal of our study was to validate the prediction model as per NDVI w ith actual yield. In fact, early research has revealed the need to obtain better spectral signatures for predicting growth and yield of crops (Sonia ,1999, Sonia et al ,2002). This is because no single model of prediction has proven satisfactory in all conditions. For example, models like CERES (Larrabee et al, 1985), WOFOST (Diepen et al,1989) and EPIC (Williams et al, 1984), is limited due to the fact they were targeted towards specific research methods. The leading crop simulation models have been deemed to complex for wide acceptable forecasting purposes (Gommes, 1998). Remote Sensing has been used to furnish input data for models. Spectral vegetation indices correct the atmospheric and soil spectral effects on remotely sensed data.(Broge et al,2002)(McDonald et al ,1983)(Tucker,1979)(Tucker et al, 1985)(Tucker et al, 1991)(Unganai et al, 1988)(Williams, et al, 1991). This Vegetation Index (VI) is a measure of total green biomass at any given time has been related to crop yield (Potdar et al, 1993). The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) can be computed from red and near infrared reflectance data available from LANDSAT-TM, SPOT, ARTEMIS, NOAA-AVHRR satellite images (Heilkema et al, 1990). The NDVI derived

Adams equity theory

Adams equity theory 3.4. 4 Equity Theory Adams s (1965) equity theory is another form of motivation. In this model, like in expectancy theory, people are viewed as having thoughts, feeling, and opinions that affect their work. He also proposes that the social comparison process begins with the individuals assessment of what he or she need to puts into the job relative to what is received from it. That is, the person develops a cognitive ratio composed of the inputs to the job and the return (output) from it. Inputs Typically, inputs are consider as an effort, loyalty, hard work, commitment, skill, ability, adaptability, flexibility, tolerance, determination, heart and soul, enthusiasm, trust in our boss and superiors, support of colleagues and subordinates, personal sacrifice, etc. Outputs The outputs typically are define as financial rewards, for example pay salary, expenses, perks, benefits, pension arrangements, bonus and commission plus intangibles recognition, reputation, praise and thanks, interest, responsibility, stimulus, travel, training, development, sense of achievement and advancement, promotion, etc. According to Adams (1965), people who feel that there is fairness between inputs and outputs. T he output/input(O/I) ratio denotes the proportion of job inputs (I) to job outputs (O), and it expresses to the extent to which of the exchange is felt to be appropriate. People feel it will be fair if the exchange of the output is seen to be as equal as the input. When outputs are greater than inputs, people know they are overpaid, and conversely, when outputs are less than inputs, people feel underpaid. In a second phase of the process, people engage in social comparison. They begin by assessing the O/I ratios of others at work. Then, the person compares their self-ratio with the ratios of other significant persons. 3.4.4.1 Discussions on Equity Theory Equity theory has been used as a guide for paying and motivation, particularly in terms of changes in the quality and quantity of performance. Reviewers of the research have reported that the predicted effects of underpayment on performance are well supported (Campbell and Pritchard, 1976; Goodman and Friedman, 1971). Decreased production among underpaid hourly subjects has been observed as predicted (Pritchard, Dunnette, and Jorgenson, 1972). Increased production coupled with decreased work quality among underpaid piece rate subjects also has been observed (Lawler and OGara, 1967). 3.4.6 Goal-setting Therory Like equity and expectancy theories, goal-setting theory is consider as a process theory. Locke (1968) initiated the original work on this theory. The theory identifies the contents of the motivational structure, but the greater emphasis is on the process of motivation. Goals are the central feature of the motivational structure. His studies resulted in three main conclusions: More difficult goals result in higher levels of performance than easy goals. This is the first conclusion. The outcomes of a series of experiments showed that â€Å"although subjects with very hard goals reached their goals far less often than subjects with very easy goals, the former consistently performed at a higher level than the latter† (Lock, 1968). Specific goals produce higher levels of performance than general goals (e.g. ‘Do your best!) Locke suggests that one of the features of specific, hard goals is that they prolong effort during the latter portions of long work sessions (Locke, 1968). Locke also reported on a study by Meyer, Kay and French (1965) into goal-setting during appraisal interviews. They found that the tasks that were translated into specific goals resulted in greater performance outcomes than tasks that were not. Behavioural intentions influence the choices people make. This is the final conclusion. Behavioural intention was defined as â€Å"the intention to make a certain task choice or to respond in a certain way† (Locke, 1968). In other words, Locke concluded that the level of difficulty of a chosen goal depended on what the person undertaking the task was aiming to achieve. 3.4.6.2 Discussions on Goal-setting Theory Goal-setting theory is useful to many managers because much of people management is specifically about performance against goals. It is also a theory that human resource professionals are likely to be familiar with because it is often focus on objectives. Although the Goal-setting theory specifically states that goals have to be considered valid for them to be motivating, the theory does not cover the issue of goal commitment according to Hollyforde and Whiddett (2002). Peoples commitment to a goal is an obviously key to anticipating their motivation to succeed at it. Carroll and Tosi (1973) reported that the self-esteem seems to be an important factor here. For example, managers with high self-esteem reported they were more persistent in meeting their goals than those managers with low self-esteem. In general, Goal-setting theory is a theory that has great relevance for managers. The three conclusions of the theory that suggest that the most motivating goals are not only specific but also challenging must ring true for many managers.

Reflection Essay :: Reflection Essay

Much like Benjamin Franklin believed, I feel that a person should take advantage of the time the person has in life with activities a person wants to do or needs to do. A person should not spend much time on activities the person does not want to do. Life is way too short to concern oneself with work or other activities one wants nothing to do with all the time. When possible, I try to forget about my responsibility and just let go of the ‘things’ that do not matter to me. I think a person should try to occupy oneself with something productive, worthwhile, or necessary at all times. Even though a person’s life is left up to a person to live, I cannot imagine thinking that I owe my time to society through working a job that I simply despise. I am a compassionate person, but I do not owe anyone anything regarding my time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Taking advantage of life, what could that possibly mean? Well, there are certain activities I would like to take part in before I can no longer do them. I very seldom make idle promises, and I even more seldom tell hollow promises to myself. I am going to have the best possible time I can in accordance to my desires and no one else’s. I have already made up my mind that I want to work towards starting a musical band; therefore, one can be sure I am going to take advantage of the chance and opportunity I have to accomplish it. I also have certain places I want to go or perhaps activities I want to do before my time is up. I have made it up in my mind that I am going to travel to different parts of the world to see places most people will not, or perhaps some places that most people do not even know exist. I am going to make an attempt to do some extreme activities in an attempt to experience life from another angle. Again, an angle most people just do not se e, an angle hopefully a little too far off a tangent the average person. To experience life and take advantage of it, one needs to make promises to oneself. A person may wonder, â€Å"How am I supposed to do this? How can I possibly accomplish anything I want to do?

Effects of Having a Schizophrenic Family Member Essay

A. What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder that makes it hard for people affected to think clearly, have normal emotional responses, act normally in social situations and tell the difference between what is real and what is not. It makes people withdraw from the outside world and always act out in fear. People suffering from schizophrenia may see or hear things that don’t exist, speak in strange ways, think that people are trying to harm them, and always feel as if they are being watched. They have difficulty in doing activities of daily life. This disease is caused either by one’s genetic make-up or abnormal brain structure. But the environment can be a cause too, as for the environmental factors, more and more research is pointing to stress. Like any other disease, schizophrenia has its own symptoms like strange ways of speaking, inability to express emotion and irrational statements. It is in these symptoms that we can detect persons with schizophrenia. And it is important that we diagnose them for medical treatment for schizophrenia may lead to violent behavior. B. Statement of the Problem People with schizophrenia don’t relate with people well and therefore makes it hard for the people who care for them to maintain a healthy relationship with them, the people they are related to, for example. For Schizophrenic people, it is hard to hold a stable job or even care for themselves. This makes them dependent on others and who else is best to care for them than their own family. However, schizophrenia sometimes results to violent behavior due to their inability to think clearly and belief that people are always trying to harm them. That is why many of their family members don’t know how to deal with them and this causes stress within the family. C. Thesis Statement Effects of Having a Schizophrenic Family Member D. Significance of the Study Schizophrenia is not a rare condition. The lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia is widely accepted to be 1 in a 100. It therefore affects thousands of families. The love and support of a family is vital in treating Schizophrenia but it is difficult to cope with its symptoms. A family member deals with extreme reactions, deterioration from personal hygiene, inability to concentrate and social withdrawal. It is seen that families only put up with the patients for a short period of time because of their frustration in what seems to be lack of progress in treatments. In their inability to understand a person with schizophrenia, a family’s emotional support may wane and some even cut off all contact with their schizophrenic son, daughter, or sibling.

A critical reflection essay on Islam Essay

Islam being the fastest growing religion, has adhered a lot of positive as well as negative attention from the media. Due to this vast media influence stereotypes in Islam have increased from terrorism, Muslims have been discriminated merely due to the negative outlook that North America has portrayed upon them. The media tends to entwine the truth and to make Muslims seem perilous. Having that simple coherence of one another will be the start to making a difference. Islam is one of the most inspiring religions in the world. It is practiced in many countries, including Northern Africa, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Iraq. Due to it being such a large religion, us people of the west tend to have a little understanding and knowledge about the religion. The very bitter truth is that not many people outside the religion can fully grasp their principles. With so many stereotypes being constantly circulated, it is very hard to get an evident picture about Islam both as a religion and as way of living. The first stereotype has to do with the jihad. Jihad literally means â€Å"The struggle in the path of God†, or â€Å"holy war†. This term unfortunately has been totally misunderstood and made to make it appear as though the Muslim people fight their way through all their problems. Jihad could mean ones spiritual struggle against infidels and does not always refer to actual violence. This pillar of faith has been completely turned around in order to portray Islam in a negative manner, which is surly something that we’ve adapted to through the media. Another stereotype is that women in the Muslim society are not treated equally or with respect. People feel this way because the women often wear a hijab which consists of a veil covering the head. This is actually a personal choice of the women, not a requirement. It was said in the Qu’ran that women and men were to be treated equally. By judging people too quickly we tend to forget to look inside rather then to make assumptions due to an appearance. Stereotypes such as the ones mentioned are absolutely biased and extremely unfair to the Muslim people. Many times, the media does not catch the side of the story where real people are being affected and influenced by what the society thinks and says about them. We seem to act as though we are more superior and that we are perfect and do not make mistakes. Just because some  people from a certain religion make a poor choice does not mean that everyone else is that religion is bound to as well. It is the same with the Muslim people. Just because there are terrorists who hurt themselves and those around them for selfish reasons, does not mean that every other Muslim is just as destructive. I feel that people need to be more open minded and try to do research and become more educated before judging and discriminating. If for once all religions saw eye to eye and did not try to put one another down then we would live in a much peaceful world. By not becoming educated, we basically take someone else’s opinion, or the medias and make it our own without looking deeper into the situation. If we just stop being selfish for just a moment, perhaps we can start again and try to live in harmony with our fellow human beings. During the past two weeks I have learned a lot about Islam, although I did know the basis of the religion people my family practices it. Although some of the thinks that I thought I knew turned out to be totally false I always thought the women never played a role in society and that the Muslim people really did have extremist views. After taking a closer look, I came to realize that I was not even close. It was so interesting and almost relieving to come to that realization that these people are simply misunderstood and are the victims of brutal discriminatory attacks. The biggest thing I learned from all this was not to judge a book by its cover. We can’t really have an opinion or pass judgment on a situation that we know nothing of. I realized now that people twist things in order to get a good story but as soon as people are educated about these matters, the media can no longer fool us into believing it all. Acting upon new knowledge, and most importantly correct knowledge is the way to see through the discrimination and look deep inside. Misconceptions and stereotypes about Islam and the Muslim community have increases majorly in the past couple of years. People have become too quick to judge and believe everything that the media tells them. Through knowledge and coherence about Islam and the Muslim people we would come to understand that it is all a simple misunderstanding and that really the Muslims are victims in this manifesto. We should not let others form opinions in our  head and to stay ignorant to the reality of the world. By doing this we save ourselves from becoming something that is not really human, but more so a robot that’s being controlled by the media, if we just stop and think for ourselves, we could live in harmony, and achieve world peace, a feeling that’s everlasting.

Nigerian Nights essays

Nigerian Nights essays Cola a foreign student from Nigeria gave a presentation over his home country. He is from Lagos where many festivals are held. The country is ethnic divided with different regions. The festivals are the Eye, Ague, and Atilogwu. The Eye festival is full of masks and people dance. The Ague festival is brought from the wives. The Atilogwu is a mournful festival, and is when someone dies. He also talked about the Durbar, which is held when important guests come to visit. There are acrobats who usually are picked by their location. Many train all of their life to become one. The King picks Mascarades. The dancing is more like a drunken slur. Christianity is the religion in the south. In the north they feel they can have as many wives as they can support. The King has many wives, but the wife with the most power is the first one. The economy is stable but has improvements. The minimum wage is $52.00 a month in American dollars. I tried the food before I left and it was di fferent. The taste was satisfying but was a very new taste. I was also able to listen to their music which had a very powerful beat and I watched in amazement while Cola was dancing. Everything about Nigeria gave me a feeling of friendliness. Everyone should attend one of their sessions because you will never leave without learning something new. ...

foster children essays

foster children essays When foster care parents become discouraged with raising a foster care child it is frequently due to behavioral problems. An adolescent who has experienced a history of maltreatment is most likely to have such difficult behavior problems that lead to the disruption of placement. Many parents have a difficult time dealing with behavioral problems from a teen who has grown up in a healthy, loving environment, much less a teenager who is likely to have built up anger due to a past of neglect, physical abuse, or even sexual abuse. Age has been found to be the number one factor in predicting foster or adoption disruption; the older the child, the greater the risk of disruption (Brodzinsky et al. 1998). A study by Kadushin and Martin (1998) found that the disruption rate of older child placements was more than five times greater than the disruption rate for families who adopted infants. Families looking to adopt or take in a foster care child tend to want infants and younger children , which puts older children in the special needs category since they are much harder to place in to a home. Families who are willing to take in older foster care children will have many obstacles and stressors to overcome when trying to establish a healthy relationship and environment with the foster care child. Emotional and behavior problems are reported in a large majority of cases of foster care adolescents (Barth and Barry 1998), which make for a difficult transition into a new family setting. Behaviors such as aggression, antisocial acts (e.g., stealing, vandalizing, injuring others), sexual acting out, and suicidality are especially predictive of placement instability (Brodzinsky et al., 1998). Pinderhughes (1996) offers a model that predicts stages families go through who adopt an older child. Her stages have been found to be valuable to the adaptive family since they normalize the challenges and frequent upheavals th...

KURT Function for Kurtosis in Excel

KURT Function for Kurtosis in Excel Kurtosis is a descriptive statistic that is not as well known as other descriptive statistics such as the mean and standard deviation. Descriptive statistics give some sort of summary information about a data set or distribution. As the mean is a measurement of the center of a data set and the standard deviation how spread out the data set is, kurtosis is a measurement of the thickness of the fails of a distribution. The formula for kurtosis can be somewhat tedious to use, as it involves several intermediate calculations. However, statistical software greatly speeds up the process of calculating kurtosis. We will see how to calculate kurtosis with Excel. Types of Kurtosis Before seeing how to calculate kurtosis with Excel, we will examine a few key definitions. If the kurtosis of a distribution is greater than that of a normal distribution, then it has positive excess kurtosis and is said to be leptokurtic. If a distribution has kurtosis that is less than a normal distribution, then it has negative excess kurtosis and is said to be platykurtic. Sometimes the words kurtosis and excess kurtosis are used interchangeably, so be sure to know which one of these calculations you want. Kurtosis in Excel With Excel it is very straightforward to calculate kurtosis. Performing the following steps streamlines the process of using the formula displayed above.   Excels kurtosis function calculates excess kurtosis. Enter the data values into cells.In a new cell type KURT(Highlight the cells where the data are at. Or type the range of cells containing the data.Make sure to close the parentheses by typing )Then press the enter key. The value in the cell is the excess kurtosis of the data set. For smaller data sets, there is an alternate strategy that will work: In an empty cell type KURT(Enter the data values, each separated by a comma.Close the parentheses with )Press the enter key. This method is not as preferable because the data are hidden within the function, and we cannot do other calculations, such as a standard deviation or mean, with the data that we have entered. Limitations It is also important to note that Excel is limited by the amount of data that the kurtosis function, KURT, can handle. The maximum number of data values that can be used with this function is 255. Due to the fact that the function contains the quantities (n - 1), (n - 2) and (n - 3) in the denominator of a fraction, we must have a data set of at least four values in order to use this Excel function. For data sets of size 1, 2 or 3, we would have a division by zero error. We also must have a nonzero standard deviation in order to avoid a division by zero error.

Vivid remembrance of my childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vivid remembrance of my childhood - Essay Example der, premonition, challenging, comforting, goal, do, best, excel, dream, succeed, struggles, failures, achievements, father, proud, fight, persevere, determined, achieve, goals, values, learned, world of possibilities) VIII. Facing new challenges (death, America, fulfill, dreams, new challenges, new environment, difficult, adjustments, acquaintance, English, not fluent, early years, unbearable, cry, want, go back home, disappointment, remember, memory, seriousness, face, tenderness, strength, harshness, hope, survive, thrive) Facing tomorrow (years, America, look back, survived, thrived, determination, impressed, challenge, look forward, bright future, trials, hardships, fear, characteristics, qualify, fight, survive, succeed, experience, restaurant, indelible, lessons, learned, inscribed, heart, long-lasting, impact, pass on, children, future, values, mold) X. Conclusion- Catching the spirit (values, lessons, learned, history, nation, narrated, family values, determined, economic stability, employment, security, persevere, freedom, financial freedom, values, attributes, domino effect, poverty, challenge, education, positive, opportunities, difficulties, inherited, value, survive, trying times, trials) Long term effect (experience, trained, hard work, try, consider, options, possibilities, solve, hardships, encounter, care physical fitness, responsibility, physical condition, affect, determine, plans, conscious, health, vital, culture, concern, expectation, health awareness, alcohol, father, died young, fruits, vegetables, exercise, supplements, vitamins, minerals, strengthen, immune system, demand, school, work, social life, acquaintances) I was born in Poland, a nation that has long struggled with communism for years. I grew up, raised in a family who looked forward to a bright future as the whole of Poland hoped for a good future as we were rediscovering our independence. The long history of our nation’s struggles with wars and poverty made the people

Project Progress Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Project Progress Report - Essay Example At present moment, reservation of a book is done manually. For this, the library users have to complete a reservation card and hand it to the librarian for reserving book and have to check regularly or have to wait for postcard, which is sent to their home address to confirm that the book is arrived and they can collect it. The library for which this database is being created is Wood Green Central Library and is located at 187-197A Wood Green High Road, London N22 6XD. The library has approximately 50 employees, has a turnover of 3 million, and is the main library for the borough of Haringey. Government grants helped to provide the library with a Learning Centre, a number of computers for public use, additionally several reading groups operate from this library, and there is space to host art exhibitions. The purpose of this reservation system is so that students, teachers and the housebound can gain a better service of the library and can take their time to search for a particular book that they want, whether it is for coursework or for teaching purposes. This system will be useful, efficient and user-friendly. In this reservation system, the user has an option either to search by title, author, publication or class (subject). This will be achieved by creating a simple reservation system for the local library by using Microsoft Access to produce a database. This work will be useful to other students who might be creating a database on a particular subject, as they will be able to gain ideas from the database that will be created. This paper is a project progress report (PPR) for a database reservation system for the library. This PPR will cover different topics, such as the scope and objectives of the project, database design and information analysis, methodology and approach, software/tools and modelling languages, schedule of the planned work, progress against the planned work, evidence for the progress claimed, current and

Public Policy Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Public Policy Analysis - Research Paper Example f the federal law in achieving its objectives and aims 4) inspecting the implementation of the law’s tenets in the scenario 5) conducting an evaluation of the federal law and 6) providing recommendations for improving the scope of the federal law and enhancing its effectiveness. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or SOX, which is also termed as the ‘Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act’ as per the Senate and known as the ‘Corporate and Auditing and Accountability and Responsibility Act’ as per the House is a federal law which was sponsored by United States Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) and United States Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH) (Zelizer, 2002). The historical context of the Act is associated with an increase in the incidence of high-profile accounting scandals that marred several corporations across the United States namely Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International amongst several others in the period preceding the inception of the federal law and its tenets (Act, S.O, 2002). The consequences which followed the scandals that targeted key organizations across the nation greatly affected investor’s confidence in securities markets of the country and led to the incurrence of significant loss on the investor’s part which amounted to billions of dollars (Act, S.O, 2002). According to Miller and Bredeson (2009), individuals’ financial trends are characterized by their monthly income and since most individuals within the United States are unable to save on an extensive scale because of minimal salaries or working on legal minimum wage, those who are still able to retain a certain percentage of their income on a monthly basis seek to secure their savings in a reliable source. In the given situation, investing in corporate stocks to benefit from high returns appears to be a viable option that is also secure in comparison with other alternatives (Miller and Bredeson, 2009). The attractiveness of investing in corporate stocks is

Discuss combine harvester and its historic and current impact on the Essay

Discuss combine harvester and its historic and current impact on the economy, the environment, relationships, education, and morals. Give examples to support your discussion - Essay Example In addition, the remnants after using the combine harvester may be fed to farm animals or cut and spread throughout the field to add nutrients. This papers explores the history and the environmental and economic impacts of the combine harvester The combine harvester was invented in the U.S by one Hiram Moore in 1834. Notably, the early versions of the machine were pulled by mule, bulls, and/or horse teams. Although invented in the U.S., the idea of combine harvester was evident in other regions. In fact, an Australian, Hugh Victor McKay developed the first commercial combine harvester in 1882. Later combine harvester would be pulled by steam engine as seen in George Stockton Berry’s integration of the combine harvester with a steam engine using straw to heat the boiler. Later, sophisticated combine harvesters such as Massey Ferguson’s would emerge, drawn by tractors (gas or diesel engines). Attached to these combine harvesters are shakers, which separate grain from the chaff and straw-walkers to eject the straw and retain the grain (Quick & Buchele, 1978). One of the economic impacts of the combine harvester is the execution of multiple tasks such as grain threshing, winnowing, and collection in harvest in fa ster and more efficient ways. The machine has also created its own industry and jobs, thus improving the economy. The combine harvester has also led to reduced crop losses, time conservation, good turn around time for next crop, and reduced labor shortages during peak times thereby positively affecting the economy and living standards. Thus, due to these many advantages, the combine harvester has economically empowered not only its manufacturers but also farmers. Unfortunately, the price of the machine has prevented some farmers from using it. Additionally, poor transport facilities in rural areas, fragmented land holding, inaccessibility of farms and lack of local manufacturers and repairing facilities have also

Writing to Learn 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing to Learn 2 - Assignment Example However, these recommendations vary. They are given in consideration of the function, dietary intake patterns, requirement levels, metabolism and toxicity. The recommended level of dietary energy intake for an individual is the mean energy requirement of well-nourished and healthy individual. The human energy requirement is estimated from measures of energy needs plus the additional energy expenditure. The main determinants of total energy expenditure include; gender, age and body weight (Tukuitonga et al., 44). Thus, energy requirements vary for each gender and various age groups, and are both expressed as energy per kilogram of body weight and energy units per day. Human beings need energy for; basal metabolism, metabolic response to food, physical activity, pregnancy, lactation and for growth. The energy requirements are used to predict the energy intake recommended levels for different individuals with similar characteristics but no exact measurements have been made. There is no implication on the exact amount of energy that must be consumed on a daily basis but there are averages of the amount of energy that an individual needs in a day, which depends on their age, gender, state of health and the work that one does in a day. The average daily energy requirement for an adult is 8,700 kilojoules (Tukuitonga et al.,49).The daily intake may be higher or lower than 8700 KJ depending on an individual’s energy needs. Macronutrients are the three main food components, which include proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The average recommended daily macronutrient levels for an adult are; 50 grams protein, 70grams fat and 310 grams carbohydrates. All these recommendations also vary depending on individual characteristics such as age, gender and health status. All these individual characteristics determine the individual needs of each person; therefore, there is no exact recommended amount for each specific individual. Any excessive intake or deficient intake of

Air Pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Air Pollution - Research Paper Example Both humans as well as the nature have been held responsible for the emission of pollutants in the air. The emission of these pollutants is the reason behind the occurrence of air pollution. Various human activities have been found to heavily contribute to the increase in air pollution.One of the human activities that are constantly increasing the levels of air pollution is the emission of harmful gasses from organizations that produce goods to satisfy human needs. The most common form of air pollutants that is emitted by the industries includes carbon monoxide as well as other chemicals. Another reason due to which pollutants are released in air is the burning down of fossil fuels through airplanes as well as automobiles. Individuals try to keep their homes as well as crops free from insects and pests with the assistance of pesticides and other clearing products and these products release harmful chemicals that result in air pollution. According to Jacoby, the vehicles that travel o n road account for more than 90% of the carbon dioxide.Those who are harming the environment are those who are being negatively impacted by their own actions. Air pollution has been found to be negatively impacting all living things including plants, animals as well as hum beings. Air pollution has been found to result in impacting human health in a negative manner and these effects are both long term as well as short term. The level of impact is directly correlated with the level and length of time an individual is being exposed to these pollutants

Writing to Learn 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing to Learn 2 - Assignment Example However, these recommendations vary. They are given in consideration of the function, dietary intake patterns, requirement levels, metabolism and toxicity. The recommended level of dietary energy intake for an individual is the mean energy requirement of well-nourished and healthy individual. The human energy requirement is estimated from measures of energy needs plus the additional energy expenditure. The main determinants of total energy expenditure include; gender, age and body weight (Tukuitonga et al., 44). Thus, energy requirements vary for each gender and various age groups, and are both expressed as energy per kilogram of body weight and energy units per day. Human beings need energy for; basal metabolism, metabolic response to food, physical activity, pregnancy, lactation and for growth. The energy requirements are used to predict the energy intake recommended levels for different individuals with similar characteristics but no exact measurements have been made. There is no implication on the exact amount of energy that must be consumed on a daily basis but there are averages of the amount of energy that an individual needs in a day, which depends on their age, gender, state of health and the work that one does in a day. The average daily energy requirement for an adult is 8,700 kilojoules (Tukuitonga et al.,49).The daily intake may be higher or lower than 8700 KJ depending on an individual’s energy needs. Macronutrients are the three main food components, which include proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The average recommended daily macronutrient levels for an adult are; 50 grams protein, 70grams fat and 310 grams carbohydrates. All these recommendations also vary depending on individual characteristics such as age, gender and health status. All these individual characteristics determine the individual needs of each person; therefore, there is no exact recommended amount for each specific individual. Any excessive intake or deficient intake of

On line data sources( 330) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On line data sources( 330) - Essay Example In this same case, there are various reasons as to why people carry out homicide attacks. The primary reason is that there is a lacking of something or on the other hand there may be a need in something. There are quite a number of questions that an individual can ask when it comes to this issue of homicide. There is some relationship in this connection. The first reason is that when a child lacks the necessary education he may end up failing and not graduating. This brings lack of a way of fending for himself. The next option may be to resort to crime, in this case violent crime. In this particular case also there is a relationship. Poverty is the center of focus in this case. It is seen that when a person is living in a society where poverty is prevalent there is bound to be the feeling of coming up with a way of earning a living. (Williams, 2007) It may be pretty hard to find legitimate ways of doing this. What people opt for is the easy way out. This is particularly to do with crime. In the course of criminal activities the individuals may end up resorting in violent activities that may be detrimental to others and in this particular case such an act may be homicide. At the same time there are other reasons that may trigger homicide cases in the society. One of this is the urge to fit into a given group. This is an act which is particularly conducted by individuals in gangs or criminal groups. It is seen that for one to be inducted into such a group he or she has to carry out an activity say robbery or killing someone. This is where homicide comes in. As it has been seen there are various motivating factors when it comes to homicides. At the same time it should be noted that when it comes to homicides it is not just an act that is undertaken singly. In most cases it is usually tied down to some factors that are prevalent in society, education and the economic factors being chief

Null Hypothesis And Alternative Hypothesis Philosophy Essay

Null Hypothesis And Alternative Hypothesis Philosophy Essay In order to survive in the business world, business units today are forced to innovate and launch the products immediately in the market. But this is easier said than done. Numerous factors come into the picture for this to materialise. Notably among them is the fact that too much cost factor which comes into the picture. For the product launching is well planned and thought off activity. The activities include conducting market surveys which in plain sense means that the business units are required to conduct or determine the feasibility of the new product within a limited area and then based on the results they take further course of action i.e. go ahead with the launch of the product or to drop the project altogether. In other words, business units conduct sample surveys i.e. obtaining the response on a small piece of the larger picture and then based on the results of the small piece, estimate the likely response on the larger piece of the picture. The small piece is known as the sample and the larger piece is known as the population. Thus the concept of sample and population plays a vital role and assists the management in taking core decisions which may or not prove fruitful in the survival of the business. In order, to take decisions based on the sample and to estimate the population parameters business units are required to start with some of the assumptions or the hypothesis. And, based on assumptions or hypothesis about the population it is tested meaning that whatever the assumption that they started with, whether the assumption was correct or incorrect. Thus we have hypothesis testing. Let us take an example to illustrate what has been said above. Suppose, the business units want to bring in a new product in the market which will increase the market share and hence the profitability of the business unit. In this case, the hypothesis would be introduction of new product will increase the profitability and based on this the survey would be conducted. The results of analysis of the data will reveal whether the hypothesis was correct or incorrect. This unit will cover the basics of hypothesis and its testing; the steps required to test the hypothesis. This unit will also cover the types and characteristics of hypothesis and the like. Objectives After studying this unit, the reader will be able to: Understand the basic concepts of hypothesis Understand the various types and the characteristics of hypothesis Understand the steps involved in the testing of hypothesis Understand the two tailed and the one tailed tests involved in the testing of hypothesis Understand the criterion when to accept or when to reject the hypothesis Understand the manner in which decisions are to be taken on the basis of the results arrived during the process of testing of hypothesis 6.2 Defining Hypothesis In order to discuss the basics of hypothesis testing in detail let us now, define what is meant by hypothesis. Simply speaking, hypothesis is a unit of the inferential statistics (i.e. the branch of statistics which is used to infer information on the collected data) which is used to test a claim about the larger portion (which is called population) based on the data collected from the smaller part known as sample. In other words hypothesis testing is the process of staking claim based on the values obtained from the sample. Let us take an example in order to drive home the point illustrated above. A manufacturer involved in the manufacturing of types claims that the average life of their tires will last at least 70,000 kms. We want to test the claim made by the manufacturer. The process we will adopt is to take a sample of tires, run them until they see how many kms. on average they have lasted. If the sample has lasted over 70,000 kms, then we do have the reason to believe that the claim is correct and that all the other tires they produce will also last 70,000 kms. miles. In arriving at this conclusion, we may commit the following We may incorrectly say the tires do not last at least 70,000 kms when in fact they do last We may incorrectly say the tires do last at least 70,000 kms when in fact they do not Thus, we may commit some errors during the process of staking the claim to the hypothesis we have formulated. This aspect will be covered in next section Self Assessment Questions True or False Managers are required to make decisions Hypothesis is an assumption about something which is taken to be true We may commit some errors in the process of testing of hypothesis 6.3 Characteristics of Hypothesis Having understood the definition of hypothesis, let us now understand the characteristics of hypothesis. The following are the characteristics of hypothesis. A hypothesis is based on reasoning which appears to be justified This simply means that the hypothesis we have formulated should be based on the previous research and the hypothesis should follow the most likely outcome not the exceptional outcome. For example, we should form the hypothesis regarding the launching of new product on the basis of the previous data which was analysed and which prompted us to take further steps such as market research and the like A hypothesis should provide a reasonable explanation for the outcome which is to be predicted This means that the hypothesis formulated should not focus on the unrealistic outcome i.e. the hypothesis should be based on the realistic scenario. For example, an hypothesis such as our new software will surpass the sales of the software dealer who is leading the software market or that our software will sell very well on the surface of the moon. All these are unrealistic. A hypothesis should clearly state the relationship between the variables that are defined This simply means that the hypothesis should not be vague. It should be in plain simple terms and in a language which is simple to understand. For example, the hypothesis that the MIS report will be printed somewhat in 3 to 4 minutes is ambiguous and confusing. A hypothesis defines the variables measurable terms This means that the hypothesis focus on the aspects such as who all would be affected; who are the players in the process and the like. For example, hypothesis, that the product will work correctly for 2 months for small children. A hypothesis is testable in a given or sufficient amount of time This means that the hypothesis is tested within a finite amount of time. An hypothesis which cannot be tested within the finite amount of time will never be tested nor accepted Self Assessment Questions Fill in the blanks A hypothesis is _________ in a given period of ______________ Hypothesis defines __________ in measurable terms Hypothesis should define the ________ between the variables 6.4 Types of Hypothesis Having understood the basic terminology of hypothesis let us now discuss the types of hypothesis. Though we have just scratched the types of hypothesis, let us now go deeper into the detail of types of hypothesis. Hypothesis are of various types. Some of them are discussed below Null hypothesis Alternate hypothesis Simple Hypothesis Complex hypothesis Null Hypothesis This hypothesis is formulated when the statistician believes that there is no relationship between two variables or when there is insufficient information to formulate a state a research hypothesis. It is denoted by H0 Alternate hypothesis This hypothesis is the opposite of Null hypothesis. it is formulated then the researcher believes that there is sufficient information to believe that there is relationship between the variables. It is represented as H1 or H µ Simple hypothesis This hypothesis predicts the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. Both the variables must be single variables    Complex hypothesis This hypothesis is used to predict the relationship between two or more independent variables and two or more dependent variables Examples of different types of Hypothesis Health related education programmes influence the number of people who smoke Newspapers affects peoples living standard Absenteeism in classes affects exam scores Lower levels of exercise is responsible for increase in weight Self Assessment Questions True or False Complex hypothesis is used to predict the relationship between two or more independent variable with two or more dependent variables Alternate hypothesis is opposite to null hypothesis 6.5 Hypothesis Testing Having understood the various types of hypothesis let us dwell on the important point of hypothesis testing. As stated above hypothesis means that we verify the claim on the larger unit based on the data and the results obtained by performing statistical tests on the data. let us now look at the steps involved in the testing of hypothesis. the following are the steps : Describe in a statement about the population characteristic for which the hypotheses is to be tested State the null hypothesis and depict as Ho State the alternative hypothesis depict it as H1 or Ha Identify and display the test statistic that will be used Identify the region of rejection region Is it on the upper, lower, or on the two-tailed test Determine the critical value that will be associated as a, the level of significance at which the test is to be conducted Compute the quantities in the test statistic State the conclusion based on the computed statistics meaning that it is now to be decided as to whether reject the null hypothesis, Ho, or accept the alternate hypothesis. The conclusion is dependent on the level of significance of the test. Figure 1 provides a graphical view of the steps involved in the testing of hypothesis Figure 1 Steps involved in the testing of hypothesis 6.6 Difference between Null Hypothesis and Alternative Hypothesis In the previous units we have understood the basics of null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis, let us now discuss the difference between these types of hypothesis. the following are the differences Null hypothesis is used to describe the prediction while alternative hypothesis describes other possible outcomes. For example, if we predict A is related to B which is null hypothesis while the alternative hypothesis will be A is not related to B meaning that A can be teacher of B, A can be mentor of B and so on The alternative hypothesis can be negative but it does not necessarily mean a negation of null hypothesis but rather that it is a measure of finding out whether the null hypothesis is true or not meaning that whether it should be accepted or it should be rejected Alternative hypothesis provides an opportunity to look at other things and other possibilities where as null hypothesis provides the presence or absence of the same meaning that when we deal with null hypothesis our focus becomes restricted while in the case of alternative hypothesis our focus needs to be wider 6.7 Decision Rule Decision rules are the procedures that enable us to determine whether the findings of the observed samples are in sharp contradiction i.e. there is significant difference from the results that were expected and which will thus help us to decide whether to accept or reject hypotheses are called rules of decision or simply decision rules. Let us take an example in order to illustrate what has been said with regard to decision rule. Suppose that we toss a coin 50 times and get head 42 times and if we had the null hypothesis that the coir is fair. Now in this scenario, there is sufficient reason to believe that the coin is biased based on the output obtained although we may be wrong in this manner. In the current scenario, the observations are saying something else in comparison to our hypothesis, hence, we are in a dilemma as to accept or reject the hypothesis. Procedures , which assist us in deciding whether to accept or reject the hypothesis when there is significant difference between the observed and the stated are know an Decision Rules. Type I and Type II errors It is in situations like the above, that we may commit errors or mistakes which are classified as Type I or Type II errors. Type I error is when we reject the hypothesis when it should have been accepted Type II error is when we accept a hypothesis when it should have been rejected From the above definitions, in both the cases a wrong decision has been made. Hence, it becomes imperative that we need to minimize the errors while making decisions. Level of Significance While testing the given hypothesis the maximum risk that we can take for Type I error is called the level of signi ¬Ã‚ cance of the test. This is denoted by Greek letter Alpha ÃŽÂ ±. It is decided before hand so that they do not influence the choice of our decisions. 6.8 Two tailed and one tailed tests In order to understand the concept of two tailed and one tailed tests, consider the following scenario. Let us have a null hypothesis H0  and an alternative hypothesis H1. We want to conduct the test and determine whether we should reject the null hypothesis in favour of alternative hypothesis. Thus, we have two different types of test which can be performed viz. One Tailed test and Two Tailed test One-tailed  test seeks to look for an increase or decrease in the parameter under consideration while two-tailed  test seeks to look for any change in the parameter We can carry out the test at any level 1%, 5% or 10% are the common levels. For example, when we perform the test at a 5% level it means that there is a 5% chance of wrongly rejecting H0 that is null hypothesis on the other hand If we perform the test at the 5% level and decide to reject the null hypothesis, we say that there is a significant evidence at 5% to suggest that the hypothesis is false. One-Tailed Test For the one tailed test we choose a critical region. In a one-tailed test, the critical region will have one part. If the sample value lies in this region, we will reject the null hypothesis in favour of the alternative On the other hand , if we want to look for definite decrease. Then the critical region will be to the left. Example Suppose we are given that in a  Poisson distribution  and we want to test hypothesis on the mean,  based upon a sample of observation 3. Suppose the hypotheses are: H0:  l  = 9   H1:  l   We want to test if it is reasonable for the value observed to be 3 to have been derived from Poisson distribution with having a parameter value of 9. What is the probability that the value as low as 3 has come from a Poisson distribution have the value 9? P(X  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 3) = 0.0212 (this has been obtained from Poisson table) The probability is less than 0.05, which means that there is less than a 5% chance that the value has come from a Poisson(3) distribution. The null hypothesis should be rejected in favour of the alternative at the 5% level. Two-Tailed Test In a two-tailed test, we look for either an increase or a decrease. Hence, for example, H0  might be that the mean is equal to 9 (as before). This time, however, H1  would be that the mean is not equal to 9. So, In this case, therefore, the critical region has two parts: Example Lets test the parameter p of a  Binomial distribution  at the 10% level. Suppose a coin is tossed 10 times and we get 7 heads. We want to test whether or not the coin is fair. If the coin is fair, p = 0.5 . Put this as the null hypothesis: H0: p = 0.5 H1: p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   0.5 Because this is a 2-tailed test, the critical region also has two parts. Half of the critical region is to in the right and other half is in the left. So the critical region contains both the top 5% of the distribution and the bottom 5% of the distribution (as we are testing at the 10% level). If H0  is true, X ~ Bin(10, 0.5). If the null hypothesis is true, what is the probability that X is 7 or above? P(X à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 7) = 1 P(X Is this in the critical region? No- because the probability that X is at least 7 is not less than 0.05 (5%), which is what we need it to be. So there is no significant evidence to reject the null hypothesis at 10% level of significance 6.9 Procedure of Hypothesis testing Having understood the basics of hypothesis, let us now dwell on the procedure which is to be followed in the testing of hypothesis. The following are the steps that are to be followed. State null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis State the level of significance. This gives us the tabulated values Select the appropriate test Calculate the required values for the test Conduct the test Draw the conclusions 6.10 Summary A hypothesis is necessary in todays business world as the managers are required to take decisions and they need to have a starting point Hypothesis is widely used in the conduct of market surveys The concept of sample and population is widely used in the testing of hypothesis Hypothesis is a unit of inferential statistics Hypothesis is based on reasoning which appears to be justified Null hypothesis is formed when there is n relationship between the variables Alternative hypothesis is the reverse of null hypothesis Decisions rules provide the basis for accepting the or rejecting the hypothesis Type I error is when we reject the hypothesis when it should have been accepted Type II error is when we accept the hypothesis when we should have rejected it 6.11 Terminal Questions What is the significance of hypothesis testing? What is meant by Type I and Type II errors? Explain with examples What is the difference between Null hypothesis and Alternative hypothesis? Explain the steps involved in the testing of hypothesis. 6.12 Answers Self Assessment Questions True False True Testable Time Variables Relationship True True 6.13 Suggested Reading Books Testing statistical hypothesis, Lehmann, Joseph Hypothesis testing with SPSS, Jim Mirabella Fundamentals of Statistics, Michael Sullivan Fundamentals of Statistics, S.C. Gupta Fundamentals of Statistics, Trueman Lee Kelly Introductory Probability And Statistical Applications, Meyer Fundamental of Statistics, Vol II, Goon, Gupta and Dagupta An Outline of Statistical Theory, Vol I, Goon, Gupta and Dagupta A Basic Course in Statistics, Clarke, Geoffrey and Cooke, John Wiley Sons Basic Statistics, Nagar Das Quantitative Techniques for Decision Making, Anand Sharma Statistics for economists: A beginning, John E. Floyd The Elements of Statistical Learning, Trevor Hastie, Jerome Friedman. Introduction to Statistical Thought, Michael Lavine Web Resources en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_hypothesis_testing www.slideshare.net/vikramlawand/test-of-hypothesis www.sagepub.com/upm-data/40007_Chapter8.pdf www.iasri.res.in/ebook//2/4-TEST%20OF%20HYPOTHESIS.pdf www.math.uah.edu/stat/hypothesis/index.html www.angelfire.com/wv/bwhomedir/notes/z_and_t_tests.pdf www.20bits.com/article/hypothesis-testing-the-basics www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v11n3/java/Hypothesis/ math.bu.edu/people/nkatenka/MA113/Lecture_10_Notes.pdf www.pstcc.edu/facstaff/jwlamb/Math1530/7.2rvsd.ppt 6.14 Glossary Aggregate  It is the collection of small units which results in one complete entity. For example the aggregation of the total inhabitants of towns and villages and mega cities results in the population of the country Alpha Level  The probability that the statistical test will find difference between the groups which is significant when there are none. This is also termed as the probability of making a Type I error or as the significance level of statistical test. Alternative Hypothesis  The hypothesis that states that there is some difference between two or more groups. It is the alternative to null hypothesis, which states that there is no difference among the groups. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)  A test that determines whether the means of two or more groups is significantly different. Association  It is a type of relationship between objects or variables. Average  A single value which may be mean, median or mode and represents the typical, normal, or the middle value of a given set of data. Axiom  A statement widely accepted as truth. Bell-Shaped Curve  A curve which is the characteristic of a normal distribution, which is symmetrical about the mean. The area under the normal curve is 1.0. Beta Level  It is the probability of making an error due to the result of the chance variations when in actuality they are due to the differences of the result of the experimental manipulation or intervention. It is also referred to as the probability of making a Type II error. Bias  They are the influences that contribute to the distortions of the results Categorical Data  They are also referred to as the nominal data. They are for indicative purpose only Causal Analysis  An analysis that seeks to establish the cause and effect relationships between variables. Central Tendency  A measure that describes the central characteristic of the distribution. Comparability  It is the quality of two or more entities that are to be evaluated for their similarity and differences. Confidence Interval  A range of estimated values that provides the best estimate regarding the populations values. Confidence Level  It is the percentage which represents the number of times that a confidence interval will include the true population value. Consistency  It is the process in which similar responses are demonstrated throughout the activity / event. Constant  It is the value which does not change Descriptive Statistics  It is the basic statistics that is used to describe and summarize data. Focus Group  An interview conducted with a small group of people, all at one time, to explore ideas on a particular topic. Multivariate Analysis  It is the analysis of several independent variable on the dependent variable. Mutually Exclusive  It is when the happening of an event does not disturb or alters the happening of another event. for example, in tossing of coin, the appearance of head is mutually exclusive to the appearance of tail as any one of them say head, does not allow the other to happen simultaneously. Nominal Scale  It is a scale that allows for classifying of elements into several mutually exclusive categories which are based on defined features but no numeric. They are just used for identification purposes. For example, the shirts worn by players in a football match. The number on the shirts represent the identification of the player only. Normal Curve  It is the curve, which is bell shaped in structure. It is formed when the data having normal distribution is plotted. Normal Distribution  It is the distribution that describes a frequency distribution comprising of data points which resembles a bell shape structure. The normal distribution shows important properties that are necessary for performing various statistical tests for different types of applications. Null Hypothesis  It is the hypothesis that states that there is no difference among and between the groups. It is in sharp contrast to alternative hypothesis that states that between two or more groups there is some difference Observation Unit  It is the actual unit which is subjected to observation during the course of study. 6.15 Case study Let us assume that a manufacturer of the light bulbs wants to produce bulbs with a mean life of 1000 hours If the lifetime is shorter, he/ she will lose customers to his / her competitors; if the lifetime is longer, he / she will have a very high production cost because the filaments will be excessively thick. In order to see whether the production process is working properly a sample of the output is taken to test the hypothesis A two tailed test is used because he / she does not want to deviate significantly from 1000 hours in either direction. Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected.

Harley Davidson :: Business Management Essays

Overview Harley-Davidson’s management had much to be proud of as the company wrapped up its Open Road Tour centennial celebration that began in July 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended on the 2003 Memorial Day Weekend in Harley’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 14-month Open Road Tour drew large crowds of Harley owners in each of its five stops in North America and additional stops in Australia, Japan, Spain, and Germany. Also during its 2003 centennial year, Harley-Davidson was named to Fortune’s list of â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work For† and was judged third in automotive quality behind Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz by Harris Interactive, a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for the Harris Poll. The company’s revenues had grown at a compounded annual rate of 16.6% since 1994 to reach $4.6 billion in 2003—marking its 18th consecutive year of record revenues and earnings. In 2003, the company sold more than 290,000 motor cycles, giving it a commanding share of the 651+cc motorcycle market in the U.S. and the leading share of the market in the Asia/Pacific region. The consistent growth had allowed Harley-Davidson’s share price to appreciate by more than 15,000% since the company’s initial public offering in 1986. In January 2004 the company’s CEO, Jeffrey Bleustein, stated that Harley-Davidson’s earnings growth rate should fall in the mid-teens for the foreseeable further and the company expected to increase unit sales to 400,000 units by 2007. However, not everyone was as bullish *This teaching note reflects the thinking, insight, and analysis of case authors, Professor John E. Gamble and Diplom-Betriebswirt Roger Schà ¤fer, both of the University of South Alabama. on Harley-Davidson’s future, with analysts pointing out that the company’s plans for growth were too dependent on aging baby boomers. The company had achieved its record growth during the 1990s and early-2000s primarily through the appeal of its image with baby boomers in the U.S. There was some question how much longer boomers would choose to spend recreational time touring the country by motorcycle and attending motorcycle rallies. The company had yet to develop a motorcycle that appealed in large numbers to motorcycle riders in their 20s or cyclists in Europe who both preferred performance oriented bikes rather than cruisers or touring motorcycles. Another concern of analysts watching the company was Harley-Davidson’s short-term oversupply of certain models brought about by the 14-month production run for its 100th anniversary models.

Obesity Alters Gut Microbial Ecology Essay -- Biology

A common theme among the concerns of today’s American citizens is that of obesity. Obesity, identifiable by abnormal fat accumulation, can be defined in absolute terms by one who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. It is estimated that over 30 percent of American adults are clinically obese. This number has shown a dramatic increase from the 15 percent of American adults suffering from obesity in 1980. Globally, 400 million adults are obese, while predictions place this number at 700 million by 2015. The major issue confronting this adiposity is the health conditions that accompany states of extreme obesity. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis among others. The escalating number of obese and the health effects connected to this condition have resulted in increased research and attention to the study of obesity. It is the common belief that the cause of obesity is solely due to an excessive consumption of food. However, recent studies have made a correlation between obesity and the diversity of microbiota in the gut. One project of focus (â€Å"Obesity alters gut microbial ecology†) measured the proportions of gut microbes in mice populations and hypothesized a relationship between this bacterial number and body mass. The significance of this field of study is vital to the issue of obesity. First, such a discovery would falsify the stereotype that obesity is exclusively a result of a disproportionate intake of calories. Instead, it would show that this condition is a genetic trait which maintains an acute relationship with the composition of microbes in the gut. More importantly, if the exact association between obesity and gut microbes can be discovered, it may be possible to alter or... ...05. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 21 Oct 2007. . * "Obesity." Wikipedia. 14 Nov 2007. . * "Obesity and Overweight." Media Centre. Sept 2006. World Health Organization. 1 Nov 2007. . * "Overweight and Obesity." Diseases and Conditions Index. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 1 Nov 2007. . * Smith, Christopher M. "DNA Sequence and Structural Analysis." 17 Feb 2004. The Regents of the University of California. 21 Oct 2007. >. * University of Maryland. "Phylogenetic Analysis I." 2006. 21 Oct. 2007. .

Savings Account

HSBC is one of the biggest financial institutions in the world. It provides banking and other financial services to its clients across the globe. Because of this, HSBC have come up with a suitable slogan stating, â€Å"We are the world's local bank. † Furthermore, its headquarters is located in London but its group of global networks expands to more than 9,500 in 86 countries in North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. One of HSBC’s advantages over the others is that it has able to utilize technology and e-commerce to be able to meet the comprehensive needs and wants of its diverse clients (HSBC, 2009). Moreover, owning a house is the ultimate dream for some people. For many individuals with meager to average income, buying a house is a long and costly process. But due to the existence of banks, the dream of owning a house can become a reality. With HSBC, there are numerous ways on how people can save money to buy a house. In line with this, HSBC offers the Regular Saver account wherein customers can avail of a fixed rate ranging from 1 to10% monthly which is calculated based on the â€Å"daily cleared balance and paid on first anniversary of account opening. † More so, this type of account prevents any partial withdrawal which can help clients to save more money. Also, individuals can conveniently apply for this product through phone or to the nearest HSBC branch. For as low as ?250 a month, customers can open their savings account at HSBC and in the succeeding months they can increase their deposit to gain more profit. For example, â€Å"a total of ?3,000 will be paid into your account during the 12 month term. At 10% interest, you will earn approximately ?163 interest. † The features of the account aid in facilitating a better method of increasing the money saved by the clients Through HSBC’s Regular Saver account, average income earning individuals can save enough money for at least a year in order to pay for the deposit when buying for a house (HSBC, 2009). References HSBC. (2009). About HSBC. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.hsbc.com/1/2/about-hsbc HSBC. (2009). Regular Saver. Retrieved March 30, 2009, from http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/savings/regular-saver;jsessionid=0000xLn6IU4OahZ1KqVs5ZY47h5:12c58n73a

Scarce Source

The nursing shortage is an issue that has an increase concern in the health care system today and that has been a threat to the quality of care and safety of the patients. â€Å"The shortage of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications; it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present condition† (Buchan & Aiken, 2008, p. 3262). The changes in the government policies in the creation of the new measurements and compensation methods for better quality of care has increased a more critical working condition for the nursing profession. The United States will have a decline in the quality of health care and be jeopardizing the safety of the patients instead of having some positive outcomes. Nursing Shortage Influencing Factors There are five influencing factors that many of the researches have concluded: increase in the number of retiring nurses, noncompetitive salaries, nurse’s workload and role expectations, and increase opportunities outside the profession or going into administrative positions or other faculty positions. The decrease in the young people entering the nursing profession has increased the nursing shortage because is leaving the older nurses to come to their retiring year. The younger populations is also looking for a more stable profession and are going to other professions as a security blanket for their economic stability. Nurses are also faced with the dissatisfaction of having noncompetitive salaries in their nursing profession and are forced to look for a more stable opportunity outside the profession to meet their needs. Challenges and Consequences of not addressing the issue The nursing shortage must be addressed to find ways of overcoming the challenges and consequences of the issue to decrease the effects of having a negative impact on the health care system. To overcome the challenges and consequences one must look at the demand factors and supply factor in the specific countries or regions to deal with the nursing shortage. Some of the demand factors may be: â€Å"demographic and epidemiological trends, service use patterns and macroeconomic condition† (Buchan & Aiken, 2008, p. 264). Some of the supply factors might be: â€Å"improving recruitment, retention and return-getting, keeping and keeping in touch with these relatively scarce nurses† (Buchan & Aiken, 2008, p. 3266). The consequences of not addressing the issue of the nursing shortage will lead to an increase in the shortage, and poor health care outcomes, including a decrease in the quality of care, medical errors, patient injury, and increase in the infection and wound rates. Solution or Innovation The policy makers need to come up with a motive or a solution that will bring the younger population to enter the nursing profession and be able to retain that population in the profession for a long time. The solution of the issue for the nursing shortage is not easy, but by increasing different types of motives and recruiting methods definitely will decrease some of the nursing shortage. Policy makers should look at â€Å"intervening with educational vouchers and incentive for nurses† (Abrahamson, PhD, RN & Fox, PhD, 2009, p. 241). The method for increasing grants or educational loan forgiveness program will increase the incentive for the younger population to feel some kind of security in the nursing profession. Incentives for some of the younger nurses will include bonuses when hired, or an increase in the salary in competitive salaries, and a decrease in the workload in the profession. The government already has some of these solutions in progress, but a package of the incentives is a good idea to encourage the younger population to enter the nursing profession. Economic Investment The government is already investing in the nursing profession by the different programs starting to take place for the nursing profession, and increase the entry of the younger population into the nursing profession. By increasing the positive outcomes in the health care system the quality of care and safety of the patient will increase, and decreasing the possibility of mortality rates, infection or wound rates, medication errors or even patient injuries. For example one program is the Nursing Loan Repayment Program, which includes repaying the students loans if in agreement to practice at least two years in a health care organization. Public Efforts The older population should join in an effort to decrease in the nursing shortage by educating the young population, reinforcing the need for a better quality of care and the safety of the patient and also the importance of decreasing the nursing shortage in the health care system. The leaders of the health care system need to join and be able to develop some form of communication to promote the nursing profession, and in exchange be able to have a better health care system. Conclusion The shortage will continue to get worse if the working conditions do not improve, and the measurements for compensation do not improve in the health care system. The nursing shortage will have a positive outcome once there a good amount of adequate staffing to decrease the number of influencing factors that increase the nursing shortage. â€Å"Nurses are the main professional component of the front line staff in most health systems, and their contribution is recognized as essential to meeting developmental goals and delivering safe and effective care† (Buchan & Aiken, 2008, p. 3263).

Illegal Imigrants Should Be Allowed Essay

This spring, approximately 2. 8 million high school seniors will graduate from various schools around the country. Many will continue their education at college; others will join the armed forces or take another path in life. However, a group of about 65,000 students will be unable to continue on their paths due to their status as illegal immigrants (Dream). Because of their status of illegal immigrants, it is extremely difficult for them to better their way of life. Therefore, illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public universities. Illegal immigrants are already allowed to attend our public schools from the lementary level all the way through high school. The 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe ruled that public schools are prohibited from denying immigrant students access to public schools (Plyler). The court found that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education and are obligated to attend school until they reach the age mandated by state law. Since then, many undocumented immigrants have passed through the public education system. Currently, it is believed that as many as 4. 9 million undocumented students are attending public schools (Immigration). However, it is difficult to know the exact umber because of their status as undocumented immigrants. One thing that is known for sure is the number will continue to rise, leaving more and more students with undecided futures after graduation. However, the ability for illegal immigrants to attend public universities has largely been left up to the states. Currently, South Carolina is the only state that prohibits illegal immigrants from attending public universities and colleges that receive state funding; although North Carolina and Alabama both prohibit undocumented people from attending community colleges (Coley). On the other end of the spectrum, nine tates including California, Nebraska, and Texas all offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants (College). New Jersey is also in the process of deciding whether or not to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Although the states are the only ones to have passed legislation regarding undocumented immigrants attending public universities, there is legislation currently making its way through Congress. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, could bring about major changes. It was first introduced in 2007, but failed to make it past the Senate floor. Then this past spring, Senator Durbin from Illinois reintroduced the piece of legislation. Under the currently proposed DREAM Act, undocumented immigrant students would be given the opportunity to attend institutions of higher education and be able to obtain legal, permanent residency. According to the 2009 version of the Senate bill, DREAM Act beneficiaries must have proof of arriving in the United States before age 16 and live in the United States for five consecutive years since their date of arrival. They would also have to be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment, btain a high school diploma, and have good moral character (Dream). Any opportunity to attend public universities and possibly achieve legal residency. This piece of legislation is expected to bring some heavy debate in the spring and could bring on some important changes if passed. One very important supporter for illegal immigrants attending institutions of higher education is the College Board. The College Board is made up of 5,000 schools and is best known for its SAT college admissions test. This past July, the board released a report citing a need for federal legislation that would provide in-state ollege tuition, financial aid, and legal status to many illegal immigrants in the United States (College). The report is the first time the College Board has spoken publicly about the issue. Undocumented immigrants should be given the right to attend public universities and colleges because we have a moral obligation to give them an equal opportunity to better their situation. Many of the undocumented immigrants that currently live in the United States were brought here by their parents. The children did not make the decision to enter the country illegally, their parents did. By not allowing illegal mmigrants to attend public universities, we are essentially punishing them for decisions they did not make. Also, undocumented immigrants are going to remain and live in the United States regardless of their ability to attend public universities. So if these undocumented immigrants are going to stay here, it makes sense economically to have them be productive as possible. The College Board report shows that with the ability for illegal immigrants to obtain a higher education and move into better paying Jobs, the economy would increase from increased tax revenue and consumer spending College). Additionally, if these undocumented immigrant students are paying for their college education, why not allow them the opportunity to further their knowledge. Under our current system, illegal immigrants are allowed to attend our public schools at no cost. But when these same illegal immigrants want to pay for a higher education, many of them are turned away because of their legal status. Plus, universities and colleges from all over the country already allow foreign exchange students to attend their universities. Here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pproximately 6 percent of the student body is from a foreign country (International). There is no controversy on whether or not to allow these students, who are not United States citizens, to attend our public universities. So if someone is willing to pay their way through college, they should be allowed to attend regardless of residency status. All of these reasons support the passage of the DREAM Act. As of today, it remains one of the last hopes for undocumented immigrants to obtain the right to attend public universities indefinitely. Although nine states have passed legislation allowing or in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, states are increasingly moving towards not allowing them to attend public universities. Missouri and Virginia are currently considering a ban similar to South Carolina’s that would bar all illegal immigrants from attending public universities and colleges (College). So it is time now more than ever to stand up for undocumented immigrants’ rights. We have a public universities. One rebuttal often brought up in the discussion why illegal immigrants should not be allowed to attend public universities is they are breaking the law by being here in the United States. Although undocumented immigrants are breaking the law, it should not hold them back from furthering their education. Many illegal immigrants were brought here by their parents and did not make the decision to come here illegally. Illegal immigrants often spend close to their whole lives in the United States. Although they are still considered illegal in the eyes of the law, many are basically Americans because they have lived here for as long as they can remember. It is Just unfair to continue to punish someone for a decision they did not make. Another rebuttal often made against undocumented immigrants is the overnment is subsidizing an education for non-citizens because they do not pay taxes. The government already subsidizes an education from the high school level on down for everybody regardless of residency status. Also, many undocumented immigrants are unable to obtain residency status in the United States. The long, difficult process of obtaining American citizenship keeps many of these illegal immigrants from paying taxes. The current system we use for obtaining citizenship creates a continual cycle that does not allow for illegal immigrants to pay taxes. If it as easier for undocumented immigrants to obtain citizenship, more tax revenue would be brought in to subsidize their education. In conclusion, there are many factors to consider why illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public universities. If they are paying their way through college like every other student, then they should be allowed to attend public universities. Plus, many of these undocumented immigrants are going to remain in the United States regardless of their ability to attend universities, so it makes sense to have them be productive as possible. It also does not make sense to punish someone because heir parents came into the United States illegally.

Technology and crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technology and crimes - Essay Example This leads to more effective credit card and identity theft scams (Criminal Intelligence Service Canada [CISC], 2010). - Credit card skimmer devices can be placed within a point-of-sale credit card machine, and collect names and credit card numbers. These devices operate on battery power and do not require the criminal to be nearby for them to do their work; they can be picked up surreptitiously later (CISC, 2010). - GPS tracking on cell phones and other web-enabled devices, as well as cell phone call tracking, means that the police can find out where criminals are making calls from and where they are traveling (Howell, 2010). - Database analysis turns information into a map that tells cops where a specific criminal is likely to live and where they are likely to strike next; this map also shows where crime hotspots are (Logan, 2004). - Wireless networking of different departments helps with arson tracking (Logan, 2004). Arson is often not well-reported, since it is the domain of the fire department and not the police department. Networking their databases together means that if the fire department suggests a fire is suspicious, the police immediately know about it. - Dashboard cameras on police cars record how a police officer behaves during a criminal arrest or investigation of a crime scene. This way, the actions of the police officer are no longer hearsay, but instead are a matter of record. (Howell, 2010) - The installation of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System has meant that criminals picked up for minor crimes dont get away with bigger ones. It is a national database of wanted criminals that tells officers almost immediately if the person they picked up for one crime is wanted for something more serious in another jurisdiction (Howell, 2010). Criminal Intelligence Service Canada [CISC]. (2010, May 13). Technology and Crime. Criminal Intelligence Service

Business Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Failure - Essay Example Moreover, the individuals within both the corporations also projected the fact that this amalgamation would facilitate their individual pathways to success. The observable fact is that the stockholders of both the corporations had given their management a green signal in regards to this amalgamation. Furthermore they had also highly recommended and supported the act. Nobody could even remotely predict what was to follow the amalgamation. Soon after the amalgamation was signed, it seemed that both the corporations individually were not even treading close to their routine work path; instead somehow, they were treading way from their usual successful modes of operations. Routine after the amalgamation, though, was totally diverse, mainly at the Chrysler division. And in the following months, their stock prices plunged down by an approximate one half. The Chrysler division, which had seemed to be lucrative earlier to the amalgamation, began trailing upon their wealth shortly afterwards. The management then presumed at that point in time that they would somehow carry this on. In accumulation to this, there had been noteworthy number of layo ffs at Chrysler following the amalgamation. This had not been projected prior to the act of the amalgamation (CNNMoney,2001). The reason of failure: The dissimilarities within the culture linking the two associations were mainly accountable for this collapse. The processes along with the administration were not effectively incorporated as contemporaries as of the completely diverse ways within which the Germans also Americans functions: whilst Chrysler and Daimlers customs strained upon a more official and controlled administration style, Chrysler privileged a more comfortable, non-interventionist style, to which it billed a big part of its pre amalgamation economic triumph. Additionaly, the two divisions conventionally held utterly diverse outlooks on vital effects like salaries also travel expenditures (Vlasic and Stertz, 2000). As a consequence of these disparities along with the German unit's mounting supremacy, routine and worker happiness at Chrysler gave way to a sharp recession. There had been big numbers of variations amongst the key Chrysler executives also engineers, even as the German unit became ever more discontente d with the routine of the Chrysler division. Chrysler workers, in the meantime, became enormously displeased with what they professed as the foundation of their division's tribulations. The idea that Daimler wanted to execute included taking over the entire corporation and enforcing their culture in it. The Cultural standards materialize to make individual corporations more competent by producing a communal perceptive that supports statement also action. Nevertheless, when two united corporations vary in their principles; this can generate a basis of divergence and misinterpretation that precludes the merged corporation from comprehending the economic competence. The corporations conjecture that the degree of these differences are unforeseen as spectators spotlight on concrete aspects of the company's exercises like that of expertise, resources, as well as

Discussion12 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion12 - Assignment Example embassies as well as the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. soil. U.S. counterterrorism efforts have led to $1 trillion being spent in unending wars. Also, overreliance on oil has led to global warming as a result of emission of green house gases from the burning of gasoline. 2. The idea of America keeping up with the war against communism cannot be ruled out in totality. Instead, I hold the opinion that America should oppose communist’s regimes that deny citizens their basic rights. It is evident that Democracy stands out as the best system of governance as it takes a way power from few individuals and gives it to the people. It is very dangerous to entrust power to just few persons as their selfish interests can drive them into risking the lives of an entire nation. For example, North Korea is a communist state whose leader, Kim Jong-un, is putting the lives of the nation at risk by manufacturing nuclear weapons. Similarly, Hong Kong has recently been protesting against poor leadership in Beijing. Unfortunately, the citizens are denied the power to choose their preferred leader as communist regimes do not provide for that. Therefore, I think United States should continue promoting democracy across the world by setting a good example of how democ racy gives the citizens power. In situations where there is extreme violations of human rights in communist state, America as the leader of the world should intervene by setting up with the right systems of government that can protect the citizens. 3. The idea of immigration into the U.S. is common because of the many opportunities that the country offers. In fact, before I came to America I always had that it is a country of great opportunities. I have come to realize that many people migrate into the U.S. year in search of better jobs, better education, and better life. However, life as an illegal immigrant is not easy as every day you are under constant watch of security officers.

Financial Reporting and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Essay Example These spreadsheets should be common-sized and the figures compared to the company. The Balance Sheet helps to plot company's next year's profitability and what company's future business wealth will be by evaluating company's present year's Balance Sheet, and comparing with last year. To improve company's financial performance, the company needs to evaluate the major Balance Sheet components - Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. The company owns assets, such as cash, equipment, and property, to increase the company 's business profitability and future wealth. Return on Assets (ROA) compares Net Income and Total Assets to show how much income has been generated worth of the company's assets. The company's assets can be improved by evaluating each asset category to identify room for improvement and to manage company's inventory and collect accounts receivable better and faster. The important thing to remember for loan consideration is that if company's business experiences large variances in assets during last two year, ROA is to be calculated using an average of the assets over the period being evaluated When purchased, inventory is an asset recorded on the Balance Sheet. ... Managing Inventory Company's business manages inventory has an impact on both profits and cash flow. When purchased, inventory is an asset recorded on the Balance Sheet. At any given time, assuming a customer wants it, company can sell inventory to regain cash. One way to evaluate how well inventory is being managed is to look at the Inventory Turnover ratio. This ratio tells how many times the average level of inventory is sold, or turns over, during the year. The ratio should be used to compare company's own trends and to compare to the industry's averages. High turnover is generally good. High turnover, however, may also indicate that there is not enough merchandise, and sales are being lost. The important thing to remember is that if companion's business experiences large variances in inventory during the year, calculate Inventory Turnover using an average of the inventory over the period being evaluated Collecting Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable describes money due from customers for products or services already sold.Liabilities Liabilities have an important supporting role that is vital to the creation of a healthy cash flow. The more cash a company has and the longer it can hold on to it, the better. One way to secure more cash and other assets is through the proper use of Liabilities. Liabilities are categorized as either short-term or long-term debts, called Current or Long-Term Liabilities Current Liabilities Current Liabilities are bills or loan payments due within the next business cycle, usually a year. The primary Current Liabilities are Accounts Payable, Accrued Expenses, and Short-Term Notes Payable. Several ratios, called Liquidity ratios, are used to measure a company's ability to pay its short-term bills, also called

Financial and Strategic Planning M2C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial and Strategic Planning M2C - Essay Example Since Franklin Healthcare is a non-profit making entity, Williams Foundations should not consider profit as the sole criteria of decision making. It should also consider the quality of services provided by the healthcare facility. Moreover it should also scrutinize that whether the money it is contributing for the welfare of the people is actually benefitting the deserving people. Or is the management of the Franklin Healthcare is merely making up the statements and in reality the health status of the people had not improved in the area. In view of this, Williams Foundation should set up an independent audit of the financial statements of the Franklin Healthcare in order to ensure that its financial statements are portraying a true picture of the entity. Once when the Williams Foundation is satisfied with the credibility of the financial statements it should base its decision on the meticulous analyses of the financial statements. Upon the analysis of the income statement it is evident that Franklin Healthcare is on the way of making profit. While its revenue remained steady, its expenses declined in 2011 as compared to 2010. Due to decrease in operating expenses the profit in 2011 rose by 0.02% as compared to the profit of 2010. The reasons cited for the decrease in operating expenses are the lay offs and subsequent reorganization of operating expenses. Another reason for this decline can be the decrease in the number of patients visiting Franklin Healthcare in 2011. As in 2010 almost 500 patients came to the healthcare facility and in 2011 the number plunged to 400. In 2011 the healthcare facility is earning profits and at the same time reorganization of the operating expenses is a sign that the healthcare facility is seriously concerned about the efficient running of the organization. If I base my analysis purely on the given information then I would recommend that Williams Foundation should continue giving

The poem ‘But These Things Also’ Essay Example for Free

The poem ‘But These Things Also’ Essay Thomas has a very distinctive eye for the miniature of nature, often overlooked by others. Explore his appreciation of the natural world in the poem ‘But These Things Also.’ Thomas throughout his collection of works has a very clear and distinct appreciation for nature which he wishes to explore it in all its glory and becomes a recurring theme. He consistently urges ‘man’ to look at the beauty of nature and the effect it has on the natural world. He expresses his application through the words of a poet and tries to do the endless wonder that is nature justice. In ‘but these things also’ he especially highlights the impact nature has on the audiences’ life and gives his personal account of the relationship he has with nature and in particular spring. Written in 1915, Thomas has not yet enlisted this is important as although not directly about war, the comparison of winter and spring could be his suggestion that the seasons are more than just seasons but a symbolic representation of life and death, not just in the natural world but also within human life. This could be taken as Thomas commenting on how life and in a sense goes so quickly by like the seasons themselves, therefore liking it to the war and his confusion of whether to enlist. The tone of the poem on a whole is relatively pessimistic to mains appreciation of nature. He begins the opening line almost defining the characteristics of Spring, that he and spring are almost linked with the use of the world ‘also’, an attempted to glorify spring itself. It then moves onto something slightly more sinister in the grass is ‘long dead’ – something which is not normally attributed to spring itself which is seen as the coming of new life and rejuvenation. This is Thomas saying to the audience that is we do not see the beauty of nature then it may as well be dead to us like in ‘winter is was’ as it would have no purpose if the aesthetic is not glorified. The use of enjambment helps the poem to build in crescendo effect. For example ‘and starling flocks by chattering on and on keep their spirits up in the mist,’ this is done for two purposes. Firstly to expresses Thomas’ exasperation at humans for not noticing nature; he continues on his train of thought without taking a moment to breathe. Moreover he uses it to enable to the beauty of the ‘starling flocks’ to have an impact on the audience. He doesn’t just want the audience to notice nature he wants them to bask in it, and by using enjambment he is able to have the continuous train of thought so people can experience its beauty without interruption. It is also important to look at the reason for Thomas describing the birds as ‘chattering on and on’. This can be seen as a representation of the rest of the world’s complete disregard for its beauty. They do not take the time to just stop and look but continue on with their daily lives missing the important things i.e. nature. Furthermore birds are a reoccurring theme which Thomas uses throughout his body of works as a symbolism of the soldiers and of mankind as a whole. In words, a poem which has a lot of similarities to this as both emphasise the beauty and complexity of a ‘thing’, Thomas refers to the words as ‘nightingales’ in order to represent their freedom. This is similar this this poem as Thomas is showing the beauty and freedom of nature on a whole through the use of a bird. He uses the power of the second stanza to try and emphasize the things that he himself notices that are beautiful in the world. ‘The chip of flint and mite of chalk’ very menial things in the sense of the entire world but for Thomas they are the ones which matter the most, the minute detail as it is. He even shows his appreciation for ‘the small birds’ dung’ something which would never in a normal context be seen as something to look highly upon. However for Thomas it makes up the natural world. ‘a man mistakes’ shows Thomas imploring the audience to not always see these sorts of things as bad but look at them in the sense of art which is adding to beauty. This could also be seen as a representation of the blots on the world as a whole, a critic of them almost. The ‘splashes of white’ can be taken as the impurities that man himself carelessly inflicts on nature. The ‘ruins’ that the violets seek through are these impurities, and only that nature of beauty itself can purify them totally. Given the context this could be the blot of war but also symbolism for the blood shed from war and how it is dampening nature and losing it altruistic qualities. The symbolism of the violets is key in this poem. It links into to Thomas direct use of flowers/herbs and is used an imagery device. He does this similarly in the poem ‘March’ where he references the primroses, and in ‘Old Man’ were the initial is an herb in itself. Violets are the first flowers to bloom in spring time and are therefore the first hope of life. This is something which is a parallel with hat of March. It contrasts the darkness of winter with the light and hope of spring. ‘To pay winters debts’ is the flowers and therefore nature in spring time making up for the darkness and the gloom of winter. It almost a like a reference to pathetic fallacy, for spring has to bring him joy in comparison to the dark gloomy days that winter brings. The final line of ‘but these things also’ highlights the emphasis that Thomas wishes to place on the beauty of nature and how so many of us miss it in the everyday world. He is not just glorifying spring he is also glorying winter. ‘Springs here, winter not gone’ he is stating that the beauty of nature is regardless of the seasons and each one holds a new treasure which man must appreciate. This is similar to the poem ‘glory’ where he is trying to find the words to express his feelings towards nature but here he is saying that words nor seasons do not matter, nature in its full force is omnipresent. However this could also be read as the impacts of winters destruction and gloom are ever overshadowing the goodness of spring and the beauty of it. This can be translated into Tomas saying that man is missing out on the beauties of life; even when in full bloom spring cannot detract from the unhappiness in life, and especially war. It is his job therefore throughout this poem to try and make the audience see that there is so much goodness in the world and especially nature. In conclusion Thomas’ use of the theme of nature and his appreciation of it is one which is diverse. His main aim it to try and have an impact on the audiences view of nature and let them see that this is not always destruction in the world even if it may appear that way on the surface. He attempts to show them his view of nature and how it personal makes him feel, whilst also showing them some of the beauties of the world which they may miss in everyday life due to the all-consuming war. He effectively uses pieces of imagery to enable the audience to picture nature and have it at the fore front of their minds. He explores the themes of nature, war and destruction, which is in keeping with his other body of works.