Poverty and Pollution Case Study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Poverty and Pollution Case Study - Term Paper Example In later part of 20th century, the industrialization process was still young in the developing world, and so they were not in a position to change gear and switch to environmentally friendly technology. Many developing countries are still not able to tackle the problem of environmental pollution because it is not economically feasible for them to invest in environmental friendly technology. The issue of environmental pollution will be discussed in the paper with regards to developing countries. A global plan for pollution control will also be laid down in the end of the paper. Third world countries are more prone to environmental pollution than the developed countries because businesses in the third-world countries pay little heed towards environmental concern (Taylor, 2002). The moral repercussions of environmental pollution in the third-world countries are substantial. When businesses pollute the oceans, rivers, lands, and atmosphere of third world countries, they indirectly affect the health of the inhabitants of those countries. This is why the act of pollution can never be ethically justified. Environmental pollution in the third-world countries can also not be justified through argument of economic progress. There is no doubt that industries and businesses offer employment opportunities to local people which is instrumental in improving their living standards. But this opportunity comes at the price of their health and this cannot be ethical. Basic ethics demands that every person is given employment opportunity without compromising his health or the health of others. When businesses pollute the environment of a third-world country, they endanger the health of the people of that country. This is why there is not sound ethical justification for doing so. Businesses in the third-world countries have many reasons to ignore pollution control. The cost of investing in environmentally friendly equipment is extremely

What Is The CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model) And Of What Practical Essay - 1

What Is The CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model) And Of What Practical Use Is It - Essay Example When the expected return of a security is determined using the model then it can be compared to the estimated return of security over a given time period. Such comparison will help the investor to analyse whether it is worthwhile investing into the security. CAPM was first conceptualised and pioneered by William Sharpe, Jack Treynor, Jan Mossin and John Lintner through their independent works (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004, pp.86-87). The Capital Asset Pricing Model The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is popularly used to price individual portfolio securities. The CAPM helps to determine the expected rate of return for an asset relative to market risk. Using the CAPM model an investor can eliminate the unsystematic risk through proper diversification by estimating the required rate of return for a given level of non-diversifiable or market risk. The practical application of the model is that the individual investor will be able to modify their investment portfolio according to their r isk taking behaviour. The model also helps the individuals to analyse the risk-return profile in the portfolio (Gallagher and Andrew, 2007, pp.173-175). Assumptions of CAPM Investors are risk averse and rational No single investor can influence security prices No transaction cost or taxes Investors have access to all information at same time Expectation of the investors is homogeneous Mathematical Formula For individual assets, the relation between systematic risk and expected return can be estimated using the Security Market Line (SML). The significance of SML is that it can help the investor to calculate the risk-to-reward ratio for a given security relative to market. (Source: Financial Planning Body of Knowledge, 2010) The market risk-reward ratio is also known as the market risk premium. The systematic risk can be estimated using the Beta factor (?). Beta measures the sensitivity of excess expected return of security to the excess market return. Mathematically, ? = Covariance ( Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm) Excess market return or Risk Premium = E (Rm) – Rf CAPM = Rf + ? x [E (Rm) – Rf] Where, Rf = Risk-free return Ri = Security Return Rm = Market Return Market Portfolio and Efficient Frontier The concept of CAPM encourages an investor to invest a portion of his or her wealth in risky asset and the remaining portion into risk-free asset. The proportion of asset allocation between risky and risk-free asset depends on the behaviour of the investor. According to this model, a rational investor will prefer maximum return for given risk or minimum risk for given return. The optimum portfolio is a combination of securities which yields maximum returns for lowest risk or volatility. The total portfolio risk can be measured and compared to market risk using beta. The optimum portfolio is derived from the efficient frontier curve that gives the relation between portfolio risk and return. The combination of securities that is formed at the tangency of indivi dual assets and the capital Allocation line (CAL) is called the optimal portfolio (Khan and Jain, 2007, p.16). (Source: krotscheck.net, 2008) The Significance of Beta Factor Beta indicates the stock volatility relative to a benchmark or market. The benchmark can be international index like S&P

Methods for Detecting Exoplanets

Methods for Detecting Exoplanets A discussion and comparison of the radial velocity method and the transit photometry method of detecting exoplanets. An exoplanet is a planet that is outside of our solar system orbiting another star, and so far (at 15/01/2017) 3560 exoplanets have been detected [1]. Currently, with modern technology, the two main ways of detecting an exoplanet is using either the radial velocity method or the transit photometry method, both of which having their advantages and disadvantages. Radial velocity works by the exoplanet having a gravitational effect on the star it is orbiting causing the star to move slightly, leading to its detected light spectra being periodically shifted between red-shift and blue-shift as the planet orbits it. The minimum mass can then be calculated from the stars light spectra. Transit photometry can be used to detect exoplanets by observing a periodic reduction in the intensity of light detected from a star caused by the planet going directly in front of it between the star and the earth. The size of the planet can be worked out by measuring the decrease in light and sometimes the composition of the planet can be deduced The radial velocity method, also known as the Doppler spectroscopy method, to detect exoplanets was the first proper method that worked effectively. Orbiting planets cause a star to move slightly due to their gravitational pull, since the planet has mass. This slight movement of the star being orbited affects the light spectrum from that star which is received by observers on Earth. Regular periodic shifts in the stars expected spectrum, which would appear as a wobble, indicates the presence of an orbiting planet [2]. If the exoplanet caused the star to move towards Earth then its light spectrum would be blue shifted, if the star moved away from Earth the spectrum would be red shifted. The mass of the orbiting planet can then be determined, as Kelpers third law of planetary motion can be used to determine the orbital radius of the planet from the mass of the star, calculated using a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, and the orbital period of the planet determined from the stars light spectrum. Then Newtons law of gravitation and the orbital law can be used to derive the equation to calculate the velocity of the orbiting planet. With the velocity of the planet, the equation can be used to work out the mass of the detected planet [3]. Using radial velocity is the most common method used to date to detect exoplanets, it has the advantage of not necessarily a very long time comparative to the other methods and is thus useful in large scale surveys to find multiple exoplanets. Unfortunately, it does not give much specific information about the planet itself and hence must be combined with other techniques to obtain information like the planets chemical composition, density, and volume. Other methods could thus have more potential for the future for more in depth analysis of the detected planet [4]. One major complication with radial velocity is that it is difficult tell mass of a detected planet easily, only the minimum mass based on how much star appears to move can be calculated, as it depends on the angle of the orbital plane of the planet. If the angle, ÃŽÂ ¸, is the angle made by the plane perpendicular to the orbit of the planet from the plane of the sight from Earth, then the component in line with Earth is sin(ÃŽÂ ¸). The detected mass, M, is thus the product of the actual mass of the planet and sin(ÃŽÂ ¸).ÂÂ   The larger ÃŽÂ ¸, where 0 [5]. This gives arise to the problem that on a rare occasion a low mass star can be detected in a binary star system and mistaken for a planet due to a mass being calculated much smaller than its actual mass and thus appears more similar to that of a planet because of the plane of its orbit with respect to earth. This method mainly detects planets that are very close to the star, massive, and have very short orbital periods so cause the largest wobbles that dont take very long to detect. Planets like this are often referred to as hot Jupiters, due to them being of similar size, mass, and composition to that of the planet Jupiter in our solar system but they are much closer to the star they are orbiting, hence being hotter [6]. A downside of this is that one of the main purposes of detecting exoplanets is to find planets capable of supporting life, and hot Jupiters are very unlikely to do this. Another main method of detecting exoplanets is called transit photometry. A planet may be detected by taking measurements of the dimming of light emitted by the star it orbits. When the planet passes directly in front of the star, as seen from Earth, it blocks out a fraction of the light that we receive. If this dimming occurs at regular intervals, then it may be deduced that this planet is in orbit and passing in front of the star once every orbital period [7]. The amount of dimming that occurs reflects the ratio of size between the star and planet; since the size of such a star may be determined from its spectrum we may then estimate the planets size. For planets orbiting the same sized star with the same luminosity and same light emission spectra, planets orbiting it will decrease the amount of light received on earth by different amounts depending on the size of the planets [8]. A planet with a radius three times larger than another orbiting planet will lead to a drop in the amount of light received nine times that of the other planet. Hence, the decrease in light received from the star due to a planets transit is proportional to the square of the planets radius and so proportional to the planets cross-sectional area. When this method is combined with radial velocity analysis which gives an estimated mass, the density may be calculated, giving a much clearer picture of the composition of the planet. The planets atmospheric conditions may also be uncovered by analysing the depth of the transit at different wavelengths of light. Light emitted by the star will be absorbed by gases in the planets atmosphere to different degrees at different wavelengths [9]. Therefore, by studying its spectra elements in the atmosphere may be determined. For such analysis to be carried out, searches must continuously cover large portions of the sky and its cluttered light sources over long periods of time. Transit photometry only works, however, when a planet passes directly between its star and the Earth, which is uncommon. For a star one astronomical unit (approximately about 150 million kilometres) away from its star, and the star being the same as the sun earth orbits, the probability of an orbiting planet producing a detectible transit is 0.47%, given that the planet has a random orbital alignment [10]. A planets orbital period could be a very long time, months, or years, but its transit directly in front of the star between it and earth could only be a couple of hours.ÂÂ   Despite this, in very large scale exoplanet finding surveys spanning over extended periods of time and covering potentially thousands of stars, the transit photometry method has been found to be more effective than the radial velocity method at finding a larger number of exoplanets [11]. However, transit photometry has a much larger detection rate of false positives, meaning an exoplanet was thought to be detected using this method but after further investigation was found to be a false detection. A 2012 study found that in single planetary systems, the number of false detections was up to 40%, based on the observations from the Kepler mission [12]. This means that, in the case of single planetary systems, a planetary detection using transit photometry must be verified using another method, which is often radial velocity and sometimes the less common method of orbital brightness modulation. Â   Â   References [1] Schneider, J. 2017. Interactive Extra-Solar Planets Catalogue. The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/ [2] Astronomy Notes. 2007. The Velocities of Stars. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://www.astronomynotes.com/starprop/s8.htm [3] Fischer, D. 2010. Radial Velocity. Yale University. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://exoplanets.astro.yale.edu/workshop/EPRV/Bibliography_files/Radial_Velocity.pdf [4] Zechmeister, M. 2011. Precision radial velocity surveys for exoplanets. 1st ed. [S.l.: s.n.]. [5] The Planetary Society. 2016. Radial Velocity. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/exoplanets/radial-velocity.html [6] Sasselov, D. 2008. Astronomy: Extrasolar planets. Nature. 451(7174). pp.29-31. [7] Shannon, L. and Russell, D. 2012. Exoplanet Transits: Light Curve Photometry. Bangor University. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/181811.pdf [8] The Planetary Society. 2016. Transit Photometry. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/exoplanets/transit-photometry.html [9] Shore, L. 2014. Searching for Exoplanets. Exploratorium Teacher Institute. [Online]. [Accessed 15/01/2017]. Available from: http://www.exo.net/~pauld/Venus/ExoPlanets%20and%20Transits.pdf [10] Carroll, M. 2017. Earths of Distant Suns. 1st ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing. p.50. [11] Hidas, M. et al. 2005. The University of New South Wales Extrasolar Planet Search: methods and first results from a field centred on NGC 6633. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 360(2). pp.703-717. [12] Santerne, A., DÃ ­az, F., Moutou, C., Bouchy, F., HÃ ©brard, G., Almenara, M., Bonomo, S., Deleuil, M., Santos, C. 2012. SOPHIE velocimetry of Kepler transit candidates. Astronomy Astrophysics. 545. p.A76.

Reign of Fire :: Reign of Fire Essays

Reign of Fire Early this morning while rummaging through my sock drawer, I found the 32nd book of Proverbs, magically placed there by God, in a historical advent. This chapter proves the bible to be true, as it delivers divine prophecy about the movie Reign of Fire. God says "yo, yo, yo. What be goin down, ma fuckin' peeps?" (he's learning Ebonics, but not very good at it). Also, your great-grandmother ended up in hell. He just thought you'd like to know. 32 Health and sustaining abundance who can find? 2 These are worth far more than gold and jewels. They are missing in this time, after the 1st (who was the last) found the Earth, and the time of man was stunted, consumed in a Reign of Fire. 4 Through trials you have taught us much Oh Lord; Though you tease with many, in the end it was only one. 6 He who is American always has the bigger penis. The Dragon can flame millions but never the hero. 8 When hunting dragons, always bring a battle axe. The only movie worse than Triple X is Nothing But Trouble. 10Now more than ever the world needs an endless supply of Flamethrowers He who is not American sometimes has the bigger penis.(a)* 12 If you can eat ashes, you can fart females.(b)** No movie is worse than Triple X.(c)*** 14Also the age old question is answered: Can we make a really sentimental and tired action movie *without* a major love angle? Indeed, it is done. Accomplishment to humanity it is, that so much can go into making so little. v11 (a)* - While appearing to be a contradiction of verse 6, it actually isn't. Verse 11 can still be true if there is no American around. Infact, Verse 11 must be true as in any situation where no American is around, then "he who is not American" will necessarily have the bigger penis. So, the next time a skeptic approaches you with this "contradiction", tell him or her to kindly eat a dick. v12 (b)** - On the surface, this seems to be meaningless nonsense which has nothing to do with reality. But obviously alot of people believe this shit, so that cannot be the case. In fact, this verse actually has logical evidence to support it. The first dragon was the only male, and originally the only one around.

Are Computers Compromising Education?

Language Analysis – â€Å"Are Computers Compromising Education? † In the letter â€Å"Are Computers Compromising Education? †, A. Jones, the principal of Hightower College, explains his reasons for banning the use of computers in classrooms, informing parents of the many issues that it would have imposed on students. Jones addresses the issue in a very reasoned but concerned tone, which gradually becomes more assertive as he attempts to completely convince parents to agree with his contention, that Australia’s â€Å"computer-based ‘education revolution’ represents a false promise to the Australian public†, as it inflicts a variety of health hazards on students and is preventing them from learning â€Å"the essential social and intellectual skills that they need to flourish in the adult world†. With a formal and carefully structured, yet at times quite emotive style of writing, Jones effectively uses a variety of persuasive language techniques to justify the rationality of his decision, and to make it clear to parents that the negatives of having laptops in classrooms â€Å"far outweigh the potential benefits†. Jones appeals to the reader’s common sense through the use of seemingly logical statements, which make it seem as though his point of view is the only reasonable one, and that it should be obvious that students should not be allowed laptops in class due to the â€Å"obviously unhealthy† effects it has on not only their education, but their social lives as well. Also, in case his position as principal doesn’t give him enough credibility amongst the parents of his college, Jones appeals to the authority of Todd Oppenheimer, a leading social theorist in the US, who states that a computer-centred classroom means â€Å"downplaying the importance of conversation, of careful listening, and of expressing oneself in person†. This use of reliable evidence works with reason and logic to convince parents that Jones arguments are accurate and sensible, and that â€Å"students’ brains are becoming deadened† as they are â€Å"sadly being lost in today’s technological age†, which is stifling vital qualities in them and â€Å"fostering negative traits†. The image which was sent along with the letter to parents, shows a group of students â€Å"being nourished by traditional texts† and being aided with their work by a teacher. It highlights the importance of teacher to student learning and the essential social skills that kids can acquire through constant human interaction and direct communication, as opposed to computer-based learning and instant messaging. This image helps to support the principal’s arguments, because after parents recognise the necessity of teacher to student learning from the image, hearing that the quality of teachers declines with â€Å"every dollar spent on the purchase and maintenance of a computer† causes them to feel morally obliged to agree with Jones in the fear that they would otherwise be compromising their children’s education. The image also combines with Jones’ use of hyperbole and emotive language when he states that â€Å"by short-changing our teachers, we rob our children of a future† to give the cumulative effect of both evoking an emotional response from parents before their basic reason and logic comes into play, and shocking them into accepting his point of view that â€Å"the real world is inhabited by people, not machines, and our classrooms should reflect this reality† by ditching the idea of having laptops in classrooms, and encouraging more interaction among students and teachers in order to prepare our kids for the future. In addition to the array of emotional appeals and hyperbolic statements the writer applies throughout the letter, Jones appeals to the parent’s hip-pocket nerve by bringing to light the fact that â€Å"the cost of ‘down time’ – where the computer is being repaired – far exceeds the initial purchase cost of the unit†. Since money is one of the main driving forces in everyone’s lives, this use of persuasive language effectively influences parents to approve of the principals decision solely through their desire to be financially secure. Jones eliminates any reason for parents to oppose his views through appeals to their sense of fear and their morals and values, by referring to this issue as a â€Å"worrying phenomenon† and claiming that the constant use of computers has â€Å"a detrimental effect on children’s learning abilities†¦ and could have other damaging effects on the brain†. The negative connotations in words like ‘detrimental’ and ‘worrying’ add to his alarming tone in order to arouse fear and anxiety in parents by suggesting that if they push for laptops to be made available in classrooms, they would be doing a great deal of harm to their own children. This compels the parents of students at Hightower College to share in the principal’s point of view that the school should not be â€Å"prepared to compromise the learning abilities of students in support of a fad†. Throughout his letter, Jones relies on his concerned, yet assertive tone and use of reason and logic, to really sway the parents of Hightower College to believe that his decision to ban the use of computers in classrooms is obviously the right thing to do. The inclusion of evidence from an authoritative position, even higher than his position of principal, adds extra legitimacy to his arguments by presenting parents with a credible point of view. Jones also constantly plays with the parent’s emotions and morals while appealing to their sense of fear, because as parents they would never want to â€Å"compromise [their] children’s ability to learn† or cause any â€Å"damaging effects [to] the brains† of their kids. Jones’ application of a variety of persuasive language techniques allows him to effectively convey his arguments, and the cumulative effect that they give helps to convince parents of his point of view, that â€Å"we need to resist the temptation to dumb down the classroom, and reinstate a more responsible and human environment for our children†.

Leadership and Organizational Behavior Essay

Armor Valley Services (AVS), LLC is a company that provides programs that are specifically developed to meet the needs of anyone who qualifies for hospice care, personal care or homemaker programs, from the simplest custodial care to the most complexes concern. They recognize ease the emotional, physical and financial strains imposed upon the client and family. AVS is focused on building a working environment where people are better able to succeed. It encourages achievement with personal triumph as a major contributor to success. With this culture being at the top we are able to introduce a friendly virus within the organization. People are aligned to common goals and objectives to help with safety awareness. Even though, more training is needed to help accomplish this, the members all have a common direction of taking care of the client’s needs. These results indicate that my organization is dedicated to the members actively support each other to identify problems and find workable solutions. I am a Personal Care-giver, as such, I conduct services such as bathing, cleaning, preparing meals, sitting with clients and assisting them with the daily needs of life. I have been working part-time with AVS since September of 2009. The problems observed are the lack of training and personal care given to the individual patient. Most of the patients are elderly or unable to do for themselves. So we have to take the extra step to make them feel needed and want to give that extra push to live. Also untrained personnel can cause someone to lose their life. Even though this is a small upcoming business all precautions should be taken to ensure safety first. This is a very important aspect for me, because I don’t want anyone hurt from a lack of knowing. Other problems observed, is the lack of work for the personnel. If you don’t have enough patients for a worker, why hire another person to work and you are giving both workers part-time work. On the other hand, I understand why because it keeps the employer from having to provide any benefits. Preliminary Problem Statement AVS does not have enough well-trained employees for this type of job. We are dealing with elderly clients that have a multitude of problems. We are not trained in medical emergencies, to include CPR. I have abreast myself in ensuring that I have just the basics of CPR and the knowledge to know when emergency assistance is needed. Having untrained employees can cause risk, law suits and cause someone to lose their life. AVS also is trying to cut down their cost by not providing sufficient hours to their workers. Having insufficient hours can cause a big turnover and lack of enthusiasm in your workers. With these working conditions, how can the worker efficiently do their job; how can the clients get the best possible service; and how can the company retain and maintain the best possible work ethics, if their main focus is on cost effectiveness? The TCO’s my problem is related to are B- given the influence of factors such as values, attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and personality on individual behavior, demonstrate how knowledge of individual difference factors to help in understanding, predicting, and influencing individual behavior and C- given the array of theories of motivation, demonstrate their application to successfully guide employees toward accomplishing organizational objectives.