A comparison of the cultural differences between Fourteenth Century Florence and the present as represented by Dantes characters in hell Essay Example For Students

A comparison of the cultural differences between Fourteenth Century Florence and the present as represented by Dantes characters in hell Essay A comparison of the cultural differences between Fourteenth Century Florence and the present as represented by Dantes characters in hell. Throughout history many aspects of life have changed between the modern day and the Fourteenth Century Florence. These aspects are the political powers, power and freedom of religion, and family bonds; some of these have been for the better while others have not. These three aspects are most prevalent in Dantes charters in hell. Every one of the souls in hell has at one time gone against one of these powers, and that is the main reason they are in the city of Dis. In the Fourteenth Century a multitude of political leaders were born into power because of their extreme wealth. Therefore, they passed laws based on what they wanted rather than what the people desired. The other offices were filled with friends and associates of the king or leader. This closely parallels China, a communist government, which gives the people few options in their lives. In the present day the political standings are more people centered rather than money driven. The leaders are voted in by the people based on their standing on a variety of issues. When they go to pass laws, they have to be approved by a council of representatives, who are also chosen by the people. All other offices are filled the same way that the leader is, elected based on their standings regarding different issues. The souls in hell that represent the political side, the Sowers of Political Discord à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ shall be thrown from their ships into the sea and drown in the raging tides near La Cattolica to satisfy a tyrants treachery. 28.79-81 Closely connected to the government and political standings was the power of religion. They worked as one to pass laws and regulate what needed to be accomplished. Religion was not an option, it was mandatory that the people were Jewish and nothing else would be tolerated. If someone practiced another religion they would be punished. Just when Dante was speaking To Virgil he said: For you are my true master and first author, the sole maker from whom I drewà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 1. 82-84 showing his love towards God, Dante was going against all religious beliefs shoved upon him. In todays society it is completely opposite. The role that religion has on our government and political standings is obsolete. Religion is an option today unlike in the Fourteenth Century. A person can be whatever religion they want to be, no religion can be forced upon them, and no one can tell them otherwise. The best representation today would be David Koresh, a cult leader who manipulated others into believing that he was Christ. The importance of family bonds in the Fourteenth Century is also prevalent. People had respect for their familys bond and history. Families were very close, and all generations had respect for each other. An important object in the family was the crest, which was one of the best  representations of a person and their family. This importance is shown in the Usurers as Dante sees in the circle seven, round three à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I observed that from each neck there hung an enormous purse, each marked with its own beast and its own colors like a coat of arms. 17. 46-49. In todays society, this is not quite as prevalent. The bonds between family members are not as strong as in previous cultures. Families are falling apart at an alarming rate. One of the major contributing factors is divorce. Divorce breaks the bonds between family members and ties are lost. When parents a divorce many children lose almost all communication with one side of the family and all bonds built are broken and a ll ties established are lost. .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .postImageUrl , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:hover , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:visited , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:active { border:0!important; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:active , .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6 .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5e78c6336e75d67969c4d47cdb1677b6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Leiningen Versus The Ants Essay PaperA good number of the changes from the Fourteenth Century to modern day societies have been for the better or worse. Dante Alighieri would disagree with the power of politics and religion today because of the shift to the individual and the non-existent role of religion and our government as well as the break down of the family unit. Todays society has become too relaxed, particularly the government. But on the other hand, many people today think that Fourteenth Century matters were handled too strictly.

Natural Theory of Law in Commonwealth Caribbean

Question: Discuss about theAustralia and the World. Answer: Introduction The author of the present article intends to examine the significance of the Anzac concept, in the light of the past as well as present relation between Australia and New Zealand. Anazac, which is the abbreviated form of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, has always been a source of great celebration for both the countries, for signifying the unquestionable solidarity and unity among the troops of the two nations. However, the author of this article critically examines the relation existing between the two nations. The author claims that although the Anazac day is celebrated by both the nations, the sense of unity and mutual support inherent among the troops of both the nations is more than dubious. The authors point is substantiated when he shows how there were differences in opinion, lack of faith and reluctance to collaborate, among the troops of both the nations, in the Truce monitoring Group. The New Zealanders found themselves more reserved and controlled unlike the aggressive Australians, and hence they had differences while formulating a joint strategy (Rankin, 2016). Both the nations had a strong sense of identity, and as such both effused to form a true sense of unity, though they allied with each other, for political reasons. The troops of both the nations had different viewpoints regarding the operational style or the formulation and implementation of the strategies (Kelsey, 2015). The author claims that though the Anazac is a celebrated concept for both the nations, yet there are much untold differences and conflict that underlie the relation between the troops of the two countries. The very remarkable quality that characterizes the article is that the author breaks through and challenges the sense of mutual dependence and unconditional support, with which the Australian and New Zealand army has always been associated. However, it should be remembered that though the author substantiates his perspective by referring to various wars, it is still undeniable that the Anzac legend is an important and inextricable part of the national identity of both the countries (James, 2015). The article shows how cultural differences, can give rise to a lack of a sense of co-operation among the people of various countries. The author draws on how the issues of safety and alacrity were more important to the Australians, while careful planning methods were given priority by the Australians. Even the author also highlights how owing to different cultural backgrounds, the troops of both the nations had altogether different operational styles or strategic outlooks. The author continually emphasizes the cultural conflict that underlined the difference in opinion and attitude of the Australian and New Zealand while execution of a plan. It is important to note that the author makes an excellent contribution to knowledge expansion, by questioning the sense of unity and solidarity associated with the concept of Anzac legend. However, the author did not enlighten the readers on the instances that exhibited the joint efforts and co-operation of the troops of both the countries, and devotes only a single paragraph for the discussion on the same (Shanks et al., 2015). Reference List: James, C. (2015).New territory: the transformation of New Zealand, 198492. Bridget Williams Books. Kelsey, J. (2015).The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?. Bridget Williams Books. Rankin, K. (2016). Australia and New Zealand.Only in Australia: The History, Politics, and Economics of Australian Exceptionalism, 14. Shanks, G.D., Milinovich, G.J., Waller, M. and Clements, A.C.A. (2015). Spatio-temporal investigation of the 1918 influenza pandemic in military populations indicates two different viruses.Epidemiology and infection,143(09), pp.1816-1825.

Working Capital Management at Bajaj Auto Ltd. Essay Example

Working Capital Management at Bajaj Auto Ltd. Essay Creditors conversion Period (ICP): This ratio tells the time taken to make payments to the creditors. Higher the ratio, the better it is, since it means that the company has more time by their side in order to OFF make ten payments to Its creditors. I en analyses snows Tanat Baja] auto Is snowing a insistent performance on a higher note for the last two FYI 2006-07 2007-08 in this parameter as compared to the competitors in the period of the study. It is at par with the industry leader, Hero Honda if not better. The other players like TVS Motors and Yamaha do not show much of a promise in this criterion. The high credit period enjoyed by the company can be attributed to enhanced confidence in the financial of the company due to its better performance over the years. This also reflects the fact that the liquidity position of Baja] Auto is not a matter of concern for its suppliers or creditors. Net Operating Cycle: Throughout the six year period of study the net operating cycle of Baja] Auto is found to be negative which means that the credit period enjoyed by the company from creditors is more than the credit period allowed by the company as well as the lag in payment of expenses and other overheads. We will write a custom essay sample on Working Capital Management at Bajaj Auto Ltd. specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Working Capital Management at Bajaj Auto Ltd. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Working Capital Management at Bajaj Auto Ltd. specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This is a good sign for the company because it prevent blockage of capital as well as reduces the working capital requirement considerably. When we compare the net operating cycle of Baja] Auto with Hero Honda, TVS Motors and Yamaha, the three major competitors it is seen that Baja] Auto is better placed than TVS or Yamaha for Hero Honda, there is some scope for improvement notwithstanding the fact that in the last FYI 2007-08, the two companies were placed at par. Net Working Capital: We see that Baja] Auto is having a very volatile net working capital requirement over the course of the study, though remaining on the negative side. The company snouts adopt a netter working capital management policy post demurrer to match the standards of Hero Honda. Due to negative net operating cycle, the cash available to Baja] is high. So it invests this extra cash in short term investments which allow it to earn more profits. Baja] first sells its goods and later on pay its raw material suppliers. In such a situation, it is always in a position to arm-twist the suppliers by taking more credit. Other Liquidity Ratios: Current Ratio: We can see from the graph* that Baja] has maintained a sort of consistency in current ratio for all the years. The ratio has fallen after 2003, indicating that the company has more of current liability as compared to the current asset. While at the same time TVS has a better position in this aspect and Yamaha has higher ratio imparted to others. This position indicates that Baja] Auto may not be having a relatively good short term financial. Quick ratio As seen from the graph*, Baja] Auto shows a volatile pattern for the period. But currently the ratio has fallen to 5 year low of 0. 6 which is higher than Hero Honda. In the recent years it has shown a gradual fall there by indicating that it may be difficult for the company to meet its short term obligations with its most liquid assets. Cash to sales ratio: The graph shows that the company has a lenient credit policy from the past 6 years ND also in the year 2006 and 2007 the ratio shows a negative value which may not be good for the company. If we compare it with the competitors, they have fluctuating values which shows that they follow both strict as well as lenient credit policy depending on the circumstances. Recommendations and conclusion: Monthly Sales Month 2008 2007 September 245,381 232496 October 191,840 278,176 November 159,747 235,797 Given the current condition amidst signals that the economy is heading towards a recession and the decreasing sales figures for the last three months suggest that Baja] Auto may be having difficulties to continue with their negative working capital policy. There is a chance that more money will be kept locked in finished goods inventory. They may be facing a liquidity crunch in near future given the tighter credit policy by banks and other financial institutions. Thus it is advisable to improve their liquidity position now by raising short-term loans or by investing in marketable securities like T-bills or CDC. They may also tie-up with Baja] Finesse, the sister concern post demurrer in 2007-08 to provide easy credit terms to prospective customers, thus boosting sales figures. To put it in a nutshell, Baja] Auto had adopted a nearly perfect working capital policy in previous years but they need to change their outlook in the present situation. ?-?O?Y *Please refer the MS Excel file ? for graphs and charts.

the history of microsoft word Essay Example

the history of microsoft word Essay Example the history of microsoft word Essay the history of microsoft word Essay From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The first version of Microsoft Word was developed by Charles Simonyi and Richard Brodie, former Xerox programmers hired by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1981. Both programmers worked on Xerox Bravo, the first Microsoft WYSIW{Gword processor. The first Word version, Word 1. 0, was released in October 1983 for Xenix and MS- DOS; it was followed by four very similar versions that were not very successful. The first Windows version was released in 1989, with a slightly improved interface. When Windows 3. 0 was released in 1990, Word became a huge commercial success. Word for Windows 1. 0 was followed by Word 2. 0 in 1991 and Word 6. 0 in 1993. Then it was renamed to Word 95 and Word 97, Word 2000 and Word for Office XP (to follow Windows commercial names). With the release of Word 2003, the numbering was again year-based. Since then, Word 2007, Word 2010, and most recently, Word 2013 have been released for Windows. In 1986, an agreement between Atari and Microsoft brought Word to the Atari ST. I] The Atari ST version was a translation of Word 1. 05 for the Apple Macintosh; however, it was released under the name Microsoft Write (the name of the word processor included with Windows during the 80s and early 90s). [2][3] Unlike other versions of Word, the Atari version was a one time release with no future updates or revisions. The release of Microsoft Write was one of two major PC applications that were released for the Atari ST (the other application being WordPerfect) . Microsoft Write was released for the Atari ST in 1988. Contents [hide] 1 word 1990 to 1995 2 word 97 3 word 98 4 word 2001 mord X 5 word 2002,xp 6 word 2003 7 word 2004 8 word 2007 9 word 2008 10 word 2010 11 word 2011 12 word 2013 3 See also 14 Further reading 1 5 References 16 External links word 1990 to 1995tedit] The very first version of Word for Windows was released in 1989 at a price of US$495. [4] With the release of Windows 3. 0 the following year, sales began to pick up (Word for Windows 1. 0 was designed for use with Windows 3. , and its performance was poorer with the versions of Windows available when it was first released). The failure of WordPerfect to produce a Windows version proved a fatal mistake. It was version 2. 0 of Word, however, that firmly established Microsoft Word as the market leader. 5] The early versions of Word also included copy protection mechanisms that tried to detect debuggers, and if one was found, it produced the message The tree of evil bears bitter fruit. Now trashing program disk. and performed a zero seek on the floppy disk (but did not delete its contents). 6][7][8] After MacWrite, Word for Macintosh never had any serious rivals, although programs such as Nisus Writer provided features such as non-continuous selection, which were not added until Word 2002 in Office XP. In addition, many users[who? ] complained that major pdates reliably came more than two years apart, too long for most business users at that time. Word 5. 1 for the Macintosh, released in 1992, was a very popular word processor, owing to its elegance, relative ease of use and feature set. However, version 6. 0 for the Macintosh, released in 1994, was widely derided, unlike the Windows version. It was the first version of Word based on a common code base between the Windows and Mac versions; many accused it of being slow, clumsy and memory intensive. In response to user requests, Microsoft offered a free downgrade to Word 5. 1 for dissatisfied Word 6. 0 purchasers. [citation needed] With the release of Word 6. 0 in 1993 Microsoft again attempted to synchronize the version numbers and coordinate product naming across platforms; this time across the three versions for DOS, Macintosh, and Windows (where the previous version was Word for Windows 2. 0). There may have also been thought given to matching the current version 6. 0 of WordPerfect for DOS and Windows, Words major competitor. However, this wound up being the last version of Word for DOS. In addition, subsequent ersions of Word were no longer referred to by version number, and were instead named after the year of their release (e. g. Word 95 for Windows, synchronizing its name with Windows 95, and Word 98 for Macintosh), once again breaking the synchronization. When Microsoft became aware of the Year 2000 problem, it released the entire DOS port of Microsoft Word 5. instead of getting people to pay for the update. As of June 2013, it is still available for download from Microsofts web site. [9] Word 6. 0 was the second attempt to develop a common code base version of Word. The first, code-named Pyramid, had been an attempt to completely rewrite the existing product. It was abandoned when it was determined that it would take the development team too long to rewrite and then catch up with all the new capabilities that could have been added in the same time without a rewrite. Supporters of Pyramid claimed that it would have been faster, smaller, and more stable than the product that was eventually released for Macintosh, and which was compiled using a beta version of Visual C++ 2. 0 that targets the Macintosh, so many optimizations have o be turned off (the version 4. 2. 1 of Office is compiled using the final version), and sometimes use the Windows API simulation library included. [10] Pyramid would have been truly cross-platform, with machine-independent application code and a small mediation layer between the application and the operating system. More recent versions of Word for Macintosh are no longer ported versions of Word for Windows, although some code is often appropriated from the Windows version for the Macintosh version. [citation needed] Later versions of Word have more capabilities han merely word processing. The drawing tool allows simple desktop publishing operations, such as adding graphics to documents. Collaboration, document comparison, multilingual support, translation and many other capabilities have been added over the years. citation needed] Word 97[edit] Word 97 had the same general operating performance as later versions such as Word 2000. This was the first copy of Word featuring the Office Assistant, Clippit, which was an animated helper used in all Office programs. This was a takeover from the earlier launched concept in Microsoft Bob. Word 98[edit] Word 98 for the Macintosh gained many features of Word 97, and was bundled with the Macintosh Office 98 package. Document compatibility reached parity wi th Office 97 and Word on the Mac became a viable business alternative to its Windows counterpart. Unfortunately, Word on the Mac in this and later releases also became vulnerable to future macro viruses that could compromise Word (and Excel) documents, leading to the only situation where viruses could be cross-platform. A Windows version of this was only bundled with the Japanese/Korean Microsoft Office 7 Powered By Word 98 and could not be purchased separately. Word 2001 mord xcedit] Word 2001 was bundled with the Macintosh Office for that platform, acquiring most, if not all, of the feature set of Word 2000. Released in October 2000, Word 2001 was also sold as an individual product. The Macintosh version, Word X, released in 2001, was the first version to run natively on (and required) Mac OS X. Word 2002/XP[edit] See also: Microsoft Office XP Word 2002 was bundled with Office XP and was released in 2001. It had many of the same features as Word 2000, but had a major new feature called the Task Panes, hich gave quicker information and control to a lot of features that were before only available in modal dialog boxes. One of the key advertising strategies for the software was the removal of the Office Assistant in favor of a new help system, although it was simply disabled by default. Word 2003[edit] See also: Microsoft Office 2003 For the 2003 version, the Office programs, including Word, were rebranded to emphasize the unity of the Office suite, so that Microsoft Word officially became Microsoft Office Word. Word 2004[edit] A new Macintosh version of Office was released in May 2004. Substantial cleanup of he various applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and feature parity with Office 2003 (for Microsoft Windows) created a very usable release. Microsoft released patches through the years to eliminate most known macro vulnerabilities from this version. While Apple released Pages and the open source community created NeoOffce, Word remains the most widely used word processor on the Macintosh. Word 2007[edit] See also: Microsoft Office 2007 The release includes numerous changes, including a new XML-based file format, a redesigned interface, an integrated equation editor and bibliographic management. Additionally, an XML data bag was introduced, accessible via the object model and file format, called Custom XML this can be used in conjunction with a new feature called Content Controls to implement structured documents. It also has contextual tabs, which are functionality specific only to the object with focus, and many other features like Live Preview (which enables you to view the document without making any permanent changes), Mini Toolbar, Super-tooltips, Quick Access toolbar, SmartArt, etc. Word 2007 uses a new file format called docx. Word 2000-2003 users n Windows systems can install a free add-on called the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack to be able to open, edit, and save the new Word 2007 files. [11]Alternatively, Word 2007 can save to the old doc format of Word word 2008[edit] See also: Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Word 2008 was released on January 1 5, 2008. It includes some new features from Word 2007, such as a ribbon-like feature that can be used to select page layouts and insert custom diagrams and images. Word 2008 also features native support for the new Office Open XML format, although the old doc format can be set as a default. 4] word 201 ocedit] See also: Microsoft Office 2010 word 2011 [edit] See also: Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 word 2013[edit] The release of Word 2013 has brought Word a cleaner look and this version focuses further on Cloud Computing with documents being saved automatically to SkyDrive. If enabled, documents and settings roam with the user. Other notable features are a ne w read mode which allows for horizontal scrolling of pages in columns, a bookmark to find where the user left off reading their document and opening PDF documents in Word Just like Word content. See also[edit]

Not all hybrids have electric motors and batteries

Not all hybrids have electric motors and batteries When it comes to transportation, hybridization is not new. Hybrid cars and trucks that combine an electric motor with a gasoline engine date back to the turn of the 20th century. Hybrid diesel-electric locomotives have been in operation for years, and in the 1970s, small numbers of diesel-electric buses began to appear. On a smaller scale, a moped is a hybrid - it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of the rider. So, any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power is considered a hybrid vehicle (HV). Today, when hybrid and vehicle are used together - think Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid or Honda Civic Hybrid - that vehicle, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Each of these vehicles combine an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor that receives electricity from a battery pack. Today’s gasoline- and diesel electric hybrid systems are very complex, high-tech wonders in design and operation. Components include controllers, generators, converters, inverters, regenerative braking and, of course, a battery pack - either nickel-metal hydride or lithium ion. HEVs offer benefits that their conventional gasoline or diesel counterparts do not have - increased fuel economy and fewer harmful emissions coming out the tailpipe. But to achieve the same results not all hybrid vehicles require electric motors and batteries. Here’s a look at three alternative hybrid systems. One is now employed in big trucks and could find its way into cars, one is likely to appear in a 2016 BMW and the third could be on the road in three years. Hydraulic - Not Just For The Big Dogs Last August I featured an article about a hydraulic hybrid system that has made its way into big diesel refuse trucks, the ones that come around once a week and pick up our trash. On a good day, a garbage hauler will eke out 4 to 5 mpg. Then there are all those icky, nasty pollutants pouring out of the exhaust stacks. But thanks to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), yes, those same government folks who monitor environmental laws and fuel mileage testing, a hydraulic hybrid system they pioneered increases fuel economy in the big rigs by as much as 33 percent and reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) by 40 percent. The principal of the hydraulic system is similar to a HEV. It recovers a portion of the energy normally lost as heat by the vehicle’s brakes. But instead of a battery pack, a hydraulic system uses pistons to capture the wasted energy by compressing nitrogen gas stored in a tank, called an accumulator. When the driver lets off the accelerator pedal, the wheels drive a hydraulic pump that pumps hydraulic fluid to compress the nitrogen gas and slows the truck down. When the driver accelerates, the nitrogen is allowed to expand and pushes a piston in a cylinder filled with hydraulic fluid. This action assists the diesel engine in turning the rear wheels. The hydraulic system performs remarkably well on the big dog trucks, but what about light duty trucks or passenger cars? The Center For Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP), a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota is working on that. The center’s â€Å"Generation 2† vehicle - a Ford F-150 pickup - utilizes a custom-built continuously variable power split hydraulic transmission. It is complemented with hydraulic accumulators to enable hybrid operation. To be competitive, the system must demonstrate advantages over BEVs. Design specifications for the vehicle include: vibration and harshness comparable to a passenger vehicle; a 0 to 60 mph time of 8 seconds; climb a grade of 8 percent; emissions that meet California standards; and the big one, fuel economy of 70 mpg under the federal drive cycles. Steaming Along Twin brothers Francis and Freelan Stanley, inventors of the Stanley Steamer, would likely approve of BMW’s innovative use of the same principal that worked to power their steam engine cars more than 100 years ago to improve the efficiency in modern vehicles. Called Turbosteamer, this system uses wasted heat energy from an engine’s wasted exhaust gases to contribute power to the automobile. This steam assist system starts with a heat exchanger located between the engine and the catalyst that turns water into steam. The pressurized steam is then carried to what is essentially a small steam engine. A second, smaller steam engine produces a little more mechanical energy. I began following this technology in 2005 when BMW said the two steam engines combined generated 14 horsepower and 15 pounds-feet of torque on a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. Additionally, fuel economy improved by 15 percent in overall driving. The automaker also said it intended to make the Turbosteamer ready for volume production in a number of its vehicles within a decade. Well, it’s 10 years later, will it see production? Since then, researchers and engineers focused on reducing the size of the components and making the system simpler to improve dynamics. They came up with an innovative expansion turbine based on the principle of the impulse turbine. The system is now smaller, costs less and the developers say fuel consumption is reduced by up to 10 percent during highway driving. While the Turbosteamer can’t compare its greenness to the BMW i3 all-electric car, a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy for an â€Å"Ultimate Driving Machine† is nothing to sneeze at. It’s possible a Turbosteamer equipped BMW vehicle will be introduced next year. Not Just A Bunch Of Hot Air The idea that compressed air could power a viable zero emissions car has been pursued for years by many respected engineers. In 2000, there was much ado about a new compressed air, zero pollution vehicle from French inventor and Formula One engine builder, Guy Nà ¨gre. His company, Motor Development International (MDI), rolled out an urban-sized car, taxi, pickup and van that were powered by an air engine. Instead of those tiny, tiny explosions of gasoline and oxygen pushing the pistons up and down, like in a normal internal combustion engine, the all-aluminum four-cylinder air engine used compressed air for the job. A hybrid version, using a small gasoline engine to power an onboard compressor for a constant supply of compressed air, was claimed to be able to travel from Los Angeles to New York on just one tank of gas. In 2007 MDI signed an agreement with Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile manufacturer to produce air cars in 2008, followed by the hybrid version in 2009. No cars were produced. That’s perhaps one of the reasons compressed air-powered cars have been the butt of jokes among the green car community. Today, the number of jokes has diminished. That’s the result of Peugeot’s introduction of the 208 HYbrid Air 2L Prototype at the 2014 Paris Auto in October. (Full Review). It employs a compressed air tank that turns a hydraulic motor for additional power or zero emissions city driving rather than a battery for the same functions. Like a BEV, during normal driving the car is powered by the gasoline engine. Compressed air is called upon for additional power when passing or traversing a hill. In this situation, power from both the engine and hydraulic motor are directed to the front wheels via an epicyclic transmission, similar to the planetary gear set transmission used by the Toyota Prius. In city driving, where less power is needed and emissions-free driving is the priority, rather than power provided by a battery, the compressed air alone motivates the car. The compressed air tank is recharged when braking or by using part of the energy developed by the three-cylinder gasoline engine to compress the air. During the Pairs Show, Peugeot said if another large auto manufacturer would buy into the technology to enable production in enough numbers to assure manufacturing affordability, the HYbrid Air could be on the market in three or so years. Two reports from Europe are suggesting, without naming the car company, that Peugeot has found an interested partner. Last Word It’s not certain that any of these three alternative hybrid systems will be available in production vehicles, and if they are, what kind of an impact they will have in the marketplace. What is clear is, electricity in the drivetrain isn’t the only way to hybridize a vehicle.

Canadian farming industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Canadian farming industry - Essay Example Before arriving at a conclusion on Canadian agricultural amongst different types of farmers. This distinction could be made by the banks between various types of farmers while evaluating their loan applications. Canadian heritage in agriculture depends on an integral role played by the traditional or life style farmers. The traditional farmers are alarmingly closing their hereditary agricultural business owing larger competition from larger farmers and increasing costs of inputs. In Canada, the rural migration is on increasing level since 1991. The average persons in general, who leave small town of rural area, possess higher educational qualification. It is clear that rural areas in Canada are not behind in terms of services and quality of work available. Farmers are subject to variable weather conditions of natural disaster should save and keep investment during the period of profit so they may or do not become bankrupt during the period of downswings. Despite of assistance from organizations such as income disaster assistance program, the agricultural farmers ability to stand up their legs is not improving since the profit of small farmers are shrinking so quickly as the expenditure put on harvest grows every year. Revenues form farm products are not keeping pace with escalating cost of equipments, fertilizer, transportation and pesticides. The prices food items are quietly unrelated to the expenditure put in cultivating, transporting processing and selling the food. Recent floods and droughts have made the established farmers to become debtors though they have borrowed money and invested the same in equipment and land. There are delays in getting government funds, which are in adequate to meet these types of natural calamities. There are no private insurance companies to cover insurance of farms from weather-related catastrophes. The small farmers are the looser of these natural calamities in rural Canada. Like any other traders or businessmen, farmers can ensure long term growth and stability through proper planning in changing market conditions during the periods of floods and drought so that they may not depend on the assistance and support of government. The banks are prepared to advance loans to farmers for expanding their farms or starting farms under close supervision of bankers to put the farmers on right path to success though great risk is involved. The bankers visit farms once in a year assess the progress of the investment by farmers. The farmers with a formal, viable business plan are likely to get funds form banks. In farm field, many problems are attributed to Canadian consumers refusal to recognize and pay for value added to the products produced by the small farmers. Because of this, the farmers are not able recover their investments and expenses through sales which tends them to expect government subsidies to support them. The farmers are not in a position to bear the smallest price increase in power tariff. Ontario federation of agriculture are successful in lobbying in reduction of sales tax on farm products, working with county federations to reduce or remove municipal development charges on agricultural on to buildings, reduction in electricity charges. In Canada there are

Merger and Acquisition in China Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Merger and Acquisition in China - Coursework Example This was undertaken in the form of a qualitative study as the author was obtaining subjective information relating to the failure of this merger/acquisition. This was undertaken in the form of primary research. The qualitative methods were also chosen as the information obtained was used to develop themes and form conclusions on the reasons behind the collapse of the DANONE and Wahaha Group deal (Cooper and Schindler 2003, Creswell 2003, Hair et al 2003, Saunders et al 2003) that will be useful for determining the advantages and disadvantages of establishing mergers and acquisitions in the Chinese market. The primary research with the head of Wahaha demonstrated the lack of openness or the no willingness to discuss this issue in great detail. The benefits derived by China from its merger and acquisitions activity with developed nations include increased development and economic activity. The benefits also include the acquisition of new technology, knowledge and skills, which would ha ve otherwise taken significantly longer to achieve, and for a relatively lower price. However, the main disadvantages are that of the lack of knowledge of mergers and acquisitions as they are mainly driven by the developed world. Mergers and acquisitions do occur in China regularly, but this is different to such activities with companies that are not Chinese. Table of Contents Table of Contents 4 1.0 Introduction 5 1.2 Significance of the study 10 1.3 Research objectives 11 1.5 Research model 12 2.1 Mergers and Acquisitions and the Stock Market 15 2.1.1 The merger and acquisition environment 16 2.2 Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions 18 2.2.1 Cross Border problems faced by Chinese companies 20 2.2.2 Countermeasures faced by Chinese companies 22 2.4 Business Culture 26 2.5 Introduction to Case Study 27 3.0 Methodology 28 4.0 Results 33 4.1 Primary Research 33 4.2 Secondary Research 34 5.0 Discussion 49 6.0 Conclusion 56 6.1 Recommendations 59 6.2 Limitations 60 7.0 References 61 1.0 Introduction The open door policy initiated by Deng Xiaoping in China in1992 with the intention to push forward China's economic progress brought in considerable wealth in the form of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) (Galbraith, 2000). This policy enabled institutional change (North 1990), which in turn created opportunities for investment into the Chinese economy. What was different about this policy was that it was a gradual change and not a sudden change as experienced in other developing countries, which led to bankruptcies and high costs (Campbell and Lindberg 1991). This policy also placed emphasis on foreign capital policy, the foreign exchange system, and it also offered promising conditions for foreign investors (Galbraith, 2000). This policy has since reaped dividends given that the main mode for FDI into the Chinese economy has been through foreign funded and joint venture companies. This has also reflected in figures which show that between 1990 and 1996, China managed to attract appr oximately $230 billion of foreign capital, with 20% of that amount coming from developing nations (Galbraith, 2000). However, the open door policy