Cell Bio Lab Report Essay Example for Free

Cell Bio Lab Report Essay The purpose of this lab was to test the biological activity of ConA by performing a hemagglutination assay. If ConA is active then agglutination will occur due to ConA’s free receptors being able to bind to the glucose residues on the sheep’s red blood cells. If ConA is not active then no agglutination will occur. To test the hemagglutination reaction, two types of ConA solutions were compared, a purchased control ConA solution in buffer as the positive control, and a purified solution of ConA in buffer previously purified in lab. Each solution was at a 2mg/ml concentration of ConA in ConA buffer, which is necessary for ConAs biological activity. Two variables were added, Galactose and Mannose, to the ConA solution to compare the effects each had on the hemagglutination reaction. I hypothesize for ConA to be able to agglutinate the red blood cells if in the adequate concentration and if in the presence of Galactose, not Mannose. Mannose will inhibit the ConA from binding to the red blood cell’s membrane, preventing agglutination. RESULTS The reaction plate containing the ConA dilutions was incubated over the weekend and resulted in all wells being pink, appearing as if every well had agglutinated. There was a vague outline of the non-agglutinated cells in various wells. The last agglutination was observed at titer 0.0625 (1/16). Agglutination was seen in rows A, B D, and E (row A contained the control ConA, row B contained the control ConA + Galactose, row D contained the sample ConA, and row E contained the sample ConA + Galactose). In the well rows C and F which contained control ConA + Mannose and sample ConA + Mannose, agglutination did not occur at any concentration of ConA. Row G, the negative control appeared to have agglutinated as well as Row H, which contained only ConA buffer. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The results did not support my hypothesis for the biological activity of ConA. There are some sources of error that could explain the results obtained. It’s possible there was a problem with either the ConA buffer or the sheep red blood cells to allow for all wells to turn pink and appear agglutinated. Another explanation of the irregular results was there might have been cross contamination from not changing tips when transferring to different ConA concentrations, or if bubbles were introduced while diluting the ConA, making the results difficult to interpret. For wells A, B D, and E as ConA became more diluted or decreased in concentration, it became more difficult for it to effectively crosslink and agglutinate the red blood cells. Well D, the positive control that contained the purchased ConA resulted in agglutination of the first couple wells, then no agglutination as the ConA concentration decreased, similar to Row A. Wells B and E that had the Galacatose additive obtained the same titer of the control ConA because ConA does not bind Galactose. Galactose doesn’t interfere with ConA from binding to the sugar residues on the red blood cells. Mannose on the other hand, is an inhibitor to ConA’s binding sites. The Mannose in solution competed with the ConA and did not allow to bind to the sugar residues on the red blood cells as seen in rows C and F. Row G, the negative control, should have resulted in non-agglutination, similar to the rows containing the Mannose additive. The results observed showed agglutination formed in this row. Lastly, Row H should have shown non-agglutination through out because the well contained only ConA buffer, not ConA protein. In conclusion, the results did not clearly explain the biological activity of ConA with the hemagglutination assay. The experiment contained too many anomalies to get a clear determination of ConA’s functionality post purification. The results did show that a change in the concentration of ConA would alter the strength of the reaction. Also, ConA’s ability to bind to sugar residues can be affected if ConA has to compete or is inhibited to bind to a cells membrane. LITERATURE CITED Cell Biology 3822 Lab Manual, Cell Surface Glycoprotein Receptor Analysis Using Concanavalin A Lab 7. Pearson Learning Solutions. 2012: 147-154. Madeleine Zaechringer. Cell Biology 3822 Analysis of purified ConA via Hemagglutinatino Assay Lab 7: Powerpoint. 2014.

Paul Robeson Essay -- The Civil Rights Movement

Paul Robeson Paul Robeson as a scholar and athlete was a two-time All-American in football and baseball, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and valedictorian of his high school and college class. As an entertainer he starred in eleven movies, five Broadway musicals, and sang in sold out concerts throughout the world in twenty-five different languages. As a statesman he became known as the "citizen of the world," who spoke out whenever he saw social or racial injustices in any country, and spent his last years working with Albert Einstein to bring world peace. This magnificent African-American was able to do all these things during a time in America when most African-Americans were denied service at a local restaurant. "He was Michael Jordan before there was a Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson. He was also Muhammad Ali. He was the most famous, talented, and outspoken black person in the world, but today many don't really know him at all." (1999, Kane) After excelling in high school, Paul Robeson went to Rutgers College on a four-year academic scholarship. While attending Rutgers he played football, baseball, basketball, and participated in track earning himself fifteen varsity letters. Robeson was a two-time All-American in football and baseball in 1917 and 1918. During his four years at Rutgers he also was elected to all the school's honor societies, which included being one of only four classmates selected to the Phi Beta Kappa his junior year. In 1919, his senior year at Rutgers, Robeson's hard work earned him the honor of being the valedictorian of his class. The speech he gave was full of wisdom beyond his years and time. He titled his speech "The New Idealism," in which he advocated to a majority white... ...eople died to build this country, and I am going to stay right here and have a part in it just like you. And no fascist-minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?" With those words Robeson made a decision that would determine his fate. He chose his principles and morals over his fame and fortune. After his trial, people were afraid to agree with him because they could be labeled a communist. Undaunted Robeson would continue to sing and speak out for all oppressed people, but sadly lost all real support in the U.S. Paul Robeson was a genuine renaissance man. He was a brilliant scholar, accomplished athlete, dazzling singer, gifted actor, and an outspoken statesman. "Living life to its fullest" does not come close to describing the achievements that Robeson accomplished in his lifetime. There are few men that can compare to him and few men that ever will.

Studying The Journey Of Mango Season English Literature Essay

Mango season is an indefinable chef-d'oeuvre of Amulya Malladi. I am really impressed and proud to be a Telugu myself. This whole journey of Mango Season had been truly fantastic. I have ne'er thought that there would be a book on Telugu civilizations and we would be analysing the narrative for our literature surveies. But at the other terminal of the twine, even though I am an Indian, I had ne'er known all the civilizations and traditions of my really ain civilization and this is an eye-opener for me to turn over a new foliage and get down cognizing all the civilizations, and why do we pattern such civilizations in our Telugu community. Coming back to Mangifera indica season, I had identified 3 chief issues which are truly closed to my bosom. One of the chief issues I would wish to foreground in this novel is arranged matrimony versus love matrimony. This had ever been an issue debated in every Indian household when it comes to marriage. The daughter/ boy love person else but were asked to get married the individual chosen by their parents. This issue can clearly been seen in this novel as this whole narrative reflects on Priya who is confronting a struggle in taking an arranged or love matrimony. Arrange and love matrimonies have their ain advantages and disadvantages. Arranged matrimony shows a sense of regard and trust of the younger coevalss towards their seniors by obeying them in make up one's minding our future life spouse. While, on the other manus, love matrimony portrays our bravery and finding in contending for our love and to be with the individual we love. Priya, the chief character in this novel is a Telugu miss who comes from the highest caste which is from a Brahmin household. So, it is a must for her to g et married a Telugu Brahmin. The struggle begins when Priya is in love and is already engaged with a black American, Nick. When she tells her parents and her grandparents about this issue they wholly disagree and would ne'er desire an American cat to be Priya ‘s hubby. Here, she has a struggle with the household where none of them are to back up her except Nate and Sowmya. When, Priya decided to get married Nick, no affair what happens, Thatha replied that if you marry this adult male, so you are non my household. This shows how rigorous older coevalss are in prohibiting a love matrimony. In my sentiment, I would instead hold an arranged matrimony. The chief ground is because, parents know what is the best for their kids and have the wisdom and wherewithal to choose the best campaigner, the matrimony will profit from the support and encouragement of their seniors and hence will be lasting and lasting. There are significantly fewer divorces or separations between people of ordered matrimonies. Based on Noreen, who wrote in Indiamarks web site, he stated that Indians look at get marrieding a individual they do n't cognize, gives one â€Å" a life-time to larn to love them † . He besides included that an Indian adult female described it as â€Å" Here, we get married without holding feelings for the individual. We base our matrimony on committedness, non on feelings. As our matrimony progresses, the feelings develop. And yes! I genuinely agree with it. At the same clip I would wish to emphasize that, when people think of ordered matrimonies, they frequently pictu re a male child or miss forced into a relationship in which they have perfectly no pick. However, in world, this is merely non the instance ; before the matrimony becomes official the bride and groom have the chance to run into each other. It ‘s non like the twosome see each other on the nuptials twenty-four hours for the first clip or merely one time before the nuptials. There is normally a period of months after the twosome is engaged, where the twosome gets to cognize each other, run into, talk and discourse the hereafter. This clip after the battle to the nuptials twenty-four hours is kind of the dating period for the twosome. The 2nd issue I would wish to foreground from this novel is the version of western civilization. In the context of Priya we can clearly see tonss of alterations in her in footings of life style and how she perceives things in her mundane life when she is back in India after 7 old ages populating in The United States. At the same clip, we can see that she has a different mentality now as she is much liberalized and modernized. She thinks traveling through Pelli- chupulu is merely a waste of clip. This is really common in most of the people. Change is lasting, and you can non state no to alter. When we are in the land of the westerners, earlier or later we will certainly acquire adapt to the life style at that place. For illustration, populating together before matrimony is wholly prohibited in India but non in the western civilization. Here, we can see that Priya ‘s life style had changed when she went to The States. She lived together with Nick in the same roof even though they are non married yet and on top of that she had besides made love with Nick. Besides that, the westerners call people by their names even though the individual is much older than them. In this novel we can see that Priya calls Nick ‘s Dendranthema grandifloruom by her name, Frances, even though she is much older than Priya. So, based all this facts from the narrative I can infer that we will acquire adapted to the civilization where we are, like how the phrase goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Priya was in The States for 7 old ages. This is a long phase for her to truly acquire to cognize all the civilizations of the westerners and thereby acquire assimilated with the civilization at that place. In one of the article by The Associated Press stated that when you are in America being Indian and being here, you shy off from it or conceal from it because you want to be like everyone else. It is really difficult to keep our ain civilization and belief when all around us are Americans. That ‘s what Priya went through, Indians in America were non every bit many as in India and she found it really hard to pattern her ain civilization and traditions at that place. Priya told that when she foremost saw Nick she ne'er expected to prosecute a relationship with him, subsequently on dating him and worst of all life together and started doing love. Here we can deduce that Priya ne'er wanted to confront all this in America but she did, and why? The chief thing is because she got adapted to the civilization at that place.My 3rd issue in on inter-caste matrimonies. Inter-caste matrimony means girl and male childs are from different castes where one member belongs to take down caste. In this novel, inter-caste matrimony can be seen in the matrimony of Anand and Neelima. Anand is a Telugu Brahmin while Neelima is a Maharashtrian Brahmin. Even though we can see that both are Brahmans but they are from different caste. Neelima is a Maharashtrian which is a lower caste from Telugu. Priya one time stated that being Telugu was really indispensable. Telugu was the official linguistic communication of Andhra Pradesh. Being of the same caste was non plenty to consecrate a matrimony. To get married person, that person had to besides be from the same province. So, Maharashtrians are from the lower caste because they are non Telugu. At the same clip, we can see that thatha was besides is a love matrimony, he was really arranged to Ammamma ‘s cousin, Ratna. But after thatha saw Ammamma, he wanted to get married ammamma alternatively of Ratna. So here we can see that thatha himself pattern love matrimony but with the lone different that he married in the same caste. Their matrimony was successful because they are from the same caste. If ammamma was from a different caste, so certain thatha was forbidden from get marrieding ammamma.Inter-caste matrimonies have the pro and con ‘s based on which century our position is. As written in Brahmans Within the Caste System byA Andrea Pintane, he stated that Inter-caste matrimonies was really critical in those yearss because different caste pattern different civilization. For case, Harmonizing to the ancientA Hindu scriptures, there are four different caste. TheA Bhagavad Gita ( Hindu sacred book ) A says caste is decided based onA Karma. The four caste ‘s are the BrahminsA ( instructors, bookmans and priests ) , theA KshatriyasA ( male monarchs and warriors ) , theA VaishyasA ( agriculturalists and bargainers ) , andA ShudrasA ( craftsmans, service suppliers, labourers ) .Brahmins which is the highest caste are forbidden from devouring onions, Allium sativum, tomato and should be vegetarians while the other caste such as the Kshtriyas and Vaishyas are non-vege. So, if they marry a individual from different caste, so they have to confront jobs based on the nutrient they consume. Besides that, the 4 caste are from different businesss. Parents those yearss find it easier to be in the same businesss so that they wo n't hold any jobs in their jobs. But now it ‘s different. With more globalisation and addition in educational installations, there is great alteration in the positions of people. As modernisation has affected every subdivision of society, inter-caste matrimonies have besides received credence from the people in urban and modern societies. There has been broad alteration in the societal scenario. Parents and relations of the lovers have been coming up with more unfastened heads with broad credence of matrimonies outside their ain castes. So, based on this narrative, we can deduce that Priya comes from a household who still have the older coevalss mindset on the in ter caste matrimonies.As a decision, I would wish to state that America and India are manner apart. America is a developed state while India is still a underdeveloped state. It ‘s really difficult to compare a state which has so different in every individual thing. India faced so much agony during those times that they find it so hard to come up. Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. This had given me a opportunity to research the unknown and at the same clip increasing my cognition on my ain civilizations.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH DESIGN - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3353 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? This chapter presents the theoretical framework used to evaluate the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the influence of corporate governance on the firm performance; and the research methodology followed throughout the research basing on the different aspects discussed in literature review. 3.1 INTRODUCTION As discussed in chapter one, the main focus for many companies is to create the best possible value for their owners and to secure excellent financial performance. The sound financial health of a company is one of its major goals and to maintain it, companies at one point of time have to look at the past and current performance to plan for future prospect. The most objective way to evaluate the financial performance of a company is through financial statement analysis. Financial analysis involves the assessment of a firms liquidity, its operating performance, its risk profile and its growth potential using financial ratios. Ratio analysis is an important and powerful analytical tool used for measuring the performance of a business entity (Van et Al., 2003). It helps stakeholders (shareholders, investors, creditors, managers, government etc) to make an evaluation about the profitability and financial soundness of the business entity (Bardia, 2008). Different types of investors ex pect different types of returns, if you are a stockholder, you expect an increase in the value of the stock you hold; if you have invested in a company with a history of paying dividends, you also expect a dividend; if you have loaned the firm money, you expect to receive interest and the return of loan principal. Although the types of returns they expect are different, equity investors and creditors both risk not receiving those returns. Therefore, both stockholders and creditors use financial statement analysis to predict their expected returns and assess the risks associated with those returns (Hongren, Sundem, Elliot and Philbrick, 2003). Analysis of financial performance allows comparison of practice performance from one year to the next, benchmarking of a practice against industry standards, and preparation of financial information for lending institutions or directors (Stallwood, 1996). The financial performance of a company can be influenced by many different aspects or f actors and for the purpose of this study, corporate governance was taken into consideration and specifically the aspect of board characteristics. The board of directors is an important entity in a company creating a link between shareholders and managers and therefore playing an important role in the governance of the firm (Dehaene et al., 2007). Therefore, boards of directors are charged with the task of monitoring the performance and activities of top management to ensure that the latter acts in the best interests of the owners (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; quoted by OConnell and Cramer, 2010) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND RESEARCH DESIGN" essay for you Create order 3.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION After the 1994 genocide many companies in Rwanda were destroyed and some of them have not recovered up to today. Among the companies affected by the genocide include manufacturing companies out of which some tried to recover and restart their activities progressively and the country is providing a good environment for business but this does not guarantee good performance on behalf of companies. Standard financial reports provide basic information on the current profit level of investment in assets but do not give information on whether profit is adequate, how efficiently the assets are being used to generate sales, how efficient the overall operation is, and whether there are short-term financial problems facing the business. Ratio analysis provides some answers to these questions by calculating the relationships between various figures on the balance sheet and the income statement and comparing the movements in these ratios over time and against industry averages can provide ad ditional information about whether the organization is performing well or whether remedial action is needed (Stallwood, 1996). Ratio analysis is an important and powerful analytical tool for measuring the performance of a business entity. It helps stakeholders to make an evaluation about the profitability and financial soundness of the business entity (Van et al., 2003). Some key companies in the manufacturing sector do not have thorough financial analysis which makes it difficult for stakeholders to know how these companies are performing; BRALIRWA will be used as representative case study to exemplify the financial performance of companies in the sector and the way this performance is influenced by corporate governance. The way companies are directed and controlled can influence their performance (Berle Means, 1932), in some companies there is lack of consistency in reporting operating and financial activities as well as governance activities to shareholders in a fair, accurat e, timely, reliable, relevant, complete and verifiable manner. Manufacturing companies in Rwanda contribute to the economic development of the country and hence a need to evaluate their performance in other to detect their likely future and take appropriate measures accordingly, as well as the influence of corporate governance on their performance. 3.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES This study has one general objective and five specific objectives. 3.3.1 General objective The general objective of this study is to assess the financial performance of BRALIRWA s.a (2005-2008) and the influence of its corporate governance on the performance 3.3.2 Specific objectives To analyze the operating efficiency and profitability of BRALIRWA to know its level of operating performance. To analyze the sales and earnings variability in order to measure the risk that BRALIRWA may be exposed to. To analyze the internal liquidity of BRALIRWA in order to measure its ability to meet financial obligations in the short-term. To assess the impact if any of BRALIRWA governance on its performance. To analyze the sustainable growth potential of BRALIRWA. 3.4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theoretical framework adopted in this study was developed based on different literature on the analysis and evaluation of financial performance and literature on corporate governance and firm performance. 3.4.1 Dependent variable According to Jones, Wahba and Heijden (2007), the dependent variable is the one main research issue you are studying, on which other variables in theoretical framework are assumed to have an impact. Creswell (2002), defines dependent variables as the outcomes or results of the influence of the independent variables. For this study, financial performance stands for the dependent variable. Financial performance is usually measured by ROE and ROA, for this study financial analysis is used to analyze the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the analysis is conducted in three categories; the analysis of internal liquidity, operating performance and risk. When analyzing internal liquidity, the intention is to indicate the firms ability to meet its future short-term financial obligations, this may be an indication over a certain period of the likely performance of a company because if a firm is not able to meet its short-term financial obligations for a long period, definitely this wi ll affect its performance but the analysis of this may help the organization take necessary actions. The analysis here is based on current ratio, quick ratio, cash ratio, receivables turnover and inventory turnover. The analysis of operating performance, examines how management uses its assets and capital by measuring the sales generated by various categories of assets or capital and analyzes the profits as a percentage of sales and as a percentage of the assets and capital employed (Brown and Reilly, 2009). The ratios used are the asset turnover, equity turnover, profit margins, return on equity and return on assets. Concerning the risk analysis, both business and financial risks are measured and analyzed, here the emphasis is on the sales variability, operating leverage which consists of the variability of a firms operating earnings and then the debt-equity ratio to measure the financial risk. 3.4.2 Independent variables Independent variables are the variables impacting on your main research problem. They are called independent in a sense that those variables are affecting the amount of dependent variables and do not affect each other, so they are independent of each other (Jones, Wahba and Heijden, 2007). Corporate governance stands for the independent variable for this study. Corporate governance is the mechanism by which a corporation is managed and monitored. It determines a power-sharing relationship between corporation executives and investors by providing structure through which the objectives are defined; policies and procedures are established to ensure achievement of these objectives; and activities, affairs, and performance are monitored (Rezaee, 2004). Based on this definition and other definitions of corporate governance, it can positively or negatively influence the performance of a company and for the purpose of this study, the influence will be analyzed based on board characteristic s which are treated as the moderating variables in this study and considered as one of the aspects of corporate governance. 3.4.3 Moderating variables Moderating variables are included in the theoretical model to modify the way that the independent variables will affect the dependent variable. They might act as a catalyst of these relationships and strengthen them or perhaps they just inhibit the relationship and weaken it (Jones, Wahba and Heijden, 2007). For this study the moderating variables are the board characteristics, and the following characteristics were taken into consideration the board size, board composition, CEO duality, board diversity and frequency of board meetings. The board size is the number of members on the board and as boards are considered to be large decision-making groups, size can affect the decision-making process and effectiveness of the board (Dwivedi and Jain, 2005). Talking about the board composition, the board may be composed of directors who may be executive meaning that they are employees of the firm, or non-executive meaning they are not employees of the company; and this may have an effect on firm performance. CEO duality consists of having the same person holding both the board chairman and CEO positions or having the CEO and board chair positions separate, this also may have an impact on firm performance. When it comes to board diversity, the consideration is that there may be some diversification in the board members which may or may not have an influence on firm performance; diversity for this study is seen as gender diversity, racial diversity and experience/background diversity. Board meeting frequency consists of how frequently the board meetings are scheduled and the board activity is measured by the frequency of board meeting, this frequency may impact on the performance of the firm. Figure 3.1: Theoretical Framework Source: Research, 2010 3.4.4 Research assumptions Based on the various corporate scandals due to the manipulation of financial statements, the researcher made an assumption that the information provided in the audited financial statements of BRALIRWA for the period 2005-2008 are true and accurate. It was assumed that the respondents would be willing to fill the questionnaires and that the staff in the finance department of BRALIRWA would cooperate in providing any necessary information regarding the financial statements. 3.4.5 Research limitations The study uses BRALIRWA as a case study, which may provide little basis for generalization on the performance of other manufacturing companies The study only use a time-series analysis because there are no competitors in the industry to compare with The financial statements analyzed were the balance sheet and income statement because the company does not prepare cash flow statement The study only used board characteristics as the aspects of corporate governance due to time and logistics constraints the researcher could not use other aspects. The study was limited to a period of four years from 2005 to 2008 3.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONs To achieve the research objectives of this study; the study has to answer the following major and minor research questions. 3.5.1 Major research questions How is BRALIRWA financially performing for the period under study and what is the implication for future performance? How is BRALIRWA governance influencing its performance? 3.5.2 Minor research questions How well is the management of BRALIRWA doing to generate operating profits on companys assets? How well is BRALIRWA management using the capital invested? How is BRALIRWA financing its assets and how variable its earnings are? How well is BRALIRWA doing to meet its maturing financial obligations? The above mentioned research questions will help in analyzing the financial performance of BRALIRWA and the influence of its corporate governance on performance. 3.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.6.1 Research type This study is basically quantitative with a small portion of qualitative and descriptive in nature and is using a case study method. The study is using the computation of different ratios to analyze the financial performance of BRALIRWA and statistical measure like mean, standard deviation and correlation are also used; and it is also qualitative in the sense that it is looking at the perceptions of staff on the influence of corporate governance on the performance. The purpose of quantitative research is to determine the quantity or extent of some phenomenon in the form of numbers (Zikmund, 1994). 3.6.1.1 Case study methodology This study is using BRALIRWA as a case study representing other manufacturing companies in Rwanda. BRALIRWA was chosen as a case study because of its long stay in the business and as being one of the manufacturing companies that were operating before the 1994 Rwandan genocide and which has continued operating and the major motivation for the researcher to take it as a representative case study is that the manufacturing sector in Rwanda is mostly made of food and beverages companies where BRALIRWA is dominating. According to Robson (2002:178) cited by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2007), a case study is a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence. Yin (2009) defines a case study as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident. According to Yin (2009), the case study inquiry copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points, and one result; relies on multiple source of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion, and as another result; and benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis. 3.6.1.2 Descriptive research This study is descriptive as it is describing and evaluating systematically how BRALIRWA has been performing for the period under study. According to Kumar (2005), a descriptive research attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, or provides information about something or describes attitudes towards an issue. 3.6.1.3 Quantitative and qualitative research As discussed early, this study is a mix of quantitative and qualitative, it is evaluating the performance of BRALIRWA by quantifying it through different ratios to analyze the internal liquidity, operating performance and risk and most of the information is gathered using quantitative variables (through financial statements). On the other hand, the study is qualitative in the way that it has some variables which were analyzed without being quantified. The study is qualified as quantitative if one wants to quantify the variation in a phenomenon, situation, problem, or issue; if information gathered using predominantly quantitative variables; and if the analysis is geared to ascertain the magnitude of the variation. On the other hand, a study is qualified as qualitative if the purpose of the study is primary to describe a situation, phenomenon, problem or event; the information is gathered through the use of variables measured on nominal or ordinal scales; and if analysis is done to establish the variation in the situation, phenomenon or problem without quantifying it (Kumar, 2005). 3.6.2 Data collection instrument and source For the purpose of this study, both primary and secondary data were collected. To collect primary data questionnaires were distributed to the staff of BRALIRWA to know and analyze their perceptions on the influence of board characteristics on firm performance, the questionnaires were given to different staff but the most targeted were the managers and directors (management team) and heads of department and then some of the officers in different departments; interviews were also used with the staff in the finance department to get some clarifications on the content of the financial statements. And to collect secondary data, different literature on the evaluation of financial performance and those on the relationship between corporate governance (board characteristics) were reviewed through books, journals, articles and websites; and the financial statements of BRALIRWA for a period of 2005-2008 were consulted and analyzed through financial ratios. 3.6.3 Sampling methods Sampling is the process of selecting a few (a sample) from a bigger group (the sampling population) to become the basis for estimating or predicting the prevalence of an unknown piece of information, situation or outcome regarding the bigger group; a sample is a subgroup of the population one is interested in (Kumar, 2005). For the purpose of this study, judgmental sampling technique has been used to select the sample in order to collect primary data. Purposive or judgmental sampling enables you to use your judgment to select cases that will best enable you to answer your research question(s) and to meet your objectives. This form of sample is often used when working with very small samples such as in case study research and when you wish to select cases that are particularly informative (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2007 quoting Neuman, 2000). According to Kumar (2005), the primary consideration in purposive sampling is the judgment of the researcher as to who can provide the best information to achieve the objectives of the study; the researcher only goes to those people who in his/her opinion are likely to have the required information and be willing to share it. For the respondents to fill the questionnaire it required a certain degree of information about the board of directors and the judgmental sampling is the appropriate technique to this study. 3.6.4 Sample size A sample of 25 respondents was selected from the staff of BRALIRWA which is the population of the study; as stated early the sample was selected using judgmental sampling. The respondents were selected from different departments of the company and from top management to senior officers and the sample is the representative of the population. 3.6.4 Data analysis methods The study is based more on the secondary data as the evaluation of financial performance is based on the financial statements of the case company (BRALIRWA) and on primary data which were collected using a questionnaire to analyze the influence of the board characteristics on the financial performance of the company as perceived by the company employees. In the process of data analysis, the information from the financial statement were first presented according to the research objectives and research questions and based on the theoretical framework and literature review; then they were analyzed using appropriate ratios and the analysis was based on time series analysis, some statistics were used such as mean and standard deviation for the researcher to analyze the data and come up with conclusions and recommendations. To analyze the data collected from questionnaires, the following process was followed; first the data were edited, then coded and frequency distribution were used. To analyze, the open-ended questions, content analysis was used whereby different themes were identified from the answers given by the respondents and then verbatim responses were examined and discussed with reference to literature to come up with research findings, conclusion and recommendations. 3.7 CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discussed the research problem by highlighting that in Rwanda some key companies do not have thorough financial analysis and that the performance of companies may be influenced by the way they are managed and monitored where this may depend on the characteristics of the board. The chapter also discussed the theoretical framework that was used for this study and the dependent, independent and moderating variables were identified; financial performance is the dependent variable which is determined through the analysis of internal liquidity, operating performance and risk and the summarizing indicators of financial performance for the purpose of this study were identified as ROE and ROA. The chapter goes on discussing the research objectives, research questions, the assumptions and limitations of study. Then the chapter concludes with the discussion of the research methodology that was used to conduct the research and to achieve the research objectives and to answer the research questions that were put forward; the study is a mix of quantitative and qualitative, both secondary and primary were used and financial statements and other sources were used to collect secondary data and the questionnaire was used to collect primary and the questionnaires were sent to a sample of 25 respondents, the sample was selected using judgmental sampling.

Elements Of Horror In The Monkeys Paw By W. W Jacobs

The story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by W.W. Jacobs best fits the horror genre because of the unknown, unbelieveable, and the unstoppable. The unknown is the suspense that drives our imaginations to start drawing conclusions and, begin forming an ending to the story. The unbelievable is how beyond belief something is such as a man saying a giant frying pan will crush the city in one hour, its beyond belief and doesn’t fit our expectations. The unstoppable is where you cannot change anything so you try to avoid it as much as possible, such as death, humans cannot escape death so we try to avoid it as much as possible, like height, drowning, planes, car crashes, etc. The elements of horror go on but these three are what makes this scary story. The†¦show more content†¦Then specifically say, â€Å"it’s just an ordinary little paw, dried to a mummy.† They also say, â€Å"Sound like Arabian Nights,† as well as, â€Å"Do you think you could wish for four pairs of hands for me?† They also say, I expect you’ll find the cash tied up in a big bag in the middle of your bed,† and then said and something horrible squatting up on top of the wardrobe watching as you pocket your ill-gotten gains.† Then the next morning they still mock him for â€Å"wishing† on the paw. They say, The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you father?† They make fun of it because the idea of wishes coming true is so far beyond reality and what we believe in today. Today people only â€Å"wish† for fun and for a laugh. People make a wish on birthday candles, at 11:11, and when they see a shooting star but it never comes true. It is all just in good fun and gives a little magic to our daily lives. But they get a reality check in the story when the son dies and they get two hundred pounds for it. When the son died made the paw real in all of their eyes and taught them the lesson of not judging a book by it’s cover. The third and final major element of the story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by W.W. Jacobs is the unstoppable. There are many things that are unstoppable in the story. The wishes can not be unwish after,Show MoreRelatedSuspense And Foreshadowing In The Monkeys Paw899 Words   |  4 PagesPublished in September 1902, â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw,† written by WW Jacobs, used a variety of literary elements to convey horror, suspense, and tension throughout the story. The story is a mystical tale of three different people granted three different wishes by a cursed monkey’s paw. The use of foreshadowing pulled the reader into the dark and cold night when Sergeant Major-Morris visits the White’s home, and told them of the tale of the monkey’s paw and tries to destroy it by throwing it into the fireRead MoreThe Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room2122 Words    |  9 PagesThe Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room Ans. The Monkeys Paw, a very well written gothic short story by W. W. Jacobs, has an immense variety of elements, which create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the story, which also links and can be compared to the short story, The Red Room, written by H. G. Wells. The various steps, which the authors took to bring out the nature of Read More This essay will consider four of this type of story, by short story2235 Words   |  9 PagesThis essay will consider four of this type of story, by short story writers of the period; Dickens’ The Signal Man, The Monkeys Paw’ by W W Jacobs, H G Wells The Red Room and The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins. LOOKING AT THE ATTUTUDES OF THE PERIOD, EXAMINE HOW A RANGE OF 19TH CENTURY WRITERS CREATE MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE IN THEIR SHORT SHORIES The rise in popularity of magazines in Victorian times and the era’s fascination in the unknown and supernatural led to immense interest in the

Eating Disorders Are Serious Conditions Involving...

Laijing Song ENGL 1301- Essay 4 January 9, 2015 Eating Disorders in Adolescents Eating disorders are serious conditions involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In the past few decades, eating disorders have become more and more prevalent in western countries. A lot of people suffered from the diseases, for example, famous Princess Diana has struggled with bulimia for many years. It should be kept in mind that eating disorders occur not only in adults, but also in young people. In fact, many eating disorders are first being diagnosed in adolescents. The adolescents with eating disorders often fight against body weight control by the means of starvation, binging or purging. However, the intense preoccupation with being thin and the lifestyle it entails can be life-threatening. Therefore, in order to reduce the rate of eating disorders in adolescents and help them recover, the media, families, and schools need to come together to offer support and create change. Adolescents, who are confronting with eating disorders, are in the condition of risks, it should be drawn more attentions to the public. First of all, youngsters are undergoing the fast growing phase, eating disorders will result in multiple damages to individuals. In Smolak and Levine’s article, they stated that â€Å"all the eating disorders may, in various ways, do serious damage to cardiovascular, reproductive, skeletal, and otherShow MoreRelatedObesity : A Serious Disease2004 Words   |  9 PagesObesity Intro Obesity is a serious disease that has negative effects on a human body. Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance. A person’s body needs a certain amount of energy (calories) from food to keep them up and functioning. 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He is especially proud of his wife, Carol, a retired elementary school teacher, his daughter Allison, who works for the Center for Women and Excellence in Boston, and his daughter Teri, who is ï ¬ nishing

Strategic Analysis A Structured Approach - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Strategic Analysis And Choice A Structured Approach? Answer: Introduction The organization that is taken for analysis is a maintenance contractor in the Oil and Gas industry called Altrad. They have a specialization in protective coatings (paint), scaffolding, insulation and fireproofing. They have been chosen due to their distinctiveness of operating on Barrow Island which causes unique processes regarding supply chains, quality control, and training (Altrad, 2018). Altrad has also been chosen due to its lack of training and lack of cohesiveness between departments (relationships). Altrad aims to be a leader in the maintenance sector of the oil and gas industry. The goal is to achieve a high quality of work, efficiently and safety at a reasonable cost. The altrads target market is the 11 gas plants in Australia as well as the offshore rigs that compliment these plants. They aim to the employee over 1500 people from 4 different chore trades. If successful then they could potentially branch out into the mining industry throughout the Pilbara in the North West, Western Australia. Strategy To become an industry leader Altrad has identified 5 key elements to achieve its mission To educate and train its workforce Improve its communication and adhesiveness between branches Cost-effective purchasing and delivery methods Retain its workforce To provide new products to the industry that will significantly increase their quality and give them a competitive advantage. The 3 areas of focus for the next 12 months for Altrad are; To give education to workers in the industry and to improve quality and reduce re-work and costs. Improve supply processes to ensure there are sufficient products and equipment on site always. Gain knowledge and experience in new products that have a potential to create new work opportunities throughout the oil and gas industry Business process identification Business processes involve several different departments and rolls that create one overall product or service. The overall process fixates on each specified roll in the process and what inputs and outputs are required, as well as supplies and values, to recognize strengths and weaknesses in the organization. Business processes provide a clear understanding of the workflow and structures involved in the operations of a business. Education The education process for Altrad occurs before the employee gets to site. As Barrow Island is a class a nature reserve, the organization educates its employees on what is and isn't accepted in the accommodation camp as well as the gas plant. This is to protect the class A nature reserve and to adhere to the clients (Chevron) demands of protecting the flora and fauna of the island. These inductions are compulsory for all employees as the client won't allow employees on site without the strict education. The process has cross-functional and crosses relationship processes. As well as educating the employees on site requirements they are also educated on safety issues. The Gorgon project has strict safety rules and regulations which must be adhered to. Altrad education process involves courses in working at heights and confined space entry, however, there is a serious lack of education into the requirements of the actual job. These inductions are generic, and the education process needs to involve specific trades also. The trade education will be the focus of this report. Application of protective coating The application of protective coatings process is a core function of this organization process. It is the primary financial for protecting structural steel, pipes and water tanks. The protective coatings department has cross relationships with the scaffolding and insulation department. They work with the support of human resources, purchasing/stores, and trades assistants. Applying protective coating has strict quality control standards that must be adhered to. The applicator must apply the protective coating to the steel within site (Barrow island, Gorgon project) standards and within strict time frames (Yang, 2008). This allows the other processes such as scaffolding and insulation to work around the protective coating applications and flow with coherency. Purchasing/ Stores The store's department which purchases protective coatings, personal protective equipment and supplies have a combination of standard purchasing and individual purchasing. The protective coating has been negotiated with a contractor to supply paint at a discounted price. The challenge for stores is to find time and space on the supply ships that deliver to Barrow Island can be challenging and expensive (Bahadori, 2015). The process involves having all deliveries being checked by quarantine for flora, fauna, and defects before being loaded into the supply ships that only travel to the island bi-weekly. Stores purchase products for all departments, however, this report will focus on the protective coatings department. After analysing the relationship maps it is clear to disconnect and interfaces in the protective coating process. The inputs and outputs have recognized the inefficiencies, communication breakdowns, and departmental rivalries. The protective coating department does not have a disconnection with the purchasing/stores department due to the lack of education and understanding nor do they operate with standard work procedures. The store's department runs out of protective coatings and due to the uniqueness of being on an island, it takes time to receive the paint. This causes a backlog of unfinished work fronts and deadlines being missed. Ordering the minimum amount of product increases transportation bills and affects the painter's ability to complete jobs on time and to standard. The other disconnect is between the protective coatings department and human resources. This is the typical white collar, blue collar differences with human resources, unique work practices and rules regarding annual leave, public holidays and communication. This has caused an us vs them' attitude which denigrates the coatings department and causes poor morale, work quality and retention issues. It also affects the Altrad brand amongst the workforce in the industry. Being forced to take five days annual leave at a time as opposed to one or two, or not being paid for a day's work because the employee hasn't signed off at the end of the day add an unnecessary stress to an already stressed workforce. The communication breakdown comes from human resources only communicating with blue collar, protective coating applicators, via email. Tradesman doesn't check their emails regularly and employees have missed travel arrangements (flights) due to human resources stubbornness to only email employees to notify them of roster or flight changes (Newman Ober, 2012). This suggests that human resources personnel have personal agendas and relationships with owners Tightness and Dependence The reliance on related departments within the process and how they depend on each other is critical in the protective coatings process. The store's department is dependent on its suppliers and without the protective coatings being supplied then the job won't go ahead. Every part of the process is vital including manufacturing the product, transporting it to the island, paying the accounts and storing the correct amount of paint (Chopra, Meindi Kalra, 2016). Bottlenecks A bottleneck occurs when the capacity is equal or less than the demand requested. It slows production and output. Altrad has the potential to bottleneck at the store's stage of the process if they do not order enough paint required for the job. If it happens then island runs out of paint and it create the entire protective coatings process bottlenecks. Service blueprinting Service blueprinting has a connection with the line of visibility. The line of visibility is what the customer witnesses and what they don't. When a customer is present then the focus should be on providing a good service. The client (Chevron), rarely witness Altrad applying the protective coatings. However, they do inspect and scrutinize the quality of the work. No job gets completed without chevron inspecting the job and approving the standard of application (Frauendorf, 2007). Although blueprinting suggests that efficiency should be an Altrads priority as most of its work is done without the customer watching, in this case, providing a good service is more important Process measurement Without a form of measurement then a process is impossible to analyze. (A) Measure performance through its Discussion After analysing the protective coatings process several issues have arisen that could impact both the overall process as well as the financial viability of the business. These include quality control, education, retention, communication, and efficiency. The key areas that need to be addressed are retention and education. Due to the disconnect between human resources and the protective coating struggle to retain quality employees. The us vs them' competition between these two departments leads to a high turnover and poor morale. Quality employees feel they are mistreated and unappreciated and constantly leave to work elsewhere. Poor moral leads to poor work quality, which flows on to deadlines not being met and budgets not being followed (Frauendorf, 2007). This could lead to unhappy clients and the potential for the client (chevron) looking for other contractors to fill the void. Due to the high turnover, the ( A ) brand is poor within the industry and therefore they have to settle for unqualified or inexperienced workers. The connection is not between education and protective coatings are clear through its output of the final product. With HR being unaccountable to anyone, the process, personnel, and quality should be discussed and reviewed (Yin, 2016). If HR cannot hire the most experienced and knowledgeable employees, (A ) should consider adding an interface with education to their process. Conclusion To run a successful operation and business then all departments and sub-departments need to be aware of the overall process. All areas of the business need to work coherently and effectively to provide a quality and efficient service. Competing with other departments and working selfishly can be toxic and detrimental to an organization. This can ultimately lead to failure through poor branding and loss of contracts. Hiring the right employees and retaining them to successfully run a job on time and on the budget is key to maintaining a good relationship with your clients. Human resources are responsible for the hiring of employees and implementing rules and conditions. For this reason, then a review of the human resource department is essential to identify why unnecessary rules and conditions are being forced upon the workforce leading to a high turnover. This department has a serious problem of the workforce. The other disconnect happens between protective coating and stores. There is a communication breakdown between these two departments. Due to long waits between ordering and receiving the product a review of the communication process is necessary to rectify this issue. Develop a trade specific education program- Due to (A) poor brand within the industry then there is a need to train and educate from within. An increase in knowledge from the workforce will improve standards and outputs. By increasing quality outputs, the workforce's morale increases as a bi-product of doing a good job. Good moral flows on to better retention. Remove unnecessary work practices- An improved relationship between human resources and the workforce is essential. There is no apparent reason to force employees to take 5 days annual leave at a time, not pay them for public holidays, not paying them for not signing off at the end of a day's work or to threaten them with their jobs for having a sick day. This is just an authoritarian way of operating and is completely outlined in this day and age (Chopra, Meindi Kalra, 2016). Removing these rules would eliminate arguments and resentment between departments. Implement a reward system for work quality- a reward system should be for work crews and not individuals. By doing this it would help promote teamwork, increase morale and create a bond between the workforces that would help with retention. Team awards should be handed out so there is no spitefulness and bitterness towards individuals that could create a rift amongst workers (Bahadori, 2015). Awards such as dinner at a restaurant for the crew, a fishing charter or gift cards will be effective and show the employee that the business cares about them. References Altrad. (2018). About Us. Retrieved 3 February 2018 from https://www.altrad.com/ Bahadori, A. (2015). Essentials of Coating, Painting, and Lining for the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industries. Gulf Professional Publishing. Chopra, S., Meindi, P., Kalra, D.V. (2016). Supply Chain Management. Pearson Education. Frauendorf, J. (2007). Customer Processes in Business-to-Business Service Transactions. Springer Science Business Media. Friedmann, S. (2009). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Target Marketing. Penguin. Newman, Ober, S. (2012).Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online. Cengage Learning. Warner, A.G. (2010). Strategic Analysis and Choice: A Structured Approach. Business Expert Press. Yang, L. (2008). Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring. Elsevier. Yin, R. (2016). Theory and Methods of Metallurgical Process Integration. Elsevier.