Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Business IS essays

Business IS essays Information System - A set of interrelated components that collect, retrieve, process, store and distribute information for the purpose of facilitating planning, control, coordination, analysis and decision making in organisations. Input - the capture or collection of raw data resources from within an organisation or from its external environment. Processing - The conversion of raw input into a more appropriate and useful form. Output - The transfer of processed information to the people or activities that will use it. Feedback - Output that is returned to appropriate members of the organisation to help them refine or correct the input phase. Formal Systems - Information Systems that rely on mutually accepted and relatively fixed definitions of data and procedures for collecting, storing, processing and distributing information. Manual Systems - An information system that uses only paper and pencil technology and does not rely on computers. Computer Hardware - the physical equipment used for the input, processing and output work in an information system. Computer Software - Preprogrammed instructions that coordinate the work of computer hardware components to perform the processes required by each information system. Storage Technology - physical media for storing data and the software governing the organisation of data on these media. Communications technology - Physical media and software that support communication by electronic means, usually over some distance. Network - Physical media and software that link two or more computers together to transmit voice, data, images, sound and/or video or to share resources such as a printer. Internet - A vast interconnected network of networks linking business, governmental, scientific and educational organisations as well as individuals around the world. World Wide Web - a set of standards for storing, organising and displaying information in a networked environment....

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Build the Back of a Book Cover (with Template)

How to Build the Back of a Book Cover (with Template) The Back of a Book Cover: How to Build One That Actually Works (with Template) Picture an intrepid reader in the bookstore. They’re skimming the shelves when their eye is caught by a brilliantly imagined front cover. They pick the book up. Check. The spine is bold and inviting. Check. Then they flip to the back of the book cover - and it’s a boring solid background with no text.When it comes to book design, your thoughts probably don’t jump straight to a book’s back - it’s not as sexy or attention-grabbing as, say, the front. But it happens to be one of the most important sales tools at your disposal. So let's clear up some misconceptions:Nobody ever sees the back cover of a book online! Amazon.com now allows customers to view the back of paperback books.I don’t need a back cover to create a print book! KDP Print and IngramSpark require you to upload a front cover, spine, and back cover.Then there’s the biggest myth of all: nobody pays attention to the back of a book. Almost everyone reads the blurb before they decide whether to purchase. What’s more, they’ll spend only 10 seconds doing it. In this post, we’ll show you how to make that time count so that a reader ends up deciding in your favor.What makes a good back cover? As you start putting your own back cover together, just remember: experiment to find a balance that works for your book. When you hit a perfect balance between all the elements, you’ll have created a back cover that works.Are you in the middle of designing your own back cover? How have you found the experience? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Managing Diversity at Cityside Financial Services Essay

Managing Diversity at Cityside Financial Services - Essay Example Ethical issues in organizations touch on the workers honesty, respect and trust. Ethics also deal with the way an organizations leadership conducts its affairs and the type of leadership adopted and the culture in the organization. An example of an ethical issue is whether the managers should seek the views of the other workers or who should make decisions. Failure to engage all members of the staff in decision making is an ethical issue in which the managers should reflect on whether what they are doing is good or bad. The choice of management’s decision cannot be resolved in a court of law although this influences the motivation in an organization. The other example of an ethical issue is on how an employee behaves towards their seniors. For instance when the opinion of an employee is ignored in a meeting despite this observation being helpful to organization can strain the relationship between the management and the other workers but one cannot be resolved in court. Impacts of diversity on human capital management and development in an organization According to Choi and Rainey (2010), the American workforce is continuously becoming more diversified due to greater access of equal employment opportunities for the minorities and women. Choi and Rainey (2010) describe that early research on workplace diversity focused on the individual and organizational outcomes; concluding that diversity provides a great opportunity and challenge to the organization. Consequently they argue that understanding the impacts of diversity on the organizational results such as employee satisfaction and organizational performance is critical. Choi and Rainey (2010) affirms that researchers have come to a... Diversity at workplace is can be an important aspect in ensuring organizational effectiveness. However, if diversity is not properly managed it could lead to conflicts and miscommunication leading to poor team work and problems in management. The laws require all organizations to be diverse by complying with the provisions of equal opportunities commission. Discrimination may not be intentional in all circumstances since implementation of some organizational policies may lead to disparate impact and disparate treatment. In the case study of CitySide Financial Services, the bank is locking out African-American from holding managerial positions in the External Deposits units in a claim of trying to be responsive to the kind of customers served in the unit. To deal with ethical and legal issues that can arise in an organization, businesses need to seek the opinion of a legal expert. Moreover, organizations can manage diversity through adoption of a lean management hierarchy that coordin ates and resolves conflicts with it.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Media comparative analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media comparative analysis - Essay Example A media comparative analysis has a vital role in comprehending the various essential elements of the changing nature of the media. Such a media comparative analysis deals with the social aspects, the assumptions and logics, the industrial, the commercial contexts, the primary functions, etc of a particular media form, technology, process, or event in relation to the explicit or implied research methods, the critical framework and assumptions, the theories and logics, the methods and worldviews etc of a specific reading on media and media function. This media comparative analysis paper focuses on a comparative discussion of Megan Boler's "Introduction" to Digital Media and Democracy: Tactic in Hard Times in connection to a particular media form, i.e. an internet radio station. This paper deals with a comparative study of the explicit or implied assumptions about the nature, scope and role of media forms in each of the media discussions, and attempts to bring together the assumptions o f both the media reading and the media form. Megan Boler's main concern in the article is to bring about the connection between media and power and to contribute to the debates about media and democracy within the digital media landscape and the discussions about the internet radio station can help one realize the underlying elements of the media form. As an introduction to the vital assumptions of the discussion, Megan Boler presents his exchange with Tim Russert as illustrative of how the media in the contemporary world functions in terms of truth and power. From the platform of this account, the author goes on to make his significant assumptions about media and power as well as the debates about media and democracy within the digital media landscape. "The story of my exchange with Tim Russert highlights two key challenges about media and power: (1) how to alter the axes of domination so that those with little or no power have a seat at the table, and (2) how to conceive of media (whether dominant, grassroots, or tactical) with the capacity to intervene at the level of public perception, and that can challenge the perverse manipulation of 'facts' about something like global warming." (Boler 2008, 171). According to the author, there is an essential connection between media and power and there is a very scarce chance to gain reali ty through the power of media. Power in media tries to overtake realities about facts and there is fierce competition to accumulate power in media. The author is essentially forceful about the influence of power in media in the contemporary digital era of media where there is fierce competition and the raw material is no longer in short supply. In this background, realizing reality through digital media is much more complex. There have been significant opinions by experts in the field that media is more powerful than any bomb in the contemporary background and this can be realized on the basis of the famous maxim the 'pen is mightier than the sword'. The powerful influence of media over the lives of several modern human beings can be understood in this background. The major focus of the work by Boler is to

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Essay Kopanang Batho Cooperation Services is a company that distributes water to all parts of the urban and peri- urban societies. Its vision is to strive to provide clean water services to all stakeholders and the mission is to provide quality water through highly motivated and professional staff. Ogbor (2009:283) believes that, â€Å"a business is not defined by its name, status or articles of incorporation. Rather it is defined by what it offers, to whom it is offered and how it is offered. † In this assay discussed are the factors affecting human resource management in global organisations and how they affect human resource management. Firstly described, the economic factors; secondly, the political- legal system, thirdly, education and technology and then culture, how each affect the practice and theory of management. Firstly, the economic factors it is all about the change about the new developments in the wealth that managers need to be aware of. The changes brought about these factors require managers forward thinking and who can handle and adapt to change. According to Kynhans et al(2009), â€Å"All these things show how healthy the country is, in other words, how well the country is doing economically†. Today’s organisations are operating in a global environment, the extents has become exceedingly complex and creates enormous uncertainty for managers. For example, some countries are prepared by the idea of free enterprise, that is people turn to find ways of doing things themselves in order to save costs and companies tend to loose clients due to that fact. Moreover, there are differences in requirements for severance pay and vacation days allowed to workers. Again, human resource management practices tend to change so as to prevent unemployment even at the cost of sacrificing productivity; this means some organisations go to the extent of losing productivity so as to spare its employees’ jobs. Secondly, the political legal system, which involves the rules and the regulations at local and national level, as well as the activities that influence the company behaviour affect the human resource management. Legal factors vary from country to country ant the rules and regulations enforced by a legal system can strongly affect human resource management as it states clearly the conditions for certain human resource management practices such as layoffs, hiring, training and compensation. Kynhans et. al cites, â€Å"every organisation is run according to the laws and regulation of that country’s government.† This means every organisation in a particular country is ruled by the laws of that country and they can affect that particular organisation. For example, in other counties it is simple to hire and fire employees while in other countries there are procedures to be followed to do both processes. Thirdly, education can also affect human resource management. â€Å"An organisation’s potential to find and maintain a qualified workplace is an important consideration in any decision to expand into a foreign market.† describes Sims (2010). This means that organisations consider educational background while selecting their employees and such organisations try all efforts to keep such candidates in the organisation. For example, some organisations prefer hiring people who studied full time. Again, other companies prefer hiring candidates form certain well know schools around the world. Again, the technological environment in which a business operates also brings change within the organisation, either processes of production or the type of employees required. â€Å"Many organisations realise they need to start using new technologies to be able to compete with other business. This can have either a positive or negative effect on the people working in that organisation but companies still need to keep up to date with the latest technology developments to stay ahead of the competition,† cites Kynhans et al (2009:23). For instance, if a company needs to change technology, it might not be easy for other employees to adapt and that might delay production. Introducing new products also can affect the organisation in a sense that other old working practices might change and be replaced by new practices and the advancement of technology doesn’t affect countries all at the same time thus some countries are not technologically advanced like others and that can affect the human resource management practices especially when it comes to job evolutions. Also culture can determine the other factors affecting human resource management in the marketplace. â€Å"Differences in culture cause a great challenge in HRM,† stresses Francis (2010). Culture often determines the effectiveness of various human resource management practices, for example, a benefit valued to be important in one country can be comparatively worthless in another country and that can affect the HRM practice as the rules or regulations will have to differ from country to country. In conclusion, it is very important for managers to consider the numerous factors of doing business in different countries and organise the work in different nations. As the world is becoming one village, rules and regulations must at least be more or less the same so as to make it easier to run companies globally. For example, globalise the laws regulating employment so as to make it easy to run companies globally. REFERENCES Francis, C International Business: Text And Cases.2010(5th Edition).New Delhi: PHI Learning Private Limited John, O. (2009). Entrepreneurship in Sub Zaharan Africa, A Strategic Management Perspective Mitras, D, Shrly .K (2009).Technology, Values and Social Forces in Technology Change Markham, M W. et al. (2009). Human Resource Management: Fresh Perspectives Sims, R, R. (2007). Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues and Opportunities. USA: Information Age Publishing. Inc.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Economic Conditions of the Australian Economy :: essays research papers

Economic Conditions of the Australian Economy Over the past five years the Australian economy has gone through many changes experiencing both the peaks and troughs associated with business cycle. Five years ago, in the middle of 1997 Australia’s economic growth had begun to upturn after a period of recession during the ’96 year. This was unmistakably shown through the composite indicators of retail trade, dwelling investment and Australian share market valuations, all concurring with one another and demonstrating the effects of an upturn in economic growth. This economic growth continued to increase through ‘98 and ‘99, partly being attributed to the weakening Australian dollar that allowed for the opening up and increasing market shares held by Australian exports on world markets. This was the case, as the reduction in the Australian dollar’s value, triggered decreases in the prices of our exports for foreign buyers, thereby increasing demand for our products and increasing the amount of money and investments coming into Australia. This therefore resulting in the aforementioned increases economic growth when combined with the high levels of employment and consumer confidence. This economic growth didn’t however continue for long, with the economy peaking just before the start of the year 2000 followed by a sharp downturn that resulted in a temporary recession occurring around the middle of the year. This erratic behavior, most pronounced in retail trade, can be explained by the effects of both the millennium bug and the introduction of a general consumption tax in the form of the GST. The millennium bug caused much panic and with it bought panic spending especially in the IT sector thereby over inflating an already close to booming economy and after the non-event that the millennium (or Y2K) bug caused spending slumped and then further slumped due to the holding back of consumer spending on big ticket items such as cars and houses until the introduction of the GST. In spite of the aforementioned pre GST economic slump, in the second half of 2000, with the implementation of the GST and the advent of the Olympics, the economy quickly boomed again before experiencing another sharp downturn followed by an equally sharp upturn. The initial upturn was due to increased post GST spending followed by huge foreign cash injections into the Australian economy as a result of the Sydney Olympic Games. The Olympics spending however was only temporary and consequently caused a post Olympics downturn, which was quickly countered by the introduction of the first homeowners grant.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Dividend policy decision Essay

Dividend policy decision is one of the important decisions of corporate finance. A dividend policy should be such that it maximizes the shareholders wealth and provides adequate financing to the firm. A firm with fluctuation dividend policy is considered risky by the investors. (Shim & Siegel, 1998) Usually a stable dividend payout policy is maintained by companies. Leverage which is given by total debt/total assets, is negatively related to the dividend payments, that is higher the leverage in the firms capital lower is the dividend paid. Companies with less debt and sizeable tangible assets usually pay more dividends as it is usually stable. (Aivazian & Cleary, 2003) However, this has been contradicted by the signaling theory which says that the company’s which have high dividend payout ratio tend to be financed by debt and company’s which have low dividend payout ratio are more inclined to be financed by equity. (Chang & Rhee, 1990) The agency theory and tax preference theory suggests that there is a positive relationship between the institutional ownership and the dividend payouts. (Jenson, Solberg & Zorn 1992) However, both numbers of shares owned by institutional investors as well as proportion of institutional ownership does not significantly affect the dividend payout ratio. This is because the companies will not have to enter the capital markets for additional funds if they are owned by institutional investors which mean less compliance procedures and monitoring by the external authorities. On the other hand signaling theory advocates a negative relationship between the proportion of institutional ownership and dividend payments. There is a strong positive relationship between the profitability that is the Return on equity and dividend payments. The return on equity is given by net income/ shareholders equity. The higher the income would mean firms would have more money to distribute as dividends, and this would also convey better performance. (Ho, 2003). A firm with high business risk is inclined to pay lower dividends and the firm with stable earnings and low risk would pay high dividends. This is because the firm would be more likely to go bankrupt than a firm with low business risk as the earnings and liquidity position is not predictable. The agency theory of dividend policy says that there is a negative relationship between fixed asset ratio given by fixed asset by total assets and dividend payout ratio. The more money is blocked in the tangible fixed assets, the less is available to fund short term assets, which can be used as collateral security to finance the short term borrowings. The firms would not be able to have access to short term loan and would therefore depend on the retained earnings to meet the short term requirements. Firms which have high liquid assets would pay more dividends than firms with less liquid assets. Liquidity position of a company is measured by current assets / current liabilities. High cash availability would enable firms pay more dividends. Moreover if the liquidity position is high the probability of bankruptcy also reduces. Large firms would pay more dividends as they would have easy access to capital markets than small firms. As large firms are more diversified and less susceptible to financial distress, they pay more dividends to the shareholders than the smaller firms (Gul & Kealey 1999). The higher the growth opportunities the higher is the possibility of firms distributing low dividends. The profits would be retained by the firms in order to finance the expansion plans. Market to book value ratio is used as a proxy for growth opportunities. Hence, there is a negative ratio between market to book vale and dividend payments. Thus we find that all the factors play a role in formulation dividend policy. Some have significant impact while others factors may not have a considerable effect. Reference: Aivazian, V. , Booth I. , Cleary S. , (2003) Do emerging markets firms follow different dividend policies from the US firms? Journal of financial research, 26(3) pp. 371-387 Chang, R. P. , Rhee, S. G. , (1990) The impact of personal taxes on corporate dividend policy and structural decision, Financial management, 19(2) pp. 21-31 Gul, F. A. , Kealey, B. T. , (1999) Investment opportunity set and corporate debt and dividend policies of Korean companies, Review of quantitative finance and accounting, 13(4) pp. 401-414 Ho, H. , (2003) Dividend Policies in Australia and Japan, International Advances in economic research Jensen, G. , Solberg, D. , Zorn, T. , (1992) Simultaneous determination of insider ownership, debt and dividend policies, Journal of financial quantitative analysis, pp 247-263 Shim, Jae K. , Siegel, Joel G. , (1998) Schaum’s outline of theory and problems of financial management, McGraw-Hill Professional, USA

Saturday, November 9, 2019

A career in chemistry

IntroductionCandidate, who chooses chemistry as a career, must have passion to know about science and chemical substances. Chemistry is a branch of the science which explores the composition, properties, and transformation of substances and various elementary forms of matter. All human activities deal with a material world, which consists of chemicals, both natural and manufactured.Chlorophyll, hemoglobin, and insulin are examples of natural chemicals that are essential to life. Chemistry has great significance in understanding the environment, enhancing methods of producing, processing, and packaging food and making automobiles protected and more fuel-efficient.Candidates who complete the chemistry major are knowledgeable in all aspects of modern chemistry. In graduation program, students cover course work in the major sub-disciplines of chemistry, organic, inorganic, physical, biological, and analytical.The syllabus of chemistry allow the student to choose array of career choices w hich include chemistry, medicine, law, business, chemical physics, environmental science, and secondary school teaching. If candidate wants to become chemist, he has to complete undergraduate training to produce new products for the chemical-processing industries, execute tests and evaluations of existing products and the environment, and carry out basic research (http://careers.ns.utexas.edu).Job descriptionChemistry offers number of careers. Chemistry is a major subject of science. Candidates trained in chemistry or the chemical sciences may develop the ability which can be utilized in various fields. For example chemists prepare medicines that treat many diseases (www.science-engineering.net).Candidates who are interested in chemistry subject must possess many skills which include ability to make critical observations and appropriate decisions, ability to operate scientific equipment, ability to organize and maintain accurate records, ability to conduct and clearly explain scient ific research, proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and memorization, sensitivity to the health and safety of others.In chemistry, candidate can also do courses in professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, occupational health, optometry, MBA programs and policy studies. Job of chemistry teacher is to teach courses for the chemical and physical properties and compositional changes of substances. They teach the methods of qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. Teachers primarily engaged in teaching and many professionals can involve in teaching as well as research (http://www.careerplanner.com).Basically, chemistry lecturer deliver lectures to undergraduate and/or graduate students on topics such as organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and chemical separation, supervise students' laboratory work, evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory performance, assignments, and papers, compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assig n this work to others, maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records, prepare course materials such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts, maintain regularly scheduled office hours in order to advise and assist students, plan, evaluate, and modify curricula, course content and course materials and methods of instruction.Chemistry Lab teaching assistant is responsible to assist the Professor for conducting laboratory experiments (http://www.bethanylb.edu/). Chemists may involve in applied research projects which develop new products, or they may be engaged in theoretical research exploring new facts that may ultimately lead to new products. Many chemists work as administrators of these research projects or as executives in industry and government.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Inferno essays

The Inferno essays On Good Friday 1300 AD, in Dante's thirty-fifth year, he goes astray from the straight road into the Dark Wood of Error. Seeing the Sun (Divine Illumination) lighting the Mount of Joy in the Distance, he attempts to climb up the mountainside but is blocked by three beasts of worldliness: the Leopard of Malice and Fraud, the Lion of Violence and Ambition, and the She-Wolf of Incontinence. When his hope is nearly lost, the shade of the Roman poet Virgil (a symbol of Human Reason) appears to him. Virgil has been sent by Beatrice in Heaven to lead Dante from error; he explains that to defeat the beasts it is necessary to take the harder route through Hell (where sin is recognized), Purgatory (where sin is renounced), then to Heaven to revel in the light of God. Dante accepts and sets off with him. The Poets pass through the Gate of Hell (inscribed with the famous line, Abandon all hope ye who enter here) and step into the Vestibule, where they see the torments inflicted on the opportunists and those who took neither side in the Rebellion of the Angels. They are not officially in Hell nor Heaven because their actions in life were not good enough or bad enough to warrant a place in either. They must forever pursue a banner just out of their reach while being stung by wasps; the blood and pus flowing from their wounds is feasted upon by worms and maggots. (The punishments in Inferno always fit the crime. The wasps signify the sinners guilty consciences and the worms and maggots, their moral filth.) The Poets wish to be ferried across the river Acheron by the boatman Charon, but Charon realizes that Dante is still living and refuses them passage until Virgil makes a good argument for Dante's case. Charon reluctantly agrees, but Dante faints out of pure terror and only awakes whe n he is on the opposite bank. Upper Hell, for those who committed the least serious sins, is made of five circles, each containing fewer sinners and smaller tha...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Biography of Eratosthenes, Greek Geographer

Biography of Eratosthenes, Greek Geographer Eratosthenes of Cyrene (c. 276 BCE–192 or 194 BCE) was an ancient Greek mathematician, poet, and astronomer who is known as the father of geography. Eratosthenes was the first person to use the word geography and other geographical terms that are still in use today, and his efforts to calculate the circumference of the Earth and the distance from the Earth to the Sun paved the way for our modern understanding of the cosmos. Among his other many accomplishments were the creation of the first map of the world and the invention of an algorithm known as the sieve of Eratosthenes, which is used to identify prime numbers. Fast Facts: Eratosthenes Known For: Eratosthenes was a Greek polymath who became known as the father of geography.Born: c. 276 BCE in Cyrene (present-day Libya)Died: 192 or 196 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt Early Life Eratosthenes was born around 276 BCE in a Greek colony in Cyrene, a territory located in present-day Libya. He was educated at the academies of Athens and in 245 BCE, after earning attention for his skills, he was invited by Pharaoh Ptolemy III to run the Great Library at Alexandria in Egypt. This was a major opportunity, and Eratosthenes was excited to accept the position. In addition to being a mathematician and geographer, Eratosthenes was also a very gifted philosopher, poet, astronomer, and music theorist. He made several significant contributions to science, including the discovery that a year is slightly longer than 365 days, requiring an extra day- or leap day- be added to the calendar every four years to keep it consistent. Geography While serving as the head librarian and scholar at the Library of Alexandria, Eratosthenes wrote a comprehensive treatise about the world, which he called Geography. This was the first use of the word, which in Greek means writing about the world. Eratosthenes work introduced the concepts of torrid, temperate, and frigid climate zones. His map of the world, though highly inaccurate, was the first of its kind, featuring a grid of parallels and meridians used to estimate distances between different locations. Though Eratosthenes original Geography did not survive, modern scholars know what it contained thanks to reports by Greek and Roman historians. The first book of Geography contained a summary of existing geographical work and Eratosthenes speculations about the nature of the planet Earth. He believed it was a fixed globe whose changes only took place on the surface. The second book of Geography described the mathematical calculations he had used to determine the circumference of the Earth. The third contained a map of the world in which the land was divided into different countries; it is one of the earliest examples of political geography. Calculating the Circumference of the Earth Eratosthenes most famous contribution to science was his calculation of the circumference of the Earth, which he completed while working on the second volume of his Geography. After hearing about a deep well at Syene (near the Tropic of Cancer and modern-day Aswan) where sunlight only struck the bottom of the well on the summer solstice, Eratosthenes worked out a method by which he could calculate the circumference of the Earth using basic geometry. Knowing that the Earth was a sphere, he needed only two critical measurements to calculate the circumference. Eratosthenes already knew the approximate distance between Syene and Alexandria, as measured by camel-powered trade caravans. He then measured the angle of the shadow in Alexandria on the solstice. By taking the angle of the shadow (7.2 degrees) and dividing it into the 360 degrees of a circle (360 divided by 7.2 yields 50), Eratosthenes could then multiply the distance between Alexandria and Syene by the result to determine the circumference of the Earth. Remarkably, Eratosthenes determined the circumference to be 25,000 miles, just 99 miles over the actual circumference at the equator (24,901 miles). Although Eratosthenes made a few mathematical errors in his calculations, the, canceled each other out and yielded an amazingly accurate answer that still causes scientists to marvel. A few decades later, the Greek geographer Posidonius insisted that Eratosthenes circumference was too large. He calculated the circumference on his own and obtained a figure of 18,000 miles- about 7,000 miles too short. During the Middle Ages, most scholars accepted Eratosthenes circumference, though Christopher Columbus used Posidonius measurement to convince his supporters that he could quickly reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. As we now know, this was a critical error on Columbus part. Had he used Eratosthenes figure instead, Columbus would have known he was not yet in Asia when he landed in the New World. Prime Numbers A noted polymath, Eratosthenes also made notable contributions to the field of mathematics, including the invention of an algorithm used to identify prime numbers. His method involved taking a table of whole numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) and striking off the multiples of each prime, beginning with multiples of the number two, then multiples of the number three, etc. until only the prime numbers remained. This method became known as the sieve of Eratosthenes, as it works by filtering out the non-prime numbers in the same way that a sieve filters solids out of liquids. Death In his old age, Eratosthenes became blind and he died of self-induced starvation in either 192 or 196 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt. He lived to be about 80 to 84 years old. Legacy Eratosthenes was one of the greatest Greek polymaths, and his work influenced later innovators in fields ranging from mathematics to geography. Admirers of the Greek thinker called him Pentathlos, after the Greek athletes known for their prowess in a number of different events. A crater on the Moon was named in his honor. Sources Klein, Jacob, and Franciscus Vieta.  Greek Mathematical Thought and the Origin of Algebra. Courier Corporation, 1968.Roller, Duane W.  Ancient Geography: the Discovery of the World in Classical Greece and Rome. I.B. Tauris, 2017.Warmington, Eric Herbert.  Greek Geography. AMS Press, 1973.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Interviewing a relative or friend about managerial accounting Essay - 1

Interviewing a relative or friend about managerial accounting techniques used in their work and writing a summary of the interview - Essay Example I took the opportunity to go to Kim’s company since I did not want to interview him at home. I met his secretary who allowed me to go and see him. I wanted our conversation to be as formal as possible since I had interacted with him on other platforms. After some orientation on the operations of the company, I engaged Kim with questions. Firstly, I focused on understanding the costing systems in the company. Kim was aware that there was a cost accounting system that the company used though he did not know precisely what is was called. However, he was quite clear that the overall cost of production required to be considered in the resource management. Since the company does not have many operations, Kim said that they have simplified financial control system to ensure that operations are run efficiently. At Km’s company, the review of the costing systems is usually done after every one year citing issues of inflation and changing economic patterns. Being a senior manager, Kim has a role in financial decision making in the organization. The senior management usually meets weekly to deliberate on the company operations, trends, acquisitions among other issues. The company uses the break-even analysis in making its financial decisions. This ensures that the company is capable of getting to know its position relative to its profitability. Kim plays a major role in decision-making. As a senior manager, he has a vote in facilitating a consensus on the way the resources in the company are to be spent. In addition, he has the role of ensuring that his department ‘is allocated the resources that are required. In the management, he has the role to defend his projected expenditures as well as giving financial reports on the operations within the department. Kim tells me that the organization is very keen on its budgets. The budgets are