U.S. Army

Objectives1.1Recognize a situation, problem, issue, or opportunity that needs addressing. 1.2Determine the significance, scope, magnitude, and feasibility of finding a solution to the situation, problem, issue, or opportunity. 1.3Identify ethical issues involved in business research.1.4 Describe the business research process. ReadingRead Ch. 1 of Business Research Methods. Read Ch. 2 of Business Research Methods. Read Ch. 3 of Business Research Methods Read Ch. 4 of Business Research Methods. Participation & Discussion QuestionsParticipate in class discussion 4 out of 7 days in a week. & Respond to weekly discussion questions. Nongraded Activities and Preparation Resource: Business Research Methods Review the â€Å"Bringing Research to Life† sections of Ch. 1 & 3 of Business Research Methods.Respond to the following:†¢What evidence is presented that shows effort was made to understand the management dilemma? †¢Identify and classify all of the variables in the U.S. Ar my’s dud shell research. †¢What was Myra’s hypothesis for the U.S. Army’s dud shell research? What was the U.S. Army’s hypothesis? Nongraded Activities and PreparationResource: Business Research Methods Review Exhibit 4.1, â€Å"The Research Process,† in Ch. 4 of Business Research Methods.Find a case study of a research example in which a clear statement of the management dilemma leads to a precise and actionable research.Explain the management dilemma, the management question, and the research question(s).Answer the following questions:†¢Why did you consider the research to be actionable? †¢Was the business research process followed in its entirety?IndividualCurrent Events in Business ResearchWrite a 300-word summary of the business research process by describing the business research process from your experience in the workplace or in an article you find through the University Library. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelin es.Week Two: The Purpose of Business ResearchDetailsObjectives2.1State the purpose of the business research. 2.2Develop appropriate research questions and hypotheses. 2.3Identify dependent and independent variables in business research. ReadingRead Ch. 5 of Business Research Methods. Read Ch. 6 of Business Research Methods. Read Ch. 11 of Business Research Methods. Review Ch. 3 of Business Research Methods.ParticipationParticipate in class discussion 4 out of 7 days in a week. & Respond to weekly discussion questions.Nongraded Activities and PreparationApp DevelopmentIt is estimated that it costs approximately $55,000 to generate an application (app) for the Apple ® iPhone ® mobile digital device. Just offering an app is not a guarantee of success. The most successful apps are sold as downloads and they offer functional value. In addition, Apple takes weeks to review an app.Based on this information, answer the following questions:†¢If you worked for Apple, what research wo uld you want see in a proposal to approve a new app for the iPod ® mobile digital device? Why? †¢What research would not be appropriate? Why?IndividualBusiness Research EthicsResources: The University Library or the Electronic Reserve Readings Find an article using the University Library or in the Electronic Reserve Readings that discusses unethical business research conduct that has resulted in individuals or a firm being convicted, or at least tried for, this conduct. Some examples include the following:†¢Asking inappropriate questions †¢Skewing research results †¢Failing to maintain participants’ confidential information †¢Using participant information for unintended purposes such as selling goods or services Summarize the article you researched.Write a 750-word paper in which you address the following questions: †¢What unethical research behavior was involved?†¢Who were the injured parties? †¢How has the unethical behavior affecte d the organization, the individual, and society? †¢How could the unethical behavior be avoided or resolved? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.Learning Team ReflectionCollaborate with your learning team to discuss the previous week’s objectives. Discuss how you can apply them to a business setting or situation.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

The story Portrait of the Artist as Young Man is set in the Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century. Readers are introduced to the character of Stephen Dedalus, a young Irish boy from a Catholic family. The family is impoverished because of his father is incompetent. The family constantly moves from one place to another because of their poverty.Mary Dedalus, Stephen’s mother is a pious Catholic. The Dedalus children were taught by Mrs. Riordan (or Dante) their governess, also a devout Catholic. Their Uncle Charles stays with them. The opening paragraphs start out with a stream of consciousness by Stephen as a young boy.The next time Stephen appears is during his stay at a boarding school in Clangowes. He suffers from homesickness, and bullying because of his measly frame and basically just unable to fit in the society of the boarding school. He is pushed by a bully into a cesspool that caused him to be sick but does not tell his teachers about it.During Christmas, he join s the adult table for the first time. The dinner turns ugly when a heated debate about politics among the adults started. Back at the boarding school, Stephen is hit by Father Dolan, the prefect of the boarding school. He tells this incident to Father Conmee, the rector of the boarding of the boarding school. His classmates admired this act.His family’s continued financial woes took its toll on Stephen. He was unable to return to the boarding school in Clangowes. Stephen, along with the rest of the family moves to Blackrock. Stephen enjoyed walks with his Uncle Charles in their new place. He plays imaginary adventures with Aubrey Mills, their neighbor in Blackrock.Yet again, just a few years after their move to Blackrock, they move again, this time to Dublin. This is where he meets Emma Clere, the girl that would greatly enthral Stephen throughout the story. Somehow his father managed to enrol Stephen into Belvedere College.It was only in Belvedere where Stephen comes out of his shell, he became a leader and is active in theatre and literature. Stephen still feels alone even if he excels in those fields.As an adolescent young man, he got exposed to sex and is greatly fascinated by it, until finally he loses his virginity to prostitute.Stephen becomes addicted to sex. Although he knows that what he is doing is wrong he can’t control himself or rather he does not want to. After some time, he hears a sermon from Father Arnall, his former Latin teacher back in Clongowes. The priests talks about how terrible hell is. Stephen is horrified. He suddenly changes from a sex addict person to a religious person.

Demon and Fact Faustus Essay

Mephistopheles varies greatly in his attitude towards Faustus, sometimes seemingly offering support and guidance while others acting in a dismissive, even disdainful manner. Throughout, Faustus is manipulated into fulfilling Mephistopheles’ own goals, yet the ‘bewitching fiend’ succeeds in giving him the belief that he wants to do these things himself whether or not he is being guided, albeit rather forcefully, there. Nonetheless it remains to be seen if this is a reflection of the deceitfulness from the devils servant or rather the weakness and arrogance shown by Faustus. Faustus appears vulnerable and naà ¯ve upon conjuring for the first time, pathetic fallacy adding to the sombre mood, as ‘gloomy shadow(s)’ overcast the scene, obscuring what is about to happen, leaving the audience in the dark and instilling a sense of terror. Therefore when Mephistopheles appears as a devil it is presumably through fear that Faustus describes him as ‘too ugly’ such is the heightened sense of tension and feeling of the sublime he experiences. As opposed to reacting to Faustus’ needs Mephistopheles immediately gains control and begins surreptitiously asserting his dominance over him, taking advantage of the fact Faustus is clearly out of his depth, and resorting to imperatives, commanding Mephistopheles to ‘speak!’ hinting that desperation is starting to creep in. Throughout the play it appears as though Mephistopheles is praying on Faustus’ weaknesses, identifying his ‘aspiring pride’ as a pressure point and luring him towards the idea of becoming the ‘sole king’ of all the earth. Once overcome with the thought of being a ‘great emperor’ Faustus is obviously convinced that selling his soul is the best option he has and appears to disregard any rational logic, allowing Mephistopheles to sit back only issuing short replies like ‘I will’ in return to the overly ambitious notions filling Faustus’ egotistical head. Faustus’ lack of control is only furthered when his ‘own appetite’ gets the better of him leading to Mephistopheles threatening to go ‘back to hell’ – forcing Faustus to implore with him not to leave – furthermore signalling his reliance on him to actually carry out all his frivolous desires. The compromise of being offered à ¢â‚¬Ëœgreater things’ proves too much for Faustus as  passion overcomes reason, which Mephistopheles is keen to distance them from, creating stark opposition and providing further evidence that he is willing to manipulate Faustus through his vulnerabilities, regardless of what emotions this will invoke in the mere mortal himself. In addition to promise bringing ‘whirlwinds, tempests, thunder and lightning’ under the control of Faustus, Mephistopheles also immediately senses whenever there is slight doubt in his subject, quickly bombarding him with fantasises to ‘delight his mind’ and turn his attention away from any concept of repentance. This eagerness to persistently tempt Faustus towards hell every time he wavers slightly suggests a driven character, supported through his own claims that he would do anything to ‘obtain his soul’ no matter the cost, showcasing a lack of care or sympathy towards the difficult situation Faustus finds himself in. This only serves to further the level of deception and pretence when Mephistopheles calls on Faustus to ‘stab thine arm courageously’ resorting to flattery to get his own way, knowing that Faustus’ ego will easily succumb to being complimented and raised above others. However in direct contrast, Mephistopheles shows he’s not afraid to resort to intimidation, reporting ‘hell hath no limits’ such is the reach of the devil, one should know not to cross him as ‘under the heavens’ the lines blur and the liminal becomes ever more apparent, this bold claim undoubtedly a shocking one in front of a contemporary audience wherein religion was distinct in its boundaries – hell and heaven two entirely different entities. After a relatively straight forward process of persuasion Mephistopheles gains Faustus’ soul, leading to an apparent change in attitude from Mephistopheles – more bold in his tactics – he openly denies Faustus his wishes, instead questioning his stupidity and chastising him by warning him to ‘talk not of a wife’ but rather concentrate on aspects of life he himself deems relevant. Faustus’ pitiful cry at the end of scene 5 suggests that already he realises the drastic mistake he’s made and that ‘thou art deceived!’ by the dishonest Mephistopheles, leaving the audience to feel slight sadness for the misplaced trust he possessed. Nevertheless while this seems tragic one cannot avoid the suggestion that Faustus was only guided down a path he  desired all along and that he convinces himself to be ‘resolute’ and show willing to commit the most heinous of crimes such as ‘offer luke-warm blood of new-born babies’ – an awful taboo that highlights just how far he will go in order to quench his thirst for power and fame. In turn, this advocates Mephistopheles as more of a bystander than initially thought and while he is unequivocally determined in gaining more souls ‘to enlarge his kingdom’, he remains open about this throughout, instead of being sly and secretive. Therefore it can be considered that Faustus is in no position to call Mephistopheles a ‘bewitching fiend’ such are the failings of his own character. He is the one who condemns himself through his over ambition at becoming a ‘conjuror laureate’ and arrogance in believing that he has tamed Mephistopheles and made him ‘obedient’. Whereas Mephistopheles only points him in the right direction and technically always remains under his command, bringing him a ‘hot whore’ for a wife, while unsatisfactory is still fulfilling the parameters of Faustus’ self-indulgent wish. Despite this obedience towards his supposed master, Mephistopheles can definitely be considered a ‘bewitching fiend’ due to his ability to lure Faustus into making the decisions that Mephistopheles himself wanted and the drive he holds in forcing the deal through to the end. Furthermore his lack of concern towards his own conjuror is revealing, joking ‘tut I warrant thee’ in reaction to Faustus’ recognition he has done wrong, displaying both a lack of remorse and also a smugness that he has succeeded in accomplishing Lucifer’s plan.

Eurognosi in European Crisis Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Eurognosi in European Crisis - Literature review Example From the report it is clear that  education is a type of learning where the skills, habits, and knowledge of people or a society are transferred to immediate generation through research, training, and teaching. Professionals usually conduct education. Most nations divided their education into preschool, primary school, secondary school, and University, apprenticeship, or college. Preschools give education to children aged between three to seven years. Preschool education is imperative to a child as it gives him/her a competitive age in an education climate and the world. Children who did not go through a preschool are usually behind when compared to who passed through the system.According to the essay findings primary or elementary education takes about six to eight years of structured and formal education. Most children start the primary education while aged 5 or 6 years. However, differences exist between countries. Most countries have committed themselves to achieve universal en rollment in elementary education, by 2015 due to the Education for All Program advocated by UNESCO. The separation of elementary and secondary education usually happens at about 11 or 12 years of age.  Higher education also known as the third stage, post-secondary education or tertiary, is a non-compulsory education stage, which follows the completion of a secondary school. Tertiary education includes undergraduate, postgraduate, and vocational and training education. Universities and colleges offer tertiary education.

Summer Olympic Games in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Summer Olympic Games in China - Essay Example to boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies. The Chinese constitution was drafted in 1921 and included no references to religion. This was part of the beginning of China's move toward communism and atheism. With Mao Tse Tung's Red Book and Cultural Revolution came the persecution of anything associated with religion. During the Cultural Revolution more than 6000 monasteries were destroyed (Time For Kids, p1). For all intensive purposes the political leadership took the place of religion and religious leadership. Recently the Chinese politicians have revised their constitution to include the word "religion" for the first time since 1921 (America, p6(1)). In addition the politicians included key wording that opened up the possibility of religious observance within China: "The Party strives to fully implement its basic principals for its work related to religious affairs and rallies religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development" (America, p6(1)). The Chinese Communist Party leaders have also been quoted as saying that "religion can play a role in creating a "harmonious society", a term they associated with economic growth and social cohesion" (The Christian Century, P19(1)). As stated above, a religion can be practiced if it "rallies religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development". In essence, if your church contributes to the social welfare of the community than it will be approved by the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB). Why the Change For many Chinese, daily life consists of a meager existence. It is better than forty years ago when many Chinese were starving. Many social programs do not meet the needs of the many rural Chinese. Many rural Chinese turn to religious organizations within their villages to fund social programs such as schooling and health care. Because of the great need, and the Chinese Communists Party's inability to meet the need, the Party is turning a "blind eye' to the religious organizations in rural villages (The Economist, p25). In one village they worship the Black Dragon. Their temple has been rebuilt (it was destroyed by Maoists) and children are encouraged to work hard in the name of the "Black Dragon". The village services are supplemented by funds from the Black Dragon Temple. The Chinese Communist Party has turned a blind eye to the Black Dragon Temple because it does support social services needed by the community that the government cannot afford to provide. The "officials in Yulin, the prefecture to which Hongliutan (the village) belongs, give the Temple their blessing" (The Economist, p25(3)). Religions Currently, in atheist China, there exists many religions that are practiced. Some who practiced go unnoticed by the Chinese government while others are persecuted. Harmony is used as a determinant as to whether or not a religion is tolerated. If the religion brings social support, like in Hongliutan, then it is allowed (or not noticed). Aproximately 59% of the Chinese population are atheists while the 41% left worship as Taoists, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Dongbaists, Bons, Xiantianists, and Falun

Marketing and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example It is in this particular instance that each of the individual companies shows their prowess and showcases what type of management they have and how stable that management is. Adversities always call for the greatest minds to work out the best management cues that will definitely allow the company to withstand any turbulent moment and engage the stakeholders in every aspect of the decision-making pyramid. Relationship management is the main source of relief for any company that is seeking leverage in economic hardships (Goldberg 2001, p. 11). However, these relationship management strategies may come with even worse effects if not handled properly. Thus, understanding what the company requires and how this can be achieved with minimal changes is an essential step towards meeting the goals of the company. The maximum is expected but this has to be approached in a slow but sure manner (Bowersox, Closs and Cooper 2002, p. 33). As will be witnessed in this report, the case of ChemCo indus tries is one significant study that will help us understand the importance of key accounting management, the relevance of relationship management and how a mishap in implementing either can lead to total disaster. The case study will also be used to investigate the impact of KAM as applied by the company and what impact it had on its stakeholder sin the long run. The report will also explore the different ways and means through which internal and external relationships can be harmonized to create a company that has better and stronger economic outlook despite the challenges they face. Supply Chain Management and Business-to-Business Marketing Business –to-Business marketing can be defined under the notion of the changing relationships between the organisations engaging in either supplying or distribution of products amongst each other. They may be defined as the continuing interactions between the two parties rather than a sequence of encounters where manipulation of prices o r demand is done by the supplier as they engage with suspicious customers (Hoegh 2008, p. 302). This can be related to the fact that those given the chance to deal with the marketing strategies may have competing interests in the business which may hinder rational decision making when the company is in question this may be witnessed and confirmed by the fact that ChemCo’s KAM manager decided what prices were to be set for certain clients while neglecting others in a bid to win over clients during their downhill financial trend. When dealing with the market and the organisation, there is something called marketing logistics that needs to be reconsidered to help understand what is expected in any setting. The market logistics are aimed at critically analysing the relationships between the two parties. This is where theories such as the 4P’s, Porter’s five force analysis and PCDA model of quality control come into focus. The company looks at the best ways through w hich their products can be attractive, how their prices and processes can be maintained or altered to improve their appeal to their clients or how they can analyze their processes and improve them to meet the demands of the clients (Hines 2004, p. 66). As such, any supply chain manager will seek to use even broader logistics to come up with a strategy that suits the entire chain and works at meeting the goals of the company whether by including the subsidiaries or delegating duties and targets for each of the subsidiaries to achieve (Mentzer et. al. 2001, p. 3). However, it is crucial to understand that chain management does not exclude even the smallest retailers in the chain. Instead, as a manager, considering the benefits of

HIMS650 Article Critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HIMS650 Article Critique - Assignment Example It is focused on figuring out the reasons for following problems in order to dive deeper. Qualitative research includes participations, observations, interviews and group discussions. Quantitative research is focused at the quantification of the data. With the help of quantitative research, different variables such as behaviors, opinions and attitudes can be assessed. Mixed research on the other hand is a mixture of both methods. The authors performed a quantitative research in the method. There are many advantages as well as disadvantages for selecting this method. Using the quantitative research helped the authors to evaluate the actual percentage of informed people in their area. They used statistics to reach their result and collected fast outcomes with the help of statistically valid random models. However, the disadvantage of this method is the limited ability of acquiring answers. For example, in the research, they focused on the survey collection of health workers at eight hospitals. It excluded out all the other departments which might have improved their research. The research could be carried out better with a mixed research method. It would help the authors evaluate why they received their results as provided. If they found that the results were lower than expected, a mixed research method could have helped them figure out the reason why the findings were lower than their expectations. Albano, L., Matuozzo, A., Marinelli, P., & Di Giuseppe, G. (2014). Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of hospital health-care workers regarding influenza A/H1N1: A cross sectional survey. BMC Infectious Diseases, 14(1), 1-13.

Come up with topic and I will discuss it with the professor then u can Essay

Come up with topic and I will discuss it with the professor then u can start writing - Essay Example Corporate income tax depends on the net taxable income. Where taxable income surpasses $335,000, all taxable income is subject to tax at 34 percent or 35 percent. Tax rate enforced below the federal level fluctuate from 1 percent to over 16 percent. Regulated Investment Companies (RICs) are the domestic corporations which during the taxable year are listed under the Investment Companies Act of 1940, as amended as a unit investment trust or a management company or to be treated as a business development company under such Act. This paper will focus on tax treatment of regulated investment companies and the corporate income tax and how do they differ from one another. Historical Content During the past decade, the corporate income tax has been the centre of attention of much debate and criticism in the United States (U.S.). It may be due to the low level of business investment in US and it has been also condemned as a primarily illogical and unfair tax because corporations are taxed as independent entities, in spite of the tax brackets of individual shareholders. The recent tax acts have lessened the corporate tax burden by substituting the system of several asset depreciation classes with three capital recovery classes. Business structures can be written off over fifteen years, other equipment over five years and light equipment over three years (Auerbach, 451-458). The corporate tax is the 3rd major source of federal revenue after the payroll taxes and the individual income tax. Regulated Investment Companies are listed under the Investment Companies Act of 1940. RICs escape corporate taxes due to the reason that they make profit from investments through shareholders and they do not have any real operations. Thus, they pass profits to shareholders and circumvent double taxation. They meet definite standards and therefore do not have to pay federal income taxes on interest, distribution of dividends and realized capital gains. Economic Incidence of the Policy Sh areholders must be the citizens or residents of United States. The tax is imposed on the profits of the resident corporations of U.S. at graduated rates ranging from 15-35%. Corporate shareholders pay individual income tax on capital gains and on dividends from sale of their shares. The corporate tax rules which are faced by the U.S. based corporations on their profits from United States business activities, of which the foreign multinational companies are the owner, are same as that of U.S. owned companies. An increase in the corporate income tax increases the cost of capital in the corporate sectors due to the burden of tax-wedge. The return to corporate capital falls as capital flows from corporate sector to non corporate sector. For high capital intensive industries, corporate income tax increases the prices of goods and services and for low capital intensive industries, prices falls with the tax. U.S. capital bears the small incidence of the corporate income tax and labour bear s more or less 100% of the incidence of the corporate income tax. The domestic corporations who bear the economic incidence and therefore opt to be taxed as a RIC are as follows: RIC must be a corporation which should be registered under the Investment Companies Act as a unit investment trust or as a management company. It may also be a common trust. Each series fund which is ascertained by a RIC will be treated as a separate corporation and they should separately meet all the qualification

International Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Law - Research Paper Example n written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation" (Article 2 [I] a) the convection also recognizes that any state has the power to conclude treaties. With the globalization of various operations and increased international activities and concerns, the treaties are have become indispensable and more useful than ever. Basically, states’ motivation is founded on the idea that the treaties create an international framework of laws and rules upon which the international actors, particularly the states and related agencies, may operate with efficiency and orderliness. Treaties are equivalence of international or multinational contract, in which the concerned international subjects get to merge their wills for common good. Since a treaty will be regulating a subject of interest or significance to a member state, or because they regulate a subject that affects the state interest, a member state will often have an interest in ensuring that the treaty in question is enforced. Moreover, treaties serve the role of creating international mechanisms and institutions that enforce or help enforcing the interactional law. The enforcement quality of international law has often been cited as a major weakness of international law. Through treaties, the contracting states come together to agree on how their obligations and rights, as well as those of their citizens and agencies may be enforced. A good example to this effect are The Rome Statute and the Statute of ICJ, which have facilitated creation of international judicial institutions (courts and tribunals) through which various recognized international players may enforce their rights and obligations under the international law. Apart from creating legal rights and obligations for the states that are bound by the treaties, the treaties also create a moral obligation on the states to fulfill

Ethical Matters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Matters - Research Paper Example Universal ethical principles are necessary to have considering the fact that, every profession in the world have shown that without ethical principles delivering the calling of that profession is not a guarantee. Consider a profession that deals directly with the life of a person. Without ethical principles, anyone in the profession can violate the rights of the citizens. Coming to the world of business, ethics govern back and forth the events pertaining to good business. Universal ethical principles in many occasions are a recipe for good leadership and governance. The legislations of laws governing the human nature in a given country have the spirit of universal ethics manifested in it. Universal ethics serve to bring unity and uniformity among professionals in their line of duty. It further ensures that there is a clear course to be pursued in addressing the needs of the clients. Consider the various professionals in the world, without universal ethics, the so far made technologic al advances, no one knows; maybe it would have brought disaster to the world. The 1st fundamental principle of ethics is that of respect for autonomy. Everyone has the obligation to respect the decision of others especially if it concerns their lives. This principle goes a long way in shaping a person’s character to the effect that others will appreciate the tolerance they have towards the lifestyle others. The other principle is that of beneficence; every individual has an obligation to bring about good things in whatever they engage in. the third principle is that of nonmaleficence. This principle requires of us not to harm others; and if we cannot avoid the harm, our effort should be to minimize the harm. The last fundamental principle is that of justice; this principle requires of us to accord others whatever is they are rightly owed. In public life for example, we have an obligation to treat all people equally, fairly, and impartially. Therefore, in the case where others are treated unfairly, our obligation therefore, will be to work for the benefit those who are unfairly treated (Adler, 1996) From the works of Plato and Aristotle, good life can be termed as being able to live up to the ethical and moral standards in the society. In order to live morally, one must uphold the spirit of morality, which does not depend on any benefits coming about by being moral. Consider a situation where one lies for self interest; on the contrary, it is expected that everyone can benefit if people accept self denial. People should be able to appreciate their long term interests; this is however not the case, most people subscribe to the austere view that justification of moral principles should be independent of our interests (Devettere, 2002). In doing our duties we should be foster a lifestyle in which virtue should be the only reward to enable us assume no other benefit in doing our duty. To achieve this, people should embrace contend in their lifestyle. More of ten than not, greed crops in when we are serving others and in the course of event we want to believe that whatever is ours by right is not enough so much, so that we sacrifice what belongs to others. By also embracing the call for duty to serve others, without wanting to mind of what benefits we can get out of it, we can no doubt lead a good life (Adler, 1996) . Ethics can be categorized as

Development can improve your work Essay Example for Free

Development can improve your work Essay ?1.3- explain how learning and development can improve your own work, benefit organisations, and identify career options. Learning and development means that you will be able to broaden your knowledge and skills in that particular aspect of your job role. This will improve your marketability in your job, meaning more people will recognize your company. This also helps you to understand your job role better and to open up possible places for future promotions. When learning new skills, you could realise that you are now able to do a job you used to think was impossible to complete. In completing a job it increases your value to your employer and helps provide that you keep your job and hopefully advance with the company that you are working for, also meaning more career offers, as people around different company’s may recognize you, meaning that they like the way your work and could potentially ask to employee you. It can benefit work as well the employee is better qualified and should have a better understanding of their job role.

History of Sport Essay Example for Free

History of Sport Essay In my paper I will be discussing the early form of calisthenics and how the men and women who implemented exercise and fitness into our everyday life. Although there were many disagreements among the early supporters the first sightings of controlled calisthenics are from physical education classes and in schools. Many fought over what was beneficial for a human being and what was considered a waste of time. Many early idealists agreed appaun the body and mind are connected meaning a healthy mind was impossible without an equally healthy body. Eventually as you get closer to the 1900’s all educators for men at least developed the thinking that physical education particularly calisthenics was a prerequisite for child development. Meaning it was crucial, important almost vital to becoming the most all around successful human able to achieve nothing short of greatness. The belief that by strengthening mans body a man could strengthen his ‘will’. These were thoughts brought up long before the 19th century. Many men who believed in the connection between mind and body thought this was an individual responsibility calisthenics just provided the means. It gave everyone an outlook on the idea of what could come down the road for men who exercised and trained what new levels of success could bring to a mans future just by adding another form of practice into your everyday schedule. In the 1820s American educators began to advocate physical education as well as organize some type of instruction. Many men and educators as time increased and popularity grew for health believed the athlete was the new hero and the new â€Å"human form divine† from all three articles the new idea of man became to be the â€Å"aristocrat of character† not an aristocrat at birth. They were trying to say just because you were born into money or born into wealth doesn’t mean you were going to grow up to be the ideal king everyone expected you to be. You need to be taught, develop character, strength and the will to become the best. Corrupting the mind to control your destiny will lead to the control of your body to un seen lengths of being immortal or superior. Many Americans in the early form of calisthenics became obsessed with health. Tons of men thought the key was strict dieting though the develop of strength training began to take control. As we get closer to the 19th century Americans are troubled with many un explained illness’s and disease. Many ‘irregular’ doctors at the time emphasized exercise and hygiene rather then the radical remedies people performed on one another for cure by the ‘regular’ physicians of the era. During the early part of the civil war for Americans 1861-65 made exercise and physical education a major component in their programmes. Due to the long war some men were forced to deal with anxieties that brought down much of the interest in health and exercise. To balance out the progress already made before the war bringing men together from different sections of the country fighting together as one helped create and spark the interest of sport.

Domestic and Cross-Border Merger and Acquisition Factor

Domestic and Cross-Border Merger and Acquisition Factor Determinants Of Domestic And Cross-Border Merger And Acquisition Activities In Banking Sector Abstract Global announced mergers and acquisitions (MAs) in banking sector rose to a new high record in 2007. Although now MA activity has been hit notably because of the global financial crisis, it will have different performance in the time of post-crisis. Both China and UK will be the most active MA areas in the future, especially in the financial service industry. To secure the success in future MA wave, identifying the right potential targets is crucial. The purpose of the study is to identify the determinants of banks domestic and cross-border acquisitions in China and UK over the two specific periods which are before global financial crisis (2005-2007) and during crisis (2008-August 2009). This study will help bank managers to identify the right targets for future acquisitions and also help policy makers to understand which factors can increase the likelihood of bank acquisitions. Three aspects are examined by employing Logit analysis for the likelihood of domestic bank acquisitions which include banks characteristics, market features and regulatory factors. Additional geographic factors will also be considered into cross-border bank acquisitions by using the same model. The result of this study reveals the determinants of likelihood of being acquired for UK and Chinese banking industry respectively. It also shows the difference of determinants between domestic and cross-border acquisitions, and between the two specific time periods as well for two banking industries respectively. Detailed analysis is also provided for comparing the difference of determinants between China and UK, these two significantly different banking markets. Introduction ABN AMRO, which created as of result of the 1991 merger between Amsterdam Rotterdam (AMRO) and ABN whose history dated back to 1824 and was one of the largest banks in Europe, was acquired by RFS Holdings B.V., a company jointly owned by RBS, Fortis N.V. and Banco Santander S.A. for a consequent amount of 71 billion Euros in October 2007 (Financial Times, 2007). This was the biggest banking takeover in history and together with other deals made global mergers and acquisitions (MAs) rose to a new high of US $ 4.8 trillion in 2007 (Francis and Hasan, 2008). However, the following global credit crunch has created a new international financing and banking network where MAs may be mainly involved as a survival solution for many entities. This study will examine the determinants of banks domestic and cross-border acquisitions both in UK and China, the most active and representative country in developed financial market and emerging market respectively. Therefore, this chapter will give the overview of UK and Chinese banking industry, then focus on MA activities, and illustrate objectives and the value of this study. Background Global Banking Industry Overview The global banking industry experienced strong growth before the end of 2007. Assets of the largest 1,000 banks in the world grew 16.3% during 2007 to a record $74.2 trillion (Figure 1). This growth rate is 5.4% higher than the previous year. Worldwide assets of banking industry The Banker database) EU banks held the largest share, 53% in 2006/2007, up from 43% in 1999/2000. And among this, the share of UK banks is always on the top of other EU countries. US banks share in term of assets remained relatively stable at the level around 14%. The left shares are from other Asian and European countries (IFSL, 2008a). However, the global credit crunch which originated in the US sub-prime market impacted the whole financial system world widely. And it came close to collapse in the autumn of 2008, following the failure of Lehman Brothers and the ‘breaking the buck of a large US money market mutual fund (MMMF). The subsequent panic was then across global financial markets especially the western world. Although in recent months, market conditions have picked up which improves the outlook for banking systems, there has been a dramatic shift based on market capitalization in global banking industries (Bank of England, 2009). In 2007, the average level of world top 20 financial institutions market capitalization was peaked around $125bn, and banks from US and UK dominated the main financial market. However, in 2009, the market capitalization decreased by more than 50% for all financial institutions, and the top three largest ones are all Chinese banks. HSBS, which based on emerging markets at heart , is UKs sole representative in the list (Figure 2) (Financial Times, 2009a). Banking industry in both UK and China experienced great change through the global financial crisis. Financial Times UK Banking Industry The UK banking industry is a vital and essential part of the UK economy. It has experienced a deep level of restructure since the 1980s which includes regulatory change and banking system reform etc. Four major changes are associated with this restructure: increasing level of competition, both in market and out-of-market; deregulation; increased diversification and acquisitions (Drake, 2001). In 2007, UK banking industry reached a new high record for its assets and contribution percentage to UK economy comparing to other sectors. Assets of UK banking sector reached  £6,964bn at the end of 2007, up 11% on 2007. And there were 331 banks authorized to conduct business in UK. The 254 foreign banks physically located in the UK which is more than in any other country (IFSL, 2008a). Banking industry accounted for 7.6% of UK GDP in 2007, increased from 5.7% in 1997 (IFSL, 2008b). However, the following global financial crisis impacted the UK banking industry materially. During 2008, the return on the major UK banks total assets turned negative and the impact of this on return on equity was amplified by banks high level of gearing (Figure 3). Meanwhile, the mark-to-market losses of major UK banks book assets roughly doubled between October 2008 and January 2009, exceeding fresh capital raising over that period which partly reflected increase in expected losses (Figure 4) (Bank of England, 2009). But in recent months, market conditions have been improved, and it can be expected that UK banking industry which experienced restructuring and changed policies on bank regulations during the crisis will seek substantial domestic and cross-border business opportunities afterwards to strength its position in global financial market which gives great potential for MA activities (Economics Outlook, 2009). Bank Of England, Bloomberg) Chinese Banking Industry Chinas economy has been growing about 8% per year in real terms over the last decade. Even during the financial crisis, the Chinese economy continued to grow in a steady way (Peoples Bank of China, 2008). This rapid growth may be largely linked to the globalization of trade, but China has yet to ‘globalize its banking sector. The Chinese banking industry was dominated by four large state-owned banks with about 80% of industry assets, and very few foreign banks before WTO entry in December 2001. After 2001, the existing regulations and laws such as the Central Bank Law and Commercial Bank Law were revised to be aligned with the WTO agreement. There will be more liberalization of interest rates, more fair treatment of tax rates, less restrictions on ownership of takeovers and MAs, and great freedom of operational and geographical scope in the Chinese banking industry (Berger et al., 2009). In 2003, China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) updated guidelines to encourage foreign share purchases. Foreigners then can own up to 25% of any domestic bank, with the ownership from any one investor allowed between 5% and 20%. This led to a historical high level of cross-border MA activities in Chinese banking industry later on (CBRC, 2005). At the end of 2007, total assets of banking institutions increased by 19.6 8% to RMB 52.6 trillion than 2006. And the reform and opening up of Chinese banking industry continued to advance, the assets share of large state-owned commercial banks decreased from around 80% in 2001 into 53.25% while others includes foreign banks increased into 15.98% (Figure 5). This indicated that Chinese banking industry encouraged foreign investors more than before which gave big potential for further cross-border MAs in China. Peoples Bank Of China) Even in 2008s special context, Chinese banking industry followed the reform strategy and promoted the reform and opening up policy of banking industry, and its total bank assets amounted to RMB 62.4 trillion, 18.7% higher than in 2007 while most banks in western world decreased their bank assets by more than 50%. The Chinese banking industry took the financial crisis as an opportunity for further reforms, development and finally achieving globalization in banking sector (CBRC, 2009). This growth trend also provides great potential for both domestic and cross-border MAs in China which can help strength the market position and substantial development for Chinese banks. The Merger And Acquisition Market There are two primary mechanisms by which ownership and control of a public corporation can change: merger and acquisition. In both cases, the acquiring entity must purchase the stock or existing assets of the target either for cash or for something equivalent value (such as shares in the acquiring or newly merged corporation). Mergers and acquisitions (MAs) are part of what is often referred to as ‘the market for corporate control (Berk and DeMarzo, 2007). The global merger and acquisition market is highly active, averaging more than $1 trillion per year in transaction value. Global announced mergers and acquisitions (MAs) rose to a new high of US $4.8 trillion in 2007, up 23% from US $3.9 trillion in 2006. Since the increasingly fierce competitions in banking sector during this time, banks conducted large-scaled MA within and across the border in aim to expand operation and enhance competitiveness. In 2007, MAs in banking increased 32.5% from US $543 billion in 2006, was again the most active sector for MAs (Francis and Hasan, 2008). But MA activities correlate with bull markets and are often greater during economic expansions than during contractions. During the past year when global banking industry was suffered by the credit crunch which originated in the US sub-prime market, MA activities were hit notably in financial service sector. The worldwide MA volume decreased significantly during the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. But, against all the negative factors, the trend of selective MA still exists as ‘acquirers take advantage of the lower market valuations to strengthen their business with synergistic deals and ‘the ongoing strength of emerging market (Financial Times, 2009b). From August 2008 by monthly comparison, the MA volume increased again increased gradually and kept vibrating. On average, the announced deal number is around 3,000 and total rank value is about $160,000 million per month (Figure 6). Thomson ONE Banker Database) MA Activities In UK Banking Industry Banking industry is the most active sector in MA market. And UK, despite of US, is more involved in MA process than any other EU country in financial service industry (Ahammad and Glaister, 2008). During 1999 to 2007, the number of UK incorporated banks which include commercial banks, investment banks, foreign owned banks and banks operated by retail companies declined from 200 to 157 mostly due to the severely competition and MAs in its banking industry (IFSL, 2008). Also, the rapid economic expansions during this period drive peaks in both domestic and cross-border MA activities in UK banking industry (Harford, 2008). At the end of 2007, the total announced MA deals in UK financial industry was 1,806, which represented as 38.3% of all MA deals announced in this year. And among 1806 ones, UK banking industry contributed significant amount of deal values comparing to other financial sectors. However, the following global financial crisis hit the UK banking industry significantly. Although the number of MA activity is less during economic contractions than expansions, it still has its market due to various business strategies. There were 79 MA deals totally in UK banking industry for 2008, and the number for 2009 as so far is 35. According to Economics Outlook, the post-crisis restructuring, recapitalization and seeking for re-strengthening business positions in UK banking industry will provide substantial opportunities for MA activities both domestically and internationally. This will produce an urgent demand for identifying right potential merger and acquisition targets which gives great practical value for this study. MA Activities In Chinese Banking Industry While the economic market get more international and worldwide, to be globalization has become an irreversible trend for all nations in the world, especially for developing countries (Bonin and Hasan, 2005). Although Chinese banking industry has achieved sustainable development during these years even in the global financial crisis, its still far away from globalization. Entry to WTO in 2001 and new policy for foreign investment in Chinese banking industry in 2003 brought momentums for encouraging Chinese banks to participate in global competitions. To strength their own positions in global financial market, most Chinese banks took actions of within or cross border MA activities which led by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) acquiring 20% share of South Africas Standard bank for $5.6 billion, the largest MA deal in Chinese banking industry in 2007 (Munroe, 2008). Further opening up in Chinese banking industry also attract strategic foreign investors invest in Chinese domestic banks through MAs. At the end of 2007, foreign financial institutions invested in 25 domestic banks totally through partially acquisition (Peoples Bank of China, 2008). With the rapid development and increased opening-up of Chinese banking sector, banks MA activities will be increasingly active. According to Peoples Bank of China, effort will be made to vigorously support qualified commercial banks to conduct MA and create favourable policy environment based on international experiences to encourage cross-border MAs in China. Moreover, the ongoing strength of Chinese economic will help to fund or attract domestic and overseas acquisitions in China (Wilson, 2008). It can be expected that China will be the most active MA area in the emerging market in future. To sum up, both UK and Chinese banking industry have the great potential for future MA activities. To secure the successful performance in the present and future MA waves in order to obtain sustainable business growth, identifying the right potential acquisition targets is crucial (Rossi and Volpin, 2004). However, investigating the relationship between bank and the features of market where banks are within and the likelihood of being a right potential acquisition targets in banking industry is relatively under-researched(Pasiouras et al., 2007). And it will be interesting to investigate and compare the determinants of potential MA targets between UK and Chinas banking industries which have significant differences in characteristics, and also for two special periods which are before and during the global financial crisis. Research Objectives And Value The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of banks domestic and cross-border acquisitions in China and UK, and detailed analysis will also be provided for the difference of determinants between China and UK, the two relatively different banking sectors. Moreover, it will compare the difference between two time periods which are before global financial crisis (2005-2007) and on crisis (2008- August 2009). Three aspects will be examined for the likelihood of domestic bank MAs which included banks characteristics, market characteristics and management incentives. Another two aspects which are geographic factors and regulatory barriers will be also considered in cross-border bank MAs. Same Logit analysis model will be employed to analyze the domestic and cross-border MAs for the purpose that the comparisons have the same base. This study has the value for bank managers in China and UK to identify the most suitable targets or to check if their own bank has developed a profile that similar to typical target. And also, its meaningful for policy makers to understand which factors would increase the possibility for bank acquisitions (Scott, 2007). The study has the originality in three aspects. First, it combines all the important factors that will influence the likelihood of acquisitions in banking industry and distinguishes the domestic and cross-border acquisitions according to the gaps in the literatures. Second, this study investigates and compares two important banking sectors (China and UK) which havent done by any researchers before. Last but not the least, this research focus on bank acquisitions over a most recent time period, from 2005 to August 2009, which is the period includes prior global financial crisis when MAs rose to a new high record and on-crisis period. This differs from the prior studies that focused on earlier time periods and will reflect the new trend for MAs. According to Hagendorff et al. (2008), the more recent MAs may be qualitatively different from those in earlier periods which suggests that studies focusing on more recent MAs may provide more relevance to likely future takeovers. Literarure Review The relationship between the bank and features of the market where banks are within and the probability that a bank will be a potential target remains an open question (Cyree et al., 2000; Wheelock and Wilson, 2000). Few studies in the literature have examined the major features of banks which are acquired by other organizations (Hannan and Rhoades, 1987; Moore, 1996; Hadlock et al., 1999; Wheelock and Wilson, 2000, 2004) are focused on the US market, while Pasiouras et al.(2006), Shen and Lin (2007) and Hernando et al.(2009) have studied the Greece, Asia and EU banking industry respectively. Gaps In Previous Studies Hanna and Rhoades (1987) examined the likelihood of an acquisition based on the banks performance using a sample which was consisted 1046 acquired and non-acquired banks in Texas between 1970 and 1982. The results showed that market concentration and high capital asset ratios have negative relationship with the probability of banks acquisition. Moore (1996) also investigated the characteristics of US banks acquired between 1993 and 1996 using multinomial logit analysis. However, both studies mainly focused on financial characteristics of banks, but ignoring the external factors such as regulations. Based on these, some other studies focused on the search of the best predictive variables included bank characteristics, market features and regulatory factors (Bartley and Boardman, 1997; walter, 1998; Cudd and Duggal, 2000). Hadlock et al. (1999) researched a sample of 84 acquired and non-acquired US banks during 1982 and 1992 by employing both univariate and multivariate methods to identify the determinants of acquisitions. However, the variables they analyzed mainly focused on the management incentives. In more recent studies for US banking sector, Wheelock and Wilson (2000, 2004) used proportional hazard models and a two-part hurdle model by collecting massive amount of available data and employing relatively comprehensive variables included financial, market and regulatory factors to investigate the determinants of likelihood of banks acquisitions. They found that regulatory approval process and market concentration are negatively related to the likelihood of MA activities, while management incentives, location, banks size, and capital strength are positively related. However, they didnt identify the difference of determinants between domestic and cross-border acquisitions. More recently, Pasiouras et al.(2006) investigated the Greece banking industry to analyze the determinants of bank acquisitions, but they ignored the management incentives and corporate governance factors due to lack of data available. In a later study, Parisouras and Gaganis (2007) also investigated the financial characteristics of bank acquisitions covering the 5 principal EU banking sectors (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK). However, they didnt distinguish domestic from cross-border takeovers in their studies. Shen and Lin (2007) studied the determinants of financial institutions which engaged in cross-border MA activity before and after the 1997 Asia financial crisis. They found that regulation barrier and market opportunities have less impact on the takeovers after crisis while geographic factors are important determinants both prior to and post Asian crisis. Hernando et al. (2009) analyzed the determinants of bank acquisitions both within and across 25 members of the European Union during the period 1997 to 2004. Their results suggested that determinants of domestic and cross-border takeovers appear to be different in several aspects such as market concentration and profitability of banks performance. However, they examined all the variables according to the experiential model which generated from the US banking sector. The model can be argued if it is applicable to the EU banking industry. Other studies about the determinants of bank acquisitions mainly focused on the search of the most effective empirical method for the development of the prediction models (Cheh et al., 1999; Doumpos et al., 2004; Espahbodi, 2003). This study is based on previous research, and will cover the above identified gaps which include examining domestic and cross-border MAs respectively by using the same Logit analysis model, studying the two typical and representative banking markets in UK and China, and analyzing all the various factors typically found to be the most likely determinants of bank MA activities in the literature. And these factors will be detailed in the following section related to previous studies. Possible Determinants Of Banking MAs In Literature Bank Characteristics Seven factors of bank features are mainly analyzed in the literature which are related to the likelihood of being acquired. Bank Performance The main motive underlying acquisitions is the target bank is underperforming. The inefficient management hypothesis (Manne, 1965) argues that if management cant maximize the shareholders wealth by using the resource it has, then the firm is more likely to be acquired so the inefficient management will be replaced. Then there will be the space for the acquirer to improve the performance and efficiency of target and increase total profitability. Therefore, indicators of bank performance should contain explanatory power on the likelihood of being required. But the empirical results are mixed. Hannan and Rhoades (1987) found no evidence to support this hypothesis while Moore (1996), Focarelli et al. (1999), Wheelock and Wilson (2000), Pasiouras et al. (2006) and Hannan at el.(2007) found that less efficient and profitable banks are more likely to be acquired. Loan Activities However, while underperforming banks may provide greater opportunities for further improvement of profitability, they are also more risky, especially if the source of the underperformance is a high level of loans (Hernando et al, 2009). Hannan and Rhoades (1987) demonstrated that a high level of loans would indicate the aggressive business strategy of target bank and a penetrated and strong established client networking which will make it more attractive as a target while a bank with a low level of loans due to its conservative management may also be attractive to the acquirers since acquirers can use more aggressive way to increase returns of the target. And they found loan activity was negatively related to acquisition likelihood but not ‘statistically significant. But Moore (1996) found a negative and significant relationship for both in-market and out-of-market acquisitions. Moreover, the results of Wheelock and Wilsons studies (2000, 2004) were mixed. They found it depende d on the specification of the estimated model, in some cases it was negatively related but in others, it was positively related with not always statistically significance. Liquidity As stated by Pasiouras et al. (2007), liquidity is an additional factor that can affect the attractiveness of banks as targets since ‘the process of managing assets and cash flow to maintain the ability to meet current liabilities as they come due is an important decision for managers. This argument is supported by Wheelock and Wilson (2000) in their study. But it is also possible that some banks be acquired because they have liquidity issues and turn to help to acquirers. In the study of Pasiouras et al.(2007), it found no significant correlation between liquidity and likelihood of being acquired. Capital Strength Another important bank characteristic for likelihood of being acquired is the capital strength while there are different hypotheses associated with this (Hernando et al, 2009). Several hypotheses predict a positive relationship between banks capitalization and the likelihood of involving into acquisitions. One is that if high capitalization indicates inefficiency of a bank to diversify its assets, then better diversified acquirers will be attracted by such banks. Another one is that if acquirers face regulatory pressure of capital requirement, they may seek highly capitalized targets. Finally, banks with high capital ratios may be operated further below their potential profit due to less pressure to managers. While on the other hand, some hypotheses predict a negative relationship. One of them is an acquisition by a well capitalized acquirer might be stimulated by the supervisor if the target has low level of capitalization. And Hanna and Prilloff (2007) also argue that ‘acquir ers prefer low capitalized targets because it enables them to maximize the magnitude of post-acquisition performance gains relative to the cost of achieving those gains. The empirical results for this are mixed as well. Akhigbe et al. (2004) found a positive relationship between capitalization and the likelihood of being a target in study of publicly traded banks in the U.S. While most studies found the relationship is negatively related (Hanna and Pilloff, 2007; Lanine and Vander, 2007; and Pasiouras et al., 2007). Size Banks size is another characteristic which may influence the likelihood of being acquired. Smaller banks may be more attractive to the acquirers since its easy to finance and even integrate after the acquisition. However, if the acquirer is seeking economies of scale or market power through acquisition, especially for the cross-border acquisitions, size may have a positive influence on the likelihood of being acquired. Hannan and Rhaodes (1987) and Moore (1996) have not found a significant relationship between bank size and the probability of being a target while Wheelock and Wilson (2000), Focarelli and Pozzolo (2001) and Hannan and Pilloff (2007) find that larger banks are more likely to be acquired when they estimate their model using full samples. Lanine and Vander (2007) and Pasiouras et al. (2007) also have positive results in their studies. But Hanna and Pilloff (2007) also point out that for the acquisitions by smaller banks, larger banks are less likely to be acquired due to the difficulty of post-acquisition integration. Market Share Market share is an additional variable for the reasons of MA activities. Bodie et al. (2008) argues that market share is one of the most important factors which impact the acquirers decision in domestic and cross-border acquisitions in banking industry. It is similar to the variable of banks size, but provides a relative standard to evaluate the target comparing with others in the same industry. In the banking industry, a bank with small share is likely to be acquired since only banks with substantial market share can compete effectively and the assets of banks with smaller shares will be more valuable after being acquired by the large bank. But regulatory concerns about anti-monopoly for banks with large market share will give the negative effect on the likelihood of being acquired and high market share. The empirical results for this factor are mixed as well. Moore (1996) and Pasiouras et al. (2007) found that it is significantly and negatively related with the probability of acqui sition in in-market MAs while Hanna and Rhoades (1987) found it has positive impact on the acquisition probability. Future Growth Finally, prospects of banks future growth can affect the acquirers MA decision as well. Banks which experience high growth may be more attractive to the acquirers as potential gains raised from the expanding markets after acquisition can be expected more than before. Consistent with this hypothesis, Hannan and Rhoades (1987) and Cheng et al. (1989) find that the likelihood of acquisition is positively related to the potential growth rate of the assets of the target banks in their studies of U.S. banks in 1980s. However, Moore (1996) argues that slower growing banks may attract a buyer who is looking to increase the targets growth rate through efficient management. Together with Moore (1996), Pasiouras et al. (2007) find a negative relationship between banks growth rate and the acquisition probability. But Hanna and Pilloff (2007) and Lanine and Vander (2007) do not include this variable into their studies. Market Features Three main independent factors are discussed in literature about market characteristics which may influence the acquisition probability of a particular bank. First one is market concentration. Through the impact on bank competition, the degree of bank market concentration potentially affects the likelihood of acquisitions. Increased concentration may increase the attractiveness of the target banks in that market. But buyers that would want to increase the concentration further may face the pressure from anti-monopoly authorities (Hernando et al, 2009). Hanna and Rhoades (1987) found there is a negative relationship between market concentration and the takeover probability for out-of-market acquisitions while it is significantly positive for in-market acquisitions. Moore (1996) found no statistically significant relationship between them for in-market takeovers but a positive sign for out-of-market ones. Hannan and Pilloff (2007) also fail to find any statistically significant evidence that market concentration is a determinant of takeover targets. However, Pasiouras et al. (2007) stated a significantly negative coefficient on the five lar ge banks concentration ratio in their sample of European takeovers. Harford (2008) argues that there is a correlation between industry profitability and MA activities within this industry. MA deals are often greater in more profitable industries than those less profitable ones. According to Thomson ONE Banker database, there are less MA deals in UK banking industry in 2008 than ones in 2007 when the whole banking industry was experienced the global financial crisis. This also gives the evidence that the level of industrial profitability has the positive relationship with the likelihood of acquisitions. However, Ali-Yrkko (2002) points out that in the beginning of 1990s, the entire banking was restructured due to the extremely deep bank crisis with large bankrupts. Low profitability may be one of the main reasons which lead to higher level of acquisitions in banking in

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Essay -- Behavior Disor

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Imagine living in a world where sights, sounds, images and thoughts are constantly changing and shifting. Unable to focus on whatever task is at hand, your mind wanders from one activity or thought to the next. Sometimes you become so lost among all the thoughts and images that you don't even notice when someone is speaking to you. This is what it is like for many people who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. Once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, and it is likely to occur two to three times more in boys than in girls. People who have ADHD may be unable to sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be completely aware of what is going on in the world around them. However, on some occasions, they may appear "normal", leading others to believe that the person with ADHD can control such behaviors. As a result of this, ADHD can hinder the person's relationships and interactions with others in addition to disrupting their daily life and lowering self-esteem. To determine whether or not a person has ADHD, specialists must consider several questions: Do these behaviors occur more often than in other people of the same age? Are the behaviors an ongoing problem, not just a response to a [temporary] situation? Do the behaviors occur only in one specific place or in several different settings? In answering these questions, the person's behavior patterns are compared to a set of criteria and characteristics of ADHD. The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) presents this set of criteria. According to the DSM, there are three patterns of behavior that indicate ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. According to the DSM, signs of inattention include: becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds; failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes; rarely following instructions carefully and/or completely; and constantly losing or forgetting things like books, pencils, tools, and such. Some signs of hyperactivity... ...ith accompanying conduct disorders control their impulsive, destructive behaviors. However, these drugs don't cure ADHD, they only temporarily control the symptoms. Many health professionals recommend that these medications be used in combination with some type of therapy, training, and/or support group. Such options include: psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, social skills training, parental skills training (for parents with ADHD children), and support groups. Although most people with ADHD don't "outgrow" it, they do learn how to adapt and live better, more fulfilling lives. With the proper combination of medicine, family, and emotional support, people who have ADHD can develop ways to better control their behavior. Through further studies, scientists are better understanding the nature of biological disorders. New research is allowing us to better understand how our minds and bodies work, along with new medicines and treatments that continue to be developed. Even though there is no immediate cure for ADHD, research continues to provide information, knowledge, and hope.

Essay --

My senior project research paper: My senior project is going to be about a card game called Magic the Gathering it’s based around five color Mana, Mana is the lifeblood of playing MTG your five kinds of Mana are Plains, Mountain, Island, Forest, Swamp. MTG has been around sense early 1990’s Richard Garfield is the creator behind MTG and the publisher is Wizards of the Coast. Magic The Gathering is a card game that takes place in a fictitious multiverse. Each plane is a different universe with different characters. Richard Garfield created the game in the early 1990’s. When the publisher house Wizards of the Coast published the game and it went crazy. Richard Garfield was a huge hit. At that time he was a mathematics professor and a game designer, then later around 1994 he joined Wizards of the Coast as a full time game designer and left the academia world. In Richard Garfield’s creation Magic the Gathering card game, the history, rules and different world’s of the game are important mystical parts. Dominaria is a vast plane on which Humans, Goblins, Merfolk, Dragons, Zombies, and Elves lived in a war ravaged environment. In the beginning there was a war known as the Dragon War that carried on for years and the dragons terrorized Dominaria for many more years to come. And in the latter years of the war a women named Sivitri Scarzam united with the Lesser Elders Scarzam accompanied her offspring into the battle of Corondor. Afterwards the Primeval Dragons Rith, Treva, Dromar, Crosis, and Darigaaz, conquered the would until human wizards took there powers then killing three of them. The two remaining Elder dragons governed for a uncertain amount of time. After Numena fell due to infighting, there is a cavity in th... ...hrough the Safehavens ending the Ice age as well as the Time of the Shards. Now with Doninaria beginning to reheat thanks to the World Spell as well as its axis being restored ice is starting to melt as well as new plagues and the time known as the flood was upon them Tresserhorn, Fyndhorn, as well as many other places of great power in the last years of the ice age witherd away like a Rose in the desert, while other happenings the fall of the School of the unseen at one time was the City of Shadows and Lat-Nam, as well as Scildev was destroyed by Lim-DÃ »l how was getting his awaited vengeance. The once great Wrenna was taken control by a dark mage and started to dwindle in its former power. Even in the darkest of times ight still finds its way through as it did by way new nations rose Benalia is one of the’s which replace Sheoltun, and Yavimaya, where Fynhrn

Immorality In Television :: essays research papers

Vulgarity in TelevisionIn the early years of television people where much more sensitive to what was said and took offense to any form of obscene language. Even in the movies it was unacceptable. However, for many the standard for the use of vulgar language has expanded. In many shows on television vulgar words are used way to often. In many cases unnecessarily. These words do not bother me in the least. However, there are many parents with young children who are offended by this. This would not such a big deal if only the shows that carried these vulgarities would be shown later at night, as they where for many years. Also, most of the programs are not correctly rated to warn of there content.Besides using the basics of the swear words some programs take it to a different level. Instead of using the words themselves they use a form of slang in order to get around the censors. Although these words are not the same as the ones commonly used, they do share the same meaning. By having these programs use these words they are encouraging the children to use a new language that there parents do not understand. And because the parents do not understand the words the children then think it is all right to use profanity.Profanity in television is not so much a problem as it is an annoyance. It makes television more interesting to watch and can occasionally make a situation more humorous, but I do not enjoy it when a five-year-old calls their parents a-- holes to there face.Rating SystemRecently introduced to all the television shows is the new rating system. This system was implemented to warn about the kind of shows on television. The system tells whether the show is to mature for young children. However, does the system still have flaws? Although it does give an idea as to what the show contains, it does not tell as to the extent to which it is. An example would be the television show "Strangers with Candy." This program is extremely crude with little humor. Normally I enjoy crude humor, but this show is gross. It contains vulgarity, drug use, and sexually references. And to top it off the show is at 10:00. Shows like this should not be viewed any time. My point of bringing this up is to show how lose the system is.

Modern Communication Essay

As our modern generation continues to build and discover new ways to make life easier, the USPS (United States Postal Service) is having trouble adjusting. They still go by traditional ways which is time consuming. People may no longer need their services because of the newly developed way called â€Å"emailing†. The internet has provided a faster and cheaper way to send messages. Regardless, the USPS is an essential and simply needs to update their postal service. The USPS has been delivering for over two centuries and has greatly expanded their service across the country. They provided job opportunities and a big success with the cross-country rail system. The USPS has made it this far, so they should keep providing services everywhere in the United States. The world may be changing, but we adapt to it. So can the USPS. There are many ways the USPS can meet the needs of the people. Source A (Stone) As listed and explained, people today prefer to email. So the USPS should get into the emailing trend so their services could run a lot better. They can increase their services, advertise with coupons, and reorganize/motivate staff. The USPS should rebrand their company or come up with a catchy slogan that reflects on their company that it is up to date and reliable. A new slogan can make a great difference today. Source C (O’Keefe) The USPS talks about a projection that will confirm change for the business. Customers are leaning towards the internet and other standard-mail options rather than USPS’s first-class mail. The USPS effort to gain what they had loss includes no Saturday deliveries, longer delivery times for letters and packages, higher-stamp prices and potential future layoffs. There will be flexibility and only changes that are necessary will be made. The article, â€Å"Sending, Getting ‘Real’ Mail Still Magic.†, Source F (Cullen) Kevin Cullen talks about his opinions on the plummeting business of the USPS and how he prefers old-fashioned delivery. According to him, emailing is fast and simple, and fast and simple is what we’re all obsessed with. It gets things done faster and makes life easier. Regardless, Cullen reveals the value in receiving handwritten documents and letters, because people care less about â€Å"snail† mail. He mentions that it simply costs 44 cents to send a thank-you card from Danville to Sandybeach, Hawaii, or Alaska. A genuine bargain! Cullen explains that written documents, letters, and records would last much longer. Emailing is efficient, but electronic records wont last forever. They aren’t as valuable as a solid document, on real paper. The USPS has been going through difficult times since they had stopped making profit in 2006. Thanks to Cullen, there is hope t hat there’s someone out there who believes in old-fashioned delivery. Although we encounter faster ways to deliver our letters and send messages, I personally believe in hand-written letters. They have value and effort put into them. The USPS may be facing difficult problems due to vast technology; but I believe they can make a comeback. There are many other people who probably have letters years ago, and can’t be taken away by a simple, â€Å"delete† button. There are no faulty complications when it comes to documents. Anyways, the USPS can improve their business in many ways and increase their services.

Latest Innovations in Field of Chemistry Essay

One of the latest inventions developed by researchers from Stellenbosch University in South Africa is a one of a kind â€Å"tea bag† that makes use of nanotechnology to clean drinking water, making it free from contaminants and bacteria. It would be interesting to note that the â€Å"tea bag† is made of the same material that is used to make the actual tea bags. The only difference is that in the Stellenbosch researchers’ invention the ingredients are nanoscale fibers and grains of carbon, reports io9. Both fibers and grains of carbon filter water from all hazardous contaminants. In order to purify the water, the user needs to place the tea bag in the neck of a water bottle. The tea bag filters the water when the person drinks from the bottle. One bag can be used to filter up to 1 liter of water and it costs less than a half of an American cent. Loopwing Korea Unveils Solar-Powered Streetlights, Wind Power Generators Having the goal of reducing the demand for grid electricity, a South Korean company decided to create a new type of streetlights and renewable energy generators. Looping Korea presented its latest inventions at the Renewable Energy World 2010. Its loopwing-type wind power generators boast a one-of-a-kind loop-shaped wing structure that allows generating electricity from winds that have speed as low as 2m/s. In addition, the design also makes it possible for the device to produce power without much noise. One of the models of loopwing type wind power generator is called the TRONC. It features a hybrid solar and wind energy generator and it doesn’t need extra source of energy. Besides, the streetlight can be even connected to such external devices as LED display systems, informs Aving. TRONC represents a complex that includes a small windmill and sunlight panel mounted on top. It also features a loop wing style blade of that is 1. 5 meters in diameter. Latest Invention: LED Light Bulbs that Makes Use of Salmon DNA Researchers from the University of Connecticut recently unveiled their latest invention, which is a long-lasting LED light bulb that makes use of salmon DNA. Scientists added two different fluorescent colors to the DNA molecules, the dyes being spaced from each other at a distance ranging from 2 to 10 nanometers. After the colors were added, the DNA molecules are spun into nanofibers. The UV light that produces LED is then covered with DNA nanofibers. David Walt, a chemistry professor at Tufts University, explained: â€Å"When UV light is shined on the material, one dye absorbs the energy and produces blue light. If the other dye molecule is at the right distance, it will absorb part of that blue-light energy and emit orange light. † By changing the ratios of dyes, one can adjust the quality of light, for example turning cool white into warm white. But just like all latest inventions, this one still requires more studying. Besides there is currently no information regarding how many lumens per watt the salmon DNA LEDs generate, which is why it is too early to say anything about longer life or improved light quality. New research shows that exposing polymer molecular sieve membranes to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the presence of oxygen produces highly permeable and selective membranes for more efficient molecular-level separation, an essential process in everything from water purification to controlling gas emissions. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study finds that short-wavelength UV exposure of the sponge-like polymer membranes in the presence of oxygen allows the formation of ozone within the polymer matrix. The ozone induces oxidation of the polymer and chops longer polymer chains into much shorter segments, increasing the density of its surface. By controlling this ‘densification’, resulting in smaller cavities on the membrane surface, scientists have found they are able to create a greatly enhanced ‘sieve’ for molecular-level separation – as these ‘micro-cavities’ improve the ability of the membrane to selectively separate, to a significant degree, molecules with various sizes , remaining highly permeable for small molecules while effectively blocking larger ones. The research from the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory partly mirrors nature, as our planet’s ozone layer is created from oxygen hit by ultraviolet light irradiated from the sun. Researchers have now demonstrated that the ‘selectivity’ of these newly modified membranes could be enhanced to a remarkable level for practical applications, with the permeability potentially increasing between anywhere from a hundred to a thousand times greater than the current commercially-used polymer membranes. Scientists believe such research is an important step towards more energy efficient and environmentally friendly gas-separation applications in major global energy processes – ranging from purification of natural gases and hydrogen for sustainable energy production, the production of enriched oxygen from air for cleaner combustion of fossil fuels and more-efficient power generation, and the capture of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases. Chemists at Indiana University Bloomington have created a symmetrical, five-sided macrocycle that is easy to synthesize and has characteristics that may help expand the molecular tool box available to researchers in biology, chemistry and materials sciences. The molecule, which the researchers call cyanostar, was developed in the lab of Amar Flood, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. It is described in an article in the journal Nature Chemistry, scheduled for publication in August and available online. Doctoral student Semin Lee is the lead author of the article, â€Å"A pentagonal cyanostar macrocycle with cyanostilbene CH donors binds anions and forms dialkylphosphate (3)rotaxanes. † Flood and Chun-Hsing Chen, research crystallographer in the IU Molecular Structure Center, are co-authors. â€Å"Macrocycles have been at the heart of molecular recognition experiments in recent years,† Flood said. â€Å"But they’re a dime a dozen. To make a contribution, you have to raise the bar. Cyanostar raises the bar not only because it is easy to make, but for its unprecedented ability to bind with large, negatively charged ions, suggesting potential applications ranging from environmental remediation of perchlorate and molecular sensing of biological phosphates, to processes related to the life cycle of lithium ion batteries. The creation follows from earlier work in Flood’s lab showing that organic molecules could be designed to remove negatively charged ions fro m solutions. While the molecules have a neutral charge overall, their structure causes them to exhibit electro-positive properties and bind with weakly coordinating anions that were once thought to be incapable of being captured by molecular receptors. breakthrough in fuel cell technology. Scientists from Julich and Berlin have developed a material for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. With the aid of state-of-the-art electron microscopy, the researchers discovered that the function of the nanometre-scale catalyst particles is decisively determined by their geometric shape and atomic structure. This discovery opens up new paths for further improving catalysts for energy conversion and storage. The results have been published in the current issue of the respected journal Nature Materials (DOI: 10. 1038/nmat3668). Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are regarded as a clean alternative to conventional combustion engines, as, aside from electric energy, the only substance produced during operation is water. At present, the implementation of hydrogen fuel cells is being hindered by the high material costs of platinum. Large quantities of the expensive noble metal are still required for the electrodes in the fuel cells at which the chemical conversion processes take place. Without the catalytic effect of the platinum, it is not currently possible to achieve the necessary conversion rates. As catalysis takes place at the surface of the platinum only, material can be saved and, simultaneously, the efficiency of the electrodes improved by using platinum nanoparticles, thus increasing the ratio of platinum surface to material required. Although the tiny particles are around ten thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, the surface area of a kilogram of such particles is equivalent to that of several football fields. Still more platinum can be saved by mixing it with other, less valuable metals, such as nickel or copper. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Julich and Technische Universitat Berlin have succeeded in developing efficient metallic catalyst particles for converting hydrogen and oxygen to water using only a tenth of the typical amount of platinum that was previously required. Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), S. Korea, developed a novel, simple method to synthesize hierarchically nanoporous frameworks of nanocrystalline metal oxides such as magnesia and ceria by the thermal conversion of well-designed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The novel material developed by the UNIST research team has exceptionally high CO2 adsorption capacity which could pave the way to save the Earth from CO2 pollution. Nanoporous materials consist of organic or inorganic frameworks with a regular, porous structure. Because of their uniform pore sizes they have the property of letting only certain substances pass through, while blocking others. Nanoporous metal oxide materials are ubiquitous in materials science because of their numerous potential applications in various areas, including adsorption, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, optoelectronics, and drug delivery. While synthetic strategies for the preparation of siliceous nanoporous materials are well-established, non-siliceous metal oxide-based nanoporous materials still present challenges. A description of the new research was published (Web) on May 7 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. (Title: Nanoporous Metal Oxides with Tunable and Nanocrystalline Frameworks via Conversion of Metal-Organic Frameworks) This article will be also highlighted in the Editor’s Choice of the journal Science. Ionic liquid formulation improves herbicide Scientists in Poland and the US have reformulated the herbicide dicamba to reduce its environmental impact. The use of chemicals in agriculture is widespread, however, there are increasing concerns about their other environmental effects. Dicamba, used to control broadleaf weeds in grain fields and grasslands, is known to enter the environment via water runoff and evaporation following its application. In an attempt to reduce its volatility, a team led by Robin Rogers, from the University of Alabama, and Juliusz Pernak, from Poznan University of Technology, has formulated dicamba as an ionic liquid. Ionic liquids are liquid salts, consisting of a cation and an anion. Deprotonated dicamba assumed the role of anion and the team tested different cations to see which combination was most effective. The team formulated 28 new dicamba ionic liquids using hydrophobic cations that had surfactant or antimicrobial activities. ‘We have always thought of ionic liquids as dual-acting; that is, one can combine an active ingredient in both ions into a single salt,’ exaplins Rogers. By forming a hydrophobic ionic liquid, the water solubility of the herbicide was reduced. The new ionic liquids showed lower volatility, increased thermal stability and improved efficacy in field tests over the parent dicamba. Not only are the ionic liquid forms desirable because of the potential for lower environmental impact, they actually work better, leading to lower application rates of the chemicals,’ Rogers adds. Bill Johnson from Purdue University, Indiana, US, an expert in the development of weed management systems, comments that ‘if a less volatile form of the herbicide can still provide the same level of weed control, the concerns about off-site movement will be greatly reduced. ’ He also says that this approach could be taken with other weak acid herbicides, such as 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The next step for Rogers and co-workers is to investigate other cations with the dicamba anion to create a herbicide with other useful properties. Sustainable iron catalyst for clean hydrogenation 27 June 2013Emma Eley An international team of chemists has reported a clean and green way to perform one of the most important industrial reactions for pharmaceutical and petrochemical synthesis. Platinum group metals are currently the catalysts of choice for hydrogenations due to their high activity. However, they are also expensive, toxic and very rare. Now, in a joint project between McGill University, Canada, and the RIKEN Institute, Japan, a polymer supported iron catalyst has demonstrated excellent performance as a hydrogenation catalyst in the most environmentally-friendly of reaction mediums – water. Iron is abundant and far less toxic than the precious metal catalysts currently used, but its use in industry is limited by it rusting in the presence of oxygen and water. ‘When rusted, iron nanoparticles stop acting as hydrogenation catalysts,’ explains project leader Audrey Moores from McGill University. The system we report solves this limitation and makes iron active in water. ’ Amphiphilic polymers, developed by Yasuhiro Uozumi at the RIKEN Institute, are used to protect the iron catalyst from being deactivated by water while still allowing reactants to reach the catalyst’s active site. After overcoming some synthetic difficulties involving the use of toxic iron pentacarbonyl, the team showed that their robust catalyst was tolerant to water and could be viewed as a realistic competitor to the platinum series metals. The authors demonstrate that the catalyst can be used in a flow system with little leaching, allowing for continuous hydrogenation at the multi-gram scale,’ says Jianliang Xiao, a catalysis expert at the University of Liverpool, UK. ‘As it stands now, the catalytic activity is still low; that said, the study presents an excellent example of green chemistry in practice – total atom-economic reduction in flow with an inexpensive and safe iron catalyst. ’Future work from the team will focus on developing and understanding the protective power of the polymer. We are also interested in developing this catalyst for other industrially relevant reactions,’ says Moores. Titanium takes on Haber–Bosch process The synthesis of ammonia under milder condition, using less energy and fewer resources, has moved a step closer. Scientists in Japan have created a trinuclear titanium polyhydride complex that can cleave the dinitrogen bond and form nitrogen–hydrogen bonds at ambient temperature and pressure without additional reducing agents or proton sources. 1 Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, essential to life, yet largely inert. Some microbes generate bioavailable nitrogen by reducing nitrogen to ammonia. Industrially, ammonia is produced via the Haber–Bosch process, which is so energy intensive that it consumes 1% of the energy generated globally. The process combines nitrogen and hydrogen over activated iron surfaces to generate ammonia for use as a fertiliser or as a chemical feedstock. This titanium complex could be part of the answer to producing cheaper fertiliser  © Science/AAAS The intrinsic inertness of nitrogen has made it challenging to discover metal complexes that can both bind and activate it. By experimental and computational studies, we determined that the dinitrogen reduction by a trinuclear titanium hydride complex proceeds sequentially through scission of a nitrogen molecule bonded to three titanium atoms in an end-on-side-on fashion, followed by N–H bond formation,’ says study author Zhaomin Hou, of the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Japan. ‘The hydride ligands serve as the source of both electron and proton. ’ Cleaving the N–N bond and forming N–H bonds directly from a hydride complex has been seen only rarely, with some f the most influential work coming from Michael Fryzuk at the University of British Columbia, Canada, who has championed the ‘hydride route’ to dinitrogen complexes. 2 ‘The active sites of both major N2 reduction catalysts – nitrogenases and the Haber–Bosch process – have hydride species as their resting states, but in neither case is the detailed mechan ism of hydrogen loss and nitrogen cleavage known,’ says Patrick Holland of the University of Rochester, US. The authors, he adds, ‘conclusively determined the structures of many of the intermediates along the pathway, giving insight into possible structures and pathways of intermediates on the catalysts’. Fryzuk, who wrote an accompanying perspective,3 says the paper adds important fundamental knowledge about potential elementary reactions such as cleaving N–N triple bonds and forming N–H bonds, which are relevant to the Haber–Bosch process. He predicts it ‘will change the way people think about N2 activation so that in the future perhaps a soluble, suitably designed multi-metallic hydride complex will be able to both activate and functionalise molecular nitrogen productively to form ammonia or some other higher-value nitrogen containing material’. However, there still challenges to overcome to make this process practically useful, Hou says. But if successful the low temperature, low pressure synthesis of ammonia in smaller reactors is on the cards. Latest Invention: World’s First Battery Powered by Paper Sony has recently announced it managed to come up with a battery powered by paper. However, the whole process is more complex than simply using a standard paper. The batteries developed by the Japanese tech giant make use of enzymes in order to break down the glucose found in the cellulose of the paper (which by the way is made of wood pulp fibers). It would be interesting to note that Sony was able to demonstrate its bio-battery. The demo took place at the Eco-Products exhibition in Tokyo. During the presentation the paper was placed into a mix of water and enzymes. After a couple of minutes the liquid started generating enough power to activate a small fan. After enzymes broke down the paper, they were left with sugar that was produced from cellulose. Then they were able to process the sugar to produce hydrogen ions and electrons. The latter then went through an outer circuit to produce power. Mixed with oxygen in the air, the hydrogen ions were then able to create H2O. â€Å"This is the same mechanism with which termites eat wood to get energy. Bio batteries are environmentally friendly and have great potential as they use no metals or harmful chemicals,† explained Chisato Kitsukawa, a PR manager at Sony. Scientists use electron ‘ink’ to write on graphene ‘paper’ Nanoscale writing offers a reliable way to record information at extremely high densities, making it a promising tool for patterning nanostructures for a variety of electronic applications. In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated a simple yet effective way to write and draw on the nanoscale by using an electron beam to selectively break the carbon atoms in single-layer graphene. The researchers, Wei Zhang and Luise Theil Kuhn at the Technical University of Denmark in Roskilde, Denmark; and Qiang Zhang and Meng-Qiang Zhao at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, have published their study on using electron ink to write on graphene paper in a recent issue of Nanotechnology. â€Å"The ability to record information has been directly correlated with the process of human civilization since ancient times,† Wei Zhang told Phys. org. â€Å"Paper and ink are the two essential factors to record history. Currently, information communication has proceeded onto an unprecedented scale. † Nanoscale writing, which is essentially the manipulation of matter on the nanoscale, has already been widely explored. The current methods can be classified into two groups: lithography (top down), which imprints a pre-made pattern on a substrate, but has restricted resolution; and self-assembly (bottom up), which manipulates atoms or molecules individually, but faces challenges with controllability. Herein, the researchers proposed a combination method based on both types of methods to overcome the difficulties of each, which they demonstrated on â€Å"the thinnest paper in the world†: graphene. â€Å"The rise of graphene calls for broad attention,† Qiang Zhang said. â€Å"One distinct characteristic is its flatness, which provides the perfect opportunity to be regarded as the thinnest paper. In order to directly write on this ultimate thin paper, the suitable ink must be found. At the small scale, typically nanoscale, the ink candidate ust meet the qualification as both high-resolution writing and visualization function. Therefore, high-energy electrons in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) are the best choice. The electron beam can be manipulated as ink for direct writing, but is by itself invisible. † When an electron beam (green) writes on graphene paper, some of the carbon atoms in the graphene are kicked off, and external carbon atoms are deposit ed onto the dangling bonds to form an irregular structure that appears as â€Å"ink. † Credit: Wei Zhang, et al.  ©2013 IOP Publishing Ltd. As the researchers explain, the carbon atoms in graphene are sensitive to a variety of irradiation effects. Here, a 300 keV electron beam was used to break local carbon-carbon bonds in single-layer graphene. When the bonds break, carbon atoms are kicked off, resulting in dangling bonds that are free to attract new carbon species from the vacuum and on the graphene surface. These new amorphous carbon species become absorbed onto the dangling bonds to stabilize the edge, forming only along the scanning direction of the electron beam.