An introduction to European cuisine

An introduction to European cuisine Europe is a continent which is bordered by the Arctic ocean to the north, to the west lies the Atlantic Ocean, the Caucasus mountains and the Caspian sea and Black sea forms the southeast boarders,the Ural mountains and the Ural River is positioned in east of Europe and to the south lies the Mediterranean Sea. Europe stands as the worlds second smallest continent in relation to its size .Population wise Europe is the second biggest continent after Asia. European history is very vast which begins from the Bronze Age with enormous cultural and economic achievements. Ancient Greeks marks the origin of western culture and the Roman Empire spanned the entire continent for several centuries. With the decline of the Roman Empire Europe entered a long period of stasis known as the Dark Ages, which came to end with the rise of Renaissance and New Monarchs, which began the period of exploration, discovery and increase in the scientific knowledge. A large colonial empire was built by the Europe an nation at the 15th century, particularly France, Britain, Spain and Portugal with enormous holding in Asia, Africa and the Americas. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution in Europe at the 18th century, created greater general prosperity and equivalent increase in the population. With the end of World war two and till the end of cold war two major political and economical blocks divided the Europe which was the Capitalistic countries in the Western Europe and the Communist nations in the Eastern Europe. Presently geographic Europe comprises 45 countries. The European climate remains temperate and mild, with cool summers and cold winters. Generally, if we compare different places on the same latitude with places on the same latitude in Europe, we would notice that places in Europe have a more favorable climate than places elsewhere in America, Asia or Africa. If we compare the average January temperatures of Berlin, Calgary and Irkutusk- lying in the Asian region of Russia, we would notice that the temperature in Berlin is about 8 and 22 degrees Celsius higher than temperatures in Calgary and Irkutusk respectively. The main reason for this climate winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Warm winds sweep the whole continent and keep the continent mildly warm. Ocean currents carrying warm waters from the Gulf of Mà ©xico have a major role in this natural phenomenon. Since there is not mountain barrier in Europe, which is large enough to stop these winds from sweeping across the continent, and since most of the continent is within the range of 3 00 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, these currents affect the climatic conditions of the whole continent. Therefore, Europe climate is quite the same throughout the continent. Northern Europe climate, naturally, has longer and cooler winters compared to the southern part of the continent. Winters are colder and longer in the East as compared to the west. Summers are shorter, but hotter in the East as we move towards the west. As far as rainfall is concerned, most parts of Europe receive an annual rainfall of 20-60 inches, with the maximum of it happening towards the West of the mountains (around 80 inches in general). The areas receiving lighter rainfall include the Southern part of Spain, Kazakhstan and northern part of Scandinavia. It is for a reason that Europe fetches the maximum number of tourists in a year- its warm people and great natural beauty, coupled with aesthetic modernity. It is a well known fact that almost each and every country that comes under the European region has major tourist hubs, which attract customers from all over the world. Not only people from other continents, but people from within Europe also travel to the various tourist destinations in Europe. The tourism industry also plays a major role in the economic stability of the European nations, and this is the sole reason as to why the governments have spent a massive amount of time and money in keeping various tourist places in Europe clean and updated. The climatic conditions and the exceptionally well connected airline services make traveling in Europe, a piece of cake. The ancient medieval history, coupled with some great historic monuments, palaces, churches and alleys have made tourist places in Europe a hot favorite among tourists of all age groups, backgrounds and nationalities. France attracts most of the tourist influx in Europe. From the Louvre and the Eiffel tower to the Notre dam Cathedral and the Champs ET Lysà ©e, almost every tourist spot in France, especially in Paris, has become a symbolic of the most visited places of the world. The Arc of Triumph, the Garnier Opera and the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre are some of the other places that can be termed as some of the best tourist places in Europe. Germany and Rome follow France closely when it comes to some of the most visited tourist places in Europe. Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Dà ¼sseldorf attract tourists from all over the world. Business travelers and educational tourists also frequent these places. The Colloseum and the Palazzo Barberini are two of the most famous tourist places in Europe, belonging to Rome. Apart from historic tourist places in Europe, great natural places are also hot favorites among tourists. Regions around the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific top the list of such places. Be it the open landscapes of Hungary, the great mountains in Switzerland or the beautiful beaches of Spain- Europe has everything to sooth a lover of nature. Apart from some great tourist places, the people, food, culture and the festival of Europe beckon one and all to this land, offering a perfect mix of traditions and rebellion. Europe has a great diversity of food reflecting its linguistic-cultural mosaic. In this age of globalisation we are brought to eat food from more and more countries.

National Parks or National Problems? Essay -- Critical Thinking Essays

A bear meanders across the road several hundred yards in front of your slowly moving vehicle. A doe and her fawn leap back into the brush as you approach. The sun shines in such a way that it seems the mountains above you go on forever. This pristine image of our nation's national parks is unfortunately getting harder to find today. The approximately 270 million visitors to the parks annually have begun to take their toll on the wild and preserved areas of our nation. Congress created the world's first national park, Yellowstone, in 1872. For many years after the beginning of Yellowstone (and other such parks), the wilderness could be viewed from afar, but not entered. Camping within park limits was something that was just not done by visitors (National Park Service, Caring for Legacy, 1). The national parks were much less accessible to the public sector in the early 1900's than they presently are. A staggering 68% of Americans have visited at least one area of the National Park System today, and all these visits have undoubtedly led to the gradual degradation of our parks (Rettie, 124). Our National Park Service, or the NPS, is the agency responsible for the upkeep and management of the national parks (Rettie, ix). The service was created in 1916 (National Park Service, When Did the NPS, 1). The early parks, including Yellowstone, didn't have a central governing body for over forty years. This meant that the first parks had to struggle to stay alive and running. In addition, many fell into ruin due to lack of public support or due to the fact that some Americans didn't even know that these parks existed. People also weren't sure how to handle themselves within park boundaries, which is still a problem today. Several of the ... ... American Press, 1990. Keiter, Robert B., and Mark S. Boyce, eds. The Greater Yellowstone System. London: Yale University Press, 1991. Leal, Donald R., and Holly Lippke Fretwell. "Users Must Pay to Save Our National Parks." Consumers' Research Magazine, August 1997. First Search. Online. 12 Oct. 1998. National Park Service. "Caring for the American Legacy." http://www.nps.gov/legacy/mission.html. (24 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "Fire in the National Parks." http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/issues/fire.html. (15 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "National Park Resources in Peril." http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/issues/paril_p_.html. (20 Nov. 1998). National Park Service. "When Did the NPS Begin?" http://www.nps.gov/legacy/legacy.html. (20 Nov. 1998). Rettie, Dwight F. Our National Park System. Urbana and Chicago: University Of Illinois Press, 1995.

Porter Five Forces Airlines Essay

Threats of Substitutes (Low) Product that able to represent other product function can be defined as substitute product (Wheelen and Hunger, 2002). Currently, there are no perfect substitutes for airline service, as airline service has the best range of destination, time-efficient and convenience. However, the fact that trains and air-transports are substitute is true, but the threat will only be high if it’s applied in domestic travel. Currently, the threat of substitutes for airline industry is low. In regards to the threats, Airline Company should keep innovate their service to prevent a perfect substitute. 2.2.2 Power of Buyer (Moderate-Low) The power of buyer can be defined as the ability of customers to affect an industry. This view has been supported in the work of Coulter (2008). The bargaining power of buyer in airline industry is relatively low because the number of buyers for this service is enormous and keeps increasing (IATA, 2010). Additionally, due to different specialty of countries, customers tend to go overseas for particular purpose that the destination country is good at (i.e. Singapore good at Medication), subsequently, going overseas somehow is becoming part of the lifestyle today. Hence, this can also be seen as the service is essential for particular customers which further down the bargaining power of buyer. Looking at another factor which is internet, it allows customers to easily make a comparison through information and price transparency and switch to other airline service. Overall, the bargaining power of buyer is still moderate to low, so organization can take this opportunity to provide excell ent service and charge premium price. 2.2.3 Power of Supplier (High) According to Collis and Montgomery (1997), power of supplier can be defined as the ability of suppliers to affect an industry. The power of suppliers in airline industry is relatively high, as fuel is one of the important attributes for airline service. This can be seen as the price of jet fuel price has risen 8% from January while the usage of airline keeps increasing (IATA, 2010). In addition, as the availability of substitute for fuel has not been found the bargaining power of supplier is still high. However, the  availability of jatropha-based- fuel will soon be available substituting the jet-fuel-based which will reduce the bargaining power of supplier in the future (Bloomberg Energy Finance, 2012). Moreover, the bargaining power of suppliers in airline industry is also reduced by the availability of internet. By the use of internet, one can purchase their supplies from suppliers around the world without any geographical boundaries. Hence, currently the power of supplier in th is industry is high. In this case, airline firms may want to create good and long term relationship with their suppliers to gain advantages. 2.2.4 Threats of New Entrants (Low) Threats of new entrants are the effect from possible entrants that affects an industry. According to Lynch (2009), potential entrants often come to marketplace when the barrier to entry is low and when profit margins are great. In airline service industry, the barrier is relatively high due to requirements of high capital in entering the industry (i.e. investment on terminal and airplane). Furthermore, as there are already several strong players in the industry, it is hard to enter and established at the market because brand identity in airline service need to be good and clear as it is involved with safety (customers will not use unknown airlines as it would be risky). Therefore, it will force the new entrants to spend extra capital to advertise more to fight the strong existing player. Overall, the threat of new entrants is low. Hence, seeing this barrier, existing firms may want to strengthen their branding to further increase the barrier to enter the industry. 2.2.5 Rivalry among existing Firms (High) Rivalry among existing firms refers to the degree in which firm react to moves from other firms within an industry (Pearce and Robinson, 2007). Due to the evolving technology like internet, it allows customers to switch to other company with no more than a click (i.e. moving to other airlines website), this clearly would make player in the industry to be intense. Moreover, due to needs of high investments (i.e. purchasing aircrafts and investment on the technology), it creates high barrier to exit the industry, as the aircrafts and technology that are expensive will be rendered as no-use for other business. While, for company that hire aircrafts for their  airline service also need to spend a lot of capital and usually involved with long-contract agreement and need long time to achieve break-even point or gain profit. Additionally, by the arrival of budget airlines which offer value for money airline service it affects the competition in airline industry to become more intense. Ove rall, the intensity of rivalry among existing firms is high. Therefore, airline firms may want to keep innovate their service and cope-up with the advancing technology so they will be able to provide advance and better service for better position at market.

Religion in Public Schools - More Questions than Answers...

Prayer in Public Schools - More Questions than Answers Censorship is a very broad topic. Is it good or bad? Often, we ask ourselves if such things need to exist because of the First Amendment right. It states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (Amendments.) In the case Ginzberg v. United States, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart stated, Censorship reflects a societys lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime . . . Is he right? Is society lacking†¦show more content†¦Supreme Court. (Edwards 10.) President Clinton was also troubled with this issue. So much so, that he came up with a statement of principles outlining the separation of church and state in public schools. On May 30, 1998, Clinton stated, . . . Schools do more than train childrens minds. They also help to nurture their souls by reinforcing the values they learn at home and in their communities. I believe that one of the best ways we can help out schools to do this is by supporting students rights to voluntarily practice their religious beliefs, including prayer in schools . . . For more than 200 years, the First Amendment has protected our religious freedom and allowed many faiths to flourish in our homes, in our work place and in our schools. Clearly understood and sensibly applied, it works. (Riley.) The guidelines were sent to every public school district in America. It expressed the extent of religious activity and expression allowed in public schools. The purpose of these guidelines was to end confusion toward religious expression in the Nations Public Schools, which had started over 30 years ago. The guidelines allow school districts to avoid disputes. It develops a common understanding among students,Show MoreRelatedScience Teachers and Professors Should Not Teach Creationism 1231 Words   |  5 Pagesoriginate? Questions that philosophers probably first of all, and successively scientists, dogmatists, little children, and imaginably almost the whole population of the Earth have at least once asked themselves and tried to answer, sometimes with convincing or satisfactory results, but presumably more frequently with no different outcome than numerous new interrogations. However, today we do have several answers, different according to areas of the world, distinct culture s and various religions, and eachRead MoreBig History Reflection781 Words   |  4 PagesFor my eighth and ninth grade education, I attended a local Catholic all-girls high school, St. Scholastica Academy. Given that I’d attended Catholic school for all my life, I did not expect much of a change in the curriculum. However, my ninth grade history class was something different; I took Big History. The Big History Project, developed by Bill Gates, is a different way of looking at history for high school students, offering an â€Å"interdisciplinary† approach. While new learning techniques wereRead MoreEssay Will School Vouchers Improve Public Schools?1082 Words   |  5 Pagesthat American society cannot afford to ignore, as the discussion on voucher schools directly affects our youth, the very foundation of our country. Many cities across the United States have proposed school voucher programs in an effort to improve the education of inner-city children that come from low-income families. However, with this proposition arises certain questions that cannot be avoided. Although proponents of school vouchers argue differently, challengers of the system expressly state thatRead MoreEssay about Eth/125 Week 4 Quiz 21445 Words   |  6 PagesSchaefer (2012) This is a multiple choice/short answer quiz and each item is worth 1.5 points for a total of 60 points. There is only one correct response for each numbered item, and you should use Schaefer (2012) to determine the best response. For multiple choice questions, type the letter of the correct answer next to the corresponding question number on the answer sheet. For short answer responses, type your answer next to the corresponding question number. Review your work prior to submissionRead More The Role of Religion in Elementary Secondary Education Essay1540 Words   |  7 Pages Freedom of Religion is a liberty considered by many Americans to be one of the defining aspects of their country, but a line is drawn when one person’s freedom infringes upon anothers. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† â€Å"With those words, in the First Amendment to the Constitution, the fledgling United States of America became the first nation to place into law the notion that religious beliefs were a private matter forRead MoreEssay on Why Is Religion Important?1417 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay we will discuss the importance of religion in society. We will attempt to explain why societies have religions and what functions their belief system has for them. We will also ask if these functions are now out-dated and if religions have any meaningful function in todays world or are they just stained glass windows into a bygone era? Religion can be defined by two main groupings. The inclusive definition covers all topics and subjects of a persons life including, not only, theirRead MoreThe Gap Between God And Sports1606 Words   |  7 Pages What I Learned: While researching this topic I found many answers to my questions and more. One of the questions I really wanted answered was whether the gap between God and sports is widening or shrinking? To my surprise, honestly, studies show the gap is shrinking. I’m genuinely surprised by that answer because society today seems to be turning in the other direction, but in this case it feels good to be wrong. In an article by Jason W. Lee, who has a PHD from Troy State University, it wasRead MoreThe Balance Between Evolution And Creation1075 Words   |  5 PagesBetween Evolution and Creation By: Ashton Lyons In America, public schools are allowed to teach any philosophy explaining the existence of all species on Earth. This ranges from christian creationism to scientific evolutionary timelines. Many have disputes about which should be taught in public schools. However, there are many valid reasons why Evolution should not be the only human timeline (Wanjie, 56) taught to children in public schools. Reasons such as natural interpretation, philosophical understandingRead More Religion and Prayer in Public Schools Essay1469 Words   |  6 PagesReligion in Public Schools    The practice of religion has been a major factor in American culture for centuries. The religion clause of the First Amendment, which states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, was developed to preserve the freedom of religion (Haynes 2). The religion clause was designed to protect religion from the control of the government, but, consequently, it restricts the expression of religionRead MoreThe Importance Of Pre-K Courses994 Words   |  4 PagesCatholic School. This was the start of my faith and spiritual journey towards Catholicism. Blessed Trinity is a private school in Jacksonville which offers courses for elementary students and also middle school students. Typically classes were no larger than 30 students per class and per grade with one individual teacher for each grade. The daily routine stood for every student, teacher and faculty member in the school. The daily routine consisted of students bei ng dropped off at the school and from

In Act 1 Scenes 5-7 of ‘Macbeth’, How Does Lady Macbeth...

Macbeth is a tragedy written by Shakespeare. at the start of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is strong and that they see each other as partners â€Å"of greatness†. Although most of the blame is put onto Lady Macbeth by the audience, Macbeth already had ambition and was already thinking of murdering King Duncan. But how exactly did Lady Macbeth convince her husband to murder King Duncan? Before Macbeth returns home from battle Lady Macbeth is already outlining Macbeth’s flaws and voicing her concern that he is too good-hearted to commit the murder. After reading the letter from her husband, she says: â€Å"Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way†. This shows that she thinks†¦show more content†¦I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.† She uses their baby to make Macbeth vulnerable to her control and this also makes Lady Macbeth seem cold and careless of her baby. She then continues to insult his masculinity: â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man† by saying this she is bullying Macbeth out of disagreeing with her. Lady Macbeth thinksShow MoreRelatedCharacters In Macbeth1057 Words   |  5 PagesFirst produced in 1606 and first published in 1623, Shakespeare’s Macbeth play is an English, drama-based play centered on tragedy in the eleventh century. Macbeth’s primary characters include: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, King Duncan, Malcolm, Banquo, and Macduff. Other characters in the work include the Three Witches, Malcolm, Hecate, Fleance, Lennox, Ross, The Murderers, Porter, Lady Macduff, and Donalbain. The main setting of the play is in Scotland, along with some areas that are briefly in EnglandRead MoreEssay about Character Study of Lady Macbeth925 Words   |  4 PagesCharacter Study of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth comes into the play in act 1 scene 5, when Lady Macbeth is reading the letter from Macbeth. Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth’s heart â€Å"is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness†. She knows that her husband has is â€Å"not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it†. Lady Macbeth’s immediate response to the letter is the thought of killing the king. â€Å"Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits into thineRead MoreLady Macbeth: A Disturbed Character in William Shakespeare ´s Macbeth1467 Words   |  6 PagesThrough Lady Macbeths opening soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 5 she spontaneously gets portrayed as a disturbed character due to her treacherous and murderous planning she establishes after receiving the letter from Macbeth. This is noticeable when she says â€Å"the raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrances of Duncan under my battements† this signify that Lady Macbeth is steadfast to kill Duncan as she is aware that there is no other appropriate place to end Duncan then her own castle as no oneRead MoreEssay Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeares Macbeth1403 Words   |  6 PagesLady Macbeth in William Shakespeares Macbeth In act 1 scene, we see lady MacBeth reading a letter that her husband, MacBeth has sent her, it has been written as a soliloquy, she reads aloud to the audience how he has been given information about his future by a group of witches. MacBeth sent this letter to his wife quickly, he is was obviously pleased with the news and wanted her to know about it. This gives the audience the impression that Lady MacBeth was very dominantRead MoreMacbeth by William Shakespeare1154 Words   |  5 PagesMacbeth is a play written by Shakespeare in the 1603; it is based on themes of ambition, power and authority. Macbeth is a tragic hero who becomes ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and meets three witches that predict he will become a king, which leads him to commit the regicide. Rupert Goold and many other directors have altered and interpreted Macbeth in many ways. In this essay I will compare and contrast the ways in which Lady Macbeth is presented in the original play and Gold’s 2010 film adaptation. ShakespeareRead MoreMacbeth Essay - the Similarities and Differences Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth1843 Words   |  8 Pagescomparing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to each other, the main similarity between them that must be mentioned is that they both have high ambitions for royalty and greatness. Beside the only one significant similarity, they also differ with two distinct differences. Throughout the play, they both portrayed as evil characters who have committed the deaths of other characters, however the driving force of their cruel behavior are totally different. The reason that leads Lady Macbeth to her menacing personalityRead MoreGender And Gender Roles In Shakespeares Macbeth880 Words   |  4 Pagesabout women that is portrayed in the play Macbeth? Does the play defy or conform to the gender norms? Macbeth Essay Assignment Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Macbeth During the play of Macbeth, Shakespeare does defy gender norms. He portrays that the gender of a person does not define who they are and how they act and gender roles as not being a stereotype. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both exhibit traits that are not the way males and females are â€Å"supposed† to act. Shakespeare proved that it is not trueRead MoreEssay The Relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth2391 Words   |  10 Pagesthis essay I will discuss the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I will explain how their relationship is different to traditional relationships of the time. At the time, Jacobean people believed that the men were stronger then the woman. They believed that, when married, the husband would be in control and the wife would have no choice but to do what their husband asked. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship was every different. Macbeth was written between 1606 and 1611 by William ShakespeareRead MoreACT I Questions 1 Macbeth1082 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ACT I Questions 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the play opens, you find the witches casting spells, chanting Fair is foul,  and foul is fair./ Hover through the fog and filthy air.   This paradox will occur  many times in the play.   How can something be fair and foul at the same time? Situationally, I think this makes more sense when you consider it in the sense of an outcome. War can be foul, but the outcome fair†¦depending what side you are on. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reader s first impression of Macbeth actuallyRead MoreLady Macbeth1937 Words   |  8 PagesLady Macbeth Essay I am going to do an essay on a play called Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. The play is a tragedy, believed to have been written in 1611-12. The play is about a man named Macbeth whom, at first is a kind, tender man who later gets tempted by three foul witches to commit a murder in order to become king. Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is thrilled by the prophecies given by the witches and is eager for Macbeth to commit the murder. Macbeth disagrees with his wife greatly

Sayyid Qutbs Impact on Islam - 636 Words

2. Evaluate the impact on Islam of ONE significant person or school of thought. Sayyid Qutb had a seemingly minimal impact throughout his life, but his teachings and ideology have become of significant importance to the Islamic faith. However his views and thoughts of that are somewhat extreme have lead some followers to form organizations which are involved with radical, extreme and â€Å"terrorist† activities. Qutb’s teachings and commentary of Islamic teachings are seen to hold considerable authority and significance to adherents of Islam. His main and most revered teachings included: the belief in Tawhid (the oneness of God), the concept of Jahiliyya (pagan ignorance), jihad (struggle) and the need to revive Islam. Through his first†¦show more content†¦Thus it is evident, that Qutb’s teachings in the ideal of jahiliyya were fundamental to the pathway that Islam decided to follow, and did in fact promote the teachings of Islam and sustained growth. Qutb was one of the most significant figures in the development of jihadi Salafi ideology. Qutb in true Salafi style, reanalysed the Qur’an to find new ideology. Qutb acknowledge that the contemporary jama’at (movement) would also encounter periods of weakness. Therefore he insisted that here was an immediate need for a new movement. Qutb also constantly stated that there was a need for new leadership. He claimed that the new leaders should engage in jihad (struggle) against jahiliyya, so that a true Islamic state can be established. His teachings of jihad and the need to use force if the survival of the Islam was under threat, is being used today out of his context of time by extreme â€Å"terrorist† groups. Members of these radical groups say are not afraid to die for their cause because Qutb gave them reason: â€Å"For a pious life is a life of struggle or jihad for Islam, and struggle means martyrdom†. Qutb’s actions, books and somewhat extreme teachings all greatly contributed to the revival of Islam. He successfully contributed to the revival of the Islamic faith through his commentary and teachings on the Qur’an and the tradition. In this action, adherents were able to gain a greater understanding of Allah andShow MoreRelatedThe Contribution Of Islam And Islam3730 Words   |  15 PagesOutline the contribution to Islam of ONE significant person or school of thought other than Muhammad and the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. Sayyid Qutb’s contributions lie in his books and writings, which express his values and perspectives. He wrote a total of 24 book and articles criticising the American way of living and the Arab world for trying to become westernised. Social Justice in Islam was written first, expressing his belief in tawhid (unity in God) and in Islam as the only way of life. HeRead MoreIslam as a Living Religious Tradition Essay1098 Words   |  5 Pageshuman existence through Sayyid Qutb, Islamic bioethics and Hajj. Islam is a living religious tradition which helps adherents to answer the question of human existence through the legacy and writings of Sayyid Qutb, abortion, stem cell research and contraception of bioethics and Ihraam, Tawaf and Sa’y of Hajj. The paragraphs below will describe how Sayyid Qutb, Islamic bioethics and Hajj answer the question of human existence and how they all play a key role to support Islam as a living religious traditionRead MoreSummary Of The Loomi ng Tower By Lawrence Wright1574 Words   |  7 PagesTrade Center on September 11, 2001. The text included the personal accounts of Osama bin Laden and other middle-eastern influences such as Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri (the most significant ideological frontrunner of al-Qaeda), Abdullah Azzam, Khallad, and Sayyid Qutb, along with western factors like, Daniel Coleman, Jack Cloonan, Patrick Fitzgerald, and John O’Neill. The choices made by those influencers in the Middle East, and in the west, during the 20th century created the climate in which the terrorist

Large Transport Band Gap Room Temperature â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Large Transport Band Gap Room Temperature? Answer: Introduction: Nature of business: Petroleum, cooking gas, construction materials, medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, home appliances, electronics, supermarket products and insurance. History: ATA (Athireemaafannu Trading Agency) was beginning off STO and became huge success in national development. ATA developed to become the State trading organization (STO) on 9th June 1979. STO took all trading as well as commercial activity on behalf of the Maldivian government. In keeping pace with demands STO started importing more for reasons increasing number of commodity items, modern construction materials, home appliances and consumer goods. Focus of project: This report includes discussion about STOs sources of finance whether long or short, dividend policy and profitability. Company profile: STO wants to lead through expansion, assortment, analyse advance areas of expertise and joining latest business deal. It also wants to explore internationally and establish themselves as international player which is honoured by international business community. STO also wants approachability with nationwide existence; it offers peace of mind and assurance to public of uninterrupted provision. It wants to build a skilled workforce by developing human force. STO also want to achieve environmental and sustainable growth with fulfilling their vision. STO with its group is a successful business leader. It also has keen and focused interest in petroleum, cooking gas and so on. The company is becoming geographically diversified with its operations in Maldives and Singapore as well. This is achieved with direct procurement and distribution over nations hence creating new joint ventures to trade effectively. STO also focused in exploring in tourism sector. Upcoming projects in areas of hospitality making it a big player and due to which it started earning more foreign currency. Long term sources of finance Equity: Equity consists of fund that is contributed by shareholders in a company. It is called s primary market when new shares are issued to investor by the company. Equity is one of the most preferred sources of capital (Baker and Powell 2005, pp 44-70). It shows how much part of capital of STO is shared with shareholder. As STO is developing company and needs contribution by shareholder so STO should issue more equity share in order to increase capital. Equity is comparatively as compared to debt. Equity of company= ordinary shares= 56,345,500. Debt: Debt refers to a duty or liability to pay money and provide service. It is the most common form of outside capital for new businesses (Baker and powell 2005, pp 44-70). Debt part of STO is 778,315,651. This means company is preferring loan more in proportion to equity. This shows company does not want to dilute power with other shareholder. Embedded: In embedded capital structure, a ratio between equity and debt is used to finance companys capital. This capital structure helps company to build effective portfolio and develop balance between risk associated with company and returns earned by company. In case of STO, the proportion between equity and debt that is more than 60% debt and remaining equity. Optimum capital structure: It is a financial measurement that is used by companies to determine best mix of debt and equity financing. Optimum structure helps in lowering cost of capital of company. It helps company to be more dependent on equity rather than debt. It seeks the degree of risk that fluctuate the return calculated by company more than its cost of capital (Brinckman Salomo and Gemuenden, 2011). STO is having two types of financing option available with it. Two options are equity and debt, company should opt for other finance options as well in lieu of more capital requirement. MM theory: This theory supports capital structure irrelevancy theory, which suggests that valuation of firm is irrelevant to capital structure of company. MM theory defined that market value of firm is decided by its earning power and by the risk of latent assets, and value of firm is autonomous of way it chooses to capitalise its upcoming project (Humphrey Loft and Woods 2009). According to MM valuation of STO is not dependent on its market value of different finance sources. It totally depends on earning power of STO and valuation is done in autonomous way it decides. Agency theory: Agency theory derives the conflict between corporate managers (principal) and outside shareholders (agent). This conflict leads to agency costs (Baker and Gerald 2011). Agency theory supposes that dividend mechanism proves as solution to principal/agent relationship related agency costs. It resolves the issue between managerial and stockholder priorities (Fong Tosi 2007). In case of STO company and shareholder can be in conflict due to legal or ethical practices adopted by STO. Managers may make decisions that conflict with the best interests of the shareholders. Another problem can be between managers and shareholders related to increase in size of firm which may be beneficial for shareholders but managers may not adopt due to decrease in their ownership in company. This impairs the goodwill of company so STO should resolve agency problem if it is existing between shareholders and managers. Solving agency problem with below suggestions: Adopting more legal and ethical practices to retain shareholders Adopting practices best in interest of both parties. Managerial compensation: The firm can pay incentive compensation to combine the goals of executive and shareholders. The company can provide performance share, stock options, salaries and bonuses to award superior performance and penalize poor performance. Direct shareholder intervention: Shareholder can intervene in decision related to corporate issues by using their voting power and electing members in board of director to present their interests. Pecking theory: The pecking order theory of capital structure is believes that management have inside information (Li, Wei, and Lie 2006). Donaldson study suggests the pecking order of financing specifies that firms can finance their requirement through many options like: raise debt or convertible debt, will issue equity, or will finance through internal sources of income. Free cash flow hypothesis explains that managers have nature to misuse the fund available. For reducing this misuse debt is considered as good option as this checks the indiscretion. In case of STO company has good amount of retained earnings available, so STO should finance its new project with its retained earnings. This helps company to not to dissolve its control over STO. It can adopt different options also like free cash flows, debt option and equity financing. CAPM theory: The CAPM calculates the return that an investment made by company can earn. It measures required return based on risk measurement. According to CAPM, investors select investments as they are wealth maximizers, based on some return and standard deviation. Investors can lend and can take loan at zero risk rates (Kumar et ol 2008). There are no flotation cost and taxes. All financial assets are fully marketable that means any quantity of asset can be purchased or sold. In STO, CAPM theory can define that shareholder can purchase any amount of shares and can lend any amount of loan to company. According to CAPM, STO all assets are fully marketable and no floatation cost and taxes exists, thus enabling shareholder to trade frequently. The capital gearing ratio of firm is highly geared this signifies that company is using less stockholders equity. The ideal capital gearing ratio is near to 50%. The ratio of STO is more than 50% showing greater risk, so it should take some steps to reduce risk. Its gearing ratio highlighting the firm inefficiency to pay debt on time. Hence creating issues in taking finance from banks in future. Short term sources of finance: Liquidity: Liquidity defines how quickly money through current asset can be converted in cash in hand. It can also be define as emergency savings account which can be accessed at time of unforeseen happening (Hill 2013). In case of STO liquidity is calculated with help of two ratios both are near to ideal hence it can be said that STO is having suffircient liquidity. Current ratio: It is a financial ratio which shows the proportion between current asset to current liability. It is used as an indicator of companies liquidity (Xia et al., 2010). Ideal current ratio is 2:1.The higher the current ratio, higher the capability of a company to pay its obligations. In case of STO the current ratio is less than ideal ratio so STO should take steps to reach ideal ratio. Company is not utilising its current asset properly. Quick ratio: It is a financial ratio used to check companys liquidity. This ratio is also named as acid test ratio. This ratio calculates proportion between cash and marketable securities to current liabilities. Ideal ratio is 1:1. In case of STO it is more than 1:1, so it should bring down to ideal to maintain efficiency. Working capital management 2016 2015 Current ratio 1.35 times 1.38 times Quick ratio 1.04 times 1.06 times Cash conversion cycle: The cash conversion cycle is a measure which defines duration of time in days that is taken by company to convert resource inputs into cash flow (Ebben Johnson 2011). CCC is calculated with help of inventory turnover, debtors turnover and creditors turnover. Inventory turnover ratio is 7.53 times in 2016 showing good amount of stock with company and debtors turnover ratio in 2016 is 32 times and creditors turnover ratio is 3.38 times. After converting these ratios in days converting cash conversion cycle in negative showing desirable result, this means STO do not have to pay to stock debtor or material supplier until the final sale is done. STO is utilising its working capital well and thus making readily available cash for other expenses and things. It also says that STO is not paying to is creditors until debtors are pay. Negative cash conversion cycle reduces cost of capital and increases overall profitability. Year/particular 2016 2015 Cash conversion cycle (-48days) (-40days) Dividend policy: Definition: It refers to decision of board regarding distribution of residual earnings which should be appropriated to shareholders of company. Companies have no legal obligation to pay dividends to common shareholders (Denis Osobov 2008). Dividend policies involve mainly decisions regarding: to retain earning for capital investment, to distribute earning in form of dividend, or to retain some and distribute remaining. Dividend policies can be of various types like regular dividend, stable dividend and irregular dividend (Baskin, 1988). Company has progressive policy of dividend distribution after 2014. The new strategy adopted in 2015 with the expectation of enhancing and guaranteeing the continuance of these exercises while in the meantime to distinguish new potential regions of speculation with the goal that they are concentrating on the expansion and development. These activities made STO to distribute more dividends in 2016. An analysis of dividend distribution over 5 years is shown in following chart MM dividend irrelevance theory: MM theory defines that shareholders are indifferent to payment of dividends because they can initiate any dividend policy they desire. (Miller, Merton and Kevin, 1985). The theory is in contrast to dividend relevance theory, which assumes dividend policys importance in valuation of company. In case of STO, dividends pay-outs are regular and paid least in 2014, company shares would have sold out more in 2014 as dividend payment was less and people would have bought in 2015. Highest purchase of STO shares in 2016 as highest dividend pay-out by company. MM theory defines this concept that shareholders are attracted more towards that company which has high dividend pay-out. Birds in hand concept: Birds in hand is a theory that supposes that investor would prefer dividend over shares to promising capital gain because of unpredictability of later one (Bhattacharya. 2009) . Under bird in hand theory, stocks having higher returns are purchased by investors and that stock establishes a higher market price. According to this theory STO stock will be sold more as the dividend payout in 2016 is highest and encouraging people to purchase STO shares. As according to bird in hand theory, shareholder will prefer more dividend payment rather than high capital gain. This will enhance company shares in market to sell more. Profitability: Profitability can be defined as primary income source and goal for all companies (Lesakova 2007).It is calculated with revenue and cost incurred by company, income is produced with activities performed by business and expenses are cost of material and labour used in producing that income(Miller Merton and Modigliani. 1961). Expanding revenue is main task of business experts. The profitability of company STO has increased in year 2012 and 2013. It decreased after 2013, so company should take steps to increase again. Profitability ratios of STO are satisfactory and have increased in comparison to previous years. Company can adopt following practices to increase profitability: Invest in profitable venture to expand the business. Enhance employee skills so that can contribute more in growth of STO in future. Reduce unnecessary wastage during to increase productivity. Reduce cost of transportation and raw material to minimise the production cost. Thus competitive price of products. Commercial viability: It can be understood as business, product and service which have ability to compete with competitors effectively. STO products are generally commercial viable as they provide daily routine machinery products at competitive price to retain customers. Moreover it gives discount over products like Hitachi pumps, hammer drills, wall chaser and many more at discount price. It generally has price lower than its competitors to retain customers. Profitability ratios: Profitability ratios 2016 2015 ROCE( rate of capital employed)% 11.75% 22.35% Gross profit % 15.24% 17.96% Net profit % 4.51% 6.03% Profit trend analysis of 5 years: Pest analysis of STO: Political factor: Maldives is a presidential democracy, with chief executive as leader of government and state. The tax related regulation for company by government can affect its business both positively and negatively. Political stability can also influence company existing business due to imposing of new regulations by new government. Economic analysis: Maldivian economy largely based on tourism industry generating more than 28% of their GDP. STO can have impact on its sales if inflation is high and vice versa. The unemployment rate also can hinder company growth as high rate of unemployment will stop people to purchase company products (Jennifer. 2017).. Business cycle faced by companies also affects its business as in boom time it can have high sale and in depression time lower sale affecting growth of business. Social analysis: Poverty in Maldives is due to regional inequalities in surviving conditions which arise because of remoteness of island and poor infrastructure (Barney 1991). Social analysis of STO, different cultural limitations affects company sales, as company cannot produce every type of product that customer demand. It depends upon STO marketers to shape different customer demand and enable them to purchase STO products. Technology analysis: Government spends in research and development programme in those sectors which generates high GDP. If some technology advancement is introduced and demand of STO product is decreased due to new launch, hindering the sale of company product. Sometime due to this company has to sell out-dated product at loss as well, lowering company growth. Minsky analysis: Minsky analysis began with recognition that post war economy is different, before war depression was continuous event and happening every quarter. It involves different sets of prices. First set for current output like consumption, investment and so on. And another set for asset pricing which includes capital asset used by firms in production. STO also should set different prices for its different products like consumption related product in different price category and investment related products in different price category. This analysis makes company product comparable with other firms. Minsky analysis involves two set of prices, first set includes prices of current output including consumption, products, services and many more. Other set includes prices of capital assets used by STO in production and finance enabling company to attain control over capital. The second set enables STO to determine the position of company to invest in project. These two sets vary in dependently according to market prices. Minsky analysis involves 3 types of financing to increase viability: Hedge finance: Income is expected to fulfill the debt arose during the time Speculative finance: It suggests STO to cover debt cost as income will be sufficient only to fulfill interest cost of STO. Ponzi finance: This suggests STO that income is less than expected and is enable to cover interest cost as well. So to cover this firm must sell assets to pay the debt. Recommendation: STO is company which is trying to establish itself in Maldives which is growing economy. So it is good to invest in company as ratios are performing quiet good. Current ratio is near to ideal ratio of 2:1 and quick ratio is also satisfactory. Due to fluctuations are their over years, shareholders sometimes hesitate to invest in risk taker company so company should try to establish growth in developing economy. Company also should take steps for increasing sales to enhance profitability which has decreased over years.so according to profitability company shareholder will be reluctant to stay over years. Capital gearing ratio is more than 50% making company more risky. Company policy to distribute dividend every year is attracting as company is not keeping earnings to itself. Overall it a growing company trying to excel in upcoming year so before investing a proper analysis should be taken. Company should expand worldwide its business to enhance profitability and goodwill amongst all. It also should reduce its capital expenditure in order to enhance production cost. Conclusion: In brief it can be say that STO of Maldives is growing company and exporting its services internationally. It has good growth structure and opportunities within economy. The financial analysis of company shows that it is a risk taker that means it prefers debt more over equity. Company dividend policy is growing which defines that company distributes its earning every year to its shareholders and does not accumulate profits as retained earnings. Profitability of company is growing over years hence company can grow to fully fledge with little efforts. All profitability ratios as observed above as increased in comparison to previous years. But recently in previous two year it decreased in comparison to past. Company is trying to explore its activity in tourism sector as well. References: Baker H.K and Powell. E.G., 2005. Understanding Financial Management. Blackwell Publishing. USA. Baker, H.K, and Gerald, S. 2011 Capital Structure and Corporate Financing accounting Decisions, John wiley sons, Hoboken. Barney, J. 1991 Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage, Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99-121. Baskin, Jonathan Barron. 1988. The development of corporate financial markets in Britain and the United States, 16001914: Overcoming asymmetric information. Business History Review 62:2, 199237. Bhattacharya. S. 2009, Imperfect Information, Dividend Policy, and "The Bird in the Hand" Fallacy, The RAND Corporation, 10(1), 259-270, https://www2.bc.edu/thomas-chemmanur/phdfincorp/MF891%20papers/Bhattacharya%201979.pdf, accessed on Brinckmann, J., Salomo, S. and Gemuenden, H.G., 2011. Financial Management Competence of Founding Teams and Growth of New Technology?Based Firms.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,35(2), pp.217-243. Denis, D.J. and Osobov, I., 2008. Why do firms pay dividends? International evidence on the determinants of dividend policy.Journal of Financial economics,89(1), pp.62-82. Ebben, J.J. and Johnson, A.C., 2011. Cash conversion cycle management in small firms: Relationships with liquidity, invested capital, and firm performance.Journal of Small Business Entrepreneurship,24(3), pp.381-396. Fong, E.A. and Tosi Jr, H.L., 2007. Effort, performance, and conscientiousness: An agency theory perspective.Journal of Management,33(2), pp.161-179. Frankfurter, George. M., and Bob. G 2006. Dividend policy: Theory and practice. London: Academic Press.London. Hill, R.A., 2013. Working capital management.Recuperado de https://202.191,120, p.8020. Humphrey, C., Loft, A. and Woods, M., 2009. The global audit profession and the international financial architecture: Understanding regulatory relationships at a time of financial crisis.Accounting, organizations and society,34(6), pp.810-825. Jennifer. P 2017, What Is a PEST Analysis?, Business News Daily, 22 june, accessed on 30th july 2017, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5512-pest-analysis-definition-examples-templates.html. Kumar, P., Sorescu, S.M., Boehme, R.D. and Danielsen, B.R., 2008. Estimation risk, information, and the conditional CAPM: Theory and evidence.The Review of Financial Studies,21(3), pp.1037-1075. Lesakova, L., 2007, June. Uses and limitations of profitability ratio analysis in managerial practice. InInternational Conference on Management, Enterprise and Benchmarking(pp. 1-2). Li, Wei, and Lie.E 2006. Dividend changes and catering incentives. Journal of Financial Economics 80:2, 293308 Miller, Merton, and Kevin Rock. 1985. Dividend policy under asymmetric information. Journal of Finance 40:4, 103151. Miller, Merton, and Modigliani. F 1961. Dividend policy, growth and the valuation of shares. Journal of Business 34:4, 41133. Skogrand, L., Johnson, A.C., Horrocks, A.M. and DeFrain, J., 2011. Financial management practices of couples with great marriages.Journal of Family and Economic Issues,32(1), pp.27-35. Xia, F., Farmer, D.B., Lin, Y.M. and Avouris, P., 2010. Graphene field-effect transistors with high on/off current ratio and large transport band gap at room temperature.Nano letters,10(2), pp.715-718.