Assessing the feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh Essay

Assessing the feasibility of different techniques for providing fresh water to arid regions of the world - Essay Example The average water usage in the US is highest while Mozambique records the lowest water consumption per day. The goal has been the provision of secure and equitable access for all people and to ensure that water infrastructure and service delivery in standardized especially for the poor people (Conca, 2006, p, 164). These objectives are yet to be achieved because of population growth. Currently, provision of adequate water for the developing countries is a problem leading to the outbreak of water related diseases. The contaminants associated with water quality have diverse health effects as such it is not easy to make conclusive health based assessment of the situation. The problem may be severe like food poisoning or mild like dental fluorosis. (Gary, 1994, p. 39). The volume of water accessible by the population in the developing countries is significantly lower compared to that of developed country. In some cases, it is less than a third of the consumption of the developed countrie s. The volume of water consumed by Americans is 600 litres per day; Europeans consume 250 litres while Africans consume 30 litres. The volume of fresh water calculated from fresh water sources is approximated at 125 045km3. Despite the volume of fresh water, available supply of the fresh water to the population is not sufficient enough to meet their demand. Fresh water bodies Currently many of fresh water of lakes are facing degradation and volume reduction as a result of the global climate change. Many African nations cannot provide for the population safe water for domestic use. Piped water for the poor is still a dream, and at times, conflict arises as a result of water accessibility. In the sub-Saharan Africa, nomadic and pastoral communities fight over water sources leading to death and destruction of properties (De Villiers, 1999, p.105). The government of the country cannot supply the inhabitants with clean water, and infrastructure to those areas is poor. Flooding has two ef fects, which are, by the time of occurrence or duration. On health floods have two effects namely direct and indirect effects. Direct effects include changes in stream flow velocity which may carry boulders fallen trees resulting in drowning, injuries and contact with respiratory water borne diseases such as hypothermia and cardiac arrest(Galloway, 2009, p.179). Contact with polluted water will result in disease outbreak such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. In the Sub Saharan Africa, there are no fresh water bodies because the underground limning is salty leading to dissolving of the salt. The water source, therefore, cannot be used effectively without desalination Desalination Desalination is the most appropriate method of collecting fresh water in the arid areas, but has one main challenge namely the cost of the operation. Desalination can be used to change the water quality because; it involves the use of technology to obtain fresh water from the salt water offered by the und erground sources in the arid areas(Green, 2003 p. 34). Some of the best technology that could be used in the process includes the use of reverse osmosis and the use of other chemicals in extraction of the salts. Reverse osmosis uses membrane technology, which allows water molecules to sip through while blocking salt ions. There are other filters like he porcelain filters that can also be employed with ease. Some of

Laws of Concentration and Centralization: A Modern Review

Laws of Concentration and Centralization: A Modern Review Sourish Dutta Abstract Though the basic (late 1860s) Marxian model, under capitalist mode of production, assumes (more or less) perfectly competitive markets with a large number of small firms in each industry, Marx was cognizant of the growing size of firms, the consequent weakening of competition, and the growth of monopolistic power. Hence, capital has the inclination for concentration and centralization in the hands of richest capitalists. Actually, the concentration and centralization of capital are two capital accumulation techniques. Such concentration and centralization of capital can be clearly detected at this modern time—especially in the USA—in the massive occurrences of the mergers, acquisitions and conglomerates. In this assignment, henceforth, I will be trying to cultivate an analytical discussion about these two interlinked concepts and their implications and repercussions in this modern world of capitalism. Prologue The contemporary financial catastrophe of 2008 brings back the Marxian laws of concentration and centralization of capital in the modern form. They are often confused but must be clearly distinguished. Marx explained it most famously in chapter 25 of volume 1 of Capital. Though his dynamic intellectual exploration engrossed in the industrial capital, the same tendency holds with respect to financial capital in present scenario. With the increasing mass of wealth which functions as capital, accumulation increases the concentration of that wealth in the hands of individual capitalists, and thereby widens the basis of production on a large scale and of the specific methods of capitalist production†¦ It is concentration of capitals already formed, destruction of their individual independence, expropriation of capitalist by capitalist, transformation of many small into few large capitals. This process differs from the former in this, that it only presupposes a change in the distribution of capital already to hand, and functioning†¦ Capital grows in one place to a huge mass in a single hand, because it has in another place been lost by many. This is centralisation proper, as distinct from accumulation and concentration. In brief, by concentration we make out the upsurge of capital that is due to the capitalisation of the surplus value originated through accumulation of surplus value of labour. Indeed, increasing concentration of capital occurs as individual capitalists accumulate more and more capital, thereby increasing the absolute amount of capital under their control. The size of the firm or economic unit of production is increased correspondingly, and the degree of competition in the market tends to be diminished; under centralisation we understand the joining together of various individual capital units which thus form a new larger unit. Actually, more important reason for the reduction of competition is the centralization of capital. Centralization occurs through a redistribution of already existing capital in a manner that places its ownership and control in fewer and fewer hands. Marx maintained that larger firms would be able to achieve economies of scale and thus produce at lower average costs than would smaller firms. However, concentration and centralisation, influence one another. A great concentration of capital accelerates the absorption of small-scale enterprises by large-scale ones; conversely, centralisation aids the increase of individual capital units and so accelerates the process of concentration[1],[2]. Beside this, recent experience of financial crisis also conveys a new phenomenal dimension in the context of Marxian crisis in capitalist mode of production. This phenomenon gives rise to the doctrine of Too Big to Fail (TBTF)[3]. Rationale behind these laws The main logic behind these two laws of capitalism is the force of capital accumulation or the self-expansion of capital. Here we have to note two distinct concepts, namely, individual capital and social capital. Marx observes: The fact that the social capital is equal to the sum of the individual capitals (including the joint-stock capital or the state capital, so far as governments employ productive wage-labour in mines, railways etc., perform the function of industrial capitalists), and that the aggregate movement of social capital is equal to the algebraic sum of the movements of the individual capitals, does not in any way preclude the possibility that this movement as the movement of a single individual capital, may present other phenomena than the same movement does when considered from the point of view of a part of the aggregate movement of social capital, hence in its interconnection with the movements of its other parts. †¦Every individual capital forms, however, but an individualised fraction, a fraction endowed with individual life, as it were, of the aggregate social capital, just as every individual capitalist is but an individual element of the capitalist class. The movement of the soci al capital consists of the totality of the movements of its individualised fractional parts, the turnovers of the individual capitals. The self-expansion of individual capital is accomplished through the appropriation of surplus value by maximizing the rate of profit, while the movement of the social capital leads to the equalisation of rates of profit. Individual capital is a thing as well as a relation, and so is the social capital; moreover, the social capital denotes another dimension of social relation, namely, the relation between industrial, financial and commercial branches, and also between branches, sectors and departments of the productive system. Nevertheless, it is also to be noted that in a capitalist economy, state capital is an integral part of social capital. In juridical form, state capital is indeed different from private joint-stock capital, but its movements determine, and are determined by, the movements of social capital. Concentration The other name of self-expansion of individual capital is concentration of capital, according to Marx. It has nothing to do with the statistical concept of concentration ratio on the pattern of Gini, Lorenz or Atkinson. The concentration of capital in the Marxian sense is measured in absolute terms with reference to a single individual capital, without regard to the rest of the individual capitals; in other words, it is not a ratio of any two magnitudes. At one place Marx says that simple concentration of the means of production and of the command over labour is identical with accumulation, and at another he equates the rate of self-expansion of the total capital with the rate of profit. Every individual capital is a larger or smaller concentration of the means of production, with a corresponding command over a larger or smaller labour-army, says Marx. Every accumulation becomes the means of new accumulation. Clearly, by concentration Marx does not mean anything like the Gini coefficient or the Lorenz ratio. Now, accumulation is the prime mover of capitalism, and concentration increases with accumulation. Since the rate of profit is uniform throughout the economy, should every capitalist accumulate the entire profits (or equal pro- portion of profit) then each individual capital would grow at the same rate. In that event, there would be a continuous rise in the concentration of capital in the Marxian sense, but not so in the usual statistical sense. To put it differently, a constancy in the statistical concentration ratio does not imply a cessation of the Marxian concentration of capital. Movements of social capital tend to bring about equalisation of profit rate throughout the economy, but in fact profit rates do vary from one branch of production to another at any given period. Besides, as we know, one portion (of the surplus value) if employed as capital, is accumulated 13 and the portion of this plough-back may not be the same for every individual capita- list. A bigger capitalist accumulates a larger percentage of the surplus value appropriated by him. Hence, the rates of self- expansion of various individual capitals-that is to say, their rates of concentration-differ. If the bigger capital effects a higher rate of self-expansion, then the statistical concentration ratio would rise with the Marxian concentration of capital. With the rising concentration of capital a qualitative change takes place-the organic composition of capital goes up, and hence the rate of profit declines bringing in its trail a crisis which we shall take up for discussion below. [1] http://www.economictheories.org/2008/07/karl-marx-concentration-and.html [2]N.I. Bukharin: Imperialism and World Economy [3] According to some economists, when banks and finance corporations become too big, their failure has systemic implications, inflicting collateral damage on individuals who may have nothing directly to do with those banks or corporations. Governments then feel compelled to rescue these large entities in order to minimize the collateral damage, and the anticipation of such bailout promotes reckless behaviour.

Scandals :: essays research papers fc

Imagine a boardroom of these corporate executives, along with their lawyers, accountants, and investment bankers, plotting and planning to take over a public company. The date is set; an announcement is only weeks away. Once the meeting is over, several phone their brokers and instruct them to purchase tons of stock of the Target Company. When the buyout is announced, the share price zooms up and the investors drop these stock shares for millions of dollars in profits. Insider trading is perfectly legal. The officers and directors who owe a duty to stockholders have the same right to trade and purchase the security as the next person does. The primary difference between legal and illegal insider trading lies in the motive. What I plan to explain in this paper is investigating the illegal aspects of insider trading and the scandal of it. What is insider trading? According to Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, it is "any manipulative or deceptive device in connection with the purchase or sale of any security." This ruling served as a deterrent for the early part of this century before the stock market became such a vital part of our lives. But as the 1960"s arrived and illegal insider activity to be a lot, courts were chained by the vague definition. So members of the judicial system were now forced to interpret "on the fly" since Congress failed to resource them with a concrete definition. This resulted in two theories of insider trading liability that have evolved over the past three decades through judicial and administrative interpretation. The classic and the misappropriation theory, is the classic concept is the type of illegal activity one usually thinks of when the words "insider trading" are said. This theory started from the 1961 SEC administrative case o f Cady Roberts. This was the Sec’s first time to regulate these security trading’s by corporate insiders. The ruling basiacally brought about the way that we define insider trading - "trading of a firms stock or derivatives assets by its officers, directors and other key employees on the basis of information not available to the public." The Supreme Court officially recognized the classical theory in the 1980 case U.S. v. Chiarella. U.S. v. Chiarella was the first criminal case of insider trading. Vincent Chiarella was a printer who put together the coded packets used by companies preparing to launch a tender offer for other firms.

Playing Monopoly Essay

1. Identify the behaviors that you think are ethically questionable in the history of Microsoft. Evaluate the ethics of these behaviors. Pretend to embrace a technology and become the major source for that technology like buy out the competitors. Declare it obsolete because your original way is better. Wait long enough for a technique or idea to be forgotten by the majority of people or just long enough that the majority of your followers are naive newbies. Bring out the old idea and present it as a new invention. For example, many things in Visual Studio .Net are presented as new ideas even though they have existed in RAD tools like Delphi for over a decade. Why this works? because the majority of new software geeks have no idea what Delphi is and didn’t know that you could do everything exactly the way Microsoft claims you can in their â€Å"new† invention. It is very much clear about incidences that Microsoft has been unethical in its approaches. Rather that applying their own thoughts, most of the products they have released by copying ideas unethically from other competitor’s products. Rather than having the fair competition in the market Gates always tried to monopolize the market. Though all the monopoly has brought him profit but ethically Microsoft didn’t. 2. What characteristics of the market for operating systems do you think created the monopoly market that MIcrosoft’s operating system enjoyed? Evaluate the market in terms of utilitarianism, rights and justice (your analysis should make use of the textbook’s discussion of the effects of monopoly markets on the utility of participants in the market, on the moral rights of participants in the market, and on the distribution of the benefits and burdens among participants in the market), giving explicit examples from the operating sytems industry to illustrate your points. Some of the characteristics of the market that created monopoly market that Microsoft’s operating system enjoyed are as follows: Incorporation of various Microsoft applications like Windows Digital Media Player and  Internet Explorer in 1995 with its operating system gave an advantage to the company as this monopoly worked out for them. Users using Windows didn’t want themselves to get into trouble of purchasing a different browser and different Media Payer. Users were also not ready to pay extra money for buying other companies’ applications, as all those applications were readily available with Microsoft’s operating system. Every company was releasing their applications and operating systems in the market and every time Microsoft was able to know their programs. Using those programs Microsoft created monopoly in the market by releasing advanced version of competitors’ products. As when Navigator came in 1994, Microsoft launched Internet Explorer which was borrowed from Spyglass Inc. and made it similar to Navigator. It incorporated Internet Explorer with Windows. Media player was also incorporated in Windows. Sun Microsystems’s Java was also licensed to Microsoft first and then Microsoft built its own Microsoft java permitting Windows Users to be compatible with it.In the software industry users did not want to shift to new products or applications until proper training and workshops are organized. Microsoft’s used good strategies for training users. With the Installation disk, a proper tour of Windows is provided to facilitate user. 3. In your view, should the goverment have sued Microsoft for vilolation of the antitrust law? In your view, was judge Jackson’s order that Microsoft be broken into two comanies fair to Microsoft? Was judge Killar-Kotelly’s november 1, 2003 decision fair? Was the April 2004 decision of the Eruopean Comission fair to Microsoft? Explain your answers. USA Attorney General Janet Reno filed an antitrust suit against Microsoft in the court of Judge Thomas Jackson. Microsoft made the computer companies using Windows as their operating system not to license, distribute or promote competitive software products of other companies. It embedded Internet Explorer with Windows and thus demolished consumer freedom to go for any other Browser plus it also degraded windows performance. In the agreements with computer companies those using Windows, Microsoft wanted them to leave Internet Explorer as the default Web–Browser and didn’t allow installation of any other browser. The judge was having complete authority  to take hard actions against Microsoft’s unethical business strategies. As per the case study it is evident that Microsoft has used various unethical business strategies to make their business profitable. Microsoft copied the copyright of Apple’s OS/2 and developed its own operating system on the same line . Moreover they forced users to use its Internet Explorer and digital media player. They suppressed the platform independent functionality of Sun’s Java by releasing Microsoft’s Java and making it cross platform language. In my view, government should not have sued Microsoft. Consumers were well satisfied by Windows which was evident from the market share of its use. So signing of agreement involves approval of computer companies and Microsoft and if computer companies have signed that agreement that means they weren’t having any problems and neither consumers upon implementing the agreement. So Microsoft just used a marketing strategy over here. Judge Jackson’s order was fair for the competitors as well as for the software industry because Microsoft has really invoked the monopoly situation in the market. It was essential to have fair competition in the market. As an operating system and applications are totally two different aspects and Microsoft should no t club these two aspects. This order would have helped competitors and users to choose their favorite applications. From Microsoft’s point of view it was not the fair decision, as they never wish to separate their business into two domains. It was a marketing strategy adopted by Microsoft so that it can withstand with the competition. According to them it also facilitated consumers for not spending their money in buying other corresponding software and also playing a risk of installing and uninstalling. According to the settlement between Microsoft and DOJ, Microsoft was asked to share its application programming interface with other software rivals and to allow users to hide Internet Explorer icon from the screen. It was asked not to prevent other competitors programs to install on its operating system and not to retaliate against computer makers in releasing their products. This settlement was officially approved by Judge Kollar-Kotelly on November 1, 2003. The decision was really fair for the competitors as well as users. The decision has created free competitive market in the software industry. It allows users to use other available applications and allow them to hide icons which they do not want to use. From competitors point of view market became much more open to release more  products with advanced techn ologies. This move also helped people to think out of Microsoft’s box and helped to showcase their technical skills. As a result various new operating systems with better performance than Windows like Linux, Suse, Knoppix, and Solaris came in market. 4. Who, if anyone is harmed by the kind of market that Microsoft’s operating system has enjoyed? Explain your answer. What kind of public policies, if any, should we have to deal with industries like the operating system industry. Monopoly of Microsoft’s operating system has harmed everyone from users to computer producers. Due to unavailability of fair market the users were bound to use Microsoft’s operating system and applications. They were unable to hide icons of the Microsoft’s applications from their operating system. From producer’s point of view, they were not free to launch Windows compatible applications due to unavailability of Windows application programming interface in the market. The competition became minimal in the market due to monopoly enjoyed by Microsoft. Due to monopoly in the market one single company Microsoft was holding maximum market share. It hampered the technical advancement and innovation in the market as well. Some of the following public policies could be used to deal with monopoly Government should issue some standards for a given technol ogy/system/product which should be followed by everyone in the industry. Anti-monopoly law can be created to prevent monopoly to occur in the market. Some policies can be incorporated in the system to motivate and encourage newly launched companies to increase the innovation in the market. Some policies should be made to share information among the companies whose applications are inter dependant.

Chapter filipino

This chapter presents the research design, the respondents of the study, the research instruments and the statistical treatment to be used in the presentation and analysis of the data. Methods of Research used The descriptive method of research was used in this study. Descriptive method of research Is a fact finding study with adequate interpretation of the findings. It describes what Is. It describes with emphasis what actually exist such as current conditions, practices, situations, or any phenomena. Since the present study orInvestigation was concerned with the level of difficulty between algebra and geometry to sophomore of Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School during school year 2012-2013, the descriptive method of research was the most appropriate method to use. Sampling Technique This research uses the random sampling in determining the number of respondents. The researchers will assess the difficulty level of algebra and geometry of 56 sophomore students In Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School during school year 2012-2013. Description of Respondents The respondent were the sophomores students in Santa Rosa Science andTechnology High School in school year 2012-2013 that includes six sections namely: Pasteur, Linnaeus, Mendel, Darwin, Watson and Hook. Distribution of Respondents Section Number of Students Pasteur 41 10 Linnaeus Mendel 37 9 Darwin Watson Hook Table 1: This table shows that two of the six sections contain 10 respondents while the remaining four had only 9 respondents. All of the six sections have near range of Research Instrument 1 . Questionnaire. This is a researcher-made questionnaire which is composed of 2 parts. Part I is the general information of the respondents that include the age and sex of the respondents.Part II is the questionnaire for the assessment of the level of difficulty between Algebra and Geometry to sophomore students of Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School during school year 2012-2013. Data G athering Procedure Development of the instrument, after reading and studying samples of questionnaire from related studies, the researchers prepared their own questionnaire. The researchers also consulted some knowledgeable people about how to prepare one. The researchers saw to it that there were enough items to collect data to cover all aspects of the problem and to answer all the specific questions under the statement of the problem.Then the researchers submitted the questionnaire to their adviser, Dry. Scorer B. Escape for correction after which it was finalized. The copies of the questionnaire were then distributed personally by the researcher by the researcher to the respondents. After few days, all the copies Statistical Treatment of the Data The researcher will use the Weighted Mean, and the Relative Frequency. 1. Mean (x). This is to determine the average scores of some variables subject for study. X Where: x – the median n – the number of respondents 2. Relat ive Frequency.This will be used in the presentation and analysis of data gathered for problems using the formula: % = fin x 100 Where: f – frequency n – total number of respondents % – relative frequency Cover Letter Dear Respondents, Please be informed that we are conducting a study on the level of difficulty between Algebra and Geometry to sophomores of Santa Rosa Science and Technology High School in school year 2012-2013. In this connection, we have constructed a questionnaire to gather adequate information to know the level of difficulty between Algebra and Geometry. In fact, our research teacher, Dry.Scorer B. Escape has encouraged us to conduct the survey and promised to help us get your cooperation. Your participation in the study by way of answering the questionnaire is very important. Without it, our study wouldn't be successful as it should be. Kindly fill up the questionnaire and return it to us. Please feel assured that your anonymity and the inform ation you will give will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Thank you very much for your very kind response to our request and if you are interested, we will supply you with the results of the study. Very sincerely yours,