Healthy Diet for College Students

Since college is filled with a number of tasks, adventures, challenges and some tragedies, it is very important for students to consume the energy they need to cope with everything. The main source of energy is food and hence experts emphasize greatly over how important it is for students to take care of their diet throughout their time at college. This emphasis was laid after survey release how students try to save time by either skipping meals or not spending enough time on diet. During my time at college, I never compromised on my diet whether I had a quiz, exam or had to write my essay since I was and still am very passionate about body building and fitness. However, healthy diet is not only necessary for fitness but also to remain active in tasks. Following are some tips for a healthy diet at college: Breakfast is the most important: An expert once said and many others later agreed that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it provides human body with the necessary energy required to perform all the tasks throughout the day. No matter how busy you are, how important class you have to attend or how important exam you have, skipping breakfast will only push you to a disadvantage so do eat proper meal during breakfast. What to eat and what to avoid will depend upon your weight since there are separate diets for skinny and obese students. Whatever you choose should be consumed properly in appropriate amount. Keeping snacks and food items in dormitory: This tip will be found helpful especially during the period of exams. Students are often very lazy in getting up from bed and get something for themselves to eat while studying. They also believe that if they get up, they will end up wasting a lot of time. For this reason, experts suggest that you should keep some snacks like crisps and biscuits with you in the dormitory at all times so you can keep on feeding yourself. This will help you restore your energy throughout the day and skipping lunch would not be harmful. Do not starve to lose weight: A common misconception among students is that if they eat too much, they get fat and if they eat too less, they get thin. In an attempt to lose weight, people often start skipping meals and begin to starve. This kind of dieting could be inconvenient and seriously hurt a person’s health. There is a proper diet plan for weight loss which includes all the meals but with a different menu. Fitness experts are experienced in this field so take some guidance from them in this matter but do not starve. Sugar intake should be controlled: College students are reported to use excessive sugar mainly because of fizzy drinks, tea and craving for sweetness. While sugar contributes to the calorie count in your body and may be beneficial in some cases, it often leads to tooth decay among students. Diet sweeteners are great alternatives to satisfy your cravings without being afraid of the consequences. I always maintained a balanced diet and was able to write my essay, appear for quizzes and complete assignments on time because of a healthy lifestyle.

Free Essays on Essence Of Career Planning

ESSENCE OF CAREER PLANNING IN CHINESE COMMUNITY When we are still young, most people would ask is â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up?† Initially we have a ready answer, some wanting to be astronauts, some dreaming of becoming doctors and some teachers. But as people progress in age and maturity, we get to feel how daunting our initial dreams were, especially if the person is ambitious and had set lofty goals on life. Some cave in to the enormous challenge and make do with whatever it is that they can easily have, setting for the next best or even third best option. Some take the challenge seriously and face it head-on. It is to these people that the concept of career planning is of paramount value. Career planning gives an orderly and systematic process with which to consummate a person’s goals and ambition. At the outset, the person should have a clear vision of what one wants to be in the coming years, an ideal future state that one desires to achieve. Questions as to what kind of life we dream about and how do we see ourselves in the next 20 to 40 years should be answered. For example, someone might dream of becoming an astronaut. Having done this, he or she should then proceed to outline the plan of action that needs to be executed in order to accomplish the goal. This plan of action should detail the steps, much like a staircase, that a person has to implement and go over, and the difficulties along the way that have to be surmounted. The plan should also explore the possible consequences of the person’s actions and provide contingencies measures for such. In our example, if one is to be considered into the space program, it is essential that one shou ld have a healthy mind and body, courage & maturity, and proficiency (almost being an expert) in mathematics and physics. Therefore, if one is serious in such ambition, a plan of action should entail a healthy lifestyle and excellent academic achievement... Free Essays on Essence Of Career Planning Free Essays on Essence Of Career Planning ESSENCE OF CAREER PLANNING IN CHINESE COMMUNITY When we are still young, most people would ask is â€Å"What do you want to be when you grow up?† Initially we have a ready answer, some wanting to be astronauts, some dreaming of becoming doctors and some teachers. But as people progress in age and maturity, we get to feel how daunting our initial dreams were, especially if the person is ambitious and had set lofty goals on life. Some cave in to the enormous challenge and make do with whatever it is that they can easily have, setting for the next best or even third best option. Some take the challenge seriously and face it head-on. It is to these people that the concept of career planning is of paramount value. Career planning gives an orderly and systematic process with which to consummate a person’s goals and ambition. At the outset, the person should have a clear vision of what one wants to be in the coming years, an ideal future state that one desires to achieve. Questions as to what kind of life we dream about and how do we see ourselves in the next 20 to 40 years should be answered. For example, someone might dream of becoming an astronaut. Having done this, he or she should then proceed to outline the plan of action that needs to be executed in order to accomplish the goal. This plan of action should detail the steps, much like a staircase, that a person has to implement and go over, and the difficulties along the way that have to be surmounted. The plan should also explore the possible consequences of the person’s actions and provide contingencies measures for such. In our example, if one is to be considered into the space program, it is essential that one shou ld have a healthy mind and body, courage & maturity, and proficiency (almost being an expert) in mathematics and physics. Therefore, if one is serious in such ambition, a plan of action should entail a healthy lifestyle and excellent academic achievement...

Unemployment and Crime in the Society Research Proposal

Unemployment and Crime in the Society - Research Proposal Example Unemployed persons who engage in criminal activities represent an individual matter that should not be associated with unemployment per se. Unemployed people are ready and willing to take work anytime if it is offered to them. They are ready to work and earn a decent living, but the challenge is the scarcity of job opportunities to absorb all the employment. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between crime and unemployment in the society. The investigation will involve the convicts of various crimes in society in a selected region in U.K. between the 1990 and 2013. The investigation will be conducted using questionnaires, observations, and interviews, and will target about two hundred respondents and gather details regarding the cause of conviction, respondents’ occupation prior to prior to conviction and the duration of imprisonment. The outcome of the investigation will be used to establish the extent to which unemployment has contributed to the crimes in t he society and the effect of law in deterring crimes in the society. Even though many people associate unemployment with criminal activities, the current increase in crime rate in the society is as a result of a failure of the security structures to deal with offenders and redress justice for the victims of crimes. Crimes are unlawful conducts stipulated by the state in the constitution of the country. The law specifies what is unlawful and the consequences of engaging in the unlawful conducts. There are many arguments that associated increase in the rate of unemployment with increasing rate of crimes in the society. Some researchers have linked poverty and unemployment of the youth to increasing criminal activities, and they argue that if the government does come up with strategies to curb the increasing poverty due to unemployment the society will be chaotic and uncontrollable.

Economic business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic business - Essay Example Industrialization in Britain had paved up ways for both labour intensive and capital intensive methods of production. In addition, there had been constant technological changes thus enabling the augmentation of labour as well as capital productivities, so that higher quantities could be produced employing the same amounts of factors of production. But the manufacturing units that required the use of proportionally more labour than capital base were found to be performing worse than their capital intensive counterparts. This change was noticed since the latter part of the 20th century. The deterioration of the labour intensive units proved to be a serious drawback in the path of the economic growth potentials of UK, since these units had almost been like a bastion behind the nation’s industrial base. One such industry that used to be a stronghold for the nation’s secondary sector was the steel industry. The nation which used to be the largest manufacturer of steel in the world has been outstripped by China in total quantity of crude steel production. In fact, it has also fallen back from its initial status of the world’s largest exporter of steel – the nations that have outshone the British steel giant are China and Japan, accounting for 52 and 35 percent of the total steel exports, while the figure for England lingers around 32 percent. The losses that it had to face in recent years throw some light upon the pessimistic turn that lies ahead in the future for the industry. On account of this gradual slide of the British steel sector from the industrial forefront, UK, which happened to be the most powerful and strongest of all economies even a century back, is now lurking at number six among its contenders. The deteriorating position of the British manufacturing unit has forced in the opening up of newer avenues to keep the flow of income smooth within the nation. This is the reason behind the

Pentagon Museum of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Pentagon Museum of Art - Essay Example Place and time are both texts. So my personal Pentagon Museum of Art is both a place and a long sequence in time. My hiding place is located on the roof of a Midtown Manhattan building. It is a light blue pentagon-shaped construction with a yellow little door as its only entrance. I retreat in that small space of paradise during my off hours. After work in an ad agency as a copywriter, I come over here to relax, to take a nap, to resume writing my first novel, or to take a look at its surrounding white-painted walls each one holding in its surface a masterpiece work of art by Salvador Dal and Pablo Picasso. They are my favorite painters so I placed 5 of their paintings on the five walls of my private Pentagon Museum of Art right on top of a metropolitan apartment building in New York. My Pentagon is an arts Pentagon, not a military one. I find myself at peace with my own self here. It's a metalinguistic feeling that I enjoy to the max. I can lye on the bed. I can write my novel. I can watch closely at the paintings. I can read a book. I can listen to music. My favorite music. My favorite books. Intertextuality. Intratextuality. Extratextuality. All of them merge within my own self. Intertextuality among the paintings. Intratextuality inside my novel. Extratextuality with the surrounding environment that feeds my urgings for creating a different and distinct world of my own. The text becomes a sign, and according to C. S. Peirce the sign can be an icon, a symbol, or an index. Intertextuality can be an icon, intratextuality an index, and extratextuality a symbol. I have decided to make everything in all out of my hiding place. My Pentagon Museum of Art. My little piece of paradise on Earth. Here there is no place for luxury. Everything is common and simple. There is a fridge by the door. Five windows on each side of the pentagon. There is a computer table in the middle of the room with its corresponding PC on top. Five paintings of two master artists of all time: Salvador Dal and Pablo Picasso. There is a small bed by the top vortex, between the two top sides of the pentagon. A nice sound equipment with the Sony trademark right by the side of the computer table. There is an executive rotating chair in front of the computer table. Here everything is interconnected. That's part of the hyperlinking of the objects. One leads to the other. I can go in a matter of seconds from the radio to the computer, from the chair right onto the bed. And I can jump from my bed in order to take a fresh look at one of the Dal's Christs. Texts are interwoven in my mind as well as in this little retreat of comfort and peace. Every text has its rhythm, and I find meaning in the rhythm of this small building with five walls and a quiet sound of the music in my ears. That is Bob Dylan playing with The Traveling Wilburys. At the End of the Line. Yes. At the very end of the line I find a melody filled with harmony in the creativeness of my life. I find meaning in each and every white wall with the paintings hanging like sovereign pieces of wonderful signs. Picasso and Dal share with me their meaningful creatures of their minds. Dylan does his part beautifully singing "Blowing in the Wind". "Like a Rolling Stone" is coming up after that tune. I keep writing on my clone PC. My first novel is taking

Changes in UK Labour Productivity: Analysis

Changes in UK Labour Productivity: Analysis Introduction The Agents’ scores for capacity constraints: The series of scores inside the Agents’ Summary of Business Conditions, which is generated by 12 regional officies (Agencies), is a tool for Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to track the underlying trend in economic factors. The Agents in each region gather the information on economic conditions from their contacts, then judge what value to score subjectively. The scores are the simple way that Agents alter the intelligence they gathered before into a quantitative assessment of the economy over time (Colin Ellis, Tim Pike, 2005). Figure 1: Capacity Constraints Scores in Agents Summary of Business Conditions from Jan, 1998 to Sept, 2014 (Source: Bank of England) Most of the scores are based on a comparison of recent months with the same period a year earlier, however, there are some exceptions like employment intentions or capacity constraints, which are looking forward. The scores range from -5 to +5 with -5 is denoted that rapidly decreasing level and +5 is rapidly growth. In this case, a positive score in Capacity Constraints means that companies face with a little or no pressure on capacity demand and vice versa. In the chart above, it can be seen that there are two downward sloping periods between 2009 and 2013 when were the double-dip recession occurred in the UK. The trend also illustrates an improving progress within a year recently, with a rise of 0.6 points on both sectors. The UK productivity puzzle Productivity experience in cross-country and historical views: The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2007-2008 has caused a significant damage to the economy of most developed countries in the world, including the UK. The decline in output has led to a considerable decline in labor productivity in the UK. Labor productivity has been improving from 2013, but it still be less than its pre-crisis level of around 16% (see Figure 2 below). This shortfall can be referred as the â€Å"UK productivity puzzle and it has took a great effort from economists in order to explain the situations, however, it has yet to be answered completely so far. Figure 2: The UK Labour Productivity (1998-2013). Sources: Moneymovesmarket.com It can be seen from figure 3 that a weaker performance in labour productivity during the latest recession than all previous post-war recessions. In all recessions before, the first fall in productivity was usually short-lived and the productivity began to increase and regained its peak level after just only almost a year and a half. Figure 3: Productivity per person after UK recessions (Source: Office for National Statistics) However, this latest episode did not see the same stories as its two previous. Between early 2009 and mid-2010, the productivity made a rise of of approximately one percent and continually levelled off and it did not rise further over the next year as both output and employment saw really slow recoveries.At the time of Q3/2011, the employment was rising sharply while the growth of GDP has shrinked (see Appendix), therefore creating a renew decrease in labour productivity. As a result, the UK productivity still be underneath its pre-recession peak around 4 percent. One remarkable point is that the increasing employment and the weak labour productivity seem to be an odd thing to see among the GFC. If the business is expected to stay weak typical companies will shed labour to boost productivity up. The productivity weakness of the UK is also unusual when comparing with some international stories for recent years. Despite their increasing growth before the GFC, it has been significantly weaker than some high-income countries’ economy. Looking at figure 4, it is easily seen that the UK productivity performance was consistent with that of other countries suggests that some common factors might be involved.Nevertheless, as mentioned above, there has been a downward slope in UK productivity in mid-2011 which was not encountered to the same level elsewhere.The weak productivity of Germany is due to the unusual strong employment referred to the past. One additional point is that only Italy has the similar trend with the UK, showing the impact of GFC on their labour productivity. There are some reasons why these comparison might exaggerate the productivity puzzle’s size. Measurement inaccuracy could take account for a very small piece of productivity weakness. Moreover, expenditure on research and development (RD) is considered as a part of GDP, therefore GDP can be lifted by around 1.5% points. Another reason here is that the decrease in North Sea oil and gas output (see Appendix) slowed trend growth in labour productivity in this sector. In total, although the measurement issues can explain up to 4% point of the shortfall in productivity there are lots of things to research the remaining. Figure 4: Labour productivity per person across countries between 1999 and 2013 Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream, Eurostat and ONS Cyclical explanations on productivity shortfall Lower factor utilisation as a result of weak demand conditions The first hypothesis suggests that weakness in productivity is cyclical in nature, driven by weak demand conditions. Firms are unable or unwilling to shed labour or dispose of capital but sometimes, they are not as productive as they might have been. The difference between the lower utilisation level and more normal levels of capacity utilisation is called â€Å"spare capacity within firms†. The first reason for this hypothesis is that they need to keep business going by holding a minimum level of staffs, so-called ‘overhead labour’. Therefore, some firms might not have been able to cut employment below the minimum base, like the guards for the construction until it is sold, for example. Anothing reason should be remarked here is that companies believe the weak demand is temporary. In past experiences, companies made decisions to having fired workers in the early stages of the recession. Conversely, they found it hard to find workers with the appropriate, firm-specific skills. Thus, they missed the opportunities to make a breakthrough on the market. Recently, companies might desire to ‘hoard’ underutilised workers to avoid those lessons from the past. From 2007 to 2012, the proportion of reduced output companies but holding employment rose from about 20 percent than the pre-crisis period (see figure 5). It also suggests that these holding action of firms contributed to the decrease in productivity measured, shown by the diamonds in the chart. Figure 5: Proportion of reduced output firms but holding labour (from 2005-2012). Source: ONS and Bank calculations Spare capacity is measured in the business survey that provide a significant degree of idle capacity within companies in the initial stages of the crisis. However, this business survey just uses the qualitative methods, thus it did not capture the amount of spare capacity in each firm. One additional thing is all answers are subjective so it can be changed over time. It might take no effect on the size of the UK productivity puzzle. Other cyclical factors Some sectors had diverted the resources toward activities which is not immediately counted as output. Consequently, it cannot tribute to the total productivity. In contrast, there are some point which indicated that the cyclical hypothesis alone cannot fully explain the productivity puzzle. Effect of persistent factors on productivity puzzle Tangible and intangible capital investment effects on the shortfall The consequences of the GFC made the firms’ desire in investment in physical capital more difficult because the tighter credit conditions may lead to a higher cost to obtain finance. The stagnated situation in this period also made investments become less efficient, causing directly the material deterioration in the capital stock of worker. Moreover, a considerable fall in real wages during the crisis (see Appendix) while the cost of capital went up have led the relative cost of labour to capital to be decreasing. Hence, it have provided a motivation to switch to use labor-intensive business and companies decided to increase the labour working hours. However, the production output did not go up due to the low demand conditions, therefore the productivity has been decreased. Firms also invest in ‘intangible capital’ which include some types like intellectual property rights or brand names, etc. One main point here is the strong relationship between two types of capital investment mentioned above. For example, the innovated implementation can be processed alongside the introduction of plants and machinery. However, RD expense is considered as the innovation input; that means even though firms have invest a huge amount of money but without new valuable output, which are some types of product or process innovation, there will be an inverse impact on the productivity. According to the data of the UK Innovation Survey, there has been a fall of about 30% in both product and process innovation among the crisis despite an increasing trend in spending budget on RD (see figure †¦). These capital channels have explained a considerable proportion, about 3 to 4 percentage points, of the shortfall in the UK. Impaired resource allocation and the higher firm survival Figure 6: Decomposition of the UK Labour Productivity (2004-2012). Source: ONS and Bank calculations. Looking at the graph above, it is seen that there is a downward sloping trend in the contribution from reallocation, as a result of higher insolvencies or firing behavior (Riley et al, 2014), and its contribution decreased even further, becoming minor between 2010 and 2012. As mentioned above, uncertainty have made firms more wary when investing and labour reallocation. Moreover, the financial system have played a role to have impaired the movement of resources through two channels: impaired capital allocation and higher firm survival. Broadbent (2012, 2013) declares that considerable changes in rates of return on capital across sectors might not be associated with the following movements of capital stocks. In addition, Barnett et al (2014b) highlight an economic model with multiple firms and sectors to analyse that a high price dispersion might be used to explain the productivity loss with around 3 to 4 percentage point. According to Arrowsmith et al (2013), there has been a bank forbearance which provide the measures of support to firms struggling to meet its debt obligations. Although the direct impact have been a little at around one percentage point, the overall impact might have been greater because the widespread effect of the forbearance in the whole sector. Moreover, Arrowsmith et al (2013) indicated that the low level of Bank rate has supported to retain the borrowing costs for firms fairly low. The unusually low rate of firm collapse is to have lowered labour productivity by up to 5 percentage points. Relationship between the labour productivity and monetary policy decision The outlook for inflation in the medium-term depends on the balance of demand and supply in the economy. In theory, if supply is greater than the goods and services that people demand, prices will tend to fall and vice versa. Hence, the MPC should make an assessment about up-to-date indicators and prediction in supply, as well as demand. In recessions, demand typically falls by more than supply. An output gap opens up – the economy can supply more than is currently demanded. And unless that gap is closed, it will push down on costs and prices. But assessing the size of the output gap is very difficult, for exactly the reasons we have been discussing today. Early estimates of economic activity can be revised substantially, so it is hard to know just how weak demand and output really are. And it is equally difficult to know the extent to which the supply potential of the economy has been affected by the recession. 1 | Page

Essay --

Article Analysis The article I choose to write my analysis on is about a small study that found brain differences between social butterflies’ and isolated people. A study conducted by Maryann Noonan on 18 people ages 27-70 proposes that parts of your brain may in fact be different depending on how much you socialize , whether your what some people call a social butterfly or a lone wolf. The researchers asked the people how much they socialized during a time period of 30 days; the socialization consisted of anything from phone calls to face to face interactions. They then scanned the brains of the 18 individuals in the experiment looking for anything that people with similar amounts of socialization had in common. From the brain scans they discovered that in fact three parts of the brain seemed to be bigger, additionally it appeared that those parts were also more strongly connected to other regions of the brain in the people who had more social interactions compared to the people who stayed t o themselves. The results that the experimenters found also correlated with a previous study done on monkey that had similar results in the brains of monkeys who lived in larger groups. In the end this research may be hard to fully understand, because it is hard to conduct an experiment that follows people from a young age and if their socialization directly effects their brain growth. The results of the experiment are surprising to me and leave me to believe that it is unlikely to have a definitive answer as to how our behavior affects our brain structure, unless an experiment is conduct from the start of someone’s early childhood. This article leaves me with a few questions however; the first question is do people’s brains make them the per... ...nships. We all know that animals don’t get married but they can still have a life long relationship with another member of their species in which they have offspring and live their wholes lives together. Humans and animals have similar social patterns they just show it in different ways. This can occur because one of the huge differences in humans and animals in that they have different behavior development and evolution. Human behavior is heavily based off of social organization and social interaction. While animal’s behavior is only slightly based on social influence because their actions are based on instinct and reactions to their environment. From the research I did I found that there are similarities between human and animal socialization patterns, animals may do it in different ways but they are expressing the same social patterns and expressions as humans.

Employment Law Compensation Plan Essay

In response to your request to have an employment law compliance plan for our client, Bradley Stonefiled who plans on starting a limousine service called Landslide Limousine, I have developed an employment plan which covers both State and Federal employment laws. Being in compliance with the Texas state employment laws, as well as Federal employment laws will greatly help out client in avoiding and penalties. The employment plan is based on Texas employment laws, which is where our client’s base of operations will be. The employment plan will also include Federal employment laws which are relevant to our client’s needs in helping him start his limousine service. I have also included the consequences for not being compliant with State and Federal employment laws. Texas Employment Laws Texas is a right-to-work State. This means that a person cannot be denied employment based on the fact that they are or are not a member of a labor union or other labor organization. The Texas Labor Code has five titles: General Provisions, Protection of Laborers, Employer-Employee Relations, Employment Services and Unemployment, and Workers’ Compensation (Texas Statue, 2013). The Texas Labor Code covers all aspects of employment. Title II (Protection of Labors) covers wages and discrimination. Being noncompliant can result in a civil action being brought by the employee, which can result in a monetary award that is determined by the courts (Texas Statue, Chapter1). Title IV (Employment Services & Unemployment) covers unemployment benefits and insurance which our client will be responsible. Failing to make unemployment contribution can result in a class â€Å"A† misdemeanor (Texas Statue, Chapter2). Title V (Workers’ Compensation) covers workers’ compensat ion insurance coverage, workers’ health and safety, and workers’ compensation benefits. The penalty for noncompliance is sanction, criminal prosecution, fines and restitution (Texas Statue, Chapter 4). Texas Payday Law covers how employees are to be paid, either monthly or bi-weekly. The law also states that companies are not required to compensate  their employees for vacation time, breaks, and lunches. However, they are required to pay employees for attending company meetings. Failing to pay employees’ can result in administrative cost equal to the wages in the claim plus 25% per employee. In addition to the wages which have not been paid ((Texas Workforce Commission, 2014) Federal Employment Laws States have their own employment laws which strengthen Federal employment laws. However, the Federal employment laws set the standard by which the States follow and or strengthen by adding new protections. Since our client is only looking to hire 25 employees, this would be considered a small privately owned business. Our client should also be made aware of the federal laws that he must comply to. The Fair Standards Act (FLSA) which requires employers to pay overtime to employees working more than 40 hours per week, at a rate of one-and-a-half times their regular hourly rate. The FLSA also includes the Equal Pay Act, which is an amendment to FLSA, which establishes the same rate of pay for both women and men (Cascio, p.82, 2013). Since our client is going to start Landslide Limousine in Austin Texas, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) should also be included in this employment plan. The IRCA explicitly states that employers’ cannot hire someone that is not legally authorized to work in this country. The employer must exercise his due diligence by verifying all documents supplied by a potential employee as verification of who they are. The penalties for noncompliance can vary from $100 to $1,000 per employee; furthermore criminal sanctions can be imposed if a pattern of hiring unauthorized employees (Cascio, p.88, 2013). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its amendments, which is the forerunner to the Texas Labor Code, protects employees from discrimination based on their race, color, religion, gender, and national origin as it pertains to employment and promotions. This law was expanded in 1972 to include public and private employers with 15 or more employees. The penalty for an employer who is in violation of the Civil Rights Act can be responsible for compensatory and punitive damages (Cascio, p.82, 2013). The compliance plan stated here is a necessary start to get our client, Landslide Limousine, in compliance with Texas employment laws, as well as Federal employment laws. The goal here is not only to educate our client but to ensure that he is aware and understands all employment laws  which pertain to him and his company. Reference Attorney General of Texas. (2013, February 20). Right-to-Work Laws in Texas. Retrieved from Texas Constitution and Statutes: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/agency/righttowork.shtml Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources. New York.McGraw-Hill. Statutes. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/?link=LA Texas Workforce Commission. (2014, June 02). Texas Payday Law. Texas. Retrieved fromhttp://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/lablaw/texas-payday-law.html#payPeriods

Mass and Energy Balance Essay

Abstract The objective is to produce a proposal for a chemical process plant which will be able to produce 550,000 tonne/year ammonia using LPG as the raw material. Different processes where researched and then finally one was picked, steam reforming. This was decided to be the most viable and cost effective process using the raw materials we had available. The report explains in detail how the process works and all aspects of how the plant will work including the mass and energy balance across the plant. What is Ammonia Ammonia (NH3) is a stable compound and is used as a starting material for the manufacture of many important nitrogen compounds and can also be directly used as fertilisers. It is produced by reacting hydrogen and nitrogen. It is a colourless gas with a sharp odour. The boiling point is -33.35oC and its freezing point is -77.7oC.1 Care must be taken when handling ammonia as can cause deep burns in the skin; irritation in the eyes and nose and when inhaled can cause coughing, sore throat and headache.2 There are different methods for the manufacture of ammonia. The three main methods are steam reforming, partial oxidation and electrolysis. Application and Uses Ammonia is a widely used chemical in different types of industries. One of the main user of ammonia is the agricultural industries for fertilisers. Around 80% of ammonia produced is for fertilisers such as urea, ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate.3 It is also used as a building block for nitrogen containing compounds like nitric acid (HNO3). It is also used in the fibres and plastics industry for the production of acrylonitrile, melamine etc., and manufacture of explosives. Ammonia is also used in water treatment such as pH control and also in combination with chlorine to purify industrial and municipal water supplies. Less commonly uses include as a refrigerant in compression and absorption systems, manufacture of household ammonia, in the food and beverage industry 4. Figure 1: Pie chart showing the uses of Ammonia. Market Trends Globally ammonia prices have been headed up due the large demand of fertilisers that are needed in the crop production to obtain high yield6. The current selling price of ammonia in Europe goes up to $600 per tonne7. Figure 2: Shows the global demand for Ammonia (D.a.NH3- Direct application of Ammonia) As we can see from the chart the trend of ammonia demand globally is upward. It is said that the global ammonia market is to generate revenues of approx. US$102 billion in 2019. As there is continous growth in population in the developing countries the likely to cause demand for foodstuffs are to increase even further. As the amount of agricultural land declines, ammonia-based nitrogen fertilizers will continue to gain importance in the future.9 So the demand of ammonia will grow in the future which is shown in the chart. Processes There are many different processes involved in the ammonia production. The most common processes for ammonia are partial oxidation, steam reforming and electrolysis. From these 3 processes the best process route is then selected and that process would be most economical and that meetes the design brief. Partial Oxidation Partial oxidation involves the reaction of oxygen with fuel to produce hydrogen. The following equations represent the partial oxidation of ethane, propane, butane and pentane. 10 C2H6 + O2 2CO + 3H2, C3H8 + 1.5O2 3CO + 4H2, C4H10 + 2O2 4CO + 5H2, C5H12 + 2.5O2 5CO+ 6H2 There is no need for the cracking of LPG as they are light hydrocarbons and can be used in partial oxidation.11 See Partial Oxidation flow sheet (Reference 1: Partial Oxidation Flow Sheet) Hazards and Environmental Impact The main emission is carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas and Partial Oxidation process emits more carbon dioxide compared to Steam Methane Reforming. Carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by recycling it and selling it to urea and nitro-phosphate plants.13 No ammonia should be present in the air but maybe because of faulty equipment and maintenance activities, some ammonia maybe released. Ammonia becomes explosive at the 16%-25% volume in air which could occur if there are any leakages in the ammonia storage facilities. It is also toxic by inhalation and pulmonary oedema can occur up to 48 hours after exposure and could be fatal.12 Nitrogen dioxide that is released is a toxic gas can be harmful when inhaled but can be avoided as can be detected because of the smell. The large amount of waste water from this process is another problem but there is a river near the Milford Haven site. Also water pollution is a concern which may occur because of the suspended and dissolved impurities. It could also affect the aquatic life. Therefore the water must be treated in a full three stage water treatment plant before disposing it. 13 The disadvantage of partial oxidation is that the capital costs are higher for partial oxidation compared to any other process. It is estimated to be  £100-120 million for an annual production of 7.7 million GJ while for SR it will only be  £70 million. 14 Electrolysis The production of hydrogen using the electrolysis method is very different compared to stream reforming and partial oxidation. Electrolysis produces hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using volts of current to separate the hydrogen to one electrode and oxygen at the other in a cell. Oxygen is the by-product in the process of producing ammonia which is valuable because it can be used in other chemical processes or sold to other companies for profit. In electrolysis there is no CO2 produced therefore there is no pollution. Standard electrolytic ammonia production energy consumption historically has been about 12 megawatt-hour. The fuel cost alone of making ammonia is $600 metric ton, and including capital and operating expenses that metric ton of ammonia cost about $800 to make. Compare electrolytic and using uses of natural gas as raw material the economically, for the past 100 years the cost of natural gas has not been higher than $1 and the fuel cost for a metric ton of ammonia from natural gas has been $30-$40. Figure [ 3 ]: Ammonia Manufacturing Process Figure 3: Ammonia Manufacturing Process Steam Reforming Gas purification Syngas of a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water can be broken down in to individual components and further cleansed through purification. The syngas will enter a shift reformer, which breaks down the carbon monoxide in to hydrogen and carbon dioxide using steam (H2O). Carbon dioxide is much more environmentally friendly than CO and can either be released in to the atmosphere or used in other steam reforming processes in the future. Desulphurisation Sulphur is a problem when carrying out steam reforming as it acts as a poison for the catalysts involved. It is important that this is removed prior to the syngas entering the system. The process is carried out in the presence of a catalyst, which is usually nickel. This nickel acts as an absorber for the sulphur, and so several catalyst-filled tubes within the system with a large internal surface area will allow the sulphur to collect to be disposed of suitably. The Process Hydrocarbons usually contain sulphur which needs to be removed. The purification section is the first bed of the whole steam reforming process. Feed is passed through tubes containing zinc oxide. The sulphur in the feed reacts with the zinc oxide to produce zinc sulphide. This is to ensure that the feed travelling to the steam reformer does not poison the catalysts in this section in any way. The catalysts used in the steam reforming process are nickel-based. These are easily poisoned by sulphur species. The purified feed is mixed with steam and then is passed to the primary reformer, which involves a nickel-based catalyst where the steam reforming process is carried out. Once the hydrocarbon is cleansed of sulphur, the reforming process can begin. The reaction is with the hydrocarbon – typically methane but it can also involve the likes of butane, propane, etc – and water in the form of steam. The reaction for methane (CH4) is shown below. CH4 + H2O 3H2 + COΔH = +251kJmol-1 C3H8 + 6H2O 3CO2 + 10H2 C2H6 + 4H2O 2CO2 + 7H2 C4H10 + 8H2O 4CO2 + 7H2 C5H12 + 10H2O 5CO2 + 16H2 Reactions for other hydrocarbons, such as ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10) and pentane (C5H12) are also shown, with their respective steam amounts required and the products gained. Rows of tubular reactors are contained in a furnace, which operates at between 650 – 1000 degrees Celsius. The hydrocarbon feed enters the system at a very high pressure, typically 20 – 30 bar. The process is carried out in the presence of a nickel-based catalyst which is packed into cylindrical tubes through which the steam/hydrocarbon gas mixture is passed. The catalysts act as surface for which the hydrocarbon will absorb and the steam. (Reference 2: Steam Reforming Flow Sheet) Justification Steam reforming is the most viable proposition as we have all of the raw materials available within easy access, whereas if we were to use other processes, then we would have to source other materials e.g. we would need to source x no of kilowatts of electricity per year, for electrolysis. Mass Balance Cp Values Energy Balance Material Costs Simple Plant Cost Using a base of around  £410 per ton of ammonia, and output at 550,000 tonnes, it would be assumed that the plant would produce  £225,500,000 a year of ammonia. The Burrup plant in Australia was built at a cost of  £457 million and produces roughly 800,000 tonnes a year of ammonia. Using the 2/3 power rule, as follows, will allow the costs of the new 550k p/a plant to be shown. C = Cref(S/Sref)2/3 C = 457000000 * (550,000/800,000)2/3 C =  £355,984,702 The output of the new plant is  £225,500,000, but the plant costs  £355,984,702 to build, so it would take around a year and seven months for the plant to be profitable, based on an estimation without including the costs of the raw materials. Taylor Method Pay Back Time Sustainability The environment is constantly changing, whether by nature or by human led processes. Sustainability is about trying to manage this change through balancing social, economic and environmental needs, both locally and globally for present and future generations. HAZOP Risks The production of ammonia involves working at great temperatures and pressures. As such, it is vital that the equipment used in the plant is designed to withstand these conditions to function properly. The high temperatures and pressures involved in the production of ammonia can potentially put tremendous amounts of strain on the pipes and vessels used. The risks associated with this are: * Explosions from sudden release of pressurised gases from ruptured vessels * Fragmentation from rupture of the pipes * Fire * Poisoning from exposure to leaked materials * Chemical or thermal burns, again from exposure to leaked materials Not only are these hazards life-threatening, they would also be very expensive to put right for the production company. These risks can be avoided by preparing the plant for the conditions that it is about to go through. It is more economically viable to run the steam reformer at as high a temperature and pressure as possible. Magnesium oxide-lined furnaces, MgO, has a melting point of around 2800 degrees Fahrenheit, making it ideal for lining the furnaces used in the production of hydrogen. Hydrogen itself will cause some materials to become brittle and eventually break. Hydrogen features an active electron and thus will behave like a halogen, causing erosion in the metals that it comes into contact with. This can be avoided by using high-purity stainless steel in the sections of the plant which will come into contact with the hydrogen. This steel must have a maximum hardness of 80 HRB on the Rockwell Scale. Ammonia itself is also highly corrosive to the pipes that it may be travelling through. For this reason, it is recommended that stainless steel is also used here, at a similar hardness of that shown above. Most ammonia plants use centrifugally cast high-alloy tubing to hold the nickel-base catalyst in the primary reformer furnace. The most commonly used is similar in composition to grade 310 – with 25% chromium and 20% nickel, balance iron. This has a carbon content in the range of 0.35 – 0.45% for improved high-temperature creep and rupture stress. Thermal protection of piping involves fire brick owing to the high temperatures involved.

Free Online Public Schools in Georgia

Free Online Public Schools in Georgia Georgia offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free. Below is a list of online schools currently serving elementary and high school students in Georgia. Most programs are free to residents, but one program may require students to pay a fee. To qualify for the list, schools must meet the following qualifications: Classes must be available completely online.They must offer services to state residents.They must be funded by the government. Virtual schools listed may be charter schools, statewide public programs, or private programs that receive government funding. Georgia Connections Academy This website for this online school notes that: Students throughout Georgia have the opportunity to thrive at Georgia Connections Academy Charter School, a tuition-free public cyber school. (The online program) gives students the flexibility to learn at home with an online curriculum that meets rigorous state  education  standards.   The school offers: A  curriculum  developed by leading education expertsInstruction from state-certified  teachers  experienced in  online instructionSupport from trained counselors, principals, and administrative staffCurriculum materials  needed to participate in a dynamic online learning environment Georgia Credit Recovery The Georgia  Credit Recovery Program gives students who did not initially succeed in obtaining course credit the chance to earn credit toward  graduation. The school notes that it provides: Flexible  schedulesComplete core courses, aligned to state standards, for which the student will demonstrate mastery before receiving a gradeSome elective courses The courses, however, are not taught by a teacher, and even though the program is publicly funded, students may incur a fee. Georgia Cyber Academy The Georgia Cyber Academy is for kindergarten through 12th-grade students and offers: Full-time, tuition-free online public educationSupport from state-certified teachersStudents a chance to earn college credit while in high school in select coursesHigh-interest courses that introduce a variety of possible careersA range of extracurricular activities Georgia Virtual Academy A tuition-free, online public school, Georgia Virtual Academy offers: Individualized  learning plans  targeted to each students strengths and weaknessesGeorgia-certified teachers who guide progress and tailor teaching to student needsAn advanced-learner programThe opportunity for qualified high school  students to earn college creditsField trips, social activities, and clubs  help students connect Georgia Virtual School Georgia Virtual School is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Educations Curriculum and Instruction Division. The program, operated in partnership with schools and parents across the state, offers over 100 middle and high school courses in the core content areas, world languages and electives as well as a number of AP courses. The school also has  online media and guidance centers The school also offers some flexibility in course schedules, including: For fall and spring, students can choose an 18-, 16-, 14- or 12-week  schedule.For fall and spring,  Advanced Placement  courses are only offered on the 18-, 16- or 14-week schedule.For summer, students can select either a six- or five-week schedule.

Strategy in Action. Zurich Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy in Action. Zurich Insurance - Essay Example The major issues addressed involves how effective business strategies are adopted by Zurich Insurance, and how can they improve the strategies to run the business in better and efficient way. The analysis is executed through SWOT and PESTLE analyses to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses and uncontrollable external opportunities as well as threats are identified by overall industry analysis, value chain analysis and other telescopic observation matrix. The study has revealed that through customer-centric approach Zurich Insurance can sustain and make growth in the coming years as the prospect for industry is generally found to be quite promising. The life-insurance segment can also provide further leverage for the company in the coming years as the demand for such financial product is increasing among people. Zurich HelpPoint can provide the company certain advantages in attaining their objectives in future. Zurich Insurance is an international company that is engaged with the rendering of financial services related to insurance-based sector. The services provided by Zurich Insurance are vehicle insurance, life insurance, business insurance, building insurance along with pension and investments. The market in which Zurich operates its business is highly competitive. The vision of Zurich Insurance is to be the leader in rendering of economic safeguard as well as investment solutions in relation to customer requirements, financial performance along with employee motivation. The company’s philosophy is to focus on ‘Customer Centricity’. They emphasise on individual customers that can assist them to reinforce the brand. Moreover, the company also puts attention towards its employees as the employees work as ‘one team’ (Zurich, 2011). ... es 3.1 Vision Zurich Insurance is an international company that is engaged with the rendering of financial services related to insurance-based sector. The services provided by Zurich Insurance are vehicle insurance, life insurance, business insurance, building insurance along with pension and investments. The market in which Zurich operates its business is highly competitive. The vision of Zurich Insurance is to be the leader in rendering of economic safeguard as well as investment solutions in relation to customer requirements, financial performance along with employee motivation. The company’s philosophy is to focus on ‘Customer Centricity’. They emphasise on individual customers that can assist them to reinforce the brand. Moreover, the company also puts attention towards its employees as the employees work as ‘one team’ (Zurich, 2011). 3.2 Mission Statement Mission statement of any organisation can be stated to be a reflection of its core principl es, identities and values. Mission statement shows the future perspective of the company. The target market segments for the company are individuals, small along with medium-sized businesses and key global corporations. The mission statement of Zurich Insurance is as follows: â€Å"We’re working to become the UK’s leading provider of financial services, giving you customer service you’ve never experienced before. We’re committed to doing the right thing, in the right way and for the right reason for you, our employees and the communities we work in† (Zurich, 2011). The aim of the company is to eradicate the obstacles that prevent people from the ultimate utilisation of their earning (Zurich, 2011). 3.3 Corporate Objectives The corporate objective of the company towards environment is aimed to decrease

Principle-based Standards versus Rule-based Standards Essay

Principle-based Standards versus Rule-based Standards - Essay Example Every organization prepares its financial statements following a certain set of accounting principles, these standards are generally principle (McGregor & Street 2007). Accounting policy makers are now emphasizing on the effectiveness of principle based accounting and rule based accounting. The argument of these debates has different perceptions (Bennett, Bradbury & Prangnell 2006). However, accounting is a precise subject based on mathematics and does not have any place for judgments. This paper discusses the statement with respect to arguments on these accounting principles referring conceptual framework. Rule based Accounting emphasizes on the detailed rules that shall be followed by accounting while preparing financial statements (Benston, Bromwich & Wagenhofer 2006). It states that the absence of rules may not provide accurate reporting of financial results. When strict rules are followed the accuracy increases and the possibility of ambiguity decreases. On the other hand, princ iple based accounting as known as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is more focused on the conceptual basis for accountants (Bennett, Bradbury & Prangnell 2006). It is more concerned to ensure good reporting through a set of guidance. Principle-based accounting provides a broad range of guidelines that may be practiced for a variety of circumstances (Collins, Pasewark & Riley 2012). Accountants debate that the application of rule-based and principle-based accounting is as complicated as issues of economics; the dynamic economical conditions are triggering point for accounting circumstances to transform (Benston, Bromwich & Wagenhofer 2006). Therefore, the effectiveness of the application of these rules and principle may remain controversial. Considering the conceptual framework both accounting standards are based on simple mathematics. Treatment of Elements The treatment of the accounting elements is evidenced that the accounting principles are based on simple mathematics (Jo nes 2011). The treatment of assets, equities, liabilities, revenue and expenditures in both rule based and principle based accounting standards is alike. According to the conceptual framework, the objectives and elements of accounting principles are similar (Bennett, Bradbury & Prangnell 2006). Principle-based accounting and Rule-Based accounting have largely same objectives. The qualitative characteristics of both standards are also similar; according to the recent research it has been concluded that GAAP and IFRS follow basic agreements on the qualitative characteristic, that is, Relevance, Understandability, Reliability and Comparability (Collins, Pasewark & Riley 2012). Qualitative Agreement The concept of understandability is also similar in both standards. Principle based accounting and rule based accounting standards emphases that the financial information shall be understandable for users of financial statements (Ampofo & Sellani 2010). Another qualitative agreement, that is relevance, both the standards provide basic agreements on that the financial information should be relevant. If we focus on the treatment of elements in Principle-based accounting and rules based accounting is similar (Agoglia, Timothy & Tsakumis 2011). Consider the treatment of revenue in the both principles is similar (Whittington 2008). The foundation of accounting is based on a formula that is assets are equal to a sum of liabilities and equities (McGregor & Street 2007). No major differences in the treatment of as