Survival Tips For Small Businesses Essay Paper Example For Students

Survival Tips For Small Businesses Essay Paper Youmay be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a localmerchant with 150 employees; whichever, however orwhatever youve got to know how to keep your businessalive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow ina business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the moneymanagement of that business has to be run as a tight ship.Some of the things you can and should do includeprotecting yourself from expenditures made on suddenimpulse. Weve all bought merchandise or services wereally didnt need simply because we were in the mood, orperhaps in response to the flamboyancy of the advertisingor the persuasiveness of the salesperson. Then we sort ofwake up a couple of days later and find that wevecommitted hundreds of dollars of business funds for an itemor service thats not essential to the success of our ownbusiness, when really pressing items had been waiting forthose dollars. If you are incorporated, you can eliminatethese impulse purchases by including in your by-laws aclause th at states: All purchasing decisions over (a certainamount) are contingent upon approval by the board ofdirectors. This will force you to consider any impulsepurchases of considerable cost, and may even be areminder in the case of smaller purchases. If your businessis a partnership, you can state, when faced with a buyingdecision, that all purchases are contingent upon theapproval of a third party. In reality, the third party can beyour partner, one of your department heads, or even one ofyour suppliers. If your business is a sole proprietorship, youdont have much to worry about really, because as anindividual you have three days to think about yourpurchase, and then to nullify that purchase if you think youdont really need it or cant afford it. While you may thinkyou cannot afford it, be sure that you dont short-changeyourself on professional services. This would applyespecially during a time of emergency. Anytime you commityourself and move ahead without completely investigatingall the angles, and preparing yourself for all thecontingencies that may arise, youre skating on thin ice. We will write a custom essay on Survival Tips For Small Businesses Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Regardless of the costs involved, it always pays off in thelong run to seek out the advice of experiencedprofessionals before embarking on a plan that could ruinyou. As an example, an experienced business consultantcan fill you in on the 1244 stock advantages. Gettingeligibility for the 1244 stock category is a very simpleprocess, but one with tremendous benefits to yourbusiness. The 1244 status encourages investors to putequity capital into your business because in the event of aloss, amounts up to the entire sum of the investment can bewritten off in the current year. Without the 1244classification, any losses would have to be spread overseveral years, and this, of course, would greatly lessen theattractiveness of your companys stock. Any businessowner who has not filed the 1244 corporation has in effectcut himself off from 90 percent of his prospective investors. Particularly when sales are down, you must behard-nosed with people trying to sell you luxuries for yourbusiness. When business is booming, you undoubtedly willallow sales people to show you new models of equipmentor a new line of supplies; but when your business is down,skip the entertaining frills and concentrate on the basics. Great care must be taken however, to maintain courtesyand allow these sellers to consider you a friend and callback at another time. Your companys books should reflectyour way of thinking, and whoever maintains them shouldgenerate information according to your policies. Thus, youshould hire an outside accountant or accounting firm tofigure your return on your investment, as well as theturnover on your accounts receivable and inventory. Suchan audit or survey should focus in depth on any or everyitem within your financial statement that merits specialattention. In this way, youll probably uncover any potentialfinancial problems before they become readily apparent,and certainly before they could get out of hand. Many smallcompanies set up advisory boards of outside professionalpeople. These are sometimes known as Power Circles andonce in place, the business always benefits, especially intimes of short operating capital. Such an advisory board orpower circle should include an attorney, a certified publicaccountant, civic club leaders, owners or managers ofbusinesses similar to yours, and retired executives. Settingup such an advisory board of directors is really quite easy,because most people you ask will be honored to serve. .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .postImageUrl , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:hover , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:visited , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:active { border:0!important; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:active , .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570 .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6e4714792bf177dc63a0bddc1d80a570:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: My Struggle With Self Confidence EssayOnce your board is set up, you should meet about once amonth and present material for review. Each meetingshould be a discussion of your business problems and aninput from your advisors relative to possible solutions. These members of your board of advisors should offer youadvice as well as alternatives, and provide you withobjectivity. No formal decisions need to be made either atyour board meeting, or as a result of them, but you shouldbe able to gain a great deal from the suggestions you hear. You will find that most of your customers have the moneyto pay at least some of what they owe you immediately. Tokeep them current, and the number of accounts receivablein your files to a minimum, you should call them on thephone and ask for some kind of explanation why theyrefalling behind. If you develop such a habit as part of youroperating procedure, youll find your invoices will magicallybe drawn to the front of their piles of bills to pay. Whilemaintaining a courteous attitude, dont be hesitant, or toomuch of a nice guy when it comes to collecting money. Something else thats a very good business practice, butwhich few business owners do is to methodically build acredit rating with their local banks. Particularly when youhave a good cash flow, you should borrow $100 to $1,000from your banks every 90 days or so. Simply borrow themoney, and place it in an interest bearing account, and thenpay it all back at least a month or so before its due. Bydoing this, you will increase the borrowing power of yoursignature, and strengthen your ability to obtain neededfinancing on short notice. This is a kind of business leveragethat will be of great value to you if or whenever your cashposition becomes less favorable. By all means, join yourindustrys local and national trade associations. Most ofthese organizations have a wealth of information availableon everything from details on your competitors to averageindustry sales figures, new products, services, and trends. Ifyou are given a membership certificate or wall plaque, youshould display these co nspicuously on you office wall. Customers like to see such seals of approval and feeladditional confidence in your business when they see them. Still another thing often overlooked: If at all possible, youshould have your spouse work in the business with you forat least three or four weeks per year. The important thing isthat if for any reason you are not available to run thebusiness, your spouse will be familiar with certain peopleand situations about your business. These people shouldinclude your attorney, accountant, any consultants oradvisors, creditors and your major suppliers. The long-termadvantages of having your spouse work four weeks peryear in your business with you will greatly outweigh theshort- term inconvenience. Many couples shareresponsibility and time entirely, which is in most cases evenmore desirable. Whenever you can, and as often as youneed it, take advantage of whatever free businesscounseling is available. The Small Business Administrationpublished many excellent booklets, checklists andbrochures on quite a large variety of businesses. Thesepublications are available through the U.S. GovernmentPrintin g Office. Most local universities, and many privateorganizations hold seminars at minimal cost, and oftenwithout charge. You should also take advantage of theservices offered by your bank and local library. Theimportant thing about running a small business is to knowthe direction in which youre heading; to know on aday-to-day basis your progress in that very direction; to beaware of what your competitors are doing and to practicegood money management at all times. All this will prepareyou to recognize potential problems before they arise. Inorder to survive with a small business, regardless of theeconomic climate, it is essential to surround yourself withsmart people, and practice sound business management atall times.

Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay

Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay Introduction Compensation presents one of the most preferable ways through which employee contributions are recognized. Compensation program s is evaluated based on various job responsibilities which are assigned specified monetary value. However, various forms of compensation are undertaken based on federal laws of which organization managers are expected to be familiar with.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Payment for individuals, groups or excellent performances are done in form of executive pay, incentive pay as well as balanced scorecard. Organizations compensate their workers through various incentives supported by their company objectives. However, incentive pay for executives within an organization is usually different from that of other employees hence requires special attention. Such incentives either long-term or short-term are ne cessary for the purposes of developing some sense of commitment within organization’s leadership and workforce (Noe et al., 2009). Review of the case Considering that Xcel is a company dealing with environmental issues, Merit pay may not work well with its strategy on improving operations at the lowest cost. According to the case study, merit raise, works best during hard economic times since it caters for high cost of living. At the same time there are always high possibilities of prevailing conditions to shrink available range of increases. Additionally, merit pay spread pay increment evenly across all employees hence rewarding poor performance on the same level as good performance. Such method may ultimately not concur with the company’s strategy on lowering costs since it is expensive (Fossum, 2002). Spreading the merit pay evenly across all employees may benefit those who lazy around and cause frustration to hardworking employees. Suggestions might at times look a ppropriate but might not work well in line with the company’s business objectives (Gerhart and Milkovich, 1990). To ensure that incentives work for the benefit of the company, they will require improvement within communication channel and at the same time increase level of employee participation. Xcel should incorporate employees in pay-related decision since there contributions at times reflect hands-on knowledge on kinds of behavior essential for organization improvement (Gowen, and Jennings, 1991).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since Xcel focuses on being one of the most celebrated top utility facilities offering efficient services at low cost, there goals and performances should be based on cooperation. Applying such principles would make employees feel more concerned about changes and goals of the company. They will always be eager to put across their contributions. Improvement on merit pay system For improvement purposes the company can include profit-sharing plan within the pay system. This is because merit pay is more directly linked to individual behavior compared to profit sharing plan. This is capable of linking to the strategy since it assists in increasing employees’ commitment towards organizational goals. Additionally, Xcel can utilize the use of balanced scorecard which enables combination of performance measures towards organizational goals. This enables easy utilization of employees’ potential through customization of balanced scorecards which would clearly distinguish Xcel’s operations based on strategy (Gerhart and Milkovich, 1990). Extension of the stock plan to other low-level employees might also be good idea for progress. This is since stock ownership plan contributes towards creation of some sense of ownership within employees. It makes them feel part owners of the organization hence maki ng them to focus more on ideas contributing towards success of the company (Gerhart and Milkovich, 1990). Conclusion Organizations use various ways to reward employee performances and at the same time measure such performances in terms of profits and stock prices. Incentive pay presents one of the most notable ways of organizations use for the purposes of ensuring that employees focus on company’s success goals. Such incentives ensure that employees realign their activities towards organization’s goals. References Fossum, J. (2002). Labor Relation. New York: McGraw-Hill Gerhart, B, Milkovich, G. (1990). Organizational Differences in Managerial Compensation and Financial Performance. Academy of Management Journal 33 (1), 663–91.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gowen, C, Jennings, S.(1991). The Effects of Changes in Par ticipation and Group Size on Gainsharing Success: A Case Study. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management 11 (1), 147–69. Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., Wright, P. (2009). Fundamentals of human  Resource management, 3rd edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Ethics in Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ethics in Information Technology - Essay Example The paper enabled me learning about the down side and the negative aspect of technology which comes in the form of security threat. I learnt this aspect and will help me working more actively and safely on the medium of internet. I also got familiar with the security aspect of cloud computing which is a concept of future days. It has given me a broader view of the ethical issues that are faced by the common internet user in the daily operations performing on internet. It will create awareness towards safe browsing and transactions of large scale. Through this learning, I will adopt number of different things like ensure more security towards passwords, be clear about whom to interact with online and who to avoid and also in case of file sharing, I will be further careful. Safer online operations mean safe working and this in turn means improved performance and quality work delivery. This in the end leads to much more improved career growth opportunities and excelling circumstances. This enables the company working successfully as well as the individuals. With the advancements in technology and I.T, the means of breaking into the network and other breaches also increase. This can be handled through equipping the devises more actively and further learning to operate safely through trainings guidelines and other related functions. Facebook for example is one of the largely used application however the considerations related to the terms and conditions of usage and various other online activities that are posted on the walls of the users profile make up for the concerns with respect to the social networking websites and the users safety. All this poses direct threat towards the users with regard to their privacy, family safety, financial safety and much more. All this can be overcome and prevented through the use of electronic mail. Hence electronic mail finds

Land Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Land Law - Essay Example For explaining this statement in relation to land law of the UK, actual occupation, Williams & Glyn's Bank v Boland (1981), City of London Building Society v Flegg (1988), Land Registration Act 2002 Schedule 3, Para 2, LRA 1925 s.70, Lloyd's Bank v Rosset (1991), Stack v Dowden (2007) and Jones v Kernott (2012), all will be employed in detail. In accordance with the law of land of the United Kingdom, if a land is not registered, an occupant can acquire the title by way of adverse possession over period of time. It can be done via combination of positive effect of the adverse possession, which gives the occupant’s title but the negative effect of the Land Act 1980 extinguishes the documentary1. Actual occupation indicates effective physical control over the land or property. It shows exclusive occupation. Though singly, but on behalf of several occupants. Hence, the owners of the land and the intruders cannot be the occupants of the vacant land at the same time. Here, the quest ion arises what act determines sufficient degree of exclusive physical control, which must be based on the circumstances. Besides the particular of land in nature and the way it is commonly enjoyed, it is true that everything is based on some specific situation. In a broad term, alleged occupants who have been dealing with the land might have the right to deal with and no other occupant is authorized to get it done. If the land was previously vacant ground depicting strong evidence of actual possession, it is neither indispensable nor conclusive2. Land Registration Act 2002 According to the Land Registration Act 2002, Schedule 3, Para 2, interests of persons in actual occupation states that an interest belongs at the time of disposition property to a person in actual occupation when he or she is in actual occupation following certain conditions3. The person should have interest under the Settled Land Act 1925, interest of a person against whom inquiry was made before the disposition , interest belongs to a person whose occupation was not clear, person to whom the disposition was made was not aware of the factual position and leasehold estate granted to take effective possession, could not effectuate at the time of disposition4. In the recent development, the judicial authority of the House of Lords conferred to the newly established Supreme Court. If we look at the judgment of Manchester City Council v Pinnock and Hounslow LBC v Powell, the Supreme Court tried to move on to a new path by realizing the importance of human in land law. Public body should not eject an occupier of land if it is disproportionate to do so5. In the case of Berrisford (FC) v Mexfield Housing Co-operative Ltd, the Supreme Court again considered an appeal of eviction keeping in minds that Ms. Berrisford had entered a mortgage under a scheme where against, she sold her house to a housing co-operative. The co-operative society at that time allowed her to remain in the same house. The co-op erative took plea that its agreement with the inhabitant did not create a lease. The Supreme Court was of the view that Ms. Berrisford had a lease for life; hence, she could not be removed from her existing place6. The mentioned decision of the apex court of the United Kingdom was widely welcomed by the legal fraternity and the people alike. Take the example of Stack v Dowden, wherein the House of Lords held that determination of an ownership in the property as far as the domestic background is concerned based on the common intention of both the parties.

Quantum Optical Model Nonintegrability Quantum Fluctuation

Quantum Optical Model Nonintegrability Quantum Fluctuation Nonintegrability and quantum fluctuations in a quantum optical model Nilakantha Mehera and S. Sivakumarb Abstract Integrability in quantum theory has been defined in more than one ways. Recently, Braak suggested that a quantum system is integrable relating the number of parameters required to specify the eigenstates and the number degrees of freedom (both discrete and continuous). It is argued that the dependence of uncertainty product of suitable operators on the atom-field interaction strength is distinctly different for the integrable and nonintegrable cases. These studies indicate that the uncertainty product is able to identify the nonintegrable systems from the integrable ones in the context of this new definition. Introduction A classical dynamical system with n degrees of freedom (DOF) is integrable, Liouvillean integrable to be precise, if there are equal number of suitable constants of motion (COM) that have vanishing Poisson bracket among themselves and with the Hamiltonian1.. Otherwise, the system is nonintegrable. While this definition is based on a sound mathematical footing, the situation in quantum dynamics is not very clear, essentially arising from the difficulty in defining or identifying DOF in quantum theory2. One possibility is define integrablity by the existence of sufficient number of observables which commute with the Hamiltonian and pair-wise commute among themselves. However, this is wrought with difficulties as it may not be possible to arrive at classical limits of some quantum systems. One such example is the case of a single two-level atom interacting with a single mode of the electromagnetic field. The former is a discrete DOF (finite dimensional Hilbert space) and the later is a continuous DOF (infinite dimensional Hilbert space). While the continuous DOF, namely, the electromagnetic field, has a proper classical limit, the two-level atom does not have a suitable classical limit. According to a new definition introduced by Braak, a system is integrable if the number of parameters required to specify the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian is equal to the sum of the number of discrete DOF and continuous DOF2. This definition does not involve the existence of constants of motion, though all such cases are covered by this definition. In this new definition of integrability, some of the nonintegrable systems based on the Liouvillean definition become integrable. A simple example of such a system is the Rabi model describing the interaction between a two-level atom and a single mode of the electromagnetic field with Hamiltonian3; (1) Here, are Pauli matrices, is the atomic transition frequency, () denote the annihilation (creation) operators of field with frequency. is the atom-field coupling constant. This Hamiltonian has only one COM, namely itself. Since there are two DOF, the field and the two-level atom, the Hamiltonian is nonintegrable in the sense of Liouville. However, exploiting the parity symmetry in , the system has been shown to be integrable2. Another interesting case is the rotating wave approximation of , yielding the well known Jaynes-Cummings model4,5: (2) This Hamiltonian has two COM, the Hamiltonian itself and the operator for the number of excitations . Existence of these two COMs renders the Hamiltonian integrable. The eigenstates are labelled by two parameters,an integer n corresponding to the number of excitations and the total energy. Also, both the Hamiltonians and exhibit level-crossings of the eigenvalues as the interaction strength g is varied, which is an indication that the models are integrable2. Level-crossing refers to the phenomenon where in the eigenvalues depend on the interaction strength g in such a way that the eigenvalues corresponding to two different eigenstates become degenerate at a specific values of g and reverse their order for other values of g. Nonintegrable Model : An interesting modification to to make it nonintegrable is to break the à ¯Ã‚ Ã… ¡2 symmetry by adding and this leads to; (3) Within the scope of the Braak’s definition of integrability, this model is integrable only when ÃŽ µ is an integral multiple of ω/2. This is also borne out by the existence of level crossings as shown in Fig.1. This criterion is sufficient for nonintegrability. We assume resonance . For the results presented here, it is assumed that =1 and ω=1. In Fig. 1, the absence or presence of level-crossing indicates respectively the nonintegrability or integrability of the Hamiltonian . Fig.1.Energy level (En) as a function of g for different à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬. Level crossing occurs if à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬=0 and 0.5 indicating integrability. No level crossing if à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬=0.3, indicating nonintegrability. Inset shows larger view of level crossing. A pertinent question in this context is to know those features that distinguish a nonintegrable atom-field system from an integrable one. One answer to this query appears to be that uncertainty product of a pair of suitably defined operators show markedly different characteristics. Since the system is nonintegrable, it is formidable to construct an analytical solution. Therefore, extensive numerical experimentations have been carried out and the results are presented here which support the claim stated above. Nonintegrability being a feature of the Hamiltonian, it is natural to expect that the eigenstates carry signatures revealing this feature. To explore this, we define two self-adjoint operators of the two-level atom, , , where () is the atomic raising (lowering) operator. The commutation relation implies that the value of the product of uncertainties lies between 0 and 1/2. The uncertainty relation of above operators is . whereis expectation value in any eigenstate. In Fig. 2, the uncertainty product is plotted as a function of the atom-field interaction strength for different values of à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬: à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬= 0, 0.5 and 1.0 corresponding to the integrable case and a few other values of à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬ corresponding to nonintegrable case. It is seen that as the parameter g is increases, the uncertainty product attains its maximum allowed value of  ½ for the integrable cases. On the other hand, for the nonintegrable cases the uncertainty product falls below the limit of  ½. In order to establish that the uncertainty product is very sensitive to the nature of the the integrable and nonintegrable cases, the plots corresponding to values of à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬ very close to integrable cases have been chosen. Fig.2.Uncertainty product () as a function of the atom-field coupling constant g. Different plots correspond to different values of à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬: integrable cases: à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬=0, 0.5 and 1.0, nonintegrable cases: à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬=-0.01,0.01, 0.49,0.51,0.2 and 0.4. In any plot, the uncertainty is plotted for the eingenstates corresponding to the first fifty eigenvalues. For instance, in the second row in Fig. 2, the sudden change in the nature of uncertainty product as à °Ã‚ Ã…“â‚ ¬ assumes values 0.49 (nonintegrable), 0.5 (integrable) and 0.51 (nonintegrable) respectively are shown. In order to bring out the features more clearly, the probability distribution of the uncertainty products in different eigenstates are shown in Fig 3 corresponding to the respective figures in Fig. 2. The sharply peaked probability distribution indicates integrability. Fig.3. Probability distribution of the uncertainty product for all the eigenstates for a particular value of g, chosen to be 1.2 here. Any higher value of g yields the same results. Summary Identification of nonintegrability in an interacting atom-field system is possible by the concentration of uncertainty product near a particular value as the atom-field interaction strength is increased. This feature seems to be related closely to the nonintegrability, also supported the absence of level crossings. This feature has been found to be able to identify nonintegrability in many other models that have been studied. In essence, suitable uncertainty product is able to identify nonintegrability, which is often difficult to establish analytically or numerically. Nevertheless, our analyses raise some important questions for which answers are to be found: Is it possible to arrive at the existence of this feature using only the definition of nonintegrability used here? Given a Hamiltonian, how to identify the correct observables whose uncertainty product will concentrate as the interaction strength is increased? How to extend this idea if the number of atoms is larger? References: M.V. Berry and M. Tabor, Proc. R. Soc. A 356, 375 (1977). D.Braak, Phys.Rev.Lett. 107, 100401(2011). I. I. Rabi, Phys. Rev. 49, 324 (1936); 51, 652 (1937). E. T. Jaynes and F.W. Cummings, Proc. IEEE 51, 89 (1963). C.Gerry and P.L. Knight, Introductory Quantum Optics (Cambridge University Press, UK, 2005).

Education: Its Aims And Objectives Essay

â€Å"Education†, says Aristotle,† is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body†. It encompasses in itself the all round development of an individual. The success of spreading education to the widest possible area lies in the way it is imparted. With the ever changing technology scenario, the methods of imparting education too have been undergoing changes. But education itself is an age old process, rather as old as the human race itself. It was man’s education through Nature, our greatest teacher, that he learned how to make fire by rubbing stones or invented the wheal to make tasks easier. Education in real earnest helps us in restraining the objectionable predisposition in ourselves. The aims of education have been categorized variously by different scholars. While Herbert Spencer believed in the ‘complete-living aim’, Herbart advocated the moral aim. The complete living aim signifies that education should prepare us for life. This view had also been supported by Rousseau and Mahatma Gandhi. They believed in the complete development or perfection of nature. All round development has been considered as the first and foremost aim of education. At the same time education ensures that there is a progressive development of innate abilities. Pestalozzi is of the view â€Å"Education is natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s innate powers. † Education enables us to control, give the right direction and the final sublimation of instincts. It creates good citizens. It helps to prepare the kids for their future life. Education inculcates certain values and principles and also prepares a human being for social life. It civilizes the man. The moral aim of Herbart states that education should ingrain moral values in children. He is of the view that education should assist us in curbing our inferior whims and supplant them with superior ideas. This moral aim has also been stressed upon by Gandhiji in the sense of formation of character. The preachers of this aim do not undermine the significance of knowledge, vocational training or muscular strength. But simultaneously they have also laid stress on their view that the undisclosed aim of education is to assist development of moral habits. Then there is the social aim which means that education should produce effective individuals in the sense that they realize their responsibilities towards the society. And we all know that man is a social being. The interactive ability is a must as it is through interaction that we come to know of our responsibilities. Edmund Burke asks and he himself answers: â€Å"What is education? A parcel of books? Not at all, but an intercourse with the world, with men and with affairs. † Only bookish knowledge takes a child nowhere. It should be further perfected by practical usage with experience. â€Å"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man† is a pithy and precise statement in which the essayist Francis Bacon sums up the advantages of studies. Even Wordsworth in his poem ‘The Tables Turned’ advocated against bookish knowledge. Books! ’tis a dull and endless strife: Come, hear the woodland linnet, How sweet his music! on my life, There’s more of wisdom in it. Wordsworth was a die-hard naturalist. He wanted man to consider Nature his teacher. Naturalists believe that instincts of the child should be taken as the basis of education. The child should have freedom. Rabindra Nath Tagore was of the opinion that child should be left free in order to gather experience and to understand his own mistakes and shortcomings. The twentieth century saw the emergence of the concept of Pragmatism. Charles Pierce was the first man to introduce the concept of pragmatism in his philosophy. Later on it was popularized by John Dewey, William James, Kilpatrick and Schiller. They believed that the external world is real and the reality is being constantly created and is always changing. Knowledge and truth is one and the same thing according to them. Whatever the approach towards education, one thing we all agree: Education is for the betterment of the individual and in the long run for the society. Education helps us prepare ourselves for the life ahead. Darwin gave the theory of the ‘survival of the fittest’; we can say in a way that education prepares the individual for the struggle of life for his own survival. Knowledge combined with proper guidance can spell success. A dose of proper guidance should be commenced right from the base itself, that is, in school days. Here comes the role of the teacher in moulding a child’s mind. Educating a child, especially in the beginning years of schooling, is a very tricky job. That is probably because the child’s mind is like the unmoulded clay at that time. Therefore to get the best results and prepare well-informed and erudite adults, proper guidance is a must. For a proper system of education the teacher should encourage a student both in terms of mental encouragement and in lending a helping hand as and when needed. A student needs help for training his mind in such a way that it develops a tendency to gather knowledge from all possible sources. While on the other hand too much help if lent to him will make him dependant and used to spoon feeding. Self-study is the most sought after quality in a student. It helps them at the later stages. But because the ‘child is the father of man’ (Wordsworth) all the qualities have to be inculcated right in childhood. And teacher along with parents plays a very significant role. The aims of education should be kept in mind, although a thorough study of these aims may not be imperative. A teacher should make a child ready to face the society, inculcate moral habits in him and thus, assist him in his all round development. Education should not be considered synonymous with all that we learn. It does not signify the things we mug up before appearing for an examination. Education is what remains behind, when we fail to remember the mugged up portion. After we have left school, we realize that although we have forgotten quite a few things we learnt but still retain a very large part of it. The latter part is education. Education formally begins in school but actually it begins the day we are born and the process goes on for the whole of our life. This is where the aims of education come in. Education is not only the formal part we gain in schools, colleges or universities. It also includes the lessons life teaches us in various forms. For instance, when a child gets his finger pricked by a needle accidentally he learns that a needle is sharp and can hurt a person, so he will learn to avoid hurting himself in the future. This is only one example from thousands of other instances. We can even learn a lesson of a lifetime from a beggar. The birds inspire us to rise high. An ant motivates us for hard work. We learn some things just by doing them on our own, they are never taught in a school. A child’s first teacher is his mother, then his home and then come the formal agencies of education. Nature too is a great teacher. English poetry too gives us quite a few guidelines for leading a better life. It was not for nothing that Wordsworth went on to remark: â€Å"One impulse from the vernal wood May teach you more of a man Of moral evil and of good Than all the sages can. † As long as there is life, we require education; we need ways to modify our views about life, to face it, to live it in a better way. And education teaches us all this. Even when you read a comic strip, it educates you in some way. They improve our language and make us realize that life isn’t so bad after all that it can’t get worse, as states Bill Watterson in ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. The witty humour of ‘Dennis the Menace’ enriches us no end. â€Å"The aim of education,† says Walter Grophices, â€Å"is not the specialist but the man of vision who can humanize our life by integrating emotional demands with our new knowledge. † In another way too, the insects and animals also teach you a lot. The easiest example is that of an ant. It inspires you to work hard. Therefore we can say there are innumerable modes of education, all that one needs is to have a discerning eye. Education enriches a person in terms of accepting a defeat. A student should first of all be taught so that he is encouraged to study. Side by side he should be readied to face a failure. As Charles F. Kettering rightly says,† The chief job of the education is to teach people how to fail intelligently. † This will help the child coping with the other adversities of life. Education, thus, makes a person an improved version of himself and the world a much better place to live in.

Manufacturing alumina

The production of aluminum begins with the mining and beneficiation of bauxite. At the mine (usually of the surface type), bauxite ore is removed to a crusher. The crushed ore is then screened and stockpiled, ready for delivery to an alumina plant. At the alumina plant, the bauxite ore is further crushed or ground to the correct particle size for efficient extraction of the alumina through digestion by hot sodium hydroxide liquor. After removal of â€Å"red mud† (the insoluble part of the bauxite) and fine solids from the process liquor, aluminum trihydrate crystals are precipitated and calcined in rotary kilns or fluidized bed calciners to produce alumina (Al2O3). (Bounicore & Wayne 1992) Some alumina processes include a liquor purification step. Primary aluminum is produced by the electrolytic reduction of the alumina. The alumina is dissolved in a molten bath of fluoride compounds (the electrolyte), and an electric current is passed through the bath, causing the alumina to dissociate to form liquid aluminum and oxygen. The oxygen reacts with carbon in the electrode to produce carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Molten aluminum collects in the bottom of the individual cells or pots and is removed under vacuum into tapping crucibles. . Depending on the desired application, additional refining may be necessary. For demagging (removal of magnesium from the melt), hazardous substances such as chlorine and hexachloroethane are often used, which may produce dioxins and dibenzofurans. (Bounicore & Wayne 1992) Industrial forms of aluminum include commercially pure metal and alloys with other metals such as chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel, titanium and zinc. Aluminum alloys may contain as much as fifteen percent of the alloying metals. In powder form, aluminum and its alloys are combustible in air and present a potential explosion hazard. In sheet or block forms, aluminum will not normally propagate or sustain combustion. (Metals & Alloys, 1976) Hazards and Risks Entail in Processing At the bauxite production facilities, dust is emitted to the atmosphere from dryers and materials- handling equipment, through vehicular movement, and from blasting. The dust is not hazardous; it can be a nuisance if containment systems are not in place, especially on the dryers and handling equipment. Other air emissions could include nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and other products of combustion from the bauxite dryers. (Paris Com, 1992) Ore washing and beneficiation may yield process wastewaters containing suspended solids. Runoff from precipitation may also contain suspended solids. At the alumina plant, air emissions can include bauxite dust from handling and processing; limestone dust from limestone handling, burnt lime dust from conveyors and bins, alumina dust from materials handling, red mud dust and sodium salts from red mud stacks impoundments), caustic aerosols from cooling towers, and products of combustion such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from boilers, calciners, mobile equipment, and kilns. The calciners may also emit alumina dust and the kilns, burnt lime dust. Although alumina plants do not normally discharge effluents, heavy rainfalls can result in surface runoff that exceeds what plant can use in process. (Brady & Humiston, 1982) Hydrogen Generating Reactions Aluminum is a very reactive metal, and the greatest industrial hazards associated with aluminum are chemical reactions. Aluminum is an excellent reducing agent, and should react with water readily to liberate hydrogen. However, the protective aluminum oxide coating protects it from reaction with moisture or oxygen. If the protective coating is broken, for example, by scratching or by amalgamation (the process of coating with a film of mercury in which the metallic aluminum dissolves; the aluminum oxide coating does not adhere to the amalgamated surface), rapid reaction with moisture and/or oxygen can occur. The significance of this reaction is dependent upon the quantity of aluminum available to react. Aluminum is also oxidized by heat at a temperature dependent rate. (Ogle, Beddow, Chen, Butler, 1982) Aluminum metal is amphoteric (exhibits both acidic and basic characteristics). Therefore, aluminum will react with acids or bases; both reactions liberate hydrogen, a flammable gas. However, aluminum does not react with concentrated nitric acid because the oxidizing potential of the acid contributes to the formation of the protective aluminum oxide coating. (Martin, 1976) Thermite Reactions Aluminum readily extracts oxygen from other metal oxides to form aluminum oxide with the simultaneous release of large amounts of heat (enough heat to melt the products of the reaction). For example, the reaction of aluminum with ferric oxide to produce liquid aluminum oxide and liquid iron produces temperatures approaching 3000 °C (5400 °F). This reaction, referred to as the â€Å"thermite reaction,† has been used to weld large masses of iron and steel; when enclosed in a metal cylinder and ignited by a ribbon of magnesium has been used in incendiary bombs; and, with ammonium perchlorate added as an oxidizer, has provided the thrust for the space shuttle booster rockets. (May & Berard, 1987) Dust Explosions A dust explosion is a complex phenomenon involving simultaneous momentum, energy, and mass transport in a reactive multi-phase system. Aluminum particles, when in dust, powder, or flake forms from operations such as manufacturing powder, grinding, finishing, and processing, may be suspended as a dust cloud in air and consequently may ignite and cause serious damage. If the dust cloud is unconfined, the effect is simply one of flash fire. If, however, the ignited dust cloud is at least partially confined, the heat of combustion may result in rapidly increasing pressure and produce explosion effects such as rupturing of the confining structure. Aluminum dust is not always easily ignitable, and, therefore, the hazard of dust explosions is often ignored. Minimum explosive concentrations of aluminum dust have been reported upwards from about 40 grams per cubic meter (0.04 ounces per cubic foot) of air. (May & Berard, 1987) Effects on Health Aluminum particles deposited in the eye may cause local tissue destruction. Aluminum salts may cause eczema, conjunctivitis, dermatoses, and irritation of the upper respiratory system via hydrolysis-liberated acid. Aluminum is not generally regarded as an industrial poison, although inhalation of finely divided aluminum powder has been reported as a cause of pneumoconiosis. In most investigative cases, however, it was found that exposure was not solely to aluminum, but to a mixture of aluminum, silica, iron dusts, and other materials. Aluminum in aerosols has been referenced in studies involving Alzheimer's disease. Most exposures to aluminum occur in smelting and refining processes. Because aluminum may be alloyed with various metals, each metal (e.g., copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, nickel, chromium, lead, etc.) may possibly present its own health hazards. (Buonicore & Davis, 1992) Implication Aluminum dust is strongly fibrogenic. Metallic aluminum dust may cause nodular lung fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, and emphysema as indicated in animal experimentation, and effects appear to be correlated to particle size of the dust30; however, when exposure to aluminum dusts have been studied in man, most exposures have been found to be to other chemicals as well as aluminum. (Buonicore & Davis, 1992) Safety Measures: Prevention and Control The American Council of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommends the need for five separate Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) for aluminum, depending on its form (aluminum metal dust, aluminum pyro powders, aluminum welding fumes, aluminum soluble salts, and aluminum alkyls). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also established Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) for aluminum. (May & Berard, 1987) Pollution prevention is always preferred to the use of end-of-pipe pollution control facilities. Therefore every attempt should be made to incorporate cleaner production processes and facilities to limit, at source, the quantity of pollutants generated. In the bauxite mine, where beneficiation and ore washing are practiced, tailings slurry of 7– 9% solids is produced for disposal. The preferred technology is to concentrate these tailings and dispose of them in the mined-out area. A concentration of 25–30% can be achieved through gravity settling in a tailings pond. The tailings can be further concentrated, using a thickener, to 30–50%, yielding a substantially volume reduced slurry. The alumina plant discharges red mud in slurry of 25–30% solids, and this also presents an opportunity to reduce disposal volumes. (May & Berard, 1987) Today’s technology, in the form of high-efficiency deep thickeners, and large-diameter conventional thickeners, can produce a mud of 50–60% solids concentration. The lime used in the process forms insoluble solids that leave the plant along with the red mud. Recycling the lime used as a filtering aid to digestion to displace the fresh lime that is normally added at this point can minimize these lime-based solids. Finally, effluent volume from the alumina plant can be minimized or eliminated by good design and operating practices: reducing the water added to the process, segregating condensates and recycling to the process, and using rainwater in the process. (Ogle, Beddow, Chen, Butler, 1982) References Brady, James E. and Humiston, Gerard E. (1982), General Chemistry: Principles and Structure, Third Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Bounicore, Anthony J., and Wayne T. Davis, eds. (1992), Air Pollution Engineering Manual. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Martin, R. (1975), â€Å"Dust-Explosion Risk with Metal Powders and Dusts,† P/M Group Annual Meeting 1975: Handling Metal Powders, Session I: Health and Safety in Powder Handling,† Powder Metallurgy, No. 2. May, David C., and Berard, David L. (1987), â€Å"Fires and Explosions Associated with Aluminum Dust from Finishing Operations,† Journal of Hazardous Materials, 17. â€Å"Metals and Alloys,† (1976), Loss Prevention Data 7-85, Factory Mutual Engineering Corporation. Paris Commission. (1992), â€Å"Industrial Sectors: Best Available Technology—Primary Aluminium Industry.† Ogle, R. A., Beddow, J. K., Chen, L. D., and Butler, P. B. (1988), â€Å"An Investigation of Aluminum Dust Explosions,† Combust. Sci. and Tech.