Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Finance Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finance Paper - Essay Example The Mission statement of the firm â€Å"is to build the premier specialty retailer of jewelry by  offering consumers high quality products at compelling values through an empowering shopping experience.† Values The Company emphasizes in great customer satisfaction and delivering that satisfaction through high-quality products. The key element for the company is to make the customer feel special and give them a shopping experience that will leave them in awe. From a business perspective, the company has developed â€Å"Code of Ethics† which list out some key values that the company strongly believes in. For instance, each individual should be treated with fairness, compassion and respect. The company also believes in strong foundation of complete, efficient, and accurate recording methods to the government. Strategy The marketing strategy for the company is effective and is consisted of penetrating the online market and attracting its customer. The company is expected to earn around 75 cents(earnings per share), which is 34% from the previous annual year. The organization’s strategy is to penetrate the market segment by selling their products at a lower price than the traditional jewelry stores. The company possesses two key competitive advantages. One competitive advantage is to cut the cost of buying diamonds only if there is a guarantee that the customer will purchase them. In essence, the customer cannot breach the contract, which enables it to be cost-effective and makes them unique compared to traditional jewelry stores. Blue Nile Company utilizes pull marketing strategy as it uses clever pricing strategy to accomplish its goals. The company believes in being just 10% better, a no nominal feat in these harsh economic times. Moreover, the company emphasizes in brand recognition and enhancing consumer traffic through their online website. The focal point remains through the search engines such as Google, YAHOO and Bing.com. The company offers incentives through internet by persuading customers to subscribe to their newsletter, which gives them special insights about promotions, sales, and coupons. The company invests little in brick-and-mortar advertisements and billboards. Without a doubt, the management team is vital towards the success of the organization. Diane Irvine, the CEO and the President has created a culture that thrives on â€Å"thinking outside the box.† It is astonishing to see how a company is flourishing in this business without owning diamond mines, a feat that may seem impossible. Ms. Irvine along with Susan Bell and Marianne Marck acknowledged that certain months are extremely busy for the stores. Thus, the decided to have a strategy in which they launched new, creative desings for the jwererly around that time period. In essence, the management team was ready to face the challenges of the customers head-on. Moreover, Irvine and her team excelled in customer service by returning custome rs demands and shipping their packages in timely manner. Furthermore, the management administration staff placed high priority in consultation and pursued the engagement rign business to the fullest, which made them highly profitable. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BALANCE SHEET Period Ending Jan 2, 2011 Jan 3, 2010 Jan 4, 2009 Assets Current Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 113,261  Ã‚   78,149  Ã‚   54,451  Ã‚   Short Term Investments -    15,000  Ã‚   -    Net Receivables 2,328

Sunday, November 17, 2019

International economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International economics - Essay Example However, the entire practice of import and export has been subjected to multiple trade policies and regulations to maintain international harmony and restrain a control over international trade practices. Over time and under specific conditions, the structuring of the trade practices has also evolved (Davis, 1995). Considering all these aspects, this discussion focuses on analysing the type of commodities imported and exported by Singapore between the periods of 2010 to 2013 to find their alignment with the established international trade practices. The discussion emphasizes multiple crucial facts regarding the international trade practice carried out by Singapore in developing a better competitive advantage. In addition to all these, considerable amount of focus will also be laid on the tariff plans that are being imposed on the goods being imported in Singapore. Supportive facts such as worth of Singapore currency internationally will also be provided in the discussion. A considerable amount of focus needs to be provided on the fact that majority of the goods that are being imported in Singapore are tax-free excluding some of the liquor based commodities. Moreover, by analysing the trading figures between the periods of 2010 to 2013, it can be identified that the trading pattern appears to have dropped to a certain extent during the period of 2013. The graph projected below will help to understand this difference in an appropriate manner. The above mentioned two graphs clearly stated about the import and the export patterns of Singapore at the present currency rate i.e. Singapore $1~ $0.80 USD. Respectively, it can be stated that the export rate within the four fiscal years have elevated, which has apparently brought in huge loads of foreign exchange in comparison to that of the imported rates regardless of the fact that the import rates have also elevated much. However, if the evaluation is conducted depending on the types of import and

Friday, November 15, 2019

Preparation Of Oxalate Complexes Of Iron Biology Essay

Preparation Of Oxalate Complexes Of Iron Biology Essay To prepare two oxalate complexes of iron namely, Potassium Trioxalatoferrate Trihydrate and Iron Oxalate and to analyse the products for iron and oxalate respectively. One of the properties known to be characterised by transition metals such as iron is complex ion formation since they are able to form stable complexes. In this experiment, two complex of iron are being formed with the oxalate ion being the common ligand in both. Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate and Iron (II) Oxalate are the two complexes being formed and are represented by the following chemical structures: Figure 1: Chemical structures of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate and Iron (II) Oxalate respectively. The oxalate ion, apart from acting as a Lewis base can be referred to as a bidentate ligand since an oxalate ion can donates two pairs of electrons (one from each oxygen) to the iron (III) or Iron (II) cation acting as a Lewis acid from two oxygen atoms as can be seen in figure 1 above. Iron can form a variety of complexes with most of them having an octahedral geometry. In this experiment, the Iron (II) oxalate formed is characterised by an Fe2+ as the central metal cation. This is then oxidised to Fe3+ in order to synthesise the Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate complex characterised by an Fe3+ as the central metal cation. Certain complexes such as the Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate complex are unstable to light and therefore they are said to be photosensitive. For this reason, it is a must to store such a complexes under dark conditions in order to prevent the reduction of the Fe3+ ion back to the Fe2+ ion. The amount of oxalate within a complex can be determined using titrimetric analysis. Potassium permanganate is titrated with the oxalate ion and the amount of oxalate can be determined through this redox titration. No indicator is necessary in such a titration due to the fact that the endpoint is characterised by a faint pink colour resulting from the fact that at the end point, excess un reacted permanganate ions are present in the solution since all the oxalate ions would have been consumed. The amount of iron in a complex on the other hand can be analysed following the addition of zinc to the complex solution followed by heating. Once this is carried out, the resulting solutions can be treated with potassium permanganate in a redox titration as described previously above and hence, the amount of iron in a complex can be determined. In this experiment, heating is involved in the redox titrations due to the fact that since the reaction is rather slow at room temperature, in order for one to observe a quick colour change at the end point, the solution needs to be heated to around 60oC. Method Chemicals used Ferrous ammonium sulphate Hydrogen peroxide Sulfuric acid Ethanol Oxalic acid Zinc Ferrous oxalate Potassium permanganate Potassium oxalate Apparatus used Buchner funnel Heating mantle Burette Weighing boat Thermometer Filter paper Magnetic stirrer Glass wool Analytical balance Measuring cylinder Procedure Part a Preparation of Iron (II) oxalate 15g of ferrous ammonium sulphate were dissolved in 50mL warm water which had been acidified with 1mL 2M sulfuric acid. To this, a solution of 10% 75mL oxalic acid was added with rapid stirring. The mixture was gently heated until its boiling point was reached and the yellow precipitate of ferrous oxalate formed was allowed to settle. The precipitate was removed by filtration on a Buchner funnel and washed thourally with hot water followed by acetone. The product was allowed to dry on a funnel under suction and was then weighed. Part B Preparation of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate. 3.25g of ferrous oxalate was suspended in a warm solution of (5g in 15mL water) potassium oxalate. To this, 15mL 20 vol. Hydrogen peroxide was added from a burette whilst the solution was stirred continuously and the temperature was maintained at 40oC. The solution contained a precipitate of ferric hydroxide and this was removed by heating the solution to its boiling point and adding 10mL 10% oxalic acid. Further small amounts of oxalic acid was added drop wise until the precipitate just dissolved. The hot solution was filtered and 15mL ethanol was added to the filtrate in order to re dissolve any crystals that formed by gentle heating. The solution was placed in a dark cupboard to crystallize since the product formed was photosensitive. The crystals were collected by filtration on a Buchner funnel and later washed with an equivolume mixture of ethanol and water followed by acetone. The crystals were then dried and weighed. Part C The analysis of the products for Iron and Oxalate For Iron (II) oxalate: 0.3g of oxalate were dissolved in 25mL 2M sulfuric acid and the solution was heated to 60oC and titrated with 0.2M standard potassium permanganate solution until the first permanganate pink colour was observed. 2g of zinc dust was added and the solution was boiled for 25 minutes. The solution was filtered through glass wool and the residual zinc was washed with 2M sulfuric acid. The washings were added to the filtrate and the solution was titrated with standard potassium permanganate. The percentages of iron, oxalate and water of recrystalisation in the product were determined and hence, the empirical formula could be derived. For Potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate: 0.2g of Potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate were dissolved in 25mL 2M sulfuric acid and titrated with 0.02M permanganate. The solution was treated with zinc dust and re-titrated with permanganate as described in the analysis of Iron (II) oxalate above. The percentages of iron and oxalate in the complex were determined and this was compared to the theoretical value. Precautions: It was made sure that in the preparation of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate, ethanol was added to the filtrate in order to re dissolve any crystals that formed by gentle heating. It was made sure that in the preparation of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate, the solution was placed in a dark cupboard to crystallize since the product formed was photosensitive. It was made sure that for the preparation of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate, the temperature was maintained at 40oC to prevent hydrogen peroxide decomposition. Observations: Ferrous (II) oxalate had a yellow precipitate and at the end a yellow powder was obtained. The endpoint of the redox titrimetric titration was marked by a faint pink colouration. Ferric hydroxide had a brown precipitate which turned into a green solution upon excess oxalic acid was added. Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate formed was in the form of green crystals. 3. Results and Calculations Results: Part A: Ferrous ammonium sulphate weighed 15.042g 10% oxalic acid measured 75mL Mass of ferrous (II) oxalate obtained 5.586g Part B: Ferrous (II) oxalate used 3.269g Potassium oxalate used 5.008g Mass of Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate obtained 2.205g Part C: Ferrous (II) oxalate used 0.320g Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate used 0.200g Zinc used 2g Volume of permanganate required in the redox titration between iron (II) oxalate and permanganate 49.5mL Volume of permanganate required in the redox titration between iron (II) oxalate and permanganate in the presence of zinc 15.50mL Volume of permanganate required in the redox titration between Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate and permanganate 24.50mL Volume of permanganate required in the redox titration between Potassium Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate and permanganate in the presence of zinc 4.00mL Calculations: Analysis of products for Iron Oxalate for Iron(II) oxalate The equations taking place in the reaction are: 2MnO4- (aq) + 5C2O42- (aq) + 16H+ (aq) Æ’Â   2Mn2+ (aq) + 10CO2 (g) + 8H2O (l) 5Fe2+ + MnO4- + 8H+ Æ’Â   5Fe3+ + Mn2+ + H2O Moles permanganate reacting with oxalate and iron = Concentration of permanganate x Volume of permanganate required: Moles permanganate = 0.02 x (49.50 / 1000) Moles permanganate = 0.00099 moles Moles permanganate reacting with iron (II) = Concentration of permanganate x Volume of permanganate required: Moles permanganate = 0.02 x (15.5 / 1000) Moles permanganate = 0.00031 moles Therefore, moles of permanganate reacting with the oxalate ions = Total number of moles Number of moles of permanganate reacting with iron. 0.00099 0.00031 = 0.00068 moles From the stoichiometry of the equation it is observed that 2 moles of permanganate react with 5 moles of oxalate, thus: Moles of oxalate = 5/2 (0.00068) = 0.0017 moles Grams of oxalate = number of moles x mass of oxalate Grams of oxalate = 0.0017 x 88 Grams of oxalate = 0.150 grams Therefore % oxalate in the product: (0.150 / 0.320) x 100 = 46.9 % From the stoichiometry of the equation it is observed that 1 mole of permanganate react with 5 moles of Iron, thus: Moles of oxalate = 5 (0.00031) = 0.00155 moles Grams of Iron (II) = number of moles x mass of oxalate Grams of Iron (II) = 0.00155 x 56 Grams of Iron (II) = 0.087 grams Therefore % Iron in the product: (0.087 / 0.320) x 100 = 27.19% The mass of water = Total mass of complex (Mass of oxalate + iron (ii)) Mass of water = 0.320 (0.150 + 0.087) = 0.083g Therefore moles = grams / RMM Moles water = 0.083 / 18 Moles water = 0.0046 moles Therefore % water in product: (0.083 / 0.320) x 100 = 25.9% To calculate the empirical formula: Iron Oxalate Water 0.00155 : 0.0017 : 0.0046 0.00155 : 0.00155 : 0.00155 1 : 1 : 3 Thus empirical formula is FeC2O4.3H2O Analysis of products for Iron Oxalate for Potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate. The equation taking place in the reaction are: 2MnO4- (aq) + 5C2O42- (aq) + 16H+ (aq) Æ’Â   2Mn2+ (aq) + 10CO2 (g) + 8H2O (l) 5Fe2+ + MnO4- + 8H+ Æ’Â   5Fe3+ + Mn2+ + H2O Moles permanganate reacting with oxalate = Concentration of permanganate x Volume of permanganate required: Moles permanganate = 0.02 x (24.5 / 1000) Moles permanganate = 0.00049 moles From the stoichiometry of the equation it is observed that 2 moles of permanganate react with 5 moles of oxalate, thus: Moles of oxalate = 5/2 (0.00049) = 0.00123 moles Grams of oxalate = number of moles x mass of oxalate Grams of oxalate = 0.00123 x 88 Grams of oxalate = 0.108 grams Therefore % oxalate in the product: (0.108 / 0.200) x 100 = 54 % Moles permanganate reacting with iron (III) = Concentration of permanganate x Volume of permanganate required: Moles permanganate = 0.02 x (4.00 / 1000) Moles permanganate = 810-5 moles From the stoichiometry of the equation it is observed that 1 mole of permanganate react with 5 moles of Iron, thus: Moles of oxalate = 5 (810-5) = 0.0004 moles Grams of Iron = number of moles x mass of oxalate Grams of Iron = 0.0004 x 56 Grams of Iron = 0.0224 grams Therefore % Iron in the product: (0.0224 / 0.200) x 100 = 11.20% Discussion: In the first part of the experiment, ferrous ammonium sulphate, also known as Mohrs Salt was treated with warm water and sulphuric acid in order to prevent the formation of rust coloured iron hydroxides and oxides. This was followed by oxalic acid. The oxalate ions replace some or all of the sulphate ligands surrounding the Fe2+ ion and as a result, a yellow precipitate of ferrous oxalate forms. The reaction taking place is as follows: H2C2O4 (aq) + Fe2+ (aq) + 2H2O (l) Æ’Â   3H2O+ (aq) + FeC2O4 (s) In order to oxidise the Fe2+ ion into an Fe3+ ion in ferrous oxalate, hydrogen peroxide, acting as an oxidising agent is added to a solution of ferrous oxalate and potassium oxalate. Temperature control is very crucial in this step due to the fact at high temperatures, hydrogen peroxide can decompose and thus would not be able to oxidise the iron (II) to iron (III) required to prepare the Potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) trihydrate complex. It is important to make sure that all the iron (ii) has been oxidised to iron (iii) due to the fact that since each complex consists of a different number of oxalate ligands, if a mixture of the two complex ions is present, the empirical formula determination would become difficult. The reaction taking place is as follows: 2FeC2O4 (s) + C2O42- (aq) + H2O2 (aq) + 2H3O+ (aq) Æ’Â   4H2O (l) + Fe2(C2O4 )3 (s) When the Fe2(C2O4 )3 precipitate was dissolved, [Fe(C2O4)3]3- forms. This reacts with the potassium ions in solution introduced via the potassium oxalate and forms potassium trioxalatoferrate (III) which is photosensitive and thus must be stored in the dark. In the analysis of the oxalate ion, no indicator is required in the redox titration between permanganate and the oxalate ions due to the fact that at the end point, since potassium permanganate is an oxidising agent, it oxidises the oxalate ions in solution into carbon dioxide and as a result, permanganate is itself reduced to Mn2+ therefore a faint pink colour is observed at the endpoint. The reactions taking place are as follows: 2MnO4- (aq) + 5C2O42- (aq) + 16H+ (aq) Æ’Â   2Mn2+ (aq) + 10CO2 (g) + 8H2O (l) In order to analyse the iron content in the complexes formed, zinc is added followed by heating the solution. Once this was complete, the solution was treated with permanganate in a redox titration similar to the one described previously above. The reaction taking place is as follows: 5Fe2+ + MnO4- + 8H+ Æ’Â   5Fe3+ + Mn2+ + H2O Conclusion: This experiment has shown that iron being a transition metal can exist as various oxidation states. These oxidation states can then form a variety of complexes with various ligands. The complexes that are formed can then be analysed using a redox titration in order to determine the percentages of iron and oxalate in the complex. In this experiment, the empirical formula of Iron (II) oxalate was found to be FeC2O4.3H2O and consisted of 46.9 % oxalate, 27.19% Iron (II) and 25.9% water where as the Trioxalatoferrate (III) Trihydrate consisted of 54% oxalate and 11.20% iron (III)

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Suicide in A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J. D. Salinger Essay

A Perfect Day for Bananafish follows the events leading up to the eventual suicide of Seymour Glass. In the story, Seymour is described as a lost spirit who sees himself as being fundamentally different from his social environment following his wartime experience; he leaves the war â€Å"seeing-more† and as a result, awakens to find that he has lost touch with the material world. Salinger uses the story’s dialog as the medium for conveying Seymour’s struggle; he establishes the shallow nature of the environment Seymour is exposed to using the dialog between Muriel and her Mother while simultaneously giving clues about Seymour’s character from the perspectives of the two women in his life. Seymour’s character is built upon further in the second half of the story during the scene in which he converses with Sybil, and also when Seymour is in the elevator moments before he commits suicide. The subtle clues Salinger weaves into the dialog suggest that Se ymour commits suicide to escape the dilemma of either conforming to the materialistic world and sacrificing his spirituality, or choosing not to conform and consequently live estranged from his own wife and the society in which he lives. The opening of the story serves to create the precedent that Muriel is shallow. The first passage describes how Muriel â€Å"uses† her two and a half hour waiting period before her mother’s call. She accomplishes multiple tasks such as painting her toenails, reading a women’s pocket-size magazine article, brushing her hair, and removing a stain from a skirt. Salinger describes Muriel as â€Å"a girl who for a ringing phone dropped exactly nothing.† The references to Muriel as â€Å"a girl† are repeated throughout the story to signify her immaturity; her concern for trivial... ...nd his own life. Many of these clues can be found in the story’s dialog. They suggest that Seymour’s suicide is the manifestation of an awakening gained through his war experience; he is separated from the shallow environment he lives in and can find no other escape. Perhaps Seymour commits suicide in an attempt to break through the barrier that separates him from Muriel and the rest of society. Or maybe Seymour’s mental faculties were damaged by his wartime experience, leaving him disturbed and unstable. The text can be read many ways; however, there is no single interpretation that captures the complexity of Salinger’s short story. While the clues that Salinger leaves throughout the story influence the reader’s perspective on Seymour Glass, ultimately the meaning and justification of Seymour’s suicide depends on the reader’s personal connection to the protagonist.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

A Little About Me

Livelihood of the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as the kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu, a Kalinga rice-pounding song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during wakes. Other folk songs are the drinking songs sung during carousals like the tagay (Cebuano and Waray); dirges and lamentations extolling the deeds of the dead like the kanogon (Cebuano) or the Annako (Bontoc).A type of narrative song or kissa among the Tausug of Mindanao, the parang sabil, uses for its subject matter the exploits of historical and legendary heroes. It tells of a Muslim hero who seeks death at the hands of non-Muslims. The folk narratives, i. e. epics and folk tales are varied, exotic and magical. They explain how the world was created, how certain animals possess certain characteristics, why some places have waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains, flora or fauna and, in the case of legends, an explanation of the origins of things.Fables are a bout animals and these teach moral lessons. Our country's epics are considered ethno-epics because unlike, say, Germany's Niebelunginlied, our epics are not national for they are â€Å"histories† of varied groups that consider themselves â€Å"nations. † The epics come in various names: Guman (Subanon); Darangen (Maranao); Hudhud (Ifugao); and Ulahingan (Manobo). These epics revolve around supernatural events or heroic deeds and they embody or validate the beliefs and customs and ideals of a community.These are sung or chanted to the accompaniment of indigenous musical instruments and dancing performed during harvests, weddings or funerals by chanters. The chanters who were taught by their ancestors are considered â€Å"treasures† and/or repositories of wisdom in their communities. Examples of these epics are the Lam-ang (Ilocano); Hinilawod (Sulod); Kudaman (Palawan); Darangen (Maranao); Ulahingan (Livunganen-Arumanen Manobo); Mangovayt Buhong na Langit (The Ma iden of the Buhong Sky from Tuwaang–Manobo); Ag Tobig neg Keboklagan (Subanon); and Tudbulol (T'boli).

Friday, November 8, 2019

10 Analytical Essay Topics on Environmental Economics

10 Analytical Essay Topics on Environmental Economics If you need environmental economic facts for your next analytical paper, consider the ten facts below: Perfect competition in an environmental economic is a market structure wherein five basic components are met. The first component is when all firms sell an identical product. Once this has been established, the second criterion is that all firms are price takers. Third: all firms have a relatively small market share. The fourth component is that buyers know the nature of the product which is being sold along with the prices charged by each of the firms. The last item is that the industry is then characterized by freedom of entry and exit. It is a theoretical market structure which is used comparatively as a benchmark to compare other market structures. In a given environmental economic marketplace there are different buyers and different sellers, which create a competitive market. The market changes based upon responses to supply and demand. With numerous buyers and sellers, the supplier and the consumer have an ability to influence the price. When there exists an industry without any substitute products there can be no competition and the producer of the product can control the price, limiting the consumer’s choice and influence over the price. An environmental economic monopoly encompasses the market structure established above wherein there is only one producer for a specific product making the single business the entire industry. Because of high costs, entrance into the monopoly structure is restricted. The impediments, aside from cost, can be social, political, or economic. A monopoly structure may also form because of a copyright or patent which one company has preventing other companies from entering into that market. An environmental economic oligopoly consists of only a few firms making up a single industry, however, the firms are part of a selected group which maintains control over the price. Often the products produced by each firm are almost mirrors of one another. Each competing for market share and being a result of market forces. In the United States, the closest example of perfect competition for environmental economics would be the stock exchange. Since perfect competition is a theory, no example will fit the five parts of the model perfectly, however, the stock exchange is close. The only thing lacking from the example of the stock exchange is that no single seller is able to influence the market price, and investment banks are actually capable of influencing the market. A monopoly is one extreme form of market structure while perfect competition is the exact opposite of a monopoly. There are two types of price discrimination for environmental economics. The first is single-price monopoly which is when a firm is limited to charging the same price for each unit of output sold. The second type is price discrimination monopoly. This is when there are different prices charged to different customers based upon their willingness to pay for the goods in question. The latter form of price discrimination within a monopoly is not based on prejudice, stereotypes, or any type of ill-will toward a group or a person. Price discrimination requires a demand curve which must be a downward-sloping demand curve for the firm’s output. The firm must be able to identify consumers willing to pay more and must be able to prevent low-price customers from reselling to high-price customers. An environmental economic monopoly benefits from price discrimination because it always benefits owners of a firm, increasing its profit. However, it does harm some customers and additional prof it for the firm is equal to monetary loss of customers. Perfect price discrimination needs each firm to charge each customer the most the customer would be willing to pay for each unit he or she buys. A monopolist can practice price discrimination assuming two conditions are met. The first is that there must be a different price elasticity of demand from each group of consumers, so that the monopolist is able to increase the total revenue and profits. The other condition which must be met is that the monopolist must be able to prevent any ability of customers to purchase the product or service at a lower price, ultimately preventing them from switching to another supplier. An example of price discrimination by an environmental economic monopoly is demonstrated through top hotels or airlines who offer spare rooms and seats on standby. This takes a normally fixed cost industry and offloads spare capacity at the last minute with supplementary profit. Also, early bird discounts function in this industry in the same manner. Offering early bird prices allows airlines and hotels the ability to foresee their source of cash flow weeks in advance. While this pricing strategy is referred to as yield management, it is still price discrimination. Peak and off-peak pricing for ATT as well as PGE in the California region separates markets by time. Off peak times offer spare capacity and low marginal costs of production as opposed to peak times where the supplier reaches their capacity constraints. ATT was a government-supported monopoly. However, ATT made the electric industry more efficient and despite having peak hours, they were not guilty of price discrimination. They however, had the potential to fix prices. Microsoft was an abusive environmental economic monopoly, not sharing any of the positive qualities that ATT was able to boast. Microsoft’s operating systems continued to demonstrate hostility toward competitor’s software. They abused a non-coercive monopoly. Microsoft was unable to dominate the market indefinitely because their materials were produced at such a rapid pace that bugs were still present and innovative domestic and international competition ruined their initial monopoly. Microsoft lost their hold on open source software. Aren’t these just what you need? Don’t forget to check our 20 topics and a sample on environmental economics along with our guide to analytical essay writing on this topic. References: Berck, Peter, and Gloria E Helfand.  The Economics of the Environment. Boston: Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2011. Print. Mankiw, N. Gregory.  Principles of Microeconomics. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western, 2004. Print. Pearce, David W.  Environmental Economics. London: Longman, 1976. Print. Perman, Roger, Yue Ma, and James McGilvray.  Natural Resource and Environmental Economics. London: Longman, 1996. Print. Sankar, U.  Environmental Economics. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Seneca, Joseph J, and Michael K Taussig.  Environmental Economics. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1974. Print. Tietenberg, Thomas H.  Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. Print.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

How Electric Motors and Generators Work

How Electric Motors and Generators Work Electric vehicles rely exclusively on electric motors for propulsion, and hybrids use electric motors to assist their internal combustion engines for locomotion. But thats not all. These very motors can be, and are, used to generate electricity (through the process of regenerative braking) for charging these vehicles onboard batteries. The most common question is: How can that be ... how does that work? Most folks understand that a motor is powered by electricity to do work- they see it every day in their household appliances (​washing machines, vacuum cleaners, food processors). But the idea that a motor can run backward, actually generating electricity rather than consuming it seems almost like magic. But once the relationship between magnets and electricity (electromagnetism) and the concept of conservation of energy is understood, the mystery disappears. Electromagnetism Motor power and electricity generation begin with the property of electromagnetism- the physical relationship between a magnet and electricity. An electromagnet is a device that acts like a magnet, but its magnetic force is manifested and controlled by electricity. When wire made of conducting material (copper, for example) moves through a magnetic field, current is created in the wire (a rudimentary generator). Conversely, when electricity is passed through a wire that is wound around an iron core, and this core is in the presence of a magnetic field, it will move and twist (a very basic motor). Motor/Generators Motor/generators are really one device that can run in two opposite modes. Contrary to what folks sometimes think, that does not mean that the two modes of the motor/generator run backward from each other (that as a motor the device turns in one direction and as a generator, it turns the opposite direction). The shaft always spins the same way. The change of direction is in the flow of electricity. As a motor, it consumes electricity (flows in) to make mechanical power, and as a generator, it consumes mechanical power to produce electricity (flows out). Electromechanical Rotation Electric motor/generators are generally one of two types, either AC (Alternating Current) or DC (Direct Current) and those designations are indicative of the type of electricity that they consume and generate. Without getting into too much detail and clouding the issue, this is the difference: AC current changes direction (alternates) as it flows through a circuit. DC currents flow  uni-directionally (stays the same) as it goes through a circuit. The type of current utilized is concerned mostly with the cost of the unit and its efficiency (An AC motor/generator is generally more expensive, but is also much more efficient). Suffice it to say that most hybrids and many larger all-electric vehicles use AC motor/generators- so that is the type well focus on in this explanation. An AC Motor/Generator Consists of 4 Main Parts: A shaft-mounted wire wound armature (rotor)A field of magnets that induce electrical energy stacked side-by-side in a housing (stator)Slip rings that carry the AC current to/from the armatureBrushes that contact the slip rings and transfer current to/from the electrical circuit The AC Generator in Action The armature is driven by a mechanical source of power (for example, in commercial electric power production it would be a steam turbine). As this wound rotor spins, its wire coil passes over the permanent magnets in the stator and an electric current is created in the wires of the armature. But because each individual loop in the coil passes first the north pole then the south pole of each magnet sequentially as it rotates on its axis, the induced current continually, and rapidly, changes direction. Each change of direction is called a cycle, and it is measured in cycles-per-second or hertz (Hz). In the United States, the cycle rate is 60 Hz (60 times per second), while in most other developed parts of the world it is 50 Hz. Individual slip rings are fitted to each of the two ends of the rotors wire loop to provide a path for the current to leave the armature. Brushes (which are actually carbon contacts) ride against the slip rings and complete the path for the current into the circuit to which the generator is attached. The AC Motor in Action Motor action (supplying mechanical power) is, in essence, the reverse of generator action. Instead of spinning the armature to make electricity, current is fed by a circuit, through the brushes and slip rings and into the armature. This current flowing through the coil wound rotor (armature) turns it into an electromagnet. The permanent magnets in the stator repel this electromagnetic force causing the armature to spin. As long as electricity flows through the circuit, the motor will run.