Building a Compensation Plan

Building a Compensation Plan Introduction The aim of the paper is to design a compensation plan for the sales force of an engineering company that mostly entails in B2B sales. The company had posted high sales in 2006-07 but with the recession, sales had gone down.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Building a Compensation Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apart from declining sales another problem that the firm faces was attracting, retaining, and motivating the frontline sales team of the company. Therefore, a need arose in order to restructure the sales force compensation plan, which comprises the largest employee structure of the company in order to motivate and retain salespeople maintaining the budget of the company. Further, with economy showing a continuous slowdown, most companies are looking at revamping their compensation structure. The design of the compensation plan is for a B2B sales force. The sales people are the ones who are m ore aware and close to the customers than the company. In designing the sales compensation plan for a B2B sales force, the first step would be to identify the key responsibility areas (KRA) of the salespersons. Key Responsibility Areas One of the primary factors affecting the performance of a salesperson is his ability to be a good team player: â€Å"†¦good teamwork is a determinant factor in winning sales and building long-term partnering relationships† . Distribution of financial incentives to a sales team is a crucial concern among managers; therefore, one important decision for compensation planners is to decide (a) how much remuneration is to depend on performance, and (b) how the financial benefits should be distributed among the team members. For instance, distribution of awards can be based on either individual performance or the performance of the sales team. In order to decide on the type of the sales force, first the key responsibilities of the sales people mu st be ascertained.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The key responsibilities of sales people in the organization and their reporting pattern is delineated as follows: Primary responsibility will be to effectively utilize the company’s sales strategy and make sure that the revenue and profit objectives by creation of small, mid-size and large accounts. Generation of new customer accounts for the company is another primary task of the sales person. The salesperson will follows target oriented sales quota and he will be responsible to fulfill the quota through relationship building with customers’ and multi-level decision-makers through various sales strategies such as direct mailing, person-to-person interaction, direct phone calling, etc. Maintain database and MIS of customers and on field maintain a direct relationship and contact with the new and ol d customers. Understanding the requirement of the customers and generating a product proposal accordingly. Do market research on related products in the market and analyze what less the company is doing in its offering to the customers for which it may be losing customers. Reviewing of self-sales performance and assessing the difference between targets. Given these responsibilities of a sales executive in the company, the next step would be to design an effective compensation strategy for the sales executives, it is important to understand the KRAs of the position. Given the brief of the responsibilities of the sales force, the KRA that are to be looked at for developing a compensation plan are as follows: Building relationships in terms of new accounts Maintaining older accounts Meeting sales target. Based on these understanding of the sales executive job responsibilities, the compensation plan is devised. Compensation Plan Base Pay Based on the sales executive job responsibilit ies it can be deduced that the primary functions of the sales executive is to generate new accounts, maintain existing accounts, target the right organization, maintain close relationship with senior decision makers in the target organizations. Like of most sales force compensation plans, this plan to will be a performance based plan. The reasons for adopting a performance based compensation plan are to ensure that performance or the actual job done by the salesperson. The idea is to provide adequate compensation for the job they do and not just for the sake of employability. Most of sales compensation plans are based on a 30% base and 70% commission mix but this plan seems to be more tilted on a larger variable pay. Further, this variable pay is usually directly related to the generation of new accounts, overlooking the effort that is put in by the sales people to retain the older accounts.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Building a Compensation Plan sp ecifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Further, the company must also account for the experience the sales person has, as a more experienced sales person may want a larger base pay than a fresher may. Further, the external environment must also be considered while setting the base pay. In case of engineering company, it is a well-known brand for all kinds of engineering suppliers. Further, the market for engineering is highly competitive as there are other smaller and a few local brands that compete, and there is a high level of price competition. In such a case, the base salary for the salespeople cannot be pegged at a low rate considering the external environment. Therefore, the present compensation plan will fix the compensation based on experience of the sales person: Fresher (0 to 1 year): For someone fresh out of college, the compensation will be pegged at 30% 70% basis. Experienced Salespeople (1 year to 5 years): the base to variable ratio will be 50%- 50%. Highly experienced Salespeople (above 5 years): the ratio will become 60% 40%. The structure of the base salary will determine the overall expense and cost structure. The base salary should consider living expenses such as a food, housing rent, travel expenses, phone expense, etc. the minimum base can be set at $1000 to $3000 a month based on the experience of the salesperson. For instance, a fresher may have a base pay of $1000 while a person with 1 years of experience will have a base of $1500. The base will increase based on experience the salesperson puts in. Variable Pay The variable structure of the company will depend on the revenue objective of the overall company. Assuming that the company has a sales force of 20 people and a revenue target of $10,000,000, the quota for each salesperson to attain the target revenue is $550,000. Given this target, the sales people are differentiated into three groups based on years of experience. Table 1 shows the compen sation structure that is followed is proposed for the sales force.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The first component as discussed earlier would be the base fixed pay, which would be directly proportional to the years of experience of the salesperson. Therefore, higher the years of experience of the salesperson, greater would be the base pay or the fixed component of the salary. Table 1: Compensation structure of the Sales force Compensation Structure Revenue Objective $10,000,000 Uplift of 25% $12,500,000 Subtract CEO Sales $1,500,000 $11,000,000 Sales People 20 Quota $550,000 Compensation for a Sales Executive with 0 year of experience Total Compensation Base Salary 30% $12,000 Variable Salary 70% $28,000 Commission Rate at 100% Quota 5.1 Compensation for a Sales Executive with 1 year of experience Total Compensation Base Salary 50% $24,000 Variable Salary 50% $24,000 Commission Rate at 100% Quota 4.4 Compensation for a Sales Executive with 5 or more years of experience Total Compensation Base Salary 60% $36,000 Variable Sal ary 40% $24,000 Commission Rate at 100% Quota 4.4 The ratio of the variable component will again differ based on the number of years of experience. Based on the amount of total variable component for a salesperson, the commission rate is determined. The commission rate is determined by dividing the variable pay of the sales person by the target quota of the salesperson multiplied by 100. This commission rate determines the amount of the variable sales of the individual. This will help determine the fixed and variable component of the salesperson. Therefore, the compensation plan shows higher fixed income as the salesperson puts in more years of experience. Further, the sales quota incentive also increases with number of years of experience. Apart from this, a separate incentive is provided for generation of new accounts to the salespeople. Table 2 shows that there will be different levels of incentive schemes for the stipulated number of new accounts generated. Table 2: Sales Commission for New Account Development New Account Generation Incentive 1 5 $1,000 4 10 $2,000 7 20 $4,000 11 30 $6,000 14 40 $8,000 Conclusion Therefore, the total salary of the sales person will be determined by the following: Salary = Base Pay + Variable Pay + Incentive for new account generation The compensation plan suggested for the sales force considers both the internal and external factors for the generation of the compensation plan as well as looks into the main KRAs that determine the job responsibilities of a sales person. The salespeople compensation plan is robust in its approach and provides adequate incentive based on KRAs. References Segalla, M., Rouzies, D., Besson, M., Weitz, B. A. (2006). A cross-national investigation of incentive sales compensation. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 23 , 419-433. Wasserman, E. (2009, December 16). How to Set Up a Sales Compensation Plan. Web.

Biography of John Lee Love, Black Inventor

Biography of John Lee Love, Black Inventor John Lee Love (Sept. 26, 1889?–Dec. 26, 1931) was a black inventor who developed the portable pencil sharpener, which he patented in 1897. Not much is known about his life, but he is remembered for two inventions, the other being a plasterers hawk, which works much like an artists palette for a plasterer or mason. In the pantheon of African-American inventors, Love is remembered for devising small things to make life easier. Fast Facts: John Lee Love Known For: Inventor of the Love pencil sharpenerBorn: Sept. 26, 1889? in Fall River, MassachusettsDied: Dec. 26, 1931 Charlotte, North Carolina Early Life John Lee Love is believed to have been born on Sept. 26, 1889, though another account lists his birth year as sometime between 1865 and 1877 during Reconstruction, which would have put his place of birth in the South. Not much else is known about Loves early days, including whether he had any formal schooling or what prompted him to tinker with and improve certain everyday objects. We do know that he worked almost his entire life as a carpenter in Fall River, Massachusetts and that he patented his first invention, an improved plasterers hawk, on July 9, 1895 (U.S. Patent No. 542,419). First Invention The plasterers hawk traditionally had been a flat, square wooden board, about 9 inches long on each side, with a handle- basically, a post-like grip- that is perpendicular to the board and attached to its bottom. By putting the plaster, mortar, or, later, stucco on top of the board, the plasterer or mason could access it quickly and easily with the tool being used to apply it. The new design functioned much like an artists palette. As a carpenter, Love was likely well acquainted with the use of plaster and mortar. He believed that the hawks in use at the time were too bulky to be portable. His innovation was to design a hawk with a detachable handle and a foldable board made of aluminum, which must have been a lot easier to clean than wood. Portable Pencil Sharpener Another of Loves inventions, and one better known than the plasterers hawk, had a much wider impact. It was the simple, portable pencil sharpener, the predecessor of the small plastic device that has been used by schoolchildren, teachers, college students, engineers, accountants, and artists the world over. Prior to the invention of the pencil sharpener, a knife was the most common instrument used to sharpen pencils, which have been around in one form or another since Roman times (although pencils werent mass-produced in a form familiar to us until 1662 in  Nuremberg, Germany). But whittling a point on a pencil was a time-consuming process, and pencils were becoming more and more popular. The solution soon hit the market in the form of the worlds first mechanical pencil sharpener, invented by  Parisian mathematician Bernard Lassimone  on Oct. 20, 1828 (French patent number 2444). Loves reworking of Lassimones device seems intuitive now, but it was revolutionary at the time. Basically, the new model was portable and included a compartment to capture the shavings. The Massachusetts carpenter  applied for a patent for what he called his improved device  in 1897, and it was approved  on Nov. 23, 1897 (U.S. Patent No. 594,114). His design didnt look much like todays portable sharpeners, but it worked by a similar principle. The pencil was inserted into a conical sheath and was moved in a circle, causing the sheath and the blade inside it to rotate around the pencil, sharpening it. Instead of turning the pencil against the blade, as with todays portable sharpeners, the blade was turned against the pencil by the circular motion. Love wrote in his patent application that his sharpener could  also be designed in a more ornate fashion to be used as a desk ornament or paperweight. It eventually became known as the Love Sharpener, and his principle has been in continuous use since he introduced it. Legacy We dont know how many more inventions Love could have given the world. Love  died, along with nine other passengers, on Dec. 26, 1931,  when the car they were riding in collided with a train near Charlotte, North Carolina. But his ideas left the world a more efficient place. Sources John Lee Love  Biography: Inventor. Biography.com.John Lee Love: Inventor of the Portable Pencil Sharpener. KentagePage.com.Pencil Patents: John Lee Love’s Portable Pencil Sharpener. Pencils.com.

Awareness of Otherness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Awareness of Otherness - Essay Example It has become increasingly important for individuals to learn to interact with people belonging to culturally, socially and politically diverse backgrounds in order to become global citizens. Such interactions help in developing a broader mindset which is tolerant towards diversity. Interactions with people from diverse backgrounds help in our personal as well as professional lives, since it provides us an opportunity to learn about their different ideologies. A diverse society offers us an opportunity to interact with other people and connect with them. It helps us in understanding the social and cultural contexts to which they belong, and in the process contribute to our knowledge regarding different countries as well as their political, religious and cultural viewpoints. This leads to our overall cognitive development. Furthermore, such interactions help us in sharing of information and expanding our knowledge base and perspectives regarding different cultures. Also, the rise in s ocial networking has further expanded the scope for information exchange and blurred the geographical boundaries, thus enabling people from across the world to interact and communicate with each other. The era of globalization coupled with the internet boom has created an entirely new world, and has ushered in an era of global citizenship. It is of utmost significance, hence, for individuals to learn to interact and communicate with others in an effective manner in order to survive in this highly competitive and diverse world. Cross cultural interactions help us in learning about different cultures and encourages discussions - a phenomenon which is not likely to be experienced otherwise in a university or school setting. Learning about diversity through personal interactions helps us in becoming culturally tolerant and transforms us into respectful and responsible citizens. It helps in forming meaningful relationships with those around us, and offers interesting opportunities to lea rn about things which cannot be learnt through text books. Such knowledge gained through personal interactions with the people around us may further help us in our workplaces. Today, there are various multinational companies operating in different parts of the world, which are operated and managed by managers who are competent in interacting with and managing a culturally diverse workforce. Our experiences during the early part of our lives help in shaping our identities, which in turn pave way for our future growth. Managers and leaders of tomorrow need to be able to have a deep understanding of people and compassionate about the diversity around us. The fact that diversity enriches the social fabric of our societies has been reaffirmed over the years. However, such diversity also poses several unique challenges which in turn give rise to critical social issues such as racism and prejudice. As a part of a culturally diverse society, I strive to promote and support diversity and ref rain from activities that tend to fuel bias of any kind - be it social, racial, cultural, gender based and the likes. My experiences and interactions with people other than those belonging to the same social and cultural background as mine, have enriched me in more ways than one, and taught me to be tolerant towards those who are different. I use such experiences and apply them in my day-to-day life by behaving in a cordial manner with those around me, and

What Holes Has The Financial Crisis Revealed In The G8 Will The G20 Essay

What Holes Has The Financial Crisis Revealed In The G8 Will The G20 Fill Such Holes - Essay Example World’s wealthiest country; America was the major sufferer of this crisis. In fact many people believe that America was responsible for stimulating recent global recession. The unhealthy lending habits of American banks and the crazy life styles of American public have given momentum to the recent financial crisis. G8 and G20 are two of the major coalitions in the world at present. G20 was proposed by former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in 1999 to deal with international financial matters. Sustainable development is the major theme of G20. It is also interested in solving global energy crisis, economic problems, demographic problems etc. Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United States, India, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and European Union are the members of G20. On the other hand the Group of seven (G-7) comprises Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United states. â€Å"The G7 is often referred to as G8 because Russia fully participated in all but financial and certain economic discussions of G7 since the 1998 Birmingham summit†. Before the formation of G7, G6 was formed in 1974 by world's major industrialized democracies such as United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, West Germany, Japan and France. In 1975 Canada joined G6 and it became G7. Russia joined G7 in 1997 to make it G8. Since, its formation G8 contributed heavily to global economy. Fratianni, et al (2005) pointed out that â€Å"The world without G8 would be more brutish and riskier than it is now† (p.4). The recent financial crisis has unveiled many of the loopholes in G8 functioning whereas G20 stood well to the challenges raised by the recession. It should be noted that G8 consists of mainly European and American countries whereas G20 consists of countries from Asia also. It is often said that global wealth is currently shifting from America a nd Europe to Asia at present. This is evident from the fact that most of the prominent Asian countries escaped from recession problems whereas American and European countries are still struggling for survival. In other words, G8 failed miserably in tackling recession problems whereas G20 managed these problems well, mainly because of the contributions of Asian countries. This paper analyses the loopholes in G8 in tackling recession problems and the ability of G20 in filling that loopholes. What holes has the financial crisis revealed in the G8? Even though G8 countries are believed to be the wealthiest countries in the world, recent financial crisis has unveiled the loopholes in the governance of these countries. According to Fratianni et al. (2007), â€Å"Today, the G8 leaders are dealing directly with central question of how to build better global governance in both public and private sphere† (p.23). As a result of globalization, privatization is taking place at rapid pace in most of the countries. Moreover, governments in G8 countries are privatizing many of the publicly owned companies to stay away from the responsibilities of servicing the people. It is a fact that private capital is essential for the economic growth of a country. However, uncontrolled private capital in critical sectors may bring more harm than good. India like emerging economies is allowing private participation cautiously even though they are following mixed economic policies. On the other hand, China does not allow private capital in critical sectors even though they are doing everything possible to encourage private capital on all other sectors. G8 countries on the other hand allowing private companies to invest at will in all major industrial

Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay Example for Free

Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay Question 1 The nature of strategic decision making at a large complex organization like GM appears to be done without having a thorough plan outlay to the planning groups or the business development unit within the company. There were several areas that put the company into the situation of making inappropriate strategic decision. The project was initially proposed by top two managements. Due to lack of thorough analysis and plan, they could not convince other managers in order to pursue this Chevy Volt project. This implied the missing link of strategic leadership that should have been a transformational force. In addition, the shareholder’s wealth creation had not been properly addressed and the well-defined business plan had not been emphasized and communicated when decisions were made. This implied that the management’s responsibility and expertise were all taken for granted that put the company in the threshold of a gamble betting on the success of this project. The accountability of management was disappeared. Question 2 The external environment trends that favor this project were the rising oil price, economic slowdown that made people to be more cautious about spending, the falling costs of manufacturing lithium ion batteries that help make the car price become more affordable, and global warming concern together with going-green concept. The Chevy Volt project could help promote the CSR of GM, which is favorable to the image and brand. These trends had signified that the external environment had been changed. As a green concept car, the Chevy Volt makes a point as far as cost saving for users goes in context of rising oil prices. However, what is crucial also can be exemplified in context of sustainable development process that the Chevy Volt can impact. Limiting carbon gas emission in the backdrop of global warming and greenhouse effect can significantly present a wider socio-economic relevancy and impact. Question 3 Cost is the most critical hurdle in pursuing with Chevy Volt. The cost factor is unfavorable given that GM had already invested substantial capital for the development of lithium ion batteries. The relevant cause for that could be observed from top management who were skeptical of Chevy Volt project. When the EV1 hybrid model, a green concept electric car running on conventional fuel cell, was introduced by the company way back in the 1990s and did not succeed, such model was a crucial loss in term of resource and brand image. In addition, the missing link among the strategy planning, formulation and lifecycles were also another internal obstacle unfavorable for pursuing the Chevy Volt project. Question 4.a The strategic plans are based on how well the company analyzes the existing market situation, competitors and the market trend. The external environment analysis such as the macro and micro-economic factors should also be emphasized and properly addressed. The economic theory of demand and supply should also be brought in contention when making the decision and planning the strategy. The plan should be flexible enough to reflect the dynamic business environment when the revision and amendment to the strategic plan are necessary for business to gain competitive advantages over the competitors in a timely manner. Question 4.b The Chevy Volt project strategic plan was based on assuming that oil prices would continue in rising trends which could then be able to market the company’s electric car model and generate profitability. Thus, falling oil prices could negatively affect the potential success of Chevy Volt. Question 4.c When supply is relatively limited, while the demand can increase once the global economy recovers, it would be difficult for oil prices to remain low in the future. Rising oil prices demonstrates the typical economic basis of the law of demand, in which the price depends on the market equilibrium for a product. In addition, there are no substitute product as far as fuel goes. There is still no other alternative energy or technology that can match or surpass the oil in all aspects. Question 5: What will it take for the Chevy Volt to be a successful car? For the success of the Chevy Volt project, effective marketing strategy has to be formulated. Marketing aspects should capitalize on the internal and external forces that influence the products within the industry and against its rival for the competitive factors. As the Chevy Volt is a high-tech car, the external analysis from operational and business perspective should focus on the competitive structure of the industry and factors; such as, innovations, socio-economic and environmental impact that defines value added product and the opportunistic cost that comes with it. Thus, innovation in the development process of the car should be fostered as one factor to benchmark against competitors in the industry, which is critical for success for a profitable outcome and goals achievements. Part of it also should focus on the strategic marketing aspects that give the car and its salient feature to reach the people through advertisement and awareness created in that regard are interrelated and need to be present for the Chevy Volt to be a successful car. Last but not least is the price and related costs of Chevy Volt. The price must be affordable for target group of GM’s customers in order to boost the demand and achieve cost advantage over competitors in term of economies of scale, and the related maintenance cost and useful life of lithium ion battery must be reasonable enough to be able to convince target consumers to purchase the car. It is also suggested that the strategic plan has taken into account of effect of the capitalization on the capability and expertise the company has; effective strategic management of operational process and procedures; top management involvement, responsibility and accountability; collaborative approaches to leadership; cultural and structural upgrade of the corporate echelon and strategic management panel and process; careful analysis of the opportunities and threat; and the facilitation of a dynamic leadership culture. Question 5: How risky is this venture for GM? Launching this project is very risky for GM as it involved significant resources, time and capital investment. Given that GM has already exposed to potential bankruptcy, the success of Chevy Volt will be one of the critical factors affecting the possibility of GM to diminish the bankruptcy risk and boost the future cash flows. Question 5: What are the costs of failure? The cost of failure as far as Chevy Volt car concerns is huge and tremendous. Less involvement from the managers also brought to fore the cost and its effect to directly hit the company that brought it to the stage of total shutdown of its operations. Since the company has already been in the situation of potential bankruptcy, the Chevy Volt project that failed to impact the company strategic goals and its achievements posed the total effect of bankruptcy of GM and huge economic consequences as an aftermath, because the company is already on the process of huge public debt facilitated by the government to save itself from bankruptcy. Question 5: What are the costs of not pursuing the project? There are substantial costs and adverse impacts as far as Chevy Volt project concerns when it is not pursued at all. Example costs are the huge opportunistic cost lost in between; operational and business capability that went for a toss; marketing research that has not been capitalized effectively and efficiently for result outcome; change factor and organizational learning experience; cost factors in term of direct financial investments to investors, and stakeholders; resource accumulation; brand image and identity; corporation competencies that have not been capitalized; sustainable development plans; CSR; exposure to bankruptcy risk; and economic consequences.

Biography of Norman Washington Manley :: Essays Papers

Biography of Norman Washington Manley Norman Washington Manley was born in Roxborough, Manchester, on July 4, 1839. He was the son of Magaret and Thomas Albert Manley. He attended Beckford & Smith High school. Since his youth, Norman Manley began to show hints of greatness when it came to sports and intelligence, hints which manifested themselves when Norman Manley attended Jamaica College. Norman Manley set records and gained national attention in the area of Track and Field and later as the Jamaican political leader. Norman Manley was an exceptional athlete. His most impressive and memorable performance was a 10 second time in the 100-meter sprint in 1911. This record became known throughout Jamaica as â€Å"the even time.† His record stood for an astounding 41 years until Frank Hall broke it in 1952. That same year Norman Manley’s eldest son, Douglass Manley, eclipsed the record also. Norman Manley’s athletic greatness continued through the 1912 Class 1 Championships. Between 1910 and 1912, his college team won two championships, mainly because of Norman Manley’s contributions. During the 1912 championship year, Norman Manley had another awe-inspiring performance in the 220 yard run. His time of 23 seconds flat was very comparable to the previous Olympic times in the 200 meters. He was without a doubt one of the fastest College men in the World. Norman Manley went to study at Oxford University in 1914 after being awarded the Rhodes scholarship. The First World War broke out and he enlisted to become a gunner in the Royal Artillery and was eventually promoted to corporal. He was awarded the Military medal and went on after the war to study law in England. There he married his cousin Edna Swithenbank. They had two sons: Michael and Douglass. In 1922, Norman Manley returned to his homeland of Jamaica and became a much sought after lawyer. He holds the distinction of never losing a murder case he represented. By the late 1930s, a hostile air arose in Jamaica concerning taxes, labor strikes, and civil unrest. This would lead to Manley lending his aide to the workers and forming the People’s National Party. Norman Manley founded the People’s National Party (PNP) in September 1938, and was elected its president for 31 consecutive years until his retirement.

Laboratory Report on the Effect of Acid Rain

1. ProblemAccording to an article, Acid Rain, by Novi Meadows Elementary, acid rain occurs in many parts of the world, no matter the climate difference. It is harmful not only to non-living things but especially to living things. It can affect humans, sea life and forests. This is because when the surroundings become too acidic, some living things die, like fish. Acid rain is formed when the pH, which is the measurement of acidity and basicity, of water is lower than 5.6.In relation with this, the group would like to investigate the effect of acidity on different seed crops by varying the pH level of its surroundings.2. HypothesisThe amount of seed germination will decrease as the surrounding of the seeds gets lower pH level, or becomes more acidic.3. ProcedureThe effect of varying pH levels on the germination of three different seed crops, Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) were investigated. Each group counted 25 seeds and placed them in petri dishes. Next, 20ml of solution of desired pH level (1, 3, 5 and 7) were poured into the petri dishes containing the seeds. The seeds were then observed for seven days wherein morphological changes in the seeds were noted. At the end of seven days, the number of seeds germinated in the petri dish was counted and the percentage of seed germination was calculated. The data was then compared with the other groups.4. ResultsTable 1 below shows the data gathered from the experiment. From the table, it canTable 1. Percentage of seed germination of Triticum aestivum (Wheat), Phaseolus sp. (Mung Bean) and Zea mays (corn) in pH levels 1, 3, 5 and 7.pH level Percentage of seed germination Triticum aestivum(Wheat) Phaseolus sp.(Mung Bean) Zea maysbe seen that there was 0% seed germination for Triticum aestivum in pH levels 1, 3 and 5. This is because in highly acidic environments, the cells in the seed are unable to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow. In accordance with that, there was also 0% seed germination at pH level 1 for both Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays.At pH level 3, there was 12% seed germination for Phaseolus sp. and 4% for Zea mays. This means that the seeds of these plants can grow in semi-acidic environments. However, it can also be noted that at a less acidic environment, pH level 5, the percentage of germination for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays increased to 60% and 12%, respectively. This probably means that the cells of the seeds of the two plants are able to absorb more nutrients in less acidic conditions.On the other hand, at pH 7, the seed germination of Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays decreased to 28% and 0%, respectively. Probably these two plants cannot properly absorb the nutrients needed in a neutral condition. Interestingly, though, it is only at this pH level that Triticum aestivum begins to germinate. This means that it is only at this point that the conditions for seed germination are favorable for the seed.According to the article, Soil Facts †“ It's What We Don't See That Counts, by FrostProof.com, different plants require different pH levels to properly absorb the water and nutrients it needs. This is probably the reason why the maximum percentage of seed germination for each plant was in varying pH levels: 16% at pH 7 for Triticum aestivum, 60% and 12% at pH 5 for Phaseolus sp. and Zea mays, respectively.5. ConclusionFrom the results of the experiment and as stated in the hypothesis, it was concluded that the amount of seed germination will decrease as the acidity of the surrounding increases. In relation to this, acid rain could inhibit the growth of plants especially if its acidity is too high.Works CitedFrostProof.com. â€Å"Soil Facts – It's What We Don't See That Counts.† FrostProof.com. 6 November 2007 Novi Meadows Elementary. â€Å"Acid Rain.† 2002. Oracle Education Foundation: ThinkQuest Library. 6 November 2007

National Identity Cards

Identity (ID) cards are known for their utility and integrity, which led to the adoption of its use by many countries all over the world. Some countries even have national IDs, which are officially released and which use is mandatory to all who sojourn in said territories. Examples of these countries that have a national ID system are France, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, and Greece. On the other hand, many developed countries such as Australia, Sweden, Canada, and the United States, did not adopt such an identification system. National ID systems are established to serve two main purposes. The first one is to increase the police powers of the State. Consequently, ID cards can help the State reduce crime rate, conduct social engineering, and reduce the threat of insurgents or political extremists. The second purpose is to establish a comprehensive and useful administration of government services. The technology behind modern ID systems, such as the magnetic stripes and the microprocessor technology, ID cards offer a valuable towards the more efficient delivery of government services. However, while it appears that having a National ID system may offer many advantages, such a system could also pave the way for abuses on civil rights, invasion of privacy, and discrimination. In addition, the establishment of such a comprehensive registration system, would entail a huge amount in costs, which is an important consideration to make. All of these considerations should be weighed in order to reach at an intelligent decision on the issue of whether citizens of the United States should be required to carry National IDs. Â   Â   Â   Â  

buy custom The Great Schism essay

buy custom The Great Schism essay The great schism is widely believed to be a great rift that separated the church into two, Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic, during the period of the great Roman Empire. Nonetheless, the term cannot be conclusively examined without studying the subsequent rift that occurred in the Roman Catholic and the resulting growth of the English and French empire as a result of this rift. There are many events which contributed to the great schism and there continues a lively debate on whether it could have been avoided. In addition, there are many players whose actions aided in the schism among them Pope Boniface VIII, Phillip IV and the Avignon Papacy. Above the people and events that led to the schism, there existed matters other factors like geography, doctrinal issues, political considerations and economical matters which provided a fertile ground for the great schism. Yet there were efforts through out history to reconcile the different factions of the church and these efforts still continue even to today. It is therefore possible to say that the major reasons for the great schism were political, doctrinal differences and the Avignon papacy. Phillip IV Phillip IV also known as Phillip the fair is one of the greatest French Kings to have sat on the French throne. But his greatness is not because of his possession of great virtue for he was not a virtuous king. He was daring and is regarded as having being capable of doing anything for the sake of increasing his wealth. His lust for money was so great that he ordered the kidnapping of the pope for his role in questioning the conduct of the French King. How did the French King aid in bringing about the second schism which tore apart he Roman church? Traditionally, the papacy seat was based in Rome which was the recognized capital of the Roman Empire. The term recognized has been used since one of the Roman emperors, Emperor Constantine, built hisown capital at Constantinople. However, Phillip knew the kind of wealth and power he could wiled if he could control the papacy and the entire church by extension. He was a man known to use the wealth of others for his own means and was ready to kill or imprison others to possess their wealth. Phillip schemed to have one of his allies installed as Pope. He did this by using his considerable power as a French King to have the Vatican appoint as many French cardinals as there were Italian cardinals. He then used bribery and threats to have Pope Clement V elected as pope even though Italians had wanted to have one of their cardinals elected. He then went out of his ways to convince the new pope that Rome was not safe for him and this resulted in the new pope refusing to take residence at the Vatican. Instead, he moved the papacy to Avignon and thus began a line of popes who did not take residence at the Vatican. Popes whose influences were greatly compromised by the French throne that the rest of the catholic world lost faith in the Avignon papacy and installed another Pope in Rome. Pope Boniface VIII Pope Boniface was the second the last pope before the papacy was moved to Avignon France in what has come to be referred to as the Babylonian Captivity. There is no doubt that the French King, Phillip IV, had a great part to do with the occurrence o the great schism. What moist might not realize is that his role might have resulted in the willfulness of pope Boniface VIII and his great criticism of the kings conduct. This led Phillip to order the kidnapping of Pope Boniface VIII where he was beaten up to the extent that he died only a few days after his escape. This after the pope had criticized the French King and called upon him to respect the supremacy of the Papacy over the sovereign power of kings. The ability of a king to ignore the rulings of a pope and have him arrested reduced the powers of a pope considerrably and increased Phillips power to influence the church in the future. This criticism might have made the French King decide it was better for him to avoid the election of another pope who would constantly try to undermine his power over country and church. Avignon Papacy The Avignon Papacy as mentioned in earlier parts of the paper refers to the period where the papacy resided in Avignon and not Rome. This paper has made it clear the circumstance through which the pope ended up serving at Avignon and this part looks at how this contributed to the great schism. Most non French cardinals were not happy with Clementss refusal to reside and preside at the Vatican. The Avignon Papacy also reduced most powers and privileges enjoyed by cardinals before then. This led the other cardinals to denounce the Avignon based papacy and elected one of their own as pope residing at the Vatican. This created a division in the Roman Catholic with people and nations aligning themselves to the pope who better served their interests. This was a period where different factions created separate doctrines and issues relating to the conduct of the clergy and the relationship of the state and church. While the Avignon Papacy came to an end a few decades later, the rift that was created in this period never fully healed and resulted to further subsequent splits in later years. Conclusion The great schism is credited with the split of the church and the several revisions in doctrines, church practices and the relationship between church and state that resulted. There are many who played a huge role in the schism that has not been mentioned here. But the politicians of the time had an immense role in the great schism at all stages. Only time will tell whether reconciliation is possible among the different factions of the church and if the great schism can be healed. Buy custom The Great Schism essay

Estimating a Trees Age Without Cutting the Tree

Estimating a Trees Age Without Cutting the Tree Foresters determine tree ages by counting the growth rings of a severed tree stump or by taking a core sample using an increment borer. Still, it is not always appropriate to use these invasive methods to age a tree. There is a noninvasive way to estimate tree age in common trees where they are grown in a forest environment. Growth Depends on Species Trees have different growth rates, depending on their species. A red maple  with a 10-inch diameter and competing with other forest-grown trees can easily be 45 years old while a neighboring red oak with the same diameter would only be approximately 40 years old. Trees, by species, are genetically coded to grow at about the same rate under similar conditions. A formula was previously developed and used by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)  to predict and determine a forestland  trees age. Running the calculations and comparing them to a species growth factor is regionally and species-specific, so these should be considered very rough calculations and can vary by region and site index. The ISA says that tree growth rates are affected tremendously by conditions such as water availability, climate, soil conditions, root stress, competition for light, and overall plant vigor. Further, the  growth rates of species within genera can vary significantly. So, only use this data as a very rough estimate of a trees age. Estimating a Tree's Age by Species Begin by determining the tree species and taking a diameter measurement (or convert circumference to a diameter measurement) using a tape measure at diameter breast height or 4.5 feet above stump level. If you are using circumference, you will need to make a calculation to determine the tree diameter: Diameter Circumference divided by 3.14 (pi). Then calculate the age of a tree by multiplying the trees diameter by its growth factor as determined by species (see list below). Here is the formula:  Diameter X Growth Factor Approximate Tree Age. Lets use a red maple to calculate age. A red maples growth factor has been determined to be 4.5 and you have determined that its diameter is 10 inches: 10 inch diameter X 4.5 growth factor 45 years. Remember that the growth factors  provided are more accurate when taken from  forest grown trees with competition. Growth Factors by Tree Species Red Maple Species - 4.5 Growth Factor X diameterSilver Maple Species - 3.0 Growth Factor X diameterSugar Maple Species - 5.0 Growth Factor X diameterRiver Birch Species - 3.5 Growth Factor X diameterWhite Birch Species - 5.0 Growth Factor X diameterShagbark Hickory Species - 7.5 Growth Factor X diameterGreen Ash Species - 4.0 Growth Factor X diameterBlack Walnut Species - 4.5 Growth Factor X diameterBlack Cherry Species - 5.0 Growth Factor X diameterRed Oak Species - 4.0 Growth Factor X diameterWhite Oak Species - 5.0 Growth Factor X diameterPin Oak Species - 3.0 Growth Factor X diameterBasswood Species - 3.0 Growth Factor X diameterAmerican Elm Species - 4.0 Growth Factor X diameterIronwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor X diameterCottonwood Species - 2.0 Growth Factor X diameterRedbud Species - 7.0 Growth FactorDogwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor X diameterAspen Species - 2.0 Growth Factor X diameter Considerations for Aging Street and Landscape Trees Because trees in a landscape or park are often pampered, protected, and sometimes older than forest-grown trees, it is more of an art to aging these trees without significant error. There are foresters and arborists with enough tree core and stump evaluations under their belts who can age a tree with a degree of accuracy. Its important to keep in mind that it is still impossible to do anything but estimate a tree age under these conditions. For younger street and landscape trees, pick a genus or species from above and reduce the Growth Rate Factor by half. For old to ancient trees, significantly increase the Growth Rate Factor.

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy Essay

What Criteria might be used to Define a State as Liberal Democracy - Essay Example The liberal state can be explained as an opposition of the individual against the norms of custom, tradition, and religion (Barry et al 2001, p. 3). As a result, the liberal inherently distrusted the imposition of any authority over the individual and the forces of the marketplace. Democracy is a means by which members of a community could ensure equality while working to achieve common goals and aspirations. Liberal democracy can be defined as a political system in which the application of state power is curtailed in several specific ways. The first, most important constraint is the clear separatior if the private and the public realms. Any explicit attempt to merge the two is considered illegitimate. Liberal democracies are also political systems in which any application of political power must be sanctioned by law and a certain degree of equality before the law is accorded all citizens. Political power is subject to popular control through regular, open, and reasonably fair elections in which at least two parties compete for power. Finally, while there may not be a constitutional separation of secular and clerical authorities, the former has prevailed over the latter, at least in recent times. (Bell 2006, p. 123). The main criteria used to defined the state as liberal democracy are the rule of laws and supremacy of constitution, voting rights and equality of all citizens, civil liberties and minority rights, independent judiciary and parliamentary power, independent media and religious freedom, subordination of military to the state power and freedom and autonomy of movements and assassinations. The examples of liberal democracies are France and Austria, Jamaica and Poland. Following Plattner (2007, p. 41), the general will of the community could force men to be free. Far from seeking to defend the liberty of the individual from the power of the state, the essence of democratic thought is to capture and employ the power of the state to benefit the community as a whole. Phrased another way, if liberalism proclaims the primacy of the individual, democracy demands the subordination of the individual to the collective welfare of the whole. Liberal values are not, of course, the only desiderata. Th ere are ideals which others share, of unity, efficiency, order and security. In addition, all societies today, whether democratic or non-democratic, pursue the secular grail of economic growth, and democracy is likely to be judged not only by its merits but its performance. Some account, therefore, had to be taken of the relationship between political reform and economic freedom--a liberalization of markets and the spread of local wealth to match the dispersal of political power (Barry et al 2001, p. 43). Civil society corresponds to liberal democratic society in its political aspects and to the pluralistic society of voluntary associations and private corporations on the other. Civil society entails the freedom of contract and the market economy. The private ownership of property and the freedom of contract and the organization of the market economy around them, are necessary conditions for civility in society. Seen in the crudest terms, civility and the market seem to be antithetical to each other--one altruistic, the other egoistic, the one inclusive, the other exclusive--but in fact they are mutually dependent. The very anonymity of the market, its relative disregard for the primordial and personal, is a necessary condition of the extension of the collective self-consciousness to the inclusion of unknown and unseen persons (Bell 2006, p. 13). Political scandals in the modern world can be understood only by developing an appreciation for this ambiguity concerning the use of politic al power-an ambiguity