Coca-Cola financial statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Coca-Cola financial statements - Essay Example Coca-Cola’s largest assets are property, plant and equipment that amount to a net worth of 9,052 million dollars based on the December 2014 yearly financial reports (The Coca-Cola Company, 2015). Their second largest asset is goodwill that amounted to 12,100million dollars as at December 2014. Their total asset worth is 92,023 million dollars. Based on the 2014 financial reports, the company’s total liabilities amount to 32,374 million dollars while their total equity amounts to 30561 million dollars (The Coca-Cola Company, 2015). At the end of the year, the company’s’ cash and its equivalents amounted to 8,958 million dollars. The company’s largest expenses were on purchase of investments and payments of debts. Purchase of investments amounted to 17800 million dollars while payment of debts amounted to 36,962 million dollars. Despite having many debts and incurring a lot of money on investments, Coca-Cola realized a gross profit of 28,109,000 dolla rs. How the financial statements are linked The income statement described how assets and liabilities were used during the year. The cash flow statement explained how the company got cash and how they spend it, and it gave a figure on the company’s cash at hand Example 1: The net income calculated in the income statement ($7,098,000) is used as the first item in the cash flow statements ($7,098,000) (NASDAQ, 2015). Example 2: The retained earnings of the company amounted to 63,408,000 dollars.

Biochemical Analysis of Rice

Biochemical Analysis of Rice Rice (Oryza sativa (2n = 24) is a monocot plant and belongs to the Poaceae family and Oryzoidea subfamily. It occupies almost one-fifth of the total land area under world cereals. It covers about 148 million hectares annually that is roughly 11 percent of the world-cultivated land. It is life for more than half of humanity and in past, it shaped the cultures, diets, and economies of billions of people in the world (Farooq et al., 2009). More than 90 percent of the worlds rice is grown and consumed in Asia where 60 percent of the world population lives. The world major rice consuming countries are China, India, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Japan, Brazil, South Korea and USA that consume 135, 85, 39, 37, 26, 18, 10, 10, 9.7, 8.7, 8.1, 5.0 and 3.9 million metric ton, respectively (Meng et al., 2005; USDA, 2003-04). Biochemical and nutritional aspects of rice Rice is a major source of macro and micronutrients for human being. It feeds more than two billion people worldwide and is the number one staple food in Asia. It provides over 21 percent of the calorific needs of the worlds population and up to 76 percent of the calorific intake of the population of South East (SE) Asia (Fitzgerald et al., 2009). It is mostly consumed as a polished grain, which usually lacks its nutritional components such as minerals and vitamins 41 P. Lucca et al., Genetic engineering approaches to enrich rice with iron and vitamin A, Physiol. Plant. 126 (2006), pp. 291-303. Full Text via CrossRef | View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (7)( Lucca et al., 2006). Since the advent of molecular techniques, recently genetically modified rice verities have been developed, which contains more nutritional aspects like minerals and vitamins in endosperm (Vasconcelos et al., 2003; Paine et al., 2005; Fitzgerald et al., 2009). The major value-added nutritional protein c onstituents of the rice. Rice Position in Pakistan In Pakistan, besides its importance as a food crop, rice is the second important component of daily diet of bulk of the population after wheat. About 23% of the total foreign exchange earnings is shared by rice and thus called as Golden Grain of Pakistan (Shah et al., 1999). Around one third of total production is annually exported and two third is locally consumed to meet food needs. Rice is also used in dishes for special occasions (Sagar et al., 1988). Pakistan is the third largest rice exporting country. In Pakistan, rice occupies about 10% of the total cultivated area, accounts for 6.1% of value added in agriculture and 1.3% in gross domestic product. Production of rice during 2007-08 was estimated at 5,540 thousand tones, 10.4% higher than last year with 6.1% increase in yield per hectare (Anonymous, 2006). Area, production and yield of rice for the last 5 years are shown in Fig. 1. Varieties of basmati rice, sub-species of indica, are economically important due to the high quality of the grain and constitute an important source of revenue for two major rice-growing countries in Asia (Pakistan and India). The international market for basmati rice has always been higher than that of the moderate varieties. Pakistans annual rice export stands at about 2.5 million tons, which earn a total of 513.0 million dollars for the country (Anonymous, 1998). During the year 2005-2006 rice export was about one billion US$ (Bashir et al., 2007). Rice growing areas of Pakistan Depending upon the irrigation water availability, rice can be grown in any part of the country from sea level up to 2500m height. Pakistan has a climate and a potential in soil that permits the expectations of a most bright future for the productions of rice. Considering temperature difference, optimum sowing seasons and the varietals performance, rice growing areas can be divided in four ecological zones (Salim et al., 2003; Table-1.2). Rice is grown in all four provinces of Pakistan. However, the acreage under rice varies greatly from one province to another. The Punjab and Sindh are the major rice growing provinces with about 59% and 33%, respectively of the total rice in the country. The remaining 5% of the area is planted in Baulochistan and 3% in NWFP (Bhatti and Anwar, 1994). Despite the fact that its cultivated area is far smaller than wheat (more than 7.24 million), it has a great impact on national economy due to two reasons. Firstly, rice is the only crop which can be grown successfully in vast chunks of salt-ridden and water-logged areas where it facilitates not only the reclamation of land for the cultivation of other crops but also provide food. Secondly, superior quality basmati has a consistently increasing demand in the foreign countries. Consequently, there is a great scope for augmenting the foreign exchange earning by exporting it in bigger quantity. In view of these facts, it is highly desirable to increase the production and improve the quality of rice the quality is particularly more important from the trade view point, as it is instrument entail in increasing and then sustaining the demand in the foreign market in competition with other rising exporting countries. There in no denying the fact that purity is the very sole of quality. The impurities not only restrict the export trade, but also inflict losses to the growers, millers and the consumers alike. Therefore, these should possibly be minimized (Saleem et al., 2003). Major rice varieties in Pakistan More than 20 rice varieties have been released for general cultivation in Pakistan (Bashir et al., 2007). A general description of agronomical and physiochemical characteristics of these varieties. Importance of Basmati Rice in Pakistan There are thousands of rice varieties and landraces, which differ with respect to plant and grain characteristics. Of these, aromatic (Basmati) rice constitutes a small but special group that is regarded as best in grain quality, superior aroma and usually used for special dish preparation (Khush and dela Cruz, 2001). Quality of rice may be considered from the view point of size, shape and appearance of grain, milling quality and cooking properties (Dela Cruz and Khush, 2000). Pakistan is famous for the production and export of Basmati rice. The origin of the word Basmati can be trade to the word Basmati meaning earth recognized by its fragrance. The Hindi word Bas was derived from the Pakrit word BAS and has a Sanskrit root Vassy (Aroma), while Mati originated from Mayup (ingrained from the origin). In common usage Vas is pronounced as Bas and while combining Bas and Mayup, the later changed to Mati thus the word Basmati (Ahuja et al., 1995; Gupta, 1995). The fragrance of basmati rice is most closely associated with the presence of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (Buttery et al., 1983; Lorieux et al., 1996; Widjaja et al., 1996; Yoshihashi et al., 2002). Although many other compounds are also found in the headspace of fragrant rice varieties (Widjaja et al., 1996) possibly due to secondary effects related to the genetic background of the rice variety, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline is widely known to be the main cause of the distinctive basmati and jasmine fragrance. The desirability of fragrance has resulted in strong human preference and selection for this trait. Non-fragrant rice varieties contain very low levels of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, while the levels in fragrant genotypes are much higher (Widjaja et al., 1996). Basmati rice occupies a prime position in the Indian subcontinent and is becoming increasingly popular in Middle East, Europe, USA and even in non-traditional rice growing countries such as Australia (Bhasin, 2000). High-quality, traditional Basmati rice varieties command premium prices, more than three times that of non-Bamati rices in the world market due to its exquisite aroma, superfine grain characteristics and excellent cooking (extra elongation, soft and flaky texture) qualities (Bhasin, 2000; Singh et al., 2000a; Khush and dela Cruz, 2002). Basmati rice traditionally grown in the Himalayan foothills regions of Pakistan and India, and the name is traditionally associated with this region. Basmati rice is the result of centuries of selection and cultivation by farmers (Khush, 2000). Cultivation of basmati rice in mainly confined to the Kallar tract (Gujranwala, Sheikhupura and Sialkot districts) of Punjab province. Basmati rice always fetch a higher price in the domestic as well as in the international market due to their peculiar quality features such as pleasant aroma, fine grain, extreme grain elongation (7.6mm long) and soft texture on cooking. In spite of hard competition from India, Thailand and the United States, Pakistan enjoys a good position in the global trade of aromatic rice and every year earns a lot of foreign exchange (Akram and Sagar, 1997). Genetic Diversity in Rice Diversity among organisms is a result of variations in DNA sequences and of environmental effects. The diversity in crop varieties is essential for agricultural development for increasing food production, poverty alleviation and promoting economic growth. The available diversity in the germplasm also serves as an insurance against unknown future needs and conditions, thereby contributing to the stability of farming systems at local, national and global levels (Singh et al, 2000). In crop improvement program, genetic variability for agronomic traits as well as quality traits in almost all the crops is important, since this component is transmitted to the next generation (Singh, 1996). Study of genetic divergence among the plant materials is a vital tool to the plant breeders for an efficient choice of parents for plant improvement. Genetically diverse parents are likely to contribute desirable segregants and/or to produce high heterotic crosses. Parents identified on the basis of dive rgence for any breeding program would be more promising (Arunachalam, 1981). In early 1970s, public authorities felt the need that genetic resources should be collected, maintained and conserved, especial focus was on important food crops e.g wheat, rice, barley etc (Hawkes 1983; Bellon et al., 1998; Barry et al., 2007). This was the first official attempt to preserve genetic diversity. Currently different genetic diversity assessment methods including morphological, biochemical and molecular markers are available. Morphological Markers used to study genetic diversity Morphological evaluation is the oldest and considered as the first hand tool for detection of genetic variation in germplasm (Smith and Smith, 1989). It is cheap and convenient. It requires not any in depth knowledge at genomic or proteomic level. However, morphological markers are relatively less effective for genetic diversity analysis due to sensitivity to environmental influences and developmental stage of the plant (Werlemark et al., 1999). It takes long time, requires seasonal changes and quite laborious. The genetic variability for some of the traits needed for high yield performance and stress tolerance is limited in cultivated germplasm. This is because a small core of adapted progenitors has been used repeatedly in rice breeding programs such that the genetic base of rice has become narrow (Moncada et al. 2001; Hargrove et al. 1980; Dilday 1990). Introgression of genes from other rice species can provide genetic variation to improve rice and meet the challenges affecting ri ce production. Morphological traits including both qualitative and quantitative ones are used to evaluate genetic relationship among genotypes (Goodman 1972; Bajracharya et al., 2006). Fida et al. (1995) reported the evaluation of elite rice genotypes for agronomic traits during 1992 at NARC, Islamabad. All the genotypes possessed similar grain quality. Agronomic evaluation was used for screening of lines with desired performance by Akram et al. (1995), in field leading to the identification of varieties possessing longer and fine grains as donors for utilization in breeding programmes aimed for the improvement of grain length in Basmati rice. Iqbal et al. (2001) morphologically evaluated selected landraces for paddy yield and other important agronomic traits as a propose to select parents for hybridization program. All the landraces possessed some desirable agronomic traits so these proved effective in rice breeding programmes. Koutroubas et al. (2004) described variation in grain quality traits among some European rice lines. They concluded that these lines could be used as parents for introgression of desired traits into different rice cultivars grown in Europe. They also suggested that the interrelations among grain quality traits found in these lines could be useful to study the relationship among their grain quality components and for improving selection criteria. Nabeela et al. (2004) evaluated fifteen agronomical important traits in landrace genotypes of rice collected from various parts of Pakistan. A significant amount of genetic variation was displayed for most of the traits examined. The coefficient of variation was more than 10% for all the characters with exception of grain length. Seven accessions with best performance for individual character were identified, by exploiting their genetic potential. These genotypes can have a beneficial use in the breeding programs. Nepali rice landrace diversity was evaluated by Bajracharya et al. (2005) by usin g morphological traits as one of the parameter for selection. The genotypes varied only for few quantitative traits controlled by major genes; husk color, seed coat and panicle traits. Agronomic characterization also helped to decide which traits need to be improved for further crop improvements. Zaman et al. (2005) studied fifteen different rice varieties which showed that the different morphological characteristics such as the yield, tiller number per hill and filled grains per panicle did not contribute towards the total divergence. This suggested that the breeding improvement of these morphological characteristics have the little possibility. Little phenotypic variation at farm level was observed in Vietnamese rice by Fukuoka et al. 2006, which was considered to be the result of genetic drift and selection by the farmers, on farm conservation of the landraces of rice is considered to be under a force to decrease phenotypic diversity. Different phenotypic profiles contribute to t he conservation of regional genetic diversity of the landraces of rice. Veasey and colleagues (2008) investigated the genetic variability among different rice species from South in a greenhouse experiment. They showed a significant difference (p Keeping in view these benefits, morphological variation is a selection criterion for plant scientists among landrace genotypes. Though the environmental factors also play an important role in morphological variation but the knowledge of agro-morphological diversity and the distribution pattern of variation among crop species could be an invaluable aid in germplasm management and crop improvement strategies. Zeng et al. (2003) studied ecogeographic and genetic diversity based on morphological characters of rice landraces (Oryza sativa L.) in Yunnan, China. A great difference in ecological diversity index of rice resources between prefectures or counties in Yunnan province exists. Kayode et al. (2008) studied the relationship in geographical pattern and morphological variation of 880 rice landrace in CÃ ´te d’Ivoire for 13 agro-morphological characters. Result of the phenotypic frequency showed differential distribution of landraces with height, heading and maturity period whic h reflected the distribution pattern of different Oryza sativa landraces in CÃ ´te d’Ivoire that proved useful in germplasm management and breeding programs. The altitudinal distributions of grain length, grain width, grain length to width ratio and grain weight were evaluated by Siddiqui and coworkers in 2007. It was noticed that grain length decreased with the increase in altitude, while the grain width increased with the increase in altitude, resulting into a decrease in length to width ratio with the increase in altitude. Considering the change in altitude as a difference in habitat and environment, it can be assumed that Pakistan rice cultivars show a wide variation between and within locations. It may be concluded that the Pakistan rice genetic resources comprise of great diversity for grain morphological characteristics. The prevailing diversity for grain type (shape and size) and pericarp color has distinct correlation to its geographical distribution in terms of alt itude. Morpho-physiological traits are an important tool in hands of plant breeders for identification and purity testing of rice varieties. Sharief et al. (2005) investigated the genetic purity of four different rice varieties on the basis of morphological characteristics at their different growth stages. All of the varieties were identified by different morphological characteristics in terms of flag leaf area, grain color, seed width, number of tillers, time of heading, absent awing, slemma, palea pubescence, plant height, and culm diameter. Biochemical markers for analysis of diversity Seed proteins are very helpful in genetic diversity evaluation in cereal crops because the seeds of these crops have nutritional value. Glutelin, globulin and prolamin are important seed proteins in rice. Variation in these proteins at subunit level changes the quality of rice. Various tools were used to assess variability at peptide level. Biochemical markers have some disadvantages being tissue specific and affected by environmental and developmental changes. These disadvantages could be eliminated by the use of seed storage protein as they are conservative in nature and least effected by environmental changes. (Thanh et al., 2006) Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is useful method not only for revealing variations but also for identification of a variety in seed storage proteins. Four protein fractions (albumin, globulin, gliadin and glutenin) separated by SDS-PAGE as biochemical marker for evaluating polymorphism in three spelt wheat varieties. Very significant difference was observed at protein profile level in old cultivars and new breeding lines (Dvoracek and Curn 2003). Sengupta and Chattopadhyay (2000) identified twelve rice varieties on the basis of banding pattern obtained by SDS-PAGE. Aung et al. (2003) investigated 350 local rice cultivars from different regions of Myanmar. These were analyzed by using SDS-PAGE and IEF. Various cultivars differed in their SDS-PAGE profiles. Padmavathi et al. (2002) evaluated seven aromatic and five non-aromatic rice cultivars using SDS-PAGE. Two bands of 60.3 and 51.3KDa were polymorphic for their presence in both aromatic and non-aromatic genotypes and suggested that these polymorphic bands can be used as markers for verification of hybridity in crossing programme. Rehana et al. (2004) investigated twenty accessions of Pakistani rice germplasm for total seed protein by using SDS-PAGE, to determine the magnitude of genetic variation with respect to geographical distribution. Vari ation in protein banding pattern with respect to various geographical regions was evaluated and it was suggested that the inter-specific variations were more pronounced as compared to intra-specific variations. Variation in banding profile of globulin and glutelin was used as identification tool for differentiating coarse, fine and super fine rice cultivars by Thind and Sogi (2005). Jahan et al. (2005) studied protein diversity in 576 rice cultivars from Bangladesh and SDS-PAGE was used for separation. Thanh et al., 2006 used seed storage protein profiles of different varieties including rice for evaluation of genetic purity and variability. Molecular markers for diversity analysis Variation in a DNA sequence is known as DNA polymorphism. This quality of DNA can be used as a marker to assess diversity in the genome of any organism. An ideal DNA marker must have any of the following qualities: Highly polymorphic in nature, co-dominant inheritance, frequent occurrence in genome, selective neutral behaviour, easy access/availability, easy and fast assay, high reproducibility and easy exchange of data between laboratories (Joshi et al., 1999). DNA-based molecular markers/DNA fingerprinting can increase screening efficiency in breeding programs in a number of other ways. For example, they provide: the ability to screen in the seedling stage for traits that are expressed late in the life of a plant (i.e. grain or fruit quality, male sterility, photoperiod sensitivity), the ability to screen for traits that are extremely difficult, expensive, or time consuming to score phenotypically (i.e. root morphology, resistance to quarantined pests or to specific races or biotyp es of diseases or insects, tolerance for certain abiotic stresses such as drought, salt, or mineral deficiencies or toxicities), the ability to distinguish the homozygous versus heterozygous condition of many loci in a single generation without the need for progeny testing (since molecular markers are co-dominant), and the ability to perform simultaneous marker-aided selection for several characters at one time. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) Randomly-amplified polymorphic DNA markers (RAPD) are arbitrary sequence markers developed by Welsh and McClelland in 1991. This procedure detects nucleotide sequence polymorphisms in DNA by using a single primer of arbitrary nucleotide sequence. In this reaction, a single species of primer anneals to the genomic DNA at two different sites on complementary strands of DNA template. If these priming sites are within an amplifiable range of each other, a discrete DNA product is formed through thermocyclic amplification. On an average, each primer directs amplification of several discrete loci in the genome, making the assay useful for efficient screening of nucleotide sequence polymorphism between individuals. However, due to the stoichastic nature of DNA amplification with random sequence primers, it is important to optimize and maintain consistent reaction conditions for reproducible DNA amplification. They are dominant markers and hence have limitations in their use as markers for ma pping, which can be overcome to some extent by selecting those markers that are linked in coupling. RAPD assay has been used by several groups as efficient tools for identification of markers linked to agronomically important traits, which are introgressed during the development of near isogenic lines. though it is less popular due to problems such as poor reproducibility faint or fuzzy products, and difficulty in scoring bands, which lead to inappropriate inferences but it is still applied as markers in variability analysis and individual-specific genotyping has largely been carried out,. Raghunathachari et al. (2000) differentiated a set of 18 accessions from Indian scented rice by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The RAPD analysis offered a rapid and reliable method for the estimation of variability between different accessions, which could be utilized by the breeders for further improvement of the scented rice genotypes. Porreca et al. (2001) reported confirmati on of genetic diversity among 28 rice cultivars, different for biometric traits, biological cycle and suitability to water limitation, using RAPD markers. High level of polymorphism was found between japonica and indica subspecies, whereas japonica cultivars with long grains (tropical) resulted to be genetically different from the short grains genotypes (temperate). Genetic relationships among indica and japonica cultivars and between tropical and temperate japonica was estimated. Variability among the varieties could lead to good heterotic combinations between japonica genotypes. Neeraja et al. (2002) determined genetic diversity in a set of landraces in comparison to a representative sample of improved rice varieties, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Analysis of 36 accessions using 10 arbitrary decamer random primers, revealed 97.16% polymorphism. Similarity values among the landraces ranged from 0.58 to 0.89 indicating wide diversity. The landraces and improved vari eties formed separate clusters at 0.65 similarities suggesting that genetically distant landraces could be potentially valuable sources for enlarging and enriching the gene pool of improved varieties. Kwon et al. (2002) evaluated genetic divergence among 13 Tongil type rice cultivars and the relationship between genetic distance and hybrid performance in all possible nonreciprocal crosses between them assessed. These results indicate that GDs based on the microsatellite and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers may not be useful for predicting heterotic combinations in Tongil type rice and support the idea that the level of correlation between hybrid performance and genetic divergence is dependent on the germplasm used. Rabbani et al. (2008) evaluated the genetic polymorphism and identities of several Asian rice cultivars by using random amplified polymorphic DNA technique. On the basis of analysis performed on similarity matrix by using UPGMA, they grouped 40 cultivars in to three main clusters correspondent to aromatic, non-aromatic and japonica group, and a few independent cultivars. The cluster analysis placed most of the aromatic cultivars close to each other showing a high level of genetic relatedness. But the clusters produced by the aromatic cultivars were distinct from those of non-aromatic and japonica types. In this study, several improved and obsolete cultivars originating from diverse sources did not produce well defined distinct groups and indicated no association between the RAPD patterns and the geographic origin of the cultivars used. Amita et al. (2005) performed molecular and hybridization studies to investigate variation patterns in O. meridionalis by producing 119 polymorphic RAPD markers from 12, 10-mer operon primers. In addition, they detected 67 alleles by using 11 SSR primers. They showed speciation in O. meridionalis a with respect to its geographic distribution in northern Australia and Irian Jaya. Santhy et al. (2003) test ed application of RAPD markers for the identification of three rice (Oryza sativa L.) hybrids and their parental lines i.e. CMS female parent (A line), maintainer (B line) and pollen parent (R line), using 17 random oligonucleotides. It was possible to distinguish each of these genotypes, following a combination of selected primers. The results are discussed in view of its application for the purpose of Plant Variety Protection and for testing the genetic purity of A line and hybrid seed lots. Simple Sequence Repeats Analysis Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are simple tandemly repeated di- to penta-nucleotide sequence motifs. Microsatellite data are also commonly used to assess genetic relationships between populations and individuals through the estimation of genetic distances (e.g. Beja-Pereira et al., 2003; Ibeagha-Awemu et al., 2004; Joshi et al., 2004; Sodhi et al., 2005; Tapio et al., 2005). The most commonly used measure of genetic distances is Neis standard genetic distance (DS) (Nei, 1972). Because of microsatellite abundance and even distribution in nuclear genomes of eukaryotes and some prokaryotic genomes, they offer valuable good source of polymorphism, which make them a promising class of genetic markers. The high levels of polymorphism performed by these markers; they are mostly referred as SSLP (simple sequence length polymorphism). Li et al. (2004) examined genetic diversity within and differentiation between the indica and japonica subspecies, including 22 accessions of indica and 35 of japonica rice by using five microsatellite loci from each chromosome having total 60 loci. Evaluating on chromosome-based comparisons it is concluded that nine chromosomes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11) harboured higher levels of genetic diversity within the indica rice than the japonica rice. By applying chromosome-based comparisons they suggested that the extent of the indica-japonica differentiation varied substantially, ranging from 7.62% in chromosome 3 to 28.72% in chromosome 1. At 15 of the SSR loci, traditional and crossbred Basmati rice varieties amplified different alleles than those in the indica and/or japonica rice varieties. During this study the identified SSR markers, which can be used to differentiate among the traditional Basmati varieties and between traditional Basmati and other crossbred Basmati or long grain, non-Basmati rice varieties. Genetic relationships among rice genotypes as determined by UPGMA cluster analysis and three-dimensional s caling based on principal component analysis showed that the three traditional Basmati rice varieties are closely related and have varying degree of similarity with other crossbred Basmati rice varieties Priyanka et al. (2004). Amanda et al. (2004) classified 234 accessions of rice into five distinct groups corresponding to indica, aus, aromatic, temperate japonica, and tropical japonica rices using 169 microsatellite markers. Yunbi et al. (2004) evaluated diversity in 236 rice accessions by applying 113 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and 60 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci at DNA level. Higher value of polymorphism information contents (0.66) was recorded for SSR markers as compared to RFLP (0.36). A diverse subset of 31 rice cultivars was identified that embodied 95% of RFLP and 74% of SSR alleles. This subset was useful in developing core collections and an efficient source of genetic diversity for future crop improvement. Zhang et al. (2005) evaluated the poten tial of discriminate analysis (DA) to identify candidate markers linked with agronomic traits among inbred lines of rice (Oryza sativa L.). A sum of 218 lines originating from the US and Asia were planted in field plots of Texas. Data were collected for 12 economically important traits, and DNA profiles of each inbred line were produced using 60 SSR and 114 RFLP markers. Model-based methods revealed population structure among the lines. Associated marker alleles pointed to the same and different regions on the rice genetic map when compared to previous QTL mapping experiments. Results of the study suggested that candidate markers associated with agronomic traits can be readily detected among inbred lines of rice. Bajracharya et al. (2005) estimated genetic diversity of rice landraces collected from different locations of Nepal based on agro-morphological variability and microsatellite marker polymorphism. They 39 microsatellite (simple sequence repeats, SSR) markers among these coll ected accessions by using 10 different names. After studying all these qualitative and quantitative traits they concluded that these accessions showed low morphological diversity having an average Shannon Weaver diversity index of 0.23. Among the studied traits only 16 morphological traits showed significant variation among the accessions. Discriminant function analysis showed that only 36% of accessions could be clustered according to name by morphological traits. Only one SSR locus was polymorphic, distinguishing only one accession. Genetic differences among new rice lines (NERICA), developed by cross breeding of African rice (Oryza glaberrima) with high yielding Asian rice (Oryza sativa subsp. japonica), were explored by using simple sequence repeat markers (Semagn et al. 2006). Michael et al. (2006) characterized 330 rice accessions, including 246 Indonesian landraces and 63 Indonesian improved cultivars, by studying 30 fluorescently-labeled microsatellite markers. By using gene tic diversity analysis they characterized the Indonesian landraces as 68% indica and 32% tropical japonica, having an indica gene diversity of 0.53 and a tropical japonica gene diversity of 0.56

First day of class :: Essays Papers

First day of class The first day of class was absolutely not that bad as I thought it would be. The time that I picked was great its not to last but its not too early. It s just the right time to get to class. The classroom was as scorching like the desert. It is very hot in the class. It makes write in the class hard to do but that is something I guess I just have to deal with. Just like Columbia is around this time of year. The class also seems to have some interesting people in the class. There was a lot of dance and film majors there so I consider were bound to here some intense story’s. I was really impressed on how well organized Alexia Hall was with the class she seem to know where she wanted to the class to be at the end of the semester. We were past out with the class policies and a syllabus of what we were going to do the whole semester. I thought this was very convenient so that there was no mixed signals in the group. Alexia Hall the teacher personally seems to be a person who does not like to play games with her students. She seems like a straight froward person. I have a feeling she has heard a lot of excuse of why students do not have their papers. She warn us not to start killing off are family when paper are due. Which I thought it was funny, because even as a student I have heard some crazy stories about people who just kill of there whole family when a paper due or a test day. I feel that the class is tremendously large, but that always changes at mid term I feel that over 40 % will drop the class they always do. I am just hope that I am not one of those people to drop out of class. The class seems to go really fast. I like the way we can say and write the way we feel about the subject matter. Having the Internet access is also a plus just for the fact that we can look up information on topics and write about it. Class participation was great everyone joined in on the discussion. People in the class felt comfortable talking out loud and putting there two sense in.

How Is Curley Presented by Steinbeck in of Mice and Men

Curley is one of ‘Of Mice and Men’s’ major characters. Although he does not appear to hold a central role, he is very important in other respects. The first of these is the way in which he treats George and Lennie, and the ranch workers in general on the ranch. Curley is the boss’ son. Therefore he acts like he is the boss himself. He orders the others around, and, although it is true that he does hold some power on the ranch, he does not hold any respect from the workers.He is nasty towards them, treating as though they are them below him, and often trying to pick fights. Curley is disliked by pretty much everyone on the ranch, and with good reason. George immediately dislikes his hostility, and shows the same attitude in return. He himself says â€Å"I hate that kind of a guy† as soon as he has and warns Lennie to â€Å"have nothing to do with him†. Even Curley’s own wife dislikes him, sarcastically saying â€Å"swell guy, ainâ€℠¢t he† when told to talk to him by Candy. Furthermore, Candy, although not directly airing his dislike mentions the he is â€Å"handy.God damn handy. † The way in which Candy says this hints towards his dislike for Candy being on account of his aggressive nature and hostility, rather than simply being due to his nastiness. His desire to fight with people all the time shows two things. Firstly, it shows inferiority complex: Curley is short, and therefore is constantly trying to be better than â€Å"big guys†. Secondly, it shows his aggression. Curley holds a fighting stance when he first encounters George and Lennie: â€Å"his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists.He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. † According to Candy, Curley is an amateur boxer and is always picking fights, especially with guys who are bigger than he is. Ultimately, Curley is trying to prove his masculinity. Another way in which Curley can be seen as t rying to prove himself is by marrying a physically attractive woman. His wife is never given a name, but by calling her â€Å"Curley's wife,† Steinbeck indicates she is his possession. Curley refuses to let her talk to anyone on the ranch, isolating her from everyone and setting the stage for trouble.This trouble happens in Section 3, where he accuses Slim of being with his wife and is completely wrong. He is ganged up on by the ranch workers, and picks on Lennie in order to vent his anger at being picked on. This turns out to be a mistake. Lennie quickly crushes his hand, and Curley has to be taken to the hospital. Luckily for George and Lennie, Slim comes to there aid, telling Curley â€Å"your hand got caught in a machine†. He makes a big show of keeping his hand soft to caress her, yet also visits the local whorehouse on Saturday night.While he may strut around the ranch because of his position as the boss' son, he obviously cannot satisfy his wife and is mean, or perhaps simply detached from her. Curley beats up any man who dares to talk to her, but ironically, he rarely talks to her himself, and they spend the majority of the book looking for each other. When Curley’s wife dies, Curley, rather than showing the reaction that would be expected of a man whose wife has just been killed. He does not appear to grieve at all in any way, barely looking at the body, or regarding the her death into his immediate future plans.Instead, his first thought is towards seeking revenge and hunting down Lennie. It is perhaps this moment in the novel which epitomises the way in which Curley is aggressive, nasty, and shows no concern for anyone else apart from himself. All of this seems to be negative however. Surely Steinbeck didn’t present Curley in a poor light? Well, there may some positive aspects to Curley, or perhaps those which are not entirely bad. Firstly, he does appear to show some care for his wife. He is constantly looking for her, a nd appears to try and protect her.Although she is more of a possession to him than a person, he is clearly proud of her, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Also, Curley is a good worker. He is one of the best on the ranch, having grown up there, and this shows in his care for his work. Unlike most of the other characters, Curley doesn’t develop much over the course of the book, but he stands out as a character with whom Steinbeck does not sympathise. Whilst everyone else is struggling, Curley’s busy picking fights and trying to throw his weight around on his dad’s ranch. He seems to be outside of the economic struggle and even the personal struggle of the Depression.Curley’s the kind of person that is needed in contrast to the mild peacefulness of the other characters. Also, someone is needed to be the source of trouble among the men of the ranch who mostly want to get along. In conclusion, if Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men' as being a microcosm o f American society, then Curley represents one clear type of person. This is all the men in the country at the time who are petty and embittered, who wish to appear better than all of the others. He acts as a sort of control variable, whose actions and reactions can almost always be predicted, because he is such a simple shallow person.

Life in Mumbai Essay

Life in Mumbai may just be like the life in some other city, or your city from outside. It’s just the same different people living well almost together, struggling to find their way, striving to make life better. They do have the differences, negatives and ways. But living in this city makes you realise how not so similar it is to every place in this world. How so many people from different cultures, states and countries can call this one city their home? On the world map Mumbai is nothing more than a small dot on the eastern side. It’s said to be even smaller than that, that it’s made of combined seven islands. And probably that’s where every resident gets one quality, unity, which may not seem significant, but its buried deep inside and nothing can reach there. Be it travelling in the same crowded local trains, sharing a flat with some strangers due to tight budgets or standing up together during terrorist attacks, people embrace this city and its residents. For every person the day starts early, anywhere between 5:30am to 7:00am. They get ready or help others to get ready to leave for work, school, etc. students face immense pressure of studies and competition while professionals to build and enhance their career. Travelling is more than time consuming be it the traffic of vehicles on roads or people in local modes of transport. After a day’s struggle, for professional doing the work of one and a half man, the cities night atmosphere is what it is popular for. If time permits, everyone rushes to malls, beaches, seashores, theatres, restaurants and clubs. Life here is not very social for a common man due to work pressure but at this time it’s all about them, their fun and being with the people they like. In this city sleep is the first major sacrifice a person gives to achieve their dreams. The cities essence lies in it the way lacks of people travel by local trains and during their journey make friends irrespective of the differences. About people hanging from the train gates to save that one minute and not be late. Here life is about how people mix the high end branded clothes with high street fashion. It’s about the long queues at bus stops, an untold but embraced rule. It’s about seeing slums around posh locations even airport. It’s about gathering on public places just enjoying at night in cool sea breeze. It’s about gathering g together for cricket matches even on screens at your workplace. It’s about eating at roadside stalls with as much love for the food as that of a hotel. It’s about walking on the street with confidence that no one is judging you. It’s about the beautiful scene you see outside you window if you live on higher floors. It’s about the assurance that no matter what the time you will definitely get an auto at least. It’s about the undeserted roads even at 3:00am. It’s the celebration on roads when the national cricket team wins a match or a festival. It’s about the dabbawalas and the tiffins they get for so many working people. It’s about the madness for ganesh chatudashi. About long traffic jams and the six inch gap between cars. It’s about the beauty of streetlights. About the local markets and the bargaining t here. about marine drive, chowpatty, juhu beach, bandstand , late night movie shows, college fests, linking road, colaba causeway, fashion street, crawford market , malls and the sales there and so many other things. Mumbai is the city of dreams; life in this city is not just about work. Life here is about following your dreams. Thousands of people come every month in search for their future their dreams. There’s a reason why it is called the commercial capital of India or the city is just so popular. And for ti there needs to be an amazing life in there. There’s a reason why so many people come here, live here and almost none ever go back. And the same reason is why all do call themselves mumbaikars and the city aamchi Mumbai. And i guess the reason is â€Å"life in Mumbai’.

Essay about Travel Guide

Essay about Travel Guide Essay about Travel Guide Travel Guide: Paris, France Restaurants in Paris have gourmet food exquisite experiences for everyone to enjoy. Here are some of the restaurant’s the tourists can enjoy. Le Meurice Le Meurice is a fancy restaurant at the hotel Meurice. This restaurant is a bit pricy, but it’s a lavish time for anyone who attends. -Address: 228 rue de Rivoli -lemeurice.com -Open from Lunch Dinner Mon-Fri -Average 200â‚ ¬ Huitretrie Regis Located in the heart of Saint Germain des Pres, Huitretrie Regis specializes in their oysters which are delivered straight from the Atlantic coast. They also serve, depending upon availability, prawns, clams, and sea urchins. -Address: 3 rue de Montfaucon -huitrerieregis.com -Open Tues-Sun for Lunch Dinner -Average 35â‚ ¬ Le Stella Le Stella is one of Paris’ small amount of independent restaurants, and one of the tastiest. Le Stella serves French classics such as onion soup, escargots, sole meunià ¨re, steak tartare, roast lamb and other Gallic standards. -Address: 133, avenue Victor Hugo -Open daily for Lunch Dinner. -Average 35â‚ ¬ Ze Kitchen Galerie Unlike its surrounding galleries, this gallery has a restaurant. The chef here likes to throw Asian flares into their food and restaurant designs. -Address: 4 rue des Grands-Augustins -zekitchengalerie.fr -Open for Lunch Dinner Mon-Sat -Average 55â‚ ¬ Maceo This handsome looking restaurant feeds its guests with amazing plates lined with the freshest vegetables and wonderful dà ©cor. -Address: 15 rue des Petits-Champs -maceorestaurant.com -Open for Lunch Dinner Mon-Fri, Sat Dinner only. -Average 60â‚ ¬ There are many Hotels in Paris. Here are some of the hotels that would suit a couple visiting Paris. Hà ´tel du Jeu de Paume This hotel is perfect for a visiting couple. Almost dead center in the city, and was once the royal tennis court! This hotel is perfect for strolling hand-in-hand, leisurely dinners and kissing while overlooking the Seine River. 221American Dollars + Per night. Chateau de Montvillargenne This is one of the more lovely and unique chateau hotels in the Paris area, and is located 20 miles from the city and a mile from the Chantilly rail station. The stunning castle built in 1900 is the epitome of romance, featuring a whirlpool tub in every finely appointed non-smoking room. There is an indoor pool, a sauna and three golf courses within five minutes of the chateau. (About.com France Travel) 164 American Dollars + Per Night L'Hotel This quaint, boutique style hotel is intimate and inviting for any couple looking for a little Parisian romance. This hip hotel, formerly seeing guests like Oscar Wilde and other authors, is situated in the youthful and artistic Left Bank St. Germain de Pres neighborhood. Couples can spend hours sitting at nearby cafes, gazing into one another's love struck eyes. The themed rooms are stunning and luxurious. (About.com France Travel) 379 American Dollars + Per Night Hotel de Banville In the quieter 17th arrondissement of Paris, this lovely and charming small hotel makes a fine city getaway for romance. Each room features its own unique decor and style. Some rooms feature balconies with views of the Eiffel Tower. The turndown service, robes and slippers make a stay feel indulgent.(About.com France Travel) 188+ American Dollars + Per Night Hotel Britannique If you are a couple on a budget, but you still want the romance of Paris, this is a fabulous cheap hotel. The rooms are small, but hey, it is just the two of you. It has probably one of the most central locations in all of Paris, though, a block from the Seine and in the first arrondissement. 240 American Dollars + Per Night Paris is home to many indoor activities and not your usual ones! Paris has catacombs, museums and coffee shops like no other! Here are just some of the things Paris has to offer. The Louvre and other museums The Louvre museum is one of Paris’ star attractions and

To Kill A Mocking Bird Essays (895 words) - Literature, Fiction

To Kill A Mocking Bird Essays (895 words) - Literature, Fiction To Kill A Mocking Bird To Kill A Mockingbird Classic, a term one uses to describe many things, such as a defining moment or an object such as a book. When used in this context, such as describing a book, it persuades the reader to examine the novel further to discover what makes this piece of literature so memorable to people who have read it. One such novel is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. One may describe this novel as a classic because the messages described in the novel can be perceived on so many different levels that any reader, no matter the level, can observe these messages. The prime messages observed in this novel is that of racism, how the actions of a community, not just a parent, can affect a child, and how rumors and invalidated facts can destroy anyone's reputation. Racism is mentioned throughout the second part of the novel. It is the prime and most mentioned part of this section of the novel. This message is displayed on many levels so even the lowest level reader can visibly ask oneself why this is occurring. The easiest way to observe this may be the town's actions toward Tom Robinson, the negro on trial. The townspeople, for the most part, dismissed the entire trial on the basis on that it does not matter what Atticus can do, Mr. Robinson is automatically guilty. This message can also be seen in a severely symbolic manner, Tom Robinson's death. The manner in which he dies is that he escapes and attempts to climb the fence to freedom, however he only has one good arm and that is his detriment. It slows him up enough to allow the police to shoot him numerous times. Symbolically this can be viewed as a glimmer of hope to end this suppression. As this glimmer of hope is about to reach the mainstream and acceptance that racism is evil, it is shot down and dead, thus ending the opportunity. Mr. Robinson got into this position by the jury giving in a guilty verdict, despite numerous evidence to the contrary. The jury gave a racist verdict, showing Harper Lee's opinion of the evil a racist society can do to a minority. This verdict had repercussions not just to Mr. Robinson, but to the community. One can observe that this verdict influenced the town in a manner no one expected, it twisted the minds of many children. A popular saying is that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, this is what began to happen to the children of the town, best viewed when observing the Finch children. Despite Atticus' plans to raise children who do not have this type of hate within them, they have these feelings due to some community actions, Atticus' plan going astray. A prime example is Scout's answer to the question of the manner in which the prosecuting attorney addressed Mr. Robinson during his cross examination. Her answer was that he could do that because ...he's just a negro.(p. 199) This issue is not just the white community pressing an idea into someone's head. It can also happen in the black community. When Atticus Finch asks Calpurnia, his housekeeper, to watch his children for him while he is out, Calpurnia accepts and takes the children with her to church, a black church. When she arrives with the children they are all greeted with hospitality except for a few people. These people use the same argument as in the last example as to why they should not be there, because they are white. What both races have done is shun the other race, now what happens if a child is born with blood from both races. What happens is an isolated race that is exiled from both races because that child has blood from the other race. This evil act can be seen in the novel. The county practically exiles the children of Dolphus Raymond and his black spouse. It is done to the point that these children are forced to live in the non-racist north where they would not be looked down on as genetic freaks. After reading this, one would wonder of the community's reaction to Dolphus Raymond, whose committing a great sin by having children with a black woman. Well, the town does not look down on him, the town actually feels sorry for him. Why, because the town

6 steps on the path to finding your purpose

6 steps on the path to finding your purpose In his commencement speech to the graduating class at Harvard University this past May, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the need for purpose. He told graduating seniors, â€Å"Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness†¦But it’s not enough to have purpose yourself. You have to create a sense of purpose for others.† Then he went on to describe how his purpose, creating the site that would become Facebook, wasn’t just a way for him to connect to other students- it was a way to connect the entire world. To find your purpose and find meaning in your career, it’s not enough to do stuff that you like or that is important to you. The deeper meaning of purpose, the thing that makes it all worthwhile, is more than just helping yourself thrive and succeed. The most successful and fulfilled people make life easi er or better- for everyone. Bottom line: personal success doesn’t matter that much.If you’re having trouble identifying your purpose, try some of these useful tips.1. Don’t overthink it- just take action.The less you dither and weigh your options and the more you just take big leaps out into the world, the better off you’ll be. Start actually taking steps toward your goals, rather than just daydreaming about doing so. You’ll get out of your own way and come to find out faster what is and isn’t working, and what does and doesn’t matter to you in your life’s pursuit. Action and experience = results.2. Listen to your heart.You know that pesky voice deep within that keeps shouting â€Å"This is what I want to do when I grow up!†? Listen to it. Your heart is both your conscience and your best barometer for what you really want. Let it motivate you to push yourself and explore your opportunities and options.3. Let go of  "The One.†Just like you might fall in love with more than one person over the course of your life, realize that you might fall in love with more than one job, or industry, or career. Be open to things changing and evolving. Focus on doing meaningful things that get you closer to your goals, but be flexible enough to realize when old goals no longer serve who you are and who you want to be.4. Make a vision board.Create something visible that you can refer to when your inspiration needs a boost. Put up aspirational images- ideals of where you want to land in the next few years. What does your life look like when you surround yourself with images that are most attractive to you? Let yourself be free to chose what you are drawn to, then look at it periodically for patterns. You’ll be amazed when themes begin to make themselves clear.5. Study yourself like a subject.What are your hobbies? What can’t you wait to get through your daily tasks to do in your free time? Wha t do you post most about on social media? Observe yourself from an outside perspective and see what you can discern.6. Research what you love.Finding your purpose is more than just figuring out what you are drawn to. You have to learn everything you can about those things. Become an expert. Make sure you know the ins and outs well enough to know whether you could be truly happy spending so many hours of your life and precious energy devoted to that path.The sooner you understand what drives you, the sooner you can orchestrate your life to work toward it. Then, when you pour your energy into that one thing you were made to do, you can use it to help and inspire everyone around you.

Geography of orientalism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Geography of orientalism - Research Paper Example Moreover, Boer (2003) noted that orientalism could be defined as ‘a Western style for dominating, restructuring and having authority on the Orient’ (Said 1979 3, cited by Boer 9). The particular concept has many dimensions: it can be interpreted by referring to its cultural, human, physical or political geography. The various geographical perspectives of orientalism, as indicatively presented above, are described in this paper. It is concluded that, indeed, the geography of orientalism can have different perspectives; however, not all of them are equally powerful in influencing the development of orientalism, a fact that seems to be related though to the local ethics and traditions. Orientalism is a rather complex concept. The most known study on orientalism has been the book of Edward Said, entitled as ‘Orientalism’ (Aitken and Gill 150). In the above book, Said notes that the description of orientalism developed in the West is often inaccurate, reflecting the perceptions of Western on other cultures, those that meet the criteria of orientalism (Aitken and Gill 150). According to Said, these descriptions of orientalism, as developed by Westerns, show ‘lack of knowledge on other cultures’ (Aitken and Gill 150). In other words, the concept of orientalism is not based on the ‘detailed knowledge of foreign cultures, those that are characterized as orient cultures’ (Aitken and Gill 150). In any case, orientalism reflects the differences between the East and the West, as these differences are highlighted in pieces of art and studies developed in the West (Sharp 16). As Said notes, the differences between East and West are mostl y geopolitical and are reflected in various texts developed in the West (Sharp 16). The geographical perspectives of orientalism have become clear the last decades, when the concepts of human geography, physical geography and political geography have

Practical lab writeups - see pdf files Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practical lab writeups - see pdf files - Essay Example The presence of 3 1H peaks indicates that it is not a dinitrate product but a mononitrate product. The presence of the 1H singlet and two doublets indicates that one H is apart and the other two are on neighbouring C atoms, so NO2 is at position 4. So the product is 1,2-dimethoxy-4-nitrobenzene, consistent with the melting point. The melting point of the semicarbazide derivative of compound A was found to be 224-225 Â ºC, which means that compound A is likely to be o-chloro-benzaldehyde or p-hydroxy-benzaldehyde. According to the 1HNMR spectrum, with benzene proton peaks around 7 ppm and aldehyde proton singlet, the second functional group should also contain one proton, showing up as a singlet. Therefore, the second functional group is a hydroxy-group, so compound A is p-hydroxy-benzaldehyde. This hydroxyl-group also gives the possibility to from the bicyclic structure of compound B. The H atom of NH will exchange with solvent, so if D2O is added it may be replaced with D. This only influences the peak of the H of NH, which will become a doublet with the second peak (of D) at lower intensity and at higher field (lower

Old School Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Old School Research - Essay Example There are several forms, which land pollution can occur. This includes spilling of oil, using of farming chemicals, illegal dumping in the natural habitat areas, nuclear accidents and radiation spilling, loitering along the road and damages caused as a result of mining (Best, 31). Land pollution leads to deforestation, destroying the natural habitat that is occupied by wildlife and damages to the natural resources. This result too many negativities such as degradation of the country’s economy. Therefore, people should avoid the possible causes of land pollution. This will result to an attractive, clean environment (Peirce, 64). This is the contamination of water bodies. As a result, it leads to the death of aquatic animals and leads to health complications in human beings. Some of the reasons that are leading to water pollution include, emptying of sewage and dumping of harmful substances to river streams, Waste pills from industries that lead to contamination of underground waters (Best, 65). Others are biologically related such as bacteria cloth and therefore, water should be treated before being consumed. This is the contamination of air by emission of smoke and other harmful gases such as sulphur and nitrogen. Air pollution results to health complications such as asthma. The causes of pollution are nuclear accidents, exhaust fumes emitted by vehicles and the burning of fossil fuels. Improper lighting in communities that result in visibility of stars and planets at night leads to light pollution. These are street lightings shining their light in all directions rather than directing their light towards the streets and the unnecessary lighting in homes. Effects of lighting lead to disrupting the sleeping cycle and corrupt kids curious nature (Peirce, 88). Increasing of temperatures due to human activities leads to thermal pollution. These are the areas with vehicles and concretes or generally, a busy town this can also be

Examine the technology and design of the The Pheasantry in London Essay

Examine the technology and design of the The Pheasantry in London building from maintenance, innovation, environmental sustainab - Essay Example According to Allen and Iano (2008, p.203), a successful construction package should have a balance of these conflicting architectural design requirements. Building designers and constructors are increasingly facing a serious challenge of how to meet the meet the demands for newly constructed and renovated facilities such as accessibility, security and efficiency while at the same time minimizing the impact of their construction on the environment. On the other hand, considering the current economic challenges, it is also important to consider the cost effectiveness of renovating a building facility. In this regard, the renovation design and technology should also include sustainability initiatives to help reduce the environmental impacts and operation costs as well as improves the resiliency of the building. Located on the busy 152, Kings Road, Pheasantry is a historic architectural building that was originally used to raise pheasants for the previous royal households. The building h as a previously reinforced concrete skeletal frame as well as troughed structural floor slabs. On the other hand, the ceilings are suspended using a frame and tile system and the walls are mainly plastered. A wide range of floor finishes have also been used over the screed base and the internal walls that separate each letting space in the building are made of concrete blockwork for the purposes of fire compartmentation. It is also worth noting that all the windows currently installed are double gazed and some of the existing services include an air conditioning system. This report provides a critical appraisal of the proposal for construction package that is intended to be used for the modernization and renovation of Pheasantry building in London. Considerations in the proposed package solution There are a number of considerations that should be taken into account in the construction technologies that are proposed in the construction design package. First and foremost, the client w ho requested for the renovation of Pheasantry building had specified that each part of the proposed refurbishment should be able to provide good value for the money invested both initially as well as over its life cycle. For example, one of the major concerns of the client is how to avoid premature failure during the renovation Pheasantry building and the client also needs the modernization of the building to create a building that has an environmentally sustainable image. According to Hegazy (2002), the contemporary building construction designs are increasingly using an integrated and synergistic approach that takes all the phases of the facility life cycle into consideration. The design of the floor and the ceiling part of the building should be able to meet a number of sustainable requirements some of which include less environmental impact and reduced maintenance. For example, although floor is the most ignored surface when it comes to sustainable building design, there are a n umber of ways through with modern technology can be used to modernize floors and make them more sustainable. For example, an effective base for radiant heating of the floor can be included in the project construction package. Generally, sustainable design not only supports commitment to environmental conservation and stewardship but it also ensures the achievement of an optimal balance between costs, societal, environmental and other human benefits while at the same

How Convincing Is Porters Model of National Competitive Advantage in Essay - 5

How Convincing Is Porters Model of National Competitive Advantage in Explaining the Characteristics and Performance of the Business Systems of Major Economies - Essay Example The paper tells that international competitiveness of countries is an ever-growing concern for firms, governments as well as academic scholars. International competitiveness is one of the most misused and misunderstood terms in the press and academic literature of the modern world. According to Daniels, there is no consensus on how to measure, explain and predict international competitiveness of countries. The true meaning and understanding of the international competitiveness of countries have been the subject of much debate. Porter popularized the implicit assumption underlying the management theories that a firms competitiveness can be extended to a country’s competitiveness using his diamond framework and the world competitiveness reports. There are two schools of thought; the economic school and management school. The economic school ignores the notion of country competitiveness. However, the management school supports the concept of country competitiveness. To properly e xplain the differing views on international competitiveness by economists, a little background on the differing trade theories is required. The review of the trade theories will provide a platform for the analysis of Porter’s Diamond framework. Adams Smith theory of absolute advantage was the first theory that attempted to explain why countries engage freely in international trade. According to this theory; a state can enhance its prosperity if it limits itself into producing goods and services that the country has a higher absolute cost advantage over other countries. The country should also import those goods and services in which it has an absolute cost disadvantage.

The Role of Political Parties in Mobilizing Electoral Participation in Essay

The Role of Political Parties in Mobilizing Electoral Participation in the U.S - Essay Example First, political parties provide funding and support of candidates that run for political positions. This is the most important support role of a political party is provision of a candidate with the party nomination. Other kinds of support also come in the form of money that goes into conducting political campaigns. in cases where the money does not come directly from political parties, parties still provide important strategy, logistics and organization information that make additional funding and smooth running of the whole operation possible (Ginsberg et al., p. 123). In the period leading to elections, parties help organize fundraisers to help meet budget deficits, they also provide workers for the campaign team of the candidate and monitors the opposition for any election irregularities. The last but most important support role of any political party to its candidate is to instill confidence in him or her of a fair election process. The other role of political parties is to act as political educators. In this role, they provide the necessary literary materials to enlighten voters on the issues that they need to know (Ginsberg et al., p. 223). These issues may range from civic rights to duties and responsibilities of voters towards their country. Part of this role involves instilling on the electorates the importance of casting their vote on the election date. As political educators, mobilizing candidates and educate them on the electoral process and possible outcomes, like their likelihood of being elected. Further, political parties provide information to the public concerning their stand on issues of the day. As part of their role as educators, parties have to periodically reminding members and voters on the importance of casting their vote, since if members do not go out and vote their candidates will lose the elections.

How Convincing Is Porters Model of National Competitive Advantage in Essay - 5

How Convincing Is Porters Model of National Competitive Advantage in Explaining the Characteristics and Performance of the Business Systems of Major Economies - Essay Example The paper tells that international competitiveness of countries is an ever-growing concern for firms, governments as well as academic scholars. International competitiveness is one of the most misused and misunderstood terms in the press and academic literature of the modern world. According to Daniels, there is no consensus on how to measure, explain and predict international competitiveness of countries. The true meaning and understanding of the international competitiveness of countries have been the subject of much debate. Porter popularized the implicit assumption underlying the management theories that a firms competitiveness can be extended to a country’s competitiveness using his diamond framework and the world competitiveness reports. There are two schools of thought; the economic school and management school. The economic school ignores the notion of country competitiveness. However, the management school supports the concept of country competitiveness. To properly e xplain the differing views on international competitiveness by economists, a little background on the differing trade theories is required. The review of the trade theories will provide a platform for the analysis of Porter’s Diamond framework. Adams Smith theory of absolute advantage was the first theory that attempted to explain why countries engage freely in international trade. According to this theory; a state can enhance its prosperity if it limits itself into producing goods and services that the country has a higher absolute cost advantage over other countries. The country should also import those goods and services in which it has an absolute cost disadvantage.

Law of Business Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Business Organisations - Essay Example According to the QLD Partnership Act of 1891, there is a nature to partnership agreements that only holds partners accountable and liable for specific actions that are under the terms of agreement for a contract. According to Section 3 (1-15), liability issues of the business become questionable. Liability can be defined by the extent to which each individual is responsible for the other as well as through partner’s who breach the trust of other partners. According to section 23A, the liability not only includes basic actions and agreements, but also property and monetary value. Unless all property and money is acquired through business agreements, it is not a liability of the company. The rules to interest and duties of partners in section 27 also apply, which states that there is not a business agreement under the definition of a joint partnership unless each holds equal earnings within that agreement (Partnership Act 1891, 13-26, 2009). The first part to this is based on the term of partnership. Even though Jara and Alvarez are partners, Alvarez was not aware of the robbery or the deal that Jara had made with the robber. Under the terms of partnership, there is a joint ownership. However, this doesn’t mean that Alvarez or Jara is responsible for what the other owner does or does not do in terms of the partnership. Even though Alvarez and Jara are partners, Alvarez is not responsible for the actions that are taken by one of the members. This first defense doesn’t leave the company or Alvarez responsible for Jara’s actions. Unless he was involved in the act or had a joint agreement with the security used, he can’t be sued for his partners’ actions. Under section 3 (1-15), the definition of joint ownership does not include being responsible for individual actions. The second concept that applies under the partnership is based on the joint

The Current Zynga Strategy Diamond Marketing Essay

The Current Zynga Strategy Diamond Marketing Essay Launched in 2007, Zynga has expanded its portfolio from exclusively Facebook API services to provide independent and multiplatform social gaming on personal computers, tablets and mobile devices (Zynga, p 1-2, 2013). However, less than a year after appearing on the stock exchange Zynga has fallen on hard times (Zynga, p 1, 2013). The challenge of satisfying evolving consumer needs and the microeconomic climate have severely impacted your bottom line. Your stock price has fallen over 70% and you have recorded net losses of nearly $53 million in Q3 2012 alone (Zynga, p 1, 2013). In order to stay relevant in todays market and return Zynga to the social gaming pioneer it once was, you must employ radical changes. I have identified four main challenges facing Zynga today. Firstly, Zynga is in the business of casual gaming with a social twist. But because casual games notoriously have the shortest life cycle it is hugely problematic that Zynga has neither innovated nor replicated successful games at the same rate that customers have grown tired of the available offerings. Secondly, Zynga does not have a sustainable source of revenue due to considerable customer churn. Cycling through customers and not generating repeat business is not a strategy for a freemium company. Thirdly, while Zynga is moving towards a more independent business model, the business was built on and still largely depends on Facebook. The close association between your corporations and your recent decision to sever ties with the social media giant has been negatively affecting your bottom line. Lastly, the corporate culture in place at Zynga thrives on imitation. Rather than being forward thinking and innovative, Zynga ha s enjoyed enormous success by mimicking already popular games and reverse engineering them for a simpler, social experience. Given these challenges I have developed a strategic recommendation to reinvent Zynga. Zynga must return to its original ambitions of being an independent social gaming giant and create a social gaming ecosystem unlike any other. By partnering with hardware manufacturers and developing a new operating system Zynga can not only reclaim its lost share of the social gaming market, but capture a population of consumers with unmet social gaming needs. With this innovative model, Zynga will once again demonstrate financial success. Goals and Objectives: The ultimate goal of my strategic recommendation is to revert Zyngas declining financial status and decreasing Monthly Average Users (MUAs). The new business model will pursue the goals upon which the company was founded upon: Reach, Retention and Revenue; however, these goals may only be achieved if Zynga remains true its original ambitions and strives for stable growth built on its own success, rather than piggybacking off the growth of another corporation. Contextual Analysis: Mark, you created Zynga to address an unrealized consumer need: socially integrated gaming. But while you correctly predicted that consumers wanted an immersive and integrated social gaming experience, as they do with most other tech experiences, you failed in your execution. The original customer reach, retention and revenue model aided the explosive growth you enjoyed in the past, but it did not create a foundation for your company to be further built on. You were too consumed with rapidly growing the company and collecting profits to see that strategically Zynga would have benefited from a slower, more premeditated climb to success. Your original ambitions to build an independent company were correct, yet instead you chose to piggyback off of the success of Facebook to catapult yourself into overnight, mass-market penetration. Accordingly, there are four challenges facing Zynga. Firstly, Zynga is in the business of casual gaming with a social twist. That is, simple games with uncomplicated, vibrant graphics and easy inputs and controls. Since casual games are not intimidating and easy to play, they appeal to a large audience (primarily [60%] a normally disinterested group of middle aged women). However, casual games notoriously have the shortest life cycle (Microsoft ). In fact, most estimates give casual games a 300 day life cycle (______). The gameplay in Zyngas games is particularly known for its simplicity (_____). Look at Farmville as an example. A users constant diligence and effort will ultimately be rewarded if they maintain their crops and animals (unless they choose to buy virtual currency with real currency to speed up the game). It is evident that there is hardly any skill component involved in casual gaming. Accordingly, game fatigue occurs relatively quickly. Your frequent introduction of new games is evidence that you understand this trend; ho wever, what you have not accounted for is that users become exhausted by the entire category of simple games. Once you have built a farm, city, mafia and castle using virtually indistinguishable principles, a similar game is less likely to be pleasing. This is especially true in a category of games that Zynga succeeds in: non goal-oriented games. That is games that have no definitive end or prize. It is hugely problematic that your company has neither innovated nor replicated successful games at the same rate that customers have grown tired of the available offerings. Cycling through customers and not generating repeat business is not a strategy. Secondly, you have neither a stable, nor sustainable source of revenue due to the previously discussed customer churn. Zynga operates on a freemium, free-to-play model. That is, the vast majority of your customers play your games for free while only a small portion of users constitute paying customers. Financial analysis reveals that over 83% of your revenue is generated by less than 3% of your customers. As such, Zynga faces grave financial risks if you lose the attention and enthusiasm of your core 3% of paying customers. Thirdly, while Zynga is moving towards a more independent business model, your business was built on and still largely depends on Facebook (Zynga 10-K, 2013). In 2012 86% of Zyngas revenue was from Facebook API services and revenues were down 20% from the prior year, while Facebook reported a 40% increase in gaming profit (Zynga, p , 2013) (Zynga 10-K, 2013). Note this discrepancy. Although the social nature of your games requires the use of a social network platform, Facebook is a social media monopolist. As such, you are buying and using services providing by a monopolist. This has severe financial implications for Zynga. When a company does not make considerable profits, it is not in Facebooks interest to charge a high transaction fee. Instead, Facebook encourages use of its services by maintaining low fees since the applications use increases the usage of Facebooks platform. However, if the company becomes financially successful, as Zynga did, Facebook begins to charge higher tra nsaction fees. This is standard microeconomics and a problem plaguing Zynga. Facebook is capitalizing on your success by taking over 30% of each transaction your games attract (Zynga, p , 2013). Additionally, the close association between your corporation and Facebook, as well as your recent decision to sever ties with the social media giant has been and will continue negatively affecting your bottom line. While costumers may recognize your games, your corporate brand has been dissolved and shadowed by Facebook. You should not have so closely associated Zynga with Facebook and so heavily relied on Facebook to grow your company. While Facebook will always have game developers to replace you, you will not always have the customer awareness you enjoyed on while using Facebooks API services. You are competing in an industry where you are highly replaceable and are at the mercy of your customers in your fight to stay relevant (Exhibit A). Lastly, the corporate culture in place at Zynga thrives on imitation. Zynga is present in the rapidly evolving industry of gaming in which technology is critical. Such an industry requires companies to be at the forefront of change and lead innovation. Normally companies employ sizeable RD teams that look to new game development (in your case to combat game fatigue and customer churn) as well as new distribution channels (in your case to combat the dependence on Facebook). You did genuinely pioneer social gaming, but that is where you stopped. While copying competitor games worked in the short term, it is not a sustainable strategy. You must refocus on innovation. Furthermore, this attitude blinded you to the importance of the smartphone as a new gaming platform. Only recently have you realized the potential of mobile games. Rather than being forward thinking and innovative, Zynga has enjoyed enormous success by mimicking already popular games and reverse engineering them for a simpl er, social experience. Strategic Options Alternatives: With regard to customer acquisition and retention, Pincus wondered whether Zynga should invest to improve its viral distribution model, or if the company needed to encourage users to connect with strangers who also happen to be Zynga game players. One of the unmet needs social media sites address is the desire to meet new people. Consumers enjoy being around like minded individuals and tend to seek out and gravitate to those who share similar interests and values. In most cases an individual has a set amount of friends in their social network that closely share their values, but not necessarily enough to satisfy their social needs. As such, it is in Zyngas best interest to encourage users to connect with strangers who also enjoy social gaming. Consumers would be attracted to the idea that they would be introduced to those most like them satisfying their social need. Furthermore, for Zynga the viral avenue is slowly disappearing since Facebook has amended its algorithm to limit game post viability to those who are not signed up for the Zynga services. Additionally, depending on a viral distribution model implies that there is a large enough customer base to promote to. Zyngas creation of an independent platform is a positive and progressive step, but you must remember that you will not have the same customer base that Facebook has, and it certainly will not attract 1 billion users overnight. With regard to product, Pincus debated whether he should invest primarily in evolving existing successful casual games, or if he should invest to expand Zynga into other markets, such as real money gambling and mid-core gaming. Zynga should invest in other markets. Social games have a very short life cycle and are becoming increasingly more expensive for Zynga to create and maintain. As such, Zynga should focus on investing and developing games that are more interactive, slightly more complex and retain customers for longer periods of time such as gambling games and mid-core games as these markets theoretically address the problems facing Zynga. With regard to corporate strategy, Pincus had to decide whether Zynga should continue to focus on being a content producer, or if it should focus on becoming a platform for hosting its own and 3rd party developers games. Zynga should not limit itself on content development as its only competency. You should begin building a platform or operating system or even venturing into hardware manufacturing in order to release yourself from the fetters of Facebook. In truth, this is the hardest strategy because it has the highest risk, but if properly implemented, it would also reap the great ROI as well as serve as the most long term option. Strategic Recommendation: Successful tech companies are those that do not just create products, services or experiences, but rather immerse their users into complete, closed ecosystems. Google, Amazon and Apple are three examples of lucrative companies that have enjoyed stable growth throughout the past decade of tumultuous technological uncertainty. They have fully integrated their consumers by enticing them to choose a digital lifestyle that is almost controlled by their gadgets and software. For instance, Google has vertically and horizontally integrated to provide social services (Google+) and created not one, but two platforms (Android and Chrome) available on a multitude of devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) to engage consumers on all levels. Apple has done the same with its iPhones, Macs and iPads and its OS. Amazon has the Kindle and Amazon Prime. In each company, consumer hardware is fully integrated with the other products and the platform/software addresses both known and unmet social needs. This occurs while the hardware and software provide the standard professional and personal solutions expected of computing devices. Even Facebook, your rival is making its foray into software and hardware integration with the release of its operating system: Home. Like Google, Apple and Amazon, Facebook will now have its own ecosystem to lock its users into. Creating an ecosystem employs the walled-garden concept where a company locks a consumer into its product by providing all the services necessary to address the consumer needs and effectively locks a consumer into the product. Zynga should follow lead and focus on creating a social gaming ecosystem with high walls (barriers to entry) by leaving the consumer facing high switching costs. The best way to create this ecosystem is by developing your own, independent platform and operating system and partnering with hardware manufacturers to deliver integrated devices to fanatical gamers. Implementation Plan Zynga should begin to secede from Facebook in a gradual 3 year plan. Each year you should refrain from renewing 1/3 of the games on the Facebook API service. Zynga should begin with the weakest performing games and gradually the best games to retain maximum customer awareness through the succession process. The goal will be to not only retain current Facebook customers and move them to Zynga.com, but also to generate enough buzz to secure to customers directly through Zynga.com. By slowly transitioning existing Facebook users to Zynga.com the customer base of your social network will grow and attract new users. Year One: Zynga should reach out to hardware manufacturers HTC is a great candidate to negotiate a contract and develop a smart phone and tablet adapted for Zynga games. Simultaneously, Zynga should begin developing the OS and gaming platform for the device. It is also important to reach out to retailers and wireless companies to secure subsidy contracts for the new device. It is also necessary for Zynga to pursue marketing and promotional partnerships with both the device manufacturer(s) and the wireless carrier(s) in order to split the cost of an aggressive marketing campaign. Year Two: During Q1 and Q2, Zynga should begin production and continue the marketing campaign. Zynga should also focus on developing a robust network of games to be deployed on its device. It would benefit Zynga to allow third party developer rights to innovate games for Zynga. In Q3 Zynga should begin selling the device. Year Three: Zynga should focus on a 10 month life cycle for its devices to stay relevant to consumers. As such, RD and production of the generation two Zynga device should take place during the middle of Q1 2016 and conclude at the end of Q2 2016. Sales of the gen 2 device should begin at the beginning of Q3 2016. Exhibit 1: Porters Five Forces: Competitive Rivalry High Zynga, Wooga, 5 Minutes, Playfish, Playdom, Kabam, Crowdstar, EA, among others. Power of Buyers Moderate to High Customers dictate the content and their needs change daily. Because there are so many alternate companies providing the same/similar services, game providers have to adapt to retain customers. Power of Suppliers Moderate to High While there are many game hosting platforms, few garner the attention of mass amounts of users. As such, the power of the supplier fluctuates based on its user base. Threat of New Entrants Very High The cost and time required to develop a social game is very low (single-digit millions and months) relative to the cost of developing a more traditional graphic-intense console game (tens of millions and years). This lower cost allows much smaller game developers to try their hand at developing the next big hit and has resulted in a proliferation of new competitors. Substitute Products Very High There are not only identical products out there by competitors, but also there are many substitute products: hardcore games, board games, tv, blogs, anything people use to pass the time. Exhibit 2: Current Zynga Strategy Diamond Arenas Casual gaming Vehicles exclusivity contracts, social platforms (mainly Facebook), early stages of their own social platform. Differentiators highly integrated social features. Economic Logic freemium business model. 97% of consumers receive free services while 3% of consumers pay to advance quickly through game and receive premium services. Monetization relies on 3 revenue streams, affiliate offers, virtual goods sales and advertizing Staging biweekly game updates. Release new games every ____.

Isabel Allende?s ?Two Words :: essays research papers

Loss and Survival in Isabel Allende’s â€Å"Two Words† Because Belisa Crepusculario had such a difficult childhood in which she experienced so much loss in her life, she is forced to become a stronger person both mentally and physically to survive such devastating circumstances. It will ultimately be this strong sense of survival that she develops through these experiences of great loss, which will guide her through the survival of life threatening situations. Belisa had a rough childhood. She was born into a family that was very poor. On top of dealing with poverty, Belisa also had to deal with living in a place that wasn’t suited very well for inhabitants. This quote explains her childhood quite well. â€Å"Belisa Crepusculario had been born into a family so poor they did not even have names to give their children. She came into the world and grew up in an inhospitable land where some years the rains became avalanches of water that bore everything away before them and others when not a drop fell from the sky and the sun swelled to fill the horizon and the world became a desert. Until she was twelve, Belisa had no occupation or virtue other than having withstood hunger and the exhaustion of centuries† (10). I believe that this quote sets up the rest of the story about Belisa because it portrays her as someone who endured many hardships as a young child and those are what helped her become a stronger person for those hardships. Belisa also had to endure great loss of family members as a young child. She was the only child out of her five siblings to survive a horrible drought that swept through the area where she lived, that claimed her four siblings. This quote explains those circumstances. â€Å"During one interminable drought, it fell to her to bury four younger brothers and sisters; when she realized that her turn was next, she decided to set out across the plains in the direction of the sea, in hopes that she might trick death along the way† (10). I believe that her strong will to survive is what made her leave home, because she did not want to just whither away into death like the rest of her family had done. She wants to live and that was quite evident. While Belisa is making her way toward the sea, she encounters others who are doing likewise, to avoid the great drought.

Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King - Power of Fate :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The Power of Fate in Oedipus the King The Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written to show the common people of Greece how powerful the gods are and that your fate is pre-determined and nothing you do can change that. He does this by showing how people in this story try to escape their fate and how it is no use because in the end, what the oracles predict comes true. In the story there are many occasions in which people try to escape their fate. The first time that one of the characters in the story tries to escape their fate is when Jocasta and Laius have a child. After the oracles tell Jocasta and Laius of their fate, Jocasta and Laius try to get rid of their new born baby by sending him off to a shepherd who in turn will put the baby on a mountain to die, however in the end their child (Oedipus) becomes a prince of another city and ends up killing his father (Laius) in an altercation and marries his mother (Jocasta). Another example is when Oedipus tries to run away from those who he thinks are his real parents because he does not want to kill his father or marry his mother, however he ends up doing so when he meets his real father in a intersection of three roads and kills him. The third example is when Oedipus continues on his journey to escape his fate and comes across the sphinx. The sphinx was a horrendous monster that was terrorizing the city of Thebes and it was said that whoever could solve the riddle of the sphinx would become king of Thebes. Oedipus solved the riddle and became king thus marrying the queen of Thebes (Jocasta) who was his real mother. By doing this he committed what he tried to get away from. In the end of the story, when Oedipus and his wife/mother find out that the prediction of the oracles has came true, Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus kills himself when he sees his mother/wife dead. This part of the tragedy is to show that if you try to escape your fate, you will be punished by the gods.

Christianity in the Roman empire Essay

The Ancient Romans were polytheistic, thus believed in pagan gods and worshipped idols. After some time, a new religion called Christianity rose among the people of Judea. However, as soon as it appeared the Romans started to persecute Christians for not worshipping the emperor and for refusing to go to the army. Even though Christians were persecuted, the religion spread around the Roman Empire at a glance. This was due to the road system in Rome, the common languages spoken by the people, to the fact that anyone could convert to Christianity and finally that it was impossible to destroy an idea. The Roman Empire had an amazing road system which bonded the gigantic empire. When Christianity appeared, the idea of the religion traveled quickly due to the roads that led to Rome. In a few days Romans knew what and where was everything happening. If it wasn’t for the roads Christianity wouldn’t have spread so quickly. However due to the Roman road system it did. The roads not only unified the whole empire but also contributed into spreading the new religion around it. However if it wasn’t for the Latin language, the Christian ideas wouldn’t spread that fast. The Latin language was one the major bonds of the Roman Empire. In addition it played a huge role in spreading of Christianity. Everyone in Rome spoke one official language. So the success of Christianity was also due to the common language Latin. Finally, the road system helped a lot with the spreading of Christianity, however without the common language, Latin; it would never spread as fast. One of the things Jesus wanted to change in Judaism was the conversion rules.  He didn’t like the fact that people had to do a lot of things in order to become Jewish. Jews didn’t want people to convert to their religion that is why they made the rules harsh. Jesus on the other hand tried to simplify Judaism and later it became known as a separate religion Christianity. What was interesting in Christianity is that fact that anyone could become a Christian, no matter what they did, where they lived or who they were. Christianity spread because of its appeal to those who led hard lives. It gave a sense of community and fellowship to the people. There were no class distinctions or sex differences in the religion. Christians believed that in G-ds eyes everyone was the same. When people all around the empire heard about these ideas they were interested, because they were new and unique, and that is why thousands of them converted to Christianity. However when there were too many people joining Christians, The Romans became very angry because now they couldn’t unite every one in the empire by worshipping the emperor. And now Christians come along and they ruined all of their plans of bonding the empire. The Romans started to persecute Christians all over the empire. By persecuting Christians they made the religion stronger because people saw others who were willing to die for a religion. Even though Christian’s persecutions were sporadic and evil they couldn’t wipe out all the Christians, that is why the idea continued to grow. The religion spread mainly due to the fact that Christians were martyrs, the idea that people were killed for their beliefs made the religion more attractive for others; it must have been something special to die for, so people followed it and Christianity spread. An idea is a seed that was buried deep inside the ground by someone. No one is able to see it; it doesn’t stand on someone’s way because it is deep inside the ground and impossible to see. The seed is strong because it is unified. However time makes it grow and develop, and break through ground to show up outside the earth to see the sun. The sun gives it energy and it continues to grow it becomes strong, powerful and big. But as soon as it starts to develop new ideas attend the people on that plant and new branches develop, making the plant bigger and bigger, until it starts to annoy someone. That someone sees lots of people following the idea  and they start to persecute in order to destroy everything on their way, everything they can see! They cut off the new ideas, torture the plant but they can not destroy the roots, the concept, the idea because it continues to live deep inside the ground. The Romans saw a beautiful plant, Christianity that was blooming and growing and developing. They wanted to unite all the Romans by worshipping the emperor. However Christianity started to grow their own plant and refused to worship the emperor or go to the army. This made Romans angry and they started to persecute Christians, they wanted to destroy their plant. By persecuting one Christian, others that shared the same beliefs and views on the world, tried to help him, maybe they did not succeed but more and more people joined to help Christians, who were tortured by the Romans, people that were tired and knew that were going to die anyway joined Christians to pay off to the Romans, they wanted to revenge. In addition Christianity gave hopes for the people that were tired of the Roman control. Thousand people joined, thus it united people and made them stronger. Even though millions were killed there were others that joined and the idea was never destroyed. For the Romans and for everyone it seemed that Christianity was already dead, but no, the roots were still alive. Christianity was like an iceberg, the Romans destroyed everything they saw but not the idea, not the roots! The roots continued to grow inside and they became strong and united deep inside the ground where no one could see them. Finally, Christianity survived and dominated the Roman Empire because everyone could easily become a Christian, the news traveled really fast in the Roman Empire and it was impossible to destroy a unique idea. To conclude Christianity succeeded because it gave the people of Rome who were tired of the instability, hope. Moreover Romans didn’t really care what Christians believed in, Roman government was instable and they needed scapegoats, who were extreme with their opinions and were ruining the stability of the Roman Empire, such as Christians.