Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Energy Flow in Ecosystems If there is only one thing you learn about ecosystems, it should be that all of the living residents of an ecosystem are dependent upon one another for their survival. But what does that dependence look like?   Each organism living in an ecosystem plays an important role in the flow of energy within the food web. The role of a bird is very different from that of a flower. But both are equally necessary to the overall survival of the ecosystem, and all of the other living creatures within it. Ecologists have defined three ways that living creatures use energy and interact with one another. Organisms are defined as producers, consumers, or decomposers. Here is a look at each of these roles and their place within an ecosystem. Producers The main role of producers is to capture the energy from the sun and convert it into food. Plants, algae, and some bacteria are producers. Using a process called photosynthesis, producers use the suns energy to turn water and carbon dioxide into food energy. They earn their name, because- unlike the other organisms in an ecosystem- they can actually produce their own food. Produces are the original source of all food within an ecosystem. In most ecosystems, the sun is the source of energy that producers use to create energy. But in a few rare cases- such as ecosystems found in rocks deep beneath the ground- bacterial producers can use the energy found in a gas called hydrogen sulfide, that is found within the environment, to create food even in the absence of sunlight! Consumers Most organisms in an ecosystem cannot make their own food. They depend upon other organisms to meet their food needs. They are called consumers- because that is what they do- consume. Consumers can be broken down into three classifications: herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Herbivores are consumers that only eat plants. Deer and caterpillars are herbivores found commonly in a number of environments.Carnivores are consumers that only eat other animals. Lions and spiders are examples of carnivores. There is a special category of carnivore called scavengers. Scavengers are animals that eat only dead animals. Catfish and vultures are examples of scavengers.Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants and animals depending upon the season and availability of food. Bears, most birds, and humans are omnivores. Decomposers Consumers and producers can live together nicely, but after some time, even the vultures and catfish would not be able to keep up with all of the dead bodies that would pile up of the years. Thats where decomposers come in. Decomposers are organisms that break down and feed off of the waste and dead organisms within an ecosystem. Decomposers are natures built-in recycling system. By breaking down materials- from dead trees to the waste from other animals, decomposers return nutrients to the soil and create another food source for herbivores and omnivores within the ecosystem. Mushrooms and bacteria are common decomposers. Every living creature in an ecosystem has a role to play. Without producers, consumers and decomposers would not survive because they would have no food to eat. Without consumers, the populations of producers and decomposers would grow out of control. And without decomposers, producers and consumers would soon become buried in their own waste. Classifying organisms by their role within an ecosystem helps ecologists understand how food and energy ebb and flows in the environment. This movement of energy is usually diagrammed using food chains or food webs. While a food chain shows one path along which energy can move through an ecosystem, food webs show all of the overlapping ways that organisms live with and depend upon one another. Energy Pyramids Energy pyramids are another tool that ecologists use to understand the role of organisms within an ecosystem and how much energy is available at each stage of a food web. Most of the energy in an ecosystem is available at the producer level. As you move up on the pyramid, the amount of available energy decreases significantly. In general, only about 10 percent of the available energy from one level of the energy pyramid transfers to the next level. the remaining 90 percent of energy is either utilized by the organisms within that level or lost to the environment as heat.   The energy pyramid shows how ecosystems naturally limit the number of each type of organism it can sustain. Organisms that occupy the top level of the pyramid- tertiary consumers- have the least amount of available energy. Therefore their numbers are limited by the number of producers within an ecosystem.

Annotated Bibliography on Innovation Scholarly research

On Innovation Scholarly research - Annotated Bibliography Example It is due to this reason that the article can be used for practical reference. The tone used by the author in the article is quiet systemic which means that it is not for the general audience. However, the article lacks a slight degree of practical examples to make the material easy to understand. There were a number of researches which were conducted in order to formulate a similar relationship but only this research has been able to highlight it. It will not be incorrect to note that this research article is a classic in the field of innovation study with respect to human resource management. The aim of the chosen research is to evaluate the impact that in-house R&D and innovation can have on the medium-sized firms (SMEs). The study is basically quantitative in nature as the authors have made use of data from the German CIS. The author has used easy to understand tone which makes the research readable for general audiences. The research lacks a number of case studies which could have brought a more even layout of material of the research. The author of the research is a professional of HRM which makes the study credible. Considering the objectivity of the research, it should be noted that the data is most contemporary linking the gap of research done so far on this subject matter. The authors of the aforementioned article are professionals in the field of HRM and have relevant degree making this research as a desirable reference of this field. It should be noted that the article has focused on the innovation of employee participation at workplace. The authors have made use of qualitative approach to meet the hypothesis of the research. The research was conducted in 2011 which makes the research to be used in the present times increasing objectivity. The targeted audience of the research is businessmen. However, the tone of the research is easier to understand which makes the

Catholic Church and Artificial Birth Control Methods Research Paper

Catholic Church and Artificial Birth Control Methods - Research Paper Example The Catholic Church is emphatic on the notion that birth control is not only wrong but also a grave sin. This paper will discuss the Catholic Church or doctrine and its emphasis on the ban of artificial birth control methods. From the date of its inception, the Catholic Church has insisted that birth control is a sin. Birth control and its methods have been understood from the times of ancient Roman and Greek empires. During this period, birth control was undertaken using condoms made from animal skin and other poisons that were used as spermicidal. The Catholic Church has followed the first mention of birth control issues recorded in genesis 38:8-10. According to the catholic doctrine, this is where birth control methods have been banned in the bible. Here Onan was instructed to engage in sexual intercourse with the widow of his brother. However, in that activity, Onan withdrew his penis so that he could not impregnate her. This resulted to the slain of Onan (Jutte 142). The Catholi c Church also cites Deuteronomy 23:1 that says that a person who crushes his testicles or cuts off his member will not be allowed in the Assembly of God. Crushing testicles and cutting off the member were considered as effective ways of sterilization at that time. Therefore, the Catholic Church states that this verse is clear on the Bible’s stand on birth control issues. The ban on birth control methods were also reiterated by the Catholic Church leaders in their time. For instance, the Clement of Alexandria in 195 AD said that the seed has a divine institution towards the propagation of human species. Therefore, the seed should not be ejaculated vainly, damaged or be wasted. This assertion agrees with the song of Monty Python called Every Sperm is Sacred. During the industrial revolution in 1930, Pope Pius XI was angered by the acceptance of birth control by other churches of the Christian doctrine (Tentler 7). This made him put a casti connubii in December 1930 that read, à ¢â‚¬Å"†¦ therefore, openly departing from the uninterrupted Christian tradition some recently have judged it possible solemnly to declare another doctrine regarding this question, the Catholic Church ... in order that she may preserve the chastity of the nuptial union from being defiled by this foul stain, ... proclaims anew that any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.† (Genovesi 174) The Catholic Church has hold on to the ban even in modern times. The catholic doctrine states that God created sex for the procreation of children and maintain the chastity of marriage. It is in this sense that the Catholic Church forbids sex outside marriage. This is because the church emphasizes that the teachings of birth control methods should be taught and understood in t he context of marriage specifically for the husband and his wife. However, the modern day Catholic Church has slightly changed on its emphasis on birth control methods. The traditional Catholic Church did not allow for any birth control method. On the other hand, the modern Catholic Church allows married couples to use natural birth control methods (Rengel 198). The modern day Catholic Church states clearly that it does not condemn the use of pills or condoms. This

Multinational Enterprises Engage In Foreign Direct Investment Economics Essay

Multinational Enterprises Engage In Foreign Direct Investment Economics Essay A multinational enterprise is defined as an enterprise that engages foreign direct investment (FDI) and owns or controls value adding activities in more than one country (John H. Dunning, 1992). Today all big multinational enterprise was once a small firm with a less number of employees. Once the firm started manufacturing the product according to customer needs and satisfaction, then the firm can achieve high success in the market. To start a business a firm needs a capital amount. In the beginning stage of business the firm does not know how to market the product and who are the entire customers and what actually the consumer want. The main reason that firms outsource the products is to know what actually the consumer really needs and to understand the market conditions. Outsourcing helps to reduce the overall costs in an organization. So the cost factor becomes less. Once the firm satisfies customer needs and satisfaction then the business and market can be globally expanded. To achieve high success in business, the firm has to design products according to consumer needs and satisfaction than market conditions. Market conditions are also an important factor; the firms should know how well the product is playing into market and how long it lasts in the market. Customers are the king source in business. To reach our product to all kinds of customers is through advertising, the advertising costs are expensive. So if the firms outsource the product then there is no problem to worry about advertising costs. To expand the business globally the firm has to manufacture products with good quality. A national enterprise is the one which does business within the country and it has no foreign direct investment (FDI) and no exchange value. The difference between national enterprise and multinational enterprise is national enterprise has less number of competitors and multinational enterprise has more number of competitors. Once the business started growing globally the multinational enterprise contributes fifty percent of funds to its organization. To do a business in a particular product, the product has to be patented. The cost of obtaining the patent license is expensive. So if the firms outsource the products then the patent cost becomes less. If the patent license is obtained, then the business can be expanded globally and export cost is also reduced. Globalization is the circulation of goods, services and capital, but also information, ideas and people. It has shaped all of the twentieth century, albeit with large cyclical variations and has become an increasingly visible force in recent decades (World Bank, 2000). FDI Local Packing Assembly Export through own Supply representative or sale subsidiary vxfczxfgd Representative or sales subsialary Export via agent or distributor License Time Depth of involvement in foreign market Fig: 1 Entry into foreign Market Source : Rugman A.M., and Collinson S,2009 Once the business starts growing globally, the competitive advantage also starts increasing. We will come to know about latest technology in the market and more firms in the world. In the initial stage the firm should target only one country to market the product. Once the firms become success in that country then the firms can target many other countries. If the firm exports the product through agents or through distributors then the firm will come to know about the market conditions and the competitive advantage of the product. The important thing is that firms should concentrate mainly on quality, customers need and satisfaction and market condition of the product. The reason that firms export the product through agents or through distributors is the exportation cost. The exportation cost is less. Once the quantity of customers is increased, then the firm can achieve high profits. Then gradually the firm can increase its production and globally the market is also expanded. The firms can exchange ideas and information, improves communication and networking is developed. Initially the main reasons for outsourcing the business are the cost factor. Cost is an important factor to design a business. While doing business the firms should know how to control the overall costs and expenditure. The main aim is to manufacture products with good quality and low costs. The raw material costs are high and the availability of raw materials is very low. Once the number of consumers is gained the business is expanded globally and the firm itself can directly market the product. The main reasons for multinational enterprises are responsiveness to environmental forces such as competitors, customers, suppliers, financial institutions and government. Attracts common pool of resources including assets, patents, trademarks and human resources. More number of competitors starts increasing once the firms become multinational enterprise. The level of development of each country vis-à  -vis the aforementioned prerequisites clearly differs (Patrick, 2000). Central Europe is advanced in terms of infrastructure and privatization than south-west Europe. Mainly western countries give tax benefits and the government itself will provide funds for the firms which are all sick. Foreign direct investment takes an increasingly important role in the restructuring process which hinges on a number of variables. The main reasons that firms go for multinational enterprise is the job opportunities. Job opportunities will be expanded and a large number of employments are provided to large number of people. The national enterprise face pressure from trade union activity to avoid company spread their bases around the world; this in turn weakens the companys growth and economy. One of the important reason firms go multinational is to increase sales and to expand production activities. National firms naturally do not become multinational firms; the company has to expand its production, manufacture good quality products and should solve the problems. There should be a smooth flow in running the firms. Then only the company has improved in its production, profit, technology and growth. The advantages of multinational company are as follows:- Marketing opportunity: When they expand over different countries their market expands. The products can be marketed world-wide in different parts of the world and the exports also can be increased. Joint -venture with overseas countries also makes a national firm multinational. Research and Development: This helps us to manufacture products with good quality. If any failure occurs, while designing a product, this helps us to rectify the errors. And immediately the problem is solved. Export promotion: Export and import plays a key role for the countries income. Lot of foreign exchange is earned through supply of raw materials, technology and various other product. Growth of industry: The growth of multinational companies are considered to be quick when compared to others. It also helps the domestic companies to grow by giving work opportunities. They also help them enter global market through their network. Gives latest technology: it plays the role of manufacturing good quality products and reduces the cost of production. Multinational companies are basically rich. It solves the bridge between developed countries and developing countries. Optimum utilization of resources: this helps us to utilize the natural and artificial resource in a preserved manner. Uses natural and artificial resources of the home country. Home country gets benefited by the growth of these companies. Help to local industry: This provides a ready market to domestic suppliers of raw materials or semi-finished products Management opportunities: Opens management opportunities to management students who can be appointed as professional managers to earn a handsome salary and build reputation of the company. National development: Developing countries are highly benefited by the multinational companies. It helps them to increase their efficiency and improve the technology and most importantly foreign direct investment. It helps the developing country improve economically as well by providing financial and technical support. Monopoly: When multinational company enters in to domestic market they compete with existing competitors and break the monopoly of selected few companies. Conclusion Firms go multinational as they are bound to have many advantages such as cheap labour, cheap raw materials which will help them in cost cutting. They enter into a competitive market and strive to increase their sales. There are three important stages to become a multinational firm. They greatly depend up on export and expansions of export sales to justify building new plants out of the countries. Secondly overseas production, there must be a limit to overseas sales that is being halted by a multinational company. Lastly the firm needs to start their research, planning, organizing, coordinating, production, marketing and financial support which is said to be RD (Research and Development) to go multinational. In deciding whether the reasons for becoming multinational have changed, considering the buzz word has only been around for the best part of forty years it is fair to say that it has not. If we look back at the end of the last century the only difference is that the huge petroleum companies, gold mines and fruit growers only became multinational. To get closer to their market, the transport of such goods are difficult than it is today. Indeed, as recently as it could still be taken as axiomatic that it was both desirable and feasible for firms that were diversified both by product and to develop multidimensional strategic capabilities. To build broader organizational capabilities those transcend formal structure. Referencing Artisien.P and Maksimenko 2000.  Multinationals in Eastern Europe. London: St.Martins Press Inc. pp.11-35 Coolreferat. 2008.  Why Do National Firms Become M Essay. [ONLINE] Available at:http://pda.coolreferat.com/Why_Do_National_Firms_Become_M_Essay. [Accessed 29th March 2011] Haider. M.J. 2010.  Advantages of Multinational Company  . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/125324-Advantages-Multinational-Company.aspx. [Accessed 24th March 2011] John H. Dunning, 2000. The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity, International Business Review 9 (1), pp.163-190. Needle,D. 2004. Globalization: Paoli,L. and Cooke,A.  Business in Context. 5th ed. Hampshire: Rennie,T. pp.11-46. Rugman A.M., and Collinson S, 2009.  International Business. 5th ed. Essex: MCGraw-Hill. pp.7-21,39-45. World Bank. 2000.  Poverty in Age of Globalisation. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sph.umich.edu/symposium/2004/pdf/povertyglobalization.pdf. [Accessed 29th March 2011]

Effective Use of Montage in the Movie, The Night of the Hunter Essay

Effective Use of Montage in the Movie, The Night of the Hunter A rapid succession of images or scenes that exhibits different aspects of the same idea or situation, this is the definition of montage as provided by Encarta Encyclopedia ’98. The idea of a â€Å"montage of attractions† was first used by Eisenstein and Pudovkin in the 1920s for the purpose of invoking specific emotions in the viewers. The movie The Night of the Hunter starring Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish makes use of this film technique. The use of montage is apparent from the beginning of the movie. The first image we see is Mrs. Cooper (Gish) telling children a story as they are superimposed over the night sky. The next image is a bird’s eye view of children playing hide and seek and then finding the dead body of a woman in a cellar (which we are later led to assume was a crime committed by Powell). Following this we see Preacher Harry Powell (Mitchum) as he travels, views a burlesque show, and is arrested. Powell’s scenes are interspersed with Ben Harper’s scenes where he speaks to his children, hides his money, and is arrested. It isn’t until these two characters scenes converge in the prison that we begin to understand what’s going on and get a premonition of things to come. This is perhaps the most obvious use of montage in the film. We see this technique later in the movie as well. When Willa Harper is in Spoon’s shop talking to Mrs. Spoon (though we cannot hear what they are saying), all of a sudden we hear a train whistle and see an image of a moving train. Then again we see Mrs. Harper and Mrs. Spoon and again the train. This was a bit odd to understand at first as the transitions between the scenes are very sharp and sudden it almost startles you.... ... We see the timelessness of the dreamlike river scene and the mother’s hair floating under the water scene. Timelessness is a common theme that is representative of childhood and with the gift of the watch we can now see John as a man with the power to use time rather than drift helplessly along with it as he had drifted along with the river. When thinking of â€Å"a rapid succession of images or scenes,† my first thought was that this was an awkward use of film. As the book, Film Theory and Criticism says, â€Å"Simply stringing separate photographic shots together will not produce intelligible works of visual art.† Yet the use of montage in The Night of the Hunter was very subtle so that at points I wasn’t aware that I was watching a montage. It also enhanced the film’s thematic qualities greatly and by doing so convinced me of the values of a montage when used well.

Vizio Case

Management Focus on Vizio Quest no 7: Reread the Management Focus on Vizio and answer the following questions: a. Why is the manufacturing of flat panel TV’s migrating to different locations around the world? Vizio’ TV get their panel from South Korea, electronic components from China, and processors from the United States, and it is come together in Mexico. Vizio’s managers search for the cheapest manufacturers of flat panel displays and these electronic components.Vizio’ TV move to the developing countries to making their products because the workers salaries are lower than the United States, so they can reduce the cost of the products. Another reason of migrating to different locations is the decreasing trade and investment barriers between countries. b. Who benefits from the globalization of the flat panel display industry? Who are the losers? Vizio Company takes benefits from globalization of the flat panel display industry because they reduce the lab or costs and then also increase their profit.The labors in foreign countries also benefit because they are hired with a higher salary by the company. Consumers also benefit from it because they can purchase the TV in a lower price as compare with other brands prices. Some people could not get any benefits because when the company moves to another country, they have to lose jobs. The manufacturing products environment in the foreign country may be effected or harmful due to the pollutant release to the environment and it affects the people who live around. d. What does the example of Vizio tell you about the future of production in an increasingly integrated global economy?What does it tell you about the strategies that enterprises must adopt to thrive in highly competitive global markets? In the future, more and more companies will choose the globalization in production which is applied to their business, the manufacturers to reduce the cost and increase the competitive advantages i n the market. When every manufacturer follows this strategy, the unfair in competition will remove. For example, Sonyand Hitachi close their plants in U. S but make T. V in Mexico and Asia plants and sell their products in U. S to compete with Vizio Company.

Authentic Forms as Exit Slips Grades 7-12