The Determinants of FDI in Nigeria and its Effects on the Growth of Research Proposal

The Determinants of FDI in Nigeria and its Effects on the Growth of SMEs - Research Proposal Example In this particular area, there are two approaches that are commonly applied namely the macro approach and the micro approach. Macro approach encompasses empirical examination of effects of FDI on the general economic growth in areas related to the creation of employment, business and industry as well as international relationships (Ip, 2010, p.90). On the other hand, the microeconomic approach focuses on the impacts of FDI on the grass root economy in various sectors like skills development, employment generation specifically the establishment of small businesses being highly emphasized on. Foreign direct investment refers to the direct investments made to businesses or production process in a given country by companies or individuals from other countries. This exercise is achieved by either buying the targeted business entity or by expanding corporates operations. In Rivers State Nigeria, FDI involves the movement of both financial and human resources (capital) from abroad. Some of these resources are owned by individuals, governments while others are owned by leading multinational corporates (Great Britain, 2009, p.102). There exists the number of factors that make Rivers State a favorable destination for many investors. Therefore, it is essential to have a brief understanding of the state that has become a target of many foreign investors. Rivers State is among the 36 states that Nigeria made up of (Mitee, 2010, p.85). The state contributes a lot to the Nigerian economy because of the presence of oil-rich fields, the presence of refineries and seaports among other various industries that spread out across the state. As a result, the state has become one of the most targeted areas by foreign investors who in this case comprises of both leading multinational corporations as well as individuals who travel to the state to seek employment.  

Ecology Lab Essay Example for Free

Ecology Lab Essay The ecosystem is composed of the producers, consumers, decomposers and the nonliving or abiotic components (Ecology, 1997). The producers are the plants that produce food through photosynthesis. The consumers have two types: herbivores or primary consumers and carnivores or secondary consumers. The herbivores are the animals that only eat plants while the carnivores are the animals that only eat meat. The animals that eat mixtures of plants and meat are called omnivores. Human beings are considered as omnivores. Fungi and bacteria are some of the decomposers in the ecosystem. The nonliving or abiotic components of the ecosystem are consisting of the dead organic matter and nutrients found in soil and water. What if all humans became vegetarians? Would it be beneficial to the earth or ecosystem? First of all, let me discuss the principle behind the food chain, food web and energy flow. â€Å"In a food chain, the sun’s energy is used by plants to make food. The plants are eaten by herbivores, which, in turn, are eaten by carnivores. Both plant and animal substances decompose when they die and return mineral substances to the soil where bacteria use them to provide carbon dioxide gas. Carbon dioxide and the sun’s energy then enter the chain again. † (Food Chains, 1992) But the situation in the ecosystem is not as simple as stated in the food chain so it is more advantageous to use the principle of food web. For example, a rat ate a grain from a plant, and then the rat was eaten by a snake. But the snake was also eaten by a honey bunger. The honey bunger serves as an intermediate link which is a higher level of predator than the snake. This makes food web more complicated. Also, energy is transferred in a food web. This transfer of energy in a food web is called energy flow (Energy Flow, 2008). Energy flow involves several trophic or feeding levels. When energy is passed on from one trophic level to another trophic, about 90% of the energy is lost due to respiration and some are being lost as heat in the environment. The top consumer of the food chain is the one who receives the less amount of energy. Energy in the food web is measured in terms of heat. The law of thermodynamics is also used to measure the energy lost and gain by the trophic levels. Another concept that can be useful in answering the question is the ecological pyramid. â€Å"An Ecological Pyramid (or trophic pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem. Biomass pyramids show the abundance or biomass of organisms at each trophic level, while productivity pyramids show the production or turn-over in biomass. Ecological Pyramids begin with producers on the bottom and proceed through the various trophic levels, the highest of which is on top. † (Ecological pyramid, 2008) The trophic level with the highest number of population is the producer while the top most trophic level has the lowest number of population. Would it be beneficial if all humans became vegetarians? The above principles and information can be used to answer this question. It would not be beneficial if all humans will be vegetarians since this act might cause imbalances in the food web and in the ecosystem. Humans also contribute in the maintenance of the numbers of species in a given ecosystem. If humans will only eat plants, the population of the animals we are eating like cows, pigs and chickens will grow. Since these animals are herbivores or primary consumers, this will result to greater competition for foods derived from plants. The population of secondary consumers will be outnumbered by the primary consumers. This will in turn cause another growth in the population of primary consumers since the number of secondary consumers will not be enough to feed on the primary consumers. Again, this will cause disruption of the ecological pyramid. In terms of energy flow and thermodynamics, it is still not beneficial if all human beings will be vegetarians. Given with two scenarios: (a) humans feed directly on plants and (b) humans feed on animals like cows or chickens that also feed on food from plant sources, in what scenario can humans receive greater amount of energy? In the first scenario, humans are included in the trophic level next to producers which are the primary consumers while in the second scenario, humans are considered as secondary consumers. Also in the first scenario, the humans’ only source of energy is the producer which is the food from plant while in the second scenario; the humans’ sources of energy are the animals and the plants that were eaten by those animals. Even though 90% of the energy acquired by the animals that feed on plants is lost due to respiration, there is still a remainder of 10% that the human can receive when he/she will feed on those animals. Summing up and comparing all the energies received by humans in each scenario then we can say that humans can get a 10% higher amount of energy in the second scenario than in the first scenario. Like what was stated prior to this paragraph, the top most consumer of the food web who feed on plants will receive the least amount of energy. Also in the first scenario where humans feed directly on plant foods, lesser amounts of heat and carbon dioxide are released in the environment. In terms of ecosystem productivity, the humans can get higher net productivity when they act as secondary consumers than when they act as primary consumers. What is net productivity? â€Å"Net productivity is the amount of energy trapped in organic matter during a specified interval at a given trophic level less that lost by the respiration of the organisms at that level. † (Ecosystem productivity, 2004) Humans can indirectly acquire higher net productivity when they eat animals that feed on plant materials. Using all the arguments mentioned, one can conclude that it is not beneficial, for both humans and ecosystem, if all humans will be vegetarians. We must always bear in mind that all things in excess will not be advantageous or beneficial. References â€Å"Ecological pyramid†. 2008. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ecological_pyramid â€Å"Ecology†. 1997. Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia Vol. 9. 12 â€Å"Ecosystem productivity†. 2004. http://users. rcn. com/jkimball. ma. ultranet/BiologyPages/N/NetProductivity. html â€Å"Energy Flow†. 2008. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Energy_flow â€Å"Food chains†. 1992. The World of Animals. Australia: Regency Publishing Group. 9

Online Shopping Internet

Online Shopping Internet Have you ever tried buying your apparel or appliances thru internet? Online shopping is the process of purchasing and selling products or services over the internet. (Akary, 2005). It has gain popularity because of its convenience. There are some factors that are important in online shopping such as the security and the privacy of the consumers. Online shopping has replaced the traditional process of consumers buying goods from a retailer or mall that they must physically go into. (Akary, 2005). Online shopping is one aspect of electronic commerce. Online shopping is important because it offers buyers convenience that has never before been achievable. (Sneddon, 2004). The technology that is now available allows customers to shop on the internet 24 hours a day and seven days a week, without having to leave their homes or offices. Shoppers are provided with an abundance of merchant sites where almost any goods on earth can be bought. Consumers can also compare prices from a variety of different retailers with greater ease, compared to them physically going to shop in a built shopping centre to check prices. Online shopping popularity started in 1990, only few users are using the system. At the same time, the popularity of the Internet also grew at a phenomenal rate. Rifkin (2004, p. 34). History of online shopping and how it became famous will be discussed in the first part of this paper. The disadvantages and advantages of online shopping will be presented. The objective of this paper is to be able to present to the readers the pros and cons of on-line shopping. Another objective of the study is to evaluate the e-business that has been gaining the popularity. Most articles that I encounter about e-business presents one conclusion, that a company would not make it in the international market if they were not able to penetrate the online shopping. The paper will also discuss the complexity of the design. This will include the effectiveness and safety of the said design. The project aims to present a secured and protected online shopping. The main concern of the user of online shopping is their anonymity. Some website promised that they are being protected but actually they are not. This project will present the prototype design using the Multi-agent system (MAS). The MAS will make online shopping much more easily. Traditional shopping involves saleslady or agent that will assist you during your tour in the mall. The MAS will act as your guide in choosing the item you need. This will make online shopping much more convenient than traditional shopping. In the Literature review, the study done by Sinmao (1999) in the use of intelligent agent is discussed. The analyses done by Giles Malliford (2007) on the problems encountered by online shoppers are enumerated. He presented the reasons why shoppers abandoned their shopping carts. The shop.org (2007) shows the statistics of online users. The primary concern of the user is their security that is why utexas.edu presented the checklist to consider for making your online purchases as safe as possible: (www.utexas.edu). Also in the literature review the psychological effect of online shopping are discussed. (Smith, Swinyard, 2001). The benefits of online shopping are enumerated to help the user understand why such program is done. Disadvantages and advantages of using the internet in shopping will be discussed. At the end of this paper the reader will be able to decide whether they will choose to shop the traditional way or the online shopping History of Online Shopping Online shopping belongs to the so called e-commerce. It started in 1970 wherein invoices and orders are sent thru the internet. And then in 1980 the acceptance of credit cards and automated teller machine where accepted online. When dot com era arrived electronic commerce include activities termed as web commerce purchases of goods and services over the world wide web, in a secure connections with e-shopping carts and payment where done thru the use of credit card. Online shopping began in the early to mid 1990s. First online bank was opened in 1994 and Pizza Hut was the first to offer pizza online on their Web page. Further development of online shopping was done and later that year Netscape introduced SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) that make most transactions secure. In 1995 Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.com and in 1996, e-Bay was founded. By the end of 1997, an estimated 41 million people were shopping online. (Kary, 2005). 1999 saw the UKs first graphical Internet shopping mall called The Virtual Mall. In 2003, Amazon.com became the first ever full-year profit online shopping merchant. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Shop). From here the online shopping has become popular. Now dresses, foods, medicines and others can be purchased online. Safety of the customer is important even in the early years of online shopping. Netscape SSL purpose is to secure the identity of their customer to prevent cyber crime which is common in transactions involving ones identity in the internet. It has been the medium of transaction of businesses. The future is now pointing its direction to new technologies. Literature Review Several studies are involved in online shopping. The use of an intelligent agent is important in e-commerce specially in online shopping. (Sinmao, 1999). Intelligent agents are a major evolution toward solving this difficult problem.   Intelligent agents empower both buyers and sellers to accomplish e-commerce transactions by enabling efficient, precise, and comprehensive searches on the vast web community and information repository. . (Sinmao, 1999). Intelligent agents are software applications that have a predefined knowledge base and/or learning system about their users goals and wishes and, through adaptive reasoning, use this information to execute their users request. The continuum of intelligent agents may be characterized along three dimensions:   agency, intelligence, and mobility. In Appendix 1 the three dimensions of intelligent agents are presented to show how intelligent agents work on online shopping. Statistics (Table 1) shows the problems encountered during the first year of online shopping. Since online shopping during the first years is not yet fully developed problems are piling up. These problems were being resolved as the year goes by. Studies and reaches were done to enhance and improve the e-commerce. Table below shows problems encountered by Canada during the earlier years of online shopping. Table 1 Stat Source Date Around 21 percent of Canadians sited comparison-shopping as the main reason for online cart abandonment, while 17 percent reported that high shipping costs were a cause for aborting their purchases. NFO CFGroup 10/08/2002 40 percent of Internet users in Canada report that they abandoned at least one shopping cart on a Canadian retail website during a three month period in early 2002. The findings also found that for every purchase Canadians made online, another was not completed. NFO CFGroup 10/08/2002 Although Canadians spent CAD2 billion (USD1.2 billion) at retail websites during the first half of 2002, many online shoppers abandoned their carts due to poorly designed sites, shipping costs, and privacy concerns. NFO CFGroup 10/08/2002 2.2 million Canadian households spent close to CAD2 billion (USD1.27 billion) on online shopping in 2001. In 2000, 1.5 million households spent CAD1.5 billion shopping on the Internet. Canadian households placed a total of 13.4 million orders over the Internet in 2001, up from 9.1 million in 2000. Statistics Canada 09/18/2002 Source: http://www.shop.org/learn/stats_intshop_canada.asp In the study done by shop.org, 2007 online sales (including travel) rises 18 percent to $259.1 billion. Sales excluding travel will reach $174.5 billion. This strong growth will come off of an impressive performance in 2006. Online sales last year rose 25 percent to $219.9 billion. Excluding travel, online retail sales rose 29 percent to $146.5 billion, representing six percent of total retail sales in 2006. ( Grannis, Davis, 2007). According to Mulpuru, Sucharita, (2007) senior analyst of Forrester Research, online retail is moving full speed ahead, the consumers flood the web to purchase merchandise and research products. This strong growth is an indicator that online retail is years away from reaching a point of saturation. The profitability through the sector has stabilized, this is a good indication that e-commerce is gaining success. The study done by shop.org and Forrester shows the following profitability result: Eighty-three percent of respondents to the survey reported profitability and 78 percent said they were more profitable than 2005. Profit as a percentage of revenue did not change, the report notes, because revenue and expenses grew as well. In the article â€Å"The Top 10 Reasons Why Online Buyers Abandon Their Shopping Cart† by Miles Galliford (2007), he mentioned the reasons why shopping carts are being abandon by shoppers. Research undertaken by MarketingSherpa (www.marketingsherpa.com) and E-Tailing in 2006 discovered that average abandonment rates were 60% and 47% respectively. This means that the average commercial website is losing as much as half of  its potential revenue. (Galliford, 2007). Based on the article the reasons why they abandon their cart during online shopping: Hidden charges at the checkout Having to register before buying The buyer was comparison shopping and found a better deal The shipping costs were too high The buyer didnt have time to complete the checkout process The product was out of stock There were no clear delivery details No phone number was provided The checkout process was too long The buyer was uncomfortable with the checkout process From the above reasons it seems that online shopping is not yet perfected. That is why study and researches are being done to satisfy the customer. Among other studies done on online shopping includes one that provides several tips on how to make sure that the web site you are purchasing your items are secured. One of the main concerns of the shopper is their security. That is why most of the website offering online shopping states that security is their main concern. However there are some websites that does not really have a security program. As a result of this the data of the customer is easily accessible by others. This is where cyber crime takes place. In order to ensure that you are on a safe website below is the checklist to consider for making your online purchases as safe as possible: (www.utexas.edu). Only shop at online stores of reputable companies (companies you already know from retail stores, mail order catalogs or other sources). Know how to contact them offline if there is a problem with your purchase. If you are unsure of the company, do a little research with the Better Business Bureau. Secure your Web browser. Check the security settings of your Web browser to increase the security of your transactions. Check for security icons before giving your personal information. Before you type in your credit card number or name and address, check for security icons on the Web site. This includes looking for â€Å"https† in the Web address or URL. Https indicates the Web site is equipped with an additional security layer. If its not there, the site or page is not secure. Create unique passwords. Dont use the same password for all of your online accounts and applications. If you do this, you risk having all of your accounts compromised if only one account is breached. Remember to never use your university passwords for other online accounts. Dont enable the â€Å"Save Password† option if prompted to do so. If you are using a shared computer, pre-saved passwords will make it easy for others to access your accounts. Use only one dedicated credit card for online purchases. Monitor your monthly statements closely for any unusual activity. Dont use a debit card for online purchases. You are more protected using a credit card instead of a debit card. Credit card companies offer some degree of fraud protection and may be able to reverse charges to your account. Check the Web sites privacy policy. Only shop with online stores offering privacy policies that you agree with. They should provide information about how they will protect your personal information and whether it will be provided to other companies. Always log out of a Web site when you are through. Again, this will protect your accounts on a shared computer. Review your monthly credit card and bank statements. Check for any unauthorized purchases or errors. Notify your bank or credit card company immediately if you suspect someone is using your accounts without your permission. Because of these threats on online shopping, the enhancements of websites are being done to ensure that every single person and data is protected. In the study done by IBM and BYU (Professor William R. Swinyard and Professor Scott M. Smith) online shopping reveals attitude and lifestyle of the user. (2001). The attitudinal study of 4000 Web users reveals the shopping behaviour of eight online consumer types and which types would respond to marketing efforts designed to increase e-commerce sales. The study also suggests what form those efforts should take. Heres how each group looks and how Swinyard and Smith think they should be approached: With 11.1 percent of the market share, Shopping Lovers enjoy buying online and do so frequently. They are competent computer users and will likely continue their shopping habits. They also spread the word to others about joys of online shopping whenever they have the opportunity. They represent an ideal target for retailers. Adventurous Explorers (8.9 percent) are a small segment that presents a large opportunity. They require little special attention by Internet vendors because they believe online shopping is fun. They are likely the opinion leaders for all things online. Retailers should nurture and cultivate them to be online community builders and shopping advocates. Suspicious Learners (9.6 percent) comprise another small segment with growth potential. Their reluctance to purchase online more often hinges on their lack of computer training, but they are open to new ways of doing things. In contrast to more fearful segments, they dont have a problem giving a computer their credit card number. Further guidance and training would help coax them into online buying. Among the most computer literate, Business Users (12.4 percent) use the Internet primarily for business purposes. They take a serious interest in what it can do for their professional life. They dont view online shopping as novel and arent usually champions of the practice. Fearful Browsers (10.7 percent) are on the cusp of buying online. They are capable Internet and computer users, spending a good deal of time window shopping. They could become a significant buying group if their fears about credit card security, shipping charges and buying products sight unseen were overcome. Shopping Avoiders (15.6 percent) have an appealing income level, but their values make them a poor target for online retailers. They dont like to wait for products to be shipped to them, and they like seeing merchandise in person before buying. They have online shopping issues that retailers will not easily be able to overcome. Technology Muddlers (19.6 percent) face large computer literacy hurdles. They spend less time than any other segment online and show little excitement about increasing their online comfort level. They are not an attractive market for online retailers. Fun Seekers (12.1 percent) are the least wealthy and least educated market segment. They see entertainment value in the Internet, but buying things online frightens them. Although security and privacy issues might be overcome, the spending power of the segment suggests that only a marginal long-term payback would be possible In the study done by KCB336 New Media Technologies students, they have come up on reasons why many people are still hesitant in using online shopping. Their study resulted in 69% of internet shoppers felt that online retailers should do more to make them feel secure, yet only 15% reported to know others who had experienced credit card misuse advocated her trust for online shopping when she claimed. Because of the concern of the customer in the security measures, retailers employ a number of security measures, including cryptogrpahy and authentication to help the online transactions safe. Cryptography can provide authentication and integrity for electronic transmissions if properly implemented. Authentication is defined as goal of knowing that a particular user is authorized to take an action. Personal identification numbers (PIN) and passwords are the most widespread types of authentication. Based also on the study done by the New Media Technology (2004), another key issue aside from the security is the privacy. To further ease customer apprehension, many online retailers provide privacy statements which state their stance on sharing customer information with other businesses. Many companies stated that they did not share customer details. In addition to this, online retailers also employ cryptography to ensure that computer hackers cannot easily obtain any stored personal information that companies keep regarding their customers. Some companies only installed privacy and security measures after problems had occurred. Their lack of preventative methods was attributed towards the difficulty of implementing security measures, the high costs associated with these measures, and the continual need to update programs as new technologies and threats emerged. Internet-based transactions expect to make up 25 percent of all retail transactions in the next decade according to the study done by the New Media Technology (2004), therefore it is imperative for online retailers to continue to provide a secure, private and trustworthy shopping environment for their customers. Those who can best provide this climate for online shoppers will be the retailers who attract the most customers, and ultimately enjoy the most profits. According to Changchit, Douthit, and Hoffmeyer (2005), the success of online businesses relies heavily upon their ability to attract and retain customers. The better an online business understands the needs of these shoppers, the higher the chance that they can attract and retain customers. Their study includes factors that are important for the consumers. A study compared the experiences that customers have at a brick-and-mortar store versus online shopping. A main difference in the two experiences is that traditional storefronts are able to provide customers with the immediate sensory experience of touching and feeling proffered products whereas online storefronts are more limited in offering physical experiences with their products. Internet customers may have the visual experience of seeing what they are interested in purchasing. They are limited in their ability to touch or feel the merchandise until after delivery. The lack of the physical experiences touching and feeling avail able in traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts may be a reason why an online business has not risen to the level that some thought possible in the early 1990s. To overcome this obstacle, online businesses need to focus on satisfiers outside physical experiences with products. They need to convince customers that touching and feeling the merchandise are less important than what they can offer via an online shopping. This study intends to explore which factors are perceived as important to online customers when shopping on the Internet. (Changchit, Douthit, and Hoffmeyer 2005). Presented in table 3 below are the demographics of online user. The most common user of online shopping belongs to the Caucasian (4.9%) group with ages ranging form 22-25 years old (31.7%). Table 4 shows the factors that are important on online shoppers. TABLE 2: SUBJECTS DEMOGRAPHICS Age (in years) Under 18 18-21 22-25 26-30 31-35 Over 35 0 % 16 (15.8%) 32 (31.7%) 16 (15.8%) 13 (12.9%) 21 (20.8%) Nationality Ethnicity African Asian American Caucasian Hispanic Other 8 (8.2%) 7 (7.1%) 46 (46.9%) 32 (32.7%) 5 (5.1%) Annual Income (US$) >10K-30K >30K-50K >50K-70K >70K-90K >90K 22 (22.5%) 17 (17.4%) 26 (26.5%) 12 (12.2%) 6 (6.1%) 15 (15.3%) Highest Education High School 1-3 year college Associate Bachelor Master Doctorate 7 (7.1%) 18 (18.4%) 10 (10.2%) 38 (38.8%) 20 (20.4%) 5 (5.1%) Own a Computer Desktop Laptop 82 (83.7%) 59(60.2%) Employment Status Unemployed Full Time Part Time 12(12.2%) 58(59.2%) 28(25.6%) Marital Status Single Married Widow Divorce 60(61.2%) 38(38.8%) 0(0%) 0(0%) Source: Changchit,   Shawn J. Douthit,   Benjamin Hoffmeyer (2005) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OGT/is_3_5/ai_n16619676/pg_6 TABLE 3: FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO VISIT A WEBSITE I will visit the website more often if . Average 1. a picture of the product is displayed 5.85 2. the website offers free shipping 5.76 3. it is easy to return the products 5.51 4. the website accuracy of the order is high 5.42 5. the website has a brand reputation 5.41 TABLE 4: FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PURCHASE FROM A WEBSITE I am more likely to purchase products/ Average services from the website if . 1. the website offers free shipping 5.86 2. the website offers a discount 5.79 3. it is easy to return the products 5.74 4. a picture of the product is displayed 5.70 5. the website offers tax free shopping 5.51 TABLE 5: FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PURCHASE MORE ITEMS I will purchase more items if . Average 1. the website offers a discount 5.71 2. the website offers free shopping 5.67 3. it is easy to return the products 5.64 4. a picture of the product is displayed 5.59 5. I received tax free shopping. 5.57 TABLE 6: FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PURCHASE AT A HIGHER PRICE I am willing to pay more if . Average 1. the website offers free shipping 5.20 2. if the item is not available offline 5.14 3. if I can t the product out before-paying 5.10 4. if offered tax free shopping 5.05 5. if the website offers next day shipping 4.94 TABLE 7: FACTORS ENCOURAGING SHOPPERS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACKS I would provide feedback on my shopping Average experience for 1. free shipping 5.61 2. discount 5.41 3. gift card 5.32 4. product sample 5.17 5. discount coupon 5.09 Disadvantages and Advantages of Online shopping Online shopping has its own set of disadvantages and advantages. Not all online shoppers agree to shop online, they would rather shop at the mall than sit in their living room and search for the item they want. As presented on the first report the following are the disadvantages and advantages of online shopping: Table 3 Advantages and Disadvantages On line shopping Traditional Shopping Time Unlimited you can purchase online anytime you want. No closing and opening hours You can shop at limited time only. Availability One will be able to know right away if the item is

Developing a Successful Slamball Facility Essay -- GCSE Business Marke

Developing a Successful Slamball Facility I want to bring a multi-purpose Slamball facility to Atlanta’s everyday athletes. I would like to attract college students, weekend warriors, and everyday athletes. Once I have attracted these people to my facility I will begin leagues and televised games. Slamball is a high flying and high intensity game, which comprises elements of basketball and football. The athletic concepts are the same but applied to Slamball in a different manner. There are four players for each team on the court at all times, four separate trampolines on each side of the court, a fenced in court, and plenty of head gear and padding to go around. Slamball is meant to catch the viewer’s eye and give them an unmatched adrenaline rush. Slamball was invented in Los Angeles, California by a man named Mason Gordon in 2002. It is presently being televised by Spike TV, and is produced by Tollins and Robbins of Hollywood, California. Slamball has been a raging success amongst teenagers and the fine athletes around the United States. The facility will include two Slamball courts, one regular basketball court, a concession stand, a trophy room, two weight rooms, one training room, two locker rooms, a walking track, moveable stands for viewing, and offices for the employees. The city of Atlanta is were I plan to spring Slamball. To be more exact I plan to have it inside the perimeter loop. In order for the multi-purpose facility to work it must be centralized within the city. Once the facility is centralized I should be able to attract the morning workers, teenagers, and the fine athletes of Atlanta. The Slamball business plan will detail start up expenses, year one projected earnings, year one projected... ...opment and management team follow these for mentioned steps than Slamball is likely to be a success in Atlanta. Developing and sustaining a business is an ongoing learning experience, and Slamball will make the necessary changes in order to excel. Appendix A. Concepts One Should Know When Building an Innovative Multi-purpose Slamball Facility Table of Contents Phase I 1. Purpose of Slamball 2. What is Slamball 3. History of Slamball 4. Details about the facility 5. Location of Slamball 6. Business plan 7. Investment plans 8. Demographic research 9. Marketing streams 10. Management team 11. Architect 12. Consultant Phase II 1. ADA compliance 2. Storage space/loading dock 3. Maintenance 4. Employees 5. Training and locker rooms 6. Parking 7. Interior/exterior traffic flow 8. Security 9. Sponsors 10. Insurance

Latin American Wars

Like in most other histories of wars, colonialism and control of the natural resources are the main reasons why Latin- American wars happened. Aside from colonialism, the struggle for physical power over the strategic River Plate (a large utuary between Argentina and Uruguay, Rio de Plata in Spanish) regions is also one of the main reasons. The ambitious leadership of Franciso Solano of Paraguay also lead to the Latin American wars. For this, Paraguay is always part of the history when we are talking about Latin American wars. Two historical events are best quoted when we are talking about Latin American War. These are the events that lead to the conflict in Latin American countries in mis- late 1800’s.War of the Triple Alliance or Paraguayan Wars ( 1864- 1870) According to most history books and to Wikipedia, this started when Argentina proclaimed its independence of Spain in 1810. Paraguay refused to be under Spain and declared its own independence. El Supremo, Gaspar Rodrig uez Francia started a political dynasty in the country of Paraguay. After his death, his kins (nephew and son to be specific)Carlos Antonio Lopez and Francisco Solano Lopez succeeded his regime, and followed his implementation of dictatorship over Paraguay. Carlos Antonio’s son, Francisco Solano, built an empire and the led the country into a war against an alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.This war ended with the devastation of Paraguay. Diseases and deaths occurred and manipulated almost the entire population of the said country. The following statistics presents the number of casualty in these Latin American countries: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Triple_Alliance ). Brazil had 28, 000-30,000 people killed in action, 30, 000 died due to other causes, others are even missing. In Argentina, 18, 000 killed in action and 12, 000 died of other causes, mainly of diseases and others are missing. In Paraguay, 120,000-160,000 got killed and died. But the conflic t is stopped through his death. The revival was started through the initiative of some Brazilian armies who stayed in the country after the war. It took Paraguay long years to recover from chaos and demographic imbalance War of the PacificThe Salpeter war, which is another term for War of the Pacific, as referred to its original cause started when Chile had a fight against the joint force of Bolivia and Peru. Accroding to the Wikipedia, the war between and among these countries arose when they had an argument over the control of the part of Atacama Desert that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels on the Pacific coast. The territory has valuable mineral resources which were exploited by some companies in Chile and British interests.The Bolivian government took advantage of this situation and decided to add and increase taxes to these companies and interests and this led to misunderstanding and commercial dispute. This is the reason why is it called Salpeter War. Salpeter is potas sium nitrate, a chemical compound, a naturally occurring mineral source of nitrogen and a good source of black gun powder. It may sound funny but we always perceive that in a war, winners are determined by who are right, but who are left. However, as we analyze it as a whole, in any war histories, both parties always seem defeated with the lost they had after the war.

Root Square Mean Velocity Example Problem

Root Square Mean Velocity Example Problem Gases are made up of individual atoms or molecules freely moving in random directions with a wide variety of speeds. Kinetic molecular theory tries to explain the properties of gases by investigating the behavior of individual atoms or molecules making up the gas. This example problem shows how to find the average or root mean square velocity (rms) of particles in a gas sample for a given temperature. Root Mean Square Problem What is the root mean square velocity of the molecules in a sample of oxygen gas at 0  °C and 100  °C?Solution:Root mean square velocity is the average velocity of the molecules that make up a gas. This value can be found using the formula:vrms [3RT/M]1/2wherevrms average velocity or root mean square velocityR ideal gas constantT absolute temperatureM molar massThe first step is to convert the temperatures to absolute temperatures. In other words, convert to the Kelvin temperature scale:K 273  °CT1 273 0  °C 273 KT2 273 100  °C 373 KThe second step is to find the molecular mass of the gas molecules.Use the gas constant 8.3145 J/mol ·K to get the units we need. Remember 1 J 1 kg ·m2/s2. Substitute these units into the gas constant:R 8.3145 kg ·m2/s2/K ·molOxygen gas is made up of two oxygen atoms bonded together. The molecular mass of a single oxygen atom is 16 g/mol. The molecular mass of O2 is 32 g/mol.The units on R use kg, so the molar mass must al so use kg.32 g/mol x 1 kg/1000 g 0.032 kg/molUse these values to find the vrms. 0  °C:vrms [3RT/M]1/2vrms [3(8.3145 kg ·m2/s2/K ·mol)(273 K)/(0.032 kg/mol)]1/2vrms [212799 m2/s2]1/2vrms 461.3 m/s100  °Cvrms [3RT/M]1/2vrms [3(8.3145 kg ·m2/s2/K ·mol)(373 K)/(0.032 kg/mol)]1/2vrms [290748 m2/s2]1/2vrms 539.2 m/sAnswer:The average or root mean square velocity of the oxygen gas molecules at 0  °C is 461.3 m/s and 539.2 m/s at 100  °C.