Plastic Bags :: Environment, Pollution

Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by supermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to â€Å"these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria.† These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in s oil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senio r, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).

Week 2 Quiz

. (TCO 2) Bubba’s Crawfish Processing Company uses a traditional overhead allocation based on direct labor hours. For the current year overhead is estimated at $2,250,000 and direct labor hours are budgeted at 415,000 hours. Actual overhead was $2,200,000 and actual direct labor hours worked were 422,000. (a) Calculate the predetermined overhead rate. Rate, based on budgeted factory overhead cost and budgeted activity, that is established before a period begins. 2,250,000/415,000Budgeted activity units used in the denominator of the formula, more often called the denominator level, are measured in direct labor-hours, machine-hours, direct labor costs, or production units. Read more: http://www. answers. com/topic/predetermined-overhead-rate#ixzz2NxCv9pKK (b) Calculate the overhead applied. Applied overhead = predetermined overhead rate x actual direct labor (c) Determin Prorate the overhead variance to the appropriate accounts 765 – 750 = variance of 15K Rate This Answe r e the amount of overhead that is over/under applied. 2. TCO 2) Thibodeaux Limousine Corporation is trying to determine a predetermined manufacturing overhead. Estimated overhead for the upcoming year is $776,000. Budgeted machine hours are 105,000 hours, and budgeted labor hours are 17,500 hours at a rate of $10. 00 per hour. Compute the predetermined overhead rate based on: (a) Direct labor dollars Labor rate variance = (Actual hours worked ? Actual rate) ? (Actual hours worked ? Standard rate) Read more at http://accounting4management. com/direct_labor_rate_variance. htm#pqUTOT7ClOOtMr4F. 99 (b) Direct labor hours (c) Machine hours 3. TCO 1) List and briefly describe four of the five differences between managerial accounting and financial accounting 4. (TCO 2)The following information is available for Sappy’s Surgical Shears for the fiscal year ending December 31, 20XX. Beginning balance in Finished Goods $ 17,000 Ending balance in Finished Goods 15,200 Beginning balance in Work in Process 2,500Ending balance in Work in Process 1,836 Selling expenses 123,000 General and administrative expenses 89,000Direct material cost 54,500 Direct labor cost 66,000 Manufacturing overhead 21,400 Sales 385,000 Prepare a schedule of cost of goods manufactured. . (TCO 2) Match each of the following six terms with the phrase that most closely describes it. Each answer below may be used only once. Read also Quiz Week 42. ______ 1. activity-based costing ______ 2. cost of goods available for sale ______ 3. period costs ______ 4. process costing system ______ 5. just-in-time system ______ 6. work in process A) Costs assigned to the goods produced; also known as manufacturing costs (B) Materials costs that are not traced directly to products produced (C) System that seeks to minimize Raw Materials Inventory and Work in Process Inventory (D) Cost of items that are completed and transferred from Work in Process Inventory to Finished Goods Inventory (E) Costs that are identified with accounting periods rather than with goods produced (F) Actual overhead is greater than overhead that has been applied to products (G) Method of assigning overhead costs that uses multiple allocation bases (H) System that uses job-order sheets to collect costs for each individual job (I) Cost of all materials and parts that are directly traced to the items produced (J) Beginning balance in the Finished G oods Inventory plus cost of goods manufactured (K) Overhead applied to products is greater than the actual overhead costs incurred (L) Used by companies that produce large quantities of identical items (M) Cost of all manufacturing activities other than direct material and direct labor (N) Inventory account that contains the cost of goods that are only partially completed 6. (TCO 2) Far Out Ceramics akes custom macaroni tile and applies job-order costing. The following information relates to the fiscal year ending December 31,20XX. Beginning balance in Raw Materials Inventory $ 12,500 Purchases of raw material 189,000 Ending balance in Raw Materials Inventory 14,300Beginning balance in Work in Process 24,500 Ending balance in Work in Process 23,100Direct labor cost 89,700 Manufacturing overhead applied 66,200 Actual manufacturing overhead 64,100Beginning balance in Finished Goods 28,900 Ending balance in Finished Goods 24,300Sales 432,000Selling expenses 120,000 General and administ rative expenses 86,000 How much is cost of goods sold? 7. TCO 2) Match each of the six following terms with the phrase that most closely describes it. Each answer may be used only once. _____ 1. Direct costs _____ 2. Fixed costs _____ 3. Incremental costs _____ 4. Economic Resource Planning system _____ 5. Noncontrollable costs _____ 6. Opportunity costs (A) Costs that increase or decrease in total in response to increases or decreases in the level of business activity (B) Costs that are directly traceable to a product, activity, or department (C) Costs that a manager can influence (D) The difference in costs between decision alternatives (E) Costs incurred in the past that are not relevant to present decisions (F) Costs that cannot be influenced by a manager G) Financial plans prepared by management accountants (H) Value of the benefits foregone when one decision alternative is selected over another (I) Costs that cannot be directly traced to a product, activity, or department or a re not worth tracing (J) Costs that do not change in total with changes in the level of business activity (K) These systems prepare a master production systems and all the support across the company. (L) Allows companies and suppliers to share information to improve efficiency in getting inputs. (M) Allows customer data analysis and support, often in online format for customers. 8. (TCO 3) The Marinade Department began the period with 150,000 units.During the period the department received another 180,000 units from the prior department and at the end of the period 112,000 units remained which were 17%complete. How much are equivalent units in The Marinade Department’s work in process inventory at the end of the period? (TCO 3) The Franc Zeppo Venture manufactures a product that goes through two processing departments. Information relating to the activity in the first department during April is given below: Work in process, April 1: 50,000 units (80% completed for materials a nd 60%completed for conversion. Work in process, April 30: 45,000 units (70% completed for materials and 60%completed for conversion. 4. The department started 380,000 units into production during the month and transferred 385,000 completed units to the next department.Compute and calculate the equivalent units of production for the first department for April, assuming the company uses the weighted-average method of accounting for units and costs. 1. Question : (TCO D) A company that has a profit can increase its return on investment by Student Answer: increasing sales revenue and operating expenses by the same dollar amount. increasing average operating assets and operating expenses by the same dollar amount. increasing sales revenue and operating expenses by the same percentage. decreasing average operating assets and sales by the same percentage. Instructor Explanation: Chapter 12 2. Question : (TCO D) Given the following data, what would ROI be?Sales $50,000 Net operating income $5,000 Contribution margin $20,000 Average operating assets $25,000 Stockholder's equity $15,000 Student Answer: 10% 20% 16. 7% 80% Instructor Explanation: See Chapter 12. ROI = Net operating income / Average operating assets = $5,000 / $25,000 = 20. 0% 3. Question : (TCO D) Given the following data: What is the return on the investment (ROI)? Sales $50. 000 Net operating income $5,000 Contribution margin $20,000 Average operating assets $25,000 Stockholder's equity $15,000 Student Answer: 10% 20% 16. 7% 80% Instructor Explanation: ROI = Net operating income / Average operating assets = $5,000 / $25,000 = 20. 0%

Alejandro Flores Essay

Write a 2 – 3 page paper that addresses the following: 1. How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean view this situation from totally different perspectives? 2. Why might Senora Flores have chosen to consult an espiritista rather than call the clinic when Alejandro was not getting better? 3. Which of the normative cultural values described in the Lecture might apply to Alejandro’s case? Please explain. The Puerto Rican culture has many beliefs involving individual roles within the family. Many believe that the male(s) of the family should work to provide the basic needs of the household: paying rent, bills, paying for groceries, automotive repair, and the like. Similarly, the female(s) of the house should be the primary house keeper and care giver. Familismo holds a large part in the Puerto Rican culture, and the advice of the elder family members is taken very seriously. Religion also plays an integral role in Puerto Rican culture, and some believe illness is the result of sin, punishment, or spiritual discomfort. These beliefs tie together to create culturally diverse situations regarding patients health care, and must be taken into consideration when discussing treatment plans. Senor Flores views this situation from the machismo perspective. His view is to he should be working to provide the means for his family to survive. By taking time off of work to attend Alejandro’s medical appointments, he feels that he is neglecting his cultural responsibility of working hard to meet the needs of his family as a whole. Additionally, he does not believe that the modern treatment has a positive effect on Alejandro’s condition, and he portrays that he would rather allow his mother-in-law to play a more active role in Alejandro’s care. He feels as though every time he is at the appointments, the clinical staff is ostracizing him and attacking him for smoking. Senora Flores is upset about Alejandro’s health condition, and appears to be reaching out for help in different directions. She does not want to give Alejandro all of the medicine he is prescribed, and is taking her mother’s advice by seeking the help of an espiritista. When she arrived to the appointment late, she was greeted poorly because of the tardiness, and doesn’t understand why the clinic staff is rude with her. Many Puerto Ricans believe that tardiness is accepted, even common, and that having a relaxed attitude regarding time is reasonable practice. Additionally, she is frustrated with the language barr ier that presents itself during the appointments. The clinic is providing her so much information, and she feels belittled by the staff when she may not comprehend all of the information they are providing her. She is concerned that Alejandro will be chastised due to the perception that he is weak and unhealthy. She is worried that nothing she can do will better his condition and prayers are not helping. Dr. Jean is concerned with Alejandro’s progress due to the misuse or absence of medications and the lack of Senor Flores’ interest in tobacco cessation for the sake of his child’s health. She desires to help the family, and has given her personal phone number to be accommodating, but instead Senora Flores confided in a housekeeper instead of the doctor. The family’s tardiness is an issue for Dr Jean, but this doesn’t bother her as much as not showing up for the appointment at all. Senora Flores may have consulted with the espiritista due to the lack of confidence in the medication Alejandro is prescribed. This combined with the clinical staff’s attitude toward her, and the cultural belief that illness can be caused by spiritual discomforts, could lead to Senora Flores’ visit to the spiritual healer. Espiritistas use prayers to attempt to rid the patient of spirits causing the disease. Also, Senora Flores’ mother suggested the espiritista visit, and the words and advice of the elder is highly respected in the Puerto Rican culture. All of the normative cultural values present themselves in this module, but the one that applies the most in my opinion is Fatalismo. In the study, the family seems that the fate of Alejandro’s illness is predetermined and nothing they have done or will do to ease h is symptoms will work effectively. 2010 Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics and Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners Cross Cultural Resource Guide pgs. 28-29 Retrieved on April 15, 2012 From: http://www.fhp.org/fhpdocs/CrossCulturalResourceGuide.pdf ELL Assessment for Linguistic Differences guide for Nonverbal Communication. Retrieved on April 17, 2012 From: http://www.ldldproject.net/cultures/puertorico/differences/nonverbal.html

Bella

When I think of Bella, I think of dust, for the arid country in which she lived was no friend of the meticulous housewife. And as I begin to feel the swirling dust exfoliate my skin, my right hand automatically, subconsciously drifts to my left wrist, feeling for the plastic bracelet I lost long ago and finding only the memory of its origin. Bella came to me in the summer, when the sun was high and hot, and my hair had begun to turn red with its heat. More factually, I went to Bella, in a group of thirty, on the quintessential summer mission trip to Mexico. Filled with our romantic plans and burdened with craft supplies, we entered a small, worn, and obviously loved gym. Our first project was to advertise, and as we set out into the surrounding neighborhood, I began to miss the smooth pavement of America. The next day, having used my allotted eight minutes of hot water and five minutes of mirror time, my feelings of discomfort were far from alleviated. I was to be a group leader, meaning that I alone would be working with a small group of children whose names were as foreign to me as the wind to a worm. By this time, I was so far from my comfort zone I was beginning to lose sight of it, and a few more steps would put me in danger of getting lost on my way back. This is where Bella floated into my life. As we sat on the gym floor, me trying desperately not to show my fear, Bella and her sister coloring contentedly, my eyes fell on a subject guaranteed to generate conversation: jewelry. Bella had adorned her small wrist with a bracelet woven of thin strips of plastic. It had an unmistakable air of mission trip about it and as I pointed to it and gestured my admiration, I envisioned her sitting on this same hard floor with another girl, one hopefully more adept than I. The thought that Bella had done this before, that she knew the routine made me relax, and after a bit I even found my waxen smile melting into one of genuine pleasure . Over the next four days, Bella became a constant in my life. Every morning, bracelet donned, sister in hand, she marched through the crowd of surging children and found me. She repeated this routine with such a steadfast air, that I felt sure she would have found me had I suddenly relocated home. Her regularity was comforting, and if nothing else, I appreciated that it was me she found, eradicating the possibility of my ending up with a new name and face to learn every day. Bella marched right through the week and ushered in Friday with all the assurance a nine year old commands. We wrapped up the week in true mission trip style: with candy and lots of it. Our fructose-packed handfuls engendered so chaotic a frenzy that when Bella’s turn came I could only manage a quick bye and a smile in the direction of her and her sister before I was again absorbed by the hyped crowd. With a fond smile I watched her small back grow even smaller, and as I turned to focus on the other chi ldren, I had an extra bit of patience to share. Just as I sorted out who had already been given candy from those who had not, I felt a small tap, lighter than the landing of a bumblebee. Resisting the urge to pretend I had not felt anything, I turned. There stood Bella. In one small fist she still held tight to the hand of her sister, never letting anything separate them. In the other fist, the one she was holding out to me, was Bella’s plastic bracelet, the one she had worn every day. Speechless, I took the shyly offered gift, and this time to give her a real hug. Not knowing what I wanted to say, nor how to say it if I had, I could only hug Bella and her sister and murmur thank yous one after the other. Bella soon skipped off again, leaving me with more that a little to ponder. As I fumbled with the plastic laces, I slowly began to realize the magnitude of this gift. I began to remember the homes I had visited that first day. Incredibly small shelters that were once worthy of the title hut, their walls and ceilings were now formed with the things I once used to make forts. Mattresses, scrap wood, wagons and tires were used in place of glass and concrete. Somehow I had removed Bella from the town in which she lived, and in that single second the realization that she lived in one of those achingly mismatched homes threatened to knock me over. It is humorous how quickly my outlook on life was altered. The generosity of one small girl in a village reversed my thought process and sent me from self absorbed and unconcerned to the beginning of conscious member of society. The weight of one small bracelet resting in my palm brought with it a new knowledge and comprehension. I understood for the first time that my small network of contacts was not the only plot line, that my small pool of acquaintances was not the axis of the earth. It was in the few seconds that it took for me to fasten that tired yellow and black bracelet around my wrist, and the several y ears it took me to lose it, that Bella’s gentle unassuming influence altered my life.

Cahokia and Moundville Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cahokia and Moundville - Essay Example The early human interaction is very minimal to most people today, yet many experts and historians suggest that there was no outside contact with the Natchez until around the spring of 1682 when an expedition descended the famous Mississippi River where shortly after the Natchez Indians met with a Frenchman, La Salle. Even though these strange outsiders were weary of these white faces, they still allowed them to pass on their territory under conditions they had worked out with in some of the first meetings with La Salle and his militants, and it was not too long after that that the white men had built and found Fort Rosalie in 1716 which was the center of the society. As the French and the military and other civilian population continue to grow so did the infrequent to often unsettled issues between the Indians and the French which lead to some unfortunate battles in the end. Yet, it was not until the tribe ended up in the middle of the melee among England and France as they pushed to control American lands which made the Natchez show their true hate for the French and knew what they were up to and wanted to fight for what was rightfully theirs. After four years of hostility the Natchez worried daily about their fate in their vast lands of goods, fields of crops, waters, plenty of harvesting, hunting, lumber, cooking, families, and a normal peaceful camp life along with other closely related Indians within some of the same parts of the lower part of Mississippi. By this time, English soldiers had most of the Natchez natives convinced that the French were out to take what was theirs and they began looking at the French as their enemy. After nine years in the late fall 0f November 1729, was the first time this tribe went against the French’s wishes and war broke out immediately and within no time so many unprepared, unarmed, unequipped, and outnumber Natchez were dead, and what ancestors were left of the tribe ended up migrating to a different land to start rebuilding with what little resources and family that was left from the ancestors. As a result of such loss, the Natchez exiles decided to unite with other local tribes to build the native power to save their homes with Indian tribes like the Cherokee and the Chickasaw Creek Indians. Archeological aspects are recognized of the Natchez who were the last Indians were the last tribe of Mississippi, and began to decline increasingly in number when the war with the French nearly did them in to be lost forever. However, the tribe stretched as far as parts of Louisiana all the way through Mississippi on in to Alabama, up to Oklahoma, on to North and South Carolina and up in to some parts of Tennessee. Yet, there are very few native Natchez ancestors that still live around the southeastern part of the United States who became known for several reasons including they were the biggest and by far the sturdiest tribe of Indians of lower Mississippi, who knew how to live off the land extremely well because they grew a multitude of vegetation which included the essentials to most native Americans including: corn, beans, cabbage, sage, onion, flour, oats, squash, and other wild plants for medicine men. This culture were plentiful hunters as they were farmers mostly living off of stream and

FUNDATEMENT OF E-BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

FUNDATEMENT OF E-BUSINESS - Essay Example This paper is divided in six main sections. The first section briefly explores the literature on the e-business and use of internet in the businesses. This is followed by the corporate information of the company. This section provides information on various aspects of the hotel in brief. The E-business evaluation section elaborates analysis on the three parameters of branding, social networking and mass customisation. The webpage section consists of general looks and feeling of the webpage and its graphical features. Recommendation section is an effort to bridge the gap identified in the current website. The last section consists of concluding remarks. 2. Business Literature on E-Business According to Boardman (2004) the origin of websites has been for different purpose altogether and it got evolved with the growth in the information need of the consumer and society. Boardman (2004) explains that initially Web was considered as a medium for handling different kinds of information. Ho wever the huge potential of the information need generated more possibilities of use of this medium. â€Å"It was not much more than rich text with the ability to turn selected portions of text into hyperlinks. It was possible to include images and to make these into hyperlinks, but because of the relatively slow download speeds of modems in the mid-1990s, web developers had to be careful about images. It was common for browsers to be configured only to load the text from a web page.  (Boardman, 2004, p. 13) There are various e-business models which companies use. These e-business models are based on internal and external data. Companies use this platform to maintain their value chain, generate business and communicate with the stakeholders. The significance of web presence in businesses has increased in many folds. "E-commerce usually refers to an online shop where customers can order, and normally pay for, products or services via the website. The customers need not be consumer s, but could be other businesses" (Collin, 2000, p. 99) This led in classification of the e-business models based on the type of stakeholders like business (B2B), consumers (B2C), employee (B2E), government (B2G) or from government to business (G2B), government (G2G), citizen (G2C), or consumer based business models like consumer to consumer (C2C) or business (C2B). E-business models allow integration of internal and external business processes. However it is very challenging to acquire consumer trust online. This trust is difficult to gain from any marketing campaign or promotions. Positive consumer experiences are the key of gaining consumer trust. Derong, Zongqing & Xiaolin (2009) focuses on the need of understanding the user requirements for a successful online application. The poor websites usually fail in understanding their target audience and their information needs. Website is convenient and provides opportunity for the fast services to the consumer. This helps in saving ti me, energy and resources of consumers by providing round the clock service and information. This provides electronic means for the companies to reach to the customers in easy and cost effective manner. â€Å"The Net is very good at bringing together large, dispersed groups of users who can meet in one place and discuss just about anything. There are three basic types of place on the Net where you can meet up and chat: ?' Web forums or discussion areas St mailing

Strategic Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Information Systems - Essay Example Therefore, the most important element among those perquisites is a secure, well designed and well managed website. It is through a user friendly website that a firm can attract more traffic to the website. This report presents an investigation into the extent to which e-commerce is currently being used in the computer hardware and the banking industry. The Computer Hardware industry is as much a commodity market as it is a technology market. It is somewhat misleading to assume that research and development alone decides the success of a PC manufacturing company. R&D is most definitely required for future improvements but perhaps is not the sole determinant of a company's success. In the PC industry, apart from excellent R&D and customer care, it is marketing of the product that would matter. Dell has been one of the prime examples of success in e-commerce. The business objective of Dell is to eliminate the retailers and sell directly to the consumers. By eliminating the middle layers, Dell has brought about epochal changes in the PC industry. Communicating directly with the consumer helps the business become more agile, and also helps cut cost of sales. In this endeavor, the only tool in the hands of Dell is the Internet. Dell has unique business strategies and models to support the growth process of the organization. From $1000 to $30 billion, the growth rate of Dell has been phenomenal. Dell mainly concentrates on activities that would add more value to the organization and also result in good-looking market returns. Over the years there have been many companies in the PC/server industry following the footsteps of Dell. However most of them failed in their endeavor (Woodgrange Technologies Ltd., 2005). Simply replicating the business model never serves the purpose of making something successful. Dell has a competitive advantage in its cost advantage and greater efficiency. As such it emerged as the cost leader in the market. Dell was the first one to offer world-class PCs at dream prices to the consumers. However selling directly to the consumers were more of a revolution than a religion. As such Dell has continued to surprise their customer base with unique and intelligent offers. Recently Dell has signed up Best Buy as a retail partner (Dell, 2007c). This is a major historical shift for Dell who had been preaching the values of direct selling for more than two decades. With the