Ancient Maya Beekeeping The Stingless Bee (Melipona beecheii)

Beekeeping—providing a safe residence for bees in order to exploit them—is an ancient technology in both the Old and New Worlds. The oldest known Old World beehives are from Tel Rehov, in what is today Israel, about 900 B.C.E.; the oldest known in the Americas is from the Late Preclassic or Protoclassic period Maya site of Nakum, in the Yucatà ¡n peninsula of Mexico, between 300 B.C.E.–200/250 C.E. American Bees Before the Spanish colonial period and long before the introduction of European honeybees in the 19th century, several Mesoamerican societies including Aztec and Maya kept hives of stingless American bees. There are about 15 different bee species native to the Americas, most of which live in humid tropical and subtropical forests. In the Maya region, the bee of choice was Melipona beecheii, called xunaan kab or colel-kab (royal lady) in the Maya language. As you might guess from the name, American bees dont sting—but they will bite with their mouths to defend their hives. Wild stingless bees live in hollow trees; they dont make honeycombs but rather store their honey in round sacks of wax. They make less honey than European bees, but American bee honey is said to be sweeter. Precolumbian Uses of Bees The products of bees—honey, wax, and royal jelly—were used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica for religious ceremonies, medicinal purposes, as a sweetener, and to make the hallucinogenic honey mead called balche. In his 16th century text Relacion de las Cosas Yucatà ¡n, Spanish bishop Diego de Landa reported that indigenous people traded beeswax and honey for cacao seeds (chocolate) and precious stones. After the conquest, tax tributes of honey and wax went to the Spanish, who also used beeswax in religious activities. In 1549, over 150 Maya villages paid 3 metric tons of honey and 281 metric tons of wax in tax to the Spanish. Honey was eventually replaced as a sweetener by sugar cane, but stingless bee wax continued in importance all through the colonial period. Modern Maya Beekeeping Indigenous Yucatec and Chol  in the Yucatan peninsula today still practice beekeeping on communal lands, using modified traditional techniques. Bees are kept in hollow tree sections called jobà ³n, with the two ends closed by a stone or ceramic plug and a central hole through which bees can enter. The jobà ³n are stored in a horizontal position and the honey and wax is retrieved a couple times a year by removing the end plugs, called panuchos. Typically the average length of the modern Maya jobon is between 50-60 centimeters (20-24 inches) long, with a diameter of about 30 cm (12 in) and walls more than 4 cm (1.5 in thick). The hole for the bee entryway is typically less than 1.5 cm (.6 in) in diameter.   At the Maya site of Nakum, and in a context firmly dated to the late preclassic period  between 300 B.C.E.–C.E. 200, was found a ceramic jobon (or quite possibly an effigy). Archaeology of Maya Beekeeping The jobon from the Nakum site is smaller than modern ones, measuring only 30.7 cm long (12 in), with a maximum diameter of 18 cm (7 in) and an entry hole only 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. The external walls are covered with striated designs. It has removable ceramic panuchos at each end, with diameters of 16.7 and 17 cm (about 6.5 in). The difference is size may be a result of the different bee species being taken care of and protected.   The labor associated with beekeeping is mostly protection and custodial duties; keeping the hives away from animals (mostly armadillos and raccoons) and the weather. That is achieved by stacking the hives in an A-shaped frame and building a thatch-roofed palapa or lean-to over the whole: beehives are typically found in small groups near residences.   Maya Bee Symbolism Because most of the materials used to make beehives—wood, wax, and honey—are organic, archaeologists have identified the presence of beekeeping at pre-Columbian sites by the recovery of paired panuchos. Artifacts such as incense burners in the shapes of beehives, and images of the so-called Diving God, likely a representation of the bee god Ah Mucen Cab, have been found on the walls of temples at Sayil and other Maya sites. The Madrid Codex (known to scholars as the Troano or Tro-Cortesianus Codex) is one of the few surviving books of the ancient Maya. Among its illustrated pages are male and female deities harvesting and collecting honey, and conducting various rituals associated with beekeeping. The Aztec Mendoza Codex shows images of towns giving jars of honey to the Aztecs for tribute.   Current Status of American Bees While beekeeping is still a practice by Maya farmers, because of the introduction of the more productive European honeybee, the loss of forest habitat, the Africanization of honey bees in the 1990s, and even climate change bringing destructive storms into the Yucatan, stingless beekeeping has been severely reduced. Most of the bees farmed today are European honey bees.   Those European honey bees (Apis mellifera) were introduced in the Yucatan in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Modern apiculture with bees and using moveable frames began to be practiced after the 1920s and making Apis honey became a principal economic activity for the rural Maya area by the 1960s and 1970s.  In 1992, Mexico was the fourth largest honey producer in the world, with an average annual production of 60,000 metric tons of honey and 4,200 metric tons of beeswax. A total of 80% of the beehives in Mexico are kept by small farmers as a subsidiary or hobby crop. Although stingless bee farming was not actively pursued for decades, today there is a regrowth in interest and a sustained effort by enthusiasts and indigenous farmers who are beginning to restore the practice of stingless bee farming to the Yucatan.   Sources Bianco B. 2014. The log hives of Yucatan. Anthropology Now 6(2):65-77.Garcia-Frapolli E, Toledo VM, and Martinez-Alier J. 2008. Adaptations of a Yucatec Maya Multiple-Use Ecological Management Strategy to Ecotourism. Ecology and Society 13.Imre DM. 2010. Ancient Maya beekeeping. University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal 7:42-50.Villanueva-Gutià ©rrez R, Roubik DW, and Colli-Ucan W. 2005. Extinction of Melipona beecheii and traditional beekeeping in the Yucatan peninsula. Bee World 86(2):35-41.Villanueva-Gutià ©rrez R, Roubik DW, Colli-Ucà ¡n W, Gà ¼emez-Ricalde FJ, and Buchmann SL. 2013. A Critical View of Colony Losses in Managed Mayan Honey-Making Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) in the Heart of Zona Maya. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 86(4):352-362.Zralka J, Koszkul W, Radnicka K, Soleto Santos LE, and Hermes B. 2014. Excavations in Nakum Structure 99: New data on Proclassic rituals and Precolumbian Maya beekeeping. Estudios de Cultura Maya 64:85-117.

The Effects Of Autism On A Cheerleading Team - 999 Words

Advancing in the Aspie World I bet you’ve seen at least one before. You know, those articles on the news about someone with autism, doing something amazing that any typical person would never envision them doing. Getting elected homecoming king, being on a cheerleading team, or carrying out an act of kindness that even non-autistic people wouldn’t ever consider are just some of the things that I’ve seen. Though these are spectacular self-esteem lifters for these individuals, warm and fuzzy stories for the public and excellent publicity for wherever they occur, many often forget that autism is a spectrum condition, and functioning levels vary, from wheelchair bound individuals to those in society whose names everyone recognizes. There are autistic individuals on both ends of the spectrum. Those on the lower end exhibit some of the behaviors associated with â€Å"classical autism,† like jitters and cognitive impairment. While others, like myself, are on the other end, still â€Å"auti stic,† but can mask mild symptoms quite well, and function in society though wearing labels of â€Å"odd† or â€Å"quirky† with high functioning autism, and some are in the middle. No matter which form of autism an individual has, life is different for that person in more ways than one, both beneficial and challenging. I myself have a form of high functioning autism known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome, or AS for short, was discovered in the early 20th century by a physician for whom it’s named, whoShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand Moods 97 Personality and Values 131 Perception and Individual Decision Making 165 Motivation Concepts 201 Motivation: From Concepts to Applications 239 3 The Group 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Foundations of Group Behavior 271 Understanding Work Teams 307 Communication 335 Leadership 367 Power and Politics 411 Conflict and Negotiation 445 Foundations of Organization Structure 479 v vi BRIEF CONTENTS 4 The Organization System 16 Organizational Culture 511 17 Human Resource Policies

Literature Review Paper Corporate Restructuring

Question: Discuss about theLiterature Review Paperfor Corporate Restructuring. Answer: Corporate Restructuring in the West The restructuring literature in the companies found in the west provides a hint of the failure or success of actions of restructuring undertaken by the management in determining and creating business value. (Ruigrok, 1999) argues that the experiences of the companies found in the West, can be of benefit to other businesses found in the developing countries.The main aim of enterprise restructuring is to transform businesses into capitalist firms which creates value. Western Europe and North American managers, scholars, and politicians have long regarded restructuring as mainly a temporary phenomenon(Ruigrok, 1999). In this view, restructuring was considered as a company stage during which it had to adapt to the changes of the environment such as Asian competition, slower growth rate, and higher prices of input. The late 1980s to 1990s events have made this perspective unsustainable(Ruigrok, 1999). It seems unsafe to continue assuming that many firms will continue in the coming years t o restructure. This is because of the ongoing monetary and economic integration in the EU (European Union), further discussions on economic integration with North Atlantic Area and the Americas, and the economic crisis in the Asia (Onundo Riany, 2012). As a result, this brings up questions of the direction and nature of the efforts of corporate restructuring, and possible differences of cross-nationals among the West corporates. Through literature review, this study analyzes the significance to restructuring to the organizations, especially the West trading companies. The Firms Performance and Organizational Restructuring For the organizations that want to remain relevant in the world of business, organizational restructuring is a vital strategy. (Shermon, 2012) defines the restructuring as the changing of the structure of a firms operations, governance, financing, and investment structures. (Three Sigma Inc, 2002) defines restructuring as the process of introducing structural changes in the daily business management for onetime transaction activities such as acquisitions, debt swaps, spin-offs, and repurchasing stock. It is viewed that the main concern of restructuring is to change structures for the quest of long-term and short-term benefits. According to (Shermon, 2012) the undertakings of restructuring can be categorized into three main classifications. Those types are the portfolio, organizational, and financial restructuring. Restructuring that is based on financials comprises of the firms capital changes, which includes the debt-equity swaps, recapitalization leverage, and leverage buyout. A financial restructuring common way is to increase equity through new share issuing. However, portfolio restructuring comprises substantial changes in the firms asset mix or the firms business lines, which include spin-offs, liquidation, and asset sales (Vyacheslav, 2000). On the other hand, organizational restructuring encompasses substantial changes in the firms organizational structure, which comprises of the spreading span of control, corporate governance reformation, reducing product diversification, redrawing of divisional boundaries, downsizing employment, revising compensation, and flattening of hierarchic levels. This pap er is focuses on the restructuring of the organizational which comes with the changes in policies of human resources. There is need to change the current human resource policies in line with the changing situation. The department of the human resource needs to initiate change management. (Vyacheslav, 2000) demonstrates that in order to maintain the employees external and internal equity, there should be streamlining of the current pay structure. (Andreas Kemper, n.d.) notes that there are signs that can be used to determine the need for organizational restructuring. Such signs include influenced performance appraisals; unpredictable organizational communications, significant staffing increases or decreases are contemplated; accountability for results are not communicated clearly and measurable resulting in subjective and retaining personnel and turnover becomes a problem that is significant; parts of the organization are substantially under or over staffed; new skills and capabilities are needed to meet current or expected operational requirements; technology and/or innovation are creating changes in workflow and production processes; fragmented, and inefficient; and stagnant workforce productivity or diminishing morale (Jarso, 2016). Organizational restructuring in a number of ways has shown to be important and that they are more important in strategies implementation of due to good formulation but that are not confined to reducing costs of operation. A study conducted by (Srivastava, 2013) on the effect of restructuring on the operational issues of the West countries public traded companies in 2013, tested whether the restructuring resulted in substantial changes. In their study, they applied profit margin, the ratio of total asset turnover after and before the restructuring as substitute for the firms performance, return on assets, and changes in revenues (Srivastava, 2013). They were able to determine through the analysis that there was substantial increase in return on assets, profit margin, and total revenue after restructuring. However, there was no proof of substantial effect on the ratio of asset turnover. The researchers were able to find existence of substantial evidences of significant market expectations and over response to the announcements of restructuring. They performed a study to explore corporate performance improvements in companies involved in acquisition and merger. Similarly, other researchers carried out a study to analyse the merger relationship in the US steel industry. The research used the methodology of New Empirical Industrial Organization. This analysis was carried out by observing the time between 1951 to 1988. The study examined the relationship between mergers in the U.S. steel industry and the market power. According the study results, there was slight boost to power in the steel industry since 1972 1984 (Jarso, 2016). In steel industry, acquisition and merger resulted in improvement of solvency, cash flow positions, liquidity, and efficiency. Also, one study conducted in the US in 1998 found out than less than 20% of the firms, had considered restructuring as an essential step of integrating the acquired firm into their organization (Jarso, 2016). However, firms which have a comprehensive integration plans, have managed to develop in their industries, an average value. (Wambui, 2012) conducted a research on the impact of restructuring on the operation of the organization specializing in mobile phone industry in UK. The study agreed that, all three techniques of restructuring have positive impact on the firms market share and growth. The findings from their study demonstrated that organizational restructuring had the least effect on the firms market share, the second was portfolio restructuring, whereas, financial restructuring had the highest impact. Nonetheless, on the market growth rate, organizational restructuring had the highest impact. References Andreas Kemper, F. K., n.d. Corporate Restructuring Dynamics: A case Study Analysis, Oestrich-Winkel, German: s.n. Jarso, H. A., 2016. Restructuring Strategy and Performance of Major Commercial Bank in Kenya, Nairobi: University of Nairobi, Kenya. Onundo Riany, G. H. M. O. O., 2012. Effects of Restructuring on Organization Performance of Mobile Phone Service ProvidersChrista. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(1), pp. 198-204 . Ruigrok, W. P. A., 1999. Corporate Restructuring and New Forms of Organizing: Evidence from Europe.. [Online] Available at: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Management-International-Review/57645213.html [Accessed 25 4 2017]. Shermon, G., 2012. Creating an optimized organisation: Key Opportunities and Challenges, s.l.: s.n. Srivastava, S. B., 2013. Organizational Restructuring and Social Capital Activation, Berkeley: University of California . Three Sigma Inc, 2002. Organizational Restructuring, s.l.: s.n. Vyacheslav, T., 2000. An Investigation into Methods of Restructuring and Reorganizing Industrial Enterprises. Club of Economics in Miskolc TMP , Volume 5, pp. 81-84. . Wambui, N. A., 2012. Corporate Restructuring and Firm Performance In The Banking Sector Of Kenya, Nairobi Kenya: University of Nairobi.

Far from Heaven Essay Essay Example

Far from Heaven Essay Paper Far From Heaven Far from Heaven is a film about a 1950s period. It deals with some issues such as race, sexuality and class. There is Cathy, the perfect mother and wife married to Frank, the successful and charming man, who works as seals manager in a big company, having the perfect life. Until Cathy, finds that her husband; Frank is a homosexual. She cannot divorce from her husband because she does not want to destruct her marriage. At the same time, she meets with Raymond, and she goes to him for comfort. They spend good time together, but their relationship causes some bad consequences for him and his daughter. On the other side, Frank cannot suppress his desires of homosexuality. When he and his wife went to a holiday, he falls in love with another man. Their life becomes depressing, and at the end, they divorce and the film ends with sadness. Far From Heaven shows that racism and homosexuality were serious problems the society faced back in the 1950s; however, nowadays the problem is not as serious and intense but it is still prevalent in some societies. First, According to Britannica online, racism â€Å"is the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over others†. Many people believe that it depends on if a person was brought into the world as a racist or not, but that is not the case at all. In fact, an individual cannot be born a racist but only learn to become one as they grow from child to adulthood. For instance, in the movie, the two boys Chased Raymond’s daughter and hit her with a rock in her head because of her color and the boys were affected by their parents thoughts. Also, in the 1950s, people used to treat the African American without respect; like when Raymond grabbed Cathy’s hand, a man yelled at him saying â€Å"hey boy† and this is disrespecting way to call a person with. We will write a custom essay sample on Far from Heaven Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Far from Heaven Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Far from Heaven Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Likewise, racism leads to many side effects, like intricacy in finding jobs for the colored people. For example, in the film, all the American Africans used to work as gardeners, servants or waiters and they were totally ignored by the society, without having chance to achieve a better job. Generally, homosexual people was known as a problem; psychologists and psychiatrists had mainly studied homosexuals who were either in prison, or in therapy. As an example, when Cathy knew that her husband was a homosexual, she told him to see a doctor to solve this problem. Evelyn Hooker (1907-1996) was the first person who compared between groups of non-clinical homosexuals with a comparable group of heterosexuals: Her first report was called The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual. It showed that homosexuals were not inherently abnormal and that there was no difference between  homosexual and heterosexual men in terms of pathology. Besides, in the past, homosexuals were afraid to show their homosexuality, and they were doing that underground: Frank used to go to a gay club in secret and his wife didn’t try to tell anyone about that because it was a source of embarrassment. Yet, homosexuals didn’t have any rights, like the right to work, can be limited somewhat for reasons of external misconduct, without incurring in unjust discrimination Second, racism nowadays has been weakened. Compared to the past, racism has come a long way toward disappearing. For example, Oprah Winfrey has one of the most popular shows and in the past black people weren’t allowed to work in the media. Besides, the president of the USA is black, and it’s a major shift considering to the past because they were restricted to certain jobs only. However, racism is still active in some cities and countries. Sometimes, Racism is thrown at us in so many ways that some people are subconsciously or unwillingly enveloped in its wake. For example, racist jokes are becoming increasingly familiar among teens in our society: there are many people I know who have poked fun at blacks, Asians and Hispanics for no reason but to be funny and respected by their peers. In addition, in the past 50 years, many leaders showed when the black people were actually in need to follow someone and obtain their civil rights and end the racism. Two of the most powerful and influential leaders of the twentieth century had to be Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. These two leaders had different approaches, and different views towards white people, perhaps their different approaches of violence and non-violence stem from their original opinions of how capable the whites are of being good, but fought for the same goal, and without them we wouldn’t be able to reach this level of freedom; like when Malcolm X said in his speech, â€Å"You cant separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. On the other hand, homosexuals in our time have many rights compared to what they faced in the 50s. In November 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot deny marriage licenses to homosexual couples. Following the Massachusetts decision, more gay marriages occurred publicly across the nation from San Francisco to New York. President George W. Bush responded to these activities by urging Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to grant legalized same-sex marriages. After Evelyn Hooker’s research, comparing matched groups of homosexually- and heterosexually-identified men. She found that scores from psychological tests of the two groups were indistinguishable from one. Furthermore, there is huge percentage of the people against homosexuals because it’s a wrong act and against contrary the religions. Finally, I think Racism is still alive, and will always be alive. Historically, South Carolina promoted the harshest treatment of slaves in the 1700s, as they prospered from their rice plantations. Slaves’ body parts were amputated if they ran away. South Carolinas torture of slaves was adopted by the other colonies to put fear into their slaves. Even today, a racial flag flies high in that state as a constant reminder to the African Americans of their past, and their past oppressors. Likewise, It should be remembered that Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to Horace Greeley saying, Dear Sir: I have not meant to leave any one in doubt My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy Slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it (Uprooting Racism, Paul Kivel, pp122). Scientifically, sex is a means to an end; the end being the propagation of the human race. This end can never be fulfilled by sex between males or females. Therefore, homosexuality is irrational and illogical. Sources: http://www. gibbsmagazine. com/Racism%20Still. htm http://news. deviantart. com/article/25096/ http://www. quotationspage. com/special. php3? file=w980517 http://www. famous-quotes. com. au/authors/quotes-by-Malcolm-X. php http://www. globalissues. org/article/165/racism http://www. adl. org/hate-patrol/racism. asp http://www. religioustolerance. org/hom_agen50. htm

Idioms and Expressions With Money

Idioms and Expressions With Money The following idioms and expressions with the noun money are less formal than collocations used with money. However, they are common in everyday conversation. Each idiom or expression has a definition and two example sentences to help understanding of these common idiomatic expressions with money. Color of Someone's Money Definition: the amount of money someone has available Show me the color of your money and then we can talk.If we knew the color of the companys money we could make a better bid on the deal. Easy Money Definition: money that can be earned with little effort Some people think that playing stocks is easy money.Unfortunately, there are few jobs are truly easy money. Front Money Definition: money paid in advance of receiving something Ill need to put up $100,000 front money to get in on the deal.Always be suspicious of companies that ask for front money. Heavy Money Definition: a lot of money Tom will bring heavy money into the company if he agrees to invest.They have heavy money. Im sure theyll buy the house. Hush Money Definition: money paid to someone so that they dont provide information Many people are paid hush money to not testify in court. Its illegal, but it happens.The gang tried to pay the man off with hush money, but he was having none of it. Mad Money Definition: money used to have fun, money to waste Weve put away a few thousand dollars in mad money for our next vacation.Dont go to Las Vegas without some mad money. Money From Home Definition: easily gained money Peter thinks investing in stocks is money from home.Shes looking for a job thats money from home. Good luck! Money Grubber Definition: someone who does not like to spend money, a stingy person Shell never give you money for your idea. Shes a money grubber.Money grubbers cant take it with them. I have no idea why they take it so seriously. I say easy come, easy go. Money Talks Definition: money has influence in a situation Of course, they let the big box store build in town. Never forget: Money talks.Just remember money talks. If they really want you for the position, theyll meet your salary demands. On the Money Definition: correct, exact Id say you are on the money about that situation.His guess that the company would succeed was on the money. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is! Definition: lets have a bet about something Come on, if you think that is true, put your money where your mouth is! Ill bet you 100 to 1 that it isnt true.She put her money where her mouth was and made a fortune. Smart Money Definition: the best option, money of smart people investing in something The smart money is on Congress changing the law.He thinks the smart money is going to invest in renewable energy. Soft Money Definition: money which can be earned without much effort Take the job for a few months. Its soft money.Jane thinks the position is soft money. Spending Money Definition: money to spend to have fun, purchases unnecessary items Its important to have at least a little spending money each month.They dont have much spending money, so they like to stay home rather than go on vacation. Throw Money at Something Definition: waste money on a situation Throwing money at the situation isnt going to make it better.Some governments feel that throwing money at a program always helps. Once youve learned these expressions, its a good idea to also learn important phrasal verbs about money. Finally, use the business English resources on the site to continue improving your English as it relates to the business world.

A Journal opinion article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

A Journal opinion article - Essay Example Levin acknowledged in the article that the practice of buybacks or companies buying its own stocks is unhealthy and proposed that the general public should be notified beforehand for greater transparency. But as it is, buybacks are still practiced and if one thinks that this helps America’s economic recovery, it does not. The pracitce of corporate America of buying back its stocks will not help to recover but in fact will threaten its economy. It seems that we have not learned our lesson after all as we are again back at manipulating balance sheets to have a perception of value. Corporate America is again practicing the same principle of financial manipulation that precipitated the mortgage criss that brought us the â€Å"Financial Crisis† that took America to recover and this recovery is even questionable today. Buying stocks back is just a convenient way of unloading those excessive cash in the guise of avoiding dilution and increasing stock value. To finally recover from the crisis that we are in, values in terms of productivity has to be created. Coupled with healthy spending that will translate to a robust domestic consumption which will have a ripple effect of encouraging more production. In other words, for us to recover, plants has to be erected, new technology has to be developed, companies has to hire employees or engage in any economic activity that will create â€Å"real value† and not just buyback stocks to increase it value. Buying back stocks does not do this although it will convey the perception that a company is performing well. To explain this further, it will serve us well to cite an example to better understand how stock buybacks create a perceive performance without creating any real value. Let us assume a company buys back a million shares at $ 5 per share with a $10,000,000 cash. Profit is at $1,000,000. Observe how return on assets, return on shares and price earning ratio improve without any increase in profit. Bef ore Buyback After Buying Back Cash $ 10,000,000 $ 5,000,000 Assets 30,000,000 20,000,000 Profit 1,000,000 1,000,000 Outstanding shares 10,000,000 9,000,000 Return on Assets 3.33 % 5.00 % Return per share $ 10 $ 11.11 The above illustrates how a company increases its perceived value without an increased productivity. It just unload the cash of $10,000,000 by buying back a million shares at $10 per share. The cash diminished to $20,000,000 ($30,000,000 cash minus $10,000,000 buyback) increasing the return on assets to 5 % (1,000,000/20,000,000). Above all, the price-earnings ratio (P/E), the ratio which is often used as a measure of value of the company also increased without creating any â€Å"real value† (lower ratio is better). Where before the P/E ratio is 50 ($5/$10), it decreases to 45 ($5/$11.11) by simply unloading its cash by buying back its stocks. This is what Levin is discussing in the article â€Å"Secret Buybacks Are Unfair to Shareholdersâ€Å". Companies are c reating perceived value with the increase in return on assets, improved price earning ratio and higher return on share without creating anything. Companies only intend to give higher dividends to its stockholders which

Is there evidence that genetic variation in wild populations is caused Essay

Is there evidence that genetic variation in wild populations is caused by natural selection - Essay Example This adjustment may be structural, behavioral or functional which increases the individual’s ability to survive in the ecological niche. The process of natural selection happens through random genetic variations. The beneficial variations are carried to the progeny. Under the similar environment the process is extended to the entire population of the species in the ecological niche. The new alleles and genes are responsible for genetic variations. Mutations can create new genes and alleles. In the process of gene duplication morphology of chromosomes may undergo changes which would alter the genetic structure in the evolutionary process. Barett R.D.H. and Schluter state â€Å"Compared with new mutations, adaptation from standing genetic variation is likely to lead to faster evolution, the fixation of more alleles of small effect and the spread of more recessive alleles. There is potential to distinguish between adaptation from standing variation and that from new mutations by differences in the genomic signature of selection.† When we consider sudden alterations by way of mutation as against existing genes, where the changes were induced on account of adaptability to environment filtered for benefits with regard to survival, we can understand the concept of adaptation and natural selection in evolution in the latter case. However, it is also established that beneficial mutations create new alleles to aid an organism in its struggle for existence. Natural selection has been rather well established and reveals increase in the frequency of these alleles. An example is given with reference to Adaptation to High and Low Temperatures by E. coli.   ‘A single clone of E. coli was cultured at 37 C  (that is 37 degrees Celsius) for 2000 generations. A single clone was then extracted from this population and divided into replicates that were then cultured at either 32 C , 37