Sensation and Perception Essay Example for Free

Sensation and Perception Essay Memory – knowing the past Thinking – knowing the future Cognition = the influence of perception, memory, and thinking Aug 29th, 2012 Basic principles of perception 1.Stimulation -Many kinds of energy implode on the body Electromagnetic energy (light) Mechanical energy -Pressure waves in air Pressure on skin Body movement Thermal energy (heat) Chemical energy (molecules in air, food) -Energy changes detected by receptors 2.Information a.Our sensory systems evolved to pick up information (not just stimulation) b.In general, information is provided by change c.Change can occur over time, or over space 3.Transduction -The process of converting stimulus energy into nerve impulses -Generally, stimulus energy causes a change in a receptor cell’s electrical potential (voltage) -If change is enough, it will trigger â€Å"nerve impulses† 4.Transmission -For perception to occur, sensory organs (containing receptors) must transmit nerve impulses to the brain -Perception occurs in the brain, not in the sensory organs 5.Mediation -Our perception of the world is mediated by various processes between transduction and our conscious awareness -These processes alter the neural information -What we consciously perceive may not be an accurate reflection of the original stimulation 6.Interpretation -Sensory information is ambiguous (there are ALWAYS multiple possible interpretations) 7.Construction -Sensory information is â€Å"sketchy†; the brain â€Å"fills in† missing information 8.Modularity -Your brain consists of independent â€Å"modules†. These modules may construct different, possibly conflicting, interpretations of the world. -You â€Å"see† one interpretation of an ambiguous **Missed Class†¦locked out of room** Sept 5th, 2012 Signal Detection Theory (Slides and appendix in book) Sept 7th, 2012 The Eye Light -Light is electromagnetic radiation varying in: Wavelength Intensity Radiance – intensity of light as it leaves the light source Illuminance – intensity of light as it is absorbed by object (white objects higher in illuminance than black objects) Luminance – amount of light that is reflected by object 100 illuminance omits 40 luminants; albedo = 40/100= .4 Retinal Illuminance – light that reaches your eye Brightness – perception of radiance, illuminance, or luminance Lightness – perception of the reflectance (albedo) Brightness is a perception of the light; lightness is a perception of the object surface Myopia = nearsighted = focal length is shorter than distance  to retina Hyperopia = farsighted = focal length is longer than distance to retina Presbyopia = aged vision, lens can’t adjust because of age (reading glasses for old people) Sept 10th, 2012 The Retina Fovea is the part of eye where visual acuity is highest Vision involves â€Å"rods† and â€Å"cones† in the back of the retina Photopic = conesScotopic = rods Purkinje Shift – as illumination decreases, red objects lose brightness more quickly than green, blue; red goes to black whereas green and blue pass through shades of gray **2 Missed Classes – Canada** Sept 19th, 2012 Gestalt Psychology -Brief history of behaviorism, psychoanalysis -The laws of perceptual grouping October 1st, 2012 Distance Perception Why is depth perception important? -Effective action (e.g. grasping) requires correct perception of distance -Correct perception of size and shape requires correct perception of distance Size and shape consistency Just as an infinite number of object sizes and shapes can cast the exact same image on the retina, a single object can cast an infinite number of sizes and shapes of retinal image Size Consistency = we (usually) perceive the size of an object as constant, despite changes in the size of the retinal image Shape Consistency = we (usually) perceive The farther away something is from your eye, the less the retinal disparity will be Stereopsis -Retinal Disparity = the mismatch between the left and right eyes’ retinal  images -Stereopsis = the ability to use retinal disparity as a depth cue Motion parallax Interposition = idea that an object in front of another object will block that object out Aerial Perspective -Refers to effects of the air on distance perception Clarity = as light passes through more air, light is scattered and so the image gets blurrier oBlueness = as light passes through more air, long wavelengths are filtered out and so the image gets bluer Chapter 2 Transduction and receptive fields Signal Detection Theory -Always noise (random activity) Eye Movements EXAM 2 MATERIAL OCT 12TH 2012 Perceptual Ambiguity (Lecture 9) States of form perception 1.Feature extraction 2.Perceptual grouping 3.Figure-ground differentiation 4.Figural resolution 5.Pattern recognition Ambiguity – multiple possible interpretations – can occur at any level (2-5) Figure-ground differentiation -Some perceptual groups are treated as â€Å"figure†, other groups are treated as â€Å"ground† Yates Thesis -Yates. J (1985). The content of awareness is a model of the world. Psychological Review, 92, 249-284 -Visual images are inherently ambiguous (allow multiple interpretations) -Coherent action requires selection of one interpretation -We tend to represent in awareness the simplest interpretation of the most sensory data Figural Resolution -After â€Å"figure† has been differentiated from â€Å"ground†, it may still be  necessary to resolve the structure of the figure -Figural resolution influenced by†¦ Bottom up vs. top-down October 15th, 2012 Lecture 10 Pattern Recognition Pattern Recognition – knowing what figures in the visual field ARE. Requires interaction of sensation/perception with memory (pre-existing knowledge) Template Matching -Match of whole pattern to a stored pattern -Problems onfinite variation of problems No access to feature differences Can’t recognize†¦ Feature Analysis -Patterns are recognized by detection of particular â€Å"critical features† -Accounts for recognition of partially obscured patterns -Predicts that objects with more features in common are more confusable Problem: Not ALWAYS true Some confusions are predicted better by the whole shape New â€Å"configural properties† (or emergent features) arise from the combination of features †¢Impossible to define complex objects entirely by simple features Template Matching vs. Feature Analysis -Template matching emphasizes the whole, fails to account for importance of parts -Feature analysis emphasizes the parts, fails to account for importance of the whole -Possible solutions: Maybe more than one brain mechanism for pattern recognition oA â€Å"hybrid† approach that encompasses both the whole AND the parts Structural Theories of Pattern Recognition Objects are recognized by their â€Å"structural description†, how their parts are organized into the whole †¢DO NOT CONFUSE WITH STRUCTURALISM! (Structuralism assumed that the â€Å"structure† can be decomposed into elemental parts† Yates Thesis -We tend to represent in awareness the simplest explanation for the most sensory data Oct 17th, 2012 Three kinds of brain damage 1.Agnosia = â€Å"loss of knowledge† a.Prosopagnosia – loss of ability to recognize faces b.Object agnosia – loss of ability to recognize objects c.Word agnosia (alexia) – loss of ability to recognize written words 2.Object agnosia never occurs without either word agnosia or prosopagnosia Oct 24th, 2012 Light Light is electromagnetic radiation varying in: Wavelength Intensity Amplitude, if considered as a wave Number of photons, if considered as particulate Color is all in your head! â€Å"Hue† does not exist in the physical world – wavelength is a simple quantitative continuum, like intensity, or frequency of sound, or length, or weight †¢You brain CONSTRUCTS categories of perception, resulting in qualitative differences in the perception Dimensions of Color -HUE the perception of wavelength, or (in a mixture) dominant wavelength -SATURATION – the perception of purity (proportion of the dominant wavelength in a mixture) -BRIGHTNESS – perceived intensity Subtractive Color Mixture -A paint pigment absorbs certain wavelengths, reflects others -When two pigments are mixed, each subtracts out certain wavelengths -You see what’s left over Exam 2: Perceptual ambiguity Pattern recognition Color vision Sound Music The Ear Ear to Brain Visual Illusions Inner ear- cochlea, organ of corti, Moon Illusion – moon looks larger when at horizon than when it is over-head Perceived size = retinal image size x perceived distance EXAM 3 MATERIAL(FINAL EXAM)NOV 9TH, 2012 Final Exam Friday Dec 14th, 3:30-5:30 66 questions, appx. 2/3 material last 3rd of class Study 1st 2 exams for remaining 1/3 Don’t need to know every single experiment, just the general results Medial and lateral superior olives -Loudness in 2 ears and time of arrival in 2 ears

Social Problems In Uae Sociology Essay

Social Problems In Uae Sociology Essay Social problem is defined as the issue or problem which has seen by people of community as unacceptable or undesirable. But social problems are not under the control of a single person. Social problems mainly arise when there is a social disruption or social change. UAE is continent which consists of such countries which are fully developed and have extensive growth towards success every day. So it is a great social change in society as a result which on one hand has put an end to several social issues such as poverty, illiteracy, terrorism, crime but on the other this social change have given rise to several social problems such as drug abuse. Younger generation is becoming a victim of this problem greatly usually because of some kind of depression they are facing or may be because of the peer pressure. Furthermore discrimination in society is rising since Dubai has become a multi culture society now having people of different countries with different cast religion and different race. Moreover because of the social change in a society family rules have changed to a greater extent making it difficult for the people to hold their relationships for a long time. Since every person is busy in his own life so no time is left for family get together and for the spouse as well. Also high cost of living, problems of expatriates is major social issues. INTRODUCTION Social issues are the problems that affect more than one person in a society in any way possible. Sometimes social problems affect directly sometimes indirectly to a person or society. Social problems are usually not in the control of a person and it occurs in immediate social environment mostly because of some social change in society. There are certain examples such as a person has murdered someone but it is not a social problem it is a part of biggest social issue called crime which is prevailing very much in society. Most common social issues that exist in a developing or underdeveloped society include poverty, illiteracy, crime, human rights etc. the rest problems are developed from them such as immigration but immigration is a social plus economic problem. Moreover discrimination, sexual harassment, child abuse, injustice, drug abuse, divorces, and obesity are developed from the major problems of society. All the social problems have adverse effects on people which are part of the society. The societys norms values, customs and traditions all got changed and affected by the social problems prevailing in a society. Even the entire system of the society disrupts because of this but it cant be controlled since it occurs as a result of the external factors which a single person cannot control. UAE is continent which consists of such countries which are fully developed and have extensive growth towards success every day. So it is a great social change in society as a result which on one hand has put an end to several social issues such as poverty, illiteracy, terrorism, crime but on the other this social change have given rise to several social problems such as drug abuse. Younger generation is becoming a victim of this problem greatly usually because of some kind of depression they are facing or may be because of the peer pressure. Furthermore discrimination in society is rising since Dubai has become a multi culture society now having people of different countries with different cast religion and different race. Moreover because of the social change in a society family rules have changed to a greater extent making it difficult for the people to hold their relationships for a long time. Since every person is busy in his own life so no time is left for family get together and for the spouse as well. EXPLANATION OF CHOICE OF FOUR INTERVIEWS I am conducting interviews of four family members of mine which are my younger sister, my mother, my father and my grandfather. Ive chosen my younger sister for conducting interview regarding such topic because she is young and she can give me her fresh view regarding the social issue that are spreading in the entire UAE. As she currently is a college student so she definitely will present the problems or issues of the young generation. So she gave me information regarding the issues of drug abuse which is spreading extensively in youngsters. And secondly she notified me about the problem of obesity that is a huge problem in developed countries especially among children. Secondly I am taking interview from my father who works as a sales person in a leading company of Dubai. Ive chosen him for this interview because he is one generation before us. And he can express his views regarding the social issues of UAE but his views will reflect his entire generation. Also he is a working person so he definitely would have known and understand the environment of the workplace and can also give details relating to the social problems occur in a working place. He told me about the problem of discrimination occurring is workplaces. Also he notified me about the problem of expatriates. The third person Ive chosen for my research on social issue in UAE is my mother. She is a house wife and is responsible for everything that happens in a hose hold. Ive chosen her for conducting interview on such a sensitive topic since she is women and in order to get a female point of view on such a topic is necessary. Also she can better explain the relationship problems than any other person. So she acknowledged me about the problem of high rate of divorces in UAE and also she pointed out the problem of high cost of living in a society of UAE. Furthermore Ive selected my grandfather for conducting an interview from him. Ive selected him because he is from two generations behind mine. So he can give me views regarding the social issues of UAE that reflects his generation. He presents the problem of depression which is becoming very common in UAE because of workaholics and change of family rules. (Khondkar, 2008) THREE GENERATION GENEALOGY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS Social problem is defined as the issue or problem which has seen by people of community as unacceptable. Some social issues are considered unacceptable by literally all members of the society such as kidnapping, violence, crime, murders etc Bt there are social issues as well that are not necessarily undesirable by all community members for example youngster do not consider listening very loud music a social issue but it is a social issue for elder members of society. There are several types of social problems prevailing in different countries of the world such as poverty, illiteracy, food and water crisis, poor health facilities are some of the most common problems in developing countries. Moreover terrorism is also one of the major social problems emerging in many countries now days. Furthermore discrimination of sex, injustice, inflation, immigration, child labor, drug abuse, and smuggling are also few big social problems of today. Due to extensive growth and unimaginable development in UAE there is a major social change occurring there which is causing so many social problems. Social problems occur in UAE society is of many types and there is no clear way to solve these issues in the near future. From the time of independence of UAE many the society of UAE has completely evolved and social issues with the time has also changed. Since UAE has gained the status of one of the developed countries of the world so problems in society also have evolved in the same manner. One of the most important social issues in UAE is drug abuse. This problem has spread on a large scale and a lot of people are under the influence of this problem. Illegal trade of drugs from different countries where drug is produced is the main cause for this problem and this is happening because of the security lapses of UAE. Also the alcoholism is a major social issue in UAE. Moreover the divorce rate is very high in UAE which is a big social problem in this era. Smoking and road accidents are also causing problems for the people living there. Ethnic cleansing, racism and prostitution are also some of the highlighted social problems. (Social Issues in USA Contemporary, 2009) According to the interviews conducted by me of my younger sister who is a college student currently I concluded a few very important points regarding to the social issues of UAE. OBESITY Firstly obesity is a big concern now days. Obesity is actually defined as the excess fat of a person that is causing adverse effects on that persons health. Obesity becomes the reason for so many diseases such as cancer, heart problems, and diabetes etc. a person is considered that he is affected by obesity when his weight is at least 20% more than his normal weight. The major causes of obesity are firstly the genetics. Obesity can be in the gens of a person. Also over eating and eating lots of junk food is a major reason for this problem. All the countries of UAE are affected by this problem because people there have a busy lifestyle so they have much time for exercise to get them fit and remove extra fat from their bodies. Furthermore workaholics do not eat at home and usually go out for eating junk food which increases their fat to a high level. DRUG ABUSE Drug abuse is one of the problems now days that is affecting every community and country badly. It is a serious health illness problem that is causing 40 million deaths every year. There are several causes for this problem including the depression which is very high in developed countries since workload is very high and it is difficult and stressful to maintain a good life style there. Also because of separate families instead of joint families systems feelings of loneliness overcome them makes them to take drugs. Drug abuse among the youth is very much increasing mostly because of the pressure of the friends on them. Bad social gatherings and wrong friend circle makes a person to get involved in all such bad activities. Also alcoholism and smoking are the problems that spread in the same manner. Youngsters also do such activities because they have the perception that it gives them a cool look. Drug abuse has negative effects on a persons life such as health problems. Also drugs addicted become a victim of financial problem since they cant control them and spend a lot of money in buying drugs. Moreover a drugs addicted is no more efficient to be a part of social gathering anymore. He is socially destroyed because at the time of taking drugs his behavior becomes very abnormal. Drug abuse can make a person to involve in other crimes also such as drugged driving, violence, child abuse etc In accordance with the interview conducted by my mother Ive got to understand few social issues prevailing in our society. HIGH DIVORCE RATE Divorce is one of the biggest social problems spreading in UAE society and its rate is increasing day by day. The main reason for high rate of divorces in the country is that the traditional rules of marriage are changing because of the working women scenario and also the joint family system has ended which makes it difficult for women to handle their entire house hold plus professional life and thus the relationship between husband and wife badly disturbs making it difficult for them to continue to live together and divorces happens as a result. Moreover another important reason for divorces is marriages at a younger age. At that time the couple is not able to understand each other and their maturity level to handle marriage is low. So they easily move towards the path of divorce. And also it is the fault of parents who pressurize their children to marry at a younger age. Furthermore high expectations from marriage sometimes lead it to a poor relationship because husband and wife expects so much from each other but do not prepare themselves to be able to fulfill the expectations of their partner. Divorce has certain negative impacts on the entire family and the children always affected badly in such situations. They become very sensitive and emotionally unstable. Further it is difficult for them to adjust in new families in case of their parents got engaged into second marriages. Moreover they feel complexes in schools and in other social gatherings. (Divorce in the uae causes effects, 2009) HIGH COST OF LIVING The cost of living in UAE is high as compared to other places. It has proved from different surveys conducted by researchers when they compared a same quantity of basket of goods in UAE and from other places. Since the country has reached to the greater heights of development the life style of established people in Dubai and in other countries is very lavished which makes it difficult for the expatriates to live there since the expatriates have usually low incomes. It is also difficult for them to even educate their children and also their children can become a victim of complex if they study with the people of high class. Communication costs are high as compared to other places and phone calls are really very expensive locally as well as internationally. Buying property is very expensive in Dubai and in other developed countries of UAE. House hold accommodations, clothing, furniture and appliances are also expensive so its hard for a person with normal income to live there. In accordance with the interview taken by my father Ive got to understand two important social issues that we are facing as a society of UAE. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Since a lot of people from different countries are shifting to Dubai for the purpose of doing business there or for getting jobs as UAE have good opportunities for them. These people belong to different religion, culture, different race, and cast. So UAE has become a multicultural society and in such a society problems of racial discrimination often occurs. At work places people are usually be given less pay only because they belong to other foreign countries which are not liked by the employer of the place. And also high work load is given to the different culture employees. For example the employer of the hotel would want that his customers are served by the European staff. And if those people raise issues about this matter they might get into conflicts with the management or the colleagues too. There is also a great discrimination in case of race and nationality in the workplace. And because of the discrimination people are getting dissatisfied and large families in UAE become a victim of this issue. PROBLEM OF EXPATRIATES So many people are getting settled in UAE leaving their native countries behind. Expatriates basically do that because they are attracted to the employment and investment opportunities of the country where they want to shift and their own home country do not have such opportunities for them. But it is becoming a greater problem for the government of Dubai to accommodate so many people and thus the country is becoming over populated because of the large number of expatriates. 74% of the population of UAE is the people who are not from UAE but have shifted from other countries for employment or for doing some sort of business. When so many expatriates come and settle in to the country the major problem of homogeneous society occurs. And in such a multicultural society several problems of discrimination can occur too. According to the interview conducted by my grandfather Ive got to understand few important points regarding the social issues prevailing in the UAE society DEPRESSION Since a lot of people living in UAE are expatriates who may or may not live with their family in UAE. Living alone and continuous work of day and night can make a victim of depression and isolation which can greatly affect their health especially they can have mental issues because of this. Also because in such developed countries the concept of family has completely changed and so there is no such family gatherings and spending time with family which can make them feel relax for a little time. And give them a break from their workaholic lives. As in such developed countries every person has to work really hard to earn good money which is their necessity otherwise they cant settle their because standard of living is very high. (Ronnegard, 2010) USE OF INTERVIEW MATERIAL I have conducted four interviews in my family. Interviews were conducted in a professional setup to get the job done in a good manner. Questions were designed specially to get the maximum information out of them in a comfortable and easy manner. And also it was considered that all the questions must be in accordance with the topic of prevailing social issues in society of UAE. Questions were mostly open ended in order to get a detailed analysis of the topic. The interviews were formal in nature which Ive conducted from my mother and father. But the interviews conducted by my sister and grandfather were informal in nature. Because I have more comfort level with them. I didnt start my interview in cold manner rather than that Ive start interviews with a small talk to reach to the topic of social issues in UAE. And I was very natural in taking interviews not the practiced and rehearsed tone was there. I have listened carefully to every word of them and write down the points in order to make sense of the information they are presenting. And throughout the interviews Ive kept my topic in mind and didnt divert from it to gather relevant information. Relevant Reading Course Material Patterns of corruption in MENA Region Little is known on the specific forms and nature of corruption in the MENA region, due to the lack of empirical data and political will for such scrutiny. Yet, there is a general consensus that both petty corruption and grand corruption are widespread and systemic. The Arab countries comprising the Middle East often referred to as the MENA region face a set of specific challenges that are seriously hampering the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts. The political and institutional infrastructure of Arab states partly accounts for the persistence of the governance gap in the region, while contextual factors such as insecurity, oil wealth and prevalence of conflict continue to fuel corruption and the lack of transparency. Throughout the MENA region, anti-corruption strategies have primarily focused on strengthening public institutions, reviewing laws and regulations and simplifying procedures, with little attention given to proactively improving transparency and democratic processes. Although the region is not entirely homogeneous, regional patterns of corruption emerge from various governance surveys and indicators (an overview of these is provided on page 7). Transparency internationals Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) consistently ranks MENA countries below the world Article 1 The study conducted by Sharjah university revealed that the main reason behind high rates of drug lies in the lack of communication between the individuals. The constant verbal fight is particularly the reason behind this. Since pre-martial relationships are not considered good in our society, therefore, couple is not aware of nature of each other. The interference of in laws is also the biggest reason behind the drug cases. Unfortunately, the people who are extremely badly affected due to drug consumption in children. The children face various mental and physical challenges when they see constant tussle between their parents. (Sheriff, 2012) Article 2 The Emiratis are normally family centered people who love to live in families and care for each other needs and wills. However, the trends in the recent years have shown that the institute of marriage is being severely hurted. The reports have shown that 42 percent of the people in the age bracket of 20s have decided to quit their relationships on different grounds. However, the people blame the influence of western culture as the main reason behind the change in attitudes and beliefs of the people. The western culture believes in absolute freedom where absolutely no impetus is laid on the family lives. The younger generation is reported to have been following the same footsteps. (Safdar, 2009) Article 3 According to the Shariah laws existing in UAE, the decision related to divorce making process is not instantaneous. Initially, the applicants forward their case to the courts. The matter is referred to the counsellor who gives a three month period to the couple to enter into negotiations. If the case is not resolved in the allotted time, the case is referred to the judge for the enforcement of divorce. A women can get divorce if she is able to prove that wife has been physically tortured. The women can accept Khula if she returns dowry to the husband. The expats can resolve the issues according to the laws of their particular land. (Bardsley, 2005) SIGNIFICANCE OF GENERATION AND GENDER PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS It is very important to get acknowledged about the social issues prevailing in a society as it increases our understanding of society which we are a part of. Until and unless we do not understand the society in which we are living it would be very difficult for us to sustain there. Also to bring some kind of social change in a society it is necessary to know what do we actually want to change in our society and what we like and what we dont like in our society. Different generations have different perspectives regarding this issue and it is significant to know and understand each perspective in great detail. Firstly every male and female is a member of this society so all the different generation people here. Therefore to make it easy and comfortable for every generation to adjust in a society their views are important. Moreover by the analysis of generation and gender perspective of social issues we get very diverse and variety of ideas that can help us understand the social problems and society better. As the minds of people belongs to different generation are different from each other and so their preference in regarding to the major social problems currently spreading in UAE society. Male and female have different perspectives regarding the social issues rising in a society. Females are usually sensitive and relationship oriented thats they think that the major social problems will be according to these issues as the interview conducted by me of my mother she said that the biggest social problems now in a society belongs to the family issues such as high divorce rate in UAE and also the social problem of high cost of living is being highlighted by her. And talking about the male perspective in this regard they preferred to consider the social problems more towards the work place issues because they are not sensitive and relationship oriented rather they are the work oriented so my father pointed out the issues of discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race cast and creed because UAE is a multicultural society. Also he referred about the problem of expatriates in a country. Therefore it is very important to understand the gender perspective of social problems of UAE.

Craig Waddell’s Perils of a Modern Cassandra and the Ehrlichs’ The Population Bomb :: Perils of a Modern Cassandra Population Bomb

Rhetorical Strategy in Craig Waddell’s Perils of a Modern Cassandra and the Ehrlichs’ The Population Bomb In Perils of a Modern Cassandra, Craig Waddell suggests that the Ehrlichs should revise their rhetorical strategy in The Population Bomb because it is ineffective in attracting readers to their argument. Particularly problematic are the Ehrlichs’ alienating attitude towards non-educated non-environmentalists in his audience, a lack of both an inviting ethos, and a lack of compassion for the reader. Since the goal of a book is usually to inform or persuade readers, the Ehrlichs’ book does not serve its purpose and is therefore ineffective. The same â€Å"ineffective argument† problem can be seen in Betrayal of Science and Reason, since many of the Ehrlichs’ key ideas on environmental problems (along with their contestable use of rhetoric) in The Population Bomb are mirrored in Betrayal of Science and Reason. The following passages were taken from Betrayal of Science and Reason to demonstrate what Waddell sees as problems in the Ehrlichs’ rhetoric:â€Å"†¦Paul began to appear on radio and television to condemn the behavior of human beings in general. The possible public response worried him less than his colleagues’ reactions because, as is the case for most scientists, Paul’s ego rewards come mostly from the approval of his peers† (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 8). This passage supports Waddell’s claim by showing that one of the Ehrlichs is lacking in compassion toward humankind. When reading this passage, the reader gets a sense of ethos that revolves mostly around Paul Ehrlich’s ego, and consequently, the reader feels that the entire environmentalist argument of the book was written to satisfy his ego. This is because Paul Ehrlich liked the approval of his educated, environmentalist peers, and therefore, he really did not need to care about others in his audience. â€Å"Anti-science as promoted by the brownlash is not a unique phenomenon in our society; the largely successful efforts of creationists to keep Americans ignorant of evolution is another example, which is perhaps not entirely unrelated† (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 12). This is a good example of how the Ehrlichs inadvertently alienate large sections of their actual, not invoked, audience. The Ehrlichs may have invoked an audience full of educated, environmentalist readers, but this is not the audience who is reading Betrayal of Science and Reason. There are also creationists who might happen to harbor some environmentalist sentiment and who might want to share a stronger environmentalist view given that the Ehrlichs’ argument is persuasive enough.

Good Earth :: essays research papers

In the book The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the fall of the House of Hwang and the rise of the Wang family was shown. The story completed a â€Å"circle of life†, with Wang being the center of the circle. While Wang at first was intimidated, he also looked down on the House of Hwang, he soon found that when his family became rich, his house fell onto some of the same â€Å"curses†. In both houses, a lack of love for the land was highly noticeable (except for Wang Lung), opium was used, slaves were bought and sold even though Wang first opposed slaves, and the future heirs wished to sell the land for money but at the same time lose their support for if the house should fall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the House of Hwang was in power, Wang noticed how they had a complete lack of love for the earth. They had to constantly sell pieces of land to pay their immediate debts, but by doing this they gave away their support if a dark time should fall upon the house. Wang knew that this would be the downfall of the house, so he bought the land from the house. After the House of Hwang fell, the House of Wang came to power. Wang kept in mind his whole life that without the good earth, he was nothing. Wang worried when he noticed that his sons lacked his love for the land. Wang was disturbed to think that when he passed away his sons would sell the land, and his family would succumb to the same fate of the Hwang house; as shown on page 37 when Wang said, â€Å"Sell their land!...Then indeed are they growing poor. Land is one’s flesh and blood†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opium usage was a major role in the downfall of the Hwang house. The Old Mistress was heavily addicted to the drug, and in her desire for the drug, she drove her house â€Å"into the ground†. On page 39, Wang was paying the Gate Keeper for the land he was purchasing and the Gate Keeper said â€Å"Here is enough for a few days of opium for the old lady, at any rate†. For the House of Wang, opium became almost a relief for Wang when he devised his plan to rid his family of his Uncle and his wife. He could not cast out his Uncle because he was providing protection from marauders. Keeping this in mind, Wang then gave his Uncle and the Uncle’s wife some opium hoping that they would Good Earth :: essays research papers In the book The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the fall of the House of Hwang and the rise of the Wang family was shown. The story completed a â€Å"circle of life†, with Wang being the center of the circle. While Wang at first was intimidated, he also looked down on the House of Hwang, he soon found that when his family became rich, his house fell onto some of the same â€Å"curses†. In both houses, a lack of love for the land was highly noticeable (except for Wang Lung), opium was used, slaves were bought and sold even though Wang first opposed slaves, and the future heirs wished to sell the land for money but at the same time lose their support for if the house should fall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the House of Hwang was in power, Wang noticed how they had a complete lack of love for the earth. They had to constantly sell pieces of land to pay their immediate debts, but by doing this they gave away their support if a dark time should fall upon the house. Wang knew that this would be the downfall of the house, so he bought the land from the house. After the House of Hwang fell, the House of Wang came to power. Wang kept in mind his whole life that without the good earth, he was nothing. Wang worried when he noticed that his sons lacked his love for the land. Wang was disturbed to think that when he passed away his sons would sell the land, and his family would succumb to the same fate of the Hwang house; as shown on page 37 when Wang said, â€Å"Sell their land!...Then indeed are they growing poor. Land is one’s flesh and blood†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Opium usage was a major role in the downfall of the Hwang house. The Old Mistress was heavily addicted to the drug, and in her desire for the drug, she drove her house â€Å"into the ground†. On page 39, Wang was paying the Gate Keeper for the land he was purchasing and the Gate Keeper said â€Å"Here is enough for a few days of opium for the old lady, at any rate†. For the House of Wang, opium became almost a relief for Wang when he devised his plan to rid his family of his Uncle and his wife. He could not cast out his Uncle because he was providing protection from marauders. Keeping this in mind, Wang then gave his Uncle and the Uncle’s wife some opium hoping that they would

Technology and Diabetes :: Diabetics Medical Health Essays

Technology and Diabetes Imagine not being able to have a snack or candy whenever you want to in a day. Many people have to watch what they eat, especially diabetics because of lack of insulin in their bodies. They have to watch their sugar intake daily and also keep up with insulin shots. Diabetes is a life long disease which isn’t easy to have without new technological advancements. The rapid growth of technology has made health care more successful, specifically in the advancements for the cure and treatments of diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body’s tissues absorb glucose which is sugar, so it can be used as a source of energy. Glucose levels build up in the blood and urine which causes excessive urination, thirst, hunger, and problems with fat and protein metabolism in a diabetic person. Diabetes is very common in the United States; it is the seventh leading cause of all deaths. Women have been diagnosed with diabetes more than men. There are two forms of diabetes, Type one and Type two diabetes. Type one diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin or produces it in very small quantities. This usually occurs in younger people under twenty years of age, mostly around puberty. Type two diabetes is when the body’s balance between insulin production and the ability of cells to use insulin doesn’t work properly. This is more common than type one; about 90-95% people in th e United States have it. There are no cures for diabetes now but there are many researchers investigating factors through new technologies to cure them. Meanwhile, technological advancements are being made to keep glucose at a good level for diabetes. When someone has diabetes it takes a lot of education to learn to live with it and to control blood sugar levels each and every day. An advancement that was tested in a survey in Jan. of 2002 is the telehomecare technology. This device allows diabetic patients to communicate with the nurses at home through a computer and video equipment that transmits voice, objective data, and video over ordinary telephone lines. This device was made to help health status, quality of life for the patients, and convenient costs along with satisfaction.

How Democratic Britian Was by the 1928? Essay

â€Å"Democracy is the government of the people, for the people, by the people† (Abraham Lincoln, President of the USA, 1860-1865)† For any country to be called democratic, certain conditions have to exist. Firstly, all adults should have the right to vote but the right to vote did not in itself make Britain democratic. Between 1850 and 1928, other features of a democracy were created. These features included a fair system of voting, a choice of who to vote for and access to information to make an informed choice. It should also be possible for people from all backgrounds to become Members of Parliament themselves and parliament should be accountable to the voters. Although the transition from a political system dominated by aristocracy to one of universal suffrage was a long and protracted one by 1928, most of the features of a democracy had been met. Consequently Britain had become more democratic than it was in 1850. It is no wonder that John Kerr describes Britain as being â€Å"nowhere near being democratic in 1850.† The state of democracy in Britain had been set by the Great Reform Act of 1832 which increased the number of men who could vote in a general election and redistributed parliamentary seats so that there was a more equal ratio of MPs to constituents. However Britain was still far from being democratic. The system was not fair as voting took place in hustings meaning there was no secret ballot, making it possible for candidates to bribe and intimidate the voters and general elections were only held every seven years. Another aspect of the British political system that was undemocratic was the unequal distribution of seats and MPs still representing county and borough constituencies with great variations in size of population. Moreover, the Tory dominated House of Lords was unelected and it could stop the elected majority of the House of Commons getting bills though parliament a nd only wealthy men could stand as candidates for election as there was a property qualification. It could be suggested that Britain was undemocratic in 1850 as working class men and all women were excluded from the franchise and only 7% of the population were entitled to vote. Between 1850 and 1928 a series of acts were introduced that extended the franchise. The Second Parliamentary Reform Act of 1867 was the first piece of legislation that tried to amend the political system. As a result of this Act, the size of the electorate increase to 2.5 million including the skilled working class meaning a third of males were now able to vote. However, the vote still depended on property and the one year residency requirement discriminated against a large proportion of the working class. The introduction of the Representation of the People Act in 1884 doubled the electorate making the number of voters five million and the franchise qualification was now the same in both boroughs and counties. Although Sir Albert Maine described the new system as an â€Å"unmoderated democracy† there was still a long way to go until Britain became democratic. The men who did not have the franchise in 1867 such as the soldiers and male domestic servants were still deprived of the vote in 1884 and as with 1867 plural voting still existed and no women were allowed to vote. The Representation of the People Act 1918 extended the franchise to all adult males because of their important role in the Great War meaning that all males over the age of twenty one were now enfranchised. For the first time, women over the age of 30 were given the vote provided they were educated, married and had a home. Although this was a major step towards democracy as regards women’s suffrage, it mus t be noted that there was not equal universal suffrage, and that women would have to wait until the 1928 Equal Franchise Act to be set on equal voting terms as men without qualifications, to receive the vote at the age of 21. As a result of the increase in voters in towns, changes were made to National Party Organisation as party leaders had to find ways of persuading the electors to vote for their candidate. National organisations such as the Conservative Central Office in 1870 and the National Liberal Federation in 1877, were developed by the parties to canvass support at elections. Liberal and Conservative Associations were developed in all major towns and electors were encouraged to join and attend meetings. Liberal and Conservative clubs were set up as social centres to encourage support such as the Reform Club in Manchester and the Carlton Club. This led to more central co-ordination of policy and strategy. Propaganda and persuasion would be the means of enlisting the support of the voters and the parties had to ensure that their known supporters were registered as voters. The Conservative Primrose League was created to canvass support in small towns and the counties. Tighter discipline was imposed in both parties and the result was a development of political parties and their organisations. Overall, better representation helped the growth of democracy as well as better access to information as manifestos had to be created and distributed to the population. The 1970 Education Act (1872 in Scotland) increased the literacy levels in the country so that information about political parties and their policies became more accessible to the population. By the late 19th century literacy was fairly well established and daily national newspapers became vital sources of information. The development of the railways was crucial in giving the population better access to information. The population was able to make more informed choices in elections as they became more aware of political issues. Socialist groups eventually joined with the Trade Union movement to form the Labour Representation Committee in 1900 which in 1906, became the Labour Party- a party that claimed to represent the working class. This meant that the electorate had a genuine choice of parties with different political ideologies: the Conservatives, Liberals and the Labour Party. Consequently, this pushed Britain forward towards democracy as different can different parties can voice different views on how to deal with the problems the country faces. Although Britain had become more democratic with better access to information and a choice of parties certain aspects of the system were unfair until legislation was introduced to improve this. The Reform Act of 1867 improved the distribution of seats making the system fairer in addition to extending the franchise. The facts show that many small boroughs lost one or even both of their MPs who were then redistributed to areas of the country that were under-represented. For example, Scottish constituencies were allocated 5 seats. However, democracy was still far from being reached in Britain as MPs were still not evenly distributed, the electorate largely remained the same and balance of political power was not altered. The Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 moved Britain closer towards democracy as it aimed to construct constituencies of equal size to have a fairer representation of the people. As result of the Act, 79 towns with a population of under 15,000 lost both their seats and the total number of MPs was increased from 652 to 670. In fact, in his book â€Å"The extension of the Franchise 1832-1931† puts forward his opinion: â€Å"together, the 1884 Franchise Act and the 1885 Redistribution Act brought about one of the most radical changes in the parliamentary election system during the nineteenth century. Bribery and corruption were still present in elections in the late 1860s and two laws were passed in an effort to eliminate this. The Secret Ballot Act of 1872 allowed voting to be done in secret so electorates were free from intimidation. It meant that the newly enfranchised working class would not be pressurized into voting for their landlords in fear of losing their home or jobs. The secret ballot was an improvement in Britain towards democracy and the Chief Commissioner of Police in London reported there had been no trouble at the elections. However, employers were still bribing their workers and between 1867 and 1885 four towns were disenfranchised due to corrupt practices. Moreover, an opponent of the Act Lord John Russell, argued it would undermine the â€Å"legitimate influence of the aristocracy, over people who looked to them for leadership†. Many believed that it was you duty to tell people how you voted, it was considered† honest and British† and there was a belief that secrecy would lead to further corruption. The Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act was introduced in 1883 and it meant that if there was any corruption in any election it would lead to a heavy fine or imprisonment. There was less intimidation; the new code of ethics had moved Britain forward towards democracy. S.Wood said that â€Å"elections certainly became more orderly†. Despite these steps towards democracy, plural voting still existed and MPS were still not paid. Even though the property qualification for MPs was abolished in 1857 meaning that ownership of land was no longer a prerequisite for becoming an MP but one issue that still had to be resolved was the payment of MPs. This made the Parliament Act of 1911 a â€Å"great achievement† according to Stephen J. Lee as MPs finally got a salary of  £400, meaning that anyone could stand as an MP, whether they are working, middle or upper class. However, in reality working class men could not afford to give up their day job to become a politician so very few working class men stood as candidates. In addition, the Act reduced the life of the government from seven years to five years .The House of Lords which Lloyd George described as â€Å"five hundred men, ordinary men chosen accidentally from among the unemployed,† no longer had power over bills to do with taxation or government spending and could only delay bills for up to two years. Despite the fact this made the elected house more accountable to the voters, Britain was still not fully democratic as the House of Lords still had some power despite being an unelected body. Although Britain had made strides towards democratic by 1928 there were still other factors that were undemocratic such as universities still having Seats in Parliament until 1949 and the franchise was not being given to 18 year olds until 1969.Moreover, elections in Britain use the First Past the Post System meaning the person with the most votes wins the election. However this could be seen as being unfair in that the percentage of seats the larger parties end up with in Parliament is always greater than the percentage of votes they have achieved in the election. For example, in the 2005 General Election although the Labour Party got 36.2% of the votes, they had 55% of the Seats in Parliament. For many years, smaller parties like the Liberals gave argued for a system of Proportional Representation which makes the proportion of seats a party has equal to the percentage of votes the party got in the election. First Past the Post was confirmed as the voting system for general elections in the United Kingdom in 1918 and this has not changed since. By 1928, Britain had become a more democratic country as all the features that would be expected in a democracy were in place such as universal suffrage, the secret ballot and better representation. There was a choice for voters of different backgrounds of three main political parties and working class candidates were able to stand for election as MPs were paid. Furthermore, access to information was greater than it had been in 1850. However, 18 year olds were not given the vote until 1969 and the electoral system is still an issue today as many people argue that Proportional Representation should be used in British elections.

Hansson Private Label Case Study Essay

This take in is to spot and analyze HPL (Hansson Private articulate ) postys refreshed investment decisions institute on a series of calculations separately(prenominal)ow Operating Cash hang ups (OCF), Net attest Value (NPV), Internal Rate of kick the bucket (IRR), and Sensitivity Analysis. The abstract call downs that Hansson should be very cautious regarding the investment proposal that is develop by his manufacturing team. Although the humps and analysis of the drift for the adjoining 10 grades proposed by Robert provide take cargons reasonable and pass on gene swan corroborative NPV and an IRR great than the usher out rate, NPV is very delicate with regard to building block the great unwashed and social building block marting worth changes. A fall in the send offed unit of measurement mass and selling legal injury skill stupefy up a contradict NPV. Company mount and Performance AnalysisThe Hansson Private pit (HPL), rooted in 1992 w hen Tucker Hansson bought over Simon health and Beauty Products with 42 champion jillion million million (17 million with debt), is a confederation that manufactures personalised hygienics products including soap, shampoo, sunscreen, m disclosehwash, and shaving cream (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Over the social classs, HPL has gravid steadily under Hanssons orthodox expansion strategy, which is to expand only when Hansson get tos schoolmaster that the cogency with any saucy set should be at least 60% (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Right this instant, the four plants of HPL argon all operating at 90% capacity, and the barter generated 681 million in revenue in 2007. The market for personal c be assiduity is mainly driven by the unit selling harm, which has change magnitude by an fair(a) of 1.7% each social class in the ult four years. Unit intensity has increase less than 1% annually. Taking follow out to the company level, we can see that HPL has been increase steadily with revenue increases by or so 35% in 2007 compared to 2003. The company has well-kept an average causeth of 8% in revenue passim the basketball team years. The terminal income has in any case grown by 33% from 2003 to 2007. Net income margin has averaged 5.3% each year in the last five years. HPLs balance sheet for the past five years was looking improve with correspond assets increased by 13% from 337.8 million in 2003 to 380.8 million in 2007, and semipermanent debt decreased by 40% from 91.6 in 2003 to 54.8 in 2007.Cash bleeds from operations make averaged 32 million throughout the years, which mover the company has well controlled its operating interchange flows. It is not difficult to conclude that Hasnssons conservative expansion strategy has worked out well for HPL and the market share has separate out a little over than 28% of the hugger-mugger trail watchfulness. Currently, Hansson is facing a new investment probabil ity initiated by its largest retail guests that could take the business into the succeeding(prenominal) level and significantly increase its agonistic force in the snobbish differentiate industry. Since HPL is already operating near in effect(p) capacity, the spew requires Hansson to invest in new facility which exists $45,000 to accommodate for the excess toil capacity (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). However, this investment is not without significant risks. First and for most(prenominal), Hansson would need extra debt to finance the new chucks.This allow geminate HPLs debt to value ratio and creates financial distress for the company and Tucker Hansson since most of his personal wealth is tied up with the company. Secondly, this primal customer is only automatic to commit to a three year draw with HPL. At the end of end date, it is uncertain whether the customer will brood to pervert HPLs products. In courting it does not renew the pack, Hansson wi ll energize to find alternative customers in sanctify to keep the production capacity going. Thirdly, because the risks associated with the new see to it increase the overall risks with HPL, the shareholders and creditor exponent require a utmoster rate of indemnity. And since creditors claim the debt first in cocktail dress of default, stockholders would make to live with the residue. If HPL cannot operate at the projected capacity, the value of the company will be largely decreasing, and put the company at danger. Investment Evaluation-Cash Flow Forecasts-capital planning and recommendations for change The exchange flows of each year during the animation of the project are derived by net operating income positive depreciation and minus the change in net work capital. Depreciation is include in the net income because it is tax deductible, and accordingly it is added back because depreciation is a non- cash in put down and should be added back to the cash flow stateme nts. The change in net working capital is also taken into de grapevineate in OCF since it is the change in cash flows. The calculation of OCFs is based on the projections create and proposed by Robert Gates, the leader of the manufacture team.The production capacity starts at 60% in the first year of the projects lifetime, and thereon steadily increases up to 85% at the end of the project. As mentioned earlier, the largest retailer is only voluntary to sign a contract of 3 years. The projection for capacity of 60%, 65%, and 70% in the first three years are reasonable because there is enough postulate from this customer. However, assume the customer decides not to buy products from HPL later the expiration there is not enough demand for such high capacity in the next 7 years unless it finds other customers who are willing to buy their nonpublic label products.The project would become over optimistic for HPL. The unit selling price is another important contributor to the overall OCFs. Gates forecasts that the selling price will increase at 2% each year throughout the 10 years with a start at $1.77. Given that the market for cloistered label products is growing considerably unfaltering in recent years with consumers increased acceptance level, the projections for unit selling prices seem reasonable. However, a little fluctuation in unit selling price has a big impact on the cash flows and net designate value. The sensitiveness of NPV in regards to the selling price will be discussed in detail in the sensibility analysis session. adept to a great extent actor that we are concerned about is the unprocessed sensible costs for production. Right now the cost for raw material sits at $0.94 per unit in 2009 and steadily increases by 1% each year during the lifetime of the project. What if the costs growth is set as well as low? If the costs of raw material are happen to be high than the projected figure, NPV again might be negative. Therefore, Hansson n eeds to take all these factors that might impact the projects NPV into throwaway and do a separate analysis for each one of them. And then make final decisions by combining the effectuate of each factor. -Sensitivity Analysis-NPV and IRR utilize Gates projection and assume everyaffair goes well as aforethought(ip) the investment has an NPV of $5249. NPV is projectd using present value of future cash flows and the sign investment. Working capital of the last year of the project is returned to the cash flow, and is taken into account in the calculation of NPV. IRR of the project is 10.22%, greater than the discount rate of the investment. Both NPV and IRR suggest that Hansson should invest in the project. Sensitivity analysis of NPV and IRR is conducted to determine the sensitiveness of NPV and IRR in solvent tochanges in the parameters. First, a unit price increase about 7% from $1.77 to $1.90 is utilize to gauge the effect. With starting price at $1.90 and other things rema in unchanged the project has a positive NPV of $33,547 and IRR of 19.25%. Similarly, when the starting price increases to $2.00, the correspondence NPV and IRR is $55,314 and 25.31% respectively. On the other than, if the price decreased by 10% of the original price projection the project has an NPV of -$3458 and IRR of 7.02. And in this case, the project needs to be rejected.As we can see from the attached spreadsheets, NPV and IRR are very sensitive to price changes. tied(p) a small fluctuation in price could result in a negative NPV of the project and an IRR smaller than the discount rate. Using the same method, we also circular the sensitiveness of the NPV and IRR on unit volume changes. When the unite volume decreases by 10% of the original forecasts, the NPV of the project becomes a negative of $10,176, and a corresponding IRR of 4.32%. And if the unit volume is increased by 10% of the original, the NPV changes to a positive of $22,043 and a IRR of 15.64%. These figures devi ate distant from those in the otherwise normal scenario, which also suggests that NPV and IRR are quite sensitive to changes in the unit volume. In other words, if the unit selling price does not grow as forecasted and that the demand is not as optimistic it is highly possible that the stockholders of the HPL will experience losses. Careful consideration should be given over(p) to the market price and demand, and what is the neat drive force of the private label industry. Industry AnalysisIn 2007, the personal care industry had total gross revenue of 21.6 cardinal and the private label industry accounted for 4 billion of the total with 2.4 billion whole sales from manufactures (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). HPL, as one of the leading manufactures, had over 28% market share of that total. Exhibit 2 of the private label share of U.S consumer packaged goods expenditure (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010) shows that the unit share and dollor share some(prenominal) grow at approximately 1% each year from 2005 to 2007. One thing I am curious about is that the growth is the true growth or as a result of the pomposity? If it is due to the inflation, the projections of sales would be off the beaten track(predicate) off leading to a stroke of the project. Hansson has to be especially wide-awake with this surmise and weight the inflation effectsaccordingly. It is found that the retail giants and mass merchants have shown increase interests in developing in-store brands (private labels) because of the attractive bare(a) benefits and low costs provided by the private label products. some other reason is to get to a distinct shopping end point for customers and maintain customer loyalty (L.E.K, 2013). One implication for HPL, under such trends, is that the merchandise team should pay more attention to packing. Packaging has become a of the essence(p) element for the retailors and the private label industry. modernistic case not only stren gthens private labels competing power with issue brands but also impress consumes by presenting value adding features including user friendly, modern, and appealing reverse lightning packaging (L.E.K, 2013). If HPL is able to represent the advanced(a) packaging into its program, the company will be more competitive and take more market share even after the contract with its customer expires.Recommendation and railleryThe project has a positive NPV and an IRR greater than the discount rate (9.38%), which means that in theory, Hansson should take this investment opportunity. However, I curiosity if the projections are a bit too optimistic. In this paper, we only test the esthesia on price and volume changes. The steering should look at the factors that will have essential impact on the project such as the limitation of the contract with this customer and the industry growth figures. It is better to break the investment lifetime into two portions, and calculate NPV and IRR s eparately. The first portion is the 3-year contract period, and we are pretty sure that the project will be profitable in this period. The second portion would be the remain period after the contract expires. This is the part where uncertainty problem lies. As we discussed earlier, the customer might or might not continue to buy products with such volumes with HPL, and given the fact that this industry is largely controlled by retailers HPL should make clear whether it is able to find a replacing customer of this scale. Another issue with this investment is that Robert Gates could measuredly push Hansson to take the project because they take the company has reached to a maturity stagecoach and there would be no opportunity for further growth. This is the principal-agent problem we talked about at the start of the module.IfHansson is confident enough in Gates projection, this project is worth taken. Using the data provided in the case, we also calculate the discount rate of the p roject and get a rate (9.44%) that is slightly higher(prenominal) than the rate (9.38%) provided. The required rate of return of equity is determined by the CAPM. The important of HPL is the average beta of similar companies in the similar industry which is a beta of 1.4. Market risk premium, riskless rate, and the portion of debt and equity are also given in the case, and these are used to calculate the WACC. The higher discount rate suggests that the project is riskier than proposed and higher discount rate should be used. An alternative for Hansson could be finding an investor whos willing to invest in the project and share the profits and risks with the company. However, the downside of this option is that the cost of equity is higher than the cost of debt. follow of equity is 10.7% as calculated in the WACC spreadsheet, whereas the cost of debt that is with 25% D/V is only 7.75%. But this option allows Hansson to widen away some of its risks, and that Hansson is less financ ially distressed. That all been said, Hansson should consider the suggestion of incorporate innovative packaging into its product line if Hansson were to take this project after careful evaluation of the financial and non-financial risks. The benefits of innovative packaging would allow HPL stands firmly in its competing power against the competitors.ReferenceStafford, E., Heilprin, J., and Devolder, J., (2010) Hansson Private Label, Inc.Evaluating an Investment in Expansion, Harvard Business School (Accessed 06 April 2014). L.E.K Consulting (2013) generic No More How Packaging designing Can Help Private Label Gain Market Share, administrator Insights, XV(23), pp. 1-4. Available athttp//www.lek.com/sites/default/files/L.E.K._How%20Packaging%20Innovation%20Can%20Help%20Private%20Label%20Gain%20Market%20Share.pdf (Accessed 9 April 2014).