Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Private Market And Venture Capitalist - 814 Words

Mr. Whitney presented enlightening information regarding entrepreneurship, why it is important and how the private market or venture capitalist are so important in investing in entrepreneurs. Venture capital is changing the global economy as banks are not investing in businesses anymore other than lending funds. Wealth creation has changed due to the internet and today wealth creation is out pacing the wealth created by inheritance (M. Whitney, personal communication, May 21, 2016). An axiom from Mr. Whitney’s company is networks create and disrupt net worth. As explained, networks bind things together, but they take away somewhere else. This can be illustrated in the railroad industry. The railroad created a network, which tied the east and west coast together, facilitating travel and movement of goods from coast to coast. However, the railroad industry disrupted net worth of the horse and buggy industry, as this mode of transportation was replaced. It is typical for o rganizations to follow a common business model within an industry but, if you assume that there is only one business model, then your organization gets disrupted and you are blindsided. Another idea presented was retail is a good indicator of market shifts, with three big trends portrayed in retail that is extended to every industry as a predictive indicator. One of these trends is consolidation, which we see companies buying up companies, therefore the customer base is getting smaller. ThisShow MoreRelatedEssay On Venture Capital834 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is Venture capital? Venture capital is financing that investors reach out to new businesses and little organizations that are accepted to have long-term achievement potential. For new businesses without accomplish capital markets, venture capital is a basic source of cash. The risk is regularly profitable for investors, yet the drawback for the startup is that these investors more often than not win a hold in organization decision. Venture capital: †¢ Raise pools of capital from institutionalRead MoreVenture Capital : Investment Capital1325 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Venture capital has originated out of the need for non-conventional, high risk finance for new ventures rooted on innovative entrepreneurship. Venture capital is typically an investment in the form of equity, quasi-equity and sometimes debt made in novel or untested concepts, championed by a technically or professionally qualified entrepreneur. Venture capital is risk capital. It refers to capital investment, both debt and equity, fraught with substantial risk and uncertainties. TheRead MoreA Brief Look at Flipkart1097 Words   |  4 PagesFlipkart - History and Background: Flipkart is a private e-commerce company in India. The company was founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, both were the alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. The company headquarters is located in Bangalore, Karnataka. Filpkart Online Services Pvt. Ltd was formally incorporated as a firm in October 2008. This is the company which made online shopping famous in India. According to Alexa Traffic Ranks, filpkart is in 10 rank in India andRead MoreThe Financial Structure Of The Venture Capital Industry1131 Words   |  5 Pages The venture capital industry is reaching an inflection point as the industry approaches maturity. One aspect of this maturation is a significant decrease in the number of companies undertaking initial public offerings (IPO). Scott Kupor at Andressen Horowitz noted in a June 2017 blog post noted that companies not going public means fewer jobs are being created and all the value created by these new companies is being captured by venture capitalists and company-insiders. 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These options include: venture capitalists, personal bank loans, small business administration loans and other special types of loans as well. Venture Capital One of the first options an entrepreneur should investigate is venture capitalism or venture capitalists (VC) as a means to fund the project of their dreams. Steier Greenwood (1995) expressed that Venture capitalists represent an outside source of finance that generally takes an active interestRead MoreMaclean Palmer Case Study1305 Words   |  6 PagesEvaluate Palmer and his decision to create a new venture capital fund. Maclean Palmer and 4 partners are about to quit their jobs and move to Boston with their families to begin crafting an offering memorandum for a private equity fund. †¢ Private equity is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not public trade on a stock exchange. †¢ Private equity investments are primarily made by private equity firms, venture capital firms, or angel investors, each withRead MoreChallenges Faced By Companies Of The Bionanotechnology Sector Depending On Their Size. Small Companies1482 Words   |  6 Pagesby a company in the Bionanotechnology sector when it reaches to $5 million in revenues is to accept all the demands of the Venture Capitalists in order to secure funding. This stage of company termed as â€Å"Adolescent Stage† starts when it requires funding and the portfolio of the patents starts narrowing down because of limited applications. Simultaneously, Venture Capitalists starts putting pressure to limit the diversity of the company’s product portfolio in order to get guaranteed return of their

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

The Weaving Contest Between Athena and Arachne

While Athena was a friend of Greek heroes, she wasnt so helpful to women. The story of the weaving contest between Arachne and Athena is one of the most familiar myths about Athena, and its central theme is also popular. Greek mythology repeatedly hammers home the danger of comparing oneself with a goddess. The theme appears in the story of Cupid and Psyche, where Aphrodite is offended. While ultimately there is a happy ending, to avert Aphrodites wrath, Psyches family abandons her to death. In the mythological story of Niobe, Artemis punishes the mortal mother for boasting that she is a more fortunate mother than Artemis mother, Leto: Artemis destroys all Niobes children. The punishment Athena inflicts on her capable, but the merely mortal victim is more direct. If Arachne wants to claim to be a better weaver than Athena, so be it. Thats all shell ever be good for. Arachne Suffers a Metamorphosis The Roman poet Ovid writes about the metamorphosis Arachne suffers in his work on transformations (Metamorphoses): One at the loom so excellently skilld,That to the Goddess she refusd to yield, ( Ovid, Metamorphoses VI) In the myth, Athena challenges Arachne to a weaving contest in order to prove herself. The expert crafts goddess Athena is favorably impressed with Arachnes weaving of divine debaucheries: This the bright Goddess passionately movd,With envy saw, yet inwardly approvd.The scene of heavnly guilt with haste she tore,Nor longer the affront with patience bore;A boxen shuttle in her hand she took,And more than once Arachnes forehead struck. Athena cant tolerate the affront to her pride, though, so she turns Arachne into a spider doomed to weave forever. From the unfortunate spider-woman comes the name for the 8-legged creatures: arachnids.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Performance of Cardboard Carton Forms Free Essays

PERFORMANCE OF CARDBOARD CARTON FORMS Abstract: Cardboard carton forms (void boxes) are commonly used to form the void space between the bottom of grade beams and slabs over expansive soils. However, other than laboratory compression tests and 100% humidity tests, there is little documentation for the actual performance of these boxes in place. This paper summarizes field tests done in an attempt to simulate actual conditions to answer the following questions: †¢ Do the boxes deteriorate at an acceptable rate? Does the wax coating or impregnation and a polyethylene vapor barrier affect deterioration? †¢ Will the boxes fail under heave conditions? Are trapezoidal boxes appropriate and do they perform in an acceptable manner? †¢ Which type of boxes are appropriate in each situation? †¢ What are some of the construction considerations necessary to insure proper function of the boxes? Two configurations of boxes were used: Vertical Cell and Diagonal Type II. We will write a custom essay sample on Performance of Cardboard Carton Forms or any similar topic only for you Order Now Initial Test 1 procedure: It was initially decided to pour a test slab over 4 sets of void boxes. Each box was 4 ft x 4ft x 8 in deep. Concrete was poured on top and all around each box to simulate actual conditions. Four 1 ft x 1 ft steel forms were placed on top of each box for the purpose of loading each box at different intervals to determine if they had deteriorated. All boxes for the first test were vertical cell. Each box was placed with different conditions: †¢ Void box with no poly anywhere †¢ Void box with poly wrapped all around †¢ Void box with poly on top only †¢ Void box with poly on bottom only Test set up with boxes and loading pads Placing concrete over boxes. The procedure was to pour the concrete and test the capacity of the boxes once a week to determine the rate of deterioration. Description of results: †¢ Week 1: Each box was loaded with 200 psf and no deflection was observed †¢ Week 2: Each box was loaded with 400 psf with no deflection †¢ Week 3: Each box was loaded with 400 psf with no deflection. The box with poly on bottom was flooded with water to accelerate deterioration †¢ Week 4: Each box was loaded with 400 psf. The box that had been flooded with water had 3/8† deflection. All the other boxes had no deflection †¢ Week 5: The test pad on the boxes with no poly and the one with poly on bottom were removed to view the boxes. It was discovered that the top of the cardboard had stuck to the concrete causing the cardboard to span across the opening thus giving erroneous information. Both of the boxes appeared to have significant strength but were destroyed in the removal process and could not be tested. †¢ Week 6: The two remaining boxes, the one with poly all around and the one with poly on top had the concrete removed to expose the boxes. The boxes were tested with over 400 psf and still had plenty of capacity with little deterioration. The box with poly wrapped all around had a little water in the box, maybe a cupful, but this did not deteriorate the box. The source of the water is unknown, possibly from when the adjacent box was flooded with water. III. Test 2 Procedure: 1. Two vertical cell boxes with no wax were buried in sand and uncovered after one week to view the rate of deterioration: The boxes and loaded with a 50 pound weight and they immediately. 2. A Vertical Cells beam box with wax and a Diagonal Type Beam Box with wax were buried in sand for one week. The buried boxes were tested by standing on them, there was nominal deflection which indicates the wax has a definite impact on the deterioration rate. 3. Two vertical boxes with wax were buried in sand for three weeks. One was completely covered in poly and the other had no poly. Both boxes showed no appreciable deterioration after three weeks. Since the boxes with no wax failed after one week under the same conditions, it is assumed that the wax and the poly significantly slow deterioration. IV. Test 3 Procedure: Two boxes, one diagonal type box and one vertical cells were wrapped in poly with a cup of water added to simulate a 100% humidity condition. The next day, the vertical box collapsed immediately. The Diagonal box did not collapse Two boxes with no wax were buried in sand Box after one week sitting 50 pound block in middle except on the sides. A box with a capacity of only 200 psf was tested and failed with normal construction loads and therefore, considered not acceptable. V. Summary of Observations From Tests 1-3: 1. Testing the boxes from the top gives unsatisfactory results. . The bottom of the boxes deteriorate first and destroys the glue between the verticals and the bottom on the Vertical boxes. 3. Covering the bottom of the boxes with poly (the top of the sub-grade) slows down or stops the deterioration of the boxes. 4. There is not enough moisture coming out of the slab to deteriorate the boxes. 5. The Diagonal boxes are very weak on the sides and very s trong in the middle. 6. The Diagonal boxes deteriorate slower because of the wax impregnation. 7. Boxes with no wax seem to deteriorate at an acceptable rate. 8. Covering the entire box with poly stopped any deterioration. VI. Initial Conclusions: 1. Boxes should be tested from the bottom, not the top. Since expansive soil heaves, the boxes should be tested from the bottom. The initial deterioration is on the bottom and therefore, the box is weaker when loaded from the bottom. 2. Boxes under the slab should be constructed with no wax if possible. 3. Diagonal Type boxes which are wax impregnated and have strong vertical and diagonal members deteriorate much slower and they possibly stay too strong under slabs. . New tests were devised using waterbeds to load the void boxes from the bottom. Refer to the description of waterbed tests. VII. Test 4: Water Bed Test It was determined by the initial testing procedure that the void boxes need to be tested in place from the bottom. A 25 ft x 37 ft test slab was built with one of the purposes to test the void boxes and another purpose was to test analytical methods of designing flat slabs for houses. Fi ve waterbeds were placed below the sub-grade under the void boxes. One was queen size and four were twin size. Three of the waterbeds had Vertical Boxes with no wax on top of them, one had fully waxed Vertical beam boxes and one had a Diagonal slab box. The purpose of using the waterbeds was an attempt to simulate actual heaving of soil and to test an in place situation on an actual project. The waterbed was buried in the subgrade while constructing the slab. After a period of time, the waterbeds were filled to see if the void boxes collapse or if pressure is exerted on the slab indicating full capacity boxes without deterioration. Steel rods were welded to plates which rested on top of the sub-grade above the waterbed. This rod was sleeved through the slab with pvc pipe. The purpose of these indicator rods was that when the waterbed filled up, if the top of the rod raised up also, the void boxes collapsed. VIII. Results The Water Bed Test: Three weeks after the slab was poured, the waterbeds were filled. All five waterbed indicators rose quickly and to a maximum height of 7 inches. The void boxes were 8 inches deep at these points, therefore, the boxes were fully collapsed. No deflection or distress was observed in the slab therefore, the test was successful. Three of the test were done with a subgrade that had ? nch rain on it the night before placing the concrete. The waxed boxes were placed in a very dry, sandy subgrade in over 100 degree weather, trying to simulate the driest of conditions. Observation holes which were 4 inch in diameter were located to monitor the deterioration of the void boxes. It was observed that for approximately two weeks after the slab was poured, the humidity was very high in the void space with a great deal of heat generated. Slab indicators showing the â€Å"heaving† of the soil and therefore the failure of the boxes IX. Conclusions From Water Bed Tests: 1. After three weeks all boxes had lost enough strength to protect the slab from pressure. 2. After three weeks, even boxes which are waxed will fail adequately. All boxes tested were of the vertical cell type. 3. This test was very successful and the use of waterbeds is an excellent method to test void boxes. X. Test 5: Effect of Integral Retainers and Earth Forming: As published in the Fall, 1997 Proceedings of the Texas Section of The American Society of Civil Engineers, Mr. Robert Davis, P. E. tested trapezoidal void boxes to determine if they fail under construction loads. His conclusion was that trapezoidal boxes of the diagonal type fail when used under a grade beam. We have also seen this in the field and agree with the findings. However, some engineers still use the integral concrete retainers. This test was to determine if earth formed grade beams with trapezoidal boxes and the integral concrete retainers are appropriate. A testing apparatus was constructed to test different box and retainer configurations. The test was constructed to push up from the bottom with highly expansive fat clays below the simulated grade beam. Hydraulic jacks were used under the expansive soil to simulate the heaving of expansive soil. A weight equivalent to 200 psf was applied to the grade beam. The friction of the soil plus the bearing on the end of the concrete retainer caused the box to freely move upward. XI. Project Experience-Performance of Boxes under Grade Beams About the time of our tests, a construction project was completed using diagonal type beam boxes under formed concrete beams. Approximately 1000 feet of grade beams were set up in dry weather and normal conditions. The concrete was placed at inch slump and vibrated. After the forms were removed, it was discovered that approximately 20 percent of the void boxes failed. The contractor was instructed to chip off all excess concrete that invaded the void space which took approximately three days to accomplish. The next 1000 feet of grade beams were set up using vertical cell boxes under the same conditions with the same contractor. No boxes failed on this seco nd pour. View of failed boxes XII. Suggested Procedure for Filling Gaps The weakest point of failure for void boxes is on the ends and especially at the intersection with piers. After experimenting with several methods, I have found that common expandable foam as found in hardware stores works excellent in filling gaps and providing a tight form during construction. I recommend all gaps and holes between boxes and at the intersection with piers be filled with this foam. The cost is nominal for a typical project. Expandable Foam used to fill gaps XIII. Final Conclusions and Recommendations 1. All boxes must have moisture in order to deteriorate properly. Therefore, the boxes should not be completely wrapped in poly which is a common practice of contractors. . The moisture from the subgrade plus the hydration of the concrete appear to provide adequate deterioration of the boxes. The void boxes appear to fail from the bottom to the top. 3. A moisture barrier (polyethylene) should not be used below the boxes because it does not allow deterioration from the subgrade below. 4. A moisture barrier (poly) on top of the boxes may affect the hydration of the concrete a nd therefore the humidity in the void space. This barrier also increases the probability of excessive shrinkage cracks and therefore should not be used for that reason. The question of if this barrier is necessary to prevent moisture migration through the slab and thus affect any floor covering is not a subject of this paper. However, this author has not encountered this problem and therefore, does not recommend placing a vapor barrier on top of the boxes. 5. A layer of ? inch thick masonite should be used on top of all boxes under a slab area. This distributes the concentrated loads due to the rebar bolsters and construction loads. It is our experience that the cardboard cover sheets supplied by the box manufacturers are not adequate for the construction loads. Masonite of less thickness will curl and is not recommended. Plywood or OSB board is not recommended because of termites. 6. Trapezoidal boxes should not be used because the concrete retainers transfer forces from the expanding soil to the concrete beam above. There is also evidence that these boxes fail during construction if they are of the diagonal cell configuration. 7. Expandable foam should be used to fill all gaps between boxes and at pier locations. REFERENCE: www. foundationperformance. org AUTHOR NAME _ DAVID K. ISBELL, P. E. How to cite Performance of Cardboard Carton Forms, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Price Elascity of Demand free essay sample

Price Elascity of Demand BY vtc901ee The price elasticity of demand (PED) is a measure of how much the quantity demanded of a good responds to a change in price of the good (Mankiw 2007, p. 90). It is a form of measure to determine how willing consumers are to move away from the good as the price of the good rises. Most of the time, there are factors that determines the PED, such as availability of close substitutes, necessities versus luxuries, definition of the market and time horizon. In order to calculate the PED, a formula is calculated using the percentage change in the quantity demanded divided y the percentage change in the price. Elastic demand that has the coefficient of greater than 1 suggests that there would be a significant change in quantity demanded when there is a little change in price while inelastic demand has a coefficient of less than one, which has a little change in quantity demanded even when there is a significant change in price. Unitary demand occurs when there is a coefficient of exactly one and there is an exact change in quantity demanded in proportion to the change in price (Bolotta et al. 2002). There are two ways to calculate the PED. Firstly, it is called the point method or also nown as geometrical method (DEISU 2008). Under this method, we measure the elasticity of demand at any point of a demand curve using the formula, Elasticity at any point on the straight line can be calculated using the point method provided that the demand line is linear. The better way to calculate the PED is by using the midpoint method, which is to calculate the PED between two points on a demand curve by averaging the 2 initial and final points chosen. The midpoint approach averages the prices and quantities demanded, thus arriving at an average elasticity estimate for the range of values covered on the demand curve. The formula is, The product that is chosen to explain the theory of PED is rice. Rice is one of the perfect examples of inelastic demand applied in todays world, especially in Malaysia. There was an interesting finding made by Nik Mustapha and other researchers, where they find that rice tends to be inelastic, showing that rice has already occupied a special position in Malaysian diet as it is a staple food among the population (FEMI-JPM 2008). Other countries in Asia are also affected by the demand for rice. In Thailand, the export price elasticity of demand for rice is ranged -1. 2 and -1. 9, which shows that it is an inelastic demand (FEMI-JPM 2008). The graph would be similar to Figure 3, whereby it has a steeper slope. This indicates that the consumer would pay at almost any price set in the market for the good as it is a necessity in food for them. The PED of the rice is important in terms of their pricing decisions as the total revenue can change along the demand curve, and this in return depends on the PED. In this case, rice is considered to be inelastic, and for all inelastic demands, an increase in price will have an increase in total revenue (Mankiw 2007, p. 95). However, this is also crucial in determining the maximum profit that can be made using the PED. If all the farmers have good harvest, a large drop in price is necessary to encourage consumers to use the additional grain (Ingrimayne. com) this will cause the farmers income to decrease, thus it is important to know the PED of the rice. For instance, if the quantity of rice increases by 20%, it means that there could be a decrease of price by 40%. In explaining on how the tax being imposed by the government can affects the production of rice, a fully labelled market diagram for rice (inelastic demand) is illustrated. Consumer surplus is the extra amount consumers are willing to pay from the ctual price whereas producer surplus is the amount sellers are paid for a good minus the sellers cost of providing it (Mankiw 2007, pp. 139-144). Before the government impose tax on rice, consumer surplus and producer surplus are determined by equilibrium of price in the market. By imposing the tax on rice, the quantity of rice sold falls and there is a wedge between the price that buyers pay and the price that sellers receive. Both surpluses are reduced because there is tax revenue imposed by the government, resulting in a deadweight loss, a condition where a fall in surplus exceeds tax revenue, a form of market distortion (Mankiw 007, p. 162). These tax revenues are classified as government revenue. Government revenue may differ depending on the size of the tax, as different tax size generates different tax revenue. Since an inelastic demand decreases the quantity produced by a little, it can be assumed that the deadweight loss is also smaller, causing the tax revenue to increase slightly, as shown in Figure 10. Next, we will discuss the tax burden of the production of rice. Tax incidence is the distribution of tax burden among the participants in the market. In the rice market, taxes imposed on the buyers and the sellers are the same no matter whether the tax s charged on buyers or sellers, but the only difference is that who will send the money to the government (Mankiw 2007, pp. 24-127). To prove that, the following are the examples when a tax is charged on either buyers or sellers: The overall social welfare will be clearly shown once the effects of tax have on the quantity and price of the product, as the change in the total welfare decreases the consumer surplus and producer surplus, and usually exceeds the tax revenue raised maximised as there is deadweight loss incurred in the process of taxation, causing the quantity of goods decrease