Thursday, December 26, 2019

Sphinx Moths, Family Sphingidae

Members of the family Sphingidae, the sphinx moths, attract attention with their large size and ability to hover. Gardeners and farmers will recognize their larvae as the pesky hornworms that can wipe out a crop in a matter of days. All About Sphinx Moths Sphinx moths, also known as hawkmoths, fly fast and strong, with rapid wingbeats. Most are nocturnal, though some visit flowers during the day. Sphinx moths are medium to large in size, with thick bodies and wingspans of 5 inches or more. The top of the forewing is a dark olive-brown with lighter brown on the margin with a narrow tan band along the wingtip to the base, and white streaks on the veins. The top of the hindwing is black with a dark pink band. Their abdomens typically end in a point. In sphinx moths, the hindwings are markedly smaller than the forewings. Antennae are thickened. Sphinx moth larvae are called hornworms, for a harmless but pronounced horn on the dorsal side of their hind ends. Some hornworms do significant damage to agricultural crops and are therefore considered pests. In their final instars (or developmental stages between molts), sphinx moth caterpillars can be quite large, some measuring as long as your pinky finger. Classification of Sphinx Moths Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – LepidopteraFamily - Sphingidae The Sphinx Moth Diet Most adults nectar on flowers, extending a long proboscis to do so. Their diet includes: columbineslarkspurspetuniahoneysucklemoon vinebouncing betlilacclovers,thistlesJimson weed Caterpillars feed on a range of host plants, including both woody and herbaceous plants. Their diet includes: willow weedfour oclockappleevening primroseelmgrapetomatopurslaneFuchsia Sphingid larvae usually have specific host plants, rather than being generalist feeders. Many people plant moonlight or fragrance gardens to attract such nocturnal pollinators as the sphinx moth. The Sphinx Moth  Life Cycle Female moths lay eggs, usually singly, on host plants. Larvae may hatch within a few days or several weeks, depending on species and environmental variables. When the caterpillar reaches its final instar, it pupates, or transforms into the final adult stage. Most Sphingid larvae pupate in the soil, though some spin cocoons in leaf litter. In places where winter occurs, Sphingid moths overwinter in the pupal stage. Special Adaptations and Defenses Some sphinx moths nectar on pale, deep flowers, employing an unusually long proboscis. The proboscis of certain Sphingidae species can measure a full 12 inches long. They have the longest tongue of any moth or butterfly. Sphinx moths are also famous for their ability to hover at flowers, much like hummingbirds. In fact, some Sphingids resemble bees or hummingbirds and can move sideways and stop in midair. Charles Darwin predicted that the hawk or sphinx moth pollinated  star orchids of Madagascar with their foot-long nectar spurs. He was initially ridiculed for this prediction, but was later proved correct. Range and Distribution Worldwide, over 1,200 species of sphinx moths have been described. About 125 species of Sphingidae live in North America. Sphinx moths live on all continents except Antarctica.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Citizens have Appalling Ignorance According to Martha...

In Martha Nussbaum’s essay, â€Å"Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism†, she claims that the people of our nation are â€Å"appallingly ignorant† of the world, to which I concur. Children in America should learn about the world at an early age. What Nussbaum believes is that an education in which students are taught that they are, first and foremost, a citizen of this world, is one that will assist in the production of men and women that will look at another human being from another nationality and see no difference between each other. This sounds good and all, but what I want to know is how this kind of education would be integrated in todays’ schools, and how it will affect the students. Nussbaum’s idea of a cosmopolitan education, although altruistic in nature, interferes with todays’ time and resource hungry education system. Even if cosmopolitan education were to be integrated in schools, there would be nothing to stop it from having the same complications as a nationalistic or patriotic school. If students are to be educated about other cultures, such as their histories, hardships and successes, as Nussbaum believes they should, the curriculum taught in class would have to shift to accommodate these new topics. Text books that are used in class and subjects that are discussed in class would also have to change. Nussbaum suggests students be taught about larger issues such as global hunger to better their understanding of what should be done in their own local communities. Nussbaum

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Power of Suppliers free essay sample

Another force is power of suppliers. Power of the suppliers is important as it will affect the industry. In airline industry, the power of suppliers is quite high since there are only two major suppliers which are Airbus and Boeing hence there are not many choices to airline industry. Nevertheless, the global economic crisis has limited the new entrant and also reducing the upgrade of planes in the immediate future. However, both suppliers provide almost same standard aircraft and hence the switching to Air Asia is low.The supplier of airline companies is the fuel supplier, food supplier, merchandise supplier and aircraft supplier. Other supplier like foods supplier and fuel supplier, the term of the supply must be based on the market condition. Hence, the supplier cannot increase too much of its price or risk losing long term business with the aircraft companies. Besides that, Airasia has high switching costs. Most of Airasia’s aircraft are Airbus models. We will write a custom essay sample on Power of Suppliers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Previously, the company used Boeing models, which they lease it and the company had since phased out most of the models and replace with Airbus.If Airasia is to switch to Boeing again, then the cost will be high. This is because training cost for employees to suit the aircraft features must be provided. Furthermore, the technology used by Airbus is the most advanced, thus Airasia must rely to the Airbus’ engineers to do maintenance of the aircrafts and seek advices. if the Airbus does not to cooperate with Air Asia, Air Asia will not have no suppliers to do the maintenance. nThus, bargaining power of suppliers is strong.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Organisation Behaviour on Tesco Essay Example

Organisation Behaviour on Tesco Essay Organizational structure refers to the way in which people and jobs are arranged within the organization in order to assist the organization in meeting its goals and performing its tasks. Typical organizational structures include hierarchal structures, strategic business units and simple structures. Tesco operates using four strategic business units – Core UK, which handles United Kingdom grocery operations, International, which handles international holdings, Non-Food, which handles sales of electronics, home goods and other non-food items sold in Tesco Extra and other stores, and Retailing Services. The stated strategy of Tesco’s International SBU includes elements of flexibility, local operations including customers, cultures, supply chains and regulations, focus on a few countries, multi-format offerings in order to meet the needs of the local market, capability in people, processes and systems, and brand-building to create lasting customer relationships (Tesco 2008). All of these elements can be seen in Tesco’s expansion into the United States in late 2007. There are all aspects of the store’s marketing and design were custom-tailored to the market region in which they were opening. The name, Fresh and Easy, was intended to take advantage of Californian culture and values. Their product offerings within the store, with a strong emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, natural and organic foods, were intended to not only appeal to the tastes of the local culture but also to fill a gap in the current supermarket offerings within the region. We will write a custom essay sample on Organisation Behaviour on Tesco specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Organisation Behaviour on Tesco specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Organisation Behaviour on Tesco specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The locations, which are primarily urban, small footprint locations in city centres and underserved neighbourhoods, are intended to not only take advantage of the chance to enter an underserved market but also to fit the market needs of the surrounding areas and to integrate seamlessly into the neighbourhoods. The formal system of work role and authority relationship that govern how associates and managers interact with one another. Organizational culture: The values shared by associates and managers in an organization. With a core purpose to create the value for the customers and earn their loyalty, Tesco craft and shaped their objectives and can be mirrored on their culture, organizational structure, and strategies. As a well-established organization, it is important for Tesco to pay attention on their respective strategies that can accommodate their growth. The underpinning principle of this strategy is to broaden the scope of the organization to enable the business in a sustainable long-term growth and gaining more advantages. The idea of expansion became popular among the  business entrepreneurs because it allows the business to grow according to the flow of environment in the foreign land. However, the idea of Tesco in utilizing its advantages in expansion does not stop in one expansion or two. They followed the expansion strategies with another that makes the organization expand more and reach the markets effectively by offering the products and services the country truly needs. In addition, the diversification on the products and services of the organization is identified as another success of the organization in their business. The continuous development of the organization in reaching the unsaturated markets is strength of the organization towards the competitiveness and profitability. Practices and strategic management of the organization reflected in the five elements in which the retailers and other organizations around the world are attempting to gain. 1. To be a successful international retailer 2. To grow the core UK business 3. To be as strong in non-food as in food. 4. To develop retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco. com 5. To put community at the heart of what TESCO do. http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2010/10/awareness-perception-acceptance-of-tesco-in-house-brand-products-among-customers. html Identifies the relationship between organization structure and culture and how the business performance could be increased. Organisations must have some sort of formal structure in order for work to be carried out efficiently. An organisation comprise of people there is also an informal organisation with different interlocking relationship, which gives rise to different behaviour, attitudes, individual perceptions and levels of ability and aptitude. The above mentioned are the main factors that influence business performance, they are closely interdependent on each other for the maximization of overall productivity hence the reason for human resource management. This relationship will now be individually examined in the different types of organisational structure associated cultures and their influence on their influence on their employees resulting in their level of business performance. http://essaysforstudent. com/Business/-Critical-Analysis-Organisational-Structure/86959. html Analyse the factors which influence individual behaviour at work: Greetings Body language Conversation Equality Politeness Humour Dress Code Greetings: A simple firm handshake is the standard greeting (for both men and women) for business occasions. It is considered polite to do so. The response to a first introduction is normally ‘nice to meet you ‘or ‘pleased to meet you Usually all colleagues call each other by their first names. Managers are now less formal and will most likely expect you to address them with their first names once you have been formally introduced. Body Language: Privacy and ‘personal space are important in the UK and people normally keep a certain space away from the person when they are talking to each other. It is also considered inappropriate to touch others in public when in conversation unless you are really familiar with them. Conversation:  You will observe that on the whole most people do not talk loudly in public and try not to disrupt others e. g. in open plan offices, on the train, bus etc Also asking personal questions or intensely staring at another person is not considered appropriate. Individuals usually do not discuss their salaries at work. When in the workplace you may find that direct questions will receive indirect responses and conversations may be ambiguous and quite subtle. So, it is important to pay attention to tone of voice and facial expression, as this could be a way of telling what people