Similarities Between Mesopotamia And Egypt - 1199 Words

The geographical location was an important factor in many of the ancient civilizations. Where the people settled determined whether they would have success at surviving. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ancient civilizations founded in roughly the same longitude and latitude area of the world. Hot dry areas full of dessert. What drew early civilizations to settle on these locations was the same for both places, land near water that was good for planting. What is different about each location is what makes these two early civilizations vastly different yet extremely important to our world today, the natural resources and the way the early settlers utilized them. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were founded near large rivers. To be a farmer and either of the ancient civilizations would have met hard work seasonal changes and hauling water from the river difficult even in today standards. Mesopotamia has fertile land near the water’s edge. The rivers run parallel down both sides of the country. The remaining area is barren dessert, with a limited amount of Natural Resources. Egypt is surrounded by fertile land along the Nile its desert has many natural resources that makes both areas unique but completely different. Living in the desert area of either location required using the land and the resources it provided such as eating what was easy to grow, building houses out of what could be mined from the land and advancing everyday life by examining and experimenting withShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia951 Words   |  4 PagesAncient Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, because of the different geography, exposure to outside invasion, influence, and beliefs, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia came to not only contrast in political and social structures but also share similarities in them as well. When it came to the development of Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations politics played a prominent role in structuring the very foundation of each respective civilization. For instance, when it came to Ancient Egypt there existedRead MoreSimilarities Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia1131 Words   |  5 Pages Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are a valuable area of historical research. This essay will focus on the differences and similarities in these societies economic, political, and cultural lives. As well as the circumstances the people of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia faced. Agriculture Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian agricultural lives were very different due to their geographical situations, differences in technology, and developments. Only a small area of Egyptian land (the Delta and NileRead MoreSimilarities Between Ancient Mesopotamia And Egypt1101 Words   |  5 PagesDifferences and Similarities While describing the cultural among the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt, I learned the differences and similarities in culture. The birth of Mesopotamian Civilization began in c. 3000 B.C.E., in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of Southwest Asia. Mesopotamia is a Greek word and it means ‘between the rivers.’ In contrast, the birth of Egyptian Civilization began in c. 3100 B.C.E., in a valley of the Nile River in Northeastern Africa. Egypt is a Greek wordRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia1125 Words   |  5 Pagesago there existed two main civilizations: Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, and Ancient Egypt along the Nile. Even though Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were both advanced civilizations they had many differences such as their government, religion, as well as their trade and society. Mesopotamian culture thought negatively about its gods, and had conflict, cultural diffusion, a nd a decentralized government while Ancient Egypt thought highly of its gods, had a centralizedRead MoreCompare and COntarst1518 Words   |  7 Pages Egypt and Mesopotamia have both similarities and differences, throughout both of these civilizations from back to 3,500 B.C. The political and social structures in these civilizations were different and the same in their own way. The political differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia included hierarchy power, land control, and centralized government. The similarities between both civilizations are social class, male patriarchy, and kings. Egypt and Mesopotamia both had differences of their politicalRead MoreEssay on Compare and Contrast Egypt and Mesopotamia901 Words   |  4 PagesEgypt developed around the Nile River, while Mesopotamia developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Egypt and Mesopotamia grew into complex civilizations. Politically, both Egypt and Mesopotamia had a government with one main ruler, but Egypt had a centralized government with a pharaoh, while Mesopotamia had a decentralized government with a king. Socially, both civilizations were patriarchal, but Egypt was more lenient towards women while Mesopotamia was stricter. The political and socialRead MoreAncient Empires1235 Words   |  5 Pagesinto empires of great similarities, yet compelling differences lie between them. The two countries represent societies beginnings with their impressive work and there astonishing achievements with such little technology at their disposal,  nevertheless brilliant minds found ways to design massive buildings and a new form of language at their time. Mesopotamia and Egypt show there similarities in the aspects of economic, political, and social elements with amazing similarities at a broad level untilRead MoreEgypt And Mesopotamia Similarities751 Words   |  4 Pages Mesopotamia and Egypt were both part of the creation of the worlds first civilizations. These countries shared many similarities and differences within their society, political structure, and their religions. Mesopotamian and Egypt both flourished near rivers in which enabled them to become an agricultural enriched society. While both civilizations had the advantage of the rivers, Egypt did not have the fertile hinterland that allowed Mesopotamia to excel in agriculture. Through a political standpointRead MoreMesopotamia and Egypt Essay before 600 BC911 Words   |  4 PagesMesopotamia and Egypt Ancient civilizations across history have shown unique and incredible feats of mankind. Arguably, two of the most prominent ancient civilizations in the Middle East and even the world are the Mesopotamians (Beginning 5,000 B.C.) and Egyptians (Beginning 3,150 B.C). Even though these two civilizations peaked about 2,000 years apart, they share numerous similarities contributing to their success, and also show even more differences that distinguish how each had a unique cultureRead MoreEgypt and Mesopotamia: A Societal and Religious Comparison Essays765 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent. The religions in Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar because both were polytheistic, had beliefs of an afterlife, as well as priests who were part of the upper levels of the social hierarchy. Social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia included: rigid social structure, dependence on slavery, and authoritative religious structure. However, the system of government was different because Egyptian soci ety was governed by a theocratic monarchy, while Mesopotamia was ruled by a traditional

Impacts of an Energy Plan - 933 Words

Impacts of an Energy Resource Plan Holly Regan SCI/275 September 14, 2014 Stacy Murphy Impacts of an Energy Resource Plan My dearest great-great grand-children: The finding of this letter explaining the best option for a long-term energy sustainability plan is no accident, and if you have opened a time capsule as directed, this letter is one hundred years old and the year is two-thousand and fourteen (2014). The nation’s current energy situation is in bad shape. We have nearly depleted the planets resources of fossil fuels that are non-renewable. Energy4Me.org defines nonrenewable resources as are energy sources like petroleum, propane, natural gas, coal and nuclear power. These resources have taken millions of years to†¦show more content†¦Human health is personally affected, and it creates serious risks for all other organisms too. The ways that I have been personally affected by the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels is by the emissions of different gases into the atmosphere and having breathed them in over the last eighty-five years. I have contracted asthma and chronic bronchitis from the poor air quality. I have developed a sustainability plan that I believe will continue to flourish productively for the remainder of our generation. I am holding on to the hope that by the very time the following family generations have arrived, there will be an efficient renewable energy resource to replace my nonrenewable energy resource and maintain necessary sustainability. I plan to use natural gas as the primary form of energy because it is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. In this year of two-thousand and fourteen, there are many renewable resources to choose from and utilize, but at the moment they are not efficient enough to produce the amount of energy necessary in conjunction with low consumer cost to proficiently run the entire city. The natural gas produces more than enough power to maintain the city so that now we can sell our extra energy to otherShow MoreRelatedEssay Impacts Of An Energy Plan945 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Impacts of an Energy Plan Juanita Stanberry SCI/275 Suzette Mackenzie March 26, 2015 My dearest great-great grand-children: The finding of this letter explaining the best option for a long-term energy sustainability plan is no accident, and if you have opened a time capsule as directed, this letter is one hundred years old and the year is two thousand and fifteen (2015). The nation’s current energy situation is in bad shape. 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Quality Assurance Free Essays

QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN 1. 0 JMC has developed its own quality system to meet required quality standard and time schedule In order to adhere uncompromising quality standards at every stage of construction activities. QUALITY ASSURANCE PLAN is being introduced at site to produce quality product. We will write a custom essay sample on Quality Assurance or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2. 0 Quality Assurance plan consists of all the planned and systematic actions to be undertaken by JMC involved in execution and acceptance of the works involved in the contract. The plan consist all the operations which are to be performed, the systematic and sequential progression of operations the persons responsible for each activity and the measures employed to assure the specific quality. Thus, it is imperative to ensure that product and services are inspected, checked and approved at all stages from commencement of work including receipt of material to its completion in so far as utilization. 3. 0 QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURE Quality Assurance Procedure consists the following phases. 1. Pre-construction phase 2. During construction phase 3. Post Construction phase 3. 1Quality Control during pre-construction phase During this phase various activities are undertaken and a system is put in place and activated in order to ensure that: a. Source of all bldg. Materials are approved in advance. b. Execution procedure of each activity is understood properly by execution dept. c. All activities, at all locations begin as planned in time. d. The support system is efficient enough to sustain the quality and progress of work as planned. . Quality and progress at all times during construction phase remain unaffected and unhindered. 3. 1. 1. Material: It is ensured that all materials received at site are tested / inspected as per criteria for each material at external/internal laboratory at site by QC engineer. Untested materials are properly identified and rejected materials are disposed off. 3. 1. 2. Field Lab Setup: In order to carryout day to day testing of incoming materials , field laboratory is set up with calibrated instruments. How to cite Quality Assurance, Essay examples Quality Assurance Free Essays Modern Banking | an exploration of banking | | | |NATIONAL BANK OF SERBIA | |ACADEMY OF BANKING AND FINANCE | |a project supported by the European Agency for Reconstruction | INTRODUCTION This brief covers the following: ? INTRODUCTION ? DESCRIPTION OF THE SIMULATION ? THE BUSINESS SITUATION ? DESCRIPTION OF THE DECISIONS ? DESCRIPTION OF THE RESULTS ? RECENT TRADING HISTORY This simulation is designed to allow you to manage the development of a bank in direct competition with several like banks so that you can explore how a bank functions. It does not attempt to replicate your bank or banking environment precisely. Rather it is designed to raise key banking issues and explore basic bank operations. We will write a custom essay sample on Quality Assurance or any similar topic only for you Order Now A business model simulates the operation of your bank. Your decisions and those of your competitors influence the responses to this model. The results of your decisions are used to produce several reports that you must analyse to see how well you are performing and what further action is needed. Your objective is to make your bank successful and it is up to you to agree your criteria of success. THE SIMULATION The simulation consists of the following: ? PREPARATION ? DECISION MAKING ? REVIEW PREPARATION Preparation involves becoming familiar with the basic situation, defining individual responsibilities, considering objectives and deciding how to measure and control. While doing this it is important to recognise that it takes some time before you fully understand all the facets of the bank that you are managing. It is probable that you will only fully understand the bank after you have run it for several periods. Thus your understanding and the effectiveness of decision making will improve throughout the simulation. DECISION MAKING Once the initial preparation is complete the operation of the business is simulated for several periods each representing one year. (The first period is year 1). Each period involves the following: ? SUBMISSION OF DECISIONS ? SIMULATION OF THE BUSINESS ? ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS Decision Submission – the decisions (as described later) must be submitted to the simulation control centre at or before the time set. You must keep to the decision making schedule for, if decisions are not submitted on time, the previous decisions are used in their place. The decisions must be submitted on the forms provided and should be complete and legible! Simulation – the decisions are evaluated and their impact calculated. These calculations take some time, and you should use this time to reflect on your objectives and strategies and to update your business control systems. Results – a series of reports are returned to you for you to analyse and consider before making your decisions for the next year. REVIEW At the end of the simulation there is a review of your results and those of your competitors. And you may be asked to make a presentation. THE BUSINESS SITUATION The business is a bank that has been operating for some time in direct competition with several other banks. In the past these banks have not competed strongly against each other and your task, as the new senior management is to change this and turn your bank into a successful, thriving business. THE MARKET SECTORS Your bank operates in two market sectors: ? Retail Banking ? Corporate Banking The Retail Banking sector involves providing services for private individuals including private demand deposits, savings deposits, overdrafts, term loans mortgages. The Corporate Banking sector involves providing services for businesses including demand deposit accounts, overdrafts and lines of credit, term loans and leasing. CLIENT NEEDS Although very different in terms of level and detail of business, both private (retail) banking clients and corporate banking clients use a similar range of products: †¢ Demand Deposits †¢ Long Term Deposits †¢ Short Term Loans Overdrafts †¢ Long Term Loans Demand Deposits are the basic account held by clients to provide their short-term cash needs. Clients receive no interest on these and they represent a major source of funds to the bank. Unfortunately, the clients can withdraw their funds at short notice and so demand deposits fluctuate during the year. Associated with these accounts the bank charges fees for depositing and making payments. Long Term Deposits are accounts used by clients who have surplus funds that they do not need immediate access to. Money invested by clients in long term deposits earns reasonable levels of interest but are not immediately accessible (as are demand deposits). There a no fees associated with these accounts and you must decide the interest to pay to clients. Short Term Loans Overdrafts are borrowing by clients to fund short-term cash needs. The bank charges the clients reasonably high interest on this together with fees for arranging lines of credit (for pre-approved overdrafts) and fees where the overdraft is not approved. Generally, overdraft for retail clients do not involve collateral and so there is some impairment losses associated with these. For corporate clients, overdraft are often secured on working capital (inventory and accounts receivable) but this does not eliminate impairment losses. You must decide the interest to be charged on overdrafts. As no notice is given when borrowing or repaying these loans their level can vary significantly. Long Term Loans are long-term borrowing much of which involves collateral. So the funding level is more stable and impairment losses are lower. This is especially true for long-term retail loans that are for home purchase with the home as collateral. Although long-term corporate loans are generally for plant and equipment and will be secured on this, they have a higher default risk. Arranging long-term loans earns a fee and you must decide the interest to charge. To simplify matters there are no fixed rate loans and both interest and part of the balance is paid each year. In reality, each of these four products subdivide into many types, but, to simplify the simulation, each of these products is treated as a single one. Most clients will have a demand deposit account but some will have a short term loan (overdraft). The number of clients with long-term deposits or loans is likely to be less. SOURCES OF INCOME The bank derives income from the difference between interest earned on loans and the interest paid on deposits plus the net income from fees. You are able to influence client demand for loans and deposits and the income derived through deciding what interest to charge for these products. Interest is paid by clients on overdraft and long-term loans and paid to clients on long-term deposits. (No interest is paid on demand deposits. ) Interest earned is based on the average level of loans and interest paid is based on the average level of deposits. Fee income is relatively small and derives from transaction fees on demand deposits, authorisation and other fees on overdrafts, arrangement and valuation fees on long-term loans and legal and recovery fees on impaired loans. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Business Development involves winning new clients and then increasing their use of the bank’s services. Winning new clients is likely to involve a combination of promotion and (for the corporate market) selling effort. Promotion is decided annually for the retail and corporate markets separately and it covers advertising, leaflets, public relations etc. The nunber of the Account Managers who sell to the corporate market is also decided annually. The annual cost of each Account Manager (including salary, social security and pension plans) is â‚ ¬12000. Once a client starts using the bank their experience of the quality of service and staff availability will affect their use the bank. Good experience will increase use but bad experience is likely to reduce use and may cause the client to stop using the bank. Each year you will be informed of the number of clients continuing to use the bank (existing clients) and new clients (who started using the bank during the year). OPERATING STAFF Although in reality a bank has may types and grades of staff, to simplify matters you are only concerned with two grades of operating staff: †¢ Senior Staff †¢ Junior Staff These work with both retail and corporate clients. The work done involves both senior and junior staff and the mix depends on the complexity and importance of the work. Senior Staff are concerned with more complex and important work and larger clients. So they are more involved with corporate clients than with retail clients. Also, they are more concerned with large loans and long-term deposits than with demand deposits. In contrast, Junior Staff are more concerned with the more routine work (such as processing demand deposits and doing retail client work). Each year you must decide how many Senior and Junior Staff to employ and how much to spend on improving their quality of work and productivity. If you employ too many staff, some may be idle. If you employ too few staff you will not be able to adequately service clients and so lose business (and perhaps clients to other banks). Because of this, if there are surplus senior staff but a shortage of junior staff, the senior staff will do the work of junior staff. But, if there is a shortage of senior staff, the junior staff cannot do the work of senior staff. | |Junior |Senior | |Annual Cost/Staff |7000 |11000 |Equipment/Staff |2000 |4000 | |Staff/thousand New Clients |0. 97 |0. 97 | |Staff/thousand Retail Clients |1. 95 |1. 12 | |Staff/thousand Corporate Clients |2. 32 |1. 36 | The table above shows the annual cost per staff member, the value of equipment required for each and an indication of the staff required per thousand clients. If you reduce staff levels, equipment will be sold off. Each year you can spend on improving staff quality and productivity. Quality Improvement enhances the staff’s ability to deal with clients and the expenditure is evenly split between costs charged to the Income Statement and capital investment in equipment. Productivity Improvement enhances the staff’s ability to handle larger number of clients and the expenditure is split so that a quarter is charged to the Income Statement as an expense and the rest is capital expenditure. The capital expenditure associated with Quality and Product Improvement is depreciated at 25% per year. GENERAL OVERHEADS Besides the Senior, Junior Staff and Account Managers, the bank employs other staff (management, etc. ). And these, together with administrative expenses etc. are included in general overheads of â‚ ¬1500000 a year. FIXED ASSETS In order to operate the bank requires premises and equipment. Bank premises are expected to be sufficient to handle any anticipated growth in the business and are currently valued at â‚ ¬50000 and are not depreciated. Except for investment in quality and productivity improvement, depreciation on other equipment is exactly matched by investment in refurbishment and repairs. So the value of these assets will not change on the Balance Sheet but there will be a depreciation charge to the Income Statement and the expenditure on refurbishment and repairs will be a capital expenditure. FUNDING Ideally, funds lent to clients should balance with funds borrowed from clients. In practice, this is not likely to happen and so there is a need to plan for other sources of funds. In practice there are several such sources but here you can only borrow from other banks. Or, if you have surplus funds you can lend to other banks. Interest on these loans is at the discount rate. So, it is cheaper to obtain funds from your clients and more profitable to lend to your clients. ) If you borrow too little from the other banks this may affect your ability to make loans, may require expensive short-term borrowing and/or may threaten your bank’s liquidity and perhaps solvency. BANK SOUNDNESS It is vital that the bank maintains sufficient capital and liquid assets to ensure that the bank’s depositor are protected against risk – risks due to changing economic conditions, borrowers defaulting on their loans and fluctuations in deposits. To ensure this the following are controlled according to the regulations set down by the National Bank: Capital Adequacy Liquid Assets – Required Reserves Capital Adequacy means that the Share Capital of the bank is adequate to handle any probable loan defaults and is measured by Capital Adequacy %. This expresses the bank’s capital as a percentage of risk weighted assets. Risk weighting assets takes into account the chance that the asset will become impaired and so depends on the borrower and the extent to which (if appropriate) suitable collateral is held on the loan. The table below shows the weights (likelihood of default) for the various assets. |Asset |Weight | |Cash Cash Equivalents |0% | |Loans Advances to Banks |20% | |Long Term Loans to Retail Clients |60% | |Long Term Loans to Corporate Clients |100% | |Short Term Loans (Overdrafts) |100% | |Fixed Assets |100% | Note: The Long Term Loans to Retail Clients is less than 100% because it is assumed that a significant portion (but not all) of these will be home loans with the property as collateral. If all these loans had been home loans, then the weight would be 50%. Although Long Term Loans to Corporate Clients may be secured on plant and equipment, like the bank’s own fixed assets, there is little guarantee that these assets could be sold at anything near purchase value. Short-term loans for retail clients may not be secured and for corporate clients, even if the loan is secured against working capital, there is little change of recovering the debt. The Capital Adequacy % is calculated by expressing the bank’s Share Capital as a percentage of the total of the risk weighted assets. The National Bank stipulates that Capital Adequacy % must exceed 10% and the bank may have to stop providing additional loans if Capital Adequacy falls below this figure. (Even though this will mean a loss of potential income and will offend clients – possibly causing them to change banks. ) Liquid Assets – Required Reserves In the short term, the bank must be in the position to handle client demand for payment from their clients’ deposits. And the bank must plan to cover this through: Cash ? Balances with the National Bank The National Bank requires that the total of these must be equal to or greater than 20% of the total of client and bank deposits. If the total of cash in hand and the balances with the National Bank fall below the required amount the bank will need to borrow the balance from the National Bank at 400% of t he current discount rate. OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION This section provides information about: ? Taxation ? Dividends Taxation The bank is taxed on its operating profit at 10%. This is paid in the following year and is shown as a current income tax liability. If the company makes a loss this is carried forward as deferred income tax asset to be set against the time the bank is profitable Dividend The Board of Directors insist on an annual dividend equal to ten percent of the sum of the previous year’s share capital plus retained earnings and paid in the following year. COMPETITORS During the simulation you are in direct competition with several other banks (run by your fellow course members) all of which started from exactly the same position. However, outside this group there are other financial institutions that provide similar products and services. THE ECONOMY Initially the economy is reasonably stable and it is unlikely that the discount rate or the mix of demand for financial services will change substantially. However, this state of affairs may not continue indefinitely. DECISIONS The decisions that are made each year are as follows: †¢ Interest Rates †¢ Operating Staff Numbers †¢ Promotion †¢ Account Managers Numbers †¢ Quality Productivity Improvement †¢ Loans from Banks Interest Rates are entered as multiples of the discount rate. So, interest rates on loans will be above 1. 00 and interest rates for term deposits will be below 1. 0. Operating staff are the number necessary to support the day to day operation of the bank. The mix of junior and senior staff depend on the number of retail and corporate clients, the mix of business, productivity and quality improvement. The promotion decisions are the amount to spend on encouraging clients to use the bank. As senior management you are not conce rned with the way that promotion is spent but just in deciding an appropriate amount. Promotion is likely to be especially effective in obtaining new clients but may influence existing clients to make use of other bank services. The account managers will be used to support the corporate clients and help them decide on the appropriate bank service. The quality improvement and the productivity improvement decisions are the total amounts to be spent in for these. In order to maintain an optimum liquidity level you can either take loans from other banks or (if you enter a negative number) make loans to other banks. The number you enter is the total size of the loan (or if negative, deposit). |Interest Rate Decisions – Retail |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Short Term Loan Interest |2. 0 |2. 60 |2. 40 | |Long Term Loan Interest |1. 50 |1. 65 |1. 35 | |Long Term Deposit Interest |0. 90 |0. 80 |0. 80 | |Interest Rate Decisions – Corporate |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Short Term Loan Interest |2. 50 |2. 50 |2. 40 | |Long Term Loan Interest |2. 50 |2. 5 |2. 40 | |Long Term Deposit Interest |0. 90 |0. 90 |0. 80 | |Marketing Decisions |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Retail Banking Promotion |100 |110 |125 | |Corporate Banking Promotion |100 |110 |125 | |Account Managers Numbers |8 |9 |10 | Junior Staff Decisions |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Operating Staff Numbers |60 |55 |60 | |Quality Improvement |15 |15 |15 | |Productivity Improvement |15 |15 |15 | Senior Staff Decisions |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Operating Staff Numbers |30 |32 |35 | |Quality Improvement |12 |12 |12 | |Productivity Improvement |12 |12 |12 | Bank Loans |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Loans from Banks |11000 |11000 |12000 | BUSINESS RESULTS Each period you will receive results in three stages. First, immediately after the decision time you will receive some preliminary results for you to work on before the full results for your business are provided. Finally, you will receive some business research so that you can compare how you are performing against the other banks. Below are shown these results for the last three years (where Year –2 is to three years ago, Year –1 two years ago and Year 0 last year). (All financial information is in thousands of Euros. ) PRELIMINARY RESULTS These are returned to you immediately after the decision submission time Performance Summary |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Net Interest Income |3392 |3707 |3192 | |Net Fee Income |413 |415 |459 | |Operating Profit |763 |1020 |400 | |Total Assets |38614 |39092 |40557 | |Total Liabilities |33973 |33928 |35458 | |Return on Capital % |14. 8 |17. 8 |7. 1 | |Return on Assets % |1. 8 |2. 3 |0. | |Net Interest Margin % |8. 8 |9. 5 |7. 9 | |Capital Adequacy % |18. 0 |19. 9 |18. 7 | |Reserve Requirements |6679 |6673 |6922 | |Cash Balances with National Bank |6726 |7044 |6925 | |National Bank Loan |44 |0 |347 | Return on Capital is profit after t ax as a percentage of the shareholders’ capital and measures profitability from the owners’ viewpoint. Return on Assets is the operating profit as a percentage of total assets and measures profitability from the management viewpoint. Net Interest Margin is net interest expressed as a percentage of the total assets and shows how efficiently the bank is generating revenue from its assets. FULL RESULTS A few minutes after you receive your Preliminary Results you will be provided with the following reports: ? Income Statement ? Balance Sheet ? Client Changes ? Staff Workload ? Market Sector Reports INCOME STATEMENT This report shows for the retail and corporate sectors combined, the revenue generated, the costs and expenses incurred and the profits earned for the year. Income Statement |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Interest Income |5474 |5568 |5111 | |Interest Expense |2082 |1860 |1919 | |Net Interest Income |3392 |3707 |3192 | |Fee Income |545 |542 |621 | |Fee Expense |132 |127 |162 | |Net Fee Income |413 |415 |459 | |Impairment Losses |214 |225 |228 | |Operating Expenses |2828 |28 78 |3023 | |Operating Profit |763 |1020 |400 | |Income Tax |76 |102 |40 | |Profit after Tax |687 | 918 |360 | |Dividend |395 |425 |474 | |Transfer to Retained Earnings |292 |493 |-114 | BALANCE SHEET This report shows the bank’s Assets, Liabilities and Capital at the end of the year. The Assets show things of value owned by the bank. The Liabilities show the funds owed by the bank. And the Equity shows the amount invested by the bank’s shareholders. The Assets are balanced by the total of the Liabilities and the Capital. Assets |Year -2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Cash Balances |6726 |7044 |6925 | |Loans Advances to Banks |0 |0 |0 | |Loans Advances to Clients |30903 |31010 |32505 | |Fixed Assets |986 |1038 |1127 | |Deferred Income Tax |0 |0 |0 | |Total Assets |39614 |39092 |40557 | Liabilities |Year -2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Deposits from Banks |11000 |11000 |12000 | |National Bank Loan |44 |0 |347 | |Client Deposits |22393 |22366 |22611 | |Creditors |460 |460 |460 | |Current Income Tax Liability |76 |102 |40 | |Total Liabilities |33973 |33928 |35458 | |Capital |Year -2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Share Capital |2500 |2500 |2500 | |Retained Earnings |1746 |2239 |2125 | |Other Reserves |0 |0 |0 | |Dividend |395 |425 |474 | |Total Capital |4641 |5163 |5099 | CLIENT CHANGES This report shows changes in the number of clients that your bank has as existing clients (clients who used the bank last year) and new clients (clients who started using the bank this year). This year’s existing clients may be less than last year’s client total because some of these may have been lost to competing banks. |Client Changes – Retail | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Existing Clients |19648 |19576 |19521 | |New Clients |520 |452 |655 | |Total Clients |20168 |20028 |20176 | Client Changes – Corporate | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Existing Clients |4919 |4995 |5093 | |New Clients |199 |214 |240 | |Total Clients |5118 |5209 |5333 | STAFF WORKLOAD This provides information about the number of staff needed and the current workload on a per thousand client basis for new clients, existing retail and corporate clients. Staff Workload – Junior Staff | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Operating Staff Numbers |60 |55 |60 | |S taff Needed |51 |51 |52 | |Average Work/New Client |0. 97 |0. 99 |0. 97 | |Average Work/Retail Client |1. 94 |1. 96 |1. 95 | |Average Work/Corporate Client |2. 32 |2. 33 |2. 32 | Staff Workload – Senior Staff | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Operating Staff Numbers |30 |32 |35 | |Staff Needed |30 |30 |30 | |Average Work/New Client |0. 97 |0. 99 |0. 97 | |Average Work/Retail Client |1. 11 |1. 11 |1. 12 | |Average Work/Corporate Client |1. 36 |1. 35 |1. 36 | MARKET SECTOR REPORTS These reports show the results for each of the two market sectors and so allows you to compare them. Market Sector Report – Retail | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Short Term Interest |776 |800 |745 | |Long Term Interest |1926 |2137 |1781 | |Interest Income |2703 |2937 |2526 | |Fee Income |924 |824 |824 | |Total Revenue |3627 |3762 |3350 | |Term Deposit Interest |924 |824 |824 | |Total Fee Expense |65 |55 |75 | |Impairment Charge |111 |116 |115 | |Other Expenses |471 |488 |525 | |Total Expenses |1571 |1482 |1639 | |Profit |2055 |2279 |1811 | |Short Term Loans |3638 |3558 |3743 | |Long Term Loans |15264 |15214 |15835 | |Sector Assets |18947 |18772 |19578 | |Demand Deposits |5460 |5423 |5463 | |Long Term Deposits |12162 |12078 |12167 | |Sector Liabilities |17623 |17501 |17629 | Market Sector Report – Corporate | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Short Term Interest |618 |637 |645 | |Long Term Interest |1884 |1972 |1922 | |Interest Income |2502 |2609 |2567 | |Fee Income | 98 |101 |92 | |Total Revenue |2601 |2710 |2659 | |Term Deposit Interest |98 |101 |92 | |Total Fee Expense |68 |72 |87 | |Impairment Charge |103 |109 |113 | |Other Expenses |382 |416 |461 | |Total Expenses |651 |698 |753 | |Profit |1950 |2012 |1906 | |Short Term Loans |2952 |3045 |3280 | |Long Term Loans |9003 |9192 |9647 | |Sector Assets |11956 |12237 |12927 | |Demand Deposits |3466 |3528 |3611 | |Long Term Deposits |1305 |1338 |1370 | |Sector Liabilities | 4770 |4866 |4981 | Note: For the corporate market sector the promotion cost is the total of the promotion decision and the cost of account managers. BUSINESS RESEARCH After you have received the reports for you own bank you will receive information about the other banks as follows: †¢ Comparative Accounts †¢ Competitor Interest Multipliers †¢ Market Interest Multipliers †¢ Discount Rate Research †¢ Press Comments COMPARATIVE ACCOUNTS These provide information comparing key Income Statement and Balance Sheet data. Up to this point (when you take over the bank) all competitors have had identical data. Comparative Accounts (all teams) | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Net Interest Income |3392 |3707 |3192 | |Net Fee Income |413 |415 |459 | |Operating Profit |763 |1020 |400 | |Profit after Tax |687 |918 |360 | |Total Assets |38614 |39092 |40557 | |Total Liabilities |33973 |33928 |35458 | |Total Capital |4641 |5163 |5099 | |Return on Capital % |14. 8 |17. 8 | 7. 1 | |Return on Ass ets % |1. 8 |2. 3 | 0. 9 | |Capital Adequacy % |18. 0 |17. 8 |18. 7 | COMPETITOR INTEREST MULTIPLIERS This report provides information about the interest rate multipliers used by your direct competitors. Up to this point (when you take over the bank) all competitors have used the same interest rate multipliers (as shown in your decisions earlier). MARKET INTEREST MULTIPLIERS This report provides information about bank interest rates in the general bank market. Market Interest Multipliers – Retail Banking | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Long Term Deposits |0. 80 |0. 80 |0. 80 | |Short Term Loans |2. 50 |2. 50 |2. 50 | |Long Term Loans |1. 50 |1. 50 |1. 50 | |Market Interest Multipliers – Corporate Banking | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Long Term Deposits |0. 80 |0. 80 |0. 80 | |Short Term Loans |2. 50 |2. 50 |2. 0 | |Long Term Loans |2. 50 |2. 50 |2. 50 | DISCOUNT RATE RESEARCH You will be provided with a forecast of the probable level of the discount r ate. Initially the economy is expected to be reasonably stable with a reasonably static discount rate. Also, it is believed that these initial forecasts will be reasonably accurate but, if the economy becomes less stable the accuracy of these forecasts may reduce. |Discount Rate Research | | |Year –2 |Year -1 |Year 0 | |Discount Rate |8. 5 |8. |8. 5 | |Forecast Discount Rate |8. 5 |8. 7 |8. 3 | PRESS COMMENTS These are comments that appeared in the financial press and may indicate client perceptions (such as poor quality of service), National Bank concerns (such as liquidity problems), expansion or contraction (such as promotion drives or downsizing staff). Additionally, if warranted, there may be information about the next year’s economic climate. |This simulation was developed by Jeremy J. S. B. Hall who can be contacted at | |jeremyhall@simulations. co. uk | How to cite Quality Assurance, Papers Quality assurance Free Essays There are many different ways to define what quality means in terms of business, there seems not to be one definitive meaning. At the last quality meeting my department held at I asked the team to define quality. What is their interpretation of what quality is? The two main answers they came up with are below: 1 . We will write a custom essay sample on Quality assurance or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Fit for purpose† – this means that the product or service should meet a standard which a reasonable person would regard as being satisfactory. For example: if the those things, then the car can be deemed as a quality product (therefore â€Å"fit for purpose†). . Meeting customers expectations† – this is knowing who your customers are and what they want and getting it right is key to customer satisfaction. To meet customer’s expectations an organization must deliver a consistent level of service that is based on the targets, which are set for each customer. In our field of Rehabilitation Engineering Services, we have many contracts with other NASH Trusts around the South of England. We have specified targets set out within tender documents or Service Level Agreements, which are our customer expectations. Lots of people say the Parker pen because it is more durable, sturdy and made with better materials, but costs a lot more. Some people say the BIG birr because its cheap and disposable and you are able to buy 100 BIG pens for the same price as 1 Parker pen, negating that quality is better than quantity. Illustrate the processes of inspection and assurance Quality Assurance is an approach which uses processes to ensure an organization is providing the best possible products or services. Focus is made on enhancing and improving processes that are used to create an end result. Parts of the process that are considered in quality assurance are; design, production, development, planning and service. There are a number of quality assurance tools that organizations use to help guide hem through the steps that are needed to ensure that their processes are as efficient and productive as possible. One of the most popular is the Shareware Cycle. This tool was developed by Dry. W. Edwards Deeming, a 20th-century American management consultant who named the tool after his associate, Walter A. Shareware. The cycle consists of four steps: Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDA). This is depicted (source: http://lean-master. Com/l/post/2013/08/SCADA-before-you-PDA. HTML) At the end of Shareware Cycle, which also is called the Deeming Cycle or PDA Cycle, the steps are repeated to ensure that the process is being evaluated and improved n a constant basis. Quality Control is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the client or customer. Quality Control focuses on the end result. Armband V. Figment is an American quality control expert and businessman. Figment is the founder and president of General System Co. , an international engineering company that designs and implements total quality systems. In 1951 Figment originated the concept of total quality control in his book Total Quality Control. The book has been translated into many languages. The basic principles on which Figment based Total Quality Control was a series of descriptors of what ‘quality’ was. Quality: is what the customer says it is and cost are a sum, not a difference requires individual enthusiasm requires teamwork is a fundamental mindset and way of managing a business and innovation rely on each other is a principle and a management ethic is based on continuous improvement is the most cost effective, least capital intensive route to productivity is ‘one system’ within an organization and connects the suppliers to the customers wrought the processes of the business Many of these statements will be very familiar in today’s organizations. I have compared the two systems (quality assurance and quality control) in the table Quality Assurance Quality Control Set of activities to ensure quality in the process. Set of activities to ensure quality in the end product/service. Focus on the prevention of defects during the process. This is a proactive quality process. Focuses on identifying and correcting defects in the end product/service. This is a reactive quality process. All team members involved with developing the product/service is expansible for quality assurance. Only the team members that test the products/ services for defects. This is a managerial tool where tasks are conducted by managers and third party auditors. This is a corrective tool where tasks are executed by experts who are directly involved in the design or manufacture of a product, such as an engineer etc. This makes sure you are doing the right things the right way. This makes sure that the results of what you have done are the results that are expected. A quality assurance audit would focus on the process elements of a projects, such as; communication, establishing standards, developing checklists, conducting internal audits etc. A quality control review will focus on product elements such as; performing inspections, performing testing etc. Discuss a range of approaches to quality management There are two different approaches to quality management; formal and informal. The informal approach is relatively rare because of the lack of formal structure and guidance from external bodies. The formal approach is much more popular with a number of different â€Å"systems† that can be implemented. I have listed some of these systems below and explained about them in more detail: hosannas of international standards to help organizations throughout the world do business more efficiently with one another. SISSIES is a standard which is focused on defining minimum business practices for the production/delivery of an organizations products and/or services by the means of a formal quality management system. This type of formal system is made up of processes, documentation and other formal practices that control an organizations operations to ensure customer expectations are met on a consistent basis. Certification to this standard is carried out by means of a third-party auditing organization. The latest incarnation of this standard is SISSIES :2008 although it is currently under view and a new version will be released at the latter part of 201 5 (SISSIES :2015). IS014001 – this standard develops and implements a formal environmental management system which operates, controls and manages the environmental impacts associated with an organization. It is applicable to any organization that wishes to establish and environmental management system and conformity is demonstrated by seeking certification via a third-party organization. The latest incarnation of this standard is IS014001 :2004. BEMA – the Business Excellence Model (BEMA) is a model which was originally developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management (FEES). The idea of the model is to conduct a self-assessment by comparing an organization to the model. There are 9 big ideas in the model that attempt to cover all of an organizations activities. These 9 ideas are separated out into ‘enablers’ and ‘results’. The enablers are concerned with how the organization conducts itself, how it manages staff/resources, how it plans its strategy and how it reviews key processes. The ‘results’ are concerned with what the organization achieves. These encompass a level of satisfaction among the employees and customers, its social responsibility and the key performance indicators. The model is depicted below: (source: http://www. Stereotypically. Co. UK/HTML/business_excellence. HTML) PASO – this quality standard is the leading standard for voluntary and community groups. It was developed for the voluntary sector by the voluntary sector. The acronym PASO stands for ‘Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organizations’ but it is appropriate for all sizes of organization, not Just the small. PIP – this is the Investors in People (PIP) standard. This is a recognized framew ork that helps organizations to improve their performance and realism their objectives through the management and development of staff (investing in people). Total Quality Management – this is a management system for a customer focused organization. This system uses data, effective communication and strategies to integrate quality into the culture and activities of the organization. In addition to these, my over-arching department are certified to ISO 3485:2003. This standard represents the requirements that medical device manufacturers must incorporate into their systems. This standard is primarily based on SISSIES but ISO 3485 removes the emphasis from SISSIES on continual improvement and customer satisfaction. In its place is an emphasis on customer’s requirements, risk management and the need for effective processes for the safe design and manufacture of medical devices. The latest incarnation of this standard is ‘SO 13485:2003. A certificate showing our ISO 3485:2003 certification can be found below: Explain the similarities and differences between the different methods Using the systems answered in my question above, the similarities and differences teen these systems are as follows: Differences Similarities The majority specialist in certain areas, be it; size of the organization, what the standard is in place to monitor etc. All are formal quality systems. The majority are generic systems, whereas IS014001 is industry specific. All govern the way you do things. Total Quality Management manages the whole organizations quality system, whereas all the others manage the quality of a specific product or service. All require participation from employees to some extent. The scope of the systems are different. All are results driven, whether that be throughout the process or at the end of the process, total systems or specific systems. The approach to each system is different. Word of mouth is the best way for a business to grow. If an organization fails to satisfy their customer, this could have the reverse effect on the business. There are a few different types of customer and I have detailed these below and given examples: A loyal customer – these customers are completely satisfied with the product/service provided by the organization. These customers use the organization repeatedly and so it is pertinent to invest time and effort with them. Maybe find out what can be one to improve the product/service. Listen to their views and feedback to help grow the business. An example of this type of customer is in the technology market. Generally people either veer towards one or other manufacturer depending on the type of technology they like. By and large, most people tend to stick with a manufacturer e. G. Apple. Most people repeatedly by the latest phone or pad as soon as it’s released because they are loyal to the brand. A discount/bargain customer – these customers are frequent and only really use the organization when offered with discounts on products/services. The more the discount the more they tend to buy, the lesser the discount the less they tend to buy. An example of this type of customer would be a family where the parents shop around different supermarkets looking for offers on the things they regularly use. They will probably flit between supermarkets and not regularly visit the same one. Another example might be (and this also fits with an impulsive customer), an e- commerce customer. They will always shop around online for something, usually impulsively, but they will generally purchase from the website that sells it for the heaps price. An impulsive customer – these customers are â€Å"on the spot† purchasers. They don’t always have a particular product/service in mind and will buy something impulsively if they like it, whether they need it or not. It is difficult to gauge and serve these customers because if they don’t even know what they want to buy, it is very difficult to assist them. A typical customer of this type would be a woman out with friends, shopping. A typical impulse buy would be a new pair of shoes or a handbag. Something they didn’t intend to buy, but did because they liked it when they saw it. A customer with needs – these are product/service specific customers. They know what they need and go out and get it. They are no way impulsive at all. In a roundabout way, a patient in a hospital is this type of customer. Although they don’t always choose to need treatment, they know they need it and so they get it. Continuous improvement in terms of quality, is the process of identifying, describing and analyzing strengths and problems and then testing, implementing and/or revising the solutions. It requires employees within the organization to be proactive and to support what is trying to be achieved. Kamikaze, which is also known as continuous improvement, is an approach that analytically looks to achieve small changes in processes in order to improve quality. Kamikaze was created following World War II in Japan. The word Kamikaze (meaning continuous improvement) comes from the Japanese word ‘kaki’ which means ‘change’ and ‘Zen’ which means ‘good’. It is a system that involves every single employee within an organization from the people on the board, right down to the cleaners. Employees at all levels are encouraged to come up with improvement suggestions on a regular basis, be they mall or large. This is not expected infrequently, this is required continuously. In most cases the suggestions are small and people do not have ideas for major changes, which is ideal because Kamikaze is based on making little and often changes. Suggestions should not be limited to a particular area either, such as marketing or design etc. , Kamikaze methodology wants employees to be able to suggest changes anywhere in an organization that they feel can be improved upon. Kamikaze involves setting standards and then continually improving those standards. To support these standards Kamikaze involves training and productive supervision for their employees, which in turn gives employees the qualities to achieve higher standards and continually maintain them. Kamikaze at -? (quote reference point to enable the reader to source) Illustrate the types of added values to be gained Quality is very important to organization and the customers it provides its products/ services to. Customers like quality products/services and this can enhance an organizations reputation. It is a stereotypical view that quality products/services are owing to be more expensive, but this is not necessarily the case. Quality can be split into two separate categories; tangible and intangible. The tangible features are ones that you can see and can therefore assess. The intangible features are ones that cannot be seen are a matter of opinion. Some examples of each are below: Tangible Intangible Reliability Appearance Brand image Longevity Exclusivity Performance Endorsements Strength/Durability As bullet points identify the main headings, additional ‘marks’ should be different. Select another from the bullet list – check through whole Assignment. There are any benefits of having quality systems in place and some of these reasons are: Reduction in errors – errors can be costly to an organization, particularly more so for small organizations who are not able to mass-produce products/services like the larger organizations. Focusing on the source of the errors and fixing them will help to avoid problems going forward. Changes in markets – continuous improvement can assist an organization be better equipped to adapt to changes in markets/industries. Because continuous improvement is best to be carried out little and often, this means that reviews of the customer base are more frequent and any market changes can be acted upon quickly. Increase productivity – errors in productivity in the short term will happen as organizations introduce better processes, but this can lead to increased productivity in the long term. Improve morale – this is one of the main benefits of continuous improvement. Employees are consulted on how to improve and this can really improve morale. Employees like to feel that they have a say and they can do this by making suggestions. This morale boost, in turn, increases productivity. Customer satisfaction- continuous improvement focuses on how to improve an organizations performance and ironing out any errors before they become a real issue. This increases customer satisfaction as it shows that the organization is willing to adapt and change and provide what the customer wants. Describe the types of information made available to customers and the importance given to effective marketing Quality is an important part of service/product provision to a customer from a â€Å"supplier†. Looking after your customers can help to build a loyal customer base and in some cases this means that selling more frequently to existing loyal customers can How to cite Quality assurance, Papers

Animal Testing (1822 words) Essay Example For Students

Animal Testing (1822 words) Essay Animal TestingThis theme song to a popular cartoon is a farce dealing with experiments carried out on animals. In the cartoon one mouse is made very smart and wants to take over the world while the other is clearly not as smart. While the cartoon makes jokes, the reality is that mice and other animals re being used for medical tests every day. For some people this testing brings up ethical questions. One of the biggest questions: is it really necessary to take the lives of animals in the name of science and for the betterment of humanity? For animal rights activists, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the answer is no. PETA pressures labs into halting experiments because they believe that animals are not to be used by humans for food, clothing, entertainment, or to experiment on (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 1). Its stance is that any testing is painful, inhumane, and unnecessary when alternatives are available. The PETA website says that animals, like humans, have interests that cannot be sacrificed or traded away simply because it might benefit others. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 2-3). Essentially, PETA is of the opinion that animals and humans should have identical rights. In their press releases PETA puts out pictures of rabbits with open flesh wounds and dogs with rashes on their skinsall in an attempt to disgust people into sympathy for their cause. In actuality the number of lab animals used has been cut in half in the last 25 years (James-Enger 254). Of the animals used, 90 percent are rats and mice (James-Enger 1). Moreover, 11 million animals die each year in animal shelters (Americans for Medical Progress 2) and an astounding 95 percent of the animals that die in America do so from human consumption (James-Enger 254). The reason that animal testing is appropriate is that there are regulations in place to minimize testing and pain, the alternatives are insufficient for now, and most importantly the information obtained from experimentation is irreplaceable. While animal rights groups such as PETA advocate abolishing all animal testing that inflicts pain on animals, proponents of testing cite laws and regulations which minimize pain and discomfort. PETAs position is based on the belief that humans are not superior to animals (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). The vice president of the Humans Society of the United States (HSUS), an animal rights group that is nearly as extreme as PETA, has been quoted as saying the life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration (Americans for Medical Progress 2). If, as PETA and HSUS say, animal and human life is equal, then putting an animal through any pain is immoral. However, there are laws in place to minimize discomfort and inhumane treatment. The laws limit the amount of distress and pain an animal is subjected to. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the body that governs animal test ing, must approve all tests (United States Department of Agriculture 2). The USDA must also authorize the numbers and types of animals experimented on (United States Department of Agriculture 2). Tests can no longer be performed if conclusive data is already available. In 1991 it was discovered that Procter and Gamble had performed experiments on 300 guinea pigs when the data the tests was to obtain was already available (Animal Testing by the Cosmetic Industry 2). This is just one of the situations that newer animal testing legislation would have prevented or at least deterred. A fifty-point criterion for assessing pain is in place (United States Department of Agriculture 3). These points include everything from vocalization of pain to apparent depression. If there is no clear criteria then it is assumed that procedures that cause pain in humans also cause pain in animals (United States Department of Agriculture 50). When an animal must be restrained it is to be limited to brief pe riods of around three minutes (United States Department of Agriculture 3). This is similar to the procedure followed when a doctor holds a child to administer a vaccination shot. For all surgeries and painful tests, sedatives and anesthetics must be utilized (United States Department of Agriculture 49). If the test will leave the animal permanently damaged, euthanasia must be administered before the anesthetic wears off (United States Department of Agriculture 48). For humans this topic is still being debated, but animals are put to sleep every day when an owner or veterinarian decides the quality of the animals life will be too low for it to go on living. These few but important changes in animal research legislation have aided in improving animal welfare. PETA believes that the benefits of animal research do not outweigh the costs when alternatives are available; proponents argue that those alternatives are not effective. PETAs stance is that animal life is too valuable to risk on experimentation especially when there are alternatives, such as false human skin grown in culture, computer programs, and using human subjects. Taking a few skin cells and growing them into small squares of skin produces the false human skin. This piece of skin can be used to test irritation reactions to different chemicals. It is being used in the cosmetic industry, which has all but ceased animal testing. One problem with the false skin however is that it can only be exposed to water-soluble chemicals or it suffers extreme damage (D.E. 168). Furthermore, it currently contains no melanocytes, the chemicals that give skin its color, or immune cells (D.E. 168). It is not known how or if these substances effect any laboratory setting, but it is desirable for any experiment to mimic real life situations as closely as possible. Another alternative to actual animal experimentation is using computer simulations. These programs are like encyclopedias of chemical information. They can only run simulations based on information on chemicals and reactions that are already known. This is an obvious problem with this alternative. Computer simulation software cannot accurately predict the effects of enough situations and theoretical chemical combinations to be heavily relied on. What it comes down to is that there currently is no viable replacement for live, responsive cells. Jack H. Botting and Adrian R. Morrison point out that there are no basic differences between the physiology of laboratory animals and humans (Botting, Morrison 85). These similarities are what scientists need for experiments to be accurate. The matches are never perfect, but animal experiments are a good place for researchers to start looking for answers to questions that are important to human health care. Another proposed alternative to animal testing is to use human subjects. PETA suggests using people who have particular ailments who would be willing to participate in experiments. The problem with this alternative is that it is not scientifically sound. When conducting a scientific experiment, all variables must be controlled, and running tests on random human subjects does not give reliable results. Assuming that a researcher could find enough people to run an experiment, there would be too many extraneous variables, such as the subjects environment, genes, and other pre-existing conditions. With lab animals the complete medical history is known, the entire life of each animal is documented. Also they are selectively bred to produce genetically similar subjects. Simply put, lab animals are a cheap, reliable source of information. The benefits gained from animal testing are too widespread to ignore. Everyday life has been changed for the better because of this testing. As 1990 Nobel Prize Laureate Joseph E. Murray, M.D. said, Animal experimentation has been essential to the development of all cardiac surgery, transplantation surgery, joint replacements and all vaccinations ( Americans for Medical Progress 1). The numbers to back up this claim are that over 440,000 open-heart surgeries are performed and 11,000 kidneys are transplanted every year, not to mention that animal experimentation has made possible the salvation of 20,000 kidney dialysis patients each year (Botting 1). Also, the ability to test on animals has made possible the relatively safe and successful use of dangerous chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer (Americans for Medical Progress 1). Drugs such as this cannot be tested on humans because of their strength and potential for killing in inappropriate doses. If the proper dosage were not known, the results would be inaccurate and could be lethal. Many antibiotics and vaccines used today were developed and tested through animal research, as were insulin to control diabetes and nearly all modern anesthetics (Botting 1). It is hard to imagine life without some of these lifesaving drugs, or even the ones that do not save lives, just make life a little more bearable. It is likewise significant to note that animal testing has benefited animals as well. When a pet owner takes his or her animal to the veterinarian to receive shots, chances are that those shots are available because of animal experimentation. Heartworm, feline leukemia, rabies, anthrax, and tetanus are all preventable because of animal testing. PETA and HSUS are honorable institutions with admirable goals, but they are over idealistic and overzealous. That fact can best be described by the following quote: Animal rights activists blocked for two years research aimed at stopping transmission of HIV from mother to child. That research ultimately demonstrated how AZT can prevent babies from getting AIDS (Americans for Medical Progress). Sometimes the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. This does not mean that animal testing should go unchecked. Suffering is kept to a minimum by legislation and advancements in testing alternatives. As these alternatives progress, the number of live animals needed for testing will gradually decrease and eventually the need for them will hopefully be eliminated. But in the meantime, animal testing is too important to stop. The benefits waiting to be had are too important and any possible drawbacks are too insignificant to allow a halt in animal research. BibliographyBibliographyAnimal Testing by the Cosmetic Industry. (20 March 1999). Animal Research Saves Human and Animal Lives. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). Animal Research Holds the Key to Saving Human Lives. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). Ball, Matt and Anne Green, and Jack Norris. Veganism as the Path to Animal Liberation. The Animals Agenda Sep/Oct 1998: 44-45. Botting, Jack H. and Adrian R. Morrison. Animal Research is Vital to Medicine. Scientific American. 187 February 1997: 83-85. D. E. Skin Stand-Ins. Scientific American. September 1990: 168. James-Enger, Kelly. Beyond Animal Testing. Vegetarian Times. October 1998: 254. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (20 March 1999). 21 Things You May Not Know About the Animal Rights Movement. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 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