Case study of Great Lakes Corporation

Analysis of external environment External environment has a great impact on the operation of any business. This is due to the fact that no business can operate in isolation or can survive without the environment (Michael, 1979). The resources that a business uses in its production also come from the external environment. What needs to be noted is that the external environment is non controllable by the organizations managers. Any business must therefore scan the external environment carefully in order to ensure its survival in the long run (Aguilar, 1967).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Case study of Great Lakes Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The management of great lakes therefore has the important role of critically examining the uncontrollable environment and develops appropriate strategies that will make the business prosper. The external environments consist of the social, technological, econ omic, environmental and political environment. Great Lakes Corporation has to examine each of the components of the external environment and anticipate the effects it can have on the business. To begin with, the demographic environment deals with the population and the population’s characteristics. Moreover products that great lakes produce have varying effects on the population. For instance, the lead gasoline that is produced by great link subsidiary octet had different effects for the different population structures. While it resulted into brain problem to the children, the leaded gasoline also caused respiratory problems to the elderly and the general degradation of the air. The management therefore has to look into ways of mitigating the effect of its products on the different population groups. The second factor to be considered in the scanning of the external environment is the technological factors. The current business environment is characterized by fast changing te chnology and if a business fails to adopt the changes in technology, then it has to realize the threat to its going concern concept (Kotler, 2006). The product, leaded gasoline that is being produced by Great Lakes may be rendered useless if the cars that use the products are faced off with the adoption of modern cars. This is already exhibited by the reduced market of the company’s products in countries with new products and production methods. Again, it has reduced the international perspective of the business. Failure to develop the current technology will further reduce the company’s income. Another component of the external environment is the economic environment. This environment determines the returns the business will have on its operations. It includes the inflation rates, the economic growth rates and the cost of funds.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More All forms of business, small or big, international or local are affected by the economic environment (Kozami, 2002). Great Lakes Corporation will have to evaluate the economic environment for the purpose of expanding its activities in other region and terminate its operations in markets that have declining sales and increased level of risk. The decision makers of great lakes therefore have to make decisions that will reduce the business activities in developed countries that have changed the products and curtailed the demand for the company’s products. In the case study, the economic legislations that were instated e.g. the reduction of the excise tax on ethanol may reduce the costs of substitute products of the Great Lakes Corporation which may as a result reduce the turnover of the company. In addition the geographical coverage will be a factor to consider in the operations of a business. The company must realize that the wide geographical market in which it operates will determine the operations cost and the strategies in the different region. Wide environment means diverse culture and beliefs that may have an impact on the market of the company’s products. Great Lakes Company has to realize the different needs to their targeted market especially the countries at different level of development (Aguilar, 1967). The wide geographical operational area as well means that Great Lakes marketing strategies and promotional message have to take note of all their stakeholders. Distribution channel of the corporation will be affected by large environment coverage. The business may be forced to open branches in the different regions to ensure efficiency and effectiveness which will reduce shortages that may arise from longer supply periods. Finally the political environment must be assessed. Politics determines the rules and regulations that will be formulated to guide the conduct of business. If the laid down regulations are not adhered to, the busines s may find itself with multiple suit cases that may affect the going concern of the business. Great lakes will be affected by the political environment majorly on the environmental regulations. From the case study, it is evident that regulations are being formulated to ban the production of lead gasoline due to the adverse environmental impact. This has already been made possible in the developed nations like the US. However the developing nations still rely on the use of lead gasoline. Great Lakes management must ensure that they move to take steps that will cushion the business from losses should the same regulations be adopted by the developing nations.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Case study of Great Lakes Corporation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, Great lakes must also realize that the business has a corporate responsibility to the community in which it operates. This implies that the organi zation should not wait for regulations that prohibit the use of lead gasoline by the developing and under developed countries. Rather, it should move ahead and mitigate the cost of not being environment compliant. It is therefore irrational for the Corporation to go against its own policies on employees and community safety standards for the sake of maximizing returns. The business needs to move ahead and make the necessary and desired changes without necessarily waiting for set rules. It’s ironical for the company to inform the users of its chemicals the dangers they face and do no more. A trade off must be made on the level of return and the effect of the company’s operation on the community (Porter, 1998). Five forces model analysis The five forces model developed by Porter can be used to analyze a market with respect to the chances of survival of an individual firm. The model by porter explains the five forces that influence the performance in an industry. These fo rces include the threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, buyer’s power, threat of substitutes and the rivalry between competitors (Porter, 1998). The level with which a firms management scans the environment in respect to these factors will influence its long term survival. The management of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation is justified in their aim to scan the industry and increase their market share and control by reducing the competitors’ penetration. Each of these factors is analyzed below. An analysis of the threat of new entrant is minimal in this market. This can be attributed to the fact that the industry is viewed by investors as being highly risky given the legislation that are being promulgated. Further, the industry may attract few entrants because of the poisonous effects of the leaded additive products getting known to many users (Porter, 1998). The level of awareness influence the customers purchase option and selection criteria. The likel ihood of the adverse effects of lead gasoline being known by the targeted market will thus reduce the possibilities of new entrants. Secondly, buyer’s power is important in the scanning of competition level in an industry. Buyers are the users of a product and ignorance of the buyers need preference changes is mandatory for a business success.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The level of increased awareness of information, buying volume, sensitivity to prices and the availability of substitutes determines the power of customers (Michael, 1979). In this respect, great lakes has a challenge of ensuring that their products remain in demand considering that the substitutes that are environmental friendly are being introduced. In fact this has led to the reduced operations and demand in the developing countries. The adoption and passing of regulation that ban the use of lead in the developing countries must then be anticipated and precautionary measures taken to ensure operations. Similarly, buyers are likely to increase their power with the increase in substitutes and differentiated products hence reducing their purchase level and increasing their bargaining power. The third concept in the porter’s model is the power of suppliers. Supplies are the entities that are charged with the duty of supplying the company with the factors of production. The pow er of suppliers is enhanced with factors like the number, the demand for their supplies and the possibilities of the firms in the industry switching to other production areas (Porter, 1998). The idea of reduction of number of firms in the lead industry and the size of great lakes will reduce the power of suppliers. If suppliers have a high bargaining power then they may demand heavy payments for their supplies which will result into the shrinking of the profits. In this area, Great Lakes enjoy the low suppliers’ power which therefore makes it possible to operate in a cost efficient manner. Moreover, the fact that the business is operated and has many suppliers is advantageous to the company. The company as well enjoy the availability of close substitutes that can enable it have a significant influence on the suppliers. Further the threats of substitute’s product must also be looked into. Substitutes are products that serve the same purpose but are of different qualitie s. The threat of substitutes depends on the availability of close products that can replace the corporation products (Michael, 1979). In the chemical industry, there are very many substitutes that are likely to cause threat to the company’s products. The strength that the company still relies on is the fact that the developing countries still lack the capacity of using other non leaded products. The many different types of products that are being produced by the company will assist in the diversification of the risk of dependence on one or few products. Great lakes subsidiaries will also enable it smooth its returns. It can thus be concluded the company does not suffers so much ion the threat of substitutes. The final concept in the forces model is the rivalry threat. Rivalry threat is affected by the factors as the barrier to exit, growth prospects in the industry, brand identity brand switching cost among others. An industry that exhibit high rivalry is considered volatile and risky. The chemical industry faces a bigger challenge given that more advanced products are being produced and the market for Great Lakes largest product, leaded gasoline, is shrinking. The prospect of growth is almost zero as most legislation is aimed at banning the use of leaded additive products. Therefore it is necessary for the company managers to incorporate new products and ensure they maintain their competitive advantage in the market characterized by increasing number of competitors. From the above analysis can be said that the industry is not attractive. An industry is attractive when it has a high profit prospects, manageable level of competition, favorable legislation and market growth ability (Kotler, 2006). The industry is also unattractive given that the level of competition is likely to increase heavily and reduce the turnover. Investors who have the objective of maximizing the shareholders wealth will therefore avoid the lead additive industry. Great Lakes compe titors Great Lakes Corporation was generally considered to have few competitors. This may not reflect the true picture and cannot be a premise used to justify the business continued ability and strength. The current environment is drastically changing and these must be taken into account as there are likely to be invisible and immediate competitors (Kozami, 2002). The immediate competitors of great lakes are the chemical industries that produce substitutes in the developed countries. The market expansion of these companies into the market dominated by great lakes would mean a reduction of the company’s turnover. The management of Great lakes has to ensure that they increase the loyalty of their customers and make the switch cost high. This would bar the company’s target market from switching into the competitors area. The immediate competitors’ may also be other companies which are also located in other territories of the developing nations providing similar pro ducts. Impending competitors of great lakes are the new firms that are likely to enter into the market and produce substitute products. We can therefore assert that the business might not experience many impending competitors in the lead additive sector. It however faces the competition of other firms which are aiming at entering the industry. Great Lakes will however stands a better position than those of competitors because the company enjoys economies of scale production. This will thus reduce the overhead cost and make the company to be a low cost producer. Cost is one of the strategies that a business adopts in seeking for competitive advantage. Another reason as to why Great Lakes Corporation will enjoy market lead is the large market share mainly in the developing countries. Large market enables the company to either segment or standardize their production as a strategic way of gaining competitive advantage (Kotler, 2006). If this is well exploited, great lakes will manage to survive in the market. The major competitive disadvantage that Great Lakes Corporation is likely to face is in the legislative sector. The fact that the company produces leaded gasoline in its octet subsidiary that accounts for about 50% of the company’s earnings is a great threat to the future returns. The environmental campaigns on the need to ban the lead products due to their nature of causing pollution might likely lead to the termination of some of the operations of the company’s plants. This might result into reduction of the turnover and result into huge losses. The management of Great Lakes Chemical Corporation must thus have other plans of adopting new products that are ethically desired and that are within the legal framework. If not well incorporated, the competitors will gain a competitive edge and ensure the failure of great lakes. Capabilities of great lakes A look at the operation of the company reveal the potential it has that can be ventured into. Th e first option that the company can pursue is to start the process of switching to the production of unleaded additives. This is highly possible given the financial resources and the good performance of the company in the precious period. The financial capability can also be deduced from the fact that the company is an international organization and therefore makes high turnover (Aguilar, 1967). Great Lakes Corporation is as well capable of diversifying its operations to cover for the risk that may arise from the legal and other environmental changes. Diversification reduces the risk of loss and increases the return a business derives from its operation. It increases the customer base of the business. The large variety of chemicals produced by great lakes will enable it derive its income from different markets. In addition, the diverse use of the company’s products as fire suppressors, household cleaners and water treatment products will enable great lakes Corporation to shif t its resources should the octet subsidiary faces operational challenges. Another option that is available to Great Lakes is to form alliances with other firms if it has to quit from the lead additive products. An alliance enables the parties to share the risks and resources including the quality management and to increase their operation size (Kozami, 2002). If the company is able to identify capable strategic partners, it will increase its ability to penetrate in the market and reduce the losses likely to be experienced in the event of shuts down of the lead production subsidiaries. It will also be feasible for the firm to reduce the costs required in shifting into new operations and make it produce more advanced products. Finally, the management of Great Lakes Corporation can decide to dispose off the risky proportion of its business and use the proceeds in new attractive areas. What needs to be considered here is that the acquirer firms may decide to buy the plants at a low cost . A cost return trade off must thus be made for the company to make the required decision (Porter, 1998). Conclusion In conclusion, it is important for any business that aims at furthering its operation and increasing its market share to continuously scan its environment. Through environment scanning, a business will be in a position to identify its competitor and develop strategies that ensure better performance (Porter, 1998). An organization that fails to conduct proper scanning of the environment will be make unpopular decisions and lose its grip in the industry. Scanning therefore requires a management with conceptual skills rather than technical skills. The environmental, technical, legal, economic and demographics scanning is therefore called for. The corporation must also adopt the internal scanning techniques that will enable it scan its internal environment and realize its potential. This will reveal factors like the quality of management, financial capability and motivati on of the employees. Reference List Aguilar, F. J. (1967). Scanning the business environment. Columbia: Macmillan. Kotler, P. (2006). Marketing Management (2 ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Kozami, A. (2002). Business policy and strategic management (2 ed.). India: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Michael, P. E. (1979, May). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review . Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance : with a new introduction. Havard: Simon and Schuster. This report on Case study of Great Lakes Corporation was written and submitted by user Dominick Wright to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

GAUTHIER Surname Meaning and Family History

GAUTHIER Surname Meaning and Family History Gauthier is a surname often given to lumbermen, originating from the Old French gault and Gaelic  gaut, meaning forest. 2) From the germanic elements wald meaning  to govern, and hari, meaning armed. Surname Origin: French Alternate Surname Spellings:  GAUTIE, GAUTHIE, GAUTHIEZ, GOTHIER, GAUTIER, GAULTIER, GAULTHIER, LES GAUTHIER, LE GAUTHIER Famous People with the GAUTHIERSurname David Gauthier  - Canadian-American philosopherThà ©ophile Gautier -  French poet and authorClaude Gauthier  - French-Canadian singer-songwriterMylà ¨ne Jeanne Gautier - French-Canadian singer-songwriter  Mylà ¨ne Farmer Where is the GAUTHIERSurname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, Gauthier is the 21st most common surname in Canada and the 38th most common surname in France.  WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicates that within Canada, the name is most common in Prince Edward Island, followed by Quebec and the Northeast Territories. In France, the name is most prevalent in central France, with the highest density in the departments of Jura and Loir-et-Cher.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname GAUTHIER Meanings of Common French SurnamesUncover the meaning of your French last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common French surnames. How to Research French AncestryIf you are one of those people who have avoided delving into your French ancestry due to fears that the research would be too difficult, then wait no more! France is a country with excellent genealogical records, and it is very likely that you will be able to trace your French roots back several generations once you understand how and where the records are kept. Gauthier  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Gauthier  family crest or coat of arms for the Gauthier surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. GAUTHIER  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Gauthier  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - GAUTHIER  GenealogyExplore over 360,000 results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Gauthier  surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GAUTHIER  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Gauthier  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - GAUTHIER  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Gauthier. GeneaNet - Gauthier  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Gauthier  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Gauthier  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Gauthier  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins

PetMeds Input Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PetMeds Input - Essay Example In the pet medication industry, the buying power of customer is high because of the presence of different competing products, other substitutes and less differentiated products (Porter, 1985). Suppliers are another critical input of the organization. PetMed is primarily a marketer of prescription and non-prescription pet medications, and other health products direct to consumers. It does not manufacture its own product. The company purchases its products from different sources such as manufacturers, domestic distributors and wholesalers. Its goal is to obtain the lowest cost of goods by having multiple suppliers for each product. The bargaining power of suppliers is low for the company because it can switch suppliers quickly at a lower cost (Porter, 1985). However, the threat of forward integration where manufacturers would sell their own products directly to consumers and compete with PetMed's products is high. This threat will not guarantee the supply of the company's products to meet customers' demands. Prescription pet medications are governed by state laws and state regulations. PetMed requires different licenses in different states in order to sell and deliver prescription medications. The company's failure in obtaining or renewing such licenses would hamper its sales and cease its distribution of pet medications. Reprimands, sanctions, probations, fines and suspensions from the regulatory bodies could have material adverse effect on the operations of the company and the reputation of its brands. (PetMed Express Inc, 2009) For most industries, the level of profitability is determined by competition between the firms in the industry (Sadler, 2003). Pet medications industry is competitive and highly fragmented. PetMed's industry rivals include veterinarians, traditional retailers, mail-order and online retailers of pet medications. Aggressive price competition occurs because of the diversity of competitors and largely undifferentiated products. The sales performance of the PetMed will be greatly affected the sales performance of their competition. Resources The resources are the individual assets of the firm which includes human resource, capital resource, technology, information and brand name(Sadler, 2003). PetMed offers its products through the Internet, contact center and direct mail-order catalogues. Customer care representatives and marketing employees are essential to the operations of the company in retaining and expanding the customer base. Effective training sessions of their representatives become a competitive advantage of the company against its rivals. The marketing activities are aimed at building brand recognition, increasing customer traffic and building strong customer loyalty (Best, 1997). As a marketer, PetMed exploits the different technologies available to promote their products. This includes television advertising, direct mail, email and online marketing. The brand is made available to Internet consumers by purchasing targeted keywords and optimizing search engine placement. As a distributor, the company has an in-house fulfillment and distribution system that manages the entire supply chain. As a retailer, it utilizes integrated technologies in call centers, e-commerce, order entry, and inventory control. The technology and information

American Dream Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Dream - Research Paper Example In Europe, this concept of freedom in pursuing one’s dreams could not be fruitful because of the class divisions. America being a classless society can adopt this concept of American Dream with much freedom. But, to achieve something according to one’s abilities and to gain respect irrespective of his status in society, one has to get rid of his selfish desires and should not indulge in â€Å"physical comfort and cheap amusement† (Schnell, 2010, p.3). Achieving American Dream To achieve a successful life is the fundamental concept of American Dream. Generally, the idea of American Dream is to get high income through a secured job and financial security. Financial success is just one part of American Dream. People also tend to achieve social status by getting membership in social clubs or by achieving the peak of one’s chosen career. Success also means attaining a position in the society where one can have the right to speak his mind, do whatever he wants to do and create a world which will be worth living for everyone. The way of achieving success can also lead to conflict in American families where children can forego the wealth and social status of their parents for the want of accomplishing more meaningful goals in life. The goal of American Dream is not to achieve millions of dollars, but for general people the focus is on attaining enough wealth to lead a decent life with dignity and self respect (Hochschild, 1996, pp.15-16). The concept of s uccess can also be relative in nature. A person may want to lead a better life compared to his own childhood days or his neighbors, a character from a book or movie or to another gender or race. There is also a competitive nature of success wherein a person can become successful only when another person faces failure like in competitive events like beauty pageants. Most Americans feel that the future generation of their nationality can live a better standard of living and can achieve success in attaining their goals in life. In America there are many opportunities for everyone who is ready to work hard to achieve success. One definition of success can be wealth. Although money cannot buy happiness, it can nevertheless buy the things necessary to live a comfortable life (Hochschild, 1996, pp.16-19). Obstacles in achieving American Dreams Many Americans believe that it is difficult to achieve the goals that they set in their own lives. This is because they say that there is no securit y in their financial status and also there is lack of proper infrastructure for public education. They feel that the government who claims to help the people of the nation is actually a hindrance in the path of their achieving dreams. The African-Americans believe that the existing racial discrimination can make it difficult for them to pursue their dreams. Almost 72% of Americans believe that the government must strive to help the people in achieving their dreams of a comfortable and respectful life (Longley, 2004). In America there are various public policy tools which aim at giving the children of poor parents a chance to earn high income. Such policy tools along with the nation’s economic system are not achieving the desired results. The laws to deal with racial discrimination also do not prove to be fruitful in most cases. There are several social and economic obstacles in achieving American Dreams. The children of poor families attend inferior schools and get poor educa tion. The children from rich families inherit more wealth and this gives them an added advantage. It is important for the future genera

Homosexual Marriage Needs to Be Legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homosexual Marriage Needs to Be Legalized - Essay Example This would never have happened if Charlene and Kate were allowed to legally marry. Today, gay marriage is illegal in most states in America, and this is unconstitutional, as it is violating a fundamental right, which is marriage. The most egregious thing about the issue of denying gay marriage is that there really is not a legitimate argument put forth by the other side which would substantiate keeping an entire class of people from enjoying basic rights. For instance, consider the â€Å"slippery slope† argument. This argument states that if homosexuals were allowed to marry, then the legislatures would have to legalize marriage between man and dog, man and daughter, man and 12-year-old boy. This argument does not hold water for two major reasons – one, marriage between two homosexuals is sanctifying a consensual relationship, and all the other scenarios above would not be. And, two, perhaps most importantly, pedophilia, incest and bestiality are all illegal, probably in all fifty states. Homosexual relationships, on the other hand, are not, and cannot be due to the case of Lawrence v. Texas, a 2003 Supreme Court case which established that sodomy laws are unconstitutional. Therein lies a diffe rence – legislatures cannot be pressured to legalize marriage based upon relationships which are illegal, such as pedophilia, incest and bestiality, therefore the slippery slope argument is not legitimate. Another argument is that marriage is based upon procreation, and, since homosexuals cannot procreate, they should be denied the right to marry. This argument cannot be logically consistent, because, if the argument were to carried out to its logical conclusion, anybody and everybody who would be unable or unwilling to have children would also be denied the right to marry. Your grandmother in the nursing home who met her soul mate at the age of 86? Sorry, grandma, you can't marry because you can't have children anymore. Your sister who had ovarian cancer and had to have a hysterectomy? Sorry, sis, you can't marry either, because you are unable to have children. This is the logical extension of the ?ays can't marry because they cannot procreate argument,one that the supporter s of this argument must adopt if they are to be logically consistent. Of course, the other major argument is that homosexuality is proscribed by the Bible, but this is not a justification for denying a constitutional right. Roe v. Wade4 established this, as it states that morality is not a legitimate concern upon which to base a law that affects one's fundamental rights. And besides, if legislatures are going to start basing their laws on Biblical proscriptions, then they are going to have to outlaw drinking and getting rowdy at Sunday football games, as this would be desecrating the Sabbath, and this is an offense punishable by death according to Exodus 31:14.5 As for the argument that allowing homosexuals to marry would undermine the sanctity of marriage exhibit A to refute this argument would be Kim Kardashian. If her sham of a marriage, 72 days long, is not undermining the sanctity of the institution of marriage, then what is? Of course, it would be unfair to single her out, as there have been countless celebrities whose marriages lasted well short of a year. Not to mention Elizabeth Taylor, who was married eight times. These are just celebrities there are countless people who are not famous who are in the same predicament. Who doesn't have an uncle with five ex-wives? In short, heterosexuals

Effect of Solar Magnetic Field (SMF) on Solar Radio Flux

Effect of Solar Magnetic Field (SMF) on Solar Radio Flux Paper published in the proceedings of Conference on Recent Trends of Research in Physics (CRTRP 2012); Page no. 85-91, 2012, ISBN: 9788190436298 3.1. Introduction: The solar activity appears to be straightforwardly associated with the strong and complex solar magnetic field.The huge solar magnetic field is a result of the flow of plasma currents within the Sun, which impel charged particles to move about from one of the Sun’s poles to another. The mean magnetic field is the strength of the longitudinal component of the photospheric magnetic field averaged across nearly all the visible hemisphere of the Sun. The sun’s magnetic field has the remarkable property that it is not distributed uniformly, but concentrated in flux ropes which appear on the surface of sunspots, plages and network. Hale first found the evidence of strong magnetic field in the sunspot from the Zeeman splitting (Hale 1908). Sunspots are the seats of the strong magnetic field and the field strength of a large sunspot can be as high as 3000 Gauss. Due to the strong magnetic field inside the sunspot, the convection is inhabited and the region becomes relatively cooler and hence darker compared to its surrounding region. So sunspots can be treated as the best manifestation of the Sun’s magnetic field (Solanki 2003). Figure: 3.1.1. Solar magnetic field (Image credit- http://www.nasa.gov) The variations of sunspot number have well-established periods of about 11 years (Hathaway et al.2002). The period of magnetic activity cycle is twice as that of sunspot cycle, about 22 years on average (Hale et al. 1919). Most of the solar activity parameters vary consistently with the sunspot cycle. Among these parameter solar radio flux is one which has its own importance in Radio Astronomy as the precise information about its emission from its origin region provides the details about the temperature, constituents, density, ionization, magnetic fields and the physical nature of the various sources inside Solar structure (Kundu, 1965). Thus to diagnose the solar atmosphere and the magnetic energy release in solar corona, radio observations serve as a powerful tool. The radio flux has its origin from atmospheric layers high in the solar chromospheres and low in the solar corona, though the accurate level of origin is not yet fully known (Kane, 2003). Observations at different radio frequencies provide the information about the various depths and the physical structure on the solar atmosphere. Accurate daily radio fluxes at different frequencies are very useful for the study of solar physics of the different layers of solar atmosphere (Zieba, 2001). Many workers have performed correlation and spectral analysis of solar radio flux variations (El-Raey and Scherrer, 1973). Watari (1996) analyzed solar radio emission at several frequencies to investigate their irregularities, time variation and solar coronal activity at different heights. Kane et al. (2001), Vats et al. (1998) and Mouradian et al. (2002) used the solar radio fluxes at different frequencies to study the coronal rotation period at different heights and its differentiality as a function of the altitude. Meheta (2005) has studied the relationship of rotation period with different phases of solar cycle. It is already evident in the literature that various frequency bands in the range starting from 245 MHz to 15400 MHz originate from different layers of solar atmosphere starting from lower chromospheres to upper corona as illustrated in the Table 3.1. Thus study of radio flux at different frequencies within this range provides the information about different layers of solar atmosphere. Table 3.1. : Different radio frequencies and their origin in solar atmosphere The quiet Sun emission at different frequencies contains information about densities and temperatures in different layers of the solar atmosphere (Watari, 1996). It is one of the prime reasons of studying solar radio emission at different frequencies during the Solar Figure: 3.1.2. Monthly variation of sunspot number for the year 2009. (Image credit- http://www.greatdreams.com/solar/2009/space-weather-december-2009.htm) minimum period which provides an opportunity to the scientific community to study the physical behavior of Solar atmosphere. It also provides very useful information about the temperature and the shape of the solar corona (Kundu, 1965). Thus the study of solar radio emission during the minimum period serves as an important tool for the study of solar corona. The current minimum of cycle 23-24 has been treated as a peculiar minimum characterized by reduced polar field strength, extremely low level of solar activity and extending for longer duration (Gopalswamy et al, 2012). Various solar indices like F10.7 cm, EUV flux, solar wind etc. behaved unusually during this minimum. Even the ionosphere also showed an anomalous behavior (Eduardo et al, 2011). The boundary between the Earth’s upper atmosphere and space also moved to an extraordinary low altitude (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121601.html) during the period. This type of unusual behavior of this minimum has c reated the interest among the solar science community to make a rigorous study on this period. The microwave brightness temperature during this minimum was substantially diminished compared to the 22-23 minimum which is also consistent with the decrease in solar magnetic field strength (Gopalswamy et al, 2012). Basu (2010) found the evidence of difference of Sun’s internal structure during the current minimum from the minimum of previous cycle. During the minimum period, the 2800 MHz radio flux showed an anomalous behavior in its correlation with Sunspot number (Tapping, 2011). In the context of above peculiarities of current solar minimum, it is interesting to see the variation of correlation of solar radio flux at several frequencies with sunspot number during this period. In this chapter the preliminary results regarding the study on the relation of solar radio flux and solar magnetic field parameters have been presented. Here the frequency distributions of correlation coefficients of solar radio flux with sunspot number and solarmagnetic field have been investigated for solar minimum and maximum period. We have also make analysis of periodic variation of basal component of solar radio emissions. 3.2. Observation: Here we studied the behavior of solar radio flux for the extended solar minima of Solar cycle 23 (2009). Firstly, we calculated the correlation between the solar radio flux and Sunspot number which is the index for measuring the variability of these two solar activity parameters. We have found the correlation coefficient at eight frequencies (245, 410, 610, 1415, 2695, 4995, 8800, 15400 MHz) using data from Sagamore Hills radio Solar observatories. For the calculation of correlation coefficient, we excluded the points from dataset of those radio fluxes, which are having values greater by 40% of the average flux value of a day. It has been done for neglecting sudden variation in flux due to several transient activities. The correlation coefficients are plotted in figure. 3.2.1 3.2.2. Correlation coefficient between the sunspot and radio flux Many workers (Das and Nag, 1999, Das and Nag, 1996) have shown that the frequency distribution of correlation coefficients of the solar radio flux and Sunspot numbers follows a pattern. We have calculated the correlation coefficients for solar maximum (2001) and minimum (2009) of solar cycle and found that the frequency distribution of the correlation coefficients does not show the similar pattern as has been reported in the literature. During the maximum period the correlation coefficient is highest for 1415 MHz but in minimum it’s highest for 2695 MHz. In literature also it has been reported that the correlation coefficient attains its maximum value at Figure 3.2.1: Frequency distribution of correlation coefficients of solar radio flux and sunspot number 2695 MHz as it is very close to the 2800 MHz (Das and Nag, 1996). But during the solar maximum period the highest correlation has been found for 1415 MHz while at solar minimum period it is for 2695 MHz. Rather that this after 2695 MHz there is a decline in the correlation coefficient of higher frequencies for maximum period where as for minimum period the trend is Figure 3.2.2: Frequency distribution of correlation coefficients of solar radio flux and sunspot number not same as the 8800 MHz shows a correlation which is greater than for 4995 MHz. Rather than this the variation of correlation coefficient has also been checked for different solar minimum period. Das and Nag, 1996 has already reported the correlation coefficient of the radio flux and the sunspot number for the 1975, 1986, 1996 minima. We have compared these correlation coefficients with the obtained ones for 2009 solar minimum. From the plot it can be noted that during this period the value of the correlation coefficient is very low in comparison to the value of the previous three minima. 3.2.3. Correlation coefficient between the solar mean magnetic field and radio flux Like the radio flux and sunspot number, the correlation between the radio flux and solar mean magnetic field has also been checked for this minimum period. It has been found that the values of the correlation co-efficient are very low and the there is a pattern in the variation of the frequency distribution of the correlation coefficients. Figure 3.2.2: Frequency distribution of correlation coefficients of solar radio flux and solar mean magnetic field 3.3. Discussion: In this chapter, the relation between the solar magnetic field and the solar radio flux has been investigated. In the foregoing analysis the correlation coefficient of radio emission and sunspot number, has been found to be low with respect to the correlations of other cycles. Where as the correlation of solar mean magnetic field and radio flux is also very low. During this minima period, the frequency distribution of correlation coefficient of radio flux and sunspot number and the periodic behavior of solar radio flux is random whether it has a similar pattern for previous three minima (Das, 1998). The anomaly in correlation of radio flux with sunspot number might be due to the unusual behavior of the microwaves as it has been already reported for the correlation between 2800 MHz and sunspot number (Hudson, 2009). There was a change in activities between photospheric and chromospheric or coronal indices during the later part of cycle 23, through the extended minimum (Tapping, 2011) and the polar magnetic fields of Sun have an important role in shaping the Solar corona and heliosphere around the Solar minimum period when the polar dipole moment becomes leading component of large scale magnetic field of the Sun (Wang and Sheeley, 2002). During this minima period, Sun’s polar field was 40% less compared to the previous three minima (Wang et al, 2009). Consistently, the corona also retained some complexity during the lowest activity level (Toma et al, 2010a). During the current minimum, the Solar corona never reached at a simple dipolar configuration (De Toma et al, 2010b) rather the eclipse data showed higher order multi-polar structure (Judge 2010). Thus different magnetic configuration is supposed to give rise to a different morphology of Solar corona rather than from the previous three minima. Thus different magnetic configuration is supposed to give rise to a different morphology of Solar corona rather than from the previous three minima. The variation obtained in correlation coefficient’s pattern could also be due to this complex behavior of Solar corona and heliosphere. 3.4. Concluding remarks: The preliminary study presented in this chapter points that during the recent solar minimum, the correlation coefficient of radio emission and sunspot number has been low with respect to the correlation coefficients of previous solar minima. Rather than this the correlation of solar mean magnetic field and radio flux is also found to be very low during this minimum period. During this minima period, the frequency distribution of correlation coefficient of radio flux and sunspot number is random whether it has a similar pattern for previous three minima (Das and Nag 1998). The frequencies studied at the present work for analyzing the characteristics of Solar radio flux, provide information about the complex behavior of Solar corona and different shape of corona with respect to the previous minima during (Toma et al, 2010b). However we believe that detail investigation with more independent analysis using different parameters is required to critically analyze different Solar features especially during the current minima period to have more insight about the physical processes going on inside the Sun at different time scales. References: Hale, G. E. (1908), On the Probable Existence of a Magnetic Field in Sun-Spots, Astrophysical Journal, 28, 315. Solanki, S. K. and Krivova, N. A. (2003), Can solar variability explain global warming since 1970? Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 108, A5. Hathaway, D. H., Wilson, R. M., Reichmann, E. J. (2002), Group Sunspot Numbers: Sunspot Cycle Characteristics, Solar Physics, 211, 1, 357. Hale, G. E., Ellerman, F., Nicholson, S. B., Joy, A. H. 1919, ApJ,49, 153 Kundu, M. R. (1965), Solar Radio Astronomy. Interscience Publishers, New York. Kane, R. P., Vats, H. O., Sawant, H. S. (2001), Short term periodicities in the time series of solar radio emissions at different solar altitude, Solar Physics., 201, 181. Zieba. S., Maslowski. J., Michalec. A., Kulak. A. (2001), Periodicities in data observed during the minimum and the rising phase of solar cycle 23; years 1996 1999. Astronomy Astrophysics, 377, 297. El- raey. Mohamed, Scherrer. Phillip (1973), Correlation and spectral analysis of daily solar radio flux, Solar Physics, 30, 149. Watari, S. (1996), Separation of periodic, chaotic and random components in solar activity, Solar Physics, 168, 413. Kane, R. P. (2004), Long term and medium term variations of solar radio emissions at different frequencies, Solar Physics 219, 357. Vats, H. O., Deshpande, M. R., Shah, C. R., Mehta, M. (1998), Rotational modulation of microwave solar flux, Solar Physics, 181, 351. Mouradian, Z., Bocchia, R., Botton, C. (2002), Solar activity cycle and rotation of the corona, Astronomy Astrophysics, 394, 1103 Mehta, M. (2005), Solar coronal rotation and phase of solar activity cycle , Bulletin of Astronomical Society of India, 33, 323. Gopalswamy, N., Yashiro, S., Mà ¤kelà ¤, P., Michalek, G., Shibasaki, K., Hathaway, D. H. (2012), Behavior of Solar Cycles 23 and 24 Revealed by Microwave Observations, Astrophysical Journal, 750, 2, L42. Eduardo, A. A, Redmon, R, Fedrizzi, M, Viereck, R, Fuller-Rowell, Tim J. (2011) Some Characteristics of the Ionospheric Behavior During the Solar Cycle 23 – 24 Minimum, Solar Phys, 274, 439. Basu, S. (2010), Differences Between the Current Solar Minimum and Earlier Minima, SOHO-23: Understanding a Peculiar Solar Minimum, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, 428, 37. Tapping, K. F., Valdà ©s, J. J. (2011), Did the Sun Change Its Behaviour During the Decline of Cycle 23 and Into Cycle 24? Solar Physics, 272, 337. Das. T. K., Nag. T. K. (1997), Periodicity in the basal component od radio emission during maximum and minimum solar activity, Solar Physics, 179, 431. Das. T. K., and Nag. T. K. (1999), Frequency dependence of the periodicity of the intensity of the non-magnetic component of solar radio emission, Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society, 303, 221. Hudson. Hugh S., Svalgaard. L., Shibasaki. K., Tapping. K., Microwaves in the recent solar minimum 2009, Hinode-3: 3rd Hinode Science Meeting. Wang. Y.M., Robbrecht. E., Sheeley jr. N. R. (2009), On the weakening of the polar magnetic fields during solar cycle 23, The Astrophysical Journal , 707, 1372. G. de Toma, Gibson, S.E., Emery, B.A., and Arge, C.N. (2010a), The Minimum between Cycle 23 and 24: Is Sunspot Number the Whole Story? SOHO23 Proceedings Understanding a Peculiar Solar Minimum, 217. De Toma G., Gibson. S., Emery. B., Kozyra. J. (2010b), Solar Cycle 23: An Unusual Solar Minimum? AIP Conference Proceedings, 1216, 667. Judge, P. G., Burkepile, J., Toma, G. D. (2010), Historical eclipses and the recent solar minimum corona, SOHO23 Proceedings Understanding a Peculiar Solar Minimum, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 428, 171.

Dances With Wolves Analysis Essay -- Movies Native Americans History P

Dances With Wolves Analysis The movie "Dances With Wolves" was produced in 1990 and directed by Kevin Costner who starred as the main character. "Dances with Wolves" tells us the story of a white man who gets acquainted with the Sioux, who learns to love and respect them as valuable people with a culture and who discovers how wrong white people's preconceived ideas about Native Americans are. A sense of adventure and drama is the feeling "Dances with Wolves" gives us. With this movie, Costner made his debut as a film director. "Dances with Wolves" scored "a total of seven Oscars for best directing, best script, cutting, music and sound effects." (Sanders, Simon D.) A common scene in a medical tent during the Civil War could describe the opening scene of the movie: Two doctors are bending over a soldier, ready to amputate his badly injured leg. The doctors leave the tent for a break just before the amputation. Soldier Dunbar uses this moment to pull back on his boot and stumbles out of the tent. He doesn't see a purpose in his life and wants rather death than a life with one leg. He gets on his horse and attempts suicide by riding across the enemy line. Surprisingly, the enemies are unable to shoot him, and his own solders are starring at him with disbelieve. They do respect him for his crazy, yet brave act. Dunbar's people take advantage of the moment of distraction and storm the enemies line, making a victory. Dunbar receives outstanding medical treatment and gets to keep his leg. As a decorated veteran, he chooses to take a post in the west because he wants to see the frontier before its gone. Dunbar is fascinated about the wide, open spaced no mans land: "The country is everything I dreamed it would be." ... ...it [the Indian Removal] was supposed to be voluntary, removal became mandatory whenever the federal government felt it necessary. The memory of these brutal forced marches of Native Americans, sometimes in the dead winter, remained vivid for years to come in the minds of those who survived. Paherman indicates that the Plains Indians Wars, "which raged during the last half of the 19th century, ended with the slaughter of Sioux men, women, and children, as well as the soldiers of the U.S. 7th Calvary, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, on December 29, 1890." Works Cited: Costner, Kevin, dir. Dances with Wolves. Per. Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, and Rodney A.Grant. 1990. Videocassette. Orion, 1991. Paherman. "Indian Removal." "n.d." 17 August 2001. Sanders, Simon D. We are fans of Kevin Costner. Biography. February 2001. 17 August 2001.