VarPhen: Web Based Tool for Genotype-phenotype Association

VarPhen: Web Based Tool for Genotype-phenotype Association Elsayed Hegazy1, Mahmoud Elhefnawi1, 2 1Nile University, Giza, 12588, Egypt. 2National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt. Abstract Personalized medicine and the highly attention of next generation sequencing increase the demand of turning the genotype data into meaningful phenotype data. VarPhen is a web based tool used to do such thing. Its written in C# code its based on using RefSeq SNPs ID as a genotype to retrieve the relevant phenotype. VarPhen use ClinVar database as the source of clinical information and phenotypes relevant to specific variant. Introduction Next generation sequencing workflows and pipelines is now available for analyze all row data from quality control and mapping to variant calling but very few tools deals with vcf file to interpret to generate a meaningful reports with the common and rare diseases. One of the biggest servers regarding this issue is ClinVar (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/clinvar/) which provides a freely available archive of the relationships among medically important variants and phenotypes. ClinVar is a huge database for reporting human variation, interpretations of the relationship of that variation to human health and the evidence supporting each interpretation. The database is tightly coupled with dbSNP and dbVar, which maintain information about the location of variation on human assemblies. ClinVar is also based on the phenotypic descriptions maintained in MedGen (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/medgen). Each ClinVar record represents the submitter, the variation and the phenotype. The demand of vcf interpretation to valuable knowledge and phenotype increased day by day with the increasing of personal genome demand day by day. Here we will develop web based application that able to connect to CinVar and retrieve diseases associated with each variant listed in vcf file or sample. Availability and implementation VarPhen available for use on http://www.varphen.com as a web based tool written in ASP.Net with C# code behind using NCBI Database ClinVar API as a source of phenotypes. Review of literature Knowledge is more valuable when shared. By contributing these tools to the big spectrum which is the research community and healthcare as industry, we want to increase the quality and accuracy of genetic data analysis and interpretation available to all patients, physicians and researchers. OpenSNP is a Crowdsourced Web Resource for Personal Genomics. Its based on collecting users or patients vcf files from different sources like 23andme and decodeme plus the normal vcf file then detect variants and all relevant phenotypes. CLINVITAE is a clinically observation database uses the genetic variants aggregated from public sources. It is operated and made freely available by INVITAE which is a service like ClinVar. To make CLINVITAE as informative as possible, CLINVITAE aggregate the data from multiple public databases. CLINVITAE long term goal is to facilitate the search for clinically interpreted variants by creating a single unified resource for all interpretation results. CLINVITAE want physicians and researchers to save their time when comparing variants across multiple platforms and resources, and fully utilize the available data. GWAS Central or the Human Genome Variation database of Genotype-to-Phenotype information which is a database of summary level findings from genetic association studies, both large and small. GWAS actively gather datasets from public domain projects, and encourage direct data submission from the community improving the quality and accuracy of interpretation. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful at identifying some of the variation in traits attributable to genetics. The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has begun aggregating results of association studies into a master GWAS catalog. Also, INTERPRETOME is a freely available and secure personal genome interpretation engine analyze vcf file into valuable knowledge for diseases from GWAS. Another database from the big company QIAGEN is The Human Gene Mutation Database represents a good trial to collect the known published gene lesions responsible for human inherited disease. Also, The Diagnostic Mutation Database (DMuDB) is a secure repository of clinical quality variant data collected from diagnostic genetics laboratories. Access to DMuDB is available by annual laboratory subscription, and must be for diagnostic purposes only. Many of databases and tools do such analysis or job but very few tools and databases are freely available or accessible by programming inside your application. Aim Developing web based application for transforming variants from vcf into knowledge by identifying which variant pathogenic and what is the associated diseases with that variant. Methods Technically this web based tool developed straight forward by using one of the most powerful web technologies which is ASP.Net web forms with C Sharp back end code. User asked to upload vcf file then file processing done by manipulating file to discard vcf header and start reading vcf data after the header. After that VarPhen only read the third column which represent the RefSeq of the variant as ClinVar input. Also VarPhen detect if the SNP is novel or not this improve the tool performance because if VarPhen found a novel variant so there no web request created to ClinVar but if the variant not novel so VarPhen create a web request to ClinVar asking for full listed information associated with this variant. After the web request processed ClinVar web response retrieved by VarPhen as XML file. VarPhen start to parse and analyze the resulted XML file. Manipulation of XML file target is extracting the phenotypes which associated with the variant of interest. VarPhen uses C# data structu re Queue which help also to improve the performance of the VarPhen web requests to ClinVar API because its based on the concept of First in first served first out. All phenotypes saved in another C# data structure which is the List data structure as a series of strings. After that its the turn of the presentation layer by populating ASP.Net grid view by the list of phenotypes as a table in the user interface. Figure 1- VarPhen flowchart Figure 1 shows the flowchart of VarPhen tool as it indicated its start with vcf file the check if variant is novel or not. No web request created in case of variant novel. API calling starts only with known variants to retrieve the XML file containing the phenotype data. Conclusion VarPhen is one of the easiest ways to know what phenotypes associated with a specific vcf file is. VarPhen target users with no programming experience. No registration required to use it. So simple by its user friendly interface. Renewable Energy in the UK: Government Role Renewable Energy in the UK: Government Role UK Renewable Energy: Electricity Generation and the governments role in driving CO2 reductions. Business Management EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This dissertation will mainly concentrate on UKs efforts to increase renewables contribution to electricity generation in the UK, which are part of a broader range of government strategies to reduce CO2 to meet global concerns and international obligations. It will also examine the forces driving the development of renewable energy market in the UK, as well as the overview of the governments role in driving CO2 reductions. The governments strategy on renewables includes several different elements, each attacking the problem from a different angle: mandatory regulation, information and education, technology RD support, and establishment of market-based mechanisms. The main findings presented will be based mainly on the literature review, expert opinions and future forecasts. A review of recent literature on this topic highlights the risk of failure due to failure of coordination among the many initiatives and government bodies involved, and the dangers of insufficient data in measuring progress. Also, they reveal the practical limitations of reliance on renewable to fulfill future electricity generation needs. The first part of the main analysis will provide an overview of the renewable energy market in the UK; it will include a summary of the current renewable energy policy and the main instruments which act as a driving forces for the development of renewables in the UK, as well as electricity market overview; second part would specifically concentrate on evaluation of whether the policies and targets set by government are efficient and achievable, the conclusion will summarize the findings and elaborate on future prospects for the renewable energy market in the UK. The available data indicates that the UK is already falling behind on its original plans for the uptake of renewable. However, government policy suggests growing awareness of the limitations of most renewables; and a consequent shift in focus away from renewables towards easier ‘bigger solutions such as nuclear power and carbon sequestration for coal-fired power stations. CHAPTER 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION A sustainable energy future is possible, but only if we act urgently and decisively to promote, develop and deploy a full mix of energy technologies We have the means, now we need the will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Claude Mandil, International Energy Agency (IEA) In the 21st century, there has been a significant increase in energy demand due to factors such as population growth and changes in our lifestyle. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) today 86.5 % of total worldwide energy consumption is generated from fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal; which are said to be non-renewable, and are the main cause for increase in green house gases and carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007, rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are the primary cause of global warming since 1950, and are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of fossil fuels and land-use change. As the worlds fossil fuels continue to diminish at an alarming rate, and global energy demand is forecasted to increase by 60% over the next 25 years (G8 Summit, 2005), alternative forms of energy must be developed that are economically cost effective, environmentally friendly, and easily harness ed. The development of renewable energy sources as a solution to these problems is expected to play a major role in the future energy supply and has developed a considerable interest within national government policies, environmental groups and the private sector. The term ‘renewable energy can be defined as â€Å"energy that is derived from natural processes that are replenished constantly† (Energy Statistics, 2004). The renewable energy sources are also covered by Europes climate change and energy policy. In March 2007, the European Council set a target of 20 percent of the total EU energy consumption to be generated from renewables by 2020. The policy also commits the EU Member States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and by 30 percent globally (The EC White Paper, 2007 (BERR)). According to BERR renewable energy is an integral part of the UK Governments longer-term aim of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. The Government has set targets of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010 and 10% of electricity supply from renewable energy by 2010 (Digest of UK Energy Statistics, 2007). This raises the main questions addressed in this dissertation: Can the UK expect to meet and exceed the existing targets? What measure will be required to realize this potential and to encourage further investment in renewables? Despite the fact that renewables are seen by many policy-makers as a solution for improving energy security and saving the environment, there is still some uncertainty whether renewables could compete with conventional energy sources. Supportive policies and heavy investments are still needed to promote further development and deployment of renewables in energy markets. The establishment of new renewable energy technologies and their efficiency will depend on the costs and effectiveness. As a result, in order to promote renewable energy technology into the market there is a strong need to identify and analyse the policies which have a direct effect on technology and market development. 1.2 Renewable energy in the UK The United Kingdom is one of the worlds most globalized countries with the second largest economy in Europe and a population of 60 million. The UK currently contributes about 2 percent to global emissions, which, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, were estimated to be 38 billion tones carbon dioxide in 2004. UK energy industries are the main contributors to UK greenhouse gas emissions; according to statistics CO2 accounted for about 85 per cent of the UKs greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. In order to reduce emissions, the 2007 UK Energy White Paper sets out an objective to cut the UKs carbon emissions by 60% by 2050, with real progress by 2020. One way of achieving those targets would be by generating our energy from sources that produce very low or zero levels of greenhouse gases such as renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is â€Å"an integral part of the Governments strategy for reducing carbon emissions as renewable energy resources produce very li ttle carbon or other greenhouse gases†. (Commission, 2006) In 2006, about 75 percent of UK electricity was generated from fossil fuels, about 19 percent from nuclear power, and the remaining 4 percent from other renewables (Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), 2007). The UK has one of the most suitable markets for the development of renewable sources of energy due to its geographic location; especially in wind, wave and tidal energy. However, the UK is also rich in fossil fuels and until the climate change issue became evident the successive governments have neglected renewable energy as an alternative source of our main energy supply. The UK Government initially started to show support for development of renewable energy sources in 1990, when renewables became a part of the so-called non-fossil fuel obligation (NFFO), originally set up to protect nuclear power. The issue of climate change and high levels of greenhouse gases has given a new drive to the development of renewable energy in the UK. As part of the Climate Change Programme, in June 2000 the UK government replaced NFFO by the Renewables Obligation (RO) in England and Wales with the main aims to encourage further the development of the UK renewable energy industry and to achieve a 10 percent share of renewables in electricity generation by 2010 (Environmental Policy Integration). Overall the renewable energy contribution is increasing. Total electricity generation from renewables in 2006 amounted to 18,133 GWh, an increase of 1,263 GWh (+7 ½ per cent) on 2005. The main contributors to this substantial increase were 1,072 GWh from onshore wind (+43 per cent), 248 GWh (+62 per cent) from offshore wind 134 GWh (+3 per cent) from landfill gas and 119 GWh (+12 per cent) from municipal solid waste combustion (UK Electricity Statistics,2007). One of the other main drivers for the development of alternative energy sources in the UK aside from climate change issues is the security of energy supply. The UK continues to heavily rely on the diminishing sources of fossil fuels, such as coal, gas and oil, which are increasingly sourced in geopolitically unreliable areas, such as Venezuela, Nigeria and Russia. According to the UK Energy Statistics 12 percent of the UKs gas supply came from gas imports (Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), 2007). Therefore further development of alternative energy sources in the UK will reduce the amount of imported fossil fuels, as well as have a key role in resolving the climate change issue. In order to maintain the UKs energy supply and to achieve the carbon dioxide targets set in the Kyoto Protocol under which the UK has committed itself to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 percent by 2012 (Sustainable Development Indicators in Your Pocket, 2007), as well as longer term goal set out in Energy White Paper to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent by 2050, it is vital to sustain further development of energy sources that produce low or zero levels of greenhouse gases, such as renewable energy. Figure 1, shows the Kyoto target and CO2 emissions, 1990 to 2012. Figure 1: Defra, BERR, â€Å"Sustainable Development Indicators in Your Pocket†, 2007 The Governments policies together with the White Paper made proposals to help increase the sources of renewable energy in the UK. The initial proposals set out in the Energy White Paper 2007, concentrate on three main areas: Electricity generation, by strengthening and modifying the Renewables Obligation, by reforming the planning system and by removing barriers to the growth of decentralised electricity generation; heat, by publishing a Biomass Strategy which identifies opportunities for increasing the use of renewables in energy production and by announcing further work to develop a more strategic approach to heat; and Transport, by requiring through The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation Programme (RTFO) that an increasing proportion of our transport fuel should come from renewable sources. (Energy White Paper , 2007) According to the recent study undertaken by the Poyry Energy (Oxford) LTD, by 2020, renewable energy supply is expected to account for around 12 percent of EU total energy demand, where 59 percent of this volume will come from electricity generation, 32 percent from renewable heat and 9 percent from transport (Compliance costs for meeting the 20% renewable energy target in 2020., 2008) This paper will mainly concentrate on electricity generation through renewable energy sources, as consistency of electricity supply is fundamental to a robust UK economy, and renewables appear to be a suitable solution to improve security of electricity supply in the UK. The UK Government has set a target in order to promote the generation of electricity from renewable sources, by 2010, 10% of UK electricity should come from renewable sources (BERR, UK). The costs of electricity production from renewable energy sources presented in the figure below demonstrate that generation costs depend on the resource conditions in different countries or regions, particularly the EU Member States (Compliance costs for meeting the 20% renewable energy target in 2020, 2008). Therefore, in order to establish and sustain the competitiveness of renewable energy sources it is essential to analyse whether renewable energy technologies can compete with conventional sources. Figure 2: Electricity generation cost of renewable energy technologies (EU Commission 2005: 24, Support of electricity from RE sources). To support the new energy strategy there was a significant development to the UK Renewables Policy, the government has established key elements such as Renewables Obligation, which is driving force for the investment and consumer interest in renewables and it does so by obliging electricity suppliers to source a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources. It has also launched strategies which allow UK to identify its main strengths and to develop world-leading capabilities in renewable energy sector. The main drivers of UK Renewable Energy Policy include: Renewable Obligation (RO) The RO is the main support scheme for renewable electricity projects in the UK. It places an obligation on UK suppliers of electricity to source an increasing proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. Suppliers are required to produce evidence of their compliance with this obligation to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). Evidence can be via certificates, referred to as Renewable Obligations Certificates (Renewable Obligation, 2008). UK renewable electricity has increased considerably since the introduction of RO. In 2006 electricity supplied from RO eligible sources stood at around 4% of the UKs total electricity, up from 1.8% in 2002 (Energy White Paper , 2007). Climate Change Levy (CCL) Exemption The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is â€Å"an environmental tax levied on the supply of certain taxable commodities, for example electricity, gas and coal, and charged by energy suppliers to final business consumers. Domestic, and most charitable, consumers do not pay CCL (Microgeneration and the Climate Change Levy, 2007). In order to support further development of renewables and to encourage consumers to use environmentally friendly sources of energy, renewable electricity supplied to non-domestic consumers is exempt from CCL. Research Development Programme The Government has constantly introduced programmes for renewable energy sources to remove obstacles which stood in the way of the development of renewables by furthering research and gathering information as well as assist industrial activities in the UK. Such programmes support the Renewable Obligation and the exempt renewable from Climate Change Levy. The programmes will also require cooperation with in the industry between the government and environmental organisations to maintain a steady approach to the growth of the renewable energy sources in the market. The programmes also set out plans to address the key issues together, with the concentration divided between technology development as well as non-technological issues, such as raising finance and obtaining planning permission. Each technology is set to be tested though several stages, which include assessment, RD, demonstration and market entry, full-scale industrialization and competition (Challenges Ahead for UK Renewable Energy Program, 2007). Strategies for individual technology programmes also include this operation at the different stages of technology development. An exit strategy will also contribute to the competitiveness of the industry without creating a subsidy. Green trading can play a major part in electricity generation strategy to move to a system of renewables which operates strictly in the commercial market. The Government will carry out several actions together with the industry in order to encourage the development of renewable technologies in the UK, such actions include technological and environmental assessment in addition to resource assessment ;demonstration; the industrialisation of the market; removing legal and administrative obstacles; dealing with planning and development control issues; promoting research and marketing and education. The set priorities for the development of renewable technologies depend on their cost effectiveness and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that can be reduced on different timescales. The priorities for the development of the renewable energy sources are set in time scales and include: Near Term includes most competitive renewable technologies in the UK. (Geothermal (heating and cooling),waste and some biomass residues, landfill gas, onshore wind, hydro, passive solar) Medium Term (by the year 2010) includes renewables that show maximum contribution by 2010, as well as assist to achieve the target of 10 percent.(Some biomass residues, energy crops, offshore wind) Longer Term (after 2010) includes renewable technologies that show longer term potential under the RD programme. (Fuel cells, photovoltaics, wave) Very Long Term (after 2050) includes renewable technologies which at this stage are only worth pursuing through the basic research. (Tidal barrage, hydrogen, ocean thermal currents) (UK Renewable Eneegy Policy , 2007) The Department of Trade and Industry will divide the budget allocated for the development of renewables according to the priorities table set above, particularly between the short, medium and longer term periods. The renewable technologies which are included in short and medium term will benefit from the market simulation under the Renewable Obligation. 1.3 main aim: The mixture of the issues introduced briefly in the first Chapter leads to the overall aim of investigating the governments role in achieving the targets set and through analyzing the market and the economic forecasts concluding whether these targets are achievable. Following chapter will review the existing literature that has investigated UK Renewable Market and Policies, critically evaluated the UK performance in renewables sector and consist of relevant data in order to set out the specific objectives for this study. United Kingdom has one of the most suitable potential markets for the development of renewable energy sources and could act as a leading example for the rest of the world, but the main question remains whether the UK will adopt the right approach to support the new technologies or is it just an ambitious set of targets based on wrong evaluations? CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Global Perspective Today, the rising issue of climate change can be identified as â€Å"the biggest challenge facing humanity† (International Socialist Group, 2006). The UK Prime Minister has said climate change is â€Å"probably, long-term the single most important issue we face as a global community†. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that â€Å"global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced at least 70 percent over the next 100 years to stabilize atmospheric CO2 concentrations† Considerable technical change will be needed to maintain growth in economy combined with large CO2 emission reductions at a cost as low as possible (Grubb, 1997), however the timeframe is not clear as many ways lead to certain CO2 stabilization levels which correspond to fixed increasing amounts of CO2 that can be released during the target year. Furthermore, economic arguments were raised favoring deferred emission abatement pathways (Wigley, 1996). There is a possibility that unexpected political objectives may trigger the need of short-term investments in long life capital stock, this leads to high costs due to the early retirement of long life capital stock units. Additionally, there is a high risk of only focusing on short-term emission reduction targets while creating technical change policies in relation to climate change which may result in a framework unable to achieve long-term future targets (Sande ´n, 2005). The increasing concerns of climate change has played one of the key roles in supporting the development of renewable energy sources, which are environmentally friendly and impose low or zero carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. In order to sustain the development of renewables it is essential to meet the stabilization scenario for carbon dioxide reduction and show that they can be competitive in cost with energy from other sources (Houghton, 2004, p.306). Houghton also stated that â€Å"under some circumstances renewable energy sources are already competitive in cost (e.g. local sources of energy), however where there is a direct competition with fossil fuel energy from oil and gas, many renewable energies at present compete only marginally†. Conversely, fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas have limited resources and â€Å"at some time between 2010-2020 the worlds supply of oil and gas will fall below the level required to meet international supply† (Oil and gas running out much faster than expected, 2003). As the result the costs of fossil fuels will increase which will unveil the opportunity for renewable energy sources to compete more easily (Houghton, 2004, p.306). A recent report from the UN environment programme said â€Å"investment in renewables such as wind, solar and biomass jumped 43% last year and may be about to increase by much more substantial amounts†. It also predicted that renewable energy sources could supply approximately a quarter of the worlds electricity by 2030. This fast development of renewable energy sources occurred as a result of rising demand for energy, security of energy supplies and the environmental and the dangers associated with the burning of fossil fuels (Sawin, 2004, p.5). The additional drivers for the rapid expansion of renewables incorporate the political support for renewable energy around the world, dramatic cost reductions and significant technology advances (Sawin, 2004, p.5). However, Karl Mallon in his book â€Å"Renewable Energy Policy and Politics: A Handbook for Decision-Making† has set out several challenges which can affect the development of renewable energy sources. Mallon mentioned that renewable projects usually have a long lifetime (20 years or more), but the investment and the main industrial activity occurs at the beginning. Therefore in order for investors to get a return on their investment, the developers on their end will try to make the projects as long as possible and try to establish capacity as early as possible in the scheme to yield the maximum return time (Mallon, 2007). As a result, generation schemes with targets that run less than 20 years will create a market with increasing activity and a massive industry growth for the first few years, and once a capacity meeting the long term target is in place downturn of activity will take place (Mallon, 2007). Mallon also stated that a â€Å"boom-bust† activity cycle is terr ibly inefficient form of industry development; if targets are used they must be dynamic to provide a constant but steady pull on industry. Another challenge which faces the development of renewables is the governments concentration on the economic side, namely where â€Å"the desire for economic certainty overrides the objectives of industry development or climate mitigation† (Mallon, 2007). Furthermore, according to Mallon, effective climate mitigation will require not less than 50-100 years transition to zero-emissions, therefore the schemes with deadlines ending 2010-2015 will make no contribution to solve in the climate change problem. Such schemes only provide economic certainty and tell investors that this is only a short term engagement rather than a long term, ignoring the fact that the prices of renewables and conventional energy change all the time. Finally, Mallon emphasized on the fact that â€Å"it is important to recognize that renewable energy policy consists not just of a driver but rather comprises a complete framework, ignoring or overlooking parts of that framework will undermine the entire vision†. 2.2 UK Perspective The energy policy of the United Kingdom fully supports targets for carbon dioxide emissions and is committed to achieve mandatory 60 percent cut in the UKs carbon emissions by 2050 (Carbon Abatement Technology for Fossil Fuels, 2005). The current interest in renewable energy in the UK reflects the global view in relation to the shortage of the existing energy sources and the necessity of finding alternative energy supplies to meet the future energy demand. The need for securing energy sources as an alternative to the current energy sources, mainly fossil fuels, lies in the uncertainty of such fuels which is diminishing over the years. This is particularly pertinent to the UK as it is estimated that by 2020 the UK could be importing 90% of its gas (which currently produces 41% of energy consumed) (DTI 2006). Additionally, the rising concerns over global warming and climate change also played a major role in ‘shedding the light on renewable energy sources. By 2050, global energy demand could double as populations rise and developing countries expand their economies (World Energy Organization, 2008). The UK Government started to tackle such concerns in 1999 when it introduces its first strategy â€Å"to help deliver a better quality of life through sustainable development† (Tony Blair, The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy, March 2005). The Governments 2003 Energy White Paper sets a direction towards achieving low carbon economy, by attempting to resolve the issue on domestic basis first and to influence the major players in the global community to follow the same footsteps. The UK Government has committed itself to cut down greenhouse gas emissions, as mentioned above the government; according to its 2003 Energy White Paper, declared that its mission is to move to a low carbon economy and set out its target that by the year 2050 carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 60 percent in addition to the Kyoto Protocol target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12.5 percent by the year 2012, and the ambitious national goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent below the 1990 levels by the year 2010 (The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy, 2005). However, the UKs CO2 emissions rose in the period 2002-04 (levels in 2004 showing a 1.5% increase over 2003) (DTI 2005a). These issues are arising at a time when large numbers of the UKs coal and nuclear-fired power stations are also reaching decommissioning age. This presents the UK with an opportunity to re-structure the fuels in its energy mix. According to the British Wind Energy (BWEA) the UK could face some challenges in meeting the renewable energy target of 20 percent by 2020 if it increases the amount of electricity generated under its Renewable Obligation, but puts on hold â€Å"financial penalties for utilities that help fund the program at 2015 levels† (Challenges Ahead for UK Renewable Energy Program, 2007). The BWEA Chief Executive Maria McCaffery has commented on reform proposal: The RO has been highly successful in bringing forward the cheapest renewables: onshore wind, landfill gas and biomass co-firing. The Governments plan to band the RO could allow more technologies to share in this success, particularly offshore wind but this cannot be at the expense of onshore winds current strong growth. Accommodating the more expensive technologies whilst trying to get to a 20% target in 2020 using the same amount of money as a 15% goal is like trying to extract a quart from a pint pot. It just doesnt add up. E ssentially, said BWEA, â€Å"the government is attempting to get a third more renewable power with a mix that includes significant quantities of technologies that are not economic under the current system for the same amount of money† (Challenges Ahead for UK Renewable Energy Program, 2007). John Loughhead, the Executive Director of the  UK Energy Research Centre  (UKERC)  said: Achieving these targets will be challenging, since the UK currently obtains less that 2% of its energy from renewable sources. It is probable that electricity production will have to bear a disproportionate share and initial estimates from the European Commission and others suggest it may need to produce about 40% of all electricity from renewable sources by 2020 if the overall targets are to be met. Additionally, the recent study â€Å"Renewable electricity generation technologies†, January 2008, issued by Institute of Physics (IOP) has outlined further barriers to the development of renewable energy sources. According to the study, one of the main challenges facing the renewables is â€Å"the liberalisation of the UK energy market, the current price of electricity is so low that it is not economically viable to develop and introduce new generating technologies to the market, unless they can be developed at a low cost and can provide electricity predictably at competitive wholesale prices† (Renewable electricity generation technologies, 2008) 2.3 UK Renewable Policy Targets Karl Mannon regards the renewable energy policy as a framework rather a single driver and emphasized that all the parts forming this framework must operate jointly in order for us to achieve the highest benefit of this policy (Mannon, 2007). As to the influence such policies may have on the market, Mannon added that there are unknown factors in these policies which can affect the size of the market, the prices paid for renewable energy or the duration of the scheme. Some of the factors which control the growth of the market include: the level of support, the duration of support eligibility, the duration of support schemes and the quantity of renewables required under the scheme. (Mannon, 2007, p.37) However, Adrian Smith in his report â€Å"Multi-level governance: Towards an analysis of renewable energy governance in the English regions†, December 2006, has identified challenges for governance in promotion of renewable energy systems. Smith, 2006, has outlined that â€Å"governments policy objective of transforming existing energy systems into ones with greater renewable energy content requires coordinated efforts and changes amongst many different actors, institutions and artifacts. Renewable energy systems are complex, and their construction is far from straightforward. It is consequently difficult to direct them into being exclusively through hierarchical government measures like planning† (Smith, 2006). John Sauven, the Executive Director of Greenpeace UK, in his article â€Å"Its rip-off Britain, even when it comes to climate change†, October 2007, has stated that the targets set by Renewable Obligation which were set for electricity suppliers have all been missed and â€Å"the governments own projections show that the final target of just 15 percent in 2015 will also be missed†. Additionally, Dave Toke, in his academic paper, has concluded that â€Å"RO is relatively inflexible in that it effectively sets a single level of payments for all renewable-energy generators, which is relatively generous for onshore wind power, barely sufficient (even with capital grant supplements) for offshore wind power, and not enough for much else. The target of supplying 10% of UK electricity from renewables by 2010 is not likely to be achieved some 7% is a more likely level† (Toke, 2005). Toke, D., also noted that â€Å"the more ambitious the targets are, the more expensive w ill be the incentives (or penalties) needed to ensure compliance with these targets†. The analysis of renewable energy policy carried out by the Carbon Trust, â€Å"Policy Framework for renewables†, July 2006, states that â€Å"overall, the existing renewable energy policy suffers from inefficiencies, resulting in a unit cost of renewable energy to consumers that is higher than necessary given the current technology cost†, as well as â€Å"given the renewable and carbon reduction targets and the 2015 gap, diversity of investment in renewable energy is needed†. The UK policies are not created to determine what a sustainable energy system i

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Culturally speaking, Japanese consumers have an interest in utilizing American inventions because of an overall desire to capture the flavor and feel of Western culture, as Japanese citizens experience the joy of having disposable income to purchase goods   that they are seeing for the first time in many cases (Ellington, 1992).   Specifically in the instance of the American convenience store concept, the popularity of it in Japan, beyond the cultural associations, also has a practical element to it, as space in Japan is at a premium, which makes it difficult and impractical for the average Japanese to store lots of consumer goods in their homes.   Therefore, the convenience store allows them to quickly obtain needed items if they cannot be kept on hand at home. Evolution of the Original Concept of the Convenience Store Space is at a premium in Japan, and retail stores are no exception.   Even the Conbini (convenience store) lacks enough shelf space to display all of the goods that are offered.   Because of this, the original concept of the convenience store has evolved through the use of e-commerce; for example, in the Conbini, Internet terminals exist whereby the customer can order products and have the products delivered to their homes.   This allows for the offering of many goods in a limited space environment. Aside from the obvious convenience and product availability that Conbini provides to the Japanese consumer, there is another important aspect of Conbini that the Japanese particularly like, which can be found in the e-commerce element of the stores themselves.   Because many Japanese do not have Internet access in their homes, the possibility of buying online from the terminal at Conbini is very appealing (Bloomberg Business News, 2004). What Other Kinds of New Products/Services Could be Introduced in the Conbini? How Should the New Offerings be Distributed? Conbini represents an excellent opportunity to introduce new products/services.   Because of the space crunch in Japan, there exists a promising opportunity for the provision of the kinds of entertainment (DVDs, videocassettes, etc) that previously required large retail spaces, but can be ordered using the Internet technology that now exists. These new product/services should be distributed via home delivery due to the convenience and practical considerations that are dictated by the space restrictions that exist in Japan itself. Technology can also play a bigger key role.   The Conbini innovations in E-commerce could be adapted to E-tailing in the United States in many ways, and have been to some extent in the past, evidenced by American retailers like Circuit City, which has embraced the Internet as a sales tool and used it to rescue the firm from low profits over the past 5 years or so (Bhatnagar, 2004). To strictly follow the Conbini model, the typical American convenience store could reduce the costs associated with huge retail locations by utilizing Internet technology as Conbini has to make convenience stores smaller and more cost/space efficient.   Given certain concerns in the United States at this time as well, Conbini models can reduce the crime associated with the typical American convenience store and conserve natural resources by disturbing less land and using less utilities and building materials. References (Bhatnagar P 2004 Circuit City-No More Excuses)Bhatnagar, P. (2004). Circuit City-No More Excuses. CNN Money.com, , . Retrieved September 10, 2006, from Money Magazine and CNN Web Site: http://money.cnn.com/2004/04/26/news/fortune500/circuit_city (Bloomberg Business News 200404 Japan's Convenience Stores add E-Commerce to Milk and Management)Bloomberg Business News. (2004, April). Japan's Convenience Stores add E-Commerce to Milk and Management. Retrieved September 10, 2006, from CNET News Web Site: http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,13027570,00.htm (Indiana University Clearinghouse For US-Japan Studies 1992 Japanese-U.S. Economic Relations)Indiana University Clearinghouse For U.S.-Japan Studies/Lucien Ellington, author (1992). Japanese-U.S. Economic Relations. Japan Digest, 4(2002), .      

What to Expect From Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks?

What to Expect From Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks? Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks Can Be Fun for Everyone On these applications, an individual can post their information and whoever wish to se the info must download the application. Our writing essay service turns out to be qualitative and quick. However, by receiving a specific feedback there we might aggravate our self-esteem, and increase our diffidence. All this material, with supporting information, is intended to help you better your essay writing skills. The Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks Pitfall There are lots of people around that world utilizing business for social improvement. It is critical for every individual in the world to get to understand daily news of the neighborhood area and throughout the world. Therefore, social networks have ensured that there's a quicker means of spreading the news throughout the planet and that individuals can utilize all the pieces of news f or the advantage of society. Additionally you must agree on an organization that can be definitely going through stats. A hospitality business is an increasing business sector in our society. Therefore, social networks are beneficial since they have played a substantial part in the enhancement of businesses throughout the promotion of effective and cheaper advertisements. For example, they are helpful in the promotion of business advertisements hence facilitating the development of businesses globally. These businesses are called social enterprises. Introducing Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks Users will make certain they're online to look at the most recent trends and potential investments in such networks. It is not hard to make friends throughout the web. Various businesses have embraced social networking and they're creating their very own internal social media websites. We've highlighted a choice of social networks geared toward businesses. Discuss lean operations! For example, a social media like Twitter, it supplies a limit of words in posting a tweet. Through reading much more small small business textbooks need to be able to enable you better your business. You can also locate precisely the same example in the Business Plan Writer, our completely free on-line tool that guides you through the procedure of starting your organization. It's proposed dependent on review of current literature. Social media is turning to be the ideal option for kids and adults to devote time. The high school students are ready to attach with others from various schools and have the ability to share experiences. In addition, students that are spending a lot of time on these types of social networking sites aren't able to communicate in person in an effective method. Their use sis associated with assorted advantages to both the high school students, university students along with other individuals on the planet. Social media causes many family problems that could affect relations. High school students and the university students are found to devote a few of their school time in going to the social networks. Social networking has many negative consequences on teens and adults that result in big difficulties. In conclusion, it has both sides of negative and positive effects that can be good or harmful for children. With the present technology, if a manager would like to convene the staff for a meeting in a specific company, they may choose to send a memo employing the e-mail for convenience and faster communication. Owning your personal company can even be financially financially rewarding as you get a name only for reliability along with remarkable job. Wanting by way of several of opinions, it isn't hard to defer for her or his services and might be pleased with the standard of services. Most organizations have centered on the promotion of the various merchandise and services offered on social networks due to the many prospective customers available to them. There are a lot of different web sites that provide related providers at a lesser price. Among the much better ways to have prospects to your internet website would be to team upward with distinctive establishments so you can cross-promote each others' online websites. Company networks are private, so you have to have a verified company email to be able to join. When one visits a social network system like yahoo, the very first thing he or she's informed of is the variety of her or his friends which are online then. Lies You've Been Told About Essay Samples on Enterprise Social Networks Also, people do not actually require that many of methods to attain your enterprise that will get the job done for you. Some feel they are helpful while some express worries concerning using these networks. Fake identities are likewise a huge problem happens in this social media world. Some others use it since they don't have friends in real life and they want to make new but somehow they are afraid, and they are able to write anything they wish to say with no fear by utilizing social networks.

Effects of Globalization Tate Lyle Case - 5569 Words

City of London College BTEC Advanced Professional Diploma in Management Studies – Level 7 Unit 07: Management in the Wider Environment By: MS. LENA S. MACASAET TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PROFILE Tate amp; Lyle PLC 3 TASK 1 / Globalization 4-8 1 Definition 4 2 Various Dimensions of Globalization 4-5 3 Effects on National Economies 5-6 4 Influence of International Institutions 6-7 5 Effects of EU Membership on Tate amp; Lyle 7-8 6 Effects of EU Membership on Workplace 8 TASK 2 / Environmental and Health amp; Safety Awareness 9-11 5 Protection of Natural Environment 9 6 Tate amp; Lyle’s Environment-Friendly Standards 9-10 7 Health†¦show more content†¦Discuss also how the EU membership of Britain affects organizations. GLOBALIZATION Globalization is a process in which barriers (physical, political, economic, cultural) separating different regions of the world are reduced or removed (removal of barriers is called liberalization), thereby stimulating exchanges in goods, services, money, and people. As these exchanges grow, nations and the businesses involved, become increasingly integrated and interdependent, promoting mutual reliance between countries. ⠁ µ Globalization is not a new idea at all. Many intellectuals including most social scientists agree of its deep origin by referring to it as a â€Å"phenomenon of long term historical process†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ⠁ ¶ Jagdish Bhagwati, a renowned economist from Columbia University and author of â€Å"In Defense of Globalization†, at his speech at IMF Economic Forum in 2004 â€Å"argued that when properly governed, globalization is in fact the most powerful force for social good in the world today.† ⠁ · VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALIZATION Following are the various dimensions of globalization as described by the European Network of Economic Policy Research Institutes (ENEPRI): ⠁ · 1) The internationalisation of national economic spaces through growing penetration (inward flows) and extraversion (outward flows). Example: The rise of China alone accounts for a lot in the globalization story. In 2003, China’s economy accounted for 55% of Asia’s export.Show MoreRelatedCoca Cola Organizational Theory Essay19602 Words   |  79 Pagesaspect of vertical integration is high bureaucratic costs (Jones, 2007). The Coca-Cola Company should look at buying the following companies: The NutraSweet Company, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Nutrinova Nutrition Specialties Food Ingredients GmbH, or Tate Lyle. These companies are one of two possible suppliers for important raw materials (Annual Report, 2006). Although the company has not experienced significant problems, future events are always uncertain. The most secure way to control suppliers forRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesUnderstanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-Awareness 61 Emotional Intelligence 62 Values 65 Ethical Decision Making and Values 72 Cognitive Style 74 Attitudes Toward Change 76 Core Self-Evaluation 79 SKILL ANALYSIS 84 Cases Involving Self-Awareness 84 Communist Prison Camp 84 Computerized Exam 85 Decision Dilemmas 86 SKILL PRACTICE 89 Exercises for Improving Self-Awareness Through Self-Disclosure 89 Through the Looking Glass 89 Diagnosing Managerial Characteris tics 90

The Effect Of Divorce On Children - 2288 Words

The occurrence on divorce in our society today has left children emotionally and mentally hurt by this. More and more studies have been done on to see if divorce has an effect on children. I personally have had no effect of divorce, but I have had several friends who have been affected. I had little knowledge about how impactful divorce can have an affect on someone until I started doing research on this topic. Divorce is very hard on people who have to deal with this. The articles I have found to do research on all have something new and exciting to bring to the table. Of the ones I have found, I believe they will help me to understand more of the struggles young children have to cope with during such a difficult time. I also found an interesting article about the fathers’ perspectives on divorce. It talked about how they still want to be apart of their children’s lives and how hard it is to keep a strong relationship with their children. I felt like it would be good to include this article into my paper because it will help me to learn from the fathers’ side how they handle the situation. Throughout this paper, I disused the different effects divorce has on children, the various programs and coping strategies for the children, and fathers’ perspectives and mother-child relationships. All of these topics are very important to divorce and the articles from the researchers did a great job of talking about these topics. Effects on Children of Divorced Families â€Å"Much of theShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Divorce On Children And Divorce1460 Words   |  6 Pagestoday’s world, most people accept divorce or separation as a way of life. Parents are unaware or do not understand the damage it can have on their children. However, in some instances, it is better to get out of an abusive relationship because that can be as toxic as divorce. On average, 50% of children who are born with married parents, will experience divorce before the age of 18 (Children and Divorce Baucom, 2010-2017). Along with divorce statistics, 40% of children in America are raised withoutRead MoreDivorce Effect On Children : Divorce1825 Words   |  8 PagesApril, 2016 Divorce Effect on Children Divorce seems to become more and more common nowadays. Divorce can be a simple or complicated process depending if children are involved. This process can have negative and positive effects in a child s life. A divorce is the legal process of a marriage coming apart. A divorce with children involve cost more and takes about eleven months for the marriage to end. The majority of the divorces happening in the United States involve children. Divorce has differentRead MoreThe Effects Of Divorce On Children And Children1255 Words   |  6 Pages The effects of divorce on children Throughout time, people from all over the world have chosen to live together, or â€Å"get married†. Marriage is a beautiful thing, but there are some couples who are unable to maintain their relationship, because they choose divorce as a solution to cope with the problems between husband and wife. Although divorce can be solution to cope with problem between the husband and wife, it still has dangerous effects especially on their children. Children with divorced parentsRead MoreEffect Of Divorce On Children1068 Words   |  5 PagesEffects of Divorce on Children While divorce may reduce strain on a failing marriage, it may cause damaging effects on the children. Often times parents are too concerned on the marriage to notice the effects on children. From the way parents react in front of the children to new marriages all can directly affect the daily lives, and behavior of children. Though, there are ways to mitigate some of the issues that can come with divorce, possibly avoiding some of the effects all together. UnfortunatelyRead MoreDivorce : The Effect On Children1084 Words   |  5 PagesNicole Halterman Professor Tausch CTI 102 D Written Communication 4 October 2014 Divorce: the Effect on Children In today’s society, divorce has become a normal occurrence. Married couples today are getting divorces due to many different reasons; conflicts in the marriage, a loss of romantic feelings, perhaps a spouse is having an affair, or other types of problems. Most divorces have children that are really young and due to their age, they do not have any idea how to deal with this type of situationRead MoreDivorce And Its Effects On Children1296 Words   |  6 Pages50% of all the children born to married parents today, will experience the divorce of their parents’ before they are eighteen years old. Divorce in and of itself doesn’t necessarily harm a child, but the conflict between parents does. A child’s behavior correlates directly with the effects of their parents’ separation. Deep emotional wounds are created before, during, and after divorce and separation. It is rare that you find a child that actually wants their parents to separate, unless the ma rriageRead MoreDivorce And Its Effects On Children1343 Words   |  6 Pagesknow that the divorce rate in the United States hovers around fifty percent, including forty percent under the age of 21. In that fifty percent one of every six adults is likely to go through a divorce twice. Not only does divorce affect the adults involved, but forty percent of children in the United States will experience parental divorce (Portnoy, 2008). Children with divorced parents struggle with negative consequences emotionally, mentally, and academically compared to those children from intactRead MoreDivorce And Its Effect On Children998 Words   |  4 PagesDivorce has become very popular in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, on average 50% of marriages result in a failed marriage. This percentage has been at it’s all time high. Not many couples have sustained a successful marriage in present days. Divorces have been around for a long time, and unfortunately kids have a lways been affected the most according to their age. As a result of divorce, there are many children that have to go through this situation at a very young ageRead MoreThe Effect Of Divorce On Children847 Words   |  4 Pagesbecome more unmanageable. According to Sirvanli-Ozen, recent studies confirm that the impacts of divorce on children are not restricted to the childhood period but are manifest during adolescence and adulthood as well. Many studies on the subject show that children who have experienced parent divorce have a lower degree of psychological accord and lower socioeconomic status in their adulthood (Amato Keith, 1991b; Biblarz Raftrey, 1993; Ross Mirowsky, 1999; Amato, 1996) and have more problemsRead MoreEffect Of Divorce On Children1207 Words   |  5 Pagesmarriages that end in divorce has been steadily increasing. When a marriage ends children are impacted and it’s not only emotional and devastating the couples but this also has a huge effect on the children of all ages involved. Many parents go thro ugh a divorce disaster with little knowledge of the effects that the children may go through. Some of the most common impacts that divorce has on children include the fact that children tend to start to blame themselves for the divorce, adjusting in areas

If I Won a Million Dollars and Could’nt Speend It on Myself Free Essays

I would help my family members. Some of the money I would donate to charity. The rest of the money would go to helping children. We will write a custom essay sample on If I Won a Million Dollars and Could’nt Speend It on Myself or any similar topic only for you Order Now First I would give to my mom she raised me as a single mother and had a hard time. I would then get banking accounts for my children so they would have money when they became adults. And hopefully they would make good decisions in life, that would give my kids a better opportunity than I had I would just hope they use it well and that’s the first thing I would do. Next I would donate to charity give money to the Ronald McDonald house. I would give money to the battered women’s shelter to help then get back there life because as a kid I lived with my mom as she was being battered. It would be nice to help someone in need and there’s a lot of women in need of help to escape from being battered and abused . Finally I would build an after school facilities for children so they are not on the streets after school it would have sport’s activities, meals, transportation, and support services. It would help to get more kids off the streets , And that’s what I would do, I would help my family, donate money to charity, battered women’s shelter, and build a after school facilities for children. I may not never win a million dollars but that’s what I would do if I ever won but I’m going to keep playing maybe one day I might win. How to cite If I Won a Million Dollars and Could’nt Speend It on Myself, Essay examples

Accounting for Managers Advanced Computer Technology

Question: Describe about the Accounting for Managers for Advanced Computer Technology. Answer: Problem 1: i) Depicting the faster process that might be used to increase competitive edge of the company: The faster process could only be applied by using advanced computer technology in the engineering and administrative department of the company, In addition, the use of computers has mainly reduced the overall time gap, which mainly occurred by transferring the data from one operations to other. Furthermore, the implementation of advance machines might also help in reducing thy overall time of completion of finished goods and decrease the process time. Davenport (2013) stated that advancement in technology has mainly help companies automated their operations, which in turn has reduced the completion time and cost of production. The reduced process time in engineering might mainly help the company to produce more goods, which in turn could help in increasing the supply and reduce cost of production. Moreover, the implementation of new technology could not only reduce process time but also help companies to reduce the labour costs incurred in their production process. In addition, the use of technological boost in administrative areas could effectively help the company to make adequate investment decisions and calculate the overall costs, which might be incurred in near future (Kieling, Brei and Vieira 2016). ii) Depicting the reasons for implementing improved quality for companies having reduced process time: The company that is able to work faster and reduce its process time mainly loses its focus on quality, which in turn might affect the overall customer satisfaction. In addition, a faster processing company could only focus on time and ignore the quality that is been produced. Schonsleben (2016) stated that customers are mainly focused on quality and ignores products that have low quality, which in turn affects profitability of faster processing companies. In addition, the implementation of increased quality might help faster processing companies to improve their overall product quality, which in turn might help in raise their customer base. In addition, the improved quality with faster process could help the company to raise its production quality and produce goods in faster rate. In this context, Yao et al. (2012) stated that companies that have reduced process time mainly ignore the quality checks, which mainly help in detecting faulty products. On the other hand, Wiles and Watts (2014) criticises that increased inspection conducted in the manufacturing process mainly reduce the ability of the company to reduce their completion time. In addition, companies could effectively reduce its process time by implementing advanced technology, which is not possible in case of improving their quality. iii) Depicting the problems that might be raised from increased speed process: The potential problems that might arise from increased speed of process are depicted as follows. Low quality and no improvement in products: The main problem that the high-speed process has is that it is not able to maintain the quality of the finished products. In addition, the company is not able to implement any kind of changes to their products as demand by the customers. Furthermore, any changes in the product design might mainly reduce the overall speed of the process and hamper completion time of the finished goods (Al-Mansour et al. 2014). Focused on process and not in customers: In addition, the other problems that might be faced by speedy process are that it is more productivity centric and not customer centric. The demands of the co customers are neglected and only reduction in production time is focused. Beesley (2013) cited that companies that are mainly production centric are not able to increase their demand, which in turn reduces their overall profitability. The depiction of these problems might mainly help in understanding the need of quality in the manufacturing process. Moreover, the company could find an equilibrium with production and quality to reduce the cost and maintain the level of demand in the market. Problem 2: i) Commenting on the overall observations of the case: The observation that been conducted by Steve Smith is mainly based on the overall income and the inventory balance of the two branches. However, the observation is mainly one sided as Steve Smith only looks in to the overall net profits that is been generated by both the branch. Moreover, he did not see the overall reduction in inventory that is been achieved by Adelaide, which might be conducted due to the implementation of absorption costing. In addition, the observation does not consider the overall impact of absorption costing, which might be affect operations of the both the branch (Chen, Kok and Tong 2013). ii) Depicting the conflicts that might be created if the company decides the business based on net profits: The company mainly provides bonuses based on net profits generated by the both the branches. However, this method might raise some conflicts as it mainly ignores the additional inventory accumulated and reduced by both the branches. In addition, the company also neglects the fact that implementation of absorption costing could have positively or negatively affected the overall profitability of the company. Moreover, XYZ policy could mainly reduce the efficiency of the managers in reducing the inventory and focus on sales. The negligence of efficiency and management control might mainly reduce the overall employee retention of both the branches. Rex and Outterson (2016) mentioned that bonuses are mainly conducted on basis of profits, employee loyalty and efficiency of the managers in conducting their operations. Moreover, increased conflicts among managers might reduce the overall productivity of the company. Problem 3: i) Depicting the variance significance regarding production cost for the period: The company has both material and labour variance present in its operations, which mainly affects its overall cost. In addition, the material variance is mainly conducted to identify the overall difference between actual cost of direct materials and standard cost of market. Moreover, the company to identify the low or high number of quantities consumed in its activities mainly uses the material variance. In addition, with the help of material variance companies are able to detect the actual cost inputted through their manufacturing process. Moreover, the labour variance is mainly conducted to identify the difference in actual and standard rate used by the company to portray their actual labour cost. Furthermore, the favourable material variance mainly indicates that budgeted material is equal to the actual material used by the company (Hee et al. 2014). In addition, the material variance is favourable, which depicted that the material used by the company is same and does not have to incur any additional material cost. Moreover, the labour variance is negative, which only indicates that the company is not able to depict the actual wage rate, which in turn has mainly increased the overall cost of production. ii) Stating the further information needed by the management for analysing the production cost for the period: In addition, the company could effectively find relative information like adequate material usage and cost of labour from the variance analysis. Furthermore, with the help of variance analysis the company could effectively detect the favourable and unfavourable variance that might improve their overall future budget. Moreover, the company with the help of the production cost analysis are able to detect the adequate amount of material and labour hours that might be used to support their production needs. In addition, the variance analysis could effectively help in depicting the changes in standard rates, which could help in depicting the adequate costs in their accounting books (Memon et al. 2013). Moreover, the analysis of variance and production cost could effectively help the company prepare an effectively budget, which might help in supporting the future activities. Problem 4: i) Calculating the cost per unit for variable cost: Variable expenses Budget A Budget B Direct materials 260,000 360,000 Direct labour 40,000 60,000 Variable overhead 60,000 75,000 Variable selling and administrative expense 60,000 60,000 Total variable expenses 420,000 555,000 Total units sales 20,000 30,000 Variable cost per unit 21 18.5 ii) Depicting the reason for budget A has high cost and low sales forecasts: The lower and middle level management mainly conducts budget A, which is why it mainly focus on the costs incurred by the company. In addition, as budget A is conducted by low level managed it is not able to effectively depict the change in demand for the companys products. Furthermore, as the low level management are not provided with relative information regarding the increase in demand, which in turn resulted in high cost and low sales forecast in the budget (Einsele 2013). In addition, Budget A is mainly cost centric and depicts the adequate cost, which might be needed by the company to continue its operations. iii) Depicting the reasons for budget B has low costs and high sales forecasts: The senior management has mainly conducted the overall Budget B, which is more focused on depicting the increase in demand for the products of the company. This budgeting system mainly focuses on depicting the rise in future demand of products and does not effectively addresses the change in variable and fixed costs of the company. Moreover, the senior management are mainly keen on detecting the change in demand, which can be effectively seen in Budget B. In addition, the top down budgeting approach mainly help companies to build the required allocation for each department. Moreover, this approach also helps in reducing the wastage of resource allocation that might be conducted in the budgeting process. In addition, the top-level management with adequate research and survey are able to depict the adequate budget requirements and income that could be generated in near future (Le et al. 2014). Moreover, the top down approach mainly reduces the dysfunctional behaviour, which might be conducted by the company. iv) Depicting the ways in which participants could come to a consensus to the budget and depicting the advantage of this approach: Both the group could effectively participate to improve the overall budget of the company. In addition, the expenses part of the budget could be derived from budget A and sales part of the budget could be derived from Budget B. This mixed budget approach might mainly help in reducing the overall variance analysis of the company. The budget could be effectively divided between low level and high level, which in turn might help in supporting operations of the company. With the help of this approach the company could effectively reduce, the excess wastage for essential resources that might be conducted due to unavailability of limited information. In addition, the approach also helps in depicting the adequate money each department could need to continue their operations (Quere et al. 2013). Moreover, the approach could also help in develop a bond between low, medium and higher management of the company. Reference: Al-Mansour, F., Sucic, B., Pusnik, M. and Vuk, T., 2014, January. Novel concept of context sensitive energy and environmental management system for support sustainable development of industrial companies. Ineceee Industrial Summer Study RETOOL FOR A COMPETITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY. Beesley, A., 2013. Time compression in the supply chain.Logistics Information Management. Chen, L., Kk, A.G. and Tong, J.D., 2013. The effect of payment schemes on inventory decisions: The role of mental accounting.Management Science,59(2), pp.436-451. Davenport, T.H., 2013.Process innovation: reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business Press. Einsele, G., 2013.Sedimentary basins: evolution, facies, and sediment budget. Springer Science Business Media. Hee, L., Rasmussen, C.K., Schltter, J.M., Sandager, P. and Uldbjerg, N., 2014. Quantitative sonoelastography of the uterine cervix prior to induction of labor as a predictor of cervical dilation time. Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica, 93(7), pp.684-690. Kieling, A.P., Brei, V.A. and Vieira, V.A., 2016. After some time using a product or service, the consumer tends to feel less pleasure with consumption. This reduction of pleasure is known as hedonic adaptation. One of the emotions that interfere in this process is surprise. Based on two experiments, we suggest that negative surprise differently to positive influences with the level of pleasure foreseen and experienced by the consumer. Study 1 analyzes the influence of negative (vs. positive) surprise on the consumer s post-purchase hedonic ....Brazilian Business Review,13(3), pp.111-132. Le Qur, C., Moriarty, R., Andrew, R.M., Peters, G.P., Ciais, P., Friedlingstein, P., Jones, S.D., Sitch, S., Tans, P., Arneth, A. and Boden, T.A., 2015. Global carbon budget 2014. Memon, A.H., Rahman, I.A., Aziz, A.A.A. and Abdullah, N.H., 2013. Using structural equation modelling to assess effects of construction resource related factors on cost overrun.World Applied Sciences Journal,21(5), pp.6-15. Qur, C.L., Andres, R.J., Boden, T., Conway, T., Houghton, R.A., House, J.I., Marland, G., Peters, G.P., Van der Werf, G.R., Ahlstrm, A. and Andrew, R.M., 2013. The global carbon budget 19592011.Earth System Science Data,5(1), pp.165-185. Rex, J.H. and Outterson, K., 2016. Antibiotic reimbursement in a model delinked from sales: a benchmark-based worldwide approach.The Lancet Infectious Diseases,16(4), pp.500-505. Schnsleben, P., 2016.Integral logistics management: Operations and supply chain management within and across companies. CRC Press. Wiles, C. and Watts, P., 2014. Continuous process technology: a tool for sustainable production.Green Chemistry,16(1), pp.55-62. Yao, Y., Huang, L., Sharma, A., Golubchik, L. and Neely, M., 2012, March. Data centers power reduction: A two time scale approach for delay tolerant workloads. InINFOCOM, 2012 Proceedings IEEE(pp. 1431-1439). IEEE.