Sunday, March 15, 2020
Study of the key Mergers Acquisitions of Banco Santande (2002-2010) The WritePass Journal
Study of the key Mergers Acquisitions of Banco Santande (2002-2010) References Study of the key Mergers Acquisitions of Banco Santande (2002-2010) ABSTRACTà 1. 0 INTRODUCTIONà 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW3.0 RECENT HISTORY ââ¬â3.1 Origins Growth3.2 Main economic and legal environments in main market ââ¬â3.3 Strategic developments (2002-2010)3.4 Business Opportunities3.5 Long term performance in stock market ââ¬â 4.0 Empirical Supports 4.5.1 Liquidity ratio4.5.2 Profitability ratio4.5.2.1 Return on equity4.5.2.2 Return on capital employed4.5.2.3 Return on Assets4.5.2.4 Cost-Income ratio4.5.3 Investment valuation ratios4.5.3.1 Dividend payout ratio (DPR)4.5.3.1 Earnings per share (EPS)ConclusionReferencesRelated ABSTRACT Mergers and acquisitions (MA) play a vital role in the corporate finance world. For many companies, M A is source of external growth when company organic growth has already reached at peak. Globalisation of the world economy allows company expanding their operations and also competes against the domestic players through mergers and acquisitions. This study highlights the success story of acquisition of UK bank ââ¬Å"Abbey Nationalâ⬠by Spanish Bank ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Banco Santanderâ⬠in November 2004.This acquisition profoundly transformed the Group Santanders business profile, provided the growth opportunity in most profitable attractive market, diversified the risk and substantially increased the market capitalisation. This study examines the Santander strategic development post acquisition, impact on their financial performance also their long term performance in stock market. This cross ââ¬â border M A has been very beneficial for the Santander. Santander continu es to focus on delivering value for shareholders through organic growth and acquisitions. Analysis of the topic has been demonstrated by several examples. The data and the information source are publisherââ¬â¢s websites, literatures, news, and, various articles. à 1. 0 INTRODUCTION Privatisation and deregulation have brought substantial changes in the financial markets since the 1970s. In 1980 deregulation was encouraged in the EU which brought major structural change. Introduction of the single currency in Europe was example of further deregulation, which encouraged countries to open their markets to foreign competition. Abbey National had gone through a big transformation in the last century from a building society, to successful bank and finally to a bid on the market. Abbey National was a well-established domestic name in the UK. It has been a successful business in the past. Abbey National proceeded to expand through mergers and acquisition in order to maintain its market position, however, diversification of its core businesses and a lack of focus resulted in large losses for the group from year 2001 had total loss of à £984million in 2003. In 2001 the Lloyds TSB placed offer to takeover, which was likely to result in a large market share ownership within the UK by one bank. This was overturned by Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading as it was against the public interest. Santander realised Abbey National as a safe investment compared to its Latin American banks that have been losing money for the last two years. Moreover, this acquisition for Santander was a new interest in retail banking, which was Abbey Nationalââ¬â¢s strength. Abbey National plc and Banco Santander Central Hispano, SA reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended acquisition by Banco Santander of Abbey on 26 July 2004, which was formally approved by the courts and Abbey became part of Grupo Santander on 12 November 2004. à 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Mergers and acquisitions are source of external growth when organic growth is not possible. For smaller companies there is constant threat to their continued independent existence by the big player/competitor. The terms Mergers takeover are synonymously used although there is narrow distinction between the two. Merger is reorganisation of assets into a new organisation having agreement of both their shareholders. Merger involves company of similar size which reduces the dominance of each other. A take over is acquisition of the ordinary shareholders capital by another company. This may be financed by cash payment, an issue of securities or a combination of both. In acquisition bidding company is larger and dominant than the target company. Broadly takeovers can be classified into following three categories ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Horizontal takeoverâ⬠ââ¬â Company operating in the same industry and similar stage of production ââ¬Å"Vertical takeoverâ⬠ââ¬â Operating at different stages production within the same industry. Vertical takeover may be a move forward in the production process to secure distribution outlet, or a move backward in the production process to secure the raw material supply. ââ¬Å"Conglomerate takeoverâ⬠- Combining two companies operating in different area of business. When there is international dimension involve it is called cross border acquisition. Justification for acquisitions ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Economicâ⬠ââ¬Å"Synergyâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"When assets and /or operations of two companies complement each other, so that sum of their combined output is more than individual someâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Economies of scaleâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Similar to above as the scale of operation is larger and better efficiencies/ output are experienced1.â⬠ââ¬Å"Elimination of inefficient managementâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Acquisition helps replacing inefficient manager by efficient managers leading to deliver better performance and output1.â⬠ââ¬Å"Entry to new marketsâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Entry to new geographical and business area right from scratch may not be an economical option so acquisition is chosen as efficient route to expansion.â⬠ââ¬Å"To provide critical massâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Smaller companies experience lack of credibility because of their small size. Because of the increasing importance of R D and brand investment, merging companyââ¬â¢s pool resources to establish critical mass required to provide cash flows to finance such requirements1.â⬠ââ¬Å"Means of providing growthâ⬠ââ¬â When company finds organic growth difficult then this strategy will be a quick solution for providing growth. ââ¬Å"Market Power shareâ⬠ââ¬â Horizontal acquisitions increases market share and earn monopoly profits, whereas vertical acquisition increase company power in raw material or distribution. 2. à ââ¬Å"Financial ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Financial synergyâ⬠ââ¬â If the cost of capital decreases as a direct result of acquisition. In conglomerate takeover because of lack of correlation between the cash flows of different companies reduces the volatility of cash flow. These results in reduced business risk and cost of capital may decreases. ââ¬Å"Target undervaluationâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Target companyââ¬â¢s shares are undervalued where capital markets are not efficient as a result company may be a bargain buysâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Tax considerationâ⬠ââ¬â Tax exhausted company will be benefited with the acquisition of non tax exhausted company so that tax allowable benefits can be brought forward which may offset capital allowance interest. ââ¬Å"Increasing earning per shareâ⬠ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Earning per share increases if the bidding company has a higher price/earning ratio than its target companyâ⬠. 3. à ââ¬Å"Managerial Motivesâ⬠ââ¬â This may also arise if managers are more concerned satisfying their own objective rather than with increasing the wealth of shareholders. Sometimes motives behind such acquisitions are to increase managers pay power. Factors influencing takeovers trends are as follows (i)ââ¬Å"Booming Stock exchangeâ⬠ââ¬â With the increase in share prices it attracts the bidding company to have acquisition of the target company. (ii) Increase in companyââ¬â¢s real liquidity and profitability encourages takeover. (iii)à Deregulation external source of finance (debt) more easily available in the market. 3.0 RECENT HISTORY ââ¬â 3.1 Origins Growth The Abbey National Building Society was formed following the merger of two long standing building societies in 1944. During the period of 1970 and 1980 it gained reputation for innovation changes. In 1988, Abbey National plc was incorporated as a bank and in 1989 the Society transferred business to Abbey National plc. September 11th attack in New York Enron turned out in 2001 damaged confidence in various financial areas. From this point, Abbey struggled from financial losses and a tarnished image. In 2003, the brand name was shortened to Abbey. There was major reorganization of the bank in September 2003. In 2004 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Santander of Spain After two successive years of losses Abbey returned to profit in 2004 even though there was big cost of reorganization post acquisition charges (à £564 million). Abbey was renamed Santander UK in January 2010. Table 1 ââ¬â Grupo Santanders Performance comparison in Year 2004 2005 Source ââ¬â Santander Annual Report 2005 santandershareholder.com/financial-information/reports-and-publications/ Table 2- Abbey Full Year Results for the Year 2004 2005- Source Abbey 2005 Full Year Results ââ¬â aboutsantander.co.uk/investors/financial-results-and-presentations/2005.aspx 3.2 Main economic and legal environments in main market ââ¬â There has been a good economic environment for business growth till 2007. Market was hit by deep recession in 2008 which continued till 2009. Year 2010 saw the recovery. Table 3 ââ¬â Main Economic highlights 3.3 Strategic developments (2002-2010) Santander Consumer continued to develop its two-pronged growth strategy organic and selective acquisitions with excellent results. Banco Santander has expanded its operations aggressively with several acquisitions in the last decade. Santander strategy is to follow the business model of proven success in European and Latin American countries, and was applied in Abbey. The pillars of this model are Focus on retail banking Diversification, efficiency Prudence in risks Balance sheet strength Flexible style of management, which enables them take advantage of business opportunities Adapt easily to the countries where they operate and to the changes and new challenges. 3.4 Business Opportunities On 26 July 2004 ââ¬Å"Banco Santander Central Hispanoâ⬠announced the acquisition of ââ¬Å"Abbey National plcâ⬠, the acquisition was formally approved by the courts on 12 November 2004. In June 2006, ââ¬Å"Banco Santander Central Hispanoâ⬠purchased almost 20% of Sovereign Bank. In May 2007 consortium ââ¬Å"Banco Santander Central Hispanoâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Royal Bank of Scotlandâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Fortisâ⬠made an offer to takeover ââ¬Å"ABN AMROâ⬠. In October 2007 acquired ââ¬Å"ABN AMROâ⬠. As part of the deal, ââ¬Å"Grupo Santanderâ⬠acquired ââ¬Å"ABN AMROsâ⬠subsidiary in Brazil and its subsidiary in Italy. On 13 August 2007, ââ¬Å"Banco Santander Central Hispanoâ⬠changed its legal name to ââ¬Å"Banco Santanderâ⬠. In November 2007, it sold Banca Antonveneta to Monte dei Paschi di Siena. In March 2008, Banco Santander sold Interbanca, a subsidiary of Banca Antonveneta, to GE Commercial Finance In July 2008 à it intended to takeover the UK bank Alliance Leicester, the acquisition was completed in October 2008.This was followed by the acquisition of the savings business of UK bank Bradford Bingley (BB) in September 2008. The banks, along with Abbey, are to be merged together under the Santander name in the UK by the end of 2010 These acquisitions saw Santander managing diversified portfolio which reduced the risk and also provided a profitable growth to emerge as the largest financial in the world. Santanderââ¬â¢s continues to focus on the attraction, engagement, development, progression and retention of its senior leaders. 3.5 Long term performance in stock market ââ¬â Table 4- Stock market Key Performance for Santander 2002- 2010 The above table shows Santander Group robust performance in the last decade. Share prices had doubled prior to the 2008 when there was worldwide recession and stock prices tumbled down. Company has shown a great resilient performance and recovered slowly to a steady growth position. Figure 1 ââ¬â Share Prices of Banco Santander Figure 2 ââ¬â Market Capitalisation of Banco Santander 4.0 Empirical Supports Table 5 Key Ratios Performance of Banco Santander 4.5.1 Liquidity ratio Liquidity ratio shows companys ability to repay short-term creditors out of its total cash. The liquidity ratio is the result of dividing the total cash by short-term borrowings. Current ratio = Current Assets/Current liabilities Figure 3 ââ¬â Current Ratio of Banco Santander 4.5.2 Profitability ratio These ratios express the company ability to generate earnings as compared to its expense. Various measures used in this analysis are Return on equity (ROE), return on capital employed (ROCE), and return on asset (ROA) . 4.5.2.1 Return on equity Return on equity (ROE) ââ¬â This measures rate of return on the ownership interest. Itââ¬â¢s efficiency of generating profits from every units of shareholders equity. This is expressed as following formula ROE = Net profit after taxes/Average shareholdersââ¬â¢ equity Figure 4 ââ¬â ROE of Banco Santander 4.5.2.2 Return on capital employed This measure earning with capital invested in the company. This is expressed as ratio of earning before interest taxes to the capital employed. Capital employed is represented as total asset less current liabilities or fixed asset plus working capital. ROCE = Net profit after taxes/Capital Employed Figure 5 ââ¬â ROCE of Banco Santander 4.5.2.3 Return on Assets This measures the profitability of companyââ¬â¢s assets in generating revenue. This is ratio of Net Income to mode of total asset. ROA = Net profit after taxes / Total Assets Figure 6 ââ¬â ROA of Banco Santander 4.5.2.4 Cost-Income ratio This is measure of efficiency. This measure change of cost compare to income. It directly affects the profit margin.à As the efficiency decreases means cost decreases or income increase or increase in cost is less compared to income. This results in improved margin. Figure 7 ââ¬â Efficiency of Banco Santander 4.5.3 Investment valuation ratios Investment ratio is measure of returns in future. This is an anticipated value/Forecast on the investment. 4.5.3.1 Dividend payout ratio (DPR) This ratio measures the percentage of earnings (net income) per common share allocated to paying cash dividends to shareholders. Dividend payout ratio is indicates the earnings of dividend by every share against the earning per share. DPR= Dividends per common share/Earnings per share. Figure 8 ââ¬â DPR of Banco Santander- 4.5.3.1 Earnings per share (EPS) This express part of a companys profit allocated to each outstanding ordinary share. Earning Per Share is a measure/tool used by investors to asses profitability based on the number of shares they hold/own. EPS = (Net Income ââ¬â Dividends on preferred stocks)/Average outstanding ordinary shares Figure 9 ââ¬â EPS of Banco Santander Conclusion In this study the research has been carried out on the M A in general and role of M A on the financial performance of Banco Santander in particular. Deregulation of having single currency Europe wide globalisation opened the market for foreign companies to expand their operation compete against domestic players. This acquisition is a case of cross- border where Santander got opportunity of acquiring diversified portfolio which reduced risk in their business. Ratios such as Liquidity, Profitability, Investors, Gearing Returns have been considered pre post acquisition for analysis in order to understand the financial performance of the bank in the last decade. Santander continued to grow organically and also followed very aggressive cross border acquisitions as a strategy. Santander has shown a very robust performance post acquisition. In 2005 after acquisition of Abbey Santander profits soar group shown 35% rise in profit during the first six months. Overall rise was 44% in the year. Santander continued acquisitions and business growth has been significant year on year basis. Santander performance has been resilient during recession and shown great recovery in 2010. Assets, Market Capitalisation, Profits, Earning Per Share has shown significant growth in the last ten year. High profitability led Santander to pay high dividend to share holders. Santander continues to focus on shareholder values and paid big returns to share holderââ¬â ¢s money. Santander emerged as worldââ¬â¢s biggest financial group in a decade. References Watson, D. Head, A (2010) Corporate Finance: Principles Practices, Abbey National (2004) History According to aboutabbey.com Abbey National (2004) Annual Report According to www.abbeynational.co.uk BBC News (2001) A battle for Abbey National According to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1170339.stm BBC News (2003) Abbey National slumps into losses According to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2799905.stm Forbes (2004) Abbey National Shareholders OK Takeover According to www.forbes.com Taylor. G (2003) UK Building Society demutualization motives Business Ethics, Volume 12 Issue 4 Page 394 Webster. J (2001) Final Thematic Report ââ¬â Retail Financial Services According to www.tcd.ie/erc/Servemploi/reportspdf/FinalThRep/sevthrefiancial.PDFà 5th Edition, Harlow: Prentice Hall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_National aboutsantander.co.uk/ ââ¬Å"www.google.co.ukâ⬠aboutsantander.co.uk/investors/financial-results-and- presentations/2005.aspx santandershareholder.com/financial-information/reports-and-publications/
Friday, February 28, 2020
Quality Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Quality Managment - Essay Example The four absolutes of Crosbyââ¬â¢s quality management system enhance operability and functioning of complex rail networks. Professionals in railway operations must remember that quality always comes at a cost; and it is always cheaper and better to promote superior quality from the very beginning. Quality is always about conforming to requirements Conformance to requirements is the first absolute of Crosby quality management philosophy. As a result, it is imperative that such requirements are clearly defined (Evans & Lindsay 2007). That Crosby defines quality in customer terms makes quality management an extremely challenging task, since every customer has his(her) own vision of quality. A business executive traveling from Leeds to London for a full dayââ¬â¢s work is looking for superior quality of network rail operations, which should manifest through the no-delay-approaches. Simply stated, a business executive whose schedule is overfilled with meetings and tasks will hardly w ish his train to be late. Business executives traveling for workplace and business purposes usually have their days planned minute by minute. A train is just an instrument of meeting their business objectives. Any delay may become a serious impediment to the development of effective relations between business executives, their suppliers and customers. Therefore, quality is judged by whether or not network rails operate in accordance with their schedules and deadlines. By contrast, grandparents traveling from Sheffield to spend the weekend with their grandchildren in Brighton will always search for the best cost. Affordability will become the main criterion of quality judgments. Older people experience budget constraints and are extremely economical in their financial decisions. However, they do not want the cost of traveling to be low by all possible means; rather, they will look for an option that is equally cheap and safe. A company that manages to offer a safe and affordable trav eling alternative will become the object of grandparentsââ¬â¢ choice. Eventually, four friends from Sunderland wanting to take a 4 day break in Paris want to have a nice and pleasant journey. Most probably, they will look for an affordable network rail option that offers smooth travel, includes a good restaurant to spend time in, and makes possible to observe wonderful landscapes and sights on their way to Paris. Such people want everything to be perfect. They do not want their holidays to be spoiled by minor disturbances. However, again, safety will become the main quality requirement for them. Whatever the purpose of traveling, all passengers will expect railway professionals to secure them from the risks of accidents and delays. Quality management: Prevention rather than detection Superior quality management systems rely on the premise that prevention is always better than detection. This is particularly the case of railway networks, which are characterized by relatively high risks of accidents and technical failures. Like any other complex technical mechanism, railways operate in the atmosphere of uncertainty, and prevention is the best way to protect passengers and technical assets from unnecessary failures and risks. Three possible ways to prevent undesirable occurrences from happening in Network Rail may include (1) road safety audit; (2) the use of GIS and GPS systems; and (3) regular training and checks
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Canada's Missing And Murdered Aboriginal Women Essay
Canada's Missing And Murdered Aboriginal Women - Essay Example Canada's Missing And Murdered Aboriginal Women In order for the government to redeem its look in the eyes of the public, it has to consider the extent at which it has indicated the dedication towards the solving of the disappearance case (Cbc par5). Since the issue has blown into different parameters, the government ought to consider the potential implication of the disappearances by setting up a national public inquiry, better police intercommunication and improving the relations between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal more so in the police relations. The issue of the disappearance of the women can be best explained using the highway of tears. This is documentation of the number of deaths that have taken place in an 800 km stretch between Prince George and Prince Lupert. The documentation covered the number of the disappearances to be between 18 according to the official information, however, the aboriginal leaders place the number of the women that disappeared to be up to 43 people from 1969-2011. The lack of a conclusive solution to the murdershas often been linked to the assumptions that the government is not keen on the investigations owing to the racial orientations of most of the victims. The issue that most of the reports overlooks is the races of the victims of the murders. Over half of all the people that died in the highway of tears are aboriginal. This is the main aspect that the proponents of the racial discrimination possibility use to argue for their assertion.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Analyzation of the Kings Speech Essay Example for Free
Analyzation of the Kings Speech Essay Anatole Francis wrote, ââ¬Å" To accomplish great things, one must not only act but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.â⬠In the film The Kingââ¬â¢s Speech, King George VI did not believe that speech therapy could help him. He was so traumatized after trying to articulate clearly in front thousands of people. The audience frowned with disdain and sympathy for him. The minute one experiences embarrassment, he or she will never want to experience it again. The King tried many techniques one can think of, But because of his short fuse and temper, he was not too successful. His supportive wife Elizabeth, seeks a speech therapist named Lionel Logue, who was the key to his success and accomplishments with overcoming his speech impediment. Even though the speech therapist didnââ¬â¢t have a degree, his intense therapeutic lessons did the King well, which proves that no one has to have a degree in order to help someone overcome a challenging obstacle. Overcoming a challenge doesnââ¬â¢t happen instantly or automatically. It is the outcome of an intention and conscious efforts to doing things that scare a person. Pageantry involves frequent public speaking and impromptu questions. On one eventful night of the Miss Sophomore Sweetheart 2009-2010 pageant, there was a contestant who was truly awesome the whole night until the question and answer segment. She stepped out in a gorgeous turquoise cocktail dress and cinderella glass heels. She stood in front of the mic awaiting her question. The contestant was so nervous that her knees began to tremble. The only thing she could do was smile and listen. The master of ceremonies finally began asking the question. As the contestant began to answer the question, she stared right into the audience as they were whispering and giggling. She then stopped in her tracks and started to stumble. Her heart felt a deep pounding because of the embarrassing moment. She then got lost in her answer and terribly confused. To end that embarrassing moment, she just said ââ¬Å"Thank you!â⬠She quickly walked off the stage in disappointment knowing that her chance of the crown was gone. After that, she never wanted to do another show again. Later in the year 2010, she decided that she would like to vie for the prestigious title of Virgin Islands Carnival Queen. But she had one problem and that was the impromptu segment of question and answer. In the film The Kingââ¬â¢s Speech, there were many techniques used to improve his stuttering. This includes diaphragmatic breathing, shadowing, masking and pacing techniques. Also, when they would have little conversations, when he stuttered, Mr. Logue would tell him to sing it in a song. He also used tongue twisters to exercise his tongue. These techniques were also applied in the lessons for the contestant who stumbled on her words. Her chaperone, Mrs. Kenya Frett Rowe, like Mr. Logue, also doesnt have a degree, but, also like him, she did a great job. Taking smaller breaths with the diaphragm, helped the contestant to relax and to speak more fluently. When relaxing the breathing, the entire body will be relaxed, and this would make the body more comfortable than tense and nervous. This was exactly what the contestant needed. She was also taught to pace herself while answering the question. Slowing down and pacing helps tremendously in preventing stuttering and stumbling. Every other day, Mrs. Rowe and the contestant would work on her issue of answering impromptu questions and giving speeches for the show. The day of any interview or introductory performance, they would go to the place where the event was being held and practice. This was a big help for the contestant because it allowed her to feel comfortable on the day of the event. The night of the Virgin Islands Carnival Queen show was one of the biggest moments of her life. It was time to answer the impromptu question. She stepped out onto the stage with confidence, but deep inside, she was very nervous. As she stood in front of the mic, she thought of all the techniques she was taught. After they asked the question she took a deep breathe and began to answer. After she said ââ¬Å"thank youâ⬠, she couldnââ¬â¢t believe that she done it. She was in shock and full of excitement at the same time. She was so relieved that it was over. Her chaperone was very proud. As a result of overcoming challenging obstacles, one grows as a person and expands the possibilities that surrounds their life. Stuttering is due to a combination of factors, including genetic and environmental. In order to overcome challenging obstacles, one must have support and someone who believes in them. Mrs. Rowe believed in her contestant just like Mr. Logue believed in the King. He believed that he was a strong and powerful individual whom with time can overcome any obstacle with good help and support. Even though Mr. Logue did not have a degree, he was still a great therapist. This shows that one does not have to be taught in an academic environment to help someone overcome challenging obstacles. Being experienced is just as good as having a degree.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Wicca the Complete Craft by D.J. Conway Essay -- Wicca the Complete Cr
Wicca the Complete Craft was written by D.J. Conway. This book was published by Crossing Press in 2001. It covers and goes through very thoroughly the many ceremonies, traditions, holidays, beliefs, and much more of the Wiccan religion. Wicca the Complete Craft was written with the intent to help someone go through the process of joining the Wiccan religion rather than a reference for someone to simply learn about the religion. Do not let me mislead you though, the book provides wonderful insight into the religion. It was just not written with that intent. It provides numerous list and step-by-step instructions but very little pictures and diagrams. The content of the book did not require a whole lot of diagrams or pictures, list and step-by-step instructions were adequate enough. I give Wicca the Complete Craft 4.7 stars on a 5.0 scale. The only thing that stopped me from giving Wicca the Complete Craft a solid 5.0 stars was that the author, D.J. Conway, came of as somewhat biased at times. It was very subtle, but he would slip in comments that the book could do without. You can tell he is very passionate and very serious about his religion, Wicca. I think that is fantastic but the comments that he slipped in every so often may turn people away or agitate them. I brushed them off and I am so glad I did because the Wiccan religion is fascinating and I learned so much from Wicca the Complete Craft. Wicca is an extremely old religion. Wiccan beliefs and views are so alien to the more modern religions like Christianity and Judaism. A major aspect of the Wiccan religion is covens. A coven is basically a group of 3 or more Witches (Witches are what people of the Wiccan religion call themselves) that gather together ... ... He touched base on everything you need to know to become a Witch. He even provided exercises to help you along with your journey to becoming a Witch. For the spell work aspect of the Wiccan religion he provided step-by-step instructions on several different spells. He thoroughly goes through all the processes to become a Witch. He made the reading easy to understand and if there is a word you do not recognize you can most likely find it in the multiple little dictionaries he has provided on words that have to do with the Wiccan religion throughout the book. When the need arises he provides pictures and charts. In the chapter on runes there is a particularly handy chart. There are a lot of lists in this book and they are a load of help. Overall Wicca The Complete Craft was an outstanding read. Works Cited Wicca the Complete Craft by D.J. Conway
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Hardness of Water
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS HARDNESS OF WATER:It is when water passes through or over deposit such as limestone; the level of Caà ²Ã¢ »and Mgà ²Ã¢ ºand HCOââÆ' ions present in the water can greatly increase and cause the water to be classified as hard water. This term results from the fact that cation and magnesium ions in water combine with soap molecules, making it hard to get suds. High level of water ion such as Caà ²Ã¢ » and Mgà ²Ã¢ ºÃ can cause scaly deposits in plumbing appliances & boilers.These two ions also combine chemically with soap molecules resulting in decreased cleansing. The American water works Association indicates that the ideal quality water should not contain more than 80mg/l of total hardness as CaCOââÆ'. High levels of total hardness are not considered a health concern. There are two types of Hardness:Temporary hardness: this is due to the presence of bicorbonates of calcium and magnesium. It can be easily removed by boiling. Permanent hardness: this is due to the presence of chlorides & sulphate of calcium & magnesium. This type of hardness cannot be removed by boiling.MOTIVATIONI was bothered that the water in Ilara community doesnââ¬â¢t combine easily with soap leading to excessive consumption of WATER.ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE:Scales are formed as inner coating of the pipelines prevents corrosion Absolute soft waters are corrosive and dissolve metalsMore causes of cardio vascular diseases are reported in soft water areas Hard water is useful to growth of children due to the presence of calcium Hard water cause excessive consumption of soap used for cleaning purpose, sodium soaps react with multivalent metallic cations to form a precipitate, thereby lose their surfactant properties. Lathering doesnââ¬â¢t take place until all hardness ions precipitate out.APPARATUS Conical Flask {250ml} Burette with retort stand Beaker Wash bottles Standard flask PipettesMETHOD Simple titration methodREAGENTS Ammonium chloride Amm onium hydroxide Ilara-Mokin water {HâââO} Magnesium sulphate Erichrome black T EDTA (Disodium salt).PREPARATION OF REAGENTS 1. Standard solution of EDTAThe usual reagent is the disodium salt, which is a dehydrate, Mr=372.24; it is available in sufficiently pure form to be used as a primary standard for most purposes. If necessary, it may be dried at 80à ° for four days to remove a small percentage of water that may have been absorbed. The solution should be stored in plastic containers rather than glass bottles. The solution is stable but if stored in glass bottles (particularly if the glass is new), the concentration of a dilute solution will decrease appreciably with time as metal ions are extracted out of the glass. To prepare 2 1 of the reagent, dissolve 7.44g of the salt in enough deionized water to make exactly 2 1 of solution. 2. Buffer solution(pH 10)Add 17.5g of ammonium chloride to 142cmà ³ of ammonium chloride to 142cmà ³ of 0.88 ammonia solution and make up to 25 0cmà ³ with deionized water. 3. Eriochrome Black T indicatorThis indicator can be purchased as a powder. The solid is hygroscopic, and so must be stored in a tightly stoppered container.EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE (testing of the Ilara-mokin water) We Pipetted 200ml of the water sample and transfer it to a clean 250ml conical flask. We Added 2ml of Ammonia buffer solution to the water sample so that the pH will be maintained between 9 & 10. We added few drops of EBT indicator to the conical flask and the sample turns to wine red in color. Before we started the titration; we rinsed the burette with few ml of EDTAà then Filled the burette with 0.02m EDTA solution & adjusted to zero then fixed it in retort stand. We titrated the sample against the EDTA solution in the burette till all calcium and magnesium ions present in the sample reacted with the EDTA.The appearance of blue color indicated that all Ca and Mg ions were complex with EDTA and forms a metal EDTA complex. i.e. the end poin t of the titration We Noted down the burette reading and repeated titration two more times.RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENTSAMPLE A FINAL READINNGS 1.50 1.40 1.40 INITIAL READINGS 0.00 0.00 0.00 TITRE VALUES 1.50 1.40 1.40Average titre value= 1.50 +1.40+1.40 =4.3 3 3à =1.43cmà ³Ã =1.43 x 20= 28.6 cmà ³SAMPLE B FINAL READINGS 2.90 3.10 2.90 INITIAL READINGS 0.00 0.00 0.00 TITRE VALUES 2.90 3.10 2.90Average titre value=2.90+3.10+2.90 = 8.90 3 3à =2.97cmà ³Ã =2.97 x 20= 59.4cmà ³
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
An Evolving Diagnostic Decision Support System - 769 Words
REFERENCES 1. SmolinskiG., MilanovaM. G. and HassanienA. E.: Studies in Computational Intelligence :Computational Intelligence in Biomedicine and Bioinformatics. ISBN-10: 354070776X | ISBN-13: 978-3540707769,Springer-Verlag(2011). 2. Devlin G.: Decision Support Systems: Advances In. ISBN: 9789533070698, In-Tech Publishing (2010).â⬠3. Barnett, G. O., Cimino, J. J., Hupp, J. A., Hoffer, E. P. (1987). DXplain: an evolving diagnostic decision-support system. Jama, 258(1), 67-74.â⬠4. Jackson P. C.: Introduction to artificial intelligence. ISBN 048624864X,Courier Corporation (1985).â⬠5. SuzukiK.: Artificial neural networks: methodological advances and biomedical applications. InTech, ISBN-13: 9789533072432( 2011).â⬠6. Lingras P. J.: Rough neural network. In: Proc. of the 6th Int. Conf. on Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-based Systems (IPMU96). pp.1445-1450, Granada, Spain (1996). 7. ellaHassanien, A., Ã
Å¡lzak, D. (2006). Rough neural intelligent approach for image classification: A case of patients with suspected breast cancer.International Journal of Hybrid Intelligent Systems, 3(4), 205-218.â⬠8. Pal, S. K., Polkowski, L. (Eds.). (2012). Rough-Neural Computing: Techniques for Computing with Words. Springer Science Business Media.â⬠9. Peters, J. F., Han, L., Ramanna, S. (2001). Rough neural computing in signal analysis. Computational Intelligence, 17(3), 493-513.â⬠10. Peters, J. F., Skowron, A., Han, L., Ramanna, S. (2000, October).Show MoreRelatedThe Patient Centered Care Concept955 Words à |à 4 Pages The patient centered care concept support the active involvement of the patients and their families, in the decision making process that are related upon the treatment services. 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