Importance of Path Dependence in Management Essay

Importance of Path Dependence in Management - Essay Example The strong implication is that actors in a particular process become locked-in mechanisms that are themselves a product of historical contingencies. This perspective holds that phenomena are complex, and, therefore, a result of mutually interacting variables which produce non-linear dynamics and feedback loops. The complexity of the discourse on organisational change and innovation has only increased. This is occasioned by two divergent views. The first view holds that new and more flexible or fluid organisational forms are on demand while the second view holds the belief in organisational inertia and the historical necessity of decision making (Garud, Arun, and Peter, 2009:760). These two views have confronted managers who have to balance between new ideas and customs of an organisation or an industry. This is mostly influenced in concepts such as entrepreneurial mindset where actors are more driven by the logic of control which drives them to effectively actualise complex processes. This has made path dependence essential to managers as they struggle to understand the basic factors underlying most organisational processes and past successes while linking them with the realities of the moment to improve sustenance of an organisational performance and effectiveness (Coombs and Hull, 1997:1 -26). In a case study of Toyota production system (TPS), the perspective of change as a path dependence phenomenon promotes the importance of this concept in management (Driel and Dolfsma, 2009:67). To begin with, TPS created lock-in mechanisms long before the development of a proper mechanism involving relative competition. The competitors were able to copy some of the TPS models with accuracy and create considerable competition. However, through application of its significant and reliable production techniques and marketing strategies, they maintained loyalty of a client base that believed in the products produced by Toyota (Driel and Dolfsma, 2009:67).

What Led to the Civil War Essay Example for Free

What Led to the Civil War Essay During the 1800’s, slavery in America became a bigger and bigger issue and discussion. The North opposed slavery and thought everything about it was wrong. Whereas the South felt slavery was an essential part of their lives, and that without it they would not survive. In April of 1861, during the first month of the Civil War Alfred M. Green delivered a speech to his fellow African Americans to join the Union forces of the North. Green uses allusions in his speech to help persuade his fellow African Americans to join the Union forces. Green felt that if anyone should be fighting in a war for freedom from slavery, it should be African Americans. He states, â€Å"My country, right or wrong, I love thee still!† Meaning regardless how wrong the South’s actions were or could be at times, Green and his people would still love them and fight for what was right. African Americans needed the extra boost of confidence, and Green was just that. He says, â€Å"Let us, take up the sword, trusting in God, who will defend the right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By bringing in this statement of faith this made the tone more comfortable and reassuring, as if God was on his side, and would do the right thing in the end. The passion and drive of Green would overall have a great impact on African Americans. Green says, â€Å"Remember, too, that your very presence among the troops of the North would inspire your oppressed brethren of the South†¦living God the God of truth, justice and equality to all men.† This created a new confidence for the North and slaves that wanted to make a difference in how they were being treated. Given these points, Green uses personal experiences and emotion to help

Sources Of Finance For Kfc Finance Essay

Sources Of Finance For Kfc Finance Essay KFC began with Colonel Harland Sanders. He discovered his penchant for cooking when he was only 9 years old. Through the years he grew up to become a personage the world knows as Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC. He reached celebrity status in 1952, when he decided to franchise his famous Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe blends of 11 herbs and spices to the rest of America. By the early 70s, that special recipe reached Malaysia. KFC Holdings owns approximately 27 Kedai Ayamas and 4 Ayamas Depots, making them the nations first branded chicken and chicken-based retain chain. KFC Holdings operates the KFC chain of restaurants in Malaysian, Singapore and Brunei (523 restaurants) and the Rasamas chain of restaurants in Malaysia (about 37 outlets). Sources of finance are where finance comes from. There are three kinds of sources which are Bank loans, Owners (share) capital and Trade credit . Finance is money which is a scarce resource. To obtain it, a business has to compete for it. Individuals, the government and other businesses all seek money to finance their needs. Those with money to lend will lend it provided the rate of return (interest), the risk and flexibility (how quickly the money can be repossessed) are consistent with their expectations. The word lend often implies to short-term; the word invest implies to long-term. Individuals or organisations that lend money, expect to get their money back, with a fixed annual return in a comparatively short time. Those who invest in a company become part-owners share holders. They expect regular payment of cash dividends (whose size varies with the companys success) plus an increase in the value of their shares. A major source of finance for many businesses is the retained profit from sales to customers. A business just starting up or one expanding rapidly has to raise its finance from other sources. There are three kind of finance question which relates the finance which the management should consider. Duration: for how long is the finance required? Cost: which source of finance is the least expensive? repayment: what level is acceptable Duration Duration depends on the reason the money is needed. No-one would take out a 25 year mortgage to finance the purchase of a personal HiFi. Few people would buy a house with a bank overdraft. Businesses apply the same principles of matching the purpose of finance with the source of finance. This makes sense all round. For the business it ensures that finance is guaranteed as long as it is needed. For the investor it ensures that adequate security is available for the duration of the loan as in the case of a 20 year loan secured against a property that will continue to have value for all the 20 years. Cost In general, businesses look for the cheapest source of finance. The easiest way to compare the cost of finance is to express the annual payment to lenders/investors as a percentage of the amount of finance provided. Interest on a loan can be expressed in percentage terms. So can the rate of return to shareholders. Return on investment in shares = Dividend per share, share price change since the start of year The rate of return expected by shareholders becomes the cost to the business of using this form of finance. Repayment A business should not get into a position where all of its profits are being swallowed up in interest payments. There is a real danger of borrowing too much. The same applies to individuals. Type of sources of finance: government purchase loan stock leasing venture capital hire purchase ordinary shares warrant retailed earning borrowings Ordinary Shares Ordinary shares also known as common stock or voting share is a share of stock giving stockholders the right to vote no matters of corporate policy and the composition of the members of the board of directors. Ordinary shares are issued to the owners of a company. They have a nominal or face value, typically of RM1 or 50 cents. The market value of a quoted companys shares bears no relationship to their nominal value, except that when ordinary shares are issued for cash, the issue price must be equal to or be more than the nominal value of the shares. Preference Shares Preference shares, also called preferred stock or preferred shares, is typically a higher ranking stock than common stock, and its terms are negotiated between the corporation and the investor. Preference shares usually carries no voting rights, but may carry priority over common stock in the payment of dividends and upon liquidate Preference shares may carry a dividend that is paid out prior to any dividends being paid to common stock holders. Preference shares may have a convertibility feature into common stock. Preference stockholders will be paid out in assets before common stockholders and after debt holders in bankruptcy. Terms of the preferred stock are stated in a Certificate of Designation. From the companys point of view, preference shares are advantageous in that:  · Dividends do not have to be paid in a year in which profits are poor, while this is not the case with interest payments on long term debt (loans or debentures).  · Since they do not carry voting rights, preference shares avoid diluting the control of existing shareholders while an issue of equity shares would not.  · The issue of preference shares does not restrict the companys borrowing power, at least in the sense that preference share capital is not secured against assets in the business. Loan Stock Common or preferred stock shares that are used as collateral to secure a loan from another party.  The loan will earn a fixed interest rate, much like a standard loan, and can be secured or unsecured.  A secured loan stock may also be called a convertible loan stock if the loan stock can be directly converted to common shares under specified conditions and with a pre-determined conversion rate, as with an irredeemable convertible unsecured loan stock (ICULS).   Retained Earnings Retained earnings refer to the portion of net income which is retained by the corporation rather than distributed to its owners as dividends. Similarly, if the corporation makes a loss, then that loss is retained and called variously retained losses, accumulated losses or accumulated deficit. Retained earnings and losses are cumulative from year to year with losses offsetting earnings. Retained earnings are reported in the shareholders equity section of the balance sheet. Companies with net accumulated losses may refer to negative shareholders equity as a shareholders deficit. A complete report of the retained earnings or retained losses is presented in the Statement of retained earnings or Statement of retained losses. The major reasons for using retained earnings to finance new investments, rather than to pay higher dividends and then raise new equity for the new investments, are as follows: a) The management of many companies believes that retained earnings are funds which do not cost anything, although this is not true. However, it is true that the use of retained earnings as a source of funds does not lead to a payment of cash. b) The dividend policy of the company is in practice determined by the directors. From their standpoint, retained earnings are an attractive source of finance because investment projects can be undertaken without involving either the shareholders or any outsiders. c) The use of retained earnings as opposed to new shares or debentures avoids issue costs. d) The use of retained earnings avoids the possibility of a change in control resulting from an issue of new shares. Borrowings Receiving something of value in exchange for an obligation to pay back something of usually greater value at a particular time in the future. Borrowings are divided into three terms. Short term lending may be in the form of: a) An overdraft, which a company should keep within a limit set by the bank. Interest is charged (at a variable rate) on the amount by which the company is overdrawn from day to day; b) A short-term loan, for up to three years. Medium-term loans are loans for a period of from three to ten years. The rate of interest charged on medium-term bank lending to large companies will be a set margin, with the size of the margin depending on the credit standing and riskiness of the borrower. A loan may have a fixed rate of interest or a variable interest rate, so that the rate of interest charged will be adjusted every three, six, nine or twelve months in line with recent movements in the Base Lending Rate. Longer-term bank loans will sometimes be available, usually for the purchase of property, where the loan takes the form of a mortgage. Leasing Leasing is a process by which a firm can obtain the use of a certain fixed assets for which it must pay a series of contractual, periodic, tax deductible payments. The lessee is the receiver of the services or the assets under the lease contract and the lessor is the owner of the assets. The relationship between the tenant and the landlord is called a tenancy, and can be for a fixed or an indefinite period of time (called the term of the lease). The consideration for the lease is called rent. There are two basic forms of lease: operating leases and finance leases. Operating leases Operating leases are rental agreements between the lessor and the lessee whereby: a) The lessor supplies the equipment to the lessee b) The lessor is responsible for servicing and maintaining the leased equipment Finance leases Finance leases are lease agreements between the user of the leased asset (the lessee) and a provider of finance (the lessor) for most, or all, of the assets expected useful life. Suppose that a company decides to obtain a company car and finance the acquisition by means of a finance lease. A car dealer will supply the car. A finance house will agree to act as lessor in a finance leasing arrangement, and so will purchase the car from the dealer and lease it to the company. The company will take possession of the car from the car dealer, and make regular payments (monthly, quarterly, six monthly or annually) to the finance house under the terms of the lease. Hire Purchase Hire purchase is the legal term for a contract developed in the United Kingdom. It is also called closed-end leasing. In cases where a buyer cannot afford to pay the asked price for an item of property as a lump sum but can afford to pay a percentage as a deposit, a hire-purchase contract allows the buyer to hire the goods for a monthly rent. When a sum equal to the original full price plus interest has been paid in equal installments, the buyer may then exercise an option to buy the goods at a predetermined price (usually a nominal sum) or return the goods to the owner Venture Capital Venture capital (also known as VC or Venture) is a type of private equity capital typically provided for early-stage, high-potential, growth companies in the interest of generating a return through an eventual realization event such as an IPO or trade sale of the company. Venture capital investments are generally made as cash in exchange for shares in the invested company. It is typical for venture capital investors to identify and back companies in high technology industries such as biotechnology and ICT (information and communication technology Franchising Franchising is a method of expanding business on less capital than would otherwise be needed. For suitable businesses, it is an alternative to raising extra capital for growth. Franchisors include Budget Rent-a-Car, Wimpy, Nandos Chicken and Chicken Inn Other possible alternatives can be used by KFCH KFC Holdings have been running their operation with all the types of source of finance as stated above. In order to further enhance themselves as well improving their investors relations, they can apply other kind of source to run their business KFC has not issue warrants throughout the financial year. Warrants are, in effect, options granted by the business that entitle the holder to subscribe for a specified quantity of ordinary shares, for a specified price at, or after, a specified time- usually several years following their issue. The business would usually issue the warrants in one of two ways, that is to sell them, in which case it would derive a cash inflow, or attach them to a loan stock issue as a sweetener or incentive to investors to take up the loan stock. Apart from that, KFC can even issue Employees Share Option Scheme at various options. An employee share scheme is one way to give employees a stake in your business and help  improve its performance. As employees normally have to remain with the business to get this benefit, share schemes encourage loyalty and can help you retain valued staff. They act as an incentive or reward and may also help recruitment. (Extracted from Business Link, http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074472937) In fact, KFC could even use hire purchase to source their finance. Hire purchase is referred to sales promotion device that creates customers purchasing power in the form of a fixed cost, fixed period installment loan, secured by a lien on the purchased item as the collateral. In case of capital equipment, the customer repays the loan from the earnings generated by the purchased asset (which otherwise would have remained unsold due to the customers lack of cash). During the repayment period the buyer has the possession and use but not the ownership (title) to the item. Only upon the full payment of the loan, the title passes to the buyer. Also called installment buying, it is a social innovation that expands the economy with additional income. (Extracted from Business Dictionary.com, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/hire-purchase.html) APPENDIX Share capital From the financial statement for the year 2008, KFC holdings issued 1,000,0000 new ordinary shares valued RM1.00 each for the year 2008 and 2007. . However, only 198,275 shares at RM 1.00 each was issued and fully paid. SHARE CAPITAL Number of Ordinary Shares of RM1 each Amount 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 000 000 RM000 RM000 Authorised At 1 January/ 31 December 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 Issued and fully paid At 1 January/ 31 December 198,275 198,275 198,275 198,275 Retained Earnings The percentage of net earnings not paid out  as dividends, but retained by the company to be reinvested in its core business or to pay debt. It is recorded under shareholders equity on the balance sheet. The formula calculates retained earnings by adding net income to (or subtracting any net losses from) beginning retained earnings and subtracting any dividends paid to shareholders: KFC Holdings recorded RM 316,703,000 of retained earnings in year 2008 compared to RM 257,611,000 in year 2007 for company. This shows that KFC retained their net earnings higher in year 2008 so that they can reinvest in its core business to pay its debt. Borrowings Borrowings are classified under short term borrowings and long term borrowings. KFC Holdings borrowed RM 20,000,000 in year 2008 while there were no borrowings for the year 2007 under company. On the other hand, KFCs long term borrowings amounted to RM 40,000,000 in year 2008 compared to RM 60,000,000 in year 2007. The total borrowings for the two years were RM 60,000,000 respectively. (Refer note: 26) The term loans granted to the Company are secured by the following: i First and third party charge over certain land and buildings as disclosed in Note 12(b) and Note 15 ii Deposits pledged with licensed banks as disclosed in Note 18 iii Corporate guarantee of the Company and a related company iv Debenture of a subsidiarys assets Company 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 Short term borrowings Secured Term loans 20,000 Unsecured Term loans 20,000 Long term borrowings Secured Term loans 40,000 60,000 Unsecured Term loans 40,000 60,000 Total borrowings Secured Term loans 60,000 60,000 Unsecured Term loans 60,000 60,000 Leasing KFCs leasing is analysed as long term leasehold land and short term leasehold land. The groups long term leasehold land notched RM 63,733,000 in 2008 compared to RM 63,868,000 in 2007. However, their short term leasehold land was RM 68,000 in 2008 while in year 2007, it was RM 73,000. Overall, their total leasing was RM 63,841,000 and RM 63,941,000 for the two years respectively. Leasehold land with an aggregate carrying value of RM30, 434,000 (2007: RM30, 822,000) are pledged as securities for borrowings. Group 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 At 1 January 63,941 62,687 Addition 1,830 Disposal (106) Acquisition of a subsidiary 722 Reclassification from property, plant and equipment 333 Amortisation for the year (822) (803) At 31 December 63,841 63,941 Analysed as: Long term leasehold land 63,773 63,868 Short term leasehold land 68 73 63,841 63,941 INCOME STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2008 Group Company Note 2008 2007 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 RM000 RM000 Revenue 3 2,179,788 1,730,371 97,220 88,000 Cost of sales 4 (1,064,548) (770,048) Gross profit 1,115,240 960,323 97,220 88,000 Other income 22,615 22,797 30,210 26,972 Administrative expenses (118,670) (109,061) (28,757) (22,713) Selling and marketing expenses (837,547) (712,109) Other expenses (6,622) (24) (2,310) (26,229) Operating profit 175,016 161,926 96,363 66,030 Finance costs 5 (7,559) (11,302) (2,887) (5,823) Profit before tax 6 167,457 150,624 93,476 60,207 Income tax expense 9 (47,107) (45,081) (9,522) (23,437) Profit for the year 120,350 105,543 83,954 36,770 Attributable to: Equity holders of the Company 118,535 1 04,269 Minority interests 1,815 1,274 120,350 105,543 Earnings per share attributable to equity holders of the Company (sen): Basic, for profit for the year 10 59.8 52.6 BALANCE SHEETS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2008 Group Company Note 2008 2007 2008 2007 RM000 RM000 RM000 RM000 Assets Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 12 615,059 529,658 19,750 19,908 Investments in subsidiaries 13 354,250 353,590 Investment properties 14 898 2,000 585 Prepaid land lease payments 15 63,84 1 63,941 Intangible assets 16 69,835 68,063 Other investment 17 4,500 Fixed deposits 18 6,324 6,324 749,633 674,486 374,000 380,407 Current assets Inventories 19 158,474 112,312 Trade and other receivables 20 128,112 78,972 222,742 156,642 Other investment 17 20,203 Cash and bank balances 21 97,985 140,358 6,797 11,826 404,774 331,642 229,539 168,468 Total assets 1,154,407 1,006,128 603,539 548,875 Equity and liabilities Equity attributable to equity holders of the company Share capital 22 198,275 198,275 198,275 198,275 Other reserves 23 47,705 50,963 22,080 26,560 Retained earnings 24 446,178 352,783 316,703 257,611 692,158 602,021 537,058 482,446 Minority interests 10,232 6,920 Total equity 702,390 608,941 537,058 482,446 Non-current liabilities Retirement benefit obligations 25 3,313 3,758 Borrowings 26 65,944 110,907 40,000 60,000 Deferred tax liabilities 27 31,602 25,036 107 444 100,859 139,701 40,107 60,444 Current liabilities Retirement benefit obligations 25 623 Borrowings 26 75,111 12,080 20,000 Trade and other payables 28 275,424 242,110 6,374 5,985 Current tax payable 3,296 351,158 257,486 26,374 5,985 Total liabilities 452,017 397,187 66,481 66,429 Total equity and liabilities 1,154,407 1,006,128 603,539 548,875

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

Of Mice and Men is one of Steinbeck’s best novels. John Steinbeck, born in Salinas, CA he goes back to that setting for this novel. There are five to six characters that Steinbeck develops and opens up to the reader through the novel. Although George, Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all seek a place to belong and someone to love as a cure to there loneliness, all their dreams for a better future are destroyed in the novel. George and Lennie are an unlikely pair of friends who are introduced in the beginning. George is â€Å"small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.†(2) Lennie contradicts George because he is a â€Å"huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders, and he walked heavily.†(2) George is the more dominant of the two because Lennie is slow in the head. George and Lennie are different from the rest of the people in the same occupation because as Lennie said to George, â€Å"because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.†(14) They are also different because as George said, â€Å"We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.†(14) They also share a common goal for their future together. They want to be able to live on there own and have a couple of acres so they can plant things and have animals. They are going to â€Å"live off the fatta the lan’.†(14) This single dream makes George and Lennie different from everyone else. Candy is a nice, old, handicapped man on the ranch. He lost his hand four years earlier in a farm machine while working. Candy overheard George and Lennie discussing about a small piece of land they would like to buy. Candy was compensated $250 for the lost of his hand and has a total of $350 he is willing to invest into the place with George and Lennie. Candy wants to get the place soon because he knows they are going to fire him sometime in the near future. When they fire him he will not have anyone or anything at all. Candy says, â€Å"When they can me here I just wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go.†(60) So, Candy just wants to be needed and to always have a place to work at and George and Lennie are his way to achieve that goal.

Communication Skill

1. Reading Comprehension oReading comprehension is one important communication skill a pharmacy technician must have. They must be able to read and understand prescription information and instructions from doctors to fill patients' prescriptions. Pharmacy technicians need to be able to fill prescriptions with detail and accuracy, as even a slight mistake or misunderstanding can be dangerous to a patient. Prescription drugs are often long and uncommon words, so pharmacy technicians need to read each prescription accurately, and call the doctor's office with any questions or clarification.Give Instruction oOne management and communication skill pharmacy technicians must have is the ability to give instructions. Pharmacy technicians needs to communicate clearly to patients regarding usage and other details of their prescription or over-the-counter medication. Patients must follow their doctor's orders when it comes to how much prescription medication to take, and when — it the ph armacy technician's responsibility to help patients understand those details.Pharmacy technicians also must be able to give instruction and communicate other information to co-workers. o Customer Service oCustomer service skills are another valuable communication aspect of a pharmacy technician's job. Patients often have a number of different options when it comes to pharmacies for prescription fulfillment. Therefore, to retain existing customers and attract new ones, pharmacy technicians need to be friendly, personable and helpful. Providing patients with quality service gives them a reason to keep coming back.Inventory and Maintenance oAnother management skill a pharmacy technician must have is the ability to take accurate inventory and perform maintenance on all equipment and the facility in general. Pharmacy technicians must keep accurate inventory of medication so they know what they have on hand. They must discard expired medication and stock new medication, and record those a ctions. Pharmacy technicians also need to ensure all equipment, such as scales, measuring tools and computers, are working properly. Communication Skill Effective Communication Skills Effective communication skills are the key to your success because there are people everywhere! Our effective communication training  webinars  and  tools  will show you: | Advantages of effective communication| | Effective communication in the workplace| | Effective communication techniques| | Four styles of communication (DISC)| | Conflict resolution strategies| | Communicating Using Email| | Persuasion and sales strategies| | Non verbal communication| |   | Effective Communication Effective communication happens largely at an unconscious level†¦ nd that's why the most effective communicators of all time paid as much attention to  how  they were delivering their message as they did to the exact words that they were using. And that's why it's so easy for email to go horribly wrong. Don't get me wrong†¦ words are critically important to getting your message through loud and clear, but the psychology behind them is more important. And that's why Maximum Advantage is dedicated to combining the latest advances in psychology and linguistics with time tested methods to give you a communication edge that some might consider to be â€Å"unfair† The Communication Process The communication process is a six step cycle, and unfortunately the communication can break down or become confused at any step. Sometimes the message isn't even clear in our own brain, and yet we still expect others to know what we mean! Then the encoding, sending, and decoding phases all provide opportunities for errors and misunderstandings to crop into the process. In the fifth step, the receiver has to filter the message and decide what it means based on their own values, beliefs, filters, and memories. If any of these steps fails, the result is confusion, conflict, and frustration. Effective Communication Video Here's a short video that explains exactly how the effective communication process works. How To Communicate Effectively Cons idering how many opportunities there are for communication to go wrong – it's amazing that it ever goes right! Here are  my  seven rules for effective communication: 1. Take responsibility for the success of your communication. If they're not â€Å"getting it†, it's because you're not giving it in a way they can understand. To learn to communicate in  ways that people instinctively understand, visit  Communication University. . Realize that the unconscious mind is your greatest ally. Here's a demonstration. 3. It's not about you. To communicate effectively, learn to see the world for the other person's perspective. 4. If what you're doing isn't working†¦ do something different. 5. Communication can change reality. That's why advertisers spent $165,000,000,000 last year†¦ and you can have the same impact when you know how. Here's information about persuasion. 6. Every action has a positive intention. You just have to find it. 7. It's better to be succe ssful than right.The world demands results, not excuses. Effective Communication Skills Here is a short list of some of the skills that it takes to be an effective communicator. Think about your own communication style and which skills you are strong in and which ones you could do better. | Listening  for facts and feelings to make sure that you interpreting the message as intended. | | Asking questions effectively to guide listeners to solutions. | | Recognizing and defusing the filters people are using when they communicate. | | Creating rapport to smooth difficult messages and build relationships. | Uncovering the unique values that drive each person and then constructing your message to match their personal system. | | Using  non-verbal cues  to understand what the speaker really means. | | Finding and replacing the cues that cause the â€Å"domino effect† in conflict and confrontation. | | Breaking unempowering belief cycles without directly attacking a belief. | | Overcoming objections by agreeing. | | Building and using stories to make a point without anyone realizing it. | | Replacing destructive patterns such as anger  with empowering patterns that get better results. | | Reading the secrets hidden in every email message. |

Percentage of Water In Popcorn Essay

The purpose of this lab was to find the percentage of water in each sample of popcorn in order to determine which brand of kernels: beta, gamma, or delta, all with different amounts of water, produced the best-popping popcorn. The amount of water in the popcorn affects the quality of the popcorn. When the water inside the kernel is heated above 100à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, the water turns into gas which causes the pressure inside the kernel to increase. The pressure of the gas expands the kernel, which causes it to pop. Quality was judged on the basis of the rate of the pops, the size of the popcorn, and how easily the popcorn burned. Each technique of popcorn was divided up into three piles in order to conduct three trials on each technique. A group of kernels was massed and then placed into a beaker, which was also massed. Then just enough oil was poured into the beaker to cover the bottom of the beaker with a thin film of oil. A piece of foil with tiny holes was placed over the beaker, and the beaker with the foil, oil, and kernels was massed. The kernels in the beaker were heated using a Bunsen burner. (See Figure 1 – Setup Diagram) While the kernels popped, the beaker was shaken in order to prevent the popped popcorn from burning and to shake the unpopped kernels to the bottom. Once all the kernels had popped, the beaker was removed from the Bunsen burner and set to cool. After it had cooled, the beaker with foil, oil, and kernels were massed again. The same steps were repeated for the rest of the samples and qualitative observations were made throughout the experiment. Multiple trials were used in this experiment to increase the chances of accuracy and to determine which data is reliable. If there were not multiple trials, then there is no way of knowing whether the data collected by one trial is accurate or completely inaccurate. To find the amount of water in each kernel, this formula was used: mass of unpopped popcorn – mass of popped popcorn à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 = % of water in unpopped popcorn mass of unpopped popcorn The mass of the unpopped popcorn in the numerator was the mass of the kernels before they were popped added to the beaker, foil, and oil. The mass of the popped popcorn was the mass of the popped kernels added to the beaker, foil, and oil. The mass of unpopped popcorn in the denominator was the actual mass of the unpopped kernels massed alone. The beta kernels hold 11.1%, 11.3%, and 10.9% water for trials 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The gamma kernels are composed of 16.7%, 15.7%, and 14.8% water, while the delta kernels contain 19.4%, 17.0%, 19.0% water for trials 1, 2, and 3 respectively. (Refer to appendix for original data and calculations). See Table 1 – Percentage of Water in Popcorn Beta, Gamma, and Delta The data for beta was the most precise among the three different techniques. The data for delta fluctuated the most and was the least precise. According to my data, the delta kernels had the highest percentage of water and the beta kernels had the lowest percentage of water. The gamma brand was in between the two. In my qualitative observations, I observed that the gamma kernels popped the fastest, smoothly, and produced the largest popcorn. I observed that the delta kernels produced the medium-sized popcorn, and the beta kernels tended to burn very easily and produced the smallest popcorn. Basically, the beta brand of kernels was the worst popping popcorn, while the gamma brand of kernels produced the best popping popcorn. These results convey that too little water within kernels make bad popcorn, and too much water produces just medium-sized popcorn. From the overall calculations and averages, it can be concluded that 15-16% water in a kernel produces the best popcorn. To find the theoretical amount of water in the popcorn, the most accurate data of the class were added together and averaged. When compared to the class average, the average of my data was rather accurate. To find the percent error, this formula was used: Percent Error = ? theoretical value – actual value ? à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 100 Theoretical value My percent error for beta, gamma, and delta kernels was 0.90%, 4.46%, and 13.5% respectively. (See calculations in appendix) See Table 2 – Percent Error This percent error could have occurred while massing. Since there were several balanced used instead of just one, the masses could have differed. One balance was used for the kernels, while the beaker mass was found using a separate balance. The different balances could have lowered the accuracy of the masses. Another place where mass could have been inaccurate was when the popcorn was popped. Sometimes the popcorn was burned, while other times the popcorn was popped perfectly. If the popcorn was burnt, the mass was lowered by the release of CO2. Also, the duration of the heating of the popcorn was inconsistent. Since the popcorn of the same technique would still pop at different rates, it is impossible to control the time of the heating. But the longer the beaker is heated, the longer the oil inside is also heated and evaporating. So the longer the beaker is heated, the more gas escapes and the lower the mass will be, which will increase the percentage of water in the popcorn. Also, while the beakers were cooling off, some of the moisture could have been collected back in the beaker since the foil was not always taken off immediately. This would have added to the mass and lowered the percentage of water. To improve this lab, only one lab balance should be used during the entire experiment. Also, more care should be exercised when popping popcorn so that the popcorn does not burn. This could be done by lowering the heat and shaking the popcorn inside the beaker. Also, the foil on the beaker should be removed immediately after heating. In this lab, I discovered that more water in a kernel does not necessarily mean that it will produce larger popcorn, as I had initially had predicted. Ultimately, based on my data and the class average (theoretical value) 15-16% water in a kernel produces the best popcorn. I learned that the amount of water in the kernel affects the rate at which the kernel pops, more than it affects the size of the popped corn.