Selection And Communication Of Key Ratios For Monitoring Performance Of Small Business

The first chapter of this study introduces the study and defines the methodology used in completing the study. The purpose of this study is to provide a model whereby financial analysis can be completed which will be relevant to managers of small businesses. A literature survey was done to review ratios currently used in financial analysis and to determine availability of information for purposes of comparison of a business\u27 information with industry averages. Then, a model was built which will provide a simple, yet informative analysis. Finally, the model was applied to a small business to illustrate its use and to determine whether the information provided by the analysis was sufficient to outline areas of exception

Global Stability ofxn+1=A/xpn+1/x1/pn−1

AbstractWe obtain a general global attractivity result for a difference equation of the formxn+1=f(xn,xn−1),n=0,1,…, wheref(x,y) is strictly decreasing in both arguments. The result applies to the difference equationxn+1=A/xpn+1/x1/pn−1,n=0,1,…, wherex−1,x0,A∈(0,∞) andp>1

Life, power and social inclusion in the new economy.

The article refers to a revised edition and review of the book entitled 'People at work : life, power and social inclusion in the new economy' by Marjorie L. DeVault. People at Work is a masterly compilation of essays that speak to the descriptive and analytic power of ‘institutional ethnography’: a technique that analyses work, broadly defined, by means of an appreciation of its institutional framework, and how (at times pesky) workers and ruling regimes negotiate the messy (and at times contradictory) sociotechnical relations of production.peer-reviewe

Wildlife in Airport Environments: Chapter 8 Identification and Management of Wildlife Food Resources at Airports

Wildlife use airport habitats for a variety of reasons, including breeding, raising young, resting, taking refuge from predators, and locating sources of water. But the chief motivation for most individuals to encroach on airports is food. Depending on the specific habitat types present and habitat management strategies employed, airports can harbor large numbers of small mammals, insects, earthworms, and palatable vegetation that attract many species hazardous to aircraft. Often the best way to reduce populations of hazardous wildlife at airports is to determine which sources of food are being used, and then remove or modify those foods to make them less attractive (Washburn et al. 2011). Fortunately, the science of wildlife ecology and management has a long and productive history of research on wildlife food habits and foraging strategies, and the applied nature of most food habit studies conducted in airport environments facilitates straightforward specialization of investigational techniques. In this chapter we (1) discuss in more detail food resources as a primary motivation for wildlife use of airport properties, (2) consider some established principles of wildlife food habits and foraging strategies that affect airport wildlife management, (3) review techniques used to investigate wildlife food habits and identify those most useful for airports, (4) discuss methods for eliminating or modifying some preferred foods at airports, and (5) briefly consider future research needs

Impact of the human footprint on anthropogenic mortality of North American reptiles

Human activities frequently result in reptile mortality, but how direct anthropogenic mortality compares to natural morality has not been thoroughly investigated. There has also been a limited examination of how anthropogenic reptile mortality changes as a function of the human footprint. We conducted a synthesis of causespecific North American reptile mortality studies based on telemetry, documenting 550 mortalities of known cause among 2461 monitored individuals in 57 studies. Overall 78% of mortality was the result of direct natural causes, whereas 22% was directly caused by humans. The single largest source of mortality was predation, accounting for 62% of mortality overall. Anthropogenic mortality did not increase with the human footprint or with species body mass, though predation mortality increased with decreasing human footprint. The relatively low amount of anthropogenic mortality compared to other taxa suggests that reptiles may be more impacted by indirect than direct anthropogenic mortality. As a result, mitigating these indirect impacts, which include habitat loss and introduction of invasive species, is essential for conservation of North American reptiles

Cause‐specific mortality of the world’s terrestrial vertebrates

Aim: Vertebrates are declining worldwide, yet a comprehensive examination of the sources of mortality is lacking. We conducted a global synthesis of terrestrial vertebrate cause‐specific mortality to compare the sources of mortality across taxa and determine predictors of susceptibility to these sources of mortality. Location: Worldwide. Time period: 1970–2018. Major taxa studied: Mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Methods: We searched for studies that used telemetry to determine the cause of death of terrestrial vertebrates. We determined whether each mortality was caused by anthropogenic or natural sources and further classified mortalities within these two categories (e.g. harvest, vehicle collision and predation). For each study, we determined the diet and average adult body mass of the species and whether the study site permitted hunting. Mortalities were separated into juvenile or adult age classes. We used linear mixed effects models to predict the percentage of mortality from each source and the overall magnitude of mortality based on these variables. Results: We documented 42,755 mortalities of known cause from 120,657 individuals representing 305 vertebrate species in 1,114 studies. Overall, 28% of mortalities were directly caused by humans and 72% from natural sources. Predation (55%) and legal harvest (17%) were the leading sources of mortality. Main conclusions: Humans were directly responsible for more than one‐quarter of global terrestrial vertebrate mortality. Larger birds and mammals were harvested more often and suffered increased anthropogenic mortality. Anthropogenic mortality of mammals and birds outside areas that prohibited hunting was higher than within areas where hunting was prohibited. Mammals experienced shifts from predominately natural to anthropogenic mortality as they matured. Humans are a major contributor to terrestrial vertebrate mortality, potentially impacting evolutionary processes and ecosystem functioning