Designs and Research Topics

  WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT Working capital refers to all short-term or current assets used for daily operations by a firm. Working capital could be viewed in terms of gross or net. The concept of gross working capital is synonymous with total current assets or circulating capital. The concept of circulating capital is used in the sense that cash is initially converted into inventories (raw materials, work in progress, finished products). Inventories, when disposed of (sold), are converted into accounts receivable through credit sales and accounts receivable are converted into cash. this could be presented as in figure 8.1 below:           Circulating Nature of Current Assets   The concept of net working is synonymous with net current assets i.e current assets minus current liabilities. The net working capital represents a more appropriate measurement of a firm’s liquidity. It measures the level of adequacy of...

  INTRODUCTION The water cycle is a biophysical process, heavily influenced by ecosystem functioning. The healthy functioning of ecosystems underpins a multitude of benefits (services) derived from ecosystems. Water is a critical component in maintaining these functions, while keeping them resilient to change (Costanza et al., 1997). The presence and absence of water in the landscape very often determines the characteristics of several supporting and regulating functions, e.g. preserving nutrients and removing pollutants (Falkenmark, 2003). Earth is a truly unique in its abundance of water. Water is necessary to sustaining life on Earth, and helps tie together the Earth's lands, oceans, and atmosphere into an integrated system. Precipitation, evaporation, freezing and melting and condensation are all part of the hydrological cycle - a never-ending global process of water circulation from clouds to land, to the ocean, and back to the clouds. This cycling of water is intimately l...