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Wiki Wiki Summary
Mergers and acquisitions In corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred or consolidated with other entities. As an aspect of strategic management, M&A can allow enterprises to grow or downsize, and change the nature of their business or competitive position.
Knowledge acquisition Knowledge acquisition is the process used to define the rules and ontologies required for a knowledge-based system. The phrase was first used in conjunction with expert systems to describe the initial tasks associated with developing an expert system, namely finding and interviewing domain experts and capturing their knowledge via rules, objects, and frame-based ontologies.
Biophysical environment A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale from microscopic to global in extent.
Environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the impact of changes to the environment on humans, animals, plants and non-living matter. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecologism combines the ideology of social ecology and environmentalism.
Environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.Due to the pressures of overconsumption, population growth and technology, the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently.
Environmental health Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment affecting human health. Environmental health focuses on the natural and built environments for the benefit of human health.
Environmental crime Environmental crime is an illegal act which directly harms the environment. These illegal activities involve the environment, wildlife, biodiversity and natural resources.
Regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context.
Formula One regulations The numerous Formula One regulations, made and enforced by the FIA and later the FISA, have changed dramatically since the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. This article covers the current state of F1 technical and sporting regulations, as well as the history of the technical regulations since 1950.
Radio regulation Radio regulation refers to the regulation and licensing of radio in international law, by individual governments, and by municipalities.\n\n\n== International regulation ==\nThe International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies.
Regulation of therapeutic goods The regulation of therapeutic goods, defined as drugs and therapeutic devices, varies by jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the United States, they are regulated at the national level by a single agency.
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations The New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) contains New York state rules and regulations. The NYCRR is officially compiled by the New York State Department of State's Division of Administrative Rules.
World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party (WP.29) of the Sustainable Transport Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its responsibility is to manage the multilateral Agreements signed in 1958, 1997 and 1998 concerning the technical prescriptions for the construction, approval of wheeled vehicles as well as their Periodic Technical Inspection and, to operate within the framework of these three Agreements to develop and amend UN Regulations, UN Global Technical Regulations and UN Rules, kind of vehicle regulation.
Arithmetic Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós) 'number', and τική [τέχνη] (tikḗ [tékhnē]) 'art, craft') is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th century, Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano formalized arithmetic with his Peano axioms, which are highly important to the field of mathematical logic today.
Bitwise operation In computer programming, a bitwise operation operates on a bit string, a bit array or a binary numeral (considered as a bit string) at the level of its individual bits. It is a fast and simple action, basic to the higher-level arithmetic operations and directly supported by the processor.
Special Activities Center The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Emergency operations center An emergency operations center (EOC) is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency, and ensuring the continuity of operation of a company, political subdivision or other organization.\nAn EOC is responsible for strategic direction and operational decisions and does not normally directly control field assets, instead leaving tactical decisions to lower commands.
Operations research Operations research (British English: operational research), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of advanced analytical methods to improve decision-making. It is sometimes considered to be a subfield of mathematical sciences.
Soil contamination Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals or improper disposal of waste.
Contaminated currency Most banknotes have traces of cocaine on them; this has been confirmed by studies done in several countries. In 1994, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that in Los Angeles, out of every four banknotes, on average more than three are tainted by cocaine or another illicit drug.Additionally, paper money in other parts of the world show a similar drug contamination, and studies indicate that they might even serve as a vector of disease, though researchers disagree over how easily diseases are transmitted this way.
Radioactive contamination Radioactive contamination, also called radiological pollution, is the deposition of, or presence of radioactive substances on surfaces or within solids, liquids, or gases (including the human body), where their presence is unintended or undesirable (from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) definition).Such contamination presents a hazard because of the radioactive decay of the contaminants, which produces such harmful effects as ionizing radiation (namely alpha, beta, and gamma rays) and free neutrons. The degree of hazard is determined by the concentration of the contaminants, the energy of the radiation being emitted, the type of radiation, and the proximity of the contamination to organs of the body.
Contaminated Man Contaminated Man is a 2000 dramatic thriller film starring William Hurt, Natascha McElhone, and Peter Weller and directed by Anthony Hickox from a screenplay by John Penney. A co-production between the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Hungary and filmed on location in Budapest, the film received mixed-to-negative reviews.
Brownfield land In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but it is not required to refer for area as brownfield.
Contaminated land Contaminated land contains substances in or under the land that are actually or potentially hazardous to health or the environment. Areas with a long history of industrial production are known as brownfield land.
Robust regression In robust statistics, robust regression is a form of regression analysis designed to overcome some limitations of traditional parametric and non-parametric methods. Regression analysis seeks to find the relationship between one or more independent variables and a dependent variable.
Chinese drywall "Chinese drywall" refers to an environmental health issue involving defective drywall manufactured in China, imported to the United States and used in residential construction between 2001 and 2009 – affecting "an estimated 100,000 homes in more than 20 states.". This is an isolated incident that is localised to the USA.In samples of contaminated drywall, laboratory tests will detect off-gassing of volatile chemicals and sulfurous gases — including carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, and hydrogen sulfide.
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (Scots: University o Edinburgh, Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as Edin. in post-nominals) is a public research university in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Rules of Acquisition In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Rules of Acquisition are a collection of sacred business proverbs of the ultra-capitalist race known as the Ferengi.\nThe first mention of rules in the Star Trek universe was in "The Nagus", an episode of the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1, Episode 10).
Target acquisition Target acquisition is the detection and identification of the location of a target in sufficient detail to permit the effective employment of lethal and non-lethal means. The term is used for a broad area of applications.
Proposed acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk On April 14, 2022, business magnate Elon Musk offered to purchase American social media company Twitter, Inc., for $43 billion, after previously acquiring 9.1 percent of the company's stock for $2.64 billion, becoming its largest shareholder. Twitter had then invited Musk to join their board of directors, which Musk at first accepted before subsequently declining.
Language acquisition device The Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is a claim from language acquisition research proposed by Noam Chomsky in the 1960s. The LAD concept is a purported instinctive mental capacity which enables an infant to acquire and produce language.
Risk Factors
MIDDLESEX WATER CO Item 1A Risk Factors 11 Item 1A Risk Factors
Our revenue and earnings depend on the rates we charge our customers
We cannot raise utility rates without filing a petition with the appropriate governmental agency
If these agencies modify, delay, or deny our petition, our revenues will not increase and our earnings will decline unless we are able to reduce costs
The BPU regulates all of our public utility companies in New Jersey with respect to rates and charges for service, classification of accounts, awards of new service territory, acquisitions, financings and other matters
That means, for example, that we cannot raise the utility rates we charge to our customers without first filing a petition with the BPU and going through a lengthy administrative process
In much the same way, the PSC regulates our public utility companies in Delaware
We cannot give assurances of when we will request approval for any such matter, nor can we predict whether the BPU or PSC will approve, deny or reduce the amount of such requests
Certain costs of doing business are not within our control
The failure to obtain any rate increase would prevent us from increasing our revenues and, unless we are able to reduce costs, would result in reduced earnings
We are subject to penalties unless we comply with environmental laws and regulations, including water quality regulations
Compliance with those laws and regulations impose costs on us
The EPA and DEP regulate our operations in New Jersey with respect to water supply, treatment and distribution systems and the quality of the water, as do the EPA, DNREC, DPH and DRBC with respect to operations in Delaware
Federal, New Jersey and Delaware regulations relating to water quality require us to perform expanded types of testing to ensure that our water meets state and federal water quality requirements
We are subject to EPA regulations under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which include the Lead and Copper Rule, the maximum contaminant levels established for various volatile organic compounds, the Federal Surface Water Treatment Rule and the Total Coliform Rule
There are also similar state regulations by the DEP in New Jersey
The DEP and DPH monitor our activities and review the results of water quality tests that we perform for adherence to applicable regulations
In addition, environmental regulatory agencies are reviewing current regulations governing the limits of certain organic compounds found in the water as byproducts of treatment
The cost to water companies of complying with the proposed water quality standards depends in part on the limits set in the regulations and on the method selected to implement them
Those costs could be very high and make us less profitable if we cannot recover those costs through our rates that we charge our customers
We depend upon our ability to raise money in the capital markets to finance some of the costs of complying with laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations or to pay for some of the costs of improvements or the expansion of our utility system assets
We cannot issue debt or equity securities without regulatory approval
We require financing to fund the ongoing capital program for the improvement of our utility system assets and for planned expansion of that system
We project that we may expend approximately dlra156dtta7 million for capital projects over the next three years
We must have regulatory approval to sell debt or equity securities to raise money for these projects
If sufficient capital is not available or the cost of capital is too high, or if the regulatory authorities deny a petition of ours to sell debt or equity securities, we would not be able to meet the cost of complying with environmental laws and regulations or the costs of improving and expanding our utility system assets
This might result in the imposition of fines or restrictions on our operations and may curtail our ability to improve upon and expand our utility system assets
11 Weather conditions and overuse of underground aquifers may interfere with our sources of water, demand for water services, and our ability to supply water to customers
Our ability to meet the existing and future water demands of our customers depends on an adequate supply of water
Unexpected conditions may interfere with our water supply sources
Drought and overuse of underground aquifers may limit the availability of ground and surface water
These factors might adversely affect our ability to supply water in sufficient quantities to our customers
Governmental drought restrictions might result in decreased use of water services and can adversely affect our revenue and earnings
Additionally, cool and wet weather may reduce consumption demands, also adversely affecting our revenue and earnings
Freezing weather may also contribute to water transmission interruptions caused by pipe and main breakage
Any interruption in our water supply could cause a reduction in our revenue and profitability
Our water sources may become contaminated by naturally-occurring or man-made compounds and events
This may cause disruption in services and impose costs to restore the water to required levels of quality
Our sources of water may become contaminated by naturally-occurring or man-made compounds and events
In the event that our water supply is contaminated, we may have to interrupt the use of that water supply until we are able to install treatment equipment or substitute the flow of water from an uncontaminated water source through our transmission and distribution systems
We may also incur significant costs in treating the contaminated water through the use of our current treatment facilities, or development of new treatment methods
Our inability to substitute water supply from an uncontaminated water source, or to adequately treat the contaminated water source in a cost-effective manner may reduce our revenues and make us less profitable
The necessity for increased security has and may continue to result in increased operating costs
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the ensuing threats to the health and security of the United States of America, we have taken steps to increase security measures at our facilities and heighten employee awareness of threats to our water supply
We have tightened our security measures regarding the delivery and handling of certain chemicals used in our business
We are at risk for terrorist attacks and have and will continue to incur increased costs for security precautions to protect our facilities, operations and supplies from such risks
We face competition from other utilities and service providers which might hinder our growth and reduce our profitability
We face risks of competition from other utilities authorized by federal, state or local agencies
Although a new territory offers some protection against competitors, the pursuit of service territories is competitive, especially in Delaware where new territories may be awarded to utilities based upon competitive negotiation
Competing utilities have challenged, and may in the future challenge, our applications for new service territories
Also, third parties entering into long-term agreements to operate municipal systems might adversely affect us and our long-term agreements to supply water on a contract basis to municipalities
We have a long-term contractual obligation for water and wastewater system operation and maintenance under which we may incur costs in excess of payments received
Middlesex Water Company and USA-PA operate and maintain the water and wastewater systems of the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey under a multi-year contract
This contract does not protect us against incurring costs in excess of payments we will receive pursuant to the contract
Losses under this contract or our failure or inability to perform 12 may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations
Also, as of December 31, 2005, approximately dlra23dtta9 million of Perth Amboyapstas bonds we have guaranteed remain outstanding
If Perth Amboy defaults on its obligations to pay the bonds we have guaranteed, we would have to raise funds to meet our obligations under that guarantee
An important element of our growth strategy is the acquisition of water and wastewater systems
Any pending or future acquisitions we decide to undertake may involve risks
The acquisition of water and wastewater systems is an important element in our growth strategy
This strategy depends on identifying suitable acquisition opportunities and reaching mutually agreeable terms with acquisition candidates
The negotiation of potential acquisitions as well as the integration of acquired businesses could require us to incur significant costs and cause diversion of our managementapstas time and resources
Further, acquisitions may result in dilution of our equity securities, incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, fluctuations in quarterly results and other acquisition related expenses
In addition, the business and other assets we acquire may not achieve the sales and profitability expected
We have restrictions on our dividends
There can also be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the future or, if dividends are paid, that they will be in amounts similar to past dividends
Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our Indenture of Mortgage dated as of April 1, 1927, as supplemented, impose conditions on our ability to pay dividends
We have paid dividends on our common stock each year since 1912 and have increased the amount of dividends paid each year since 1973
Our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, applicable regulations and other factors, including the timeliness and adequacy of rate increases, will determine both our ability to pay dividends on common stock and the amount of those dividends
There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the future or, if dividends are paid, that they will be in amounts similar to past dividends
We are subject to anti-takeover measures that may be used by existing management to discourage, delay or prevent changes of control that might benefit non-management shareholders
Subsection 10A of the New Jersey Business Corporation Act, known as the Shareholder Protection Act, applies to us
The Shareholder Protection Act deters merger proposals, tender offers or other attempts to effect changes in our control that are not negotiated and approved by our Board of Directors
In addition, we have a classified Board of Directors, which means only one-third of the Directors are elected each year
A classified Board can make it harder for an acquirer to gain control by voting its candidates onto the Board of Directors and may also deter merger proposals and tender offers
Our Board of Directors also has the ability, subject to obtaining BPU approval, to issue one or more series of preferred stock having such number of shares, designation, preferences, voting rights, limitations and other rights as the Board of Directors may fix
This could be used by the Board of Directors to discourage, delay or prevent an acquisition that might benefit non-management shareholders