Characters and what Pip learns Essay

Magwitch reminds Pip of his vulnerability throughout the novel. When Magwitch turns Pip upside down in the novel, this can be interpreted as a metaphor for indeed just how much Magwitch does change Pip’s life around. When Pip first meets his convict he does not look down on him, even hoping the guards don’t catch him on the marshes. However, snobbish attitudes towards convicts soon develop when Pip has expectations. Therefore, when Magwitch returns into Pip’s life, Pip looks down on the man who has provided for and supported him, simply because he is not a gentleman. This is a great irony as is the convict had kept the money to himself, Pip would be the inferior, and Magwitch the gentleman. â€Å"The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have been exceeded if he had been some terrible beast. † Pip realises that Magwitch takes more pride in seeing Pip exist in such a rich manner than if he himself was having all the comforts. The money Magwitch gives to Pip does not make him happy, so Pip learns about the value of money from the convict. He learns that money alone cannot make him happy and that deserting dear Joe for the posh London lifestyle was wrong. ‘It was for the convict†¦ that I had deserted Joe’ At the end of the novel Pip would rather let Magwitch die a happy man with the ignorance that Pip would inherit a fortune, than let Magwitch know the crown would take his money for a chance that he might get some of it. Pip begins to realise that Magwitch was not an evil man, and not all convicts are typical of their social stereotypes. In fact, Pip’s realisation that Magwitch is indeed a more honest, true and loyal person than he had ever been, changes him completely. Going to Magwitch’s trial and holding his hand in front of the public states just how much Pip begins to pay the convict the respect he so deserved. Pip realises you cannot become a gentleman by simply having money, but it needs a change of heart. ‘No varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself’ Therefore, the idea that people are not always as they seem on the surface crops up in the novel. This is also brought to our attention when we find out that Estella, who was brought up a lady and seemed a lady, actually came from apparently more lowly backgrounds than Pip himself. Pip’s encounter with Estella at Satis House changed his whole perception of himself. Before Estella revealed to him that he was â€Å"a coarse and common boy† Pip had always been happy in his destiny as an apprentice to Joe in the forge. However, having fallen for Estella’s beauty he wanted more than anything in the world to be a gentleman, so that he might have a chance to compete for her love. The knowledge that Pip was common and seen as inferior made him ashamed of home, and unhappy in his job with Joe. â€Å"†¦ I had believed in the forge as the glowing road to manhood and independence. Within a single year this was all changed. Now, it was all coarse and common†¦ † Therefore, Estella and Miss Havisham had in effect poisoned Pip’s mind and given him knowledge he would have been happier without. Estella herself ends up miserable from the lifestyle she had been brought up to lead. Pip realises that Estella thinking she had no heart ruined more than just the men she teased lives, but her own. By Estella marrying Drummle and refusing Pip’s love, she made a very big mistake and admits to it. Pip learns that love should never be refused or scorned, but repayed. For example, he is happiest in his self when he is in a muturally affectionate relationship with Magwitch and Joe. Miss Havisham and Orlick teach Pip that revenge is not a route to take. The desire to have revenge on each other between Compeyson and Magwitch leads to the end of both of their lives. Orlick’s plans for revenge on Pip are unsuccessful and he ends up in the County Jail. Miss Havisham dies a thoroughly unhappy lady when she realises in horror that by raising Estella to have no heart, Estella herself cannot love even her. Another fact is that she herself had broken Pips heart in a similar fashion to how her own was broken, and she despaired at the thought. Pip regards Biddy as having a ‘bad side of human nature’ whenever she tries to approach him in the respect that Pip was not behaving correctly or had a thought that was not agreeable to him. Similarly, Pip privately believed Herbert to be a lost cause and planned eventually to disassociate himself with him. When he looks back, in retrospect, Pip realises that the faults he saw in Biddy and Herbert were not their faults at all, but his. In this way he realises that his vanity and arrogance had led him to believe he was a better person than honest and hard working Herbert and Biddy, when in fact he was far below them. ‘We owed so much to Herbert’s ever cheerful industry and readiness, that I often wondered how I had conceived that old idea of his inaptitude, until I was one day enlightened by the reflection, that perhaps the inaptitude had never been in him at all, but had been in me. ‘ Pip learns that there is more to people than just the impressions they give you. For example, Pip cannot understand how Joe can be proud of his life early on in the novel, but later finds Joe to be one of the greatest people in his life and is proud of him. Pip’s debts were paid off by Joe and this surprised Pip because he hadn’t even considered Joe would do it. Although Joe appears to be one of the simplest people in his life, Joe always remain true to Pip and always treats him exactly the same throughout, with the exception of the time when Joe comes to London and is made to feel uncomfortable. He also gives very wise advise to Pip on the way life is, and proves that the wisest men are not necessarily the ones with the largest bank accounts, but the ones with the largest hearts. ‘If you can’t get to be a oncommon scholar through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked. So don’t tell no more on ’em Pip, and live well and die happy. ‘ Jaggers behaves throughout the novel like a lawyer both while at work, and at home. He is very efficient and all his words seem as if they are planned to derive a specific reaction. Jaggers appears to have no emotion at all. However, when Pip reveals he knows of Estella’s parentage, Jaggers displays qualities that imply Jaggers does indeed have a heart, as he rescused Estella and had ‘poor dreams’ himself. This is another example of how people are not always as they seem. Pumblechook is portrayed by Dickens as a sycophantic, arrogant obnoxious, vain and selfish man. By Pip’s uncle claiming to be Pip’s earliest benefactor, it reveals that not all gentlemen are necessarily nice people. It is indeed an irony that it may be Pumblechook’s recommendation of Pip to Miss Havisham that ruined Pip’s life, rather than helped him. This idea can be seen again where Compeyson uses his education and manners to gain Miss Havishams love in order to drain her of her money.

Research Methods Db 2

Group Discussion Board Forum 1 – Part 1 1. Ch. 1 Q. 8  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ As area sales manager for a company manufacturing and marketing outboard engines, you have been assigned the responsibility of conducting a research study to estimate the sales potential of your products in the domestic (U. S. or Canadian) market. Discuss key issues and concerns arising from the fact that you, the manager, are also the researcher. A very important aspect of good research is for the researcher’s experience to be reflected (P. 17). The research has a greater chance of being successful if the researcher is experienced.Thus, as a manager the research process might be bias to the manager’s perception of the problem compared to the research problem. The inexperience as researcher will make it difficult to perform both roles effectively. Additionally, the manager might only analyze secondary data to obtain answers and rely on it for decision making. 2. Ch. 1 Q. 10- Apply the principles in Exhibit 1-4 to the research scenario in question 8. In order to apply the principles from Exhibit 1-4 to the scenario in question 8 we need to use the scientific method. a.Purpose clearly defined: The research study must present an estimate of the sales and marketing of the outbound engines in the market for the U. S and Canada. b. Research process detailed: First, the researcher presents a proposal and budget for approval. Then, the researcher presents weekly reports related to the progress of the research and also provides an estimated timeframe for completion. c. Research design thoroughly planned: The procedures are outlined. Once primary and secondary data is collected it needs to be analyzed for interpretation. d.Limitations frankly revealed: interpreted data about the size market for the outbound engine is compared to the desired procedure. e. Management Decision: The manager is presented with the information for decision making, after it has been analyzed, interpreted and c ompared. 3. Ch. 3 Q. 6- You observe the following condition: â€Å"Our female sales representatives have lower customer defections than do our male sales representatives. † a. Propose the concepts and constructs you might use to study this phenomenon. My proposal for the concepts is female sales representatives and male sales representatives.I would use customer defection as the construct for the research. b. How might any of these concepts and/or constructs be related to explanatory hypotheses? According to explanatory (casual) hypotheses, the independent variable needs to be the reason for the existence of the dependent variable (p73). Therefore, the skills of both male and female representatives are taken under consideration in this scenario. An example of this is that female sales representatives are naturally more skillful with establishing and maintaining relationships (IV), allowing them to have this advantage and have less customer defection (DV). . Ch. 3 Q. 8-  Ide ntify and classify all the variables in the Army’s dud shell research. I identify three variables (p. 62 & 67): 1. The dud shell as the independent variable because it can be manipulated 2. The exploding shell as the independent variable because is the one being monitored and 3. The people coming into contact with it as intervening variables because civilians were cracking the bombs open to obtain copper. 5. Ch. 4 Q. 4-  Confronted by low productivity, the president of Oaks International, Inc. asks a research company to study job satisfaction in the corporation.What are some of the important reasons that this research project may fail to make an adequate contribution to the solution of management problems? The low productivity in Oaks International Inc. presents a management dilemma to the president. The president has related this issue to the job satisfaction of the employees. Therefore, the management has decided to study job satisfaction only as the cause of low producti vity. Even though, this in fact has some influence in the productivity of employees, the study is already bias because all other factors of influence are being excluded.There may be other factors to consider that may be affecting low productivity such as machinery and equipment, technology, management, etc. This will eventually become a waste of time and resources if the results prove that job satisfaction is not the main cause of low productivity. Consequently, the management dilemma will not be resolved and more time and resources will need to be invested to find the real cause. 6. Ch. 4 Q. 5-  Based on an analysis of the last six months’ sales, your boss notices that sales of beef products are declining in your chain’s restaurants.As beef entree sales decline, so do profits. Fearing beef sales have declined due to several newspaper stories reporting E. coli contamination discovered at area grocery stores, he suggests a survey of area restaurants to see if the situ ation is pervasive. a. What do you think of this research suggestion? I think the research suggestion will be beneficial because it will reveal if the decline in consumption of beef as an entree is in fact caused by the concern of the E. coli. This survey will also allow comparing the competition and discovering their strategies or suggestions on how to survive this crisis.I also believe that the restaurant can introduce some new entrees that contain fish, chicken and even duck as an alternative to increase their sales and profits. b. How, if at all, could you improve on your boss’s formulation of the research question? I believe the study should include both external and internal factor. The survey to competitors would be considered an external factor, but including the customers, the preparation and presentation of their beef entrees can be considered internal factors.It has already been established that the people are already alarmed due to the several stories in the newsp apers about the E. coli. However, the restaurant can ask these frequent customers about their perception about the incident and even accept suggestions from them. This will allow the restaurant to get a clearer and direct answer to their dilemma. 7. Ch. 5 Q. 12- Develop the management-research question hierarchy (Exhibits 5-6 and 5-8), citing management dilemma, management question, and research question(s) for each of the following: a. he president of a home health care services firm. MD: The president receives many complains about the quality of health care services. MQ: What can be done in improve the quality of the health care services? RQ: Why are the services provided considered poor? In which specific areas of services do we get the most complains? What can be implemented or change to improve the services provided? b. The vice president of investor relations for an auto manufacturer. MD: The vice president experiences low productivity. MQ: What is causing low productivity?RQ: When did the company start to experience low productivity? Do we have up to date technology for production? How are the job conditions perceived by employees? c. The retail advertising manager of a major metropolitan newspaper. MD: The metropolitan newspaper is experiencing a decline in advertising sales. MQ: What can be done to increase the sales? RQ: Should the prices/rates for advertising in our newspaper be evaluated? When did sales start to decline? What methods can be implemented to increase the sales and attract more customers to advertise with newspaper? . The chief of police in a major city. MD: The chief of police has received several reports of increased crime in the city. MQ: What can be done to reduce crime in the city? RQ: Where are the majority of reports coming from? Which areas are being more affected? What group of people is the one being affected the most? What types of crimes have increased? How can we prepare and equip police officers to monitor these crimes an d areas? This is to be completed by 11:59 p. m. (ET) on Sunday.

Biology Aqa

16. 8 – Genetic fingerprinting43 Section 9. 1 – Sensory Reception †¢ A stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment of an organism that produces a response. The ability to respond to a stimulus increases an organism’s chances of survival. †¢ Receptors transfer the energy of a stimulus into a form that can be processed by the organism and leads to a response. †¢ The response is carried out by â€Å"effectors† which can include cells, tissues, organs and systems. Taxis – A simple response that’s direction is determined by the direction of the stimulus An organism can respond directly to a change in the environment by moving its body either: 1. Toward the stimulus (positive taxis) 2. Away from the stimulus (negative taxis) Kinesis – Results in an increase of random movements †¢ Organism does not move towards/away from the stimulus †¢ The more intense the stimulus the more rapid the movements †¢ Kinesis is important when the stimulus is less directional such as heat or humidity Tropism – a growth movement of part of a plant in response to a directional stimulus Positive phototropism – shoots/leaves Positive Geotropism – roots Section 9. 2 – Nervous Control Nervous organisation The nervous system can be thought of as having two main divisions: . The central nervous system (CNS) – brain and spinal cord 2. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) – Made up of pairs of nerves that originate either from the brain or the spinal cord The peripheral nervous system This is divided into: †¢ Sensory neurons which carry impulses away from receptors to the CNS †¢ Motor neurons which carry nervous impulses from the CNS to effectors The spinal cord is a column of nervous tissue A reflex – involuntary response to a stimulus (you do stop to consider an alternative) The pathway of neurons involved in a reflex is called a reflex arc. Reflex arcs contain just 3 neurons: 1. A sensory neuron 2. An intermediate neuron 3. A motor neuron There are several stages of a reflex arc: 1. Stimulus 2. Receptor 3. Sensory neuron 4. Synapse 5. Coordinator (intermediate neuron) 6. Synapse 7. Motor neuron 8. Effecter 9. Response Importance of the reflex arc †¢ Involuntary – does not require the decision making power of the brains †¢ Brain can override the response if necessary †¢ Protects the body from harmful stimuli Effective from birth – does not need to be learnt †¢ Short pathway – fewer synapses Synapses – slow Neurons – fast Section 9. 3 – Control of heart rate The Autonomic nervous system Controls subconscious activities of muscles and glands Has two main divisions: The sympathetic nervous system – Speeds up activities and thus allows us to cope with stressful situations (fight or flight r esponse) The parasympathetic nervous system – Inhibits effects and slows down activities. This allows energy to be conserved. Controls under normal resting conditions The two divisions are antagonistic meaning that their effects oppose one another Control of heart rate Changes of the heart rate are controlled by a region of the brain called the medulla oblongata which has two main divisions One division is connected to the sinoatrial node through the sympathetic nervous system The other is connected to the sinoatrial node via the parasympathetic nervous system Control by chemoreceptors Chemoreceptors are found in the wall of the carotid arteries and detect hanges in pH as a result of CO2 concentration When CO2 concentration in the blood is too low, chemoreceptors detect the drop in pH and send impulses to the section of the medulla oblongata responsible for increasing heart rate This section then increases the number of impulses sent to the S. A node via the sympathetic nervous system This results in an increase in heart rate which then causes blood pH to return to normal. Control by pressure receptors Pressure receptors occur in the wall of the carotid arteries and the aorta When blood pressure is too high – impulses are sent to the medulla oblongata which then sends impulses to the S. A node via the parasympathetic nervous system decreasing the heart rate When blood pressure is too low – impulses are sent to the medulla oblongata which then sends impulses to the S. A node via the sympathetic nervous system, increasing the heart rate Section 9. 4 – Role of receptors Features of sensory reception A sensory receptor will: †¢ Only respond to a specific type of stimulus (e. g. light, pressure, etc) †¢ Produce a generator potential by acting as a transducer. This means that it can convert the information to a form that the human body can interpret. This is achieved by using the energy of a stimulus into a nerve impulse called a generator potential. Structure and function of a pacinian corpuscle Responds to mechanical pressure Occurs in ligaments and joints so that it is possible to tell which direction a joint is changing The neuron of a pacinian corpuscle is in the centre of layers of tissue, each separated by gel The sensory neuron of a pacinian corpuscle has stretch-mediated sodium channels in its plasma membrane †¢ During its resting state, stretch-mediated sodium channels are too narrow to allow sodium through. The corpuscle therefore has a resting potential †¢ When pressure is applied, the membrane of the neuron is stretched causing sodium channels to widen therefore allowing sodium to diffuse into the neuron †¢ The influx of sodium ions cause a change in the polarity of the neuron, creating a resting potential †¢ The generator potential creates a action potential which moves along the neuron Receptors working together in the eye Different receptors respond to a different intensity of a stimulus Light receptors of the eye are found in the retina (the inner most layer) The light receptors in the eye can are of two types, rod and cone cells. Both receptors convert light energy into a nervous impulse and are therefore acting as transducers Rod cells Cannot distinguish between different wavelengths Many rod cells are connected to the same neuron and so can function at low light intensities. A threshold must be reached in the bipolar cells to which they are attached to and so since they can all contribute to reaching this threshold, they will function at lower light intensities Rod cells breakdown the pigment rhodopsin to generate an action potential. Rhodopsin is easily broken down in low light intensity Since more that one rod cell is connected to the same neuron, only one impulse will be generated. It is impossible for the brain to determine which rod cells were stimulate to begin with and so it is not possible to determine exactly the source of light This results in rod cells having a relatively poor visual acuity and so are not very effective in distinguishing between two points close together Cone cells There are three types of cone cells, each of which respond to a different avelength The colour interpreted depends of the proportion of each type of cone cell stimulated Cone cells are connected only to one bipolar cells, this means that they cannot combine to reach a threshold. As a result of this a high light intensity is required to create a generator potential Cone cells breakdown the pigment iodopsin to create a generator potential Iodopsin can only be broken down by a high light intensity Since cone cells are connected to a single bipolar cell, when two adjacent cells are stimulated, two separate nervous impulses will be sent to the brain. This means that it is easier to determine the source of the light. As a result, cone cells are responsible for higher visual acuity since they allow you to better distinguish between two points Light is concentrated by a lens to the centre of the eye called the fovea. This region receives a high light intensity and therefore has more cone cells. The peripheries of the eye receive a low light intensity and therefore consist mainly of rod cells. Section 10. 1 – Coordination Body systems cannot work in isolation and must therefore be integrated in a coordinated fashion. Principles of coordination In mammals, there are two main forms of coordination: 1. The nervous system – Uses nerve cells that can pass electrical impulses along their length. The result is the secretion of chemicals by the target cells called neurotransmitters. The response is quick, yet short lived and only acts on a localised region of the body. 2. The hormonal system – Chemicals are transported in the blood plasma which then reach target certain cells, thus stimulating them to carry out a function. The responses due to secretion of hormones often act over a longer period of time, yet are slower to act. Chemical mediators Nervous and hormonal forms of communication are only useful at coordinating the activities of the whole organism. At the cellular level they are complimented by chemical mediators. Chemical mediators are secreted by individual cells and affect other cells in the immediate vicinity. A common example of this type of coordination is the inflammation of certain tissues when they are damaged or exposed to foreign agents. Two examples of chemical mediators are: 1. Histamine – Stored in white blood cells and is secreted due to the presence of antigens. Histamine causes dilation of blood vessels, increased permeability of capillaries and therefore swelling the infected area. 2. Prostaglandins – Found in cell membranes and cause dilation of small arteries and arterioles. They release due to injuries and increase the permeability of capillaries. They also affect blood pressure and neurotransmitters. In doing so they relieve pain. Hormonal system |Nervous system | |Communication by chemicals |Communication by nervous impulses | Transmission takes place in the blood |Transmission is by neurons | |Transmission is generally slow |Transmission is very rapid | |Hormones travel to all areas of the body, but target only |Nerve impulses travel to specific areas of the body | |certain tissues/organs | | |Response is widespread |Response is localised | |Effect may be permanent/long lasting/ irreversible |Effect is temporary and reversible | Plant growth factors Plants respond to external stimuli by means of plant growth factors (plant hormones) Plant growth factors: †¢ Exert their influence by affecting growth †¢ Are not produced by a particular organ, but are instead produced by all cells †¢ affect the tissues that actually produce them, rather than other tissues in a different area of the plant. One plant hormone called indoleacetic acid (IAA) causes plant cells to elongate Control of tropisms by IAA IAA is used to ensure that plant shoots grow towards a light source. 1. Cells in the tip of the shoot produce IAA, which is then transported down the shoot. 2. The IAA is initial transported to all sides as it begins to move down the shoot 3. Light causes the movement of IAA from the light side to the shaded side of the shoot. 4. A greater concentration of IAA builds up on the shaded side of the shoot 5. The cells on the shaded side elongate more due to the higher concentration of IAA 6. The shaded side of the root therefore grows faster, causing the shoot to bend towards the source of light IAA can also effect the bending of roots towards gravity. However in this case it slows down growth rather than speeds it up. IAA decreases root growth and increases shoot growth Section 10. 2 – Neurons Specialised cells adapted to rapidly carry electrochemical changes (nerve impulses) from part of the body to another Neuron structure Cell body †¢ Nucleus †¢ Large amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum to produce neurotransmitters Dendrons †¢ Extensions of the cell body sub-divided into dendrites †¢ Carry nervous impulses to the cell body Axon †¢ A single long fibre that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body Schwann cell †¢ Surrounds the axon †¢ Protection/electrical insulation/phagocytosis. Can remove cell debris and are associated with nerve regeneration. Myelin sheath †¢ Made up from the Schwann membrane which produces myelin (a lipid) †¢ Some neurons are unmyelinated and carry slower nerve impulses Nodes of Ranvier †¢ The gaps between myelinated areas †¢ 2 – 3 micrometers long and occur every 1 – 3mm Sensory Neuron †¢ Transmit impulses from a receptor to an intermediate neuron or motor neuron †¢ One Dendron towards the cell body, one axon away from the cell body Motor neuron †¢ Transmit impulses from the sensory/intermediate neuron to an effector †¢ Long axon, many short dendrites Intermediate neuron †¢ Transmit impulses between neurons †¢ Numerous short processes Section 10. 3 – The nerve impulse A nerve impulse is not an electrical current! It is a self-propagating wave of electrical disturbance that travels along the surface of an axon membrane. Nerve impulse – temporary reversal of the electrical p. d across an axon membrane The reversal is between two states The resting potential no nerve impulse transmitted The action potential – nerve impulse transmitted Resting potential †¢ Sodium/potassium are not lipid soluble and cannot cross the plasma membrane. Transported via intrinsic proteins – ion channels †¢ Some intrinsic proteins actively transport potassium ions into the axon and sodium ions out. This is called the sodium potassium pump. Sodium potassium pump 3 sodium ions pumped out for every 2 potassium ions pump in †¢ Most gated potassium channels remain open – potassium ions move out of the axon down their chemical gradient †¢ Most gated sodium channels remain closed The action potential †¢ Temporary reversal of the charge of the membrane from (-65mV to +65mV). When the p. d is +65mV the axon is said to be depolarised †¢ Occurs because the ion channels open/close depending upon the voltage across the membrane †¢ When the generator potential is reached, sodium ion channels open and potassium close, allowing sodium to flood into the axon. Sodium being positively charged causes the axon to become more positive in charge The passage of an action potential along an unmyelinated axon †¢ Stimulus – some voltage – gated ion channels open, sodium ions move in down electrochemical gradient †¢ Causes more sodium channels to open †¢ When the action potential reaches ~ +40mV sodium channels close †¢ Voltage – gated potassium channels open and begin repolarisation of the axon Hyper – polarisation †¢ The inside of the axon becomes more negative than usual due to an â€Å"overshoot† in potassium ions moving out of the axon. †¢ Potassium channels close †¢ Sodium potassium pump re-established the -65mV resting potential Section 10. 5 – The speed of a nerve impulse Factors affecting speed 1. The myelin sheath – Prevents the action potential forming in myelinated areas of the axon. The action potential jumps from one node of Ranvier to another (salutatory conduction) – this increases the speed of the impulse as less action potentials need to occur 2. The greater the diameter of the axon the greater the speed of conductance – due to less leakage of ions from the axon 3. Temperature – Higher temperature, faster nerve impulse. Energy for active transport comes from respiration. Respiration like the sodium potassium pump is controlled by enzymes. Refractory period After an action potential, sodium voltage-gated channels are closed and sodium cannot move into the axon. It is therefore impossible during this time for a further action potential to be generated. This time period, called the refractory period serves two purposes: It ensures that an action potential can only be propagated in one direction – An action potential can only move from an active region to a resting region. It produces discrete impulses – A new action potential cannot be generated directly after the first. It ensures action potentials are separated from one another. It limits the number of action potentials – action potentials are separated from one another, therefore there is a limited amount that can pass along a neuron in a given time. All or nothing principle Nervous impulses are all or nothing responses A stimulus must exceed a certain threshold value to trigger an action potential A stimulus that exceeds the threshold value by a significant amount, will produce the same strength of action potential as if it has only just overcome the threshold value A stimulus can therefore only produce one action potential An organism can perceive different types of stimulus in two ways: The number of impulses in a given time (larger stimulus, more impulses per second) Having neurons with different threshold values – depending on which neurons are sending impulses, and how frequently impulses are sent, the brain can interpret the strength of the stimulus Section 10. 6/10. 7 – Structure and function of the synapse / Transmission across a synapse A synapse occurs where a dendrite of one neuron connects to the axon of another Structure of a synapse Synapses use neurotransmitters to send impulses between neurons The gap between two neurons is called the synaptic cleft The neuron that produces neurotransmitters is called the presynaptic neuron The axon of the presynaptic neuron ends in a presynaptic knob The presynaptic knob consists of many mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum These organelles are required to produce neurotransmitters which are stored in synaptic vesicles Synaptic vesicles can fuse with the presynaptic membrane releases the neurotransmitter Functions of synapses †¢ A single impulse from neuron can be transmitted to several other neurons at a synapse. This means that one impulse can create a number of simultaneous responses †¢ A number of different impulses can be combined at a synapse. This means that several responses can be combined to give on single response Neurotransmitters are made in the presynaptic cleft only When an action potential reaches the presynaptic knob, it causes vesicles containing the neurotransmitter to fuse with the presynaptic membrane The neurotransmitter will the diffuse across the synaptic cleft The neurotransmitter then bind with receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, in doing so generating a new action potential in the postsynaptic neuron Features of synapses Unidirectionality Impulses can only be sent from the presynaptic membrane to the postsynaptic membrane Summation †¢ Spatial summation Different presynaptic neurons together will release enough neurotransmitter to exceed the threshold value to form an action potential †¢ Temporal summation – One neuron releasing neurotransmitter many times over a short period. Eventually the neurotransmitter will accumulate so as to overcome the threshold value of the postsynaptic membrane. Therefore generating a new action potential Inhibition Some postsynaptic membranes have protein channels that can allow chloride ions to diffuse into the axon making it more negative than usual at resting potential. This type of hyperpolarisation inhibits the postsynaptic neuron from generating a new action potential. The importance of these inhibitory synapses is that it allows for nervous impulses to be controlled and stopped if necessary Transmission across a synapse When the neurotransmitter across a synapse is the chemical acetylcholine it is called a cholinergic synapse Acetylcholine is made up of acetyl (ethanoic acid) and choline Cholinergic synapses are more common in vertebrates Cholinergic synapses occur in the central nervous system and at neuromuscular junctions 1. When an action potential reaches the presynaptic knob, calcium channels open allow calcium to diffuse into the presynaptic knob 2. The influx of calcium ions causes presynaptic vesciles containing acetylcholine to fuse with the presynaptic membrane, releasing the neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft 3. Acetylcholine diffuses across the cleft and fuses with receptor sites on sodium channels found on the presynaptic membrane. When they do so, the sodium channels open, allowing sodium ions to diffuse along their concentration gradient into the postsynaptic knob. 4. The influx of sodium ions, generates a new action potential in the postsynaptic neuron 5. Acetylcholinesterase hydrolyses acetylcholine back into the acetyl and choline which will the diffuse back across the synaptic cleft into the presynaptic neuron. In this way acetylcholine can be recycles and reused and also is prevented from continuously generating new action potentials on the postsynaptic neuron. 6. ATP is released by mitochondria, providing energy to recombine acetyl and choline. Sodium channels on the postsynaptic membrane are now closed due to the absence of acetylcholine attached to receptor sites. Section 11. 1 – Structure of skeletal muscle There are three types of muscle in the body: Cardiac muscle which is found only in the heart Smooth muscle which is found in the walls of blood vessels Skeletal muscle which is attached to bone and is the only type of muscle under conscious control Muscles are made up of many muscle fibres called myofibrils If the cells of muscles were joined together from the end of one cell to another, the point between cells would be a point of weakness Because of this, the muscle cells are fused together into muscle fibres Cells of the same myofibrils share the same nuclei as well as cytoplasm (sarcosplasm). Within the sacroplasm are many mitochondria as well as endoplasmic reticulum Microscopic structure of skeletal muscle Myofibrils are made up of two types of protein filament Actin – thinner, consists of two strands twisted around each other Myosin – thicker and is made up of long rod shaped fibres with bulbous heads projecting outwards Myofibrils have coloured bands The isotropic (I) bands appears lighter since it consists only of actin (no overlap) The anisotropic (A) bands are darker since this is where acting and myosin overlap The H zone is the region in the centre of the sarcomere that is lighter in colour since there is only myosin The z line lies at the centre of the I bands Types of muscle fibre Slow-twitch fibres – Contract more slowly, less powerful. Adapted for endurance/aerobic respiration so less lactic acid forms Adaptations include: Large store of myoglobin, Supply of glycogen, Rich supply of blood vessels, Numerous mitochondria Fast-twitch – Contracts more rapidly with more power but only for a short period of time. Adapted for intense exercise by: Having hicker and more numerous myosin filaments, having a high concentration of enzymes used for anaerobic respiration, a large store of phosphocreatine to provide phosphate to make ATP Neuromuscular junctions Many neuromuscular junctions are spread through the muscle for simultaneous contraction Each muscle fibre has one motor neuron associated with it. The muscle fibre and the neuron make up one motor unit When only a small force is needed only a few motor units are stimulated When a nerve impulse reaches the neuromuscular junction, the synaptic vesicles join with the presynaptic membrane and release acetylcholine which diffuses across to the postsynaptic membrane and stimulates it to allow sodium ions to enter. The acetylcholine is then broken down by Acetylcholinesterase and then diffuses back into the presynaptic neuron. Section 11. 2 contraction of skeletal muscle During muscle contract, actin and myosin slide past each other; hence its name the sliding filament mechanism Evidence for the sliding filament mechanism When a muscle contract, the following changes occur to the sarcomere: The I band becomes narrower The z lines move close to one another The h band becomes narrower The a band does not change as this band is determined by the width of the myosin Myosin is made up of two different types of protein 1. A fibrous protein arranged into the filament called the tail 2. A globular protein that forms a head at each end Actin is a globular proteins thats molecules are arranged into two chains that twist around each other in a helical manner Tropomyosin forms long thin stands that s wound around the actin molecule The process of muscle contraction has a three main stages: Stimulation, contraction and relaxation Muscle stimulation When an action potential reaches the neuromuscular junctions, Calcium ion channels open and calcium ions move into the synaptic knob The Calcium ions cause the synaptic vesicles to move to the presynaptic membrane and fuse with it releasing acetylcholine Acetylcholine diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds with receptors on the sodium voltage gated channels on the postsynaptic membrane causing it to depolarise Muscle contraction The action potential movies through the fibres by travelling through T – tubules that branch through the sarcoplasm The action potential moves through the tubules until it reach the sarcoplasmic reticulum The action potential opens calcium ions in the sarcoplasmic reticulum Calcium ions diffuse out into the muscle Calcium ions cause tropomyosin to change shape and so that the binding sites on the actin filament are exposed An ADP molecule that is attached to the myosin heads allows it to form a cross bridge with actin by binding with the receptor site Once the cross bridge is formed, the myosin head changes shape and slides the actin across. In doing so it loses the ADP An ATP molecule attaches to the myosin head and thus causes it to detach Calcium ions activate the enzyme ATPase which hydrolyses ATP and releases energy that allows the myosin head to resume its original shape. The myosin head now has a new ADP molecule that will allow it to bind with a new receptor site somewhere along the actin filament Muscle relaxation When the muscle is not being stimulated, the sarcoplasmic reticulum actively transport calcium ions back into it The lack of calcium ions means that tropomyosin can establish its original position, covering the myosin head binding sites Energy supply Energy is needed for the movement of myosin heads and the active transport of calcium ions ATP often needs to be generated anaerobically Phosphocreatine provides inorganic phosphate molecules to combine with ADP to form ATP Section 12. 1 – Principle of homeostasis The maintenance of a constant internal environment By maintaining a relatively constant environment (of the tissue fluid) for their cells, organisms can limit the external changed these cells experience thereby giving the organisms a degree of independence. What is homeostasis? Maintaining the volume, chemical make up and other factors of blood and tissue fluid within restricted limits There are continuous fluctuations; however, they occur around a set point Homeostasis is the ability to return to that set point thus maintaining equilibrium The importance of homeostasis Enzymes and other proteins are sensitive to changes in pH and temperature Water potential of blood and tissue fluid should be kept constant to ensure cells do not burst or shrink due to a net movement of water (osmosis) Maintaining a constant blood glucose concentration ensures that the water potential of the blood remains the same Independence of the external environment – a wider geographical range and therefore a greater chance of finding food shelter, etc Mammals – homeostasis allows them to tolerate a wide range of conditions Control mechanisms The set point is monitored by: 1. Receptor 2. Controller brain analyses and records information from a number of different sources and decides on the best course of action 3. Effector – brings about the change to return to set point 4. Feedback loop – informing the receptor of the changes in the system brought about by the effector Section 12. 2 Thermoregulation Mechanisms of heat loss and gain Production of heat – Metabolism of food during respiration Gain of heat from the environment – Conduction, convection (surrounding air/fluid), Radiation (electromagnetic waves particularly infrared) Mechanisms for losing heat Evaporation of water Conduction – to ground/solid Convection convection (to surrounding air/fluid), Radiation Endotherms derive most heat energy from metabolic activities Ectotherms – obtain most heat from the external environment Regulation of body temperature in Ectotherms Body temp fluctuates with the environment Controlled by exposure to the sun Shelter to the sun/burrows at night/obtains heat from the ground and very little from respiration. Can sometimes change colour to alter heat that is radiated Regulation of body temperature in Endotherms Most heat gained through internal metabolic activities Temperature range 35 – 44 oC – Compromise between higher temperature where enzymes work more rapidly and the amount of energy needed (hence food) to maintain that temperature Conserving and gaining heat in response to a cold environment Long term adaptations: Small SA:V ration Therefore mammals and birds in cold environments are relatively large Smaller extremities (e. g. ears) thick fur, feathers or fat reserves to insulate the body Rapid changes: Vasoconstriction – reducing the diameter of arteries/arterioles Shivering – in voluntary rapid movements and contractions that produce he energy from respiration Raising hair – enables a thick layer of still air to build up which acts as a good insulator. Behavioural mechanisms – bathing in the sun Decreased sweating Loss of heat in response to a warm environment Long term adaptations: Large SA:V ratio so smaller animals are found in warmer climates Larger extremities Light coloured fur to reflect heat Vasodilation – Arterioles increase in diameter, more blood reaches capillaries, more heat is therefore radiated away Increased sweating – Heat energy is required to evaporate sweat (water). Energy for this comes from the body. Therefore, removes heat energy to evaporate water Lower body hair – Hair erector muscles relax. Hairs flatten, reduces the insulating layer of air, so more heat can be lost to the environment Behavioural mechanisms – seeking shade, burrows, etc Control of body temperature Mechanisms to control body temperature are coordinated by the hypothalamus in the brain The hypothalamus has a thermoregulatory centre divided into two parts: A heat gain centre which is activated by a fall in body temperature And a heat loss centre which is activated by an increase in temperature The hypothalamus measures the temperature of blood passing through it Thermoreceptors in the skin also measure the temperature Impulses sent to the hypothalamus are sent via the autonomic nervous system The core temperature in the blood is more important that the temperature stimulating skin Thermoreceptors Section 12. 3/12/4 – Hormones and the regulations of blood glucose/Diabetes and its control Hormones are produced by glands (endocrine glands) which secrete the hormones into the blood The hormones are carried in the blood plasma to the target cells to which they act. The target cells have complementary receptors on the cell surface membrane Hormones are affective in small quantities set have widespread and long-lasting affects Some hormones work via the secondary messenger model: 1. The hormone (the first messenger) binds to receptors on the cell surface membrane, forming a hormone-receptor complex 2. The hormone-receptor complex activates an enzyme inside the cell that produces a secondary messenger chemical 3. The secondary messenger acts within the cell produces and a series of changes Both glucagon and adrenaline work by the secondary messenger model Adrenaline as a secondary messenger 1. The hormone adrenaline forms a hormone-receptor complex and therefore activates an enzyme inside the cell membrane 2. The activated enzyme the converts ATP to cyclic AMP which acts as the secondary messenger.

Checklist for the purchase of legal software Essay

Checklist for the purchase of legal software - Essay Example Managing calendaring and accounting practices are the main purposes of the required software. The software purchased for these purposes should exhibit characteristics reflects the interests of law firm purchasing it. This is because different software that serve the same purpose are developed, suitable for various management practices. The law firm intending to purchase the legal software should be well aware of the costs to be incurred. In other words, cost allocations made for management software should match the potential and affordability of the firm acquiring the software (Roper, 2007). Cost is evaluated alongside purpose and features exhibited by the software. Technological advancements are ever leading to software and hardware sophistication. In this regard, it is important to evaluate the technical knowhow of the parties involved, so that the software purchased is fully utilized as it should be. In other words, software that favors end usability should be purchased (Roper, 2006). Acquiring the software should be expected to change the practice efficiency for the better. In other words, calendaring and accounting practices in the management of a law office should not remain the same with or without the software. The software’s degree of enhancing the management of calendaring and accounting should be predetermined (Cornick, 2011). Fundamentally, the software should depict a scenario of operational cost reduction upon its purchase in relation to software licensing and law office management. Data capturing is essential, and purchasing the software at an early stage is essential. The software should be purchased and installed when the workload and data volumes are low, so that its integration into the management system is easier. This also means that the software to be purchased should have a long life span to minimize cases of changing software every now and then on a mid-practice

E-shopping and Saudi Consumer Decision Research Proposal

E-shopping and Saudi Consumer Decision - Research Proposal Example There has been an interesting impact on the Saudi consumer decision in purchasing behavior of the e-shopping facilities. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the changes in the purchasing behavior of Saudi consumer due to the e-shopping facilities. The goal of the paper is to discover the different types of changes in the Saudi consumer purchase decisions. In the Saudi countries, in the last 10 years, there has been a large increase in the use of ATM cards and plastic money. More than 90 % of the total consumer payments in the USA are done with the use of debit cards, credit cards, cash cards and ATM cards. Saudi countries are now not so much different from the USA as they are following similar trends. Electronic payment systems and the advent of e-shopping have enabled the consumers to make payments through the internet and make purchases online rather than physically visiting a store. Saudi Arabia is the center of Islamic world and generates major revenues from the export of crude oil and oil related products. Per capita income of the country in 2009 has been 18, 855 US$. A significant portion of the total population is comprised of foreign expatriates and workers. ... Saudi Arabia is the center of the Islamic world since many years and is the largest Arab economy. The taxation rates in the country are very low which encourages many multinationals to locate their offices in the Saudi land. The population mainly comprises of youth with high per capita income. Saudi is also the largest IT center in the region. Research Problems and Questions The problems that will be faced in the research are that the Saudi culture does not allow the women to participate in these types of activities. In Saudi society, the males are the dominant individuals of the family who make most of the purchasing decisions for the family. The women are also involved in the purchasing decision but are limited to household items such as appliances, clothes of children and furniture. Daily usage items and household consumables are also purchased by the women. The culture is also a hindrance for the researchers to reach the women in the households. These are the women who make most of the orders for products online using e-shopping facilities. The questions will not ask about the family details of the individuals as this is not entertained in the Saudi world. 75% of the population is not using the internet, therefore only the 25% using the internet is the choice for the researchers. In the internet using population, only the males would be available for research questions as the society does not line if women answer their personal questions to the researchers. One of the other major problems in the research process is unavailability of historic data. There is no historic data for the consumers' shopping as it has never been recorded. Hence there will be no base to make the comparisons. Most of the research questions are

An Exploration of Beethoven and Haydn Music Careers Essay

An Exploration of Beethoven and Haydn Music Careers - Essay Example Beethoven was born in a place then called Cologne which is the Germany at present. During his youth Beethoven moved to Vienna and stayed there. It is in this phase of his youth that he met another influential icon Joseph Haydn. Beethoven experienced a meteoric rise in his career as a virtuoso pianist although his youth was later plagued by the deterioration of his hearing capabilities. The predicament did not annihilate his career as he continued conducting and performing even when he had gone totally deaf. While Joseph Haydn developed his music career as an isolated musician a condition which as he put it, â€Å"forced him to be original†, Beethoven on the other end stemmed from a musically endowed pedigree. He was named after His grandfather Ludwig by his mother Ludwig Maria. Davies, Peter J, states that,†His grandfather was a musician at Roman Catholic Flemish lineage and was at some point Kapellmeister at the court of Roman Clemens August of Bavaria.† Beethoven’s father was Johann van Beethoven who lived from 1740-1792. Beethoven got his initial orientations into music from his father who was a natural tenor singer at the electoral court at Bonn. The development of Beethoven's music career was later supervised by Tobias Pfeiffer, a friend to Beethoven's father Johann. Like Haydn' Beethoven's music endowments were noted when he was of a tender age and this is well illustrated by the fact that by 1778 the youngster was already learning the organ and the viola upon his piano mastering endeavors. Haydn parents noted that Haydn had a musical endowment and reckoned that he would not get proper training in the place they were living in then Rohrau thus they accepted the offered by a relative Johann Matthias Franck to have Haydn trained as a musician by Franck from his home in Hainburg. On Beethoven's part, one of the most noted mentors of Beethoven was Christian Gottlob Neefe, the court organist. Neefe is particularly remembered for helping Beethoven make inroads into the classical music pedestal by assisting him to get his first compositions published. The compositions were an assortment of some keyboard melodies and variations. Musicians like other artists are custodians of a society's culture and history. This is so owing to the undeniable sensitivity of artists to the influence of various factors that charcterise their place and time settings. Traces of cultural, political, economic and social influences can be identified in an artists work and Beethoven's works are not an exception. A close exploration of His music indicates illuminant influences of values of Enlightenment and the surge of Romanticism which dominated the European society in his time. As Davies, Peter J, (Opcit) concurs this is glowingly illustrated by the composition and dedication of his music piece the Eroica which is Italian term for 'heroic" to the Leader Napoleon whom the musician had admired for his ideals of democracy and republicanism values of the French Revolution. Haydn's mettle in his isolated music career development earned him the label of "father of Symphony' and also father of "String Quartet". Haydn and Beethoven shared similar inclinations to the values of enlightenment in music. Beethoven later retracted the dedication to Napoleon when the Leader shifted into embracing imperial ambitions

Food Safety Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Food Safety Management - Essay Example Botulism intoxication can result in death, which most often is caused by respiratory failure. The latent period is typically 12-36 hours but can range from 6 hours to 10 days. Stringent hygienic procedures while cooking and canning are recommended for keeping the disease at bay. In this case of food-borne botulism was termed as a clinically compatible illness in a village resident after laboratory confirmation of botulism or a history of eating the same food as previous botulism cases. It was found that 14 persons in the village had eaten fermented beaver tail and paw on January 17. Almost 20 hours after consuming these items, three of the 14 people developed symptoms suggestive of botulism, including dry mouth, blurry vision, and general weakness. Two patients developed respiratory failure and required intubations and mechanical ventilation. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested... Six hours after the onset of symptoms, the three patients were administered with A/B and E botulism antitoxin. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested for botulinum toxin at CDC. Type E toxin was detected in serum specimens from two of the ICU patients and in stool from the third. Despite minor symptoms, the other 11 persons had no toxin found in specimens and were not considered laboratory-confirmed cases. The same toxin was also found in the three beaver paws tested from the implicated meal. Beaver is hunted in southwest Alaska, and certain parts are often fermented and are eaten later. In this outbreak, the tail and paws had been wrapped in a paper rice sack and had been stored for up to three months in a patient's house before consumption. Some of the beaver tail and paw had been added to the sack as recently as 1 week before it was eaten. The severity of the case was low. The number of people infected was less and proper treatment was immediately administered to them. Out of the the 14 infected persons only three had to be hospitalized, rest eleven were discharged after being kept under observation for 48 hours. There were no causalities in the outbreak and it was brought under control in

The Role of Power and Politics in Organizations Assignment

The Role of Power and Politics in Organizations - Assignment Example The company that I am going to focus on is called Procter&Gamble. This company was set up a bit more than 180 years ago. The company operates in more than 190 countries and it is planning to expand its performance. Being such a giant in the world of washing powders and cosmetic utilities, the company should meet certain high requirements both in the public and inner policy of the company. The purpose of the company sounds as â€Å"to provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper† (http://www.pg.com). Having a purpose signifies about the planned strategy and policy of the company. Moreover, the company has the clearly-stated vision and strategy. The feedback from the customers is greatly a ppreciated since it adds to the improvement of the company. P&G claims it is striving for the life quality improvement but not for its income. The company has worked out the program of introducing environmentally friendly products. The policy of the company is based on the rule â€Å"to create the prosperous company from within it†. It implies the profound staff and management policy. The general goal of the company is to improve the life of every customer and to make him/her loyal to the company. The major elements of any organizational culture, such as purpose, values and goals, originate with the company formation and they are maintained and are to be transferred to the next generations. The growth strategy that the company of P&G sticks to means attracting new customers every day and making their life more meaningful. â€Å"Our Values reflect the behaviors that shape the tone of how we work with each other and with our partners†( P&G Must Proceed With Caution). Pro cter&Gamble has many principles that it demands from its staff and management. First of all it takes care about respect to each individual -no matter weather it is a customer, a manager or a potential buyer. The organization is indivisible from the people working for the organization and those people who keep it on float. The customers’ needs and demands are the top priority for the organization. The whole functioning of the company is strategically planned and worked out. Certainly, there are some cases, when a company has to act spontaneously in certain circumstances, but in general in has the plan of its development, operation and marketing. The next principle that is of great importance for any company is the one about innovations. Bringing in innovations is the main engine of the company’s development. Innovations are accepted both in the sphere of the product quality and in the sphere of advertising ad merchandising. The next point deals with competition – the company wants to be the best in its field. The only way to win the competition is to gain the customers’ loyalty and work on constant improvement of the company’s performance. Moreover, the company is focused not internally but externally. It means that the feedback with the customers is the dominant element for it. It cannot be said that the managerial system, and corporate culture is ignored - it is just not as important as knowing

Southern Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Southern Company - Essay Example Southern Company is an electric utility company headquartered in Atlanta.    The firm possesses electric gadgets in ‘Alabama’, ‘Florida’, ‘Georgia’, and ‘Mississippi’ and services millions of customers. It also provides services in fiber optics and wireless communications fields. The brands of this company are known for their customer service, which is highly excellent, have high reliability standards, and for the best part have priced their retail electric prices below the national average. The hiring system of the company was at the entry level, and individuals were promoted internally for leadership positions to be filled.  Because of this, the company had a very low turnover rate, of which the result was that an older and more tenured workforce was present. After much thought, the Company came up with a group of leaders who had a professional level of business knowledge and were conversant with the company’s organizat ion and culture. In the late 1970s, the company hired a large number of people, and this ensured that by the year 2003, most of those workers who had remained with the company were beginning to face retirement (Goldsmith, Marshall, Carter, Louis, & Best Practice Institute, 2009). The company’s employees had and still have a retirement age of 50 years old, so many executives had to retire in large numbers, and also those who succeeded them would have to follow shortly. With this, the cthis assisted the firm to review and reform their succession planning and leadership development efforts to ensure that they had a well planned from which effective leaders would be able to meet the company’s future business needs. The company’s leadership people formed teams that assisted in the overall ratings. Leaders comprehended what they wanted after the recognizing the performance standards. They were equipped with skills of making employees work outstandingly hard (Goldsmith , Marshall, Carter, Louis, & Best Practice Institute, 2009). Leaders are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their companies have the maximum performance ability and also to ensure the effectiveness of the company’s employees. Leaders are tasked with ensuring that employees’ performance is effective, and also should be able to develop and integrate new workers (Cohen, 2007). Developing and retaining of existing workers is also a major concern, while also finding ways to attract skilled workers to a company is another role of a leader. Talent management is the process by which an organization finds ways and means to retain, motivate, attract, engage, train, plan, manage, and most importantly develop individuals who can make the company rise to unimaginable heights in the global market. For every person coming into working economy, they have a particular talent and qualification. The Talent Management program enables these qualifications and talents to be sys tematically used in the operative process of a company. Most companies have a type(s) of employee appraisal system. Many companies are at a disadvantage of experiencing the lack of manual staff evaluation systems. Many individuals have trouble differentiating between performance management and performance appraisal. Performance Management is the process whereby the employees’ activities and outcomes are in line with the company’s objective and also ensures that whatever the outcome and activities involved, they are for the success of

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Example for Free

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Eusebius Pamphili, also called Eusebius of Caesarea, is one of the key figures ever documented in the field of church history writing/narration. He took into account essential happenings about a specific event and made accounts for people of great importance in the christian realm. Eusebius was exposed to events and he himself was an eyewitness of some martyrdom in several occasions like what happened in the persecution of Christianity in the time of the many Roman emperors. He was famous for his two historical works: â€Å"Chronicle† and â€Å"Church History†. He also wrote several books which served as references by many people like the â€Å"Apology for Origen†, â€Å"Praeparatio de Evangelica† (Preparation for the Gospel), â€Å"Demostratio Evangelica† (Proof of the Gospel), and other scholarly works that possesses historical values in itself. He appended supplements on the work, â€Å"On the Theology of the Church† to preserve the Nicene doctrine of the Logos against Athanasius principles. But perhaps another historical mark for Eusebius was his detailed accounts in the lives of the martyrs of the Palestine, Origen, and others. He also claimed that he witnessed persecutions in Egypt and Tyre. Furthermore, his prominent works in heresy hunting was also successful, an attribute only a few individual have during his time. His works, being focused in several Christian doctrines and teachings, is what makes it valuable for Christians today. This does not necessarily mean all his teachings were of absolute truth, but the fact that his works can be studied either to resolve or abhor the philosophy which depends on the bias and principle of the reader. Claiming that he had opportunities to witness such brutality made to the early Christians, it is therefore valuable to read his accounts for the readers to assess his claims as well as to consider his claims or despise the same. 1 The focal point of his work is to narrate in a very explicit way possible what transpired during that specific event based on Eusebius accounts and other writings. Taking into account what happened during the persecution experienced by Christians during that period by the authorities is also one of the main points of his writing. The so-called â€Å"Martyrs of Christ† were also mentioned in the book including the method of execution applied unto them. Having burned live, fed into wild beasts, and other mutilation process were clearly stated in the book. Moreover, he made a careful manifestation on the essential parts of the book by giving commentaries which had disputable issues involved. He also expressed contrasts in the claims of Eusebius by including accounts from other manuscripts as well, and stating its case in contrary to Eusebius claims. One clear example would be on the issue of the questionable escape by Eusebius from the persecution while the rest of his company suffered. Eusebius claimed that he escaped through the help of his friends from the authority. However, he was accused by others that he denied the faith, the main reason why he escaped from the prison. Another excerpt from the book would be the concern on his teachings regarding the basic Christian doctrine as again being challenged by other Christians. The contents of the book tackle on numerous historical accounts which are very important in studying the church history. Eusebius accounts, as well as others’ writings must be acknowledged by those who ventures into the history of the early Christians. Describing explicitly the tortures experienced by early Christians, the author carried out the gravity of the said affliction. These reasons, the author believed were some of the factors why the book had to be furnished. Critical commentaries were in scripted by the writer of the book. He clearly included both sides of the issues whenever there are conflicting sides arguing for a specific event stated. Credibility of the author depends on where he got the details included in his writing, as well as on how he presented those data he gathered. Since these issues were clearly evident in the writing of this manuscript, one can say that the author’s credibility should not be in question. There are other writers who did a great job expounding the history of the church. They also claimed reliable sources as to where they acquired the details of their writings. They presented their commentaries with objectivity, making them a likely author. These descriptions cited were also integrated in the works of the author mentioned in this entire assessment. Readers of this generation would be having a clear insight on the topics included in the manuscript made by the author. They can either approve or detest some of the details written but this writing would surely provide them a good reference in studying church history. They can also witness the author’s independent view on certain issues in the history of the church. Aside from all of these, this book should also be treated as a supplement on the topic of persecutions of the early Christians and the other details in a particular regime of past Roman emperors. The substance of a manuscript depends on several factors which includes its intrinsic importance and on how appropriate the book is in its field. This work made a great contribution in narrating events which focused on the writings of Eusebius. Stating all the ideas and principles incorporated in this writing, there is no way that this manuscript be given less importance, particularly in the grounds of studying the history of Christianity. From narrating the life of Eusebius, his circumstances, his accounts on the persecution of Christians and other relevant accounts made this book commendable.

Floating Restaurants Are A New Phenomenon Marketing Essay

Floating Restaurants Are A New Phenomenon Marketing Essay Floating restaurants are a new phenomenon for dining out in Cairo, where customers can be provided not only with a meal but also an entertaining casual dining experience with unrivalled views of the Nile River. This study aims to identify customers perceptions of the floating restaurants sailing down the Nile River and also explores the different attributes that influence customer satisfaction with, and increase the intention of repeat patronage for, Sailing Floating Restaurants. Frequencies, means, Pearson correlations, cross tab and factor analysis were used for the data analysis. The results indicate that aspects such as parking spaces, healthy, and local dishes, along with rest-room cleanliness are pivotal attributes to create satisfied customers and to increase repeat patronage intentions. Floating restaurant managers should reasonably take into consideration the trip length, which contributes significantly to customers satisfaction and repeat patronage intentions.(Published in 2011).Likewise, if there are any local traditions when the behaviour of domestic guests may seem disturbing to uninitiated foreign guests, such as the rowdy lutefisk evenings in some Norwegian restaurants (Jensen and Hansen, 2007). The study by Jensen and Hansen (2007) suggested that harmony is the most emphasized value among experienced restaurant consumers in Norway .The findings of other studies on value and satisfaction provide support for linking value to satisfaction, not satisfaction to value (Babin, Lee, Kim, Griffin, 2005; Jones, Reynolds, Arnold, 2006).For example, studies show that neighborhoods composed of racial and ethnic minorities have more than twice the number of fast-food restaurants (Block, Scribner, and DeSalvo 2004; Ball).Such women may be more likely to encounter environmental barriers to healthy food choices, often living in neighborhoods with fewer supermarkets (Morland et al, 2002b) and more fast food restaurants (Block et al, 2004).Dining motivation may affect this relationship because it determines consumers evaluative judgments during their dining experiences (Park, 2004).Consumers expect safe food and demand information about the origin of their food (Van Rijswijk Frewer, 2008).It has been found in many studies that restaurateurs are concerned with making lasting impressions, perpetuating a wonderful dining experie nce and creating an impressive ambiance for their customers (Cheng, 2006; DiPeitro, Murphy, Riviera, Muller, 2007; Gupta, McLaughlin, Gomez, 2007; Lacey, 2007; Oh, 2008; Ryu, 2005).If customers are satisfied with the food or service in a restaurant then they are more likely to re-visit it and thus increase its profits (Gupta et al., 2007).Several researchers controlled for the effect of advertising and promotions in their studies on customer loyalty because of their influence (Buckinx Van den Poel, 2004; Chu et al, 2007; Gupta, McLaughlin, Gomez, 2007).Service differentiation means enhancing perceived value by providing services or service attributes not provided by the competition (Claycomb and Martin, 2001, p. 391).Here, a small number of studies note the importance of the congruence and compatibility between the perceived attitudes and behaviours of fellow customers within the service setting, that is, the extent to which patrons within the service environment behave in a man ner that is deemed appropriate by other customers present (see Grove Fisk, 1997; Martin, 1996).Park (2004) defined the consumer value of eating-out as the value consumers derived from food, service, and restaurants when eating-out, which suggests that customers do not pursue dining value only to satisfy their hunger.On the other hand, less restrictive zoning in low-income areas may have contributed to an abundance of unhealthy food options, particularly fast food (Block et al. 2004; Morland et al. 2002).Restaurants tend to be less active in preferred customer program unlike hotel or airline industry because restaurant customers favor immediate, necessary, and monetary gratification (Jang Mattila, 2005).Convenience therefore becomes one of the main motivators for restaurant customers in choosing a restaurant (Jang Mattila, 2005).Kivela (1997) segmented restaurant customers on the basis of preferred restaurant types, including fine dining/gourmet, theme/atmosphere, family/popular a nd convenience/fast-food restaurants In the history of restaurant management, providing compelling sensory experiences to patrons has been critical for deriving patron satisfaction, and restaurants have thus invested large amounts of expenditure in interior/exterior decoration (Kivela, 1997; Law, To, Goh, 2008) and food presentation (Kivela et al, 1999; Namkung Jang, 2008; Raajpoot, 2002).Research conducted by Mona and Roy, (1999); Pettijohn, Pettijohn, and Luke (1997); Kivela (1997); Gregoire, Shanklin, Greathouse, and Tripp (1995); Auty (1992), and Lewis (1981) found food quality, including food safety and hygiene, to be either the first or second most important restaurant choice factor.In fast-food restaurants, price, convenience, and limited service are the basic characteristics, which have led to quality being one of the principal concepts of the marketing strategy (Baek, Ham, Yang, 2006).The consumption of fast-food has also increased throughout the industrialized world in countries as diverse as Spain, Korea, the Philippines, and Australia (Baek, Ham, Yang, 2006; Bryant Dundes, 2008; Mohammad, Barker, Kandampully, 2005).Previous studies have examined restaurant preferences associated with different groups such as origins of nationality (Barta, 2008; Gyimothy, Rassing Wanhill, 2000), different meal purposes (Cullen, 2004; Koo, Tao, Yeung, 1999), length of stay (Gyimothy et al, 2000), and age (Gyimothy et al, 2000; Yamanaka, Almanza, Nelson, DeVaney, 2003).According to the study conducted by Cullen (2004), portion size is a more important attribute to young consumers.To date numerous studies have been undertaken seeking to address such selection variables including but not limited to customer loyalty (Kim and Han, 2008), ambience (Rowe, 2004), pricing strategy (Pedraja and Yague, 2001), location (Buchtal, 2006; Knutson et al, 2006), menu variety (Choi, Lee and Mok, 2010), food type and food quality within occasion (Auty, 1992), consumer demographics (Bareham, 2004; Kim, Raab and Berg man, 2010), nutritional content (Wootan and Osborn, 2006) and service and/or product quality Fu and Parks, 2001) While many previous studies were also conducted in an actual restaurant setting (Jang Namkung, 2009; Kivela, Inbakaran, Reece, 2000); the uniqueness of this research is that the notion of Gestalt was adopted, and the interactive effects of perceived congruency and individuals pleasure or arousal on satisfaction were being tested.The perception that a restaurant has a reputable, green operation adds a value that is a little more intangible, but definitely important, in the customers mind. Just ask Chipotle how in the world they get away with selling an $8 burrito in a fast casual environment. Customers recognize the value of their green practices and locally sourced ingredients. There are hundreds of ways to make your restaurant more green, and advertising your practices to your customers add value. (Greg McGuire , 2012).Another top restaurant trend is portion sizes. Reduced portion sizes allow customers to spend less or pick and choose more than one dish. This is also a hot trend b ecause the perceived value for the customer is that they have options, and not all of them require a lot of money. (Greg McGuire , 2012) Restaurant Marketing: Using the Internet to Create Customer Value By Rohit Verma, Executive Director, Cornell Center for Hospitality Research Co-authored by Glenn Withiam, Executive Editor, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly Customer value extends far beyond the table or the restaurant itself. Restaurateurs have the opportunity to create customer value from the first contact, whether that means a telephone reservation or an electronic order or reservation. The restaurant operators decision of whether to permit electronic ordering or to accept reservations via the web depends on numerous factors, including balancing guest preferences against the cost of participating in third-party reservation sites. Studies of consumers who have made electronic reservations find that those who prefer the web tend to be younger customers who dine out more frequently than others. The age-old principle of customer value for the restaurant industry is to put the value where the customer can see it. Putting the value on the plate, is essential and that concept hasnt changed in many years. But the customer value chain for restaurants starts long before the guest is seated. Given heavy competition and ever-expanding marketing channels, a restaurateur may never get the chance to demonstrate the value of the plate on the table-if guests book a different restaurant. The battle begins in just getting the guest to the table in the first place. In this article, we offer a roadmap to electronic reservations and distribution, based on several studies of guests use of electronic food ordering, flash deal couponing, and third-party reservation applications. We frame this discussion in terms of customer value for the simple reason that guests seek value throughout the experience, and they will not become involved where they do not see value. This is particularly true in term s of flash deals. While guests may try a restaurant once using a daily deal coupon, they will not do so twice if value has not been received. The presence of social media and web commentaries seems to have altered customers decision process as they decide which restaurant to book. In the usual process, guests have in mind a set of potential restaurants, and then they apply their own criteria to choose one of those restaurants. The way social media affect this process is that would-be customers who read online reviews may add new restaurants to their choice set during the decision process. Thus, the winning restaurant might well be one that was suggested by the review of a perfect stranger, rather than one that was originally under consideration. Daily deal offers also exert considerable influence on the process. A study by Cornell Professor Chekitan Dev found that an astonishing 70 percent of purchases for travel experiences were made within 15 minutes of receiving an offer from the group coupon firm LivingSocial. In this instance, the decision appears to be a function of price, rather than one of brand. As weve discussed previously, daily deals must be carefully crafted to ensure that the offer is successful for both the restaurant and the purchasers. If you are reading this in a location where social media have not yet penetrated, you may have the luxury of preparing for a time when the internet gains increasing power in your distribution process. While some of our discussion here focuses on restaurants that use reservations, its also true that social media influence the decision process for restaurants that take only walk-ins and use a queue to control table occupancy, rather than reservations. Beyond that, there may come a day when guests will expect to be able to view your queue on the web, and thus determine whether they want to wait in that queue or choose another restaurant. Its easy to foresee a possible marketing approach of letting guests know that your queue is only 15 minutes long if they come immediately to the restaurant. Food Ordering With that background, lets examine how the internet is affecting food-service purchases and restaurant reservations. Considering that the internet is a logical method for ordering food deliveries, Cornell Professor Sheryl Kimes examined the use of the websites for ordering food for carryout or for delivery. While about half of the 470 people surveyed had used some form of electronic ordering, the number-one channel remains the telephone call, which was used for 53 percent of the orders in this study. This study covers U.S. residents, so the proportions may be different elsewhere. Nevertheless, the webs impact continues to rise everywhere. While theres no indication that the telephone will be eclipsed any time soon, electronic ordering is growing steadily. Just over 38 percent of the survey respondents had placed an electronic order, mostly using the restaurants own website. The number-one benefit that customers cited for electronic ordering was accuracy. They also liked websites that were convenient, gave them strong control, and made ordering easy. Its worth noting that convenience in this case also extended to offering delivery of the food once it was ordered. On the other side of the coin, customers who avoided the web for food ordering preferred personal interaction-they wanted to talk to someone. There was also a current of technological anxiety among those who didnt use the web to order food. A comparison of the demographics and purchase patterns of technology users and nonusers provides reasons for restaurants to offer as many ordering channels as possible. Respondents who made electronic orders tended to be younger than those who did not, and the technology users also patronized restaurants more frequently. An earlier study by Technomic found that 60 percent of people between 18 and 34 years have ordered online, but for people over 35 that figure falls to 35 percent. Restaurant operators in the United States are not oblivious to this trend. Just under one-fourth of the 326 largest U.S-based chains offered online food ordering. While we do not have figures for other nations, the direction of the trend is clear. For this study, the type of food ordered most frequently is Italian-style food, particularly pizza. Electronic Reservations If your restaurant accepts reservations, chances are they are being made by telephone. Just as the phone remains the top channel for ordering food, the same is true for restaurant reservations. However, what is not clear when the phone rings is how your guest found you. In this study of 474 U.S. consumers, Professor Kimes (working with co-researcher Katherine Kies) again found a steady growth in the use of websites and mobile phone apps for making restaurant reservations. What she also found was a trend that connects electronics and the telephone. Guests would use the web or a mobile app to locate a restaurant, and then they would complete the reservation on the telephone. More on that in a moment. Respondents to this survey had similar feelings about internet reservations as they did about electronic food ordering. Those who made reservations on the phone preferred the personal touch. Once again the online group is noticeably younger than the telephone-only group, and the web users have a tendency to visit restaurants more frequently than do other customer groups. So, once again, the online crowd appears to be an attractive demographic. One of the difficult decisions for restaurateurs is whether to use a multiple-restaurant reservation site. The decision is not always a simple one, even though reservation sites are growing in popularity, because they do incur an expense. Most reservation sites charge a monthly fee, plus a per-diner fee. Signing an agreement with one of these sites also removes a certain amount of control over the reservation process. Perhaps the greatest concern regarding these sites is the possibility that they do not provide incremental business. That is, a restaurant could very well be paying for an electronic reservation that would have been made anyway, by telephone or on the restaurants own website. Even if the reservations do represent incremental business, restaurants thin operating margins also raise questions about the value of third-party reservation sites. Balanced against the concerns regarding reservation sites is their undeniable popularity among some would-be restaurant guests. About 60 percent of the respondents who had made an electronic reservation used a multiple-restaurant site for their transaction. Two favorable considerations are that using the web reduces the need to have someone answering the phone for reservations and theoretically the restaurant can promote itself by its presence on the reservation site. The sites also provide an electronic reservations book and offer certain table management tools, as well as capturing customer data. The top reason for choosing a restaurant given by this surveys respondents was their previous experience with the restaurant, following by recommendations of friends. However, when this question was posed to those who use multiple-restaurant sites, social media became entwined in the decision process, as we described at the beginning of this article. While experience and cuisine had strong influence, the users of multiple-restaurant sites were significantly more likely to rely on online reviews in choosing a restaurant. Regardless of how they placed the reservation, the most important element, according to these respondents, is the ability to get the time and date they wanted. Reservation accuracy was also important. This group was relatively not concerned about personal contact. The study found that website users do more than just place reservations through the multiple-restaurant sites. They also use these sites to check table availability and to locate a particular restaurant. Additionally, the would-be guests also use websites to find a new restaurant. It is this finding that raises the possibility that restaurant operators should consider the theoretical marketing value of being listed on a multiple-restaurant site. Having located a restaurant, about one-third of the respondents completed the reservation using the telephone. The rest either continued with the reservation on the multiple-restaurant site or they switched to the restaurants own site. In conclusion, the decision of how to connect with your customer depends on your knowledge of how to create value for your customer. It may be that being listed on a multiple-restaurant site or offering delivery for electronic orders is an ideal fit for your restaurant. On the other hand, the cost of third-party reservation sites may not be justified by either the incremental reservations or marketing value. Moreover, for the restaurant industry, personal contact through the telephone is still important. By remembering that the creation of customer value begins with the first contact, you can ensure an excellent experience that puts the value where the customer can see it. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3133/restaurant-marketing-using-the-internet-to-create-customer-value

Comparing A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and A Rose For Emily by William F

Comparing A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner In the pages of the short stories, A Worn Path and A Rose For Emily we are able to see a similar side and connection between the two. As we look at the theme, tone, and morals we are able to better grasp the conflict in these two stories, while detecting whether the two protagonists, Miss Emily and Phoenix Jackson are mentally crazy. The main moral in A Worn Path is the love, and life of Phoenix Jackson. The path she travels across interrupts her life. Her love is the love and affection she has for her grandson. If we read the story closer then it may lead us to the conclusion that Phoenix really does not have a Grandson. Phoenix complains to the doctor that her Grandson has had a sore throat for an extremely long time. This may cause the reader to believe that she used to have a Grandson but he became so sick he died. Yet, at the same time Phoenix also shows her intellect by seeing the money fall out of the hunter's jacket from a far off distance. In A Rose For Emily the main moral is...

Last of the Mohicans Essay -- Last Mohicans War Book Review Essays

Last of the Mohicans Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757 in the third year of a war in North America over land and territory. Mostly, the war is between the English and the French, but each side has taken up Indian allies to assist them. The main story in the Last of the Mohicans is the love of an adopted Mohican, Hawk-eye, and Cora, the daughter of an English general. There are also other stories embedded in the movie, which are harder to recognize. For instance, a second love story between Hawk-eye's brother and Cora's sister. The life of Magua is another story that the movie seems to slightly touch, but doesn't elaborate on. As for the historical part of the movie, I think it is accurate in the sense of the fighting style of the English. The "proper" way of war might be fine in Europe, but against the Indians, standing in a line with bright red coats is not the way to win. "...the soldiers' uniforms splendid - though (and that's a historic fact) idiotically ornate and impractical for warfare. It wasn't until about 1916 that the British and the French saw the light and stopped wearing all that Day-Glo, easy target colors" (Prof. Jahiel). For example, at the beginning of the movie, Magua killed one soldier marching in the line, and the guy next to him didn't even do anything until the commander said to attack. They would also fire at the same time, leaving the whole squad vulnerable to attack while they reloaded. By fighting in this manner, it allowed the Indians to fight much more strategically. They would fire muskets three at a time, so they could stop an oncoming rush while the others reloaded. The Ind ians also took advantage of the English firing scheme. After the whole squad of English soldiers fired their muskets, the Indians would rush in with axes and knives, then fall back. This strategy would allow just a few Indians to take out a relatively large number of English. "The British, we learn by the proof in the pudding, are inept warriors, and lousy tacticians...Plus, they're seemingly accurately described, both from the point of view of the historian and political correctness" (Prof. Jahiel). I also think the film did a good job with the weapons used throughout the movie. The spears, bows, axes, and muskets look authentic enough for me. The one weapon that I couldn't recognize was the axe-type club that was used by Hawk-eye's father. ... ...e. I think another sub plot that comes out of the film is the idea of change. Or at least reality sets in on some of the characters. For instance, General Munroe decides not to fight for his fort and just leave. This was something that was not previously done, or even accepted in the English Military. Also I found Cora's ex-boyfriend, the noble, to be an extremely brave and honorable man. At first I thought he was, quite frankly, an arrogant jackass until the end when he sacrificed himself for Cora and Hawk-eye. One thing to keep in mind when watching the film is that it shows the war from a different angle than what the public might be used to. It focuses more on an Indian point of view and a more individualistic view. By Indian point of view I mean most representations of wars in America make us look to be the good guys, in this film there is a somewhat neutral eye from which the war is viewed. What I mean by individualistic is that each person, Hawk-eye, Cora, General Munroe, and Magua are involved in the same war, but see things totally different. One person viewing the film will most likely see something different or special about the film than another person would.

Software Piracy :: essays research papers

Software Piracy What is Software Piracy The PC industry is just over 20 years old. In those 20 years, both the quality and quantity of available software programs have increased dramatically. Although approximately 70% of the worldwide market is today supplied by developers in the United States, significant development work is occurring in scores of nations around the world. But in both the United States and abroad, unauthorized copying of personal computer software is a serious problem. On average, for every authorized copy of personal computer software in use, at least one unauthorized copy is made. Unauthorized copying is known as software piracy, and in 1994 it cost the software industry in excess of US$15 billion. Piracy is widely practiced and widely tolerated. In some countries, legal protection for software is nonexistent (i.e., Kuwait); in others, laws are unclear (i.e. Israel), or not enforced with sufficient commitment (i.e., the PRC). Significant piracy losses are suffered in virtually every region of the world. In some areas (i.e., Indonesia), the rate of unauthorized copies is believed to be in excess of 99%. Why do People Use Pirated Software? A major reason for the use of pirated software is the prices of the REAL thing. Just walk into a CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Computer City, Egghead, etc and you will notice the expensive price tags on copies of the most commonly used programs and the hottest games. Take the recent Midwest Micro holiday catalogue for example and notice the prices. Microsoft Windows 95: $94, Microsoft Office 95: $224, Microsoft Visual C++: $250, Borland C++: $213, Corel Draw 7: $229, Corel Office Professional 7: $190, Lotus Smartsuite 96: $150, Microsoft Flight Simulator95: $50, Warcraft 2: $30. The list goes on and on and the prices for the programs listed above were only upgrade versions. Users of the software listed above include anywhere from large companies like AT&T to yourself, the average user at home. Although a $30 game like Warcraft 2 doesn't seem like much, by the time you finish reading this paper, it will seem like a fortune. Ease of Availability Since the law states clearly that making a copy of what you own and distributing it or installing more than one copy of one piece of software on two separate computers is illegal, then why do the average Joes like you and us still do it? There are many answers to that question and all of them seem legitimate except that no answers can be legally justified. A friend borrowing another friend's Corel draw or Windows 95 to install on their own PC is so common that the issue of piracy probably doesn't even come to mind right away or

Fly Dubai Essay

Introduction: Dubai is considered one of the most important trading hubs in the Middle East region. Its rapid growth in its major infrastructure elements had attracted many multinational companies across the world to open their regional offices in the city. This had its positive effects on Dubai economical growth as it became a golden gate for regional Middle East businessmen to trade with other international companies. As a result of this, the need for a low cost airline that provides its services for business men within the region had increased. The city experience with the airline industry is not new as it is the home city of Fly Emirates, which is considered one of the best airlines in the region. This industry had its great effect on Dubai economical growth in the past 20 years and will have its strong impact in shaping the emirate future. In March 2008, the second low cost airline was lunched under the name of Flydubai and started its operations in Dubai International Airport Terminal 2 in June 2009. (For more information on Flydubai and its operations, please refer to Appendix 1). We have defined our relevant market for Flydubai as a low cost carrier (LCC) within the product form level. Being positioned as a low cost national airline carrier, it’s facing a high competition from other national airlines which force the relevant market to be within the product form. (For more information on the relevant market please refer to appendix 2). This paper will focus on presenting an environmental scan of the airline industry within the Middle East region during the time frame of 3 years (2009-2012). In order to do so, we will identify the significant trends and their consequent implications on Flydubai relevant market. This report will include an in depth review of the macro, micro analysis and its implications of Flydubai relevant market in the next three years. Body: In identifying the major key trends in the macro environment of Flydubai, we have addressed several issues that include the political, social and economical trends. Flydubai was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Ruler of Dubai orders in march 2008 and started its operation in its first flight to Lebanon on June 1st 2009.Being fully owned by Dubai government and enjoy the full facilities offered in terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport, the company is having a competitive advantage compared to its rivals in the market as it enjoy the full government support and airport services. Furthermore, the current government trend in the labor force is towards emiratization and protecting labors rights. Being a part of the Fly Emirates Group, the organization will face no problem in emiratization as it will follow Fly Emirates emiratization strategy. The major challenge that Flydubai will face is being able to offer high paid jobs and reduce its operational costs as it is considered a low cost airline company. Living in the current financial crises era, Flydubai was established in one of the most difficult time the country economy had faced in the last 25 years. â€Å"Falling oil prices, cooling real estate and construction markets, together with a slowdown in the tourism sector, especially in Dubai, means the UAE is expected to post low or possibly negative GDP growth in 2009†, according to analysts (Arabian Business, 2009). This information may be considered negative to many airline companies but it may be positive to a low cost airline like Flydubai as people are now focusing more in reducing their expenses as the incomes are reduced. This means their tendency of consumers focusing more on prices is increasing. Furthermore, consumer behavior is changing towards low cost airlines especially in the Middle East region as consumers are persuaded by low prices and a better service offered by low cost airlines. According to a study done by Arabian Business website, it was found that 83 percent of the respondents would switch their preferred airline carrier, for a cheaper price, while 17.6 percent believed they would consider alternatives and trade off between the discount and lost air miles. It can thus be inferred that pricing plays a significant role in consumer behaviour and the decision making process especially in the current economic downturn era (Glass, 2008). According to Dubai department of Tourism and commerce marketing â€Å"3.85 million tourists had visited the emirate in the first half of 2009, a five percent increase on the same period of 2008†. This figure strongly shows the current tourism industry market and how attractive it became even though of the current economical downturn. Other figures expect that the number of tourists will fall compared to 2008 figures but most figures have stated that there will be a positive growth in 2010. This figure shows that Flydubai will see a future growth rates in the coming 3 years as terrorism sector restore its high figures after overcoming the current downturn. As observed by Andrew Cowen, CEO of SAMA Airlines, the market is shifting from the traditional major airlines business travel towards low cost carriers for trips within the GCC. Business travelers are changing their perception of low cost carriers, supported by the current economic downturn and the increase number of foreign businesses within GCC countries entering the UAE. This shows a trend of an increasing demand for low cost carriers in the next three years (High time for low cost carriers, 2008). (For in depth information on the analysis of the macro environment of the airline industry please refer to Appendix 3) In identifying the major key trends in the micro environment the following aspects that includes, Customers, Employees, media, shareholders, competitors and suppliers. Customers who are price conscious are concerned with low cost airlines. Flydubai has focused on pricing strategy and flexibility because these two factors play a big role in determining the customer’s decision process on which airlines they choose to travel with. Moreover, the number of tourist from around the world including the region will grow more than 40% in the next 3 years in Dubai (www.realtyna.com). This shows that there will be increased number of customers who will use Flydubai airlines within the next three years due its successful use of pricing strategy and flexibility. The Employees of Flydubai have good experiences and they were carefully selected from twelve different nationalities. According to Kenneth Gile, chief operating officer of Flydubai said: â€Å"We are extremely pleased with the talent of the pilots we have on board. On average, they each have more than 4,000 hours serving as captain in similar aircraft and a total experience of more than 8,000 flying hours – this is impressive by any standard† (Sambidge, 2009). Flydubai is fully owned by the government of Dubai and its considered as a part of its mother company the Emirates Group. The main strategy that Flydubai is willing to use for their marketing strategy is through word of mouth (buzz). This is because Flydubai is a low cost airline; they tend to set low budgets for their advertisements to keep their prices low. The direct competitors of Flydubai are Air Arabia and Al Jazeerah airlines because these two airlines are also low cost airlines in the same country as Flydubai. However, the major competitor of Flydubai is Air Arabia because, first of all, they are the first to claim about low cost airlines in the Middle East region. Moreover, they hold the highest market share in the relevant market as identified before. Our market share comparing to those two carries are low because Flydubai just recently launched to the market. But, within the next three years we expect rapid growth in the market share because Dubai is a destination for tourists. The major indirect competitor is Fly Emirates which stands as the leader in airline industry in the relevant market and it will keep its performance in the next three years. The second indirect competitor is Etihad Airlines which is growing fast because of the unlimited support from Abu Dhabi government. In addition, those airline carriers make low price offers for the same destination that we have flight lines to. The supplier of Flydubai is Boeing. Flydubai announced an order of 50 next generation 737 aircraft from Boeing. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum said: â€Å"The Boeing Next-Generation 737 is ideally suited to our mission to bring some two billion regional inhabitants affordable, efficient and flexible travel options to and from Dubai.†(For more information on the micro environment analysis, please refer to Appendix 4). Implications: Primary demand: Low cost airlines are focusing on customers who are price conscious. The number of customers using the LCC airlines is increasing and it will continue growing in the next three years (www.gulf-daily-news.com). This is because, first of all, the percentage of tourists will increase by 40% within the next three years which shows that the market share of LCC will increase as well. Secondly, because of the economic condition, many people tend to save money and spend it on low cost airlines to travel more to the desired destinations. Users of Low cost airlines contain all different ages and nationalities. Moreover, cost is one of the main factors that affect customer’s ability to buy. The costs of these carriers are low and will continue to remain low in the next three years. This will increase customer’s ability and willingness to buy. Selective demand We can define the consumer decision making process as an extensive problem solving level, where they are introduced to a complete new brand with low brand knowledge. So, Flydubai should infusive more on their brand identity through the media and other communication types in order to enrich consumer’s knowledge. Once Flydubai had increased the level of consumer knowledge, we expect huge increase in market share in the next three years because the decision making process is going to shift from extensive problem solving to routine which is low information search about the company. Therefore, we expect major change within the next three year upon the factors we mentioned above. Segmentation: As for segmentation we expect to see a rise in the population of the UAE in the following 3 years. According to the electronic portal of Gulf News the population of UAE is approaching six million as of now and it is expected to escalate even further by the end of this year. An increase in construction in the coming years requires more labor to be imported from foreign countries, thus increasing the number of potential customers (low income and middle-class lifestyles) who might want to use our services. Moreover, economic boom can also be a factor for businessmen to travel to and from Dubai more frequently. In addition, the number of students travelling to the UAE for education is expected to increase in the near future; this implies that they will most probably select Flydubai as their primary mode of transport to travel to and from the UAE, since the economic condition shows very little signs of improvement in the near future. More tourists are expected to arrive in the UAE within the near future out of which a section of them are extremely price sensitive travelers. Another scenario would be that the current economic downturn continues to effect economies world-wide within the coming three years increasing the number of price-sensitive customers in the eight markets we operate in. To keep up with the projected demand, Flydubai is planning to increase its fleet size from 5 (currently) to 54 aircrafts in the coming years. An increase in fleet size would allow Flydubai not only to accommodate a large number of clients but also expand its reach in terms of destinations. Conversely, the announcement of the new GCC rail network which is the new transportation class in our relevant market is expected to have a slight negative effect on Flydubai’s operations in terms of loosing clients that fall in our target segmentation. The GCC rail network and Flydubai have one common destination which is Qatar. Once the GCC rail network begins its operations there is a high possibility of losing out on our current and potential clients. (For more information on segmentation please refer to appendix 5). Competitor analysis Our major competitive in our relative market is Air Arabia and then Al Jazeera Airlines. Air Arabia is holding major market share because they are the first to claim about launching first low cost airlines in Middle East region. However, Flydubai can compete with those two direct competitors when we focus on our competitive advantage which is price leadership. Also, location is another important factor due the number of travelers that are using Dubai Airport comparing to Sharjah Airport. In addition, being part of the Emirates Group will add more value to Flydubai brand equity which will make it easier to make customers shift toward our company within the next three years. (For more information on competitor analysis, please refer to Appendix 6) Conclusion: In conclusion after analyzing the environmental micro and macro trend for Flydubai, we observed that there are two major changes in our relevant market. First, the increase of the tourism level in Dubai as we expect the current economic downturn era to change its direction towards positive figures in the next three years. Also, the companies’ holders and businessmen attitude towards low cost airlines is changing by using it as these airlines are providing business men services aboard such a business class and wireless internet connection. The number of competitors within the low cost airline industry is going to increase in the coming years as new airlines such as Bahrain Airlines starts its operation this year. Secondly, full service airlines are expanding their market towards low cost airline by introducing low price tickets that attract price sensitive consumers. We expect that within the next ten years a new class level will enter the market in the GCC region which is trains transportation. Also, a new form level will emerge in the relevant market which is a combination between full services and low cost carriers. Finally, within the next three years we expect those changes in the relevant market to be reshaped affecting the primary and selective demand. Bibliography (2009, October 18). Flydubai airline. Retrieved from http://www.dubaifaqs.com/Flydubai.php McKechnie, D, Grant, J, & Katsioloudes, M. (2008). Positions and positioning: strategy simply stated. 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