Cold War Literature – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Waiting for Godot, and Red Alert

The period of Cold War literature dating from the second half of the twentieth century is distinctly seen as a time of enduring relevance; marked with a deep moral questioning of morality and the institution, a heightened sense of paranoia, as well as with a firm shattering of religious persuasion. Significant texts arise from particular ways of thinking to reflect both a societal loss of innocence and social naivety, presenting a widely pessimistic picture of a civilisation awaiting imminent annihilation. A strong reaction to the context of After the Bomb, which created a sense of fragmentation and social alienation, the Cold War texts of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, and Peter Georges’ Red Alert all arise from particular ways of thinking evident in the philosophical, religious, economic and technological paradigms of the period and thus they possess an enduring relevance.Could Cold War Have Been Avoided? The questions surrounding both the reasoning and necessity of the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki arguably surround the most significant moral debate of the twentieth century and it is in this context, that George’s Red Alert and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by Le Carre, explore the philosophical reasonings of morality. The Spy who came in From the Cold raises such concerns as it shatters illusions of the previously perceived ‘noble cause'. This is evidenced as Control briefs Leamus when he rationalises that â€Å"the ethic of our work†¦ we do disagreeable things†¦ we are defensive†. This not only causes the reader to question the â€Å"ethic† of intelligence operations but also to compare the actions of both the East and the West throughout the novel. Additionally the emphasis of the italicised â€Å"defensive† highlights the belief that such operations cause concern, as the manipulation and deception of others by the Circus causes the readers to weigh up the â€Å"ethics†. This is highlighted especially as it becomes apparent that the British are instigating the protection of a former Nazi, another scenario raising concerns of morality. Control then says that â€Å"intelligence work has one moral law – it is justified by results†. Control, as suggested by his title, hold considerable power which The use of â€Å"law† suggests a concrete framework of standards and expectations, which is not only unrealistic within an intelligence setting, but also a complete untruth, Control having just said that they are â€Å"defensive†. Additionally the issue of amorality surfaces within the conversation between Control and Leamus as the reader questions whether the â€Å"results† justify the means. Likewise, when Fielder interrogates Leamus there is a discussion about philosophical and ideological beliefs of British and East German intelligence agents. Fielder believes in that â€Å"the whole is more important than the individual†. This statement, explicit and direct, emphasises options of morality for both. Similarly, perhaps as a justification, it is also said that â€Å"it is expedient that one man should die for the benefit of many†. Apart from a criticising intelligence work, Le Carre also questions both the direction and morality/amorality of humanity itself. Through the use of â€Å"benefit†, the reader is forced to ask if any death is a â€Å"benefit† to society, allowing contextual components to come into play. Similarly, George’s Red Alert as a text is characterised by intensified questioning of humanity and human values. The sustained metaphor likening General Quinten to the mongoose who kills the snake from Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki Tikki Tavi spans most of the novel. The juxtaposition of Rikki Tikki Tavi with General Quinten highlights the debate surrounding â€Å"aggression for self-defence†, which juxtaposes both scenarios in irony. Another philosophical facet of Red Alert is the validity and morality of the institution. This is a particularly potent issue shown through the rare satirical undercurrent of the Pentagon War Room. Satire is used by George throughout the meetings of â€Å"big bomb diplomacy† as leaders from East and West throw around moral questions of whether there is a difference in killing â€Å"thirty millions or sixty millions†. This, in addition to the granting of permission to destroy an un-evacuated Atlantic city so that â€Å"few would have to suffer for the sake of many† highlights contempt for political institutions making decisions for the world, who through the use of alliteration are â€Å"powerless to prevent†. This also relates to Fiedler’s belief in that it is â€Å"expedient that one man should die for the benefit of many†. Thus through the questioning of morality in Cold War society, both Le Carre and George, present texts which both depict highly differing perspectives of their surrounding world and which are, to a large extent shaped by the particular ways of thinking present at the time. Thus both texts possess an enduring relevance through the challenging of ideas such as morality and the presence of seeming amorality. The Cold War era was one of permeating anxiety, vulnerability and fear especially pertaining to the fatal flaws of science, as well as to those attributed to the human condition as conveyed in Peter George’s Red Alert and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Winston Churchill’s 1946 Sinews of Peace alleged that â€Å"with cooperation†¦in science†¦there will be an overwhelming sense of security†[1]. Red Alert is a text, seemingly devoted to the disproving of this affirmation. The novel invalidates the â€Å"safety† of the machine, particularly through the ironic repetition of the acronym for Mutually Assured Destruction, MAD. Similarly, the religious imagery of explosives â€Å"crossed and recrossed in a lethal pattern† is both symbolic of the danger and fatality of nuclear technology, and foreboding of the â€Å"self-immolation [of] their destined end† – a reference to the perceived martyrdom of the appropriately named Alabama Angel bombers. In 1961, John F Kennedy stated â€Å"the world is living under a nuclear sword of Damocles which can be cut by accident, miscalculation, or madness. †[2] It seems the fatal flaw of technology, as conveyed in Red Alert, is human nature. This is particularly evident as â€Å"no system yet devised is proof against any and all human failings†¦the human element has failed us† which again plays on the threat of technology as well as alludes to the existing atmosphere of paranoia prevalent throughout both the novel, and the Cold War period. Similarly, in Waiting for Godot â€Å"Beckett is concerned with†¦demythification, with exposing myths such as†¦science†[3]. Through absurdism, Beckett conveys the â€Å"dark summation† of the human condition with compassion and humour. The seeming nothingness of the existence and experience of all characters in the play can be distressing for the audience, who are presented with a disillusioned, harsh depiction of their world. This is somewhat symbolic of the realities of the human condition in relation to despair, fear and loneliness in an alien and hostile universe. Additionally, the relentless cycle experienced as Vladimir says â€Å"we’ll be back tomorrow†¦ then the day after†¦and so on† creates both pity but also fear for the audience especiallyu as Estragon asks â€Å"why don’t you help me? , thus appealing to Vladimir but also the audience who are both powerless to offer help and protection. It is thus evidenced in both Waiting for Godot and Red Alert, that the fear and paranoia depicted in both texts is to a large extent a reflection of the ways of thinking of the time. The impact of the political context of the Cold War in clearly evident in Le Carre’s The Spy Who Cam e in from the Cold, however, in Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, although still existent, the political influence and ways of thinking is somewhat more subtle. The Cold War era is often characterised by deceit, manipulation and betrayal, thus challenging values of honour and loyalty as society learnt of defections and double agents. The idea of manipulation, perhaps an illusion to political manipulation, is conveyed strongly in The Spy who came in from the Cold particularly through the use of repeating images of children, which appear throughout the text as symbols of innocence, easily swayed by others. The manipulation of Liz in the courtroom â€Å"like a blind child† conveys the potential control over interpretation through the suppression of context. The simile not only likens Liz to the ideas of innocence and naivety but also raises the question of whether there can be truth without context. Similarly, the novel sustains repetition of an image haunting Leamus; that of a â€Å"small car smashed between great lorries and the children waving cheerfully through the window†. The obvious conclusion drawn by readers is of the lorries as a metaphor for the ideological conflict between East and West, communism and democracy. The small car on the other hand has numerous connotations potentially being Leamus, society in general as a helpless unit, or even the opposing nations caught in between the ideological forces. The â€Å"children waving cheerfully† presents an image of innocence, and lack of awareness, a stark contrast to the looming lorries. Thus, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold reflects, to a very large extent the political atmosphere of the Cold War, and thus possesses enduring relevance as a depiction of reality for many throughout the era. Thus, the particular ways of thinking present throughout the Cold War period largely influenced the composition of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Waiting for Godot, and Red Alert. The permeating philosophical, scientific, political and religious paradigms give all three texts an enduring relevance in the modern, twenty-first century context.

Aquarius Advertising Agency: Case Study

Aquarius Advertising Agency: Case Study 1)Aquarius’ 5 Contextual Variables: Environment – the business environment for advertising agencies is variable and always undergoing changes. In particular, it is common for these agencies to lose and gain large numbers of clients frequently. In regards to the advertising services Aquarius provides, their employees need to adapt to new industry trends often and no consistent routine exists for serving the various clients they encounter. Goals – Aquarius strives to be a respected agency in the advertising industry.They try to achieve this by being responsive to changes in the industry, flexible with clients, innovative, and efficient. Aquarius’ specific goal it is trying to achieve with structure redesign is to improve cooperation, coordination, and communication among their different departments. Culture – the services Aquarius provides are tied into an industry that revolves around creativity and art. As a r esult, many of the employees strive to be independent and do things in an original way in order to stand out. The personnel are highly knowledgeable towards industry trends and advertising practices.Employees need to be creative and innovative; therefore, they can sometimes be seen as daring or arrogant. Some employees who have a more functional role in the company (i. e. the account executives/manager) feel that the other employees can seem overconfident or egotistical. Size – Aquarius is a medium-sized advertising agency that offers two services. Technology – Technology is always changing and providing new ways for advertising agencies to operate and perform. In terms of performance, traditional forms of advertising such as TV and radio have not been improved by technology for quite some time.However, new Internet technologies like social media are revolutionizing the advertising industry and Aquarius has had to adapt to those changes. In terms of operations, technol ogy has been improving the ways organizations communicate with their clients and how departments relay information throughout the organization. Email is very common these days, however, new information systems and database software are changing the way all organizations of any kind deal with all data. 2 and 3) Matrix structure or not?A matrix structure would not be appropriate in this case because the functional departments under operations deal with each other and the functional departments under marketing deal with each other. The functional departments from operations don’t interact with the functional departments in marketing enough (applies vice versa) to warrant a matrix structure. Also, the functional departments in operations and marketing are too varied from one another to benefit from a matrix structure. The operations departments need to be managed by an operations executive and the same can be said about the marketing departments.The horizontal relationships betwe en operations and marketing need to be vertically controlled for efficiency. However, Aquarius still needs to solve its problem of innovation and flexibility. My restructuring solution would be to add 3 new positions. Aquarius claims its services can be grouped into two categories: one for customized plans and one for complete plans. Therefore, I propose they group together the account executives dealing with clients asking for common services. Also, group together the account executives dealing with more custom and specialized services.These two groups would then report their needs to the other new position called the Accounts/Specialist Liaison. This liaison would act as a permanent integrator between the two account executive groups, the marketing VP, and the operations VP. The two account executive groups relay their resource needs to fulfill customer demands through this liaison. This liaison, knowing the resources and capabilities of the marketing departments and the operation s departments, would then approve or deny the account executive groups’ requests.Although this restructuring plan would be considered to be adding more vertical integration with a single centralized liaison, it still adds flexibility and a divisional structure. The account executives are arranged in a way that one group of executives deal with common services and the other group deals with customized services. As a result, the group dealing with common services will generally have more standardized and consistent requests to the liaison. On the other hand, the group dealing with customized services will have more variable requests.One group would comprise of executives who serve more of a functional role, while the other group would comprise of executives who serve a more creative/innovative role. Either way, everything these two executive groups request, in order to service their respective clients, will have to be approved by the liaison that checks with the two VPs to see if their requests are feasible or reasonable. The liaison also communicates with the Accounts VP often to get a good understanding on special or specific clients and how much they mean to the agency. The liaison relays this information to the two account executive groups.

Laurence Kotlikoff-Hyperinflation--Not Deflation Essay

Laurence Kotlikoff-Hyperinflation--Not Deflation - Essay Example The situation will set up a condition where the people have runs in various banks, for example in Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The situation may spread to all the other banks in the different countries Germany and France all inclusive.He is giving the example that occurred in the recent past, where Cypriot banks failed and claimed that they will not bail off the depositors. Despite the country being small with relatively two small banks, the circumstance led to a main panic in the international state of the economy. He is projecting that a daisy sequence of defaults besides numerous bank runs might end up happening in Europe. Dr. Kotlokoff sees a case where the financial crisis may spread to America. He insists that if only the people will be solvent and get their money out from the banks then the situation could stabilized He further warns that, if the people or the investors are running to the banks, everybody will want to run to get the money out instead all perish due to failure. The professor goes ahead to say that, with the plunging of the oil prices, the Russian banks are also seemingly at a significant risk. Questions are posed regarding the sustainability of the fiscal policy of Russia given the dropping the prices of oil. There is evidence that about 40% of the Russian revenues come from the sales of oil. Therefore, there is a concern over the oil prices that may result in failure of the Russian banks as well. He points out to the failure of the Russian banks in 1998 holding that there were eminent concerns regarding the printing of huge amounts of the government money. It is clear from the clip that there are concerns about the demand deposit of insurance in the USA. The FDIC insurance of the United States is said not to be a real insurance given the case where almost everybody has apprehensions about inflation. He then gives an example that, if he knows that the prices of commodities are going

Efficient Market Theory & Behavioural Finance with regard to Financial Essay

Efficient Market Theory & Behavioural Finance with regard to Financial Crisis 2007-2010 - Essay Example Behavioural Finance is a blend of psychology with finance, a contribution by Psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, along with Richard Thaler, a University of Chicago professor and his colleague Nicholas Barberis. Their works have encouraged many scholars to pursue research in this unusual and different-from-classical-approach field. In this paper, there is the analyses of the two theories, the causes of the Financial Crisis and if EMH has direct implications in it. There is an explanation how behavioural finance can explain the anomalies which have persisted too long to lead to this crisis situation. Analysis Efficient Market Hypothesis A market is efficient with respect to the available information set if the market prices fully reflect that information (Fama, 1970, p.383). Therefore, in an efficient market it is impossible for investors and portfolio managers to earn excess returns by holding a portfolio of randomly selected stocks with comparable risks. The efficient mar ket hypothesis is based on the Random Walk Hypothesis, which states that the changes in a stock’s price are a random departure from its previous price. The set of assumptions, which imply an efficient capital market, are: 1. A large number of profit-maximizing investors analyze and value the security independently of each other. 2. New information regarding a security comes in a random manner. 3. The investors adjust security prices quickly to reflect the new information. Efficient Market Hypothesis has three forms- Weak form Efficiency, Semi strong form Efficiency and Strong form Efficiency. In the Weak form efficiency, historical prices are irrelevant in predicting future prices and therefore, cannot earn excess returns from the investment strategies based on historical data. In Semi strong form efficiency, share prices quickly reflect the publicly available information in an unbiased manner; therefore, it is impossible to earn excess returns from fundamental analysis or te chnical analysis. In strong-form efficiency, share prices reflect both public and private information and it is impossible to earn excess return, provided there are no barriers for private information to become public. The idea behind EMH, which is very simple, is that the competition enforces revenues and costs to come into equilibrium, new entry eliminates the excessive profits, if any, and the asset prices are a function of flow of information to the financial markets (Ball, 2009, p.9). Evidence in Support of EMH: Eugene Fama conducted the strong-form tests to know whether the investors had any monopolistic access to the information relevant to the security’s price (Fama, 1970, p.383). In 1991, Fama gave his second review of EMH in which he found that instead of weak-form tests, the first category now covers more areas of tests for return predictability (Sewell, 2011, p.5). In his third review, Fama concluded that market efficiency survives the challenge from the literatur e on the long-term anomalies (Fama, 1998, p.283). In his paper â€Å"The Efficient Market Hypothesis and its Critics†, Malkiel examines the criticism of EMH and concludes that the capital markets are efficient and less predictable (Malkiel, 2003, p.77). In Figure 1 Malkiel has calculated the percentage of actively managed funds,

How does increased wait time affect the quantity of correct responses Essay

How does increased wait time affect the quantity of correct responses to question from elementary ELL students - Essay Example Despite the comprehensive understanding of the role of thinking in reading process, there exists very few researches that seek to clarify the time required by a student in answering classroom’ questions(Brenda, 1999). However, the existing researches have classified the time required before responding to a question into eight categories, post-teacher question time, within-student’s response pause-time, post-student response wait-time, student pause-time, teacher pause-time, within-teacher presentation pause-time, student task-completion work-time as well as impact pause-time (Stahl, 1994). Several researches has as well confirmed that, adequate wait-time give students enough time to process the received information, use the available techniques and strategies to come up with an accurate answer and to encode the received information (Stahl, 1994). Adequate wait-time also advances cognitive learning skills compared to short wait-time. In addition, researches have as well found out that, student who pursue second language requires adequate amount of time in order to translate the new information into their native language (Stahl, 1994). Second language students have limited meta-cognitive processes of understanding new information compared to native speakers. To understand teachers or instructors instruction, second language students ought to be given adequate time to understand and respond to classrooms questions (Rowe, 1986). Information processing models of learning have as well indicated that, providing adequate time for learners to understand and formulate teachers’ questions prior to giving response increase the quality of the answer. This is especially the cases on questions that require a lot of facts and accuracy (Donna and John, 2006). In reference to the model, in answering a question, a learner requires sufficient time to locate the relevant information in long-term memory, retrieve the information into work memory and to evaluate whether the retrieved information can adequately answer the posed question (Rowe, 1986). In answering questions that requires applications of external information, a learner is supposed to apply the retrieved facts into the current situation and identify the accuracy of the facts before responding to the question (Orpha, 1994). If the questions require additional information, the learner is therefore expected to have more time to retrieved additional information from long-term memory and apply the retrieved information to the new situation (Alejandro and Celeste, 2003). As a result, offering additional information to a student before responding to the posed question gives a learner adequate time to search for the needed information, retrieve the information, apply the retrieved information, evaluate the information as if need be to seek for additional information (Alejandro and Celeste, 2003). In addition, the provision of adequate time to master a question helps a student to have b etter mastery of the content. Moreover, completing the process of retrieving information assists a student to identify accurate information to the posed question. Adequate time to recover the store information also plays an incredibly crucial role in improving

Concepts on Strategic and Quality Management Dissertation

Concepts on Strategic and Quality Management - Dissertation Example Ireland (1991) states that quality definitions have focused on the satisfaction of customers instead of the efficiency brought about by systems to firms. The necessities of the customers serve as the building blocks that guides firm in creating quality systems. In the situation where the Company involved, the needs of the customers greatly affected the decision to change the inventory system. The company, however, also considered other aspects in devising the proposed scheme. The balance between the needs of the customers and the goals of the Company is essential. There are some concrete steps that need to be undertaken to ensure that quality is achieved. Kerzner (2003) provided a comparison of experts’ views on guides to meet quality standards. The Company has to instil awareness in the organisation that changes need to be done. Goals have to be set and proper resources have to be pooled to realise these goals. The Company has to ensure that progress of the project is recorded and ample adjustments are made during the course of the implementation. Most important, the Company needs to sustain all the positive effects created by the inventory system and channel these to other weak points. ... Project managers usually divide the process into stages so that projects are managed with efficiency. Gray and Larson (2003) stated that the project life cycle gives a framework that identifies the key issues and sources of conflicts. As Evans and Lindsay (1993) suggested, planning is a critical stage of quality management. The first stage of the cycle relates to the conception of projects. The management sets lofty goals that have to be achieved given a period of time. The goals are in line with the inventory targets of the company. After the management has decided for the conceptual guidelines, the next manoeuvre is to incorporate the ideas to all entities in the organisation. The final step in the first stage allows the management to delegate individuals who will be tasked to manage and maintain the project. Quality personnel are selected to ensure that goals are met. Hormozi et al (2000) explained that the development of the project has to produce a master plan. The master plan w ill detail the manner in which the available resources will be used to make the project succeed. The primary attributes that has to be promoted in this stage are aggressiveness and comprehensiveness. The master plan illustrates the budget and the schedule. Budgeting is important to prevent constraints once the project starts the realisation phase. The schedule reveals the number of days required for the project to be finished and eventually be incorporated with the current production process. The execution covers the performance of the project that requires control (Evans and Lindsay, 1993). Regular monitoring and measuring of performance is advantageous for the project. The control phase also ascertains areas where improvements are needed and the failures of the project. The

Carbon footprint Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Carbon footprint - Research Paper Example According to a research conducted by University of California, average American household carbon emissions are about 19.8 metric tons of carbon emissions. However, some of our activities increase the average level of carbon emissions. In my daily routine, I use to travel in my car to a fair distance to the gym where I workout for about 1 hour and then take sauna for about 15 minutes and then travel back to home. The total distance to gym from my home and form gym to my home is about 10 miles that adds 1.43 metric tons of carbon emission to my individual carbon footprint. Working out at gym for 1 hour further adds 0.28 metric ton of carbon footprint per year. In the similar manner, my food carbon footprint is also high, as I do like cheese and beef that have the most carbon footprint (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). I have an old inefficient refrigerator at home that makes a lot of noise but less cooling. The carbon footprint of the refrigerator is about 175 Kg. My television footprint is about 215 Kg that is the exact value of emitted carbon-dioxide from a television if we use it for 4 hours daily. I almost utilize the watching machine daily that adds about 91 Kg of carbon emission to my individual carbon footprint (Vaughan, 2009). In order to reduce my personal carbon footprint, I must change my lifestyle, particularly, some of the activities that have higher carbon footprint. The activities like sauna, workout, driving in car to the gym, watching television and using incandescent lights are required to be changed (Sovacool & Brown, 2010). At very initial stage, I will calculate the calories that I reduce during the workout at gym and sauna. It is better to do any alternate exercise like cycling, jogging or any other activity. Cycling for short distance for grocery reduces the travels carbon footprint as well as reduces the calorie count of the body and makes a person fit. I will

EL's Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EL's Analysis - Case Study Example The changes included increasing the activities of the group and opening up store in new markets such as Asia and increasing the exposure in Europe (Richard Ivey School of Business, 2012). One main advantages of implementing the new strategies is the fact that the group increased its competitive advantage. Other luxury companies such as Hugo and Armani have in their strategies other activities such as accessorizing their clients. Additionally, these companies have worldwide store and distribution channels. By implementing these strategies, Elie Saab ensured that their clients have a variety of services to choose from. Additionally, increasing their market and distribution stores to Asia and Europe increased their sales significantly (Richard Ivey School of Business, 2012). This was observable in the sales recorded in 2008 in which for the first time Asia recorded percentage sales in its products (Richard Ivey School of Business, 2012). Elie Saab also benefits in the implementation of the new strategies by the fact that their contacted with other organizations before increasing its market exposure. This enabled the organization to share the risks that may be generated in the new markets. Additionally, contracting with other organizations ensures the group generates fresh ideas thus maintaining market relevance. The decision to brand valuable products with the organizations logo was crucial in ensuring the brand retains its originality (Richard Ivey School of Business, 2012). Venturing in to new markets exposed the company to numerous risks that may have long terms effects on the organization. Before implementing the new strategies, Elie Saab focused its attention small and limited stores in the Middle East, America and Europe. Additionally, Saab focused on creating high profiled clothing, Haute Couture. With the new suggestions, the organization seeks to increase its creation of ready to wear clothing which

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Business law - Essay Example It is suitable in a business environment in which the party are able come together and the party values a relationship that they have enjoyed. An example is the case in which one party to a contract has breached terms of a contract. The parties can come together with the aim of reconstructing the contract or finding a suitable remedy to the injured party. The negotiation process will involve the elements of the Bloom’s Taxonomy as the parties consider available alternatives. The parties will remember terms of the contract and reasons for the breach in order to understand their positions. They can then use the information to generate possible solutions. An evaluation of the possible solutions can then inform the parties’ decision into formulation of a remedy or a collection of remedies to the dispute. In implementing the Bloom’s taxonomy in negotiation, the party can reach a solution that is acceptable to both of them and one that can sustain their existing relati onship (Miller and Jentz 75; Overbaugh and Schultz 1). Mediation is another form of alternative dispute resolution system that parties in a business environment can use. The method involves the role of a third party that tries to bring the parties together in order to reach a solution. The party is always neutral to the dispute and does not impose any solution to the parties. The third party may however propose solutions and try to enlighten the conflicting parties of the benefits of the solution. The parties to the conflict however reserve the power to make a decision on whether to resolve the conflict or not and the solution to accept. Unfair business practice, such as blackmailing advertisement, is an example of a situation in which mediation can be used. In case, the parties may have a tense inter-business relationship that makes it hard for them to come together and agree. A third party can however bring them together and help them to reflect on the problem and understand its root

Business Legal Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Legal Structures - Essay Example The owner of the business is usually the person who runs the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of the business (Kuratko & Hodgetts 190). Accordingly, that one individual also owns all properties and assets of the business, and all the profits realized from the business operations. As such, these individuals are also responsible for all the debts or liabilities, as the law and the public views that individual as the same entity with the business (Miller & Jentz 530). Although it is looked upon as a business easy to run with several advantages, it has a number of disadvantages as well. The merits of sole proprietorship are that it is the least expensive type of business in both formation and organization, and the proprietor has total control over the business, thus allows business decision making according to their appropriation by the business law parameters (Miller & Hollowell 385). In addition, the owners receive all the profits from the business, no additional taxation, no business reporting to government agencies, and easy dissolution if so desired. Further, the owner of the business only has to secure the few legal requirements like tax identification number, necessary licenses, and certificates to start business operations. It is only this form of business operation where decision making is fast. This is because the owner does not need to make consultations as it is the case with other forms of business managements. The most significant demerit of sole proprietorship is that the proprietor has unlimited liability, and thus legally responsibility for all liabilities or debts of the business. Other disadvantages include the difficulty of selling or transferring part or all of the business resulting from the tax consequences associated with converting this from of business to a corporation or company (Miller & Jentz 532). In addition, the proprietor lacks financial support as enjoyed by other forms of legal structures, and the business risks failure on the incapacitation of the proprietor as all management responsibilities lies upon them. Again, the business has difficulties in attracting high-caliber employees, as well as deducting some employee benefits like medical insurance. If it happens that the business in its operation incurs a loss, the proprietor suffers it alone, with no one to share the liability with. Partnership The second form of business is partnership. A partnership is a form of business where ownership lays between two or more people. Similar to sole proprietorship, the laws does not recognize business partnerships as different entities from their owners (Laro & Pratt 88). There are, however, limited liabilities partnerships where the liability of the partner is limited to their share of investment in the business, though there must be at least one partner who remains liable (unlimited) for the debts of the business (Kuratko & Hodgetts 192). Nonetheless, the partners is required to have a legal agreement that stipulates how decisions concerning the business will be made, profit sharing, resolutions of disputes, admission of future

Nature of globalization Essay Example for Free

Nature of globalization Essay Globalization is a term used to explain the new era just like we learn about different periods such as stone age. It entails that people around the world are more connected to one another than ever before in terms of †¢ Information flow through sophisticated means unlike in early ages where messengers and drum beating was used for communication. †¢ Money transfers and goods transportation is quicker and efficient all over the world. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are necessarily available in all parts of the world. †¢ International travel is more convenient and faster than ever. (Martin, 2004) All this changes have been as a result of advance in technology, basically the computer. This is what has enabled globalization. Globalization can be found in five different areas; economic, cultural, political, religious and social systems. Globalization therefore, can be understood as the tendency or the process of businesses, technologies or philosophies to spread throughout the world. Nature of globalization Globalization is something that is very new in the world. For the last 30 years, there was no much discoveries in computer technology although there were computers and they were only used in the developed countries. This is why we cannot say there was globalization since globalization simply means making the world a â€Å"global village† in that every information and services are available and accessible to all the people around the globe just as it is in a small village. The idea of globalization has made it possible to harmonize the cultures of people all over the world. That is because people are able to carry out businesses across boundaries without traveling, using different currencies, making instant payment and in developed countries they use a common currency for example the Euro that is used all over Europe and the US dollar that is used by many countries. It is possible therefore, that the whole world will in future be using one common currency. This is what is referred to as economic globalization. According to Sachs (2005) technology in information has made transfer of information and especially educational information to be available across the globe. This is what has brought the idea of e-learning through the Internet. The changes in culture of the people is being felt especially in the African societies which had very stronghold in their traditions but today this has little or no influence on peoples ways of life especially in the young generation, for example changes in sexual inequality. This is as a result of globalization, people copy the lifestyles or cultures of others from the developed countries due to interaction, travels and high speed information transfer. For this same reason people are able to change their religious believes because the gospel has taken a new line, i. e. it is global reaching every corner of the globe. Conclusion When we talk of globalization we definitely have to think about the major participants in this idea. The United States dominates in this global traffic in information and ideas. (www. globalpolicy. org) The American music, movies, television and software’s are so dominant , so sought after by everybody and so visible that they are now available in every corner of the earth, including the developing countries in sub-Sahara Africa. References Raskin. P. T(2002), The Great Transition Boston Tellus Institute p31-42. Alex MacGillirray (2006) A Brief History of Globalization. New York. p122-127. Sachs,T. (2005), The end Poverty New York p 13-23 Martin, W. (2004), why globalization works, New York: Yale University Press, pg 210-235 Global policies, Available from, www. globalpolicy. org (Retrieved December 14, 2007) What is globalization, Available from, www. globalisation101. org (Retrieved December 14, 2007)

Research Methods Into Positivism And Social Constructivism

Research Methods Into Positivism And Social Constructivism There has been heated discussion over the use of positivism and social constructivism in management research over the past few decades. And one can find that most of the theorists take a neutral view with regard to this situation. After the 1980s there has been a trend towards social constructivism but even then no one is sticking completely to the principles of one single philosophy. The main idea behind positivism is that society is an external agent and hence its properties or characteristics must be measured objectively rather than by any subjective means like intuition, sensation etc. This view was first proposed by French theorist Auguste Comte (1853) according to whom All good intellects have repeated, since Bacons time, that there can be no real knowledge but that which is based on observable facts. Hence his view has two main assumptions i.e. reality is external and objective and knowledge is based upon observations of this reality. Thus there are certain postulates of this philosophy: Independence: The researcher must be independent in his thoughts and is not influenced by any factors while observing the reality. Value-freedom: This involves deciding upon the area to be studied and how to study it. Positivism suggests doing this on the basis of objective research and not on human beliefs. Causality: The main objective of social and behavioral sciences is to evaluate the causes and fundamental laws behind the fluctuations in the behavioral pattern of people. Hypothesis and deduction: every research will be based on certain hypothesis and the observations will be made to either prove or disprove this hypothesis statement. Operationalization: The research concepts must be formulated in such a way that the facts obtained from observations can be measured empirically. Reductionism: This concept believes that a bigger problem will be easy to solve if it is divided into smaller elements which can be separately solved. Generalization: In order to make general conclusions on fluctuations in human behavior, it is essential that the research must be conducted among samples of appropriate size. On the basis of results obtained from the sample size, the researcher can make wider judgments on the whole population. Cross-sectional analysis: This kind of regularities can be easily identified by comparing the differences in the samples. All the above given implications are the collective view points of different theorists of positivism. But there were many theorists who were having contrasting opinions on these postulates too. Even Comte was not supporting the reductionism concept. Wittgenstein proposed in his past studies that all factual intentions can be broken down into smaller elementary propositions that were entirely independent from each other. He himself later challenged this theory arguing that elementary propositions can be logically related to each other (Pears, 1971). Thus this philosophy is under an unending debate among the theorists. Aiken (1956) came up with the view that positivism is the best way to find out the behavioral patterns in human beings which may be originated as a result of metaphysical speculation. The concept of social constructivism on the other hand was developed based on the works of Berger and Luckman (1966), Watzlawick (1984) and Shotter (1993). This philosophy is based upon idea that people use language as a medium for sharing their experiences and it is through this way, they make sense of the world. Hence this theory suggests that people form, create and make themselves and their worlds by means of the verbal skills. It is more concerned about the process and product peoples way of interacting with each other (Leeds-Hurwitz, 1995). It is considered as social because it focuses on the interaction rather than the individual. Hence even though there exist a clear dichotomy between the two philosophies, there exists a high difference in opinion among the researchers about the selection of methods. Therefore a number of compromising has to be done between these two philosophies in order to conduct a research. Figure: Matrix of research designs Detached Survey research Case method (Yin) Quasi-experimental design Ethnography Positivist Social Grounded theory Experimental Design design constructionist Co-operative enquiry Action research Involved The following are pure researches mentioned in the figure above: Action research: Action research cannot completely belong to pure research as it contains certain elements of applied research too. In this research, the researcher tries to be as much close to the research area or subject. This is because the researcher intends to make a direct influence for which he may make certain alterations even in the research process. The ground concept behind this research was that if one wants to know a subject well he must try to change it. This theory was widely accepted in Organizational Development where the trainers use it for enhancing the team effectiveness (French Bell, 1978; Homan, 1979). Survey Research: This is a kind of research process which requires direct interaction with the samples. If done properly, this research can give accurate information which can be highly useful in solving the research problem. Survey research gives much importance to primary data and involves systematic observation (Sapsford, 2007). Therefore this research helps to take better business decisions by which way the business activities can be handles much more effectively. Experimental design: In this research, the experimenter assigns subjects at random to a test or control group. The test group conditions are then manipulated by the researcher so as to evaluate their effect with regard to the control group who are in a normal setting. But this kind of study is quite difficult to conduct in real organizations since its not easy to obtain a captive population for the research. Quasi-experimental designs: This was developed when the researchers found it difficult to create pure experimental designs under the positivist concept. This was clearly explained by Campell and Stanley (1963), who assessed a number of designs which made use of multiple scales so as to minimize the impact caused by incomplete matching of control and test groups. Ethnography: This is a theory based on social constructivist principle where the experimenter will try to be a part of the research so as to understand the mindset of the experimental group and the meanings and significances that the samples bring in their behavior of themselves and others. Case Method: There are several research designs at present and some of them are similar to fieldwork methods while some others fall in the intermediate position. Case study method is the kind of research design which comes under the latter category. The most important deliberations to this topic were made by Robert Yin (1993). The other popular contributors to this method are Stake (1995), Eisenhardt (1989), and Hamel et.al (1993). Grounded theory: This theory is based on constructivist principles and helps the researcher to understand how he will proceed with the research. This concept got worldwide attention from the studies of Glaser and Strauss (1967). In this method, the researcher mainly has to develop a theory by means of comparative method, i.e. viewing the same event in different situations and analyzing the difference. Co-operative enquiry: This is a type of action research where all the participants of the research contribute equally to the development of enquire and show active participation in the research process (Heron, 1996; Reason, 2003). Apart from the above research designs, there exist certain other designs which can be used for management researches. The most important ones among them are critical inquiry, participant observation and narrative methods. All these methods have certain similarities with the above mentioned designs as well as certain unique features of their own. Hence they are also widely accepted in business research and used according to the requirements. 2. The different areas of research that holds high significance are: a) Research topic: Finalizing the research topic is the first and most important part of a research since it is based on the depth of title that the research proceeds (Kumar, 2005). In the broad sense, research title can be any question or problem that you need to answer or any assumption that needs to be challenged. As per the words of Powers, Meenaghan Twoomey (1985), Potential research questions may occur to us on a regular basis, but the process of formulating them in a meaningful way is not at all an easy task. In order to frame a research title, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of research methodology as well as on the theoretical aspects of the topic. The research title can be formulated based upon four sources namely daily life, practical issues, past research and theory (Johnson Christensen, 2010). They form the initial base for the structuring of research title. Thus the research topic serves as a foundation to the research and hence if it is framed properly, the study will also move in the right direction. The research problem can vary in complexity and hence the way it is formulated determines the research approach, study design, sampling strategy, research instrument as well as many other factors. Therefore there must be certain considerations while selecting a research topic. The main considerations are interest, magnitude, measurement concepts, expertise level, relevance, ethical issues etc. (Kumar, 2005). If the research topic fulfills most of these considerations, then it can be regarded as a suitable one. b) Research question: A research question refers to the problem that the experimenter seeks to answer through the research. The research question is an essential element of every research despite of the fact that it is qualitative and quantitative. But they will vary according to the nature of research. If the research question is qualitative, then it will be intended for finding out the relationship between two variables. A variable is something which has more than one value (Vaus, 2002). Hence research questions for these kinds of researches are not much specific. While on the hand, a quantitative research question tends to more precise as it will be based on mathematical results. Business research usually applies qualitative research questions since they ask more general questions which can be used for exploring the samples views or responses on a particular phenomenon. It is usually an interrogative sentence which aims to relate two or more variables. It can be of three types nam ely: descriptive, predictive and causal. The researcher must have thorough understanding of the variables that are related in the research. These questions are open-ended, general, and over-reaching regarding an issue, problem or phenomenon. c) Research hypothesis (es): They can be referred to as tentative answers to the research questions. This is because the solution to them can be found out after statistical analysis only and hence it forms a critical step in the evidence-gathering process of a research (Guerrero Nachmias, 2010). There will be two hypotheses while conducting this process. The first hypotheses will be referred to as research hypotheses (H1) and the other one will be termed as null hypothesis (H0). The research hypotheses are formulated based upon the parameters of population but its form is different from research to research. Null hypothesis is the one set as a counter the research hypothesis. It is because every research hypothesis is set in order to prove a relationship. Hence it is necessary to set an alternate hypothesis that could disprove the relationship. For hypothesis testing, the researcher aims to disprove the null hypothesis in order to provide support to the research hypothesis. Therefor e research hypotheses are oriented towards a particular direction. This means it states whether a population mean is greater than or lesser than a particular value. d) Research objectives: A researcher intends to summarize what must be achieved by means of the research. The objectives of the study must be in alignment with the problem statement. There are mainly two types of objectives set for a research- general objective and specific objective. General objective states what the researcher intends to achieve in general terms through conducting this study. This general objective when broken down to smaller parts for better solving becomes specific objectives. Research objectives are better than research questions since they lead to higher specificity in the research (Saunders et.al. 2003). 3. A research design process that could be adopted in business researches is as follows: Web 01: An overview of the research design process This research design can be used in most management studies with little variations. This process starts with identification of research problem. Every research must have a problem which needs to be solved through the research process. Business researches usually intend to find answers to some social issues, business problem or a phenomenon. After identifying the research problem, the next step is determining the research objectives and questions. A research question is the problem or issue that the research intends to solve while research objectives tend to summarize the area that is to be achieved by the study. Hence both these factors lie in close relation to each other. The next task in the research design process is conducting the secondary research. This is done by means of an extensive literature study. This way the researcher gathers details on the theoretical aspects of the research. Hence the researcher will be searching in books, journals, articles, online databases, websit es etc for collecting the data. An appropriate methodology for conducting the research must be developed by this time. Research methodology helps in determining the research philosophy, approach, method, study design etc. All these factors are highly important for the successful completion of research. After collecting the secondary data, the researcher will look out for methods for collecting the primary data. There exist several research methods for data collection. The research instrument will be decided based upon the literature study (Taylor et.al. 2006). The most common research instruments include surveys, interviews, questionnaires, etc. In some cases, the researcher conducts a pilot study in order to obtain responses from a small portion of the population. These research instruments help to gain valid data from the samples. After collecting the primary and secondary information, the researcher decides upon the methods for their analysis. Literature review analysis is quite critical for researches as they would help in gaining insights on the core issues and provide suitable recommendations. The analysis of primary data is done by means of certain analysis techniques. The most common methods include percentage analysis, chi-square test, ANOVA, z-test etc. They help in providing empirical findings for the research which are most accurate. After obtaining the findings, they are interpreted to reach at final judgments and conclusion. On the basis of these interpretations, the researcher could provide suitable suggestions or recommendations for solving the research problem. 4. a) A survey is used for describing a population and it usually involves systematic observation or interviewing. Surveys involve what the researcher wants to find out and the answers also will be defined under a specific range (Sapsford, 2007). The most common survey instruments used in management and social researches are questionnaires and interviews. For constructing a questionnaire, the responses must be provided in a range. Hence it must have certain measurement scales. There are mainly four types of measurement scales used in surveys. They are: Nominal Scale: This is a kind of measurement scale where the objects are assigned to categories without any numerical properties. These scales have definite identity of their own but have no other characteristics (Jackson, 2007). Those variables which are measured using these scales are named as categorical variables since they try to classify the information collected. But these variables have no empirical value. Examples of variables measured through nominal scales are ethnicity, gender etc. These variables cannot be hence used in mathematical analysis. Hence these scales are considered as the lowest level of measurement since the variables are different by means of quality rather than quantity in this (Bordens Abbott, 2006). Ordinal Scale: They form the next level of measurement used in surveys. They constitute numbers which are in a predetermined order so that there will be certain relationships which can be inferred from them (Sapsford, 2007). Hence the objectives are classified into certain categories which form a rank order through a range. The data in this scale do have certain identity and properties but they dont have equal unit size and absolute zero. Interval Scale: In this scale, the measurement units are all of equal size. Therefore it fulfills the three main criteria of an ideal scale i.e. identity, magnitude and equal unit size. It forms the third level of measurement used in surveys. Hence this scale contains the characteristics of both nominal and ordinal scale but is much more effective than the other two (Malhotra Dash, 2008). Fahrenheit scale is the most prominent interval scale used. Ratio scale: This forms the highest measurement scale and has all the characteristics of nominal, ordinal and interval scale. It is the most complicated scale since it allows the researcher to identify the absolute differences between scale points as well as helps him in comparing the responses obtained (Hair et.al. 2007). This scale possesses an absolute zero which indicates the absence of variables in measurement. b. Questionnaire is the most commonly used research instrument. The main characteristics of a good questionnaire are as follows: It must be short and precise. So while framing a questionnaire, ensure that the research objectives will be met from the analysis of responses of the questionnaire. Usage of simple language: The questionnaire must be framed in such a way that the respondents find it easy to understand. Start with interesting questions: The questionnaire will include questions that will generate interest in the samples to answer and encourage them to fill out the complete form. Absence of leading questions: If there are leading questions in the form, it will encourage the respondents to answer in a particular way. But this is not considered as a good practice since the sample must not be influenced by any means in writing an answer. The number of choices wont be too long because the respondents will find it difficult to assess all of them. Hence the choice list must be small. Include simple concepts which the samples could understand. Including complicated concepts will make it a tough task for the respondents to answer the questions properly. The elements of a bad questionnaire are included below. It will have more open-ended questions than close-ended ones. This will make it difficult for the respondents to answer the questions and also their answers wont be similar. The analysis of these responses is not possible through any statistical method. The questions will be vague. The respondents will not be able to understand the real meaning of this question and this will influence their answer. The research questions are not communicated through this questionnaire. This way the questionnaire fails to serve its purpose.

Role of Regulation of Breathing

Role of Regulation of Breathing UAC 1.2: Detail the role of the regulation of breathing. Question 1: During exercise, the rate of breathing increases. How does the body detect, coordinate and respond to increase pulmonary ventilation and why is it important? (250 words max) When exercising the pulmonary ventilation rate and depth expands so oxygen can diffuse from the air to the blood quicker and carbon dioxide can diffuse from the blood to the air faster. The brain is ultimately in charge of breathing; the brain stem utilises sensors to manage breathing. Breathing results from coordination of three interactions; a sensory system, respiratory control centre and an effector system. These sensors, called chemoreceptors are supported by nerves and muscles. Chemoreceptors recognise chemical substances and pass this data to the nerves in the central nervous system. During exercise there is an expansion in carbon dioxide which causes a reduction in the pH of blood. The additional carbon dioxide in the blood is detected by the chemoreceptors. Because of a diminishing in the pH, the respiratory control centre in the medulla, sends nervous impulses which instruct the intercostal muscles and diaphragm to contract harder and all the more often, which increase the breathing rate and the volume of the lungs during inhalation. Working together, the body is continually monitoring and adjusting pH and oxygen in the arterial blood. Breathing endeavours to maintain stability. Elevated amounts of carbon dioxide triggers speedier and more profound breathing. This expanded breathing reduces the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood increasing the measure of oxygen taken in. UAC 2.1: Explain the process of ventilation including detail of lung volumes and capacities. Question 2: Explain, using Figure 1, how a human body inhales and exhales air. Include explanations of vital capacity, residual volume, tidal volume, ventilation rate and pulmonary ventilation. (350 words max) Figure 1: Spirometer trace Pulmonary ventilation is the movement of air into and out of the lungs. It is activated by the changes to the volume and air pressure in the lungs. There are two phases of ventilation: Inhalation is the admission of air into the lungs through the expansion of the chest volume and exhalation is the removal of air from the lungs through contraction of the chest volume. During inhalation the diaphragm contracts, simultaneously the intercostal muscles allow the rib confine to raise. This creates a drop in the pressure inside the lungs and extends the chest cavity, subsequently expanding the lung volume making a partial vacuum causing air to be passively drawn into the lungs from the respiratory tract to fill that space. The reverse occurs during exhalation. The muscles no longer contract and are relaxed. The diaphragm curves and raises, the intercostal muscles descend and the chest volume decreases. The chest cavity contracts therefore increased air pressure, causing the air in the lungs to be expelled passively through the upper respiratory tract. This is known as the tidal volume which is the volume of air took in and out in one breath when at rest. Sufficiency of ventilation is measured by a spirometer, (an instrument for recording volumes of air taken in and breathed out). Figure 1 demonstrates a following of a spirogram. Each breath invigorates a quantity of the air in the lungs and carries away a quantity of the carbon dioxide made by the body. Air moves in and out of the lungs around 12 times per minute in the average person as the diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract and relax, this is the ventilation rate and is calculated by the number of peaks in one minute. At the point when a person breathes in and out profoundly then considerably more air can be exchanged, this is known as vital capacity. The oxygen take-up is different as the carbon dioxide is expelled, the tidal volume in the air chamber decreases. The volume of air removed is shown by the distinction in height of the last peak from the first peak amid ordinary breathing. There is constantly some air left in the lungs that cannot be exchanged in light of the fact that the alveoli do not completely collapse; this is known as the residual volume. UAC 2.2: Explain the characteristics of efficient gaseous exchange and show with reference to diagrams how this is achieved in the lungs and capillaries. Question 3: Explain, using Figure 2, how the structures of the lungs and capillaries are adapted for efficient gas exchange. (450 words max) Figure 2: Diagram of an alveolus The lungs are adapted for the effective gas exchange; the exchange surface must have the ability to exchange gases quickly enough to oblige the requirements of the cells. The lungs contain a huge number of tiny, air-filled sacs called alveoli. Within the alveoli, an exchange of gases happens between the gases inside the alveoli and the blood by passive diffusion. The alveoli are adapted to make gas exchange in the lungs happen effectively and proficiently. The walls of the alveoli are a single cell thick and are made of flattened epithelial cells, making the exchange surface thin which shortens the diffusion pathway over which gases need to make. In order to maximise the amount of diffusion taking place, the alveoli are folded up truly fine, giving an expansive surface area. This means more gas can be exchanged at the same time and it happens speedier which implies the lungs can ventilate faster. The alveoli have a moist layer; this moisture is passed through the cell membrane of the alveolar cells. The alveoli are kept moist to dissolve gases. The moist lining additionally diminishes the surface strain, which means less energy is required to inflate the alveoli and prevents the collapse of alveoli. Every alveolus is encompassed by numerous capillaries; these capillaries are slender so that the red blood cells are squeezed against the capilla ry wall giving a good blood supply, therefore giving a short diffusion pathway. For the exchange of gases to be fast, a steep diffusion gradient is required. The concentration gradient is the distinction in concentration between two focuses. This is to guarantee the molecules diffuse quickly and in the correct bearing. In the lungs the presence of a very thin permeable diffusion pathway of just two flattened cells helps to create a steep concentration gradient. Every alveolus is ventilated, evacuating waste carbon dioxide and replenishing oxygen levels in the alveolar air. The blood arriving in the alveoli has a higher carbon dioxide concentration which is delivered amid breath by the bodys cells. However, the air in the alveoli has a much lower concentration of carbon dioxide, which means there is a concentration gradient which permits carbon dioxide to diffuse out of the blood and into the alveolar air. Similarly, blood arriving in the alveoli has a lower oxygen concentration, as it has been utilised for respiration by the cells of the body, while the air in the alveoli has a higher concentration. Consequently, oxygen moves into the blood by diffusion and integrates with the haemoglobin in red blood cells. This continual supply of gas to one side of the exchange source and its expulsion from the alternative side ensures that diffusion, and therefore exchange, can proceed.  ­Ã‚ ­ References Grant, A. Waugh, A. (2014) Ross Wilson Anatomy Physicology in Health and Illness. 12th edn. Churchill Livingstone. Cohen, B. Hull, K. (2015). Memmlers The Human Body in Health Disease. 13th edn. Wolters Kluwer. Kennedy, P. Sochacki, F. (2008). OCR Biology. Heinemann. Boundless. Lung Capacity and Volume. Boundless Anatomy and Physiology Boundless, 07 Nov. 2016. Available at: https://www.boundless.com/physiology/textbooks/boundless-anatomy-and-physiology-textbook/respiratory-system-22/nonrespiratory-lung-functions-209/lung-capacity-and-volume-1029-9200/ (Accessed 10 March 2017). Boundless. Chemoreceptor Regulation of Breathing. Boundless Anatomy and Physiology Boundless, 21 Sep. 2016. Available at: https://www.boundless.com/physiology/textbooks/boundless-anatomy-and-physiology-textbook/respiratory-system-22/respiration-control-212/chemoreceptor-regulation-of-breathing-1039-6384/ (Accessed 10 March 2017). A Level Notes (2016). Available at: http://alevelnotes.com/The-Lungs/169?tree= (Accessed on 10 March 2017). BBC (2014). Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/pe/appliedanatomy/1_anatomy_respiratorysys_rev1.shtml (Accessed on 8 March 2017). BBC Bitesize (2014). Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/biology/the_body_in_action/the_need_for_energy/revision/3/ (Accessed on 8 March 2017. BBC Bitesize (2014). Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zm6rd2p/revision/1 (Accessed on 8 March 2017). Quizlet (2017). Available at: https://quizlet.com/16078421/stages-of-aerobic-cellular-respiration-flash-cards/ (Accessed on 8 March 2017).      Ã‚   Khan Academy (2017). Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration-and-fermentation/overview-of-cellular-respiration-steps/a/steps-of-cellular-respiration (Accessed on 7 March 2017). BBC Bitesize (2014). Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/biology/cell_biology/respiration/revision/1/ (Accessed on 5 March 2017).

Similarities between Business & Military Strategy Essay -- War and Bus

The Art of War and todays business have many common characteristics. Sun Tzu has analyzed war from different angles like moral laws, time period, chances of life and death, skills of the commander and the maintaince of the army. The same analyses can be made for todays business environment. War is a position where only the strong have the ability to survive, or at least the stronger ones have the higher probability to survive. Similarly todays business environment and the character of business people, their agressiveness, motivation, stress are all similar to ancient soldiers and commanders. The comparisons between war and business life are similar in five ways. 'These are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership and dicipline.' First of them is the way. In war the way you have to avoid from the strong andstrike at weak. Therefore at the beginning when you want to grow your business you don't neet to challange stronger rivals at first, you have to grow first by challanging the weak rivals in the busin...

Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder Essay -- Biology Essays Res

Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder Anxiety is a common occurrence and emotion in everyday life. Yet there are several individuals today who suffer from great pangs of anxiety and feelings of panic at such extremely high levels that it becomes quite debilitating. A normal, everyday environment can become so overwhelming that the day itself can stop dead in its tracks while the sufferer rides through the wave of intense emotions and thoughts which seem to be going a million miles a minute and showing no signs of stopping or slowing down. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of a multitude of Anxiety Disorders that affect many people around the world. An individual suffering from GAD differs from anyone else dealing with natural anxiety due to the chronic and exaggerated worrying that can occur on a daily basis. The worries and anxieties usually are not provoked by anything, and finding the source of the worries is usually quite difficult. They are associated with daily things, such as but not limited to, health, money, family, or work. People with GAD cannot alleviate their concerns and usually become so overwhelmed by the anxiety that getting through the day and doing their usual activities proves too difficult.(1) As a disorder, GAD is diagnosable. However, it is usually a difficult thing to do since GAD, unlike many of the other Anxiety Disorders out there, does not have any definite symptoms like a "panic attack". Individuals are diagnosed with GAD when they spend at least six months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems and the worrying happens more often than not. Other symptoms of GAD may include: Trouble falling or staying asleep, muscle tension, sweating, nausea, gastrointestinal... ...and problems that can go on with the brain show how delicate a human's mentality and stability is, and how vulnerable it seems to be to the rapidly changing times and developments of society. It seems to be the nature of the brain and mentality to be slow in adjusting to the various new outputs that are created as society and the world progresses. Will science be able to find a way to make the brain adjust and accept change more quickly? This can be seen as a task similar to making evolution as fast as the first world's rate of development. References 1)http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/anxiety/gad/gadinfo.htm 2)http://www.adaa.org/AnxietyDisorderInfor/GAD.cfm 3)http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/anxiety/gad/gadfax.htm 4)http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx24t.htm 5)http://www.buspar.com/whatis.htm 6)http://www.anxietynetwork.com/gawhat.html

Essay on Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart: Spiritual and Traditional A

Spiritual and Traditional Aspects of Things Fall Apart  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe describes in his book Things Fall Apart (1958) some interesting features of what life could look like in an African village during late 19th century. The society that the Nigerian author presents is in most ways considerably different from our western society of today. Life in the African village of Umuofia was, among many other things, spiritual and traditional. The spiritual aspect of life in Umuofia is well illustrated by the episode where Okonkwo and one of his wives finally have a child that does not die at a young age. After having had to bury several of their children, Okonkwo and Ekwefi are told by a medicine man that all the children actually are one so-called ogbanje; a child that repeatedly dies and returns to its mother’s womb to be reborn. The parents are also told that it is almost impossible to bring up an ogbanje without it dying unless its iyi-uwa is first found and destroyed. An iyi-uwa is a special kind of stone which forms the link between the child and the spirit world. And so, aft...

Mobile phones Essay

Consumers have when choosing between different mobile phone brands. The study was built upon six key attributes (telephone features, connection fee, access cost, mobile-to-mobile phone rates, call rates and free calls) related to mobile phone purchasing respondents had to importance rate. The research showed that consumers with prior experience about a product can predict their choices relatively well, although respondents tended to overestimate the importance of features, call rates and free calls and underestimate the importance of a monthly access fee, mobile-to-mobile phones rates and the connection fee. 1.Demographic factors have an influence on the evaluations of different attributes related to mobile phone choice. Specifically, gender and social class will impact on the evaluations of the attributes as men belonging to higher social class seem to be more technology savvy. 2.Consumers value personal time planning properties in the choice of new mobile phones. Consumers value in smart phones features that enhance their personal time planning (e.g., Jones, 2002). These high-rated features include calendar and e-mail services .However, while synchronization of calendar and e-mail services to PCs has become easy and fast, the importance of time planning in mobile phones becomes more and more important. 3.New technical properties increase consumer willingness to acquire new phone models. Another important aspect that has risen from different studies is that consumers purchase new phones due to the fact that their existing one’s capacity is not appropriate referring to the idea that new technology features such as built-in cameras, better memory, radio, more developed messaging services, and color displays are influencing consumer decisions to acquire new models. Thus it can be expected that new features will influence the intention to acquire new mobile phones. 4.When choosing between different mobile phone models, consumers value larger screen size but the whole phone should be small enough and light to carry in pocket. 5.When choosing between different mobile phone models, consumers value familiar brands. Price of the phone has been identified as a critical factor in the choice of the mobile phone model, especially among younger people. besides new technological advances price is the most influential factor affecting the choice of a new mobile phone model. In addition, it seems that size and brand play to some extent an important role in decision making. Liu (2002) for instance surveyed Asian mobile phone users and found that size of the phone had no impact on mobile phone choice, but this finding might be due to the fact that all competing brands have quite similar sized phones that are small enough. Liu continues that the trend will actually be not towards smaller phones but towards phones with better capability and larger screens. While companies are advertising new models and services that do not yet exist, it according to the paper signals to the market that the company is at the cutting edge of technology and shows what will be available in the very near future. The sales of new phones will then be driven by replacement rather than adoption.

Merck Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Statement of the Problem Merck & Co. , Inc. , a leading pharmaceutical company, faces the threat of the patents of its most popular drugs expiring in 2002. The only way to counter the loss of sales from these drugs going off patent is to develop new drugs in order to refresh the company’s portfolio. LAB Pharmaceuticals, a small pharmaceutical company who specializes in the treatment of neurological disorders, has approached Merck with the opportunity to license Davanrik, a new drug with the potential to treat both depression and obesity. The drug is currently in pre-clinical development and would still need to pass a seven year and three phase testing process approved by the FDA. Under the licensing agreement, Merck would compensate LAB with an initial fee, milestone payments as the drug progresses through each phase, and royalty on sales. Merck must make a decision on whether or not to license the drug. If Merck does decide to license the drug, it must also decide how much the drug is worth. Discussion A decision will be madeusing both qualitative factors and quantitative analysis. Qualitatively, this opportunity is positive for both Merck and LAB. Licensing this drug will allow Merck to insert a newly patented compound into the market and to bypass the discovery and preclinical testing phases. By being able to skip those two phases, Merck can go straight to clinical testing saving it six to seven years, which helps Merck deal with its patent life cycle in a more effective manner. LAB has never had a drug successfully complete the FDA approval process in its 15-year history. Its stock price had also fallen by 30% after its most recent FDA denial. Therefore, by licensing this Davanrik to Merck, LAB would be able to receive some much-needed cash. A successful transaction between Merck and LAB could also lead to future opportunities. Quantitatively, a decision tree analysis was used to value this opportunity because as long as Merck only accepts projects with a positive expected value it will earn profits more often then lose money. Through the analysis of the expected value of each possible outcome, the expected value of licensing Davanrikfrom LAB is $13. 98 million including payments to LAB of $16. 68 million. Although the FDA approval process has a 40% Phase Iand a 70% Phase II failure rate, the cost f failing early on is only $30 million and $70 million, respectively, relative to the opportunity to earn as much as $1. 28 billion if successful. Recommendation Merck should license Davanrikfrom LAB for no more than $13. 98 million. The company is facedwith the risk of declining profits if new drugs are not developed since many of its patents are expiring soon. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in new drug developments. Als o, the expected value of $13. 98 million indicates that this opportunity is profitable and that Merck can receive up to $1. 28 billion by licensing the compound.

Marks & Spencer Retailing Strategy Essay

1. Introduction In this essay, in scope of the subject Organizational Management I, we will study the case of one of UK’s leading retailers that is Marks & Spencer. We are proposed to answer 3 given questions regarding the firm, specifically its strategy. Not only will we answer these given questions, we intend to further develop the concept of corporate strategy taught in class and relate it to M&S case in order to better understand it. During this case study we will also explore the history of this company, explaining the firm’s organization problem, the crisis that happened within the firm and also it’s strategies to overcome this crisis. We are also going to focus on the brand and in the ranges that M&S has available in the clothing market. There will be presented in this report aspects such as the market segments that M&S products ranges serve, the order winners and qualifiers for them and, finally, the different logistics performance objectives for the different ranges. Operations Management I 2. Development 2.1. History Marks & Spencer (M&S) is one of UK’s leading retailers with over 21 million people visiting their stores per week. M&S offer stylish, high-quality, great value clothing and home products, as well as outstanding quality food and financial services. The company was started in 1884, when Michael Marks (a Russian-born Police refugee) opened a stall at Leeds Kirkgate Market. M&S have over 700 UK stores and currently the firm finds itself in the process of expanding its business internationally: the company is already present in over 43 countries. Marks & Spencer employees over 78,000 people in the UK and abroad (as M&S site has published). 2.2. Marks & Spencer pre reorganization Focusing in clothing segment, M&S presented severe problems in their strategy department and, consequently, in their development and survival, due to massive mistakes. Seeing that M&S is a retailer type of firm, meaning that they only sell products, they don’t produce them: one of their main problems was the supply chain from the source to the consumer. This route was very expensive because they had a lot of suppliers, mostly at the UK. Overall, the company had several problems about the supply chain, like: All these problems made their supply chain really slow and time-consuming, not evaluating the suppliers nicely, not having a good balance between quantity and mix. Meanwhile, the marketing section had some issues too. They weren’t able to predict sales, they only made two sales seasons (while the others made four) and their product development was very slow and expensive. This enterprise only had one brand – St. Michaels – leaving few options of choice to the customer, being the only target women between 35 to 55 years old. This brand was focused on classic style clothes and some times out of fashion. Operations Management I In short, the notorious problems in the company were: 2.2.1. Crisis All these problems triggered the 1998 crisis, where Luc Vandevelde came as 4th CEO and responsible to change the company with some strategic measures. 2.3. Marks & Spencer after reorganization 2.3.1. Strategy changes To create, choose and implement their strategy, all the companies should have in consideration external and internal factors, social responsibility and the values of the company. On one hand, the internal factors explain the strengths and weaknesses of the company. On the other Operations Management I hand, the external factor relates the opportunities and the threats of the company, showing how that it influences the activity. These two are important in strategy creation, only if they are aligned with social responsible and company values. Marks & Spencer relied on its strong points (e.g. quality), trying to improve their weaknesses (e.g. slow response system). As stated above, the company also had high regard for social responsibility, as well as the company’s values. To implement strategy changes, we need to considerate these five philosophies: M&S ï‚ · The Total Quality Management is, as the name implies, oriented to increase the quality in the processes of the organization, by creating quality consistency; ï‚ · Just in time is a production management system that determines that nothing should be produced, transported or purchased before the exact time; ï‚ · Simultaneous Engineering acts on the development of products and is based on the use of engineering processes, manufactures, among other ones; ï‚ · The Compression Management is about to reduce processes time cycles; ï‚ · Reengineering helps manage through the increased efficiency and effectiveness. M&S based their strategy mainly on the first four points above. 2.3.2. Brand Nowadays, market segmentation is an absolute requirement for the market realities. Market Segmentation is related with a marketing concept and its objective is to enhance a company’s ability to understand and know its core customers as well as whom its core customers will be in the future. Most segments are formed by looking at certain characteristics such as demographic, geographic, and physiological, amongst others. These segments help the marketer identify very important consumption patterns. Therefore, the customers are treated accordingly to the firms view regarding what the customers wants or needs and its (the firms) ability to reach those needs in a profitable way. In Mark & Spencer specific case, it uses mostly a demographic segmentation to select its targets market for its products, targeting the customers by age, income, social class and lifestyle. There are 3 different ranges of M&S for Autumn 2001, including The Perfect and Classic Collection, The Autograph and pe r una. 2.3.2.1 The Perfect and Classic Collection Marketers are progressively more concerned in the outcome of the consumers lifestyle on demand. The market segments serve at this range, targets of those consumers who have busy lifestyles, therefore intend to save time and feel opportune when buying. This segment is for those customers that find themselves on a more price-orientated basis where they look for value at the lowest price. This is why, this range is targeted more on the middle social class and it’s a timeless collection (and not just the latest fashion) on any body size of both female and male customers. 2.3.2.2. The Autograph This range is a more specific, fashion-orientated designed for more mature upper class consumers who seek the â€Å"good life†. The collection in this range is designed by some of the best designers in the business, names such as Julien Macdonald, Philip Treacy and Sonja Nuttall. They have the capability to acquire it with a high street prices which are sold only in luxurious department stores. This range will normally target on those customers who prefer quality and the best design rather than the actual cost of the product. This range is targeted on female customers who have a keen sense of fashion, therefore it isn’t design for all ages nor all types of women. Per Una has concentrated its costumers to an age group between 25 and 35 with sizes from 8 to 18 (UK sizes) since the women that find themselves within these criteria nowadays do not want to be behind the latest fashion trends. They seek out fresh/new fashion and dress smartly and more importantly differently from another, therefore existing the Limited Edition, with that exact purpose. per una offers a better design and price to target young and middle-class women. 2.4. Order winners and qualifiers The different ranges that Marks & Spencer have available in the market presents competitive characteristics that make a costumer feel interested to buy a specific product. There are order qualifiers and order winners for these different ranges: The Perfect and Classic Collection (that we assumed that serve essentially the same range segment), The Autograph and the per una. The first order that we mentioned makes reference to the competitive aspects of a product that allows it to be considered by the costumers. On the other hand, order winners relates to the competitive characteristics that makes a product be chose by the interested in a specific product. Therefore, for the three ranges that M&S has available in the market and by the document we were presented to, we found some order qualifiers and winners for them. To The Perfect and Classic Collection we realized that size availability is a very important aspect to the costumers, which means that this factor is an order qualifier. In fact, there is a costumer that answered (to the questions that were made to her) that when â€Å"larger sizes have sold out† she gets â€Å"annoyed†. Thereby, some customers will have to go look in other stores to find what they need. About the order winners, in this range, costumers identify quality, price and variety of colors are three important aspects as they get interested in a product. Briefly, the item must be value for money and cannot require specialist washing as it has to wash well. In reference to The Autograph range, as it is defined to bring â€Å"cutting-edge design†, it is easy to understand that the most important order qualifier is the exclusive design of a certain item: the costumers want to buy a cloth that is â€Å"one of a kind†. Quality is the order winners in this range. When clients are looking for this products, they do not give so much importance to the price. Finally, the per una, a high-quality range, the attractive competitive aspect is the same as in The Autograph range: exclusity of design. The order qualifier is the rarity of a product and is difference . However, the segment of the market that looks for per una has a more concern about the price and, consequently, gives more importance to the value of a certain product. Even they care about the quality (as it must be well made and expected to last), the order winner in this range is the price that they are up to pay for the item. 2.5. Logistics performance objectives The planning and control of the organization will allow it to coordinate all the different operations that the organization has. It will grantee that all the materials are in the right place at the right time (just-in-time). Managers must control the operations to make sure that all runs like planned and finds the consumer needs. M&S changed the way to work with their suppliers and it provided a new approach to the market, principally the segment of clothes where they have done massive adjustments to get better performances. They created new divisions, and we will talk about those changes. Logistical department intends the enterprise to adapt itself to the market, so they created a new distribution of products by store and category. In other words, The Perfect and Classic ranges are located in almost all M&S stores because it is a product for the middle class, â€Å"for core customers†, with a low and viable price. The Autograph range, is into selected stores for the reason that its high prices can’t beat the most competitive brands in the common market and, finally, the per una collection is also in selected stores – despite its competitive price it’s a series that is very uncommon to find because the production has no repeats and so there is no piece like the other. This decision , to enter in the fashion business with a bigger offer then before, led the company to improve and presented a more efficient distribution of their products to the customers. In an organized way, each one of these brands according to their objective went to a shop strategically placed near to the right target. Like this they would have a faster response to the market resulting in the increase of the competitiveness of M&S. 3. Conclusion Marks & Spencer had several problems with the development of their company, having a huge crisis in 1998. To overcome this crisis, the company made some changes in their strategy in order to return to success. Changes in the supply chain, the marketing department and the increase of sub-brands, for example, led to: the increasing of quality, transparency, flexibility and the response of production cycle, elimination of duplication and gaining of more costumers. Nowadays, the company has a faster supply line, a more efficient marketing department and a huge variety of products, covering a larger number of customers which led to, generally, a better performance of the company. 4. Bibliography 1. CHASE, Richard B.; JACOBS, F. Robert; AQUILANO, Nicholas J.; Operations Management for Competitive Advantage; McGraw-Hill Irwin, 11th edition. 2. http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/aboutus/company_overview

The Letter of Complaint

Dear Sir/ Madam I am writing to you in order to complain about your package holidays in Greece where I have been last two weeks. On 25 August 2011 from your company I bought a two – week holiday in Greece. Unfortunately, your package holiday was unfaithful and misleading. I am disappointed because everything that was said in your brochure was a lay. When I arrived to Greece I found an overflowing resort with a lot of tourists instead of peaceful island where I had to relax.Moreover, in PTC’s brochure were said that there was miles of empty golden sands but the nearest beach to the hotel was a kilometre away and very rocky. Furthermore, I could reach the mainland with a ferry which ran only three times a week and were very crowded. In addition, your company made a promise that there was a traditional Greek hospitality in a comfortable family run hotel full of a local atmosphere but I could not find the traditional Greek dishes and everywhere was a holiday- camp atmospher e.To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your money back. Moreover, I require you to correct your mistakes and do not deceive your clients. Furthermore, I hope you will make me a discount for another holiday package, if liked to go for my holidays. I trust you will ensure that such errors will not happen again. I look forward to your replay and a resolution to my problem. Please contact me at the above address or by phone. Yours faithfully,

Civil Litigation Course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Civil Litigation Course work - Essay Example Scott was driving on. He rammed into Mr. Scott’s vehicle on the passenger’s side. According to the police reports, Mr. Marshall was not wearing a helmet as per the traffic regulations. Mr. Scott on the other hand though drunk, his status was not beyond the legal alcohol limit. However, he was charged and found guilty of a traffic offence as he was talking over the phone while driving contrary to section 3 of the Road Traffic Act. Mr. Marshall sued Mr. Scott for the injuries sustained. The aim of this report to is determine if Mr. Scott is liable to pay damages to Mr. Marshall and what possible defenses he could actually rely on to escape liability. 3 Issues and Law 3 The first issue that arises in this case is the need to determine whether Mr. Scott is guilty of careless driving under section 3 of the Road Traffic Act and if this would necessarily prejudice his civil liability. In this regard, the proceedings under Road Traffic Act do not prejudice his civil case. Accor ding to Keenan (2011, p. 53), the outcome of a criminal action does not affect the outcome of civil case. The next issue in this case is the issue of liability. The question is whether Mr. Scott was liable to pay any damages to Mr. Marshall for the injuries sustained. Sustaining injuries in an accident does not give one an automatic right to recover damages. The question to be determined is which party was liable for the accident. One party may be fully liable or both parties might be liable meaning that each party is partially liable. The person claiming damages for personal injury after a motor vehicle accident has to prove that the other party was negligent. This means that Mr. Marshall has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that whatever damage that resulted from the accident was wholly or partially the fault of Mr. Scott. 4 In this case, one of the initial things to be determined is whether Scott was negligent. Under the law of torts, Howarth (2006, p. 147) indicates that a perso n is negligent when he or she is in breach of the legal duty of care that brings damage to the claimant. Negligence as per Alderson B in the case of Blyth v Birmingham Water Works constitutes omission by a reasonable person who guided by ordinary consideration fails to do something and as a result causes injury to another person. The same principle of the tort of negligence applies to the motor vehicle accident. Liability in this respect is determined on the basis of the negligent party. Under the law of torts, there are three requirements that need to be fulfilled. The first requirement that needs to be fulfilled for a claim to succeed is that the party claiming negligence needs to establish a duty of care (Smith, 1983, p. 44). 4 In light of the case, Marshall needs to establish that Scott owed him a duty of care. As a general rule, any one driving on a public road has a duty to the public and where one chooses to drive, they should be able to control the motor vehicle so that it d oes not harm other people. In the instant case, Mr. Scott by virtue of driving on a public road had a duty to control it to ensure that any person on the same road was not hurt. Even if it was the fault of the other party Mr. Scott should have taken all the reasonable measure to control the happening of the accident. This is to his disadvantage. However the other party too being a public road user is burdened with the same duty of care to ensure that he controls the motor

Monitoring the Surf Shoppe Servers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Monitoring the Surf Shoppe Servers - Assignment Example It gives provision for the graphical interface that is used in the customizing of the Data Collector Sets and the Event Tracer Sessions. The Performance Monitoring tool is composed of three monitoring tools of the Windows Server, namely the System Monitor, the Performance Monitor, and the Advisor of the Server Performance. New features, however, have been incorporated: including the Data Collector Sets, the resource view, the diagnostic reporting, scheduling, and templates and wizards for the creation of logs (Hassell 2005). The Overview Screen which is also identified as Performance Icon. In central pane that contains the details, the overview screen is exhibited as home page, when the tool of monitoring performance is called upon. It depicts a graphical representation that is in real-time, for the usage of the CPU, network, memory, and disk for the system of the Windows Server 2008 R2. 1. The Performance Monitor- This is a tool that offers the analysis of performance and information, which is used for the analysis of troubleshooting and the monitoring of performance. The Performance Monitor exhibits the outputs of the performance counter in line graphs, bar chart and the report format. 1. Objects- They are categorized in accordance to the functionality of the system or by alliance in the system. They can symbolize those entities that are logical in nature, for example, the memory. The amount of objects present in the system is based on the configuration of the system. The Data Collector Sets- It assembles the data collectors to elements that can be reused with the diverse situations of performance monitoring. This enables the application of a single change of property to be applied to the whole set of the Data Collectors. The Report Generation- It provides reports that are friendly to the user. It enables one to quickly generate the reports and with the use of the Data Collector Set one can be able to