Friday, November 29, 2019

The Finger Of Blame In MacBeth Essays - Characters In Macbeth

The Finger of Blame in MacBeth Macbeth is a very exciting story containing all kinds of plots and murders. The characters that are killing and are planning murders are all very deceiving and treacherous. Two of the most dangerous criminals in this play are Lady Macbeth and her husband. Together they commit the most dreadful murder by killing the King; Duncan. This is why it is difficult to determine which one of these two is more guilty, because they each do their own part in committing the crime. Lady Macbeth would prepare the plan and then encourage Macbeth to go through with it. Macbeth did the actual murdering, he was also the first person who thought about killing Duncan. Furthermore he did some killing on his own. Lady Macbeth did not have any involvement in these cases. Based on these facts, Macbeth would be found more guilty than Lady Macbeth. The very first murder in this story was committed on Duncan. This crime was planned by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The actual murder was done by Macbeth, making h im more guilty of the crime. Lady Macbeth just talked about committing the crime, but she never actually went through with it nor would she ever, and that is all that counts. Talking about committing the incident is very different from actually doing it. Lady Macbeth did a little more than just talk about it though. She also urged Macbeth into doing it and that is what makes her part of this crime, but she is not as guilty as Macbeth. He really didn't have to listen to what his wife said. Macbeth had a mind of his own and he could make his own decision. The other murders that Macbeth was involved in were not committed by him, but were ordered by him. The people who did the killing had no choice, they had to do it, because they worked for Macbeth. Macbeth knew this and was a bit more guilty in these murders then lady Macbeth was when she urged him. The idea of killing Duncan first came from Macbeth. Macbeth listened to the witches prophecies that said he would become King. Macbeth di d not want to wait any longer and he thought the only way to become King was to kill the present King; Duncan. Macbeth later told Lady Macbeth about this and she just wanted to help him and do whatever she could for him, so that he would be happy and be King. She was also excited about becoming a Queen so she pushed Macbeth forward and did not let him back down from doing what he said he'd do. Macbeth had a good chance of becoming King if Duncan was out of the picture, so Lady Macbeth helped stage a plan so that Macbeth could kill him without being caught. Lady Macbeth wanted to do this for herself as well but she was mostly doing this for Macbeth because she loved him so much. Macbeth is a regular murderer throughout the play and is involved in a lot more murders then Lady Macbeth is. She was only involved in the murder of the King while Macbeth was killing people throughout the whole story. He killed lots of men fighting for the King, and later on he killed the King. After killing the King he ordered some of his men to murder Banquo and Fleance, Fleance got away though. Later on through the story when Macduff went to join Malcolm, Macbeth had Macduff's family killed. Macbeth was a man that murdered far more people then his wife did. So he was a more guilty person then she was. Through the story Macbeth got obsessed with killing others and he wanted to kill more, while Lady Macbeth became so self conscience that she went crazy and killed herself. Throughout the course of the story it is tough to decide who is a more guilty person, but if you look at it through the eye's of today's law you will see that Macbeth is more guilty of murder. This is because he had killed a lot people before he killed the King, and when he did kill the King by

Monday, November 25, 2019

Gentlemans Agreement essays

Gentlemans Agreement essays Philip Greenwood is a magazine reporter that is offered a job in New York to publish a series on anti-Semitism. Greenwood is having a hard time finding an angle approaching the Hebrew religion. After several nights of no leads he decides to write his good friend from childhood and wants to ask, what is it like to be Jewish? Realizing just before he begins to type, there is no way of fully understanding what it feels like to be a minority unless he pretends to be Jewish himself. In order for him to make this project work few people know the truth about the new man that has arrived in New York City. Philip is a tall slender man with dark features such as his hair and eyes. He is able to pass as Jewish. What Greenwood doesnt realize is that it will effect his entire life style and the ones he loves. The project is under way, and he notices that with in one day word has spread throughout the entire magazine company that a new Jewish man has been assign an article to publish. Problem after problem start to occur after Philips little boy comes home from school confused on what religion he is. Greenwood explains to Tommy that in order to fully understand what it feels like to be Jewish he is acting as though he of the same religion. Philip has little problems along the way, until Dave is back from being over seas. Dave is the long time friend who faces the cruel world every day by being Jewish. Dave and Philip and another reporter go out on the town for a couple of drinks to talk about the old times. While Dave is sitting down in a chair, a rude man bumps in to him and asks his name. After hearing his last name the man was ready to fight. Philip had to step in between the two. He soon realized that anti-Semitism is no joke. Greenwoods project had been going along for about one month and he and his soon to be wife were having difficult times as well. P ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Saving the Publishing Industry Using Technology Case Study

Saving the Publishing Industry Using Technology - Case Study Example The case study also entails what the book publishers and newspaper industries have done, to ensure that there is no phasing out of their products due to internet use. Many opinions are in this case study which leads to change in their business models (Hendricks, 2011). The measures that the industries have taken to gain from the internet and e-books are in consideration, in the case, and the role that technology plays in ensuring that the newspaper and book publishing industries do not fail due to the internet are in the case study. Considering product design and sales following the value chain model, there is consideration of the internet which helps in the reduction of over 60 percent of new staff and another 60 percent of the newspaper on sale. There has been a decline in readership; this also applies to the number of advertisements. This is because there are alternative online sources including Yahoo, social blogs, and Google. This is according to the research by Martin & Tian (2 010). Considering the research and development aspect, the internet through online newspapers and books is a disruptive technology that has led to the destruction of traditional models of business that involve physical distribution and physical products. The book publishing industries and newspaper are changing their business models by sharing revenue with the partners of the internet including Yahoo and Google, so as to ensure that they generate some revenue as a result of their content is on the internet. There is fee charge for newspaper content delivered to news reading devices including e-readers, Smartphone, tablets, and IPads enabling online newspapers to read at any place according to Brown (2002). The book and newspaper industries are charging fees for news and opinion which are premium. Placing advertisements on online newspaper has been on the rage so as to increase the revenue from advertising.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Critical Article Review -Race, Gender, Labor in 1960's Memphis Essay

Critical Article Review -Race, Gender, Labor in 1960's Memphis - Essay Example The article’s strength lies in its exploration of black men’s emasculation and their eventual â€Å"feminization† brought about by the labor and working conditions in the 1960s (Green 467). From the oral interviews, the author was able to elicit insightful responses about the gender, racial, and labor issues encountered by black men. By placing these responses side by side with a short narration of black slavery and the civil rights movement, the author clearly shows the underlying motivations of the black men who coined the slogan. The conclusion about black women appropriating the slogan for themselves, meanwhile, extends the article’s significance in the areas of feminism and ethnicity. Not only does the article examine black men’s opinions about the slogan, but the author also includes the perspective of women which, in turn, sheds light on the values women hold in feminist studies, and their sense of identity in ethnicity studies. For women, the slogan ‘I Am a Man’ means â€Å"justice† (Green 467), an assertion of courage (Green 474), or â€Å"freedom† (Green 475). Again, the author clearly establishes the different meanings attached by black women to the slogan through the oral interviews. The article’s lack of structure, however, weakens the conclusion and disorients the reader. There are no headings that organize the article’s main thesis and guide the reader to the introduction, literature review, findings, etc. The article flows continuously as a 25-page document without any breaks in between. In one paragraph, for instance, the author talks about the civil rights movement and then jumps into an interview of a black female in the next paragraph.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Fired for Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fired for Creativity - Essay Example In order to complete a case analysis on his story, initially, before answering six essay questions, this paper will first provide a summary of Lasseter’s experience from a management perspective. According to the Power and Politics in the Fall and Rise of John Lasseter, the creative man’s employment background, the early attraction to animation began in his freshman year of high school and only intensified when he began his formal education in the field. Upon being hired at Disney, Lasseter worked emphatically to progress the animation department to the ways of the future by introducing the idea of films based solely off computer-generated imaging. While his intentions were honorable, Lasseter acknowledges that his drive may have created instances where he seemed like a loose cannon. After a particular meeting where Lasseter was allowed to create a test film to demonstrate the viability of using both hand drawn animation and computer generated imaging, he was immediatel y fired by a supervisor who did not care for him. This instance is where the case analysis can determine a clear problem with management style. The problem with what happened to Lasseter is that his employment termination was obviously personal in nature. It seems ridiculous that an employee of a creative company could be terminated for simply being creative. Furthermore, Lasseter had no outstanding work infractions. For whatever personal reason that this studio head did not care for Lasseter, the employee was fired unjustly. Personal feelings must be worked out in a professional manner versus being dealt with professionally which can often go the wrong way, as we see in this example. Fortunately for Lasseter, this unjust retribution did not last as the young animator was hired by Steve Jobs and helped him in the creation and success of Disney’s Pixar and the outstanding films the company produced. The analysis of this scenario demonstrates that while younger employees can fi nd themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to dealing with their more tenured and older counterparts, there is always hope in the fact that someone else will see them and value their creativity. Questions 1-6 1. What forms of interpersonal power are evident in the case? Within the case of Lasseter and the studio head who did not care for him as a person, the types of interpersonal power being used are those of status and age. As the older, more experienced employee, the studio head knew he had the upper hand in the situation as he had the more advanced job title to effectively be able to have Lasseter fired without due cause. 2. In what ways do the two faces of power appear in this case? The two faces of power in this case are first, the studio head who chose to have Lasseter unjustly fired. By simply using his power to make this happen, the studio head used the power of his position and office politics to have the young artist fired. The second face of power in this case is that of Steve Jobs himself. The actions of Jobs allow him to act as the hero in this story as he is able to see the value in this employee and hire him back on for Pixar. 3. Does the firing of John Lasseter from Disney Studios and the events leading up to his firing demonstrate the ethical use of power? Explain

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Pre Industrial England 1450-1750

Pre Industrial England 1450-1750 Pre-industrial England was a period that laid the foundation for the industrial revolution. Its too vast with numerous changes that may seem to contradict itself if confined to a single definition. In the early beginnings of the period, the ratio of population to land was low, with small rural communities heavily engaged in agriculture. Markets were imperfect, along with simple/sluggish technology mostly because, the pre-industrial man was unaccustomed to innovation or simply did not see the need for cost reducing innovations. The method of production was mostly labor intensive with little capital equipment if any at all. The description thus far is fitting for the period 1450-1650. During this period population growth fluctuated widely, mostly because of famines and diseases. It is worthy to note that the family was the foundation of the home economy and in aggregation the essence of the pre-industrialized economy. The family structure was the source of knowledge, wealth and in many cases legitimacy (particularly in the case of women). During this age, England was a pyramid of status. Ownership of land was the materialization of status and the quickest way to political leverage. This set in motion the incentive for development: the desire to acquire more land through the plouging back of profits into the purchase of land. It was during this time that the concept of RENT was developed. Though the industrial revolution started in Britain, during the period 1450-1650 England was behind its continental counterparts in almost every economic respect. Though population growth fluctuated, it had an upward trend; unfortunately the primitive economy was unable to absorb this surplus labor. Consequently, pre-industrial Britain was plagued with unemployment and underemployment. As if the latter was not bad enough, high mortality rates forced a young population to work and an overwhelming climate of beggars and vagabonds emerged. One interesting way the economy sought to absorb the excess labor was through the immigrations of this surplus to cities e.g. London. Europe had long been competing among itself for new markets and raw materials. This led to the beginning of colonialization and the discovery of new lands. Britain had long been and persisted to be an exporter of mostly raw materials. Before boats and new trading routes were invented and discovered, trading was problematic and capital accumulation was down right impossible. The medium of exchange was poorly defined and barter proved to be complex because of the double coincidence of wants. In the mid 15th century, there was an evident shift in the export of raw materials to manufactured goods, mostly the export of cloth. (refer to Fig 1 p 50) Very quickly cloth export accounted for 2/3 of all exports, most of which were destined for colonial territories and Low Countries. In light of this positive change, England was still largely a primary product producer, as such; they had a high import dependency on continental Europe. Through immigration, England was able to import new skills and techniques and in some cases capital. While England began to harness the power of this intake, there was a discovery of gold in South America. This made capital accumulation a little less difficult and further fueled trade. Though industrial jobs were seasonal because productive activities were predominantly dependant on the seasonality of crops, glimpses of urbanization could be seen. Artisans and craftsmen were the first manufacturers who often worked with just an apprentice; their capital formation was small, nevertheless, growing. The location of industries were dependent on the labor supply and occupations of all nature started to emerge and change continually as taste, fads and fashion change. In the book, the economy of England 1450-1750 by D.C. Coleman: England was described as having habit of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦borrowing and improving, rather than inventingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Though homegrown inventions occurred, this habit was embedded in the English national trait. In light of this copy cat approach of the English, from the 17th to 18th century, English patents had increased drastically. Patents in this case are used as a proxy to represent the quantity of inventions/innovations. See fig. 2 p 154. In brief, English industry in the century from 1650 to 1750 can exhibit a variety of innovations, some of a radical nature in that they are represented injections of capital equipment which had the effect of raising productivity. Some involved a new use of power-driven machinery or opened up new possibilities therein, for example, in silk-throwing or cotton-spinning, some saw a replacement of one important input in the production process by another, for example, coal for charcoal, steam and atmospheric pressure for horse- or man power. The quote above taken from the economy of England 1450-1750 by D.C. Coleman, adequately sums up the importance and impact of the innovations taken place in England at the time. Pre-industrial England (Analysis) Why was the pre-industrial age the way it was? Or, how did it transform into the industrial revolution? I will seek to explain or find some bearings to answer these hard questions. My analysis will be confined to a few fundamental elements of capitalism: property rights, capital accumulation, profit motive, institutions, and level of technology and government intervention. It is known that low labor productivity, poor education, high fertility and mortality rates along with the dominance of physical over human capital plagued the pre-industrial period. The reverse is true when compared to modern societies, which is characterized by low fertility rates and extreme emphasize on human capital. What accounted for the spurts in population growth that forced the surplus labor to immigrate to the cities? With little education and sluggish technology there was roughly an average level of human capital. Earnings and benefit from investing in human capital were both low, and the typical agricultural laborer earned their maximum income at age 20.. Thus, parents would choose quantity as opposed to quality in child bearing; this sheds some light on the reasons population boom. High mortality rates also forced parents to reproduce at a high rate and began to prepare an army of labor that flourished during the industrial revolution. The number of patents issued (used as a proxy for capital accumulation) signals the rate of capital accumulation and developments in technology. Of course, these changes pale in comparison to modern standards but it laid a foundation that was essential to the industrial revolution. Reference was made in the overview regarding Britains culture of borrowing and improving, this also sought to cement the foundation of technological changes during this period. The pre-industrial mans desire for status and political accomplishment along with the desire to be favored by the crown, propelled the pre-industrial age. Granted, at a slow rate. This was mostly done through the conquering of new lands and meager changes (compared to modern standards) to productive activities. Imperfect markets were able to a limited extent however, to fuel the industrial mans profit motives. Nevertheless, this remains one of the few underlying elements of capitalism that never wavered or seems to fade. The pre-industrial age was preserved through the family structure, and the family structure was preserved through the ownership of lands. All the essential elements of capitalism were in existence and growing in every respect during this primitive age. True, it has evolved since, but that is not a demerit, rather, the reason why its able to survive all these years. At the heart of this period, the crown/state/government played a most vital role in industrial planning. Colonies were set up, trade agreements were made, and many accomplishments were made in the name of the crown. The crown was very much involved in Britains development. The states role and power had changed remarkably over the years, but we include it as an essential element of capitalism to illustrate the crucial role of government in jump starting an economy. Industrialization (750-1830) The industrial revolution was basically a fundamental change in the structure of Britains economy. It was the reallocation of resources away from agriculture. Britain being the first nation to become industrialized in the mid 18th century experienced rapid growth. These high growth rates would involve changes in every aspect of the economy. Britain rich iron, coal and reliable source of waterpower were essential to the industrial revolution. Colonies around the world supplied Britain with raw materials e.g. cotton and wheat and served as a market place for manufactured cloth. These colonies helped to stimulate the textile and iron industries, the wealth then generated by these two industries is what drove the industrial revolution. The steam engine was the greatest innovation of the industrial revolution because it became an instrument for applying basic innovations in many industries and transport. In the 1800s industries such as cotton spinning and iron was dependent on the steam engine. Landowning and farming wealth flowed to investment for improving land and transport while commercial wealth flowed to industry. Institutions created incentives and encourage innovation for entrepreneurs. The acceleration of industrial development was facilitated by the emergence of institutions such as financial systems, legal systems, and social institutions. Since the economy was growing at a steady pace, financial systems were needed to support this profound change: the established of the banking system in the 1690s. The banking system began to mobilize savings more widely after the 1750s. The bank of England, the London private bank and the country bankers made up the banking system. The problem with capital accumulation in the 18th century was one of establishing a tube by which capital could flow from the groups who were making the savings to those who really needed the credit. During the industrial revolution laws were enforced which required all land to be fenced at the expense of the owners. This caused many families to borrow from banks. Women and children made up 75% of the workers, this was because they were easily manipulated into accepting low wages which kept the cost of production low and profits high. Children were preferred since they had smaller hands; which was often needed to fit into parts of the machines. The laissez faire approach of the government allowed capitalism to flourish. There was little or no government regulations imposed upon factory policies. In the industrial ages the states role was basically to institutionalize social and economic forces and to provide security at home and abroad in which market forces would operate. Since they worked 18hrs per day they spent no real time together as a family, hence the industrial revolution contributed to the break down of the family unit. The living conditions were horrible because the cities became over crowded. Families lived in factory houses. These houses had no more than three to four rooms, more than one family then had to occupy a room. Other families who couldnt afford the rent of the factory houses lived in slums with little sanitation, as a result mortality rates were high (infant mortality rates were 50%) The legal system endorsed property rights and extended the concept of property to such assets as shares, bills of exchange, bank notes and patents. There was a pyramid concerned with land use. At the top there were the landowners, they comprised of temporal lords, gentlemen and freeholders (better sort and lesser). The lesser freeholders were the ones who owned and tilled their own land. They formed the middle class, the employing class who were the backbone of the agricultural economy. The others rented their land to the second group who where the land cultivators. These land cultivators formed a mixed group; which included small freeholders, owner-cultivators, the family-worked farm, the small holders and squatters. The third group, which was the base of the pyramid were the farm laborers; the proletariats. In the 18th century government began to intervene by implementing factory act, which aimed at securing the welfare of children. Industrial revolution Analysis This analysis will be based on the fundamental elements of capitalism: property rights, capital accumulation, profit motive, institutions, and level of technology and government intervention. It will answer why and how these elements changed/ developed during the industrial ages. Unlike the pre-industrial age capital accumulation wasnt as difficult. The emergence of foreign trade and the banking system made capital accumulation easier. Now the question is how and why these systems did emerge? Capital was accumulated through property ownership but also with the expansion of trade, that is: as trade increased, more money was demanded which was later provided for by gold and silver. The foundation of the bank of England in 1694 was part of a deal made between the government, (desperately short of finance in wartime) and the leading merchants and financers. Capital goods industries began to emerge mainly because of worldwide industrialization and the increased accumulation of capital through investment. This development led to mass production, and was responsible for the increase in British iron output during the 1830-1840 and continued to increase until the 1880s which also led to an increase in the employment of coalminers. The expansion of these industries changed most of the social problems that were present in the initial phase of industrialization: it gave unskilled workers better paid jobs, and improved working conditions which increased dramatically in the 1850s. The profit motive has been the driving force towards industrial capitalism. It encourages firms to operate more efficiently thus, promoting competition among rival firms. It served as the catalyst for production, distribution and consumption. Why did the level of technology change? Because of changing demand and the enlarged size of the markets promoted the development of new methods of production, often through innovation and adaptation of already existing technology. POST INDUSTRIALISATION The post industrialized period, is defined in this paper as that span of time in which Britains economy began to make the transition between what can be termed as Industrial Capitalism to Financial Capitalism. This simply means a decline in Britains manufacturing industry and growth of the financial sector. Why the manufacturing industry declined? To address this we need to consider many factors: the first important factor to is seen as the change in the power of the people that is the labor laws reforms and the electoral laws reforms. During the early and mid years of the industrialized period there was little power for the working class, they had no right to vote unless they owned property. They had no voice in the workplace, no way of expressing their displeasure and swift and harsh actions were taken against those who refused to obey the law.. Coming to the end of the industrial period and into the post, there were a number of reforms and acts introduced to change this fundamental problem within Britain. Firstly in 1871 trade unions were made legal, and they were allowed to strike. However it was not until 1875 that the legal act, Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act, was implemented to allow workers to peacefully strike at their place of work. But after terms of revolts in the working populace, into being came the Labor government party, and during their term (1906) they brought into being the Trade Disputes Act, which declared that unions could not be sued for damages done during a strike. In this respect, the power of the working class grew tremendously as compared to the earlier years of industrialization. But these Labor laws were not the only important reforms being made during this period to address the power of the people; in fact they went synonymously with the reforms being made to the electoral system. In the mid 18th century, The Great Reform Act (1832) gave vote to only male householders who held a certain amount of property. In time it was evident that this act was generally met with an outcry from the working population who paid taxes. This displeasure of the populace led to a Second Reform Act (1867) which allowed many of the working class men living in towns to cast a vote. However this system was still at fault because voting was done in the open and men were forced to stoop to pressures of their employers and landowners, that is- to vote in their interest. So upon recognition by the aforementioned, the labor government party introduce The Secret Ballot which allowed men to vote in seclusion, away from the pressures of their employers and land owners. But the second reform act was still deemed inadequate because it still failed to capture a decent proportion of the population, so came The Third Reform Act, in 1884. This new act now gave voting rights to adult male householders in Britain- which encompasses those living in the country areas. But with the exclusion of women, the system was still insufficient. After many womens rights movement there was a new act passed called the People Act of 1918 which gave voting rights to all men over the age of 21 and all women over the age of 30. This single act propelled the size of the electorate from 7.7 million to 21.8 million! This was not the end however, soon after the Equal Franchise Act of 1928 gave voting rights to all women over the age of 21 on the same terms the men had. And then finally, a new Representation of the People Act gave voting rights to everyone over the age of eighteen. The changes in the electoral and labor laws caused the emergence of a new phenomenon in Britain. The wants and demands of the people were now stronger and more politicians were more eager to meet them. Given the new found power of the populace, workers were now entitled to a larger share of the Gross Domestic Product (in future will be addressed as GDP). The general standard of living was now a principle that could no longer be ignored; the happiness of the entire Britains populace was now the centre focus of all politicians and no longer only the sole happiness of the entrepreneurs. As such some manufacturers found it unprofitable to keep on running when they can no longer access cheap labor, and governments found it necessary to implement many social safety nets to keep its populace happy. As stated before, addressing why the manufacturing industry declined we need to look at many factors, so far the populaces power has been addressed. The next important issue that needs attention is that of world trade. The British economy at the beginning of the industrialized period was well noted for some of the greatest inventions in the world. They were at one point in time even addressed as the workshop of the world. This advantage Britain had over the world market stemmed from their great inventions, namely; the stream engine, the railway train, the coke burning blast furnace, the power loom, the spinning jenny and the water frame. In time, the increasing globalization that took place in the latter years of the industrialized period caused her to lose this advantage. Aero planes and motorcars were made by the French, German and American inventors, thus, the comparative advantage Britain held significantly declined in the later years of its industrialized period. In the early years of industrialization Britain had rich coal and iron ore near the surface, but by the mid 19th century all the cheaply accumulated coal and iron were gone. Although there were deeper reserves, the advantage of the resource endowment significantly decreased. That being said, the British population growth began to significantly slow down in the late 19th century at that critical time when the American population began to grow rapidly. The power of British rivals increased rapidly, via their population growth and innovations as such Britains power in the world market was proportionately reduced and their manufacturing industries were left behind. . Britain was deemed as lucky to procure investors within its economy to help propel it during its industrial ages. Heading steep into the 20th century it was evident that an agglomeration of capital was invested in foreign industries, since the British investors saw it as more profitable to establish business overseas. It was a good investment for the British entrepreneurs but it also helped develop industries abroad, those industries to rival that of Britains. The invention of the railway and the telegraph system in the mid 19th century encouraged banks to expand and establish branches distances away from the main offices. Many people lost money when they invested into small banks, so government regulations were introduced to make it easier for larger banking groups to be formed. There was security in any particularly large bank. In mid 19th century The Bank Charter Act was introduced in order to reassure customers that their dollar invested in the bank was equivalent to gold sovereigns. This particular regulation had an enormous effect on bankers everywhere, the bigger banks became even more secure than the smaller ones, and as such mergers became ultimately inevitable. The Midland bank was a small bank founded in 1836 by Charles Greach. But by the late 20th century there were 200 branches of the Midland Bank stationed in London alone. It was clear; mergers were now a common thing within Britains financial industry. Britains financial sector continued to grow until it became a landmark within it one of the largest and richest cities in the world London. Britain had developed other major financial institutions such as the London Stock Exchange and The Commodity Market. This city had become known as the center of the worlds finances. Britains current account deficit at the time would have led to a crisis but the foreign investments Britain had secured were more than enough to cancel out the trade deficit. It is common knowledge that Britain had fought two world wars and surprisingly enough these foreign investments helped finance the wars. Britain had run up massive debt during the First World War, particularly with the United States of America, she had claimed to borrow an estimate of  £959 million. This was not the end however; even with the great lost in wealth (approximately a quarter of Britains wealth was lost) there was an introduction of liberal economic policies, which pushed Britains economy further down with slow growth rates and high unemployment. The national debt had increased 11 times what it used to be. Britain also had a streak of bad debts as she could not have expected repayment from loans given to Russia because of the communist takeover, nor could she expect the loans she lent to France because of the war damages France had incurred. To manage her empire Britain decided to implement her Ten Year Rule, it stated that she did not expect to fight another war for at least ten years. As such there were major defense budget cuts to make up for the debt owed. This impact as would be expected further restricted Britains foreign policies. So the impact of the First World War significantly influenced and restricted Britains empire. Continuing into the early 20th century, Britain felt the wraith of the American economy In the 1930s Britain experienced unemployment of 22.8%, but then a decrease to 13.9% in 1936 to 10% in 1938. But also, Traditional industries such as textiles and coal mining were severely affected by the depression. So it was evident that there was even further decline in the manufacturing sector during this period. There was also deflation in the economy at the 1930s as prices for food and rent fell by approximately 15%. Into the Second World War Britain plummeted, and it emerged in greater financial upheaval. It lost about an average of 12% of its productive capacity. By the 1940s British exports were in a decline by 35% as compared to 1935. Britain had almost exhausted its gold and dollar reserves on ammunitions, raw materials and some industrial equipment. Britain had even borrowed a further $31.4 billion dollars from the United States, as it was estimated near bankruptcy. So after the Second World War, Britain had lost support from the United States lend lease program, which was said to be the life support of Britain at that time. Now with its huge lost in wealth the two world wars began to take its toll on Britain. So after supporting Britain in the wars, countries demanded their independence, and decolonization started with Indias independence in 1947. Britain was also losing its old markets as commonwealth agreements were made to only do regional trade with local and regional entities. It is here Britain took a strong structural change from the manufacturing industry towards the services industry, in this regard many industrialized parts of Britain was left in a steady state. There were then packages with the intent of nationalization, as government tried to take hold of the economy. Devaluation of the pound was made, Britains economy still experienced low growth rates, and the new Labor government was unable to solve the problem. In came the famous Margaret Thatcher who implemented many economic reforms, leading to deregulation and privatization of major industries. Competition policy was the forefront of her ideology which replaced that of industrial policy. This resulted in high unemployment rates, but subsequently led to significant increases in growth rates. The British economy continued to experience rapid growth straight into the 1990s, with the exception for the recession experienced in the early quarters of the 1990s. Advances in technology continued to help the British economy and the conservatives kept rule until 1997, when they were taken over by Tony Blairs labor party. Blair introduced policies to reduce unemployment, gave power to the Bank of England to set interest rates and then introduced the minimum wage in Britain. But the Blair government decided to stick with the spending plans of the conservatives, and the economy kept on moving. Heading into the 21st century, the labor party increased taxes and borrowing, utilizing the money for public services. The growth rates in this era were kept constant, but the pound value fluctuated. The Britain kingdom was fairly well off, during the 21st century until it experienced the 2008 great recession, which was deemed as the worst recession since the Second World War. POST INDUSTRIALIZATION ANALYSIS As stated in the beginning, this period is defined as that in which Britains economy made a transition from a manufacturing based system to a financial based system. The aim of our paper is to understand how capitalism changed (transitioned) from the previous periods into this one. We have noted that this change in Britains economy was not the result of one particular factor; it was the agglomeration of many important fragments. It had begun with the simultaneous changes in the populace, capital accumulation and world trade. But it was more so propelled by the impacts of the two world wars and the many changes that stemmed from them. As compared to the previous two periods it was realized that the people of Britain had no say in any decisions being made for the country unless they had some significant amount of capital. Due to many constitutional reforms by the state this defining phenomenon of the populace had changed. The force behind these reforms came from pressures behind new founded labor institutions such as the trade unions. The need of these institutions, however, had originally stemmed from the pressure the industrialized period placed on its laborers. The world trade had laid upon Britain an enchantment of the profit motive. But guided by policy systems and development of financial institutions the profit motive inhibited growth in Britains domestic investment. This restriction led to a gradual decrease in Britains comparative advantage in the industrial world market. But although the profit motive had caused Britain to eventually export more than they import, it had changed Britains national accounting figures. So the profit motive had transformed Britains economy as it became more dependent on increases in invisible trade and not so much on the production and exports of goods. Capital accumulation and the profit motive however were not the sole signatories to the reforms in Britain, its necessary to make mention of the impact of technology on the system. At the beginning of the industrial period Britain had the advantage because they had the best technology in the world. But this did not stay as such, since given time, the major inventions in the world were not British. Some argue this was because technology booms are random and usually are only directly affected by significant investments in research and development. Britain had fought two world wars and it had emerged victorious but not without its economical burdens. After the first world war Britain had to restrict is international polices as it incurred major national debt. But after the Second World War, Britain was hanging on to America to keep functioning. It had lost nations due to demand for decolonization, and it lost world markets due to new trade restrictions from Caribbean countries. The promotion of deregulation, privatization, and competition polices let to a recovery of the economy. Monetary policies were transformed- allowing the Bank of England to set interest rates. These changes promoted massive growth of the British economy and the recovery of the system. It is also during this time frame that the government made decisions that define post industrialization today. The government set their famous safety nets in this period. They set: minimum wages, increase taxes and increase their public services. These safety nets are what vastly distinguish this period from previous ones, in the two previous ages there was no concern for the well being of the British populace as compared to the post industrial age. Britains Development via Industrialization A Critical Analysis As outlined in the heart of this paper Britain had traveled through three periods each leading successfully to the next. The paper seeks to illustrate how essential the fundamental elements of capitalism are to a nations development. It identifies the uniqueness of capitalism and its resilience in light of contradictory forces. There had been fierce debate over the roles of government and the effectiveness/fairness of protectionist policies in national development. Contrary to modern literature and advocates for free trade, Britains advantage in the industrial period (protection of infant industries) was maintained by strong protectionist measures and governments hand at each door step of the economy, (from the 17th to 18th centuries). The philosophy/ideology of mercantilism reigned for at least a hundred years: the belief that the source of a nations wealth is through the barring of imports whilst boosting exports. This gave Britains industries an advantage of a hundred years. Sectors were able to develop, change and learn from their mistakes. Most importantly, they were able to become efficient and specialist within their fie

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Genetically Modified Foods Cause Autism Essay -- GMOs Essays

Question: Through the use of genetically modified foods, are humans becoming more prone to abnormalities? Introduction I have chosen to do my Life Science research project on genetically modified food as it is a topic that interests me. I have formulated a research question which is â€Å"Through the use of genetically modified foods, are humans becoming more prone to abnormalities?† Genetically engineered organisms (GMO) are becoming so advanced and a large variety of food that we eat has been genetically modified, such as maize, cotton, potatoes, wheat, sugarcane, strawberry, and soya. (Appel, 2008) With the increased advancement of GMO, many people are unaware of the complications that can occur. In my project I will be researching whether or not GMO are an addition to the cause of cancer and autism, but first in order for us to understand the effects of genetically modified organisms, we need to gain an in depth knowledge of the basis of genetics. DNA and Chromosomes Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a â€Å"hereditary material in humans and many other organisms† (Education, 2014). DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell. DNA forms an important part of the chromosome. DNA is a molecule that contains all the genetic information to make up an organism. DNA is a double helix structure made up of deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate and a nitrogenous base, there are four nitrogenous bases, Adenine, Thymine, Guanine and cytosine. Base pairing is specific. DNA carries genetic information in each cell, DNA can also replicate itself, so that the genetic code is passed on to each daughter cell that is formed during mitosis. â€Å"A chromosome is a thread-like structure of nucleic acids and proteins that are formed in living cells† (Anon., 2014).... ...3 Feburary 2014]. University of Nebraska , 2001. Ag Biosafety. [Online] Available at: http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/education/summary.htm [Accessed 16 March 2014]. University of Nebraska, 2005. Ag Biosafety. [Online] Available at: http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml [Accessed 03 Feburary 2014]. Unknown, 2011. Siyabonga Africa. [Online] Available at: http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-6-genetically-modified-foods-19358.html [Accessed 01 May 2014]. Walia, A., 2013. Collective Evolution. [Online] Available at: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/05/10/new-study-links-monsantos-roundup-to-autism-parkinsons-and-alzheimers/ [Accessed 20 February 2014]. Wang, P., 2013. Autism Speaks. [Online] Available at: http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/10/11/are-children-born-autism-or-does-it-develop-later [Accessed 05 May 2014].

Monday, November 11, 2019

Biochemistry perspective Essay

Diabetes is an ailment which is caused due to high amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The main reason for high glucose levels in blood is due to the inability of body to utilize it properly. Glucose comes from the digestion of sugar and foods rich in carbohydrates that enable the liver to create glucose. The high concentration level of glucose in blood is termed as Hyperglycemia. In 1910, Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer suggested people with diabetes were deficient in a single chemical that was normally produced by the pancreas. He proposed calling this substance insulin. The term is derived from the Latin insula, meaning island, in reference to the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that produce insulin. (Patlak, 2002) Insulin: An Introduction Insulin is a polypeptide containing 51 amino acids arranged in two chains. The chain A contains 21 amino acids and chain B contains 30 residues. These two chains are cross linked by two sulphur bridges by cysteine residues. Insulin is formed by proteolytic cleavage of its 84 amino acid prescursor Proinsulin. Insulin has a molecular weight of 5808 Da. It has the molecular formula C257H383N65O77S6. Insulin structure varies slightly between species. Its carbohydrate metabolism regulatory function strength in humans also varies. Porcine which is pig insulin is close to humans. The image above is computer-generated image of insulin hexamers. The zinc ions holding it together and the histidine residues are involved in zinc binding. Insulin Action A pharmacological action of insulin includes carbohydrate metabolism, protein metabolism, lipid metabolism and other actions. Insulin increases the use of sugar in the tissue and stimulates transportation of glucose into the cells. Insulin also stimulates protein synthesis and growth. It increases synthesis of messenger RNA and decreases gluconeogenesis. A gluconeogenesis is a formation of glucose from glycogen. It also increases amino acid uptake in the muscle. In adipose tissues, insulin increases fatty acid synthesis, glycerol phosphate synthesis and triglyceride deposition. Other action of insulin includes prevention of ketone boy formation and increases potassium uptake. After the release of insulin from the pancreatic beta cell into the interstitial compartment, it enters the circulation after crossing endothelial barrier. Insulin action effect at the cellular level is achieved by activating and suppressing the activity of enzyme. It can also be achieved by changing the rate of synthesis of enzymes at the level of transcription and translation. Insulin stimulate glucose uptake into fat cells by glucose transporters. Glucose transporters are small vesicles which contain specific protein macromolecules. Insulin increases the rate of fusion of these vesicles with the plasma membrane, and activates the transporters to transfer glucose across the plasma membrane into the cell. Insulin synthesize hoxokinase, an enzyme which phosporylates glucose as soon as it enters the cell. Insulin is an anabolic hormone. It encourages the storage of fats and the synthesis of proteins. Each receptor of insulin contain a pair of alpha subunits, which are located on the outer surface of the membrane, and a pair of beta subunits which crosses the membrane and stick out at both the outer and inner surfaces. Both alpha and beta subunits are held together by disulphide (S-S) bonds to form an aggregate. In humans, the insulin receptor gene is located on chromosome 19. Insulin binds to the receptor at a specific site on the alpha subunit. This causes increased phosphorylation of the receptor by ATP, mostly tyrosine residues of the intracellular portion of the beta subunit. Increased phophorylation of these tyrosine residues activates the beta subunit to function as a kinase enzyme. Some intracellular effects of insulin that occur after insulin-receptor binding may be mediate through nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins) a family of proteins associated with the inner surface of the plasma membrane. Cyclic AMP also has some intracellular effects of insulin. The major function of insulin is to counter the concerted action of a number of hyperglycemia-generating hormones and to maintain low blood glucose levels. Because there are numerous hyperglycemic hormones, untreated disorders associated with insulin generally lead to severe hyperglycemia and shortened life span. In addition to its role in regulating glucose metabolism, insulin stimulates lipogenesis, diminishes lipolysis, and increases amino acid transport into cells. Insulin also modulates transcription, altering the cell content of numerous mRNAs. It stimulates growth, DNA synthesis, and cell replication, effects that it holds in common with the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and relaxin. Specific protease activity cleaves the center third of the molecule, which dissociates as C peptide, leaving the amino terminal B peptide disulfide bonded to the carboxy terminal A peptide. Insulin secretion from beta cells is principally regulated by plasma glucose levels. Increased uptake of glucose by pancreatic b-cells leads to a concomitant increase in metabolism. The increase in metabolism leads to an elevation in the ATP/ADP ratio. This in turn leads to an inhibition of an ATP-sensitive K+ channel. The net result is a depolarization of the cell leading to Ca2+ influx and insulin secretion. In fact, the role of K+ channels in insulin secretion presents a viable therapeutic target for treating hyperglycemia due to insulin insufficiency. Insulin, secreted by the beta-cells of the pancreas, is directly infused via the portal vein to the liver, where it exerts profound metabolic effects. These effects are the response of the activation of the insulin receptor which belongs to the class of cell surface receptors that exhibit intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity as shown in the figure. Insulin produces its action through specific insulin receptors which consist of two subunits ? and ?. Insulin receptor complex then initiates a chain of biochemical reaction involving cAMP, protein phosphorylase, protein kinase, phosphatase and lipase. A diabetic condition result when receptor of insulin is desensitization. Therefore, Insulin is used medically in diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus depend on insulin (commonly injected subcutaneously) for their survival because they make no hormone. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have either low insulin production or insulin resistance or both. Therefore, they require insulin administration when other medications become inadequate in controlling blood glucose levels. Actions of insulin-insulin receptor interactions at the level of IRS1 and activation of the kinase cascade leading to altered activities of glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase. The insulin receptor is a heterotetramer of 2 extra cellular alpha-subunits disulfide bonded to 2 transmembrane beta-subunits. With respect to hepatic glucose homeostasis, the effects of insulin receptor activation are specific phosphorylation events that lead to an increase in the storage of glucose with a concomitant decrease in hepatic glucose release to the circulation. Only those responses at the level of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase are represented. This image shows Insulin-insulin receptor actions on glycogen homeostasis showing the role of protein targeting glycogen, PTG in complex formations involving many of the enzymes and substrates together. Also diagrammed is response of insulin at the level of glucose transport into cells via GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane. GS/GP kinase = glycogen synthase: glycogen phosphorylase kinase. PPI = protein phosphatase inhibitor. Arrows denote either direction of flow or positive effects, T lines represent inhibitory effects. In most nonhepatic tissues, insulin increases glucose uptake by increasing the number of plasma membrane glucose transporters: GLUTs. Glucose transporters are in a continuous state of turnover. Increases in the plasma membrane content of transporters stem from an increase in the rate of recruitment of new transporters into the plasma membrane, deriving from a special pool of preformed transporters localized in the cytoplasm. GLUT1 is present in most tissues, GLUT2 is found in liver and pancreatic b-cells, GLUT3 is in the brain and GLUT4 is found in heart, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. In liver glucose uptake is dramatically increased because of increased activity of the enzymes glucokinase, phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1), and pyruvate kinase (PK), the key regulatory enzymes of glycolysis. Lack of Insulin Usually the inefficiency and lack of insulin are bracketed together, as both situations result in diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, diabetes insipidus and diabetes melitus, which is by far, the most common. Diabetes mellitus in turn has two types: Type 1, also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM Type 1 is characterized by decreased productions of insulin so must be treated with insulin. It is most often found in children and adolescents. Type 2, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes melitus, NIDDM Type 2 is caused by either decreased insulin production or abnormal cell sensitivity to the insulin that is present. It may be treated with diet alone, with oral hypoglycemic agents, or with insulin. It is more commonly diagnosed in adults. (Perspective Press, 240-43) Insulin does not cure diabetes. It is merely a treatment for the diabetes. Over time, many complications can occur in diabetic patients taking insulin. Some of these are coronary heart diseases, peripheral vascular diabetes, eye disorders, renal failure, and limb amputations. Because of reduced circulation and nerve damage, diabetic patients are essentially prone to developing foot ulcers, a major cause of amputations. They are able to feel foot infections, which allow it to grow and cause permanent damage. Proper foot care is essential and includes avoiding injuries oral restricting circulations, cleaning wounds, controlling infections, relieving weight from the ulcer area, and improving circulation. A new genetically engineered drug, becaplermin, promotes the healing process in diabetic foot ulcer. Lack of insulin or ineffectiveness of it may trigger some response from the body. The predominant tissue responding to signals that indicates fluctuating blood glucose levels is the liver. One of the most important functions of the liver is to produce glucose for circulation. Both elevated and reduced levels of blood glucose trigger hormonal responses to initiate pathways designed to restore glucose homeostasis. Low blood glucose triggers release of glucagon from pancreatic Alpha-cells. High blood glucose triggers release of insulin from pancreatic Beta-cells. In elderly people pancreas either fails or does not secrete right amount of insulin. In this patient insulin per injection becomes drug of choice when oral antidiabetics have failed. Insulin was also used to induce shocks in schizophrenics. Insulin secretion is controlled by concentrations circulating glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids, various hormones and neuron-transmitter agents. In the fasting state, when glucose concentrations are low, insulin secretion is minimal. As glucose concentrations rise after the utilizing carbohydrates meal the raised glucose concentration stimulates insulin secretion. Insulin resistance develops over time. Therefore, doses have to be increased. This occurs because of the development of insulin antibodies in the blood. This also can be somewhat corrected by changing the type of insulin injection and by giving cortiscosteroids which are immunity suppressant drugs. Yet, it also produces negative effect by increasing blood sugar and this is why they are not used. Types of Insulin There are many types of insulin and many salt forms of it. It can be derived synthetically of from different animal sources such as beef and pork. There is now genetically engineered human insulin available. Different insulin differs in the onset of action and the duration of action. Some are mixed together to achieve a desired effect such as a quick onset but a longer duration of action. The most common mixtures is regular insulin with NPH insulin (70units NPH and 30 units regular insulin per milliliter) The different categories of insulin’s are: 1. Short-acting insulin types: regular insulin (crystalline zinc insulin), semilente insulin (prompt insulin zinc suspension), insulin lipsor; 2. Intermediate – acting insulin types: NPH (isophane insulin suspension) and linte insulin (insulin zinc suspension); 3. Long-acting insulin types: PZI (protamine zinc insulin suspension) and ultralente insulin (extended insulin zinc suspension). Administration Insulin is injection instead of giving orally because it is destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract. Also, the molecule is too large to be absorbed by the intestinal membrane. Therefore, injection of soluble crystalline insulin is given by subcutaneous injection which is quickly absorbed. Peak effects of insulin are achieved quickly and also excreted quickly within a few hours. However some insulin such as simelente is absorbed slowly. The peak is reached slowly and is sustained. This type of insulin excretion is also very slow and sometimes partly destroyed by insulinase enzyme in the liver. Controlling glucose level with insulin injections is a complex task since: a) Glucose concentrations fluctuate based on food ingestion. b) Cell sensitivity to insulin changes. Exercise increases sensitivity while stress, pregnancy, and some drug decrease insulin sensitivity. As a result some diabetic patients take multiple injections for a short-acting insulin preparation to produce peaks in insulin concentrations and a long acting formulation to establish a baseline concentration. Variable rate infusion pumps are also used. Patients who use insulin need to be instructed on the rotation method of taking their medication. Insulin is absorbed more rapidly with administration in the arm or thigh, especially with exercise. The abdomen is used for more consistent absorption. Glucose levels should be checked as per physician orders. All insulin must be checked for expiration date and clarity of the solution. Insulin should not be given if it appears cloudy. Vials should not be shaken but rotated in between the hands to mix contents. If regular insulin is to be mixed with NPH or lente insulin, the regular insulin should be drawn into the syringe first. Unopened vials should be stored in the refrigerator, and freezing should be avoided. The vial in use can be stored at room temperature. Vials should not be put in glove compartments, suitcase, or trunks. Humulin is a new type of insulin and is often the patient’s preference because it can be taken orally. It is imperative that the physician be called if any adverse reactions to the medications are observed. (Jahangir Moini, P 150-154) Undesirable Effects Insulin The main undesirable effect of insulin is hypoglycemia. This is common, and can cause brain damage. Intensive insulin therapy results in a threefold increase in severe hypoglycemia. The treatment of hypoglycemic is to take a sweet drink or snack, or, if the patient is unconscious, to give intravenous glucose (50% w/v solution) or intramuscular glucagon. Rebound hypergly (Somogyi effect) can follow excessive insulin administration. This results from the release of the insulin-opposing or counter-regulatory hormones in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. This can cause hypercemia before breakfast following an unrecognized hypoglycemic attack during sleep in the early hours of the morning. It is essential to recognize this possibility to avoid the mistake of increasing (rather than reducing) the dose of insulin in this situation. Allergy to insulin is unusual but may take the form of local or systemic reactions. Severe insulin resistance as a consequence of antibody formation is rare. A high tire of circulating anti-insulin antibodies is more likely to occur with bovine than with porcine insulin. Note, however, that virtually all patients treated with animal insulin have antibodies against the hormone, albeit usually flow. Human insulin is less immunogenic than animal insulin but may still evoke an antibody response, since the source of the hormone is not the only determinant of immunogenicity; insulin undergo physical changes before and after injection which can increase their potential for provoking an immune response. (HP Rang et al, 200-270) References 1. Patlak M. 2002. â€Å"New weapons to combat an ancient disease: treating diabetes†. Available on http://www. fasebj. org/cgi/content/full/16/14/1853e 2. Perspective Press. 2003. â€Å"The Pharmacy Technician† 1st edition: Morton Publishers. P 240- 243. 3. Jahangir Moini. 2005. â€Å"Comprehensive Exam Review for the Pharmacy Technician†: Thomson Delmar. P 150-154 4. H. P. Rang, M. Maureen Dale, James M. Ritter, Philip Moore. 2001. â€Å"Pharmacology†: Churchill Livingstone. P 200-270

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Unit Paper

There isn't an American citizen in the world ho doesn't know of the painstaking terror that swept through the country as we witnessed the scene via the myriad of media coverage on every channel. Watching these news sources and seeing the aftermath, and watching the government response as they tried to figure out why it happened was actually detrimental to the healing process of the country. Hearing the scientists discuss how the towers fell, and listening as the government talked about how these terrorists gained access to the planes Just worked to spread more fear into the minds of the American citizens.Had the media Just gone dark, had the government Just said, â€Å"k, this happened, we need time to clean this up and discuss options, trust us,† Then the country may have been able to relax a little more. American citizen's now have some level of post- traumatic stress simply from being exposed to what was going on in real time. I will never forget the video of the people Jum ping from the buildings before their collapse, or the ash falling like snowflakes, covering everything around the city. I'll never forget the clouds of thick black smoke, and the exact moment that the towers finally elapsed.And I'll never forget the days after, and the images of the towers missing from that NYC skyline. And yet, Vive never even been to New York. The media showed every horrifying angle as things progressed, making it as though we were all standing on the roadway, gazing up at the horrors as they occurred. The news provided every view point and every option, even though 95% of them were speculative and so far from the truth. The terrorists' goal was to make the US fearful of them in order to make their point, and while they did a decent Job of that, the media Just added icing o the cake.For months afterwards, people were too afraid to fly; people were too fearful to use public transportation. This fear was Just perpetuated by the media's involvement. On the opposing e nd of the spectrum, the media can sometimes have a positive effect in minimizing the effectiveness of the terrorist attack. While flying into Boston in April of last year, I was amazed to hear the news of the city being in Lockwood. Sitting outside of Logan airport, the lack of people was eerie, and I pulled up the news on my phone to follow what was going on.The city was in Lockwood and police were requesting that people stay in their homes and off the roads to make it easier to search for the bombing suspect; a nice way of suggesting that Marshall Law was being imposed, but not exactly. The good thing about the media being involved in this was that people quickly heard that they should stay inside, which cleared the roads and made it possible for the police and government to really focus and search for Tsarina's. Would they have found him if they hadn't put the city on Lockwood?Probably, but you can't be certain, ND it was more effective to do so to ensure that he was located as q uickly as possible. Social networking is almost as bad as the media. Daily, there are posts about a child with cancer or a family whose home burned down that are asking people to like the photo. This is all misinformation and useless. Not to mention the things people post about terrorists or even the government, where you can tell that they have heard one thing and assumed the rest. That being said, social networking has a knack for escalating facts really quickly until they are more lie than truth.It's important to be informed, but when you're getting your facts from a post that's majority misinformation, it Just snowballs and leads to a bunch of confusion and panic. That's not always the case, however. Sometimes, social networking can be a fantastic tool when it comes to terrorist activity. The ability to share posts on Backbone, for example, can be an excellent tool if the police are searching for a particular suspect. A picture or description can be released, and people can spre ad it to millions of others in mere minutes.Not Just relating to terrorism, but crime in mineral, this is incredible and has been known to assist with finding many people, suspects and victims. While the media can be a useful aspect when it comes to terrorist activity, it is generally more of a hassle than an aiding tool. It's our civil right to be kept informed on the events in our country, but in times of an attack, our government should focus on responding before they should worry about letting us bystanders know what happened. A terrorist attack is performed with the objective of instilling fear in the targeted audience, and when facts are misconstrued, this is Just perpetuated.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

MaxCo Research proposal Essay Example

MaxCo Research proposal Essay Example MaxCo Research proposal Essay MaxCo Research proposal Essay The Max Mar Group is one of the largest international fashion houses and the first Italian clothing company, recognized throughout the world as the precursor of modern prà ªtporter fashion. The Group was formed in 1951 the Group with the aim of offering haute De game feminine clothing, produced according to excellent industrial processes. This is a record that the Max Mar Group has consolidated over time through a meticulous, luxurious style that has always achieved rising success on a world-wide scale (Mascara Group), maintaining however its strongest market in Italy. The Group is composed of nine different brands, each targeting a different segment, none of which are particularly active through digital communications, with the exception of websites and online shops. MOB Research Agency was contacted to develop a study aimed at analyzing the use of social media and digital communication tools for the MaxCo brand, which as company results show, is the most developed of the nine brands on new media, with particular focus to the Italian market. In fact, the further development of this brand online will define a model for the Groups other brands to also develop a social media ND digital communication strategy accordingly both within Italy and worldwide. It must be noted that the rapid evolution of social media and digital communications has led fashion companies to develop new communication strategies aimed at establishing a closer relationship with their customers. For the fashion industry, social media have been identified as a powerful enabler to build strong relationships with their consumers. Social media and fashion brands both show strong relational features; in fact, among all sectors, the fashion market appears to be the most social, u to its underlining mechanisms of social diffusion. From this derives the importance for fashion brands to build a social image which leads to high levels of social involvements, in contrast with the mere presence of social media; the number of social networking channels manned by brands has a clear correlation with the ROI of social media marketing strategies. 1. Max Max mainly targets young women, who appear to be also one of the most significant groups of social media and digital communications users, therefore the effectiveness of the Groups strategy in this sector is essential. Research shows that Faceable and Mainstream are the most popular social media in Italy, both of which MaxCo has been using for the past 3 years and 12 months, respectively. Faceable has become a tool for consumers to interact with other consumers and with the brands, and it can increase brand awareness; also, it is a tool for word of mouth, with about 1. Million users in Italy, has become a powerful tool for the fashion industry today, as it allow creating a connection directly through a brands products and ideas. However, Maxs results for March 2014 show and overall negative trend on the use of the brands Faceable page and Mainstream page. Furthermore, with regards to other digital communications, Maxs websites shows regular visits that peak at times of the release of a new collection as well as of sales. To even the presence on their website throughout the year, MaxCo has been developing websites to present certain items of the seasons collection. . 1. 1 Introducing the new Max app The Mascara Group has begun developing an app for smartness and tablet, which will allow to access information about videos, campaigns, press, and other events related to its brands. The idea is to develop an interactive mobile magazine, tit stories about t he brands everyday life, integrated with the brands social media sites (Faceable and Mainstream) and with the possibility to be customized by entering personal data for style tips and possible purchases. The app will also allow accessing an online store. The launch of the app for Max will be a part of the brands new digital communication strategy, the app will also allow accessing an online store. This will not only give the brand the opportunity to build a personal relationship with its loyal customers, but also increase its reach and gather valuable information on customers. Liquor and Donna Koran International have been identified as top competitors for MaxCo brand, within the Italian market and worldwide, respectively. Liquor Donna Koran International MaxCO Faceable x Twitter Mainstream Youth channel Website Online shops Smartened and tablet app As the table above shows, MaxCos direct competitors have been developing on all major social online platforms as well as they have developed a brand application for smartness and tablet. This has allowed both competing brands to build a deeper relationship with their customers, proving that Max is indeed in need to take action to be able to compete both within the Italian market and at worldwide level and avoid losing its position in the market. According to Gallbladder data for the last quarter of 2013, Italians are amongst the top users of social media and digital communication tools such data indicate a solid window of opportunity for the firm to expand rapidly and diminish the gap with its competitors regarding virtual activities. MOB has been asked to plan a research to respond to Max Mar Fashion Groups concern that it may be falling behind its competition due to the low social media and digital communication use for its brands. It was agreed with the client to begin the research by analyzing MaxCo, one of the nine brands managed by the Group; in fact, this is the most active in terms of presence on social media and digital communications, in particular regarding its use of Faceable, Mainstream and its website. The introduction of the new app has also been planned for MaxCo solely. The results presented for the brand show a negative trend in online users for the brand social accounts. Having stated the importance of social media and digital communication for the fashion industry, MOB truly believes that carrying out the proposed research will offer MaxCo (and later he whole Group) the opportunity to redirect its digital communication strategy and continue excelling in the future making their brands socially smart and directly involved with their customers. Additionally, this research intends to analyses the possibilities and threats related to the introduction of a smartened application (the MaxYou app), which main competitors have already done. Taking into account the increase in access through mobile devices, the launch of the app shall allow the brand to reach all equal position on the market, with regards to social media and International and Liquor) appear to be a few steps ahead as they have established themselves in the digital world, this research should truly represent the first step toward the improvement of MaxCo and later the whole Groups strategy. It is the goal of this research proposal to lay out a detailed plan of how to measure the effectiveness of social media and digital communications, in terms of reach and engagement, and reinforce the urgency of ensuring the Max Mar Fashion Group is responding to growing trends for social media involvement and activity in the Italian fashion sector. Main techniques used in this research intend to analyses Max activities online in terms of reach and engagement for Faceable, Mainstream and the brands website. Additionally, the study seeks to investigate possible customer responses to the launch of the new app. The study will primarily focus on fully disclosing customers understanding, awareness and perception of MaxCo online activities in relation to what they perceive as effective, involving and ethical. The goal is to allow the Group, through this assessment and information available, to gather valuable consumer insight on current possible future strategies, and adapt to best spoon to its customer needs and preferences, in order to increase competitiveness. MOB has identified the following research objectives: 2. Understand the attitudes across women between the age of 19 and 35 toward the use of social media and digital communication tools for interaction with fashion brands, with reference to Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts, websites and finally smartened and tablet applications. 2. 1. 1 . What kind of activities do customers expect from fashion brands? 2. 1. 2. How frequently do they expect websites and social media accounts to be updated? 2. 1. 3. Do they like to interact with br ands? . 1. 4. How do Italian users feel about fashion brands Faceable pages? . 1. 5. How do Italian users feel about fashion brands Mainstream accounts? 2. 1. 6. How do Italian users feel about company website engagement and online shopping? 2. 1. 7. What do they think of a user-adjustable app for fashion brands? The first goal of this research is to offer the company a clear overview of what their customer target segment thinks and expects from social media and digital communication activities from fashion brands, with particular reference to company Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts and company websites, as well as APS. The target group identified for this study is representative of the people that most use such tools; the results are therefore expected to be reliable in outlining the attitudes (positive, negative or neutral) toward the use of social media and digital communication tools for interaction with fashion brands within the Italian market. 2. Analyses the perception of MaxCos existing customers regarding the brands use of Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts, websites for interaction and information in comparison to other customer experiences (with competitor brands) 2. 2. 1 In comparison with other fashion brands, re Max Faceable page and Mainstream account appealing in terms of content and activities? Sufficiently active? 2. 2. In comparison with other fashion brands, is Max website sufficiently informative and appealing for users? Is the online shop easy to use? 2. 2. 3 What are competitors doing? Are there other particular fashion doing? 2. 2. 4 Overall, what do customers think of Max a ctivities comparison with other fashion brands? Secondly, the research will look at Max existing customers perception of the brand use of social media and digital communication in comparison to other fashion brands. As it was noted before, the fashion industry is extremely sensitive to the use of these new means of communication and interaction between customers and brands, therefore the goal is to develop a thorough understanding of what customers think of what the brand is doing, in particular in comparison to what their competitors do within the Italian market, with regards to Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts and commerce activities, as well as the use of smartened and tablet APS. 2. 3 Determine which channels MaxCo customers prefer to communicate and interact with brands with respect to social media and chital communications 2. . 1 Where and when do MaxCo customers prefer to interact with the brand? 2. 3. 2 Do MaxCo customers enjoy interacting with the brand on Faceable and Mainstream? How frequently? 2. 3. 3 Should MaxCo be posting/sharing more often? What content is preferred by customers? 2. 3. 4 Do MaxCo customers enjoy the brands website? When do they visit it and why? 2. 3. 5 Would Max customers use a user-adjustable app for online shopping and news about the brand? What should it include? Thirdly, the research will determine what are the contact situations that Max customers refer to interact with the brand. This includes the how, when, and where preferences for interaction, which will allow the company pinpoint what are the Groups strengths and weaknesses of the brands strategy at the moment, benchmarking the research results with company activities. Understanding when and where the customers prefers to be in touch with the brand will also serve as a basis for future developments on other media. While investigating on target segments preferences, this research will also examine the possible responses to the introduction of a new application, which competitors already have. Therefore, the goal at this stage is to outline what customers would like from MaxCo and the Group in order to build a strong and loyal relationship with the brand. 2. 4 Identify based on customer responses how the brand could improve its use of social media and digital communication for interaction with its customers 2. 4. 1 How and where else would MaxCo customers like to interact with the brand? 2. 4. 2 What could MaxCo do differently? 2. 4. 3 What can be improved in MaxCos Faceable page, Mainstream account and website? 2. 4. 4 Is there something that competitors do that Max customers would eke from the brand? The final goal of this research is to identify opportunities for improvement for the brands online activities, building upon responses to the other objectives and an overall evaluation of MaxCo customers. The goal is to identify specific activities for the brand to strengthen its social media and digital communications strategy, in particular with regards to Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts and website activities, as well as new tools that competitors already use successfully, in accordance to customers attitudes and personal preferences expressed in their responses. The aim of this research is to benchmark Max position in this sector at the moment with how customers see it and how they would want the brand to act in the future. The research will begin with secondary data analysis in order to create a framework for the research, in particular using available data and information regarding the use of Faceable, Mainstream, company websites and APS by Italian users for fashion brands. Secondly, the research will proceed with collecting qualitative and quantitative data through focus groups and structured (close and open questions) questionnaires, respectively. The results are expected to provide a framework for the company to identify its strengths and weaknesses, and identify opportunities and threats for future digital developments to compete with other fashion brands. They will also define the most suitable strategy for the launch of the new Max smartened and tablet application. According to the Isomer Glossary secondary data is data that have already been collected and published for another research project; secondary data can be internal and external. For the purpose of this research internal secondary data will e obtained from internal company databases and previous research reports on the topic, while external secondary data will be taken from specialized researches and reports done by other specialized agencies and researchers. Available secondary research data will help clarify the target during the initial exploratory and descriptive research phases. The analysis of secondary research will provide the necessary background to ensure the research takes the correct direction in analyzing the problem, and will also give MOB and Max a set of information to test the research exults against at the end of the research, ensuring the accuracy of the results. In order to optimize the use of secondary data, considering the great availability of research on the topic of social media and digital communication, MOB will screen for relevance and inaccuracy and will ensure to use solely data strictly relevant for the purpose of this research, publicly available or from other partner agencies. In particular, secondary data will be evaluated based on the following criteria: credibility of publisher/researcher, purpose of the research, time of data collection, search methodology used for data collection, and relevance, comparability and reliability of data. The research will begin with the analysis of internal secondary data, company internal databases, which will be useful for the researchers to build an initial reference framework on the activities and results of the brand. MOB will be analyzing through data mining the following internal sources: Annual reports for 2012 and 2013, sales and communication reports determine trends and strengths and weaknesses of the brand as well as identify opportunities to develop Internal experts ports in order to get insight on the objectives and ideas of the brands employees Database of customer information and purchase history determine target segment and identify the participant for primary research. Secondary research will directly answer the first objective of this research, by outlining the general attitudes of the selected target group toward the use of social media and digital communication tools for interaction with fashion brands, with reference to Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts, websites and finally smartened and tablet applications. External data research is also expected to generate initial espouses on customers preferred digital contact situations with brands, also for Max, thus partially responding to the second and fourth objective identify customer perception of Maxs digital strategy and opportunities for improvement. MOB will be gathering secondary data from the following external sources (syndicated data): Competitors annual reports, including social media reports highlight the strengths and weaknesses of competitors and benchmark results with Maxs Fashion reports on social media use by fashion brands, specifically data collected on MaxCo (Faceable and Mainstream reports) review activities of the rand so far and determine customer response to them Gallbladder reports on use of social media and web-based platforms in Italy gather information on the target segment use of social media and smartened and tablet APS, frequency of use as well as reason for using them. Primary research is defined as data that are collected specifically for a current research project (Isomer Glossary). For the purpose of this research, primary data will be collected through focus groups and a questionnaire administered to social media users and website visitors, to answer all the objective of this research from a alliterative and quantitative perspective (with the exception of objective 1 which will be measured solely through quantitative research). 3. 2. 1 Qualitative Qualitative research is defined as the use of unstructured exploratory techniques (such as group discussions and in-depth interviews) that are based on statistically small samples in order to understand a problem further (Isomer Glossary), which in this case will be collected through focus groups. Primary research will begin with qualitative data collection to identify non-quantifiable insights on the target segment; Hough quantitative data is by definition less structured and more flexible as well as it involves smaller samples, it allows to gain a deeper understanding of the topics (Wilson, 2006), it will be important to firstly obtain a thorough understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of the target group, to then develop accurate measurements through quantitative research. Qualitative data will be gathered through focus groups. Focus groups are a type of qualitative research that consists of an informal discussion of a particular topic with a small number of selected participants (Dib and Siskin, 2009). The discussion will be guided by a skilled moderator, ensuring that the group discusses all relevant subject areas and the views of the participants are as clear as possible (Isomer Glossary). The data gathered through qualitative research is expected to generate information about regards to social media and digital communications, in particular in reference to Faceable pages, Mainstream accounts, company websites and APS. Additionally, the responses obtained from focus groups are expected to provide detailed information about customers perceptions and attitudes directly by being in contact with the people and observing their behaviors and emotions throughout the discussion about Max. MOB will ensure that solely MRS. certified and experienced moderators will run the focus groups. A discussion guide will be made available to each moderator, which will include an introduction to the research, its objectives and the agenda for the focus group. The moderator will give an introduction, after which the dissuasive part of the discussion guide will start. In this phase respondents will be put through the actual task and moderator will be there to run the focus group. In his section all the data will be collect by using voice recorders and cameras. This phase will run for 90 minutes. The last phase will be the summarizing and closing of the discussion group. It will take about 10-15 minutes. At the end, the moderator will administer all the equipment and data for analysis. MOB will arrange for participants to be selected from client databases of store in the main Italian cities (Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Anaconda, Rome, Naples, Barb, Palermo and Calamari). It is estimated that a total of 40 of focus groups will be held in total, for an average of 4 per city elected number of focus groups will be assigned on the basis of volume and frequency of purchases and occupation of the subjects selected in each location. Measures to ensure that engaged and cooperative respondents are recruited for focus groups will be applied. Each participant will be given a ?10 gift card for Max stores. Each focus group will be executed in an ad-hoc location with a one- way mirror behind which the researcher will sit and observe the reactions of the participants to the questions asked. Each group will consist of 10 participants. The plan is to perform all focus groups in one day, from morning to evening. The moderator will ask the question and help frame the discussion among the participants; the moderator will also record the answers. Then the answers will be put on paper and analyses by the MOB experts. Projective techniques According to the Isomer Glossary projective techniques are a form of disguised questioning that encourage participants to attribute their feelings, beliefs or motivations to another person, object or situation. They represent a structured indirect way to investigate feelings, attitudes and motivation of focus groups participants in qualitative research. Projective techniques are based on the principle hat subjects may feel constrained in expressing their feelings, and say what they feel is expected in order to please the interviewer (Bradley, 2010). Responses gather through projective techniques then will need to be interpreted in terms of underlying meaning of the information and behaviors of the subjects. In order to prevent the gathering of non-representative results, focus group moderators will question participants indirectly by initiating the discussion with topics like changes in social environment due to the rising of Internet-based media, aiming to gain insights on heir use of social media. Moderator will then direct the discussion to fashion brands in Italy, what they do and how they interact with them, solely referring to other brand names. Additionally, MOB intends to use Photostat technique, namely present chosen in accordance to the research aims (Cain and Cervix, 2011). The initial images will represent different scenarios and objects not related to Max or social media. At a second stage the images will be social media and other fashion brands logos upon which the participants will continue discussing and exchanging views as well as hey will be asked to define an overall group position/view. MOB also suggests adding to each focus group a conflict participant, a member of the MOB team, to sit with the group and pose as the negative, issue-raising participant. This is intended to also evaluate customers responses and possible defensive attitudes towards the brand. 3. 2. 2 Quantitative Quantitative research is the collection of (statistically) large samples of quantitative data and usually some form of statistical analysis, which is often used to substantiate the findings from qualitative research (Isomer Glossary). Quantitative research will be conducted through structured questionnaires with close and open questions administered online. The use of a web based survey is will ensure speed of response, lower costs for the distribution of questionnaires and higher precision in the analysis of the data. Additionally, it is cost and time effective also for respondents, which will be more likely to take part in the research. Each participant will begin a ?10 gift card for MaxCo. Potential participants will be invited to participate in the survey through the brands online sites (Faceable, Mainstream and Bessie) where they will be given a link to a satellite website to complete thesaurus anonymously. The questionnaire will include multiple choice questions which offer respondents the ability to answer yes or no or choose from a list of several answer choices. Mostly close-end questions, and a few open questions, the survey will also include scales to ask respondents to rank their some of their answers (Dib and Siskin, 2009). The survey will be developed by MOB researchers using Snap package, and sent to Max Mar Group for approval. The aim is to develop a questionnaire that ill take the candidate about 15-20 minutes to complete (for a total of approximately 40 questions, divided in three sections). To ensure the accuracy of this research it is estimated that it will be necessary to gather 500 a total of questionnaires. The questionnaire will be administered online through hyperlinks embedded on Faceable and Mainstream posts of the Maxs official pages, which will be reposted up to 5 times per day for a week; additionally, the study will be on the company website. In case target number of participant is reached before the planned week, the hyperlink to the questionnaire will be deactivated in advance. However, due to the importance to maximize response rate in order to fulfill the objectives of the research, MOB reserves the right to repost the advertisements for the questionnaires for a longer period, until the set number of responses is collected for data analysis. It will also be important to count and control the number of participants recruited per medium: data should be obtained from an equal percentage of users from all three pages, which will be calculated based on average number of users each.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Eassy on a Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Eassy on a Poem - Essay Example This can be demonstrated through an examination of subject and word choice in Theodore Roethke’s poem â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz.† In the poem, the poet presents what first appears to be an innocent story about a young boy enjoying a moment of bliss with his father as the two of them dance about the room just before bedtime. Roethke begins by talking about how waltzing like this with his dad is not easy, bringing to mind the half-remembered days of standing on the tops of a father’s shoes as he clumsily danced about the room with an additional several-pounds’ child standing on his toes and clinging about his upper thighs: â€Å"The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy; / But I hung on like death: / Such waltzing was not easy† (1-4). That the dancing is exuberant is illustrated in the second stanza as Roethke mentions how they â€Å"romped until the pan / Slid from the kitchen shelf† (6). Their closeness, already hinted at by the boy becoming dizzy in the fog of his father’s whisky breath, is again encountered in the third stanza as man and boy hold hands and à ¢â‚¬Å"At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a knuckle† (11-12). Finally, the poem ends as the boy is waltzed off to bed with the reader’s imagination finishing the dance in a flourish, swinging the boy around in the air until his clinging hands come loose and he lands squarely in the center of a soft mattress and comfortable sheets. However, as the poem is read through, the reader is left with an uneasy sense of things being not quite right, as if there is something much more sinister occurring within the lines of the poem than this surface impression reveals. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this sinister element emerges as a result of the specific words Roethke uses to build his imagery. He talks about how the boy â€Å"hung on like death† (3) and

Saturday, November 2, 2019

US. foreign policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

US. foreign policy - Essay Example n expert, Gilles Dorronsoro states that the Afghan government is now operating independently and there is a good chance that it can withstand threats from the Taliban after the pullout of American troops. In spite of this optimistic position, it is doubtful that the US can destroy the military power of the Taliban in less than a year. Ex-Taliban leader, Abdul Salam Zaeef states that the Taliban machinery is strong in recruiting more militants and it will not be possible that the US can use military force to exterminate the power of the Taliban in the short run. Observers like Zaeef and NATO have urged the United States to negotiate with the Taliban. This option also comes with issues. It is widely feared that the Taliban might want a compromise that will cause problems for the Afghan government after a US pullout. This possibility is confirmed by Zaeef who goes further to opine that Afghanistan after a US withdrawal will fare better under a strong dictator who will wield enough power to disarm and punish the troublemakers amongst the Taliban. In any negotiation, the Taliban are likely to demand for more control and a more Islamized country. This is dangerous because it can potentially lead them to stir up further power struggles that might destabilize the country. This makes negotiation a less desirable option for the US. Obama however states that America might be prepared to negotiate with the Taliban if they break away from Al Qaeda, renounce violence and prepare to abide by the Afghan constitution. American officials state that some central authorities like the Taliban leadership of Quetta, Pakistan are prepared to abide by these conditions. However, it is doubtful that the radical and younger groups will accept such demands prior to negotiations. The US might need a strong compromise to protect its interest and this entails the elimination of the Al Qaeda threat and the prevention of a possible civil war. For these two ends, America is prepared to