How to quite smoking Essay

The smoking problem has become quite prevalent in our society. Several governments have had problems dealing with a huge health care burden due to diseases and conditions brought about by smoking. At the same time, individuals suffer several addictive and health issues due to smoking. While this information may be apparent to most of the smokers, studies have found that quitting a smoking habit is quite a challenge. The reason behind such challenge is attributed to Nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive substance naturally occurring in Tobacco. Nicotine, just like any other addictive substance creates a new feeling to the user. It creates feeling associated with drug such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Therefore, an attempt to stop quit is usually a difficult undertaking due to the emotional, mental and physical attachment to the nicotine. This paper will provide a step by step process that would assist a smoker to quit. The first step in quitting smoking is by making a vital decision that there is need to quit the practice. It is upon the smoker to make individual effort and get to the point of conceding to the position that smoking is both repugnant and unhealthy. Smoking is one of the greatest health risk known to humanity. There are several health conditions and diseases that can directly or indirectly be associated with smoking.One of the greatest health concerns for smoking is cancer. It is common knowledge, almost known to everyone, that smoking is a leading cause for lung cancer. Other cancers that have attributed to smoking include cancer of the throat (pharynx), mouth, blabber, nose, kidney, pancreas, stomach, colon and acute myeloid leukemia.Health conditions relating to smoking do not end there. Long time  smoking has been associated with heart attacks, blood vessel diseases and stroke. It may also lead to blindness, tooth loss, bad breath, gum diseases and poor personal hygiene. Moreover, smoking has serious repercussion on women and babies. Older women who smoke and use birth control pills tremendously increase their susceptibility to cancer and blood clots in the blood vessels (American Lung Association, 2011). Finally, quitting smoking will increase the life of an individual and this perhaps one of the most important reasons to quit smoking. Therefore, the first step in quitting smoking is making the decision to quit. Once the decision to quit smoking has been arrived at, the next important step is to set a date that the quitting starts. It is advisable to pick a quitting date that is within the month. This is due to the fact that taking too long to start the quit process will provide enough time to rationalize smoking and thus reverse the decision the quit. At the same time, one should take time to make a quit strategy in order to review all angles to evade failure. Thus, an individual could take about two to three weeks to properly plan the quit.This time should also be used to develop and identify physical and emotional activities that will replace the role of nicotine. In most cases, smoking is a routine performed along with other activities such watching TV, drinking, breaks at work or drinking coffee. One should identify these activities in order to replace the smoking with something else. For instance, if free hours were spent drinking and watching TV while smoking, such free time should be used in other activities say going to the gym, swimming, cycling or taking extra working hours. The emphasis is physical and mental involvement taking the mind and body off smoking. A successful quit is proved by a total avoidance of nicotine in all its variations. A quitting smoker who is around other smokers is very likely to revert to smoking. Either, going to locations where there smokers exposes the individual to secondary smoke which still contains nicotine and the psychological effects may be as smoking. Therefore, a quitting smoker should try as possible to keep off heavy smoking locations as well as friends.On the other hand, a quitting smoker should try and gain new behavior. If during smoking, the quitting individual was used to coffee and alcohol, it  advisable to switch to other drinks such juice and water. There are other things used to occupy the mouth such sugarless gum, carrot sticks or just hard candy. Smoke quitters may not be able be cope with a complete quit due to a high physical dependence on nicotine. While this may be case, studies have found medication that assist quitters cope with lack of nicotine. There are several nicotine replacement therapies that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some of the most common replacement therapies include patch, lozenges, gum, inhalers and nasal sprays. These replacement therapies contain a predetermined dosage of nicotine. The idea is to provide the body with a diminishing amount of nicotine so that the physical shock to the body is mitigated. However, any replacement therapy should not be administered by the patient. A quitting smoker needs to consult a physician in order to establish the extent and type of therapy to use. Either, the dosage used should be such that weaning off should be steady in order to record results. Therefore, it is important to have a personal physician who will provide guidance through out the quitting process. Smoking is a habit, usually easy to pick up but extremely difficult to let go. Several youths in their prime find smoking a â€Å"cool† indulgence and in most cases do not draw any direct pleasure from it. With time though, they become addicted to the nicotine and in the process grow as older smoking. With it come the health risks such as cancer, lung disease, stroke, heart attack, gum disease among others. Other undesirable outcomes have long been associated with smoking. In retrospect, it is of vital importance that individuals should quit smoking. It begins by the individual admitting that the practice is dangerous, health-wise and therefore must quit. The next step is draw a plan on when and how to stop smoking. The individual should develop activities that would replace time spent during smoking. Either, a change of character will be paramount for the individual to do away with things that remind them of the smoky past. Finally, quitters who need additional pharmaceutical therapy may seek such therapy with the assistance of qualified physicians. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2008 ). _Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs – United States, 2000-2004 MMWR._ . Retrieved November 21, 2012 , from www.cdc.gov: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5745a3.htm American Cancer Society. (2012 , October 18 ). _Guide to Quitting Smoking._ Retrieved November 21, 2012 , from www.cancer.org. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002971-pdf.pdf American Lung Association. (2011). _Trends in Tobacco Use._Retrieved November 21, 2012 , from www.lungusa.org: www.lungusa.org/finding-cures/our-research/trend-reports/Tobacco-Trend-Report.pdf

Life without social media Essay

The 21st century is an era greatly influenced by â€Å"reality television†. If we’re not trying to keep up with the Kardashians, we’re watching Big Brother, Bachelors/Bachelorette, and Flavor of Love. This is a contrast from the 20th century, which was the era of the silver screen, the era of cinema. Rather than having little to no imagination like television today the films of this time era pushed the boundaries of our imagination and fulfilled and captured our wildest dreams. Two of the greatest movies of this time were A Trip to the Moon, directed by Georges Mà ©lià ¨s (1902) and The Great Train Robbery directed by Edwin Porter (1903). In his movie A Trip to the Moon, Georges Mà ©lià ¨s is an early example of narrative film, his introduction film editing and help distinguish narrative films and how they were seen in comparison of music, books, and theatre. Although his edits were simple, for example people disappearing win a cloud of smoke, meaning he would make smoke build in front of the actors, stop filming the scene, move the actors out of the frame, and start recording again thus making the audience believe that the actors instantly disappeared in front of their eyes. This brought a new dimension into film, and introduced film editing to the world. He shot his films at 14 frames per second, his shots always remained stationary but what made these scenes amazing were his amazing sets designs, hand painted backgrounds and his in camera effects, Really took an audience who were alive before the first manned moon landing in 1969 to a world of pure science fiction and imagination. Taking what Mà ©lià ¨s introduced into narrative movies and running  with it, Edwin Porter being the father of the â€Å"narrative†, introduced at this time what was considered state of the art filmmaking technologies that help further film narrative. In The Great Train Robbery, Porter introduced several Film Technologies such as cross cutting, double exposure, movement of the camera, tracking and panning, out of sequence shots, and colourizing of people and actions. These edits and special effects were very effective at drawing the audience into the movie, special effects let the audience know when guns were shot, how joyous the people were when they were dancing it effectively brought the audience into that world. He also introduced a different film method which was location shooting, unlike Mà ©lià ¨s who’s camera always remained stationary, and were shot on sets, Porter wasn’t stationary it moved with the actors, and his set wasn’t a set at all, is was outside, it was in the train, it was were ever the story took them. This took film narrative to a new level; it brought the audience on the journey, something film lacked before Mà ©lià ¨s and Porter. Something that both their films had that films before them didn’t have, was a story. Before them films did not have any structure or a linear storyline meaning they didn’t have they didn’t have start leading to a climax leading to the end. Their films were significantly longer the films before them Mà ©lià ¨s’s film being 10 minutes and Porter’s film being 12 minutes. The result of their films telling a story helped them reach their goal and what they wanted their audience to get from the film and that was the story. A Trip to the Moon a film that follows a group of very intelligent astronomers as the hatch an intricate plan to travel moon.(Westminster, 2010) While The Great Train Robbery is a story about the 4 bandits who tie up and assault a worker at the train station sneak on the train, steal all the passengers’ money and shoots at them as the make a get away. A child finds the worker at the train station tied up tells the sheriff and they go on a hunt to get the bandits. To compare these two films and say which one was better effective reaching it goal then the other, is hard, and practically impossible. They both told their stories, but if it weren’t for Mà ©lià ¨s introduction of film editing many of the effects that were used in Porters film wouldn’t have happened. A Trip to the Moon was the first science fiction film; the first of it’s kind ever. It was extremely popular and helped the cinema market  transition into narrative films. Not to take away from Porter, The Great Train Robbery took what Mà ©lià ¨s did and took to a whole complete level and help solidify narrative films spot in the cinema market. Comparing these films is like comparing the IPhone to the IPhone 5, of course the IPhone 5 is better and more effective at doing it’s job then the original IPhone but without the original IPhone there would be no IPhone 5. Works Cited Westminster. (2010, Novemeber 12). A Trip to the Moon . (N. Montano, Editor) Retrieved September 13, 2013, from Film110: https://film110.pbworks.com/w/page/12610142/A%20Trip%20to%20the%20Moon

Differences and Similiraties Between Dickens and Hardy Essay

Dickens was born in Portsea, in 12. His father, John Dickens, was a kind and likeable man, but incompetent with money, and due to his financial difficulties they moved to Camden when Dickens was nine. When Charles was twelve his father was arrested and taken to the debtors’ prison in Southwark. He started working at Warren’s blacking-warehouse and its strenuous working conditions made an impression on him, later influencing his fiction. He became interested in writing (and acting) and, after having learnt shorthand in his spare time, he began working as a freelance reporter at the Parliament and the Old Bailey. Under the nom de plume Boz he published the eponymous Sketches (36), a collection of short pieces concerning London scenes and people. In 36 he married Catherine Hogarth, the daughter of a fellow editor, yet this union proved to be an unhappy one and, though she bore him ten children, he decided to separate from her after 22 years, having fallen in love with an 1 8-year-old actress, Ellen Ternan. This fact often constituted a reason of doubt, regret and depression for his Victorian frame of mind. The Sketches were immediately followed by the Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, a publication in installments which confirmed his success as a humorist and satirist. His rise to fame continued with Oliver Twist (38), David Copperfield (49-50), Little Dorrit (57), all influenced by his childhood memories (he purportedly had a near-photographic memory), and his journalistic career. By means of subtle irony, he denounced the exploitation of children in the slums and factories. His later novels Bleak House (53), Hard times (54) and Great Expectations (60-1) revolve around various social issues, emphasizing the difficult condition of the working class and the poor. Throughout his life he edited several newspapers and magazines, e.g. Household Words or All The Year Round, which hosted serializations of many prominent novels. His last years were marked by numerous reading tours, even in America, and the foundation of charities to help the poor. After his death in 70 his remains were b uried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. Above all, Dickens was a storyteller, as he was influenced by the Bible, fairy tales, fables and nursery rhymes as well as 18th-century essayists and Gothic novelists. His novels have been praised – from Tolstoj to Orwell – for their realism and good story planning. On the other hand, Wilde and Virginia Woolf complained of their episodic nature and artificial vein of saccharine sentimentalism. Of course the publication in monthly or weekly installments imposed strict terms, preventing unified plotting and creating pressure on Dickens to suit the taste of the audience. Most of his novels are set in London, a city he knew well and of which he gave vivid and realistic sketches. In Dickens’s first works, his characters are taken from the bourgeoisie, although often satirized, whereas in the latter novels he presents a more radical point of view on society, still without being a revolutionary thinker. His awareness of the increasing spiritual and material corruption as a consequence of industrialization made him more and more critical of society. His mature works managed to draw popular attention to public abuses, evils and injustices by means of the juxtapositions of terrible descriptions of London desolation and crime and hilarious sketches of the city. He created caricatures by exaggerating and ridiculing the distinctive social characteristics of the middle, lower and lowest classes in their own voices and conversations. His female characters are feeble, and either completely good or irrecoverably evil (a black-and-white morality possibly derived from his difficult relation with his mother). He sympathizes with the poor and the outcast: he shifts the perspective from the upper middle-class world of 18th-century fiction to the life of the lower orders and the working class. Children are often the most relevant characters in his works, a means to fictionally invert the natural or der of things, as their good-natured personality makes them more likely to be the moral teachers than the pupils of the adults (either into insignificant parents or hypocritical grown-ups), the exempla than the imitators. He succeeds not only in making his readers sympathize with the children, but also in proposing them as models of the correct way people should behave to one another. His aim lies in teaching a moral lesson to the reader. To accomplish this he uses the most effective language, i.e. a careful selection of adjectives, lexical and syntactical repetitions, juxtapositions of images and ideas and hyperbolic and ironic comments, thus achieving the most vivid depictions of life and character ever attempted by any novelist. In Coketown, a fictitious industrial town, Thomas Gradgrind, an educator firmly believing in facts and figures, has founded a school based on the suppression of imagination and feelings, the same theories by which he raises his children Louisa and Tom. His daughter is compelled to marry Josiah Bounderby, a wealthy banker thrice her age, and she accepts so that her brother can be apprenticed at Bounderby’s bank, yet the marriage proves to be unhappy. Tom, grown up to be dissipated and self-interested, robs his employer, initially managing to make everyone suspect an honest laborer, Stephen Blackpool , then discovered and snuck out of the country by his sister. Hard Times is composed of three books of three chapters each: Sowing, about the seeds planted by means of the Gradgrind/Bounderby method, Reaping, showing which fruit the plants have borne (Luisa’s unfortunate marriage, Tom’s dishonesty/hedonism which leads to Stephen’s framing) and Garnering, disclosing further details. Hard times revolves around the dichotomy in Dickens’s age between the rich and the poor. The Hands are forced to work interminable shifts for terrible wages in squalid and dangerous factories, with no hope of improving their living or working conditions due to their lack of education and job skills. Through his characters and stories he denounces this gap, thus criticizing the money-oriented and narrow-minded nature of Utilitaria nism, the prevalent approach to economics in Victorian England, which, according to Dickens was transforming humans into machines by forbidding the development of any form of emotion or imagination. In fact, Gradgrind indoctrinates the children of the school, as well as his own, into his system of facts, whereas Bounderby considers his laborers nothing more than emotionless objects to be exploited at his own liking. Mr. Gradgrind argues that nature is a measurable, quantifiable entity entirely dominated by rational principles, and strives to transform the pupils of his school into little machines unquestioningly following these rules. Dickens’s objective lies in showing how dangerous allowing the â€Å"mechanization† of humans can be, hinting that with no compassion and imagination life would be unendurable. The extract is centered on the description of the Victorian industrial Coketown, a fictitious Northern-English mill-town whose name, the town of coke (coke being a fuel derived from the distillation of coal) is meaningful as it hints at the contribution of industrial pollution to the blackening of buildings. This town is an unpleasant place, where everything is a triumph of fact (all fact, workful): it is not only polluted, as demonstrated by â€Å"the unnatural red and black† and the â€Å"river than ran purple with ill-smelling dye†, but also noisy, due to the never-ending â€Å"rattling and trembling† of the steam-engine (one of the symbols of industrialization). Dickens employs metaphors and similes connected with nature, yet they all have negative and unsettling undertones, as the savage is war-donned, the serpents never-uncoiling, the elephant in â€Å"melancholy madness† (i.e. in musth). Therefore life in Coketown is not only marked by unpleasant alienation as well as by a fundamental opposition to the laws of nature and common sense. The whole place is monotonous as not only the streets are very similar to one another, but also the people, synchronized in all their activities. Even public buildings are standardized, looking like factories with â€Å"no taint of fancy† as artistic expression is contrary to Utilitarianism. Dickens was an important denouncer of the vices and injustices of Victorian England, employing fiction as a means to condemn public evils and abuses. He drew popular attention to the cruelty of some schools, to the squalid misery of London slums and its criminal underworld by means of his social/humanitaria n novels. He greatly influenced the contemporary reform movement, yet he was not a revolutionary per se, as he never questioned the pre-constituted order of his time, as noted by Orwell. He advocated a change not in the whole society but in the single individual, who is the real target of his moral, not political or revolutionary, message. He argued that if men behaved decently, the world would be decent, and made good win over evil in his novels as a sign of his fundamental optimism. Hardy was born of a humble family in Upper Bockhampton , a hamlet in Dorset, in 40. He became apprenticed to a local architect at sixteen and then moved to London. He read a lot, including the works of Comte, Mill, Darwin and Schopenhauer, who all influenced his novels, especially Schopenhauer, from whose The World as Will and Idea he adopted the notion of Immanent Will. His first success was Far from the Madding Crowd, published in installments throughout 74. His fame increased even further with a series of tragic novels: the Mayor of Casterbridge (86), the Woodlanders (87), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (91) and Jude the Obscure (95). The last book caused an outrage due to its nihi lism and immorality: dubbed Jude the Obscene by some, it was publicly burnt by the bishop of Wakefield. Its negative reception induced Hardy to turn his efforts exclusively to poetry. After his death in 28 his ashes were buried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. Hardy’s characters are defined through their surroundings. His works are set in Wessex, a semi-fictional county in South West England corresponding to Dorset based on the eponymous Saxon medieval reign (as stated in the Preface to Far from the Madding Crowd). Being an architect, he had an exceptional sense of place, which allowed him to describe medieval ruins as well as important landmarks like Stonehenge or the college of Oxford. His early life in Dorset granted him with an extensive knowledge of the folk traditions connected with country gatherings or fairs. In his novels the rural group assumes a role similar to that of ancient Greek choruses, commenting on the actions of the character, either to provide the reader with an interpretation or a form of light relief. In the village of Marlott, the poor pe ddler John Durbeyfield is stunned to discover that he is descended from the D’Urbevilles, a once-wealthy aristocratic Norman family now extinct. The difficult conditions of his family worsen after the death of their horse caused by their eldest daughter Tess, who consequently agrees to go to the D’Urberville estate and â€Å"claim kin† (unaware of its non-existence). She gets a position as a poultry maid thanks to Alec, the mistress’s lascivious son who constantly makes undesired advances on her. He eventually takes advantage of her after a fair. She returns home and gives birth to a sickly child, who is christened Sorrow just before his death. After a year she seeks employment far from her past, i.e. in a distant valley, becoming a milkmaid at the Thalbothays Dairy. There she re-encounters Angel, a reverend’s son apprenticing as a farmer. They fall in love, yet Tess is uncertain whether to reveal him her past and resolves to slip a confessional letter under his door, which unfortunately ends under the carpet. The marriage goes smoothly nevertheless when on their wedding night they confess each oth er their past Angel is struck dumb, and resolves to leave her, boarding a ship for Brazil. Tess experiences many sufferings and difficulties and is obliged to accept a job at an hardscrabble farm. During a walk she overhears a wandering preacher who turns out to be none else than Alec, converted to Methodism by Reverend Clare. Tess eventually accepts his proposal to support her family after her father’s death. However, Angel returns from Brazil and seeks Tess to ask her forgiveness, but she stoically refuses. Heartbroken to the point of madness, she stabs Alec to death and flees to Angel. She is arrested at Stonehenge, where she felt asleep on a large rock, and is eventually executed. He is the most important pessimistic novelist of late Victorian England due to many reasons: first of all, he was born in the Hungry 40s, a period in which the price of bread was kept high by the Corn laws and many people starved to death; secondly his first marriage was an unhappy, childless one, though he felt remorseful after his wife’s death; lastly he was influenced by Darw in and his vision of life as a never-ending struggle for the survival of the fittest as well as by Schopenhauer ‘s universe governed by the blind â€Å"Immanent will†, and he started to put into discussion his religious faith. Furthermore, he was profoundly touched by the collapse of the rustic world, which he loved and experienced first-handedly since his birth. In fact his county, Dorsetshire, in South West England, was suffering from the consequences of the mechanization of agriculture, the severe economic crises of the 70s and the mass-migration to the towns. Hardy argues that life is a struggle for survival against wicked impersonal powers. Love is a destructive natural instinct. In fact man is in thrall to fate, i.e. an impersonal unforeseeable entity governing over both the inside and outside of man (personality and surroundings). Therefore human life is nothing but a useless, excruciating struggle with destiny, also known as Immanent will as per his reading of Arthur Schopenhauer . It is a kind of Anti-Providence, an unstoppable apparatus operating through a series of unfortunate coincidences. According to Hardy, the universe is at the mercy of Chance, blindfolded casualness either unconcerned or antagonistic to man. As a matter of fact, in Tess this malignant power amuses itself by tormenting her to death. â€Å"Justice was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Aeschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess†. Tess, and, more generally, man, is a marionette in the hands of Chance, a worthless varmint in the universe. Tess is fated to sorrow and death from the very moment she came into being. There are three important themes in his works: the difficulty of being alive; nature, unaffected by man’s fate yet co-protagonist with him; Victorian hypocrisy, which is criticized as well as conventional moralism, in particular as far as women are concerned: in fact Tess, a falling woman as per Victorian morals, is presented as a pure, guiltless vict im of chance and her love interests. His language is measured, abundant in details and symbolism. The metaphors, similes and personifications he employs reflect his love for nature. The language of sense impressions is central to his writing, as objects are perceived through touch, sight, sound and smell. Though his novels were composed during a period of literary experimentation, he persevered in employing the Victorian omniscient narrator, who is always present, sometimes commenting on the characters or events by expressing his opinions and view on life. Furthermore, he anticipates the cinema in that he employs narrative techniques alike to the camera eye and the zoom (e.g. in Far from the madding crowd).

Japan's Dragon Triangle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Japan's Dragon Triangle - Essay Example As you travel on the other side of the globe, towards the Pacific ocean off the coast of Japan, you are likely to encounter a less known, but equally mystical area of ocean, known as â€Å"The Dragon Triangle† more popularly known to the Japanese as â€Å"Ma-no Umi† which literally translates as â€Å"The Sea of the Devil†. A series of unexplainable events, which are beyond the powers of us mere mortals, has led to the development of sensational theories, some of which have even found way into the folk lore of the Japanese people. According to the myth, the dragons live deep underneath the deadly sea and their movement causes the sudden churn in waves, whirlpools, dense fog and sudden storms. While yet others believe it to be the handiwork of â€Å"mikakunin hiko-buttai†, Japanese for UFOs. Various authors, scientists and researchers have attempted to solve such mythical occurrences and reason the popular theories revolving around witchcraft, haunting, demon possessions and wizardry but none, so far, have come close to actually addressing the problem. However, Theodre Schick and Lewis Vaughn, in their famous book titled â€Å"How to think about weird things†, have presented an interesting formula called the SEARCH formula, which is in fact an acronym for the four steps. If we consider the case of the Japanese Dragon Triangle, and study it in the light of the tool developed by Vaughn and Schwick, chances are we might derive some logical conclusions and help clear the myths relating to such mysteries.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 127

Case Study Example The company has also locked out travel agents (Kotler and Bowen 21) and encourages its passengers to buy tickets directly from it. This has allowed it to eliminate the need to pay commissions, something that fits in with its cost-cutting strategy. Southwest tends to avoid big airports that are riddled with bureaucracy and delays that reduce its overall efficiency (Kotler and Bowen 21). This was one of its dilemmas when it decided to go head-to-head with US Airways in Philadelphia, which embodies the red tape nature of America’s largest airports. Any form of delays lower efficiency and this is closely related to the company’s cost-cutting mantra. Despite everything, rivals have started to catch up with Southwest’s cost leadership strategy (Kotler and Bowen 21). The company is no longer the only budget airline in the US, and some rivals like JetBlue and AirTran are offering even lower prices. Southwest has now started experiencing the problems faced by large carriers; the same ones it exploited to take over their

Biology Curriculum Unit on structures and functions of Cells and their Assignment

Biology Curriculum Unit on structures and functions of Cells and their Organelles - Assignment Example The structures in cell are of both plant and animal cells. Although the students will be following the objectives for 8th grade Biology, they will spend much of their time researching the specific topics of the unit and creating products as a result of that research. A high degree of technology will be infused into the activities so that students will be able to use 21st Century technology skills to collaborate and produce products of learning. The problem-based learning activity dealing with the issue of cell recognition will encourage all of the students to gain a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the cell. Students will be able to examine the process that has occurred thus far and give opinions about the cell. Students will be able to get the outcome. Students will be developing products of learning that are meaningful to them and appropriate to the activity in which they have participated. Students will create a multimedia presentation of their choosing in order to explain their findings. They will draw diagrams order to learn more about the cell. Collaboration on projects will occur through the use of the internet The activities in this unit, while teacher-facilitated, allow students to investigate topics that are meaningful to them, based on the cell. Students will be able to work both independently and in groups and collaborate with each other in person and electronically. While the basic parameters of the activities are laid out, students will be able to make choices about how to proceed with the activities and how they will present their findings. In all activities, students will be involved in creating the evaluation measurement. Students must have some basic knowledge of how to use technology for research purposes and must have parental permission to use the Internet. Permissions to participate in field trip activities must be obtained from

Lafarge Financial Statements Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Lafarge Financial Statements - Case Study Example The trend analysis of Lafarge's P&L statement shows that the increase in company's sales has been stable over the years with a hike in sales by about 17% in 2005. The cost of sales has also been rising with the increase in sales and they have finally mounted by about 17% during the last financial year. It reflects that the percentage change in sales is almost same as the percentage change in cost of sales, however a reduction in depreciation account by 4.1% has magnified the company's gross profit by 22% in 2005. The SG&A have expanded drastically during the year 2005 i.e., by 13% (1.2% in 2004). However, due to a substantial increase in gross profit, the company managed to display a rise in the operating income by about 32%. The company has had a substantial decline in the interest payable for two years, however it seems to have rebuilt during 2005. The company's pre-tax income had declined by almost 3% in 2004, which recovered surprisingly with an increase of 36% in 2005 as compare d to the year 2003. With a 50% increase in net income, the company's retained earnings has flourished by 54% while the dividend distributed have increased by 41%. Thus, an analysis of profit and loss suggests that the company has risen up from the decline that took place in its financial performance in 2004. Three-Year Earning Per Share Analysis EPS 2005 2004 2003 Earning Per Share 6.39 5.16 4.92 "Common shareholders and potential investors in common stock first look at a company's earning record" (Meigs & Meigs, p934, 1993). The EPS analysis of Lafarge's financial statements reflects that the company has had an increasing trend in the earnings per share for the last three years. The company's EPS increased by 4.8% in the year 2004, which further rose by almost 24% in 2005. This sudden enhancement of the company's earnings has also been evident in its P&L statement, which highlights a pleasant reform in the company's financial performance in the year 2005 owing to a drastic increase in sales revenue. EBITDA Analysis EBITDA 2005 2004 2003 Lafarge Group 14.8% 14.7% 14.2% Cement 23.3% 23.0% 23.0% Aggregates & Concrete 7.4% 7.1% 6.3% Gypsum Products 10.3% 9.6% 7.0% Roofing 6.5% 10.0% 9.4% Speciality products -285.7% -128.3% -38.7% EBITDA refers to the Earnings Before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation and Amortization. Therefore this analysis takes into account all the major costs and expenses other than the items mentioned above. The EBITDA margins presented in the above graph reflect a segregated view of the company's earnings in terms of the group as a whole and its subsidiaries (on the basis of products). The group's EBITDA margin represents a stable and subtle rise in the company's earnings, which is a sum up of its subsidiaries. Cement and A&C are also having a stable uplift in earnings, while Gypsum products section is showing a remarkable growth in terms of EBITDA. Roofing's earnings have declined in the year 2005 whereas the specialty products section has had a substantial increase in the declining state of earnings, which

Slurry Wall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slurry Wall - Essay Example They provided a low permeability obstacle to contaminant transport. The first slurry wall was built in Italy. Icos built the wall in Italy by using bentonite slurry support as the cut off wall. He went on to construct the first slurry wall for the Milan Metro. In mid 1960s, European contractors introduced the slurry walls in the United States. It was first used in the World Trade Center found in New York, the Bank of California found in San Francisco and the CAN building found in Chicago. Many projects of the slurry wall in the United States are found in Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, New York and Boston. Slurry walls are used extensively in the Central Artery/Tunnel project. This project involved many cover and cut tunnels built under the prevailing artery. The technology behind slurry wall centers on specific equipment used to excavate slurry trenches. The mechanical clamshell is the simplest kind of trenching equipment and is put on a Kelly bar. Different contractors have developed particular equipment such as hydromills, hydraulic clamshells or fraise (Mulligan, Yong & Gibbs, 2001). These walls are used in retaining foundations of the wall and retaining control of the wall water. Additionally, they are used as long-lasting basement walls in top down construction method, used as earth retention walls for tunnels, excavations and basements. They are also used in vertical foundation elements with high capacity (Opdyke & Evans, 2005). They are used as cut off curtains, gas barriers in areas with landfills, seepage control, and contaminated groundwater. Moreover, the diaphragms are used in seepage and water control for deep excavations. The construction cost of slurry wall for cut off barriers is much cheaper than construction of diaphragm wall for deep excavations. The alterations arise mostly from the differences in the construction methods. In diaphragm walls, the perimeter of the wall is made panel by

Summary & Close Reading of Paulo Freires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary & Close Reading of Paulo Freires - Essay Example In Pedagogy of the oppressed, Paulo Freire uses a combination of political, educational and philosophical theories in order to address the real source of oppression as well as liberation for the oppressed. He advocates for the awakening of critical and creative thinking as the only medium of liberation which takes place through a new and a more dynamic approach to education. This new approach to education focuses on a close partnership between the teacher and the student by seeking to empower the student to be involved in a dialogue process and adoption of human qualities evident in the thought process and its correlative action. The book begins by introducing the idea of developing critical awareness among the oppressed people in the society. The oppressed normally have the fear of freedom which increases the chances of then being oppressed. According to Paulo Freire, those who are under oppression must strive to see the bigger picture outside them so that they develop an understanding of their situation in order to begin thinking about their own world. Such a process can only be attained through dialogue in education in which one has to adopt change as the only tool for transformation. The only way towards reclaiming humanity is by critical consciousness which leads to synthesis of thought and actions. As a result only those who are being oppressed have got the power to save themselves from such kind of oppression and the only approach is through critical analysis as well as understanding of reality that guides them to action. The term, â€Å"banking education† has been adopted by Freire to refer to the traditional relationship between the teacher and the student owing to its oppressive nature. In such a case, the teacher possesses control thus playing the role of the oppressor while the student who is always passive in the learning process assumes the position of the oppressed. The role of the teacher is to deposit information into the student who

Financial Aid is Not Always the Answer Essay Example for Free

Financial Aid is Not Always the Answer Essay The United States is known for getting involved in affairs that does not concern them all in the name of foreign policy. Nonetheless, its stance regarding its foreign policies have undoubtedly helped other nations especially those economically-challenged at the same time serving the US’ own interest. However, its policy in relation to Armenia and the so-called Armenian Genocide is nil to the least. As it is the United States’ aim to help Armenia, it has not yet officially recognized that the Armenian Genocide indeed occurred. Admittedly, democracy in Armenia is still a work in progress and it still has a long way to go especially now that elections are set this year. The United States despite its hesitation to fully acknowledge the atrocities committed by the Turks in 1915 and even until now against the Armenians, can nevertheless help in aiding Armenia and put a stop to the Armenian genocide. There is no easy way but to go head on. The first step would be to appoint and send an Ambassador that fully knows and understands the situation and plight of the Armenians. When John Evans, Ambassador to Armenia used the word â€Å"genocide† in public to describe the deaths of some 1. 2 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks, this prompted a controversy that eventually cost Evans his job. Although none of the Ambassadors, other than Evans has affirmed and recognized the Armenian genocide during Senate confirmation hearings, it is imperative that the members of the diplomatic corps or nominees for the ambassador post must recognize and understand as well as refer to the Armenian genocide. Once this is done, other forms as well as policies of aiding will soon follow. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that despite the aids sent by the United States, totaling to $75 million seemed to be not working at all. In fact, instead of going back to their national homeland, Armenians have left the country, including the 30 percent of its working population. The country is wrought with corruption and poverty and despite the immense aid provided from foreign sources, the country seems like it has just recovered from the genocide. Hence, in order to help the Armenians, change must start from within the country because admittedly even if foreign aid would still continue, it would still be useless considering that the money for aid sent is not used for the growth of the country. The United States has supported the Georgians and the Ukrainians in their quest for change in their respective countries. If it will support, even encourage the Armenians in its quest for a revolutionary and peaceful change, through its policies, perhaps it could help the Armenians who are still languishing in poverty and corruption. Therefore, the financial aid that it is providing for the Armenians is not the way to aid the Armenians and the victims of genocide. It is to help them shape their internal policies and shape the country into a clean and habitable homeland. The bottom line for this is: if we really want to help the Armenians and the victims of genocide, then it is imperative that we recognize what happened in 1915 as it is – genocide in the least. The Armenian Genocide undoubtedly has prompted the first large-scale international human rights movement in the United States and financial aid is not just enough, we have make sure that this does not happen again, not only in Armenia but in other countries as well to which the United States has vested interests.

Analysis On The Movie Inception Film Studies Essay

Analysis On The Movie Inception Film Studies Essay The film Inception (2010) captured the imagination of many spectators as one of the best science fiction and fantasy movies to be produced that year. It was produced and directed by Christopher Nolan who also wrote the script of the movie. The development of this script and the story line were Nolans original ideas back in 2001, nine year before the movie was released when he wrote an eighty-page script on dream stealing. This work was inspired by the concept of dream incubation and lucid dreaming which bore this mystery envisioning a world where technology has been developed to allow entrance into the human mind by means of dream invasion. Inception is based on the basic inspiration that a single idea in an individuals mind can be either the most valuable asset or the most dangerous weapon (George, 2009). The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, who in the movie steals information from the minds of his victims during dreams. The last job which Cobs is given, and which is the ce nter of the movie involves performance of an inception so that Cobbs could regain his previous life and be able to visit his children. The movie in general received outstanding applause as an innovative and smart story and many critics gave it positive reviews. Rotten tomatoes for instance gave this movie an average score of 8/10 based on over two hundred and fifty reviews and reported that up to 87% of critics gave this movie a positive preview. Specifically praised in this movie is the producer/ director/writer, Mr. Nolan who received many positive notices and compliments even from the best critics. For instance, a notable critic, Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone magazine complimented this movie and Mr. Nolan stating that it was like an ingenious chess game. Justing Chang who said that the writer applied the best skill to vividly depict the procedural detail of sub-consciousness, quite a surrealists thriller which gave all the viewers a big challenge to explore the intricate and deep working of the mind, has praised the writers skill. The genre of this movie is widely interpreted. Some view it as mystery and suspense, while other individuals categorize it as Drama, action, or adventure. Just like any other movie, the issue of genre has been subject to diverse interpretation and thus becoming an element of widespread controversy. The movie Inception correctly falls in the history of science fiction. The first element supporting this fact is that it whole idea of the movie deals with imagined technological or scientific innovations. This also do not happen in the worlds contemporary setting, but a futuristic setting where given the current technological development, such innovations might be possible but the world is not there indeed (George, 2009). The idea of stealing ideas has not yet been realized, but there are current studies in neuroscience that are not trying to find out this, but working to understand the complexities and working of the human brain and may be in future, science research would bear such frui ts. Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb is the extractor in this case. He is well known and corporate uses him to infiltrate other peoples minds and extract the information they need. More evidence of science fiction is illustrated at the hotel room in dream world where loss of gravity is experienced. The elevator cannot even move and Arthur needs to use an explosion to push it. This is not scientifically possible but it happens in this movies. Among other incidences, the film fits clearly in the historical context of science fiction. Atmans A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre, (1984) explores in depth some of the ways used to differential movies into certain genres. He clearly and explicitly explains both the semantic and syntactic approaches to film genres giving us the proper understanding on how to analyze movies and give them appropriate genres. Looking at the work of Altman (1984), this renowned writer observed the same controversy criticism and recognized this approach to genre criticism at semantic approach. In semantic approach, the genre of a certain film is allocated based on some superficial aspects which are thought to fit to that genre. According to this approach, a film is examined based on the plot, characters, and types of some aesthetics among other superficial elements of the movie. Notably about this approach, it falls short of analysis and criticism. This approach fails to look into the details of the movie and less emphasis is laid on the timelines, production and assessment of scenes. The syntactic approach is quite different from semantic approach according to Altman, (1984). This approach takes into account finer details of the movie like the relationships between some semantic elements of that particular genre or between aspects of the society at large and those elements. It appreciates how isolated elements combine in any given movie to come up with the true meaning of such movie (George, 2009). This approach seeks not only to understand why some aspects of any given film are so, but also examines the effects of such aspects on the audience, the information which it deems valuable. This type of film examination brings a deeper look into incidences which might look insignificant in one film but holds a lot of water if compared or connected with similar incidences of other films. Altman goes further to bring up two more different approaches to genre criticism; ideological and ritual. The ritual approach in this sense occurs when moviemakers bent from societal pressures to produce films depicting the contemporary society such as Hollywood. He notes that this type of approach expresses audience desires in broader sense and it has its focus on the consumption side. With the ideological approach, the genre any movie falls into is based on simple, but generalized approaches to identifiable structures (Grant, 2003). Looking at Inception on the light of the Altmans approaches to genre criticism, it can be universally agreed that the same phenomenon is evident. This film clearly supports the arguments made by Altman. The film has been interpreted differently by different authors/different authorities and that is why we have the varying classification in terms of genre. Altman argues that genre is given based on uses and users instead of a fixed point of reference (Grant, 2003). The movie genre is diverse and serves diverse group of individuals. When summing up his arguments, Altman notes that it is not possible to adopt certain terminology that is neutral under any challenge. The terms that are in use are usually based on and derived from different ways for different viewers. It is possible that a certain approach to genre allocation is invalidated by fans regardless of the fact that the studio and nay be the producers validate it. Movies genre is therefore a site of either corporation or struggle among different groups of users or multiple users and such an understanding would help appreciate genre and break away from the tyranny of genre criticism. Altmans arguments are well supported by the film Inception. Different authorities and audiences describe this movie differently. As noted earlier, this movies genre has been describe as fantasy (like in Rotten Tomatoes website), adventure and action, drama, science fiction, suspense and mystery. A casual audience would dismiss this movie as action or drama given the type of violence and gunfights it portrays. If an individual did not pay attention to the overall storyline and did not glimpse the interchanges between real world in the movie, the dreams and dreams within the dreams, it would be obvious that the individual would easily appreciate the action scenes and therefore label the movie action. If some viewers of this movie paid attention to this movies visual effects and the music used in the movie, then it would be easy for such an individual to label it suspense and mystery (Altman, 1984). The visual effects are well set and integrated with the music well to bring out a thrill ing effect of a suspense movie. A careful observer or a person really interested in the movie would note the scientific details about the human mind, dreams and the fiction part on how the ideas are being stolen through the dream. Those who do not understand or appreciate science would label this movie fantasy coming into agreement with Altmans argument that genre just depends on uses, users or groups of users (Altman, 1984). Altman has shade much light on the understanding genre of movies, not only Science Fiction, but all movies at large. Someone may be confused if a movie they clearly know as action movie is referred to as science fiction but if it is an exaggeration of scientific facts, not yet supported by evidence and most likely happens in a futuristic world, such a movie may fall in the science fiction genre. Such discrepancies are well tacked by the author who shades much light on the diversity of the audience, uses of the film and the discursivity associated with any account of genre.

Management of Supply Chains Article Review

Management of Supply Chains Article Review INTRODUCTION This paper critically reviews the journal article titled as â€Å"performance management in supply chains: logistics service providers’ perspective† which published in international journal of physical distribution logistics management. Critical review is done using bullet point approach with respect to following chapters. Introduction Literature review Methodology Analysis and discussion Conclusion, contributions, limitations and future research References Introduction Chapter Research is constructed by incorporating Performance management concepts into Supply chain management process. This study published in International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management Journal Vol. 42 No. 3 in the year 2012. This study was forwarded for publication in March 2011 but it was revised 4 times and finally accepted in November 2011. Latest literatures are used to construct this study. However, most interesting thing is author used her previous 5 studies (Forslund and Jonsson, 2007; Forslund et al., 2009; Forslund and Jonsson, 2009; Forslund, 2010; Forslund and Jonsson, 2010) in to this research to develop most of the concepts. As a result, certain justifications behind choosing certain concepts are not given (conflict of interest) that is also highlighted in following sections. Author primarily used the literature related to supply chain management highlighting its process and importance to increase the weight of this study. Author largely used the term logistics service providers (LSPs) and their contribution towards this supply chain management process such as transportation and warehousing, and supplementary services (ex, order administration and track-and-trace services). After highlighting the nature of LSPs operation, author brought performance management concept to evaluate the Logistics performance in supply chains, such as lead-time, flexibility and on-time delivery. Author clearly highlighted the necessity of performance management to improve the logistic performance, which ultimately encouraged author to conduct this study. After credibly constructing the concept and research gap, the study poses the following research questions: RQ1. How are LSPs handling the performance management process? RQ2.With what scope of the supply chain do LSPs handle the performance management process? Author identified the research gap by claiming that study related to performance measurement in supply chain from the perspective of LSPs is scarce even though studies related to perspective of customer and supplier are done in different aspect. Due to this scarcity, author formulated an additional research question: RQ3. Which obstacles for supply chain performance management are perceived by LSPs? To find answers for all above three research questions, author formulated the aim as â€Å"to explore the handling of the performance management process and its obstacles from the perspective of LSPs†. Author used clear title for this article to communicate readers to what this article about. Hypothesis were not created in this article, instead formulated three research questions to give clear direction towards achieving research aim. If hypothesis were created for formulated three research questions, which would have made the researcher and reader more curious about the research result. Due to exploratory nature of research questions, author wisely chose and adopted following philosophies and research paradigms in to this study, which however not directly mentioned in this journal article. Research Type: Descriptive Role of theory in research: Inductive Epistemological orientation: Interpretivism Ontological orientation: Constructionism This paper mainly focuses on the LSPs’ key account customers and on their most important service (road freight). Overall, sufficient background knowledge is given with proper content. Study makes descriptions from the perspective of LSPs with the encouragement of studies made from customer perspective by Hertz and Alfredsson (2003) and Maloni and Carter (2006). Even though, author claimed that plenty of studies are been conducted from the perspective of supplier and customer, references of such studies are not highlighted in this study. Literature Review Chapter Literature review mainly provided the understanding of concepts such as Performance management, Supply chain management, Logistics service providers and Obstacles. Author properly constructed the concept by highlighting positive and negative findings of previous studies. The term â€Å"LSP† is used throughout this study without a validation, although several synonyms are available for this term such as carriers, forwarding companies, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and logistics service companies. This research mainly used performance management process model suggested by Forslund and Jonsson (2007) which consists 5 steps such as selecting performance variables, defining metrics, setting targets, measuring and analysing. The literature on Performance management (Kaplan and Norten, 1992; Otley, 1999; Epstein et al., 2000; Ittner and Larcker, 2001) offers various modern integrated models to measure the performance of the organisations, which include Balanced Scorecard (BSC), Business Excellence Model (BEM), Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Capability Maturity Model (CMM), which are failed to highlight in this study. Moreover, being an author of both this study and as well as in performance management model of Forslund and Jonsson (2007), sufficient justification is required behind choosing this model in this study which creates the situation of conflict of interest. Most of the logistic performance variables are identified from the study solely based on Wilding and Juriado (2004). However, author used multiples studies to support remaining steps of performance management process model. After bringing performance management literature, study shifted the focus to supply chain and highlighted the importance of incorporating performance management model into broad supply chain scope by bringing stacks of previous studies such as (Brewer and Speh, 2001; Busi and Bititci, 2006; Morgan, 2007; Forslund and Jonsson, 2007). Author managed to find out the various obstacles to use performance management model in supply chain with extensive literature. Obstacles such as the lack of understanding, competence and knowledge, difficulties in dealing with performance outside one’s own areas of responsibility, difficulties in developing a collaborative culture with supply chain partners, and lack of trust, conflicting priorities and targets are mainly discovered. Methodology Chapter When considering the research aim and the nature of this research, it is obvious that this study needs careful observation of human interactions and behaviours. According to Smith et al. (2002), ‘Interpretivism’ is one of the philosophies where the reality is determined by people rather than by objective and external factors. Therefore, interpretivism research philosophy is adapted in this research. However, such justification is not mentioned in this research. As per author, â€Å"case study approach† is selected under qualitative method due to high availability of survey based LSP research which justification is not convincing enough on choosing the research approach. Yin (1994) states case study research is useful when, a ‘how’ or ‘why’ questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events and when the focus is on a existing event within a real life context. Hence, highlighting such literature behind choosing case study approach would have provided ideal justification. As per Transport Intelligence (2009), mainly three cases (logistic organisations) are selected from Sweden due to their high domination in Swedish LSP market. Three cases are named as LSP1, LSP2 and LSP3 and below table shows the glance of interview respondents. Empirical data collections are carried out through structured interview guide with open-ended questions, which strengthened the construct validity of the study. Mainly Telephone calls of 1 hour to 2 hours and email modes are used to conduct interviews due to high restriction of getting appointments and have meetings with senior level managers. Among three cases, author managed only in LSP 3 to interview respondents who directly deal with performance management process. LSP 2 and LSP1 respondents were partially involved with performance management process due to their different functional activity. Due to high access in LSP 3 organisation, author managed to interview 4 respondents where in other two organisations (LSP 1 and LSP 2), only two respondents were interviewed which resulted high information inflow only from LSP3 that created some biased situation. The structured interview guide eases to develop interview transcript and coding. Hence, cross case comparisons and pattern matching are used as analysis methods. In the methodology, author could have defined and maintained the same number of respondents from selected cases with similar designations to interview and collect data, which could have improved content validity. Analysis and Discussion Chapter With cross-case analysis, author managed to discover how LSPs handling the performance management process. Mainly process such as selecting performance variables, defining metrics and capturing real time data shows plenty of similarities among selected cases that support that performance management process is existed in LSP arena. However, some differences are also found in performance management step such as target setting, measuring, report making and analysing. By highlighting these, author could have emphasised more on the requirement of structured model to maintain the uniformity among LSPs to yield the benefits of performance management that might have added more weight in to this study. The study reveals that having a broad supply chain scope, which is sharing performance related activities among the partners (Suppliers, LSPs and customers) that has the best capabilities of improving efficiency in supply chains. Author identified obstacles such as lack of understanding and knowledge; poor capabilities for incorporating performance metric norms and lack of IT solutions for performance report creation, which are preventing to incorporate performance management in supply chain. The findings are steadily answered the established three research questions that have the proper flow and it supports each other too. Conclusion, Contributions, Limitations Future Research Chapter The author has successfully achieved the research aim through literature and empirical data that is to explore the performance management process and the obstacles for performance management in supply chains from LSPs’ perspective. However, establishing RQ2 that is to find out what scope of the supply chain do LSPs handle the performance management process, which seems bit irrelevant to the research aim. Hence, author could have omitted this and pay more attention on other two questions. In terms of research implication, study mainly contributes to performance management theory from two aspects that are by bringing exploratory knowledge of performance management into supply chain process and its difficulty of usage from the perspective of LSPs. Author acknowledged that due to exploratory nature of this study, prevented the possibility of generalising the findings outside the sample and whatever findings are revealed in the study that certainly can be applied in above three organisations. However, if author conducted a pilot survey prior to case study in Swedish LSPs to check the familiarisation on performance management process in supply chain, this could have generalised at least within Sweden. Author recommended further research on performance management in supply chain from customer perspective. However, further it can be extended to the perspective of other business micro environment such as supplier, employee, competitors, shareholders and media) References Chapter Harvard reference system is used throughout this research. Consistency of the research is presented especially in citations. Author captured most of the references from reliable source like Journal Articles, which correctly presented in bibliography section. Using plenty of author’s previous studies in to this research creating biased situation. __________________________________________________________ Word count: 1889 words REFERENCES Brewer, P. C. and Speh, T. W., 2001. Adapting the balanced scorecard to supply chain management. Supply chain management review, March/April, 48-56. Busi, M. and Bititci, U., 2006. Collaborative performance management: present gaps and future research. International journal of productivity and performance management, 55 (1), 7-25. Epstein, M., Kumar, P. and Westbrook, R., 2000. The drivers of customer and corporate profitability: modelling, measuring and managing the causal relationships. Advances in management accounting, 9 (1), 43-72. Forslund, H. and Jonsson, P., 2007. Dyadic integration of the performance management process: a delivery service case study. International journal of physical distribution logistics management, 37 (7), 546-567. Forslund, H. and Jonsson, P., 2009. Obstacles to supply chain integration of the performance management process in customer-supplier dyads: the buyers’ perspective. Journal of operations production management, 29 (1), 77-95. Forslund, H. and Jonsson, P., 2010. Integrating the performance management process of on-time delivery with suppliers. International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications, 13 (3), 225-251. Forslund, H., 2010. ERP systems’ capabilities for supply chain performance management. Industrial management data systems, 110 (3), 351-367. Forslund, H., Jonsson, P. and Mattsson, S. A., 2009. An order-to-delivery process performance model for delivery scheduling environments. International journal of productivity and performance management, 58 (1), 41-53. Hertz, S. and Alfredsson, M., 2003. Strategic development of third party logistics providers. Industrial marketing management, 32 (1), 139-149. Ittner, C. and Larcker, D., 2001. Assessing empirical research in management accounting: A value-based management approach. Journal of accounting and economics, 1 (32), 349-410. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P., 1992. The balanced scorecard- measures that drive performance. Harvard business review, 70 (1), 71-79. Maloni, H.J. and Carter, C.R., 2006. Opportunities for research in third-party logistics. Transportation journal, Spring, 23-38. Morgan, C., 2007. Supply network performance measurement: future challenges?. International journal of logistics management, 18 (2), 255-273. Otley, D., 1999. Performance management: a framework for management controls systems research. Management accounting research, 10 (4), 363-382. Smith, M. E., Thorpe, R. and Lowe, A., 2002. Management research: an introduction. London: Sage publications. Wilding, R. and Juriado, R., 2004. Customer perceptions on logistics outsourcing in the European consumer goods industry. International journal of physical distribution logistics management, 34 (8), 628-644. Yin, R. K., 1994. Case study research: design and methods. 2nd ed. New York: Sage publications. Prepared by Mohamed Aashik 1

Barley: The Versatile Crop :: Botany

Barley: The Versatile Crop Barley is a very important grain in the world today. It is very versatile in every way. It has been well adapted through its evolution. It has a very mysterious and much debated beginning. Now however, barely has become well known and so have its many uses. Barley, which is of the genus Hordeum, is a cereal that belongs to the grass family Poaceae. Barley has many different varieties. The most common is Hordeum vulgare, which is a six-rowed type of barley that has a spike notched on opposite sides with three spikelets on each notch. At each notch there is a flower or floret that later develops into a kernel. Hordeum distichum is a two-rowed type of barley that has central florets producing kernels and it has lateral florets that are sterile. Lastly there is Hordeum irregulare which has fertile central florets and different arrangements of sterile and fertile lateral florets. This is the least cultivated species of the three main forms (2). Barley is very adaptable to various environments. In fact, it is the most adaptable of the cereals. Barley is an annual grass that has two growing seasons, winter and spring. It does best in the spring in a temperate zone with a 90 day growing season, it can also be found growing in sub-arctic regions, like in Alaska or in Norway, with very short growing seasons (1). Barley also has a very good resistance to dry heat compared to other small grains. This feature allows it to grow near desert areas such as North Africa (2). Barley has a very debatable origin. There are two different thoughts as to where barley was originally cultivated. J.R Hardin says that barley cultivation originated in Egypt. There is evidence of barley grains found in pits and pyramids of Egypt over 5000 years ago. There has also been ancient glyphs or pictorials showing barley dating back to 3000 BC. There have also been references to barley and beer making in ancient Egyptian and Sumerian writings. (4). The other thought is that barley was originally cultivated in China around 1500-2000 BC. This is evident by ancient pottery found depicting the end of the famine by having barley fall out of the sky (2). Barley cultivation also seems to have been evident in other parts of the world at later times. For example northwestern Europe is estimated to have civilizations cultivating barley around 3000 BC.

Comparing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano and T

Comparing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano and Wiesel’s The Death of My Father   This essay will focus on the two works, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano by Olauda Equiano and "The Death of My Father" by Elie Wiesel. Although these works are quite different, at the same time they are sadly similar. Both works have value to me as they describe events that have historical significance. Their personal descriptions of these events help one better feel and understand the atrocities inflicted on both the African and Jewish people. Equiano's was most poignant as it details the crimes committed against the African people. Equiano's story tells us of his abduction and separation from his family, particularly his little sister. I learned that slaves were bought and sold in Africa, from African to African. I guess I just never realized that this was a practice before European influence. Of course, the difference seems to be that the African masters did not ill treat their slaves. It was not until Equiano was sold to the white traders that he became "converted into terror" and even after many years had passed he was "yet at a loss to describe" (479). Equiano's graphic account of the conditions on board the slave ship pained me as I read. I could only imagine the suffering as he described "the heat," "the air...unfit for respiration" and the "shrieks...and the groans of the dying" (481). While Equiano was luckier than most, if it can be considered luck. He reports the general treatment of slaves by their owners following their arrival in America. Equiano tells of sexual assaults against the slave women to include young children, the maiming and torture as punishment for a myriad o... ..." (1829). Wiesel is saying that if God existed, why would he have allowed the Holocaust to happen? Of course, this is one question among many that will never be answered for him. In the end Wiesel resigns himself to go to the synagogue, light the candles, and say the Kiddish for his father. Both of these writings were of value for me as they were not mere entertainment. They were stories of human suffering, suffering at the hands of other human beings. Although I have read many stories about the slave trade and the Holocaust, I still find each and every story more horrifying and saddening than the last. I, like Wiesel, cannot understand how such cruelties could have been inflicted upon anyone. How human beings could lack compassion and empathy for others is so far beyond my understanding that there are no words with which to explain my feelings....       Comparing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano and T Comparing The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano and Wiesel’s The Death of My Father   This essay will focus on the two works, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano by Olauda Equiano and "The Death of My Father" by Elie Wiesel. Although these works are quite different, at the same time they are sadly similar. Both works have value to me as they describe events that have historical significance. Their personal descriptions of these events help one better feel and understand the atrocities inflicted on both the African and Jewish people. Equiano's was most poignant as it details the crimes committed against the African people. Equiano's story tells us of his abduction and separation from his family, particularly his little sister. I learned that slaves were bought and sold in Africa, from African to African. I guess I just never realized that this was a practice before European influence. Of course, the difference seems to be that the African masters did not ill treat their slaves. It was not until Equiano was sold to the white traders that he became "converted into terror" and even after many years had passed he was "yet at a loss to describe" (479). Equiano's graphic account of the conditions on board the slave ship pained me as I read. I could only imagine the suffering as he described "the heat," "the air...unfit for respiration" and the "shrieks...and the groans of the dying" (481). While Equiano was luckier than most, if it can be considered luck. He reports the general treatment of slaves by their owners following their arrival in America. Equiano tells of sexual assaults against the slave women to include young children, the maiming and torture as punishment for a myriad o... ..." (1829). Wiesel is saying that if God existed, why would he have allowed the Holocaust to happen? Of course, this is one question among many that will never be answered for him. In the end Wiesel resigns himself to go to the synagogue, light the candles, and say the Kiddish for his father. Both of these writings were of value for me as they were not mere entertainment. They were stories of human suffering, suffering at the hands of other human beings. Although I have read many stories about the slave trade and the Holocaust, I still find each and every story more horrifying and saddening than the last. I, like Wiesel, cannot understand how such cruelties could have been inflicted upon anyone. How human beings could lack compassion and empathy for others is so far beyond my understanding that there are no words with which to explain my feelings....      

Lady Macbeth Dairy

Hurry home so I can talk to you and keep you away from those stupid thoughts tempting you to failure. Besides, I was just told by a messenger from Macbeth, reporting that the king Is coming to my fortress tonight. The news nearly drove me to crazy because I had no preparation at all to welcome Dunce's entrance and to plan for the murder. I must be well planned since tonight would be the only chance for us to kill Duncan and grip the kingship. Come murderous thoughts! â€Å"Unsexes me here and fill me from† head to toe with â€Å"direst cruelty. † (Act l, scene v, line 40-41) Come to my female breast!Turn my mother's milk into poisonous acid. Make me feel no remorse and human compassion, which reverent me to succeed In persuading my lord. Cover the world with darkness so that no one could see my evil crime. This is my plan: Macbeth is going to greet the king with warm welcome in order to deceive all. Just leave all the preparations for me and our lives will be changed af ter tonight. Both fate and witchcraft seem to want you to be the King, my lord! Second Entry- On the eve of Dunce's murder Duncan has finally arrived at my fortress and he is having feast with Macbeth.The king shows great appreciation on our hostess and has no perception at all about the fact that his fife Is at risk. According to my plan, the king must be killed tonight and I will be the Queen of Scotland. Within my expectation, Macbeth kept finding excuses to give up the plan after the arrival of the king. He said â€Å"he hath honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people† (Act l, scene vii, line 32-33). Such a coward he is! He puts his ambition behind fame and loyalty. Apart from that, Macbeth also scared of the probability of failing.Along with his timidity, I reinforced his determination by showing defiance towards him. I asked him whether he was run or Just woken, and showed contempt about the fact that he says â€Å"l can't† aft er saying â€Å"l want to†. I told him that he will live as a coward and his behavior is not masculine at all. In addition, I told him the plan of how the deed is going to perform. With all the above threatening and defiance, my lord was persuaded to commit crime as a result. What a success it is! This is my plan: when Duncan is asleep, I will get his two guards drunk and make them into deep sleep.Without protection from anyone, we could blend In and murder the king, whilst all the blame will be laid on the two runner guards rearwards. Meanwhile, we wall De grieving loudly once we are tool the news of his death later. This would definitely be a flawless plan. Both my lord and I are ready and we will exert every muscle in our bodies to seize the throne tonight! Third Entry – After Dunce's murder The deed is done eventually. Luckily, the worries about the wake of guards and about the failure of Macbeth in finding the daggers did not happen. These will inevitably ruin our attempt if they happen.When Macbeth came back from the chamber with his bloody hands, an utterly sorry sight was shown n his face. When he was with two drunken guards, he told me that he could not reply â€Å"Amen† when they said â€Å"God bless us! â€Å". Moreover, he claimed that there is a voice keeps crying â€Å"sleep no more: Macbeth does murder sleep†(Act II, scene it, line 38-39). Macbeth was afraid of the punishment from God and the harass from supernatural. I told Macbeth that we must never think of our doings in this way since this will drive us mad. Once again, I convinced him by calling him a coward.I commanded him to get some water and wash the filthy blood from his hands. Also, I as really furious with him because he was so nervous after the murder that he took the two daggers out of the room. The daggers are the only evidences to show the guards are guilty! I asked him to put them pack, and he rejected me and told me â€Å"I'll go no more. I am afr aid to think what I have done†(Act II, scene it, line 53-54). He is even more timid than a child since only children are frightened by scary pictures. Frankly, if Duncan had not reminded me of my dead father and made me weak, I would have killed him myself.This would be better than now seeing my lord to lost is resolve. On the other hand, Macadam appeared soon after the deed had done. He was terrified by the kings death and rang the bell to wake up all the people and tell the treason. With I pretending horror and Macbeth showing sorrow, neither Macadam nor Lennox suspected on us. The two guards were killed by Macbeth. Our deeds will be covered since then and the murder will be blamed on the two dead guards. Now, Malcolm and Donaldson have fled away. My lord will be crowned in Scone. I am becoming the Queen of Scotland and I will take control of the country!

1984 vs. Animal Farm Essay

In both novels Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm there are many similarities. Three main topics, which will be discussed in this essay, are: control, isolation, and rebellion. The governing powers in each society of the two novels use control and isolation as tools for suppressing rebellion to ensure their reign of the social authority for future years to come. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government, also known as â€Å"the Party†, controls the society Winston lives in. This takes place near the eastern side of the world and it is separated into three areas: Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania. These three lands are constantly at war with each other and are controlled by different governors. Winston lives in Oceania and the Party’s leader is someone named â€Å"Big Brother†. No one has ever seen this person before, but is said to exist. The Party abolishes every type of art including the art of having free will. These abilities were destroyed, smothered, and obliterated through careful means, and anyone having them was stated insane, dangerous, and antisocial. To prevent these laws from being broken, the Party brainwash people and have â€Å"Telescreens† that can monitor everyone’s actions and a security task force called â€Å"Thought Police† to enforce these laws with torture and pain. â€Å"The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed, even if he had never set pen to paper, the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime could not be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they ware bound to get you† (pg. 166) The Thought Police are so feared that even Winston is afraid to break any of the laws. He knows he wants to write, but is already afraid before he even starts. This is how the Party suppresses the society. Likewise, in Animal Farm, â€Å"control† is involved with its society as well. The animals portrayed in this novel represent human beings. The pigs are the smartest animals in the farm and they take control and manipulate the other  animals to do their dirty work. One of the pigs, Napoleon, has taken the throne of power with force and he controls the farm by using all the animals for his own benefit. Like Nineteen Eighty-Four, there are laws in Animal Farm, but as time goes by they are changed and shaped to his liking. To enforce Napoleon’s way of life, he uses savage dogs (which he raises from birth) to suppress the society (the animals). The dogs are just like the â€Å"Thought Police† in Nineteen Eighty-Four. â€Å"All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.†Ã‚  (pg. 51) Napoleon and the Party are the same. They both control the society with manipulation or control and anyone who does not follow their rules, are dealt with. Isolation in Nineteen Eighty-Four, is displayed by the whole society itself. It can be seen through the laws of each land and how the wars between them. The Party constantly tells the society false information to keep them where they are. It tries to keep the population from leaving their land and moving to another, even though it is impossible since every other land is equally isolated. The society is constantly given false information about their land being in war with this one to frighten the people. The Party tries to keep the society separated from other ones to ensure that no other power can overthrow them. For example, if another land were to gain a higher population, they would have more power and more control. Thus, showing the Party’s isolation. â€Å"Once when he happened in some connection to mention the war against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably fired by the Government of Oceania itself, â€Å"just to keep people frightened†.† (pg.  154) Just the same, Animal Farm, is isolated. The animals take over the farm and they keep themselves away from the humans. They even change the original name of the farm to â€Å"Animal Farm† once they have taken it over. The farm is isolated from the rest of the society. The animals in the farm are separated and even have their own governors. In the farm, the animals believe that all animals are comrades and the only enemy against them is â€Å"man†. They believed that they were better off without the humans and that they would live even better lives than the humans. â€Å"The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a grudging master† (pg. 24) The animals are isolated from the humans and now that they are, they believe that they are truly happier and productive than they were in the past. Many of the people in Nineteen Eighty-Four are brainwashed and are made to believe that they are living a prosperous life. The people have no idea that the world they live in is actually a lie, except for Winston, who believes otherwise. Inside his heart, he hates the Party even though he works for them. His work is to produce false information and deliver it to the society. Winston hates this, thus leading him to rebel. To fight against the Party, there is a group led by a man named â€Å"Goldenstein† and the only purpose of the group is to stop the Party. In the end the rebellion is useless and nothing actually comes good out of it. Nothing can change the Party and nothing will. â€Å"He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for bullet was entering his brain? He loved Big Brother† (pg. 300) Even though Winston has joined the rebellion, it is shown that it won’t  succeed. The rebellion is proven that it won’t succeed in this quote. Winston represents the rebellion in general and the bullet represents the Party. The bullet has entered Winston’s brain and has killed him, just like how the Party will kill the rebellion. Similarly, Animal Farm has a rebellious group. Like Nineteen Eighty-Four, the animals represented the rebels and that â€Å"man† represented the Party. â€Å"Man†, just like the Party, had complete control over the farm. Then the animals decided it was time, and raged war with â€Å"man†. The difference is that the animals did actually overthrow the government unlike the rebels in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but the rebels in both novels still have the same goal. â€Å"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself†Ã‚  (pg. 7) The animals rebel for same reasons as Winston did. They are living in a world where they are all mistreated. To sum it up, there are many similarities between Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. Both powers in each novel have complete control of the society, and use isolation and force to subdue them. This never-ending fight for control will never stop and any change will just result in a large cycle leading back to the same problems.

Adelphia Scandal and Worldcom Scandal Essay

Basic Questions 1. Rigas Entities were entities that shared a common cash management system with Adelphia and Adelphia subsidiaries, which Adelphia controlled and operated. Since the scandal broke, it is commonly referred as off-the-book entities. 2. EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) is essentially net income with interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization added back to it, and can be used to analyze and compare profitability between companies and industries because it eliminates the effects of financing and accounting decisions.-from Investopedia 3. Self-dealing basically refers to when directors of a company improperly uses company finances or resource for personal gain. This can include directors taking company loans that the directors do not intend to repay, using company money for extraordinary personal use, or using company property for personal gain. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay Advanced Questions 1. Both Adelphia scandal and WorldCom scandal were not prevented by company’s external auditor, though Deloitte and Touche and Arthur Andersen both rated their client as high risk. As for the differences, Adelphia did not have an independent internal auditor. However, WorldCom had an independent internal auditor and blows the whistle. 2. I will say Deloitte and Touche is most responsible for not detecting and stopping. As an external auditor, they should pay attention to organization’s financial records and examine on any mistakes or fraud. At least, Deloitte and Touche should have stopped Timothy Rigas from serving as CFO and Director of Adelphia’s Accounting Committee. After all, it was obviously against the rules. 3. Timothy Rigas received a reasonable prison sentence as we can see from the WorldCom case; Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years. As for John Rigas, a former CEO who was guilty of more than 15 counts of fraud. Rationally speak ing, it seems to be a fair judgment. However, it sounds too rough to keep an old man who has been suffered from cancer in jail.

Nike Background

Background information: Iconography Explanation Nike Heritage NIKE, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. He sat next to Zeus, king of the Olympian pantheon, in Olympus. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided first battle in history. A Greek saying: â€Å"When we go to battle and win, we say it is NIKE. † Synonymous with honored conquest, NIKE is the twentieth century footwear that lifts the world's greatest athletes to new levels of mastery and success. Swoosh' The NIKE embodies the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization. (From Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) The Swoosh The Swoosh logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. Represents the wing of the Greek goddess Nike. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company.Phil Knight Caroline asked to design a logo which could be placed on the side of a shoe. He handed the swoosh, gave $ 35. 00. In the spring of 1972, the first shoe with the Nike logo was introduced †¦.. the rest is history! (De Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) A Brief History of Nike The Nike athletic machine began as a small set of distribution located in the trunk of Phil Knight's car. From these principles and not unfavorable, the brainchild of Knight became the athletic shoe company that would come to define many aspects of popular culture and myriad varieties of cool.Nike emanated from two sources: Bill Bowerman's struggle lighter, more durable racing shoes for his Oregon runners, and Knight's search for a way to earn a living without having to give up his love of athletics. Bowerman track coach at the University of Oregon where Phil Knight ran in 1959. Bowerman desire for better quality shoes clearly influenced Knight operating in their search for a marketing strategy. Between them, the seed of the most influential sporting company grew.The story is this: to get his MBA at Stanford in the '60s, Knight took classes with Frank Shallenberger. The semester-long project was to create a small business, including a marketing plan. Synthesis of attention to quality shoes Bowerman and growing view that cost high-quality/low products could be produced in Japan and shipped to the U. S. for distribution, Knight found his niche. Shallenberger thought the idea interesting but certainly no business jackpot. Nothing became Knight project. Cut to 1963.Phil Knight traveled to Japan on a world tour, filled with the wanderlust of young people looking for a way to delay the inevitable call of professional life. Apparently, on a whim, Knight scheduled an interview with a Japanese running shoe manufacturer, Tiger – a subsidiary of the Onitsuka Company. Presenting himself as the representative of an Americ an distributor interested in selling Tiger shoes American runners, Knight told the businessmen of his interest in your product. Blue Ribbon Sports – the name Knight thought the moments when asked he represented – was born.Tiger executives liked what they heard and Knight placed his first order for Tigers soon after. In 1964, Knight had sold $ 8,000 worth of Tigers and placed an order for more. Coach Bowerman and Knight worked together, but ended up hiring a full-time salesman, Jeff Johnson. After reaching $ 1 million in sales and riding the wave of success, Knight et. al. devised the Nike name and trademark Swoosh in 1971. By the late '70s, Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike and went from $ 10 million to $ 270 million in sales.Katz (1994) describes the success through Nike placement within the matrix of the fitness revolution, â€Å"the idea of exercise and game-playing ceased to be something that the average American did for fun† rather Americans returne d to work as a cultural signifier of status. Clearly, the circumstances surrounding the change are not that simple, is one of the objectives of this project to discover other generators of popular attention to health. If Nike did not start the fitness revolution, Knight says, â€Å"at least there. And we are confident that ran for a hell of a ride† (Katz, 66).The 80 and 90 produce increased profits as Nike began to assume the appearance of athletic giant, rather than the underdog of old. â€Å"Advertising Age† named Nike the 1996 Marketer of the Year, citing the â€Å"ubiquitous swoosh †¦ was more recognized and coveted by consumers than any other sports brand – certainly brand† (Jensen, 12/96). That same year, Nike's revenues were a staggering $ 6. 74 billion. Expect sales of $ 8 billion in fiscal 1997, Nike has targeted 12 billion in sales by 2000. And all from the back of a car. Few can question Nike's financial hegemony.But nearly $ 7 billion in revenues clearly begs the question, what sells these shoes? It is my contention that the power of Nike to sell comes from deep longings of cultural integration and sport individual achievement. These seemingly paradoxical desires collide in the hearts and minds of consumers and produce the unyielding zeal for Nike shoes and clothing. Unfortunate effects of this heat can be found in the killings of Nike apparel in 1991, and the profusion of Nike collectors and websites designed around the company's products. See list of web pages in the Works Cited page) Nike appeals to these disparate elements of Americans' personalities through an advertising philosophy that is at once simple and sublime. Furthermore, the practice of Nike high-level athletes promoting their products appeal to countless ages and creeds as a way to identify and emulate their sports heroes. These forces act powerfully upon the individual consumer, but we must not lose sight of the cultural context in which the person moves.

Critical review of a journal article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical review of a journal article - Essay Example In this regard, ecologists, environmentalists, and even business organizations are now carrying out researches and studies to benefit from the available resources of the planet efficiently. In other words, environmental management has now become a notion of survival for the organizations and even states globally that are now focusing primarily on opportunities that may bring environmental benefits that will be an alternative warfare and most importantly, dominating tool to rule the world in coming years. This paper is a little attempt to discuss some of the aspects of environmental management while focusing mainly on a scholarly piece (MacLean, 2009) that will be the fundamental basis of this paper. Richard MacLean (2009) is the author of a significant article, â€Å"Entering the Fourth Environmental Wave† (MacLean, 2009) in which, author has done a remarkable job by defining and discussing specific issues of environmental management while providing some solutions and implications that seem practical and beneficial theoretically. In brief, the author (MacLean, 2009) began by defining that the world has been experiencing different periods of environmental alterations that occur in the form of waves. Presently, the world is confronting the fourth environmental wave that now requires business organizations to take a step forward in a strategic manner, in order to survive in this competitive era that will be involving huge efforts to acquire remaining natural resources globally. After indicating beginning of the fourth wave, author (MacLean, 2009) specified that in order to acquire material benefits, business organizations will have to start thinking out of the box rather than following cluster of similar perspective, such as trade associations, conferences, etc. Additionally, environmental managers must begin to focus on long-term vision rather than short-term goals that may result in revenues, but in a long run, it

External reference pricing in pharmaceutical industry Essay

External reference pricing in pharmaceutical industry - Essay Example 2013). Under competition, marketers tend to consider the price of other competing product/ service whilst setting the new price and this strategy is called external reference pricing. According to Trivedi (2002), the idea behind this pricing strategy is that the price should not be too high or low to the competing products/ services. In the pharmaceutical industry, external reference pricing, is commonly applied in order for the government to tame the prices of pharmaceutical products that are protected by intellectual property rights and even enable the pharmaceutical companies to benefit from a created monopoly arising from the patented drugs. This present study seeks to investigate the flaws of external reference pricing strategy in the pharmaceutical industry from the point of view of PainCeptor Pharma in Canada, and it will seek to provide a recommendation to the Canadian government on whether to continue using this strategy or not in the pricing of pharmaceutical products. ... On the other hand, the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) is an independent quasi-judicial body that was established by the Canadian parliament in 1987. Therefore, the board regulates the company’s pricing strategy and it recommends the prices for prescription and non-prescription drugs that are sold within the borders of Canada (Ruggeri and Nolte, 2013). One of the principles of pharmaceutical pricing in Canada by the PMPRB is that if a price is found to be excessive, the Board will call for a public hearing against the company and then order it to reduce its prices or offset some of the excess revenue earned (Ruggeri and Nolte, 2013). According to Ruggeri and Nolte (2013), the board applies external referencing pricing when a new drug is regarded as a major breakthrough, or there is a significant or moderate improvement on an already existing drug. In such scenarios, the board applies the median international price comparison test. This test considers the prices o f other related patented drugs that have the same dosage and strengths that are being sold in seven specific countries that include the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Italy, France, and Switzerland. The median price calculated from these seven countries determines the maximum average potential price that the board will stipulate for the new or improved drug that has been manufactured by PainCeptor Pharma. If the drug is only in use in less than five countries, the international median price is calculated on an interim basis but it will be subject to a review after three years putting into consideration changes that have occurred on the consumer price index