Saturday, August 31, 2019

Coco Cola Internal Analysis

Internal Analysis Coca-Cola is the world's largest drinks company, with giant and strong advantages of global competitiveness, brand image has been popularity, in the market share high. Coca-Cola offers a unique combination of organizational and physical resources that support it’s favorable operating results. Strengths – The highest scores for the company's strengths include the high ability of innovation, research, and development.Coca-Cola has created a strong brand for itself in the drinking industry, and provides a competitive advantage over other players in the market. They use the unique flavor and price strategy to attract more customers. Weaknesses – Coke contains caffeine and other components, this is a slightly bad places that compared with other health drinks, such as milk. And it easys to cause fat. And it's a large organization, not easy to manage, and less use of celebrity advertising, decrease attraction. Our Industry overviewThe definition for so ft drink industry includes manufacturing non-alcoholic, carbonated beverages, mineral waters and concentrates and syrups for the manufacture of carbonated beverages. The world’s top 10 soft drink companies by market share (2009) are Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Sunstory, Dr Pepper Snapple, Red Bull, Danone, Kirin, Asahi Breweries, Ito En. Internal Threats With regard to the bargaining power of buyers, it must be noted that there exists a low switching cost. This will give consumers more bargaining power.However, on the other hand, the limited alternative goods will lower buyers’ bargaining power. The last force indicator to estimate the degree of internal competition is the bargaining power of suppliers. Obviously, there are plenty of substitutes for sugar, one of the main ingredients in manufacturing beverage concentrates and syrups. In addition, various materials are also available for packaging. Under these circumstances, suppliers in the soft drink industry have les s bargaining power.The Coca? Cola Company is the world’s leading beverage manufacturing company. It possesses a strong brand name and brand portfolio. It operates in more than 200 countries and markets with more than 500 brands and 3,500 beverage products. Coca-Cola’s market leadership and industry-leading brands provide an exceptional competitive advantage and in turn enhance its bargaining power. Above all, operation activities, marketing activities are critical for success in our industry.

Friday, August 30, 2019

C P Snow and the Second Law of Thermodynamics Essay

The scientist and the literary intellectual represent two cultures that are drifting apart from each other to such an extent that each is becoming increasing ignorant of and alien to the other, and because they must represent a body of knowledge as a whole, the consequence is that, though specialization, both the scientist and the intellectual are becoming effectively ignorant. Analysis: Though C P Snow claims to be speaking from a common ground between the two cultures that he envisages, I would argue that he is squarely placed in the scientific camp, and is by no means an intellectual. The manner in which he describes the rift between the two cultures has a distinct whiff of â€Å"shallow optimism† about it, which is the intellectual trait of the scientist. He advocates a simple dialogue between the two camps, which is very much reminiscent of Enlightenment thinking, which, before the advent of modern science, maintained that scientific education was the key to overcoming all social ills, and dialogue is but a means to educate each other. Snow is right in thinking that the two camps had grown apart unawares, and that at one time the cultured man endeavored to keep abreast of knowledge as a whole. But a fundamental point seems to escape him, and that is that modern science entails specialization, and neither does he suspect that it could be the root of the problem. While he acknowledges the existence of specialization in science, he tries to make out that it need not be divisive. His advocacy is of a holistic understanding, and on the strength of this plea he wants to effect a negotiation between the two camps. â€Å"Don’t carry your specializations too far,† he seems to be saying to both the scientists and the intellectuals, â€Å"because both the arts and the sciences are important, and one is in danger of becoming ignorant if one loses complete touch with any one of them. † The propositional content of his plea is correct, but the mistake is to sound it on the platform of modern science, which is divisive in its fundamental aspect. If one is committed to the scientific outlook one must live with specialization. We can take his example about the literary intellectual knowing the second law of thermodynamics as a testing point. He thinks that literary intellectual should at least know this law, which is accepted among physicists as being fundamentally significant. The equivalent feat of for a physicist would be of having read a play by Shakespeare, he suggests. But concentrating on the first point, why should one know the second law of thermodynamics if one will never question its validity? Science functions by constant questioning, and no scientist is ever trained to carry absolute dictates about with him. A literary intellectual may come to it in two ways. He may absorb it as in inviolable dictate, in which case it would not be science at all. Or he may come to it with the proper outlook of the scientist, which is the questioning one. If on the second trajectory, he may either be captivated by the question, or he may deem it not worth his while. If he is captivated, and he remains honest to his intellectual proclivities, then he cannot but pursue the question further, to the detriment of usual literary occupation. But it is more likely that he deems it not worth his while, in which case he returns to the field in which he is proficient and interested. And in due course, through neglect, he forgets how to state the scientific principle at all. If the last is the most natural and likeliest outcome, there is little point in pushing the second law of thermodynamics to the literary man. He has arrived at the status quo of not knowing the law at all, because that is the most natural state of affairs for him. In his situation he has better things to occupy himself with. For Snow to suggest that he ought to know the second law smacks of the arrogance of science, which is an arrogance rooted in naive optimism. Then again, a scientist should only be expected to enjoy a performance of Shakespeare, but certainly not to analyze it. Literary understanding calls for a profound understanding of human nature, which is certainly not part of the equipment of the scientist, who is trained to detect only empirical evidence. To tell a scientist to analyze King Lear would only confuse him, and if he tried too hard it would blunt his scientific perception. Snow would be better advised to consider the underlying philosophy of science, rather than external practice of the separate disciplines. It is a tacit understanding among members of the scientific society (of which literary intellectual are a part) that each practice his own specialization. Only the fruits are to be enjoyed by all, and this is the true egalitarian dimension of atomized science. The notion of â€Å"progress† comes from the understanding that the fruits of specialization confer on all, and it is this notion of progress that binds all members of scientific society. In its original conception modern science was defined as an egalitarianism of knowledge, and apparent loss of this is what Snow is lamenting. But such egalitarianism has not disappeared; it has only become impractical for a single person to keep up with the expanding body of knowledge. But more important than knowledge sharing is the philosophy that underpins it, and this philosophy still unites the particle physicist and the Shakespeare man. In calling for a new, and strained, egalitarianism of knowledge, Snow is only betraying his naivete of the world, which is the characteristic naivete of the scientist daring to speak on the humanities. Works Cited Snow, Charles Percy. The Two Cultures. Ed. Stefan Collini. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Case 3: the O-Fold Innovation for Preventing Wrinkles

Case 3: The O-Fold Innovation for Preventing Wrinkles The O-Fold Innovation for Preventing Wrinkles: A Good Business Opportunity 1. Select which business model Alex should pursue and defend your answer. I choose for Alex to pursue the business model which employs the Crawl-Walk-Run Strategy. With this strategy, he can actually utilize some of the aspects of the other strategies to operate and profit from his business idea. The Crawl-Walk-Run strategy has a three step process of growing a company. The first phrase is the crawl phase in which Alex and his brother can produce the O-Folds themselves. They can market and distribute them locally, online or door-to-door. He can gather some market data to back up his business idea and also get a feel for things to expect when starting up a small business. This also will help with getting angel investors to get on board which will begin in the next phase. The walk phase is pitching the idea to angel investors, have a patent, a developed distribution channel and a marketing strategy. This may provide an exit strategy for investors and also for other companies to want to buy the O-Fold. The run phase would be the phase that Alex decides to continue with the company or sell his interest in the company. He also at this point would have to be producing large quantities. This strategy will allow Alex to make decisions at any of the three phases and he would have to restrict himself to only one. 2. Perform a SWOT analysis for the business model you selected. The following SWOT analysis captures some of the key elements that may strengthen or hinder the progress of O-Fold: Strengths Innovative and practical design; light weight and easy to carry †¢ With the increase in airline cost and the cost of luggage, having a carry-on that is spacious and convenient can do the trick. Weaknesses †¢ The company and product is new and doesn’t possess the consistent capital needed. Opportunities †¢ The product is relatively new to the market. †¢ There is a wealth of untargeted consumers and business opportunities. Threats †¢ Established, larger, more expe rienced companies that have already captured the commercial target market. Is the target market substantial enough to make a profit? 3. As a part of the management team, how would you handle distribution and marketing of the O-Fold? As a member of the Management team, I would start distributing locally. Going door-to-door to local residents; speaking to local luggage stores; establish a website and sell some there; place ads in the local paper. Once enough revenue comes in then we can advertise in travel magazines; airline catalogs and on airline websites. Another possible suggestion would be to open a small store at the airport where we can have our target market right at our finder tips. 4. What is the exit strategy for your selected business model, how long will it take you, and what key points will signal the time to exit? As a part of the management team, I would suggest that between 4 to 5 years or once there are new entrants to the market, Alex should sell his interest and allow another more experienced company to acquire the company. 5. Research on your own how angel investing deals are designed. Then outline and defend the features of the deal that you would pitch to investors (funds provided, interest rate, equity, etc. ) The product of O-Fold is an innovative design that can be convenient for business professional during their travel. It is also made for anyone who has had trouble with wrinkles while travelling. Our strategy is focused differentiated with a cost that is high end. We believe that by year 5, interest rate can be about 6%; a return on equity of about 10% and revenue of averaging $100K. 6. At what points should Alex consider bringing on additional management? What positions should he fill and in what order? Defend your answer. Alex should bring on additional management at the Walk stage. He is going to need a lawyer; an accountant; a marketing manager and an assembly manager. At this stage, he can assess the progress of the company and decide if he wants to continue with building the company or exit. His management team can also guide him in making those crucial decisions. 7. What are some pricing strategies you would consider utilizing in order to get the O-Fold to market? Do you agree with Alex’s pricing point? I believe that O-Fold should be a luxury line and the price should be reasonably high. I say this because the target market would be business professionals and persons who would require their attire to be wrinkled free. I do believe that Alex’s pricing point is reasonable and can give him a profitable margin if he is catering for a wider range of the market target to include basically everyone that travels. Reference: Thompson, A. , et al (2010). Crafting & Executing Strategy: The Quest for competitive advantage (8th ed. ). McGraw-Hill Irwin

Thursday, August 29, 2019

20th Century Intelligence Gathering Research Paper

20th Century Intelligence Gathering - Research Paper Example They may have their own concerns about India achieving a prominent role in Asian and global matters. They will try to create problems in India in ordered to destabilize India or to slow down the progress. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for India to gather all the possible intelligences about the actions and movements of its neighboring countries in order to formulate strategies necessary to defeat the attempts made by the neighboring countries. Threats come not only from external sources. It can come from internal sources also. External forces may establish ties with the internal forces in order to create problems in a country. In other words, intelligence gathering is necessary for countering both the internal and external threats, a country may face. Intelligence gathering methods have undergone drastic changes nowadays because of the enormous technological developments. Earlier spy works were used mainly to gather the secret actions of the enemies whereas nowadays, it i s possible to break the firewalls of the enemy computers to gather information about their secret plots. Even satellites and radars were used nowadays for gathering information about the movements of the enemies. This paper briefly analyses the evolution of intelligence gathering from the 1890s until 1945 George Washington wrote: â€Å"There is nothing more necessary than good Intelligence to frustrate a designing enemy, & nothing that requires greater pains to obtain.† Benedict Arnold, an American general in the Revolutionary War, doomed himself to perpetual disgrace by secretly passing coded military intelligence to the British in 1779–1780. Between 1815 and 1914, with improved means of communication and administration, information was collected more rapidly and thoroughly and used to greater effect1 The importance of intelligence gathering was realized by the country leaders even in

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Revolution of Architectural Forms in the Computer Age Essay

The Revolution of Architectural Forms in the Computer Age - Essay Example More evidently it has resulted in the translation of complex geometrical forms into architectural designs. This can be perceived by observing the innovative and complex forms that the later buildings predominantly adopt. As seen by Bart Lootsma (Zellner 1999), "instead of trying to validate conventional architectural thinking in a different realm, our strategy today should be to infiltrate architecture with other media and disciplines to produce a new crossbreed." Computational design processes is characterized by flexibility, speed, precision and the fact that it allows one to clearly visualize the forms and spaces with the help of animation and rendering. Hence the use of computer technology in architecture is highly rewarding and leads to solutions for a number of issues. The common most positive outcome is that the modifications in design have become extremely rapid, it becomes highly convenient to transfer or share data and information between the team members of a project, at times sitting across the globe. It also offers great precision as compared to manual work The word 'Digital architecture' refers to the architecture that is generated with high end computer technology. Such architecture is not only about designing of forms but also about construction and fabrication of the building on site with the use of computers. This essay explains and describes the computational architectural technology in the digital age through design process, design analysis, and building construction of some recent projects.It is only since the last few years that the Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) have began influencing the field of architecture. This has helped in realizing possibility to design and construct buildings which seemed to be difficult and expensive when designed in the traditional manner. Note the below placed images of the Empire State building and the millennium tower in Tokyo, the former resembles the architecture of non-digital age as in 1930s. These forms predominantly rely upon repetitive geometry to achie ve structural stability. The latter is a product of digitally generated form with the geometry that changes with its height. This is precisely controlled with computed calculations. The design of the digitally evolved form is more complex geometry and depends primarily upon its form for its structural stability rather than it's mass. The present essay discusses the use of computer technology in some of the advanced buildings designed by Foster and Associates. The digital architecture uses the computer technology for deriving the conceptual form and refining it to the end into a precise creation of architecture. The use of computer begins with the generation of conceptual form and its analysis to impart appropriate developmental changes, testing the design alternatives against specific loading conditions and climatic effects and finally carrying out the process of construction with the appropriate application of programs in material calculation and in transferring the complex geometrical shapes to building elements on site. The important part is the fact that digital models provide the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Strategic Management Case Analysis Research Paper

Strategic Management Case Analysis - Research Paper Example The broad spectrum of activities that demand changing strategic and operational policies continue to reinforce GM’s commitment to the environment. In 2011, GM recycled or reused 2.6 million metric tons of raw or finished waste rather than delivering them to landfills (General Motors, 2012). The business even received the much-heralded Energy Star Award for generating 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and 35 percent less electricity and other energy usage compared to buildings of the same construction and capacity (General Motors, 2012). The business’ commitment to recycling has led to 100 facilities that are considered landfill-free in which materials are recycled back into energy post-production (General Motors, 2012). These activities strongly indicate that GM is way ahead of the competitive curve in terms of environmental sustainability. GM’s radical changes to many of its automotive models to provide better fuel efficiency and operational changes to fa cilities management will absolutely offset environmental concerns. The company is offering 20 different flex fuel automobile models, including the Buick Regal, Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Tahoe, and the GMC Yukon (among 16 other well-known brands), with reduced carbon dioxide emissions (Basel, 2012). More than seven million flex fuel vehicles that can use ethanol have been sold around the world, a fuel that burns 21 percent less carbon dioxide than non-flex-fuel vehicles offered by competitors (Basel, 2012). This is a very high volume of vehicles world-wide that have more efficient fuel-burning capabilities to contribute to better greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Furthermore, General Motors reports that the Chevy Volt (alone) has managed to save an entire supertanker worth of fuel nationwide, due to the 40 million different electric miles travelled without reliance on gasoline (GM, 2012). The business is currently developing more electric hybrid vehicles and, with these stat istics at the same pace of consumer usage, would save one supertanker per model release. Each maritime Supermax fuel tanker can hold upwards of 200,000 metric tons of fuel, which is a significant improvement in sustainability for each model offered. The real strategic reason for this heavy concentration and investment into sustainability and environmentalism is profit-motivated. By installing energy efficient lighting in some of the company’s production facilities, it represented a cost savings of eight hundred thousand dollars per plant (GM, 2012). If the business were to transform five other plants, with similar capacity, it would represent four million dollars in operational savings each year. This could easily be applied to other capital investment projects to expand the business or improve operations in key areas with high consumer demand. Further, the Federal government offers tax incentives to companies that meet sustainability expectations and devote investment into e nvironmental policy, thus it improves the annual income losses associated with tax structures. High investment and publicity of environmental policy and sustainable business practices also help from a marketing angle, by grabbing the attention of younger and more environmentally-focused buyers that are concerned about the health of the planet. It allows GM to attract and retain loyal buyers in key market segments that make product

Monday, August 26, 2019

Identify the selection process of the federal judiciary. Explain the Research Paper

Identify the selection process of the federal judiciary. Explain the role of the federal judiciary in lawmaking. Should the judiciary be active or passive in interpreting the law Why - Research Paper Example This is followed by the nomination of the candidates and the list is forwarded to the senate judiciary committee for scrutinization. The members of the committee send all the nominees questionnaires before they come for hearings. After which, the committee makes its recommendations for approval by the senate through voting. The list of the best judges is given to the president for approval and they become judges (Posner, p. 13). The competence of the judiciary is evident in law making. It distributes legislative power between national and state governments by defining the policies and bills brought forward by the lawmaking bodies such as the national assembly. Therefore, jurisdictional power to rule and oversee the respect of the constitution is the main role of the judiciary in law making. The judiciary must be active in interpreting the law since it is the only independent body with the mandate. Given that the constitution is complex to interpret, the judiciary stands in as the only body that can interpret the laws to the citizens. That is why it must remain relevant and active in policy making and interpretation of the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Contemporary Brand Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Contemporary Brand Management - Essay Example "Americans have the largest per capita consumption of beer in the world. Europe is the home to most of the world-renowned breweries. These include, Carlsberg, Grolsch, Heineken, Fosters, and Stella Artois to name a few. Belgium is Beer country, but for other reasons. Belgians drink less beer. That's right! Beer consumption in Belgium has more than halved during the last 75 years. The figures, which were published recently the Flemish daily 'Het Laatste Nieuws' (March, 2006), showed that per capita consumption of beer in Belgium stood at just 95 litres per annum. The reason The Belgian Beer Association's Theo Vervloet told the paper that despite this fall, the breweries didn't want to encourage youngsters to start drinking early. Despite the disappointing figures, the Association of Belgian Breweries were against aggressive advertising campaign to force up the beer consumption within Belgium. It is estimated that the world consumes over 100billion liters of beer. Reports show that this value is on the rise due to an increased amount of under-aged drinkers and an increasing variety of beers. When it comes to beer, America is the greatest consumer, for people there ingest around 23billion liters annually. 23billion liters is equal to the quantity (in SI units) of 23gigaliters"(Johnny Alicea, Volume of World Beer Consumption, hypertextbook.com). Stella Artois, a Belgian brewery produces Pilsner beer that has a strong following not only in Belgium, but the whole of Europe and North America as well. 2.0 Industry Background Belgium is Beer country. Despite its size and population, Belgium is among the top beer producing countries in Europe. The Netherlands, France, Poland, and the United Kingdom are the others in Europe who can boast of more or equal production. (Refer EPISTILE Analysis, Appendices 1.0). The major players in Belgium who contribute to their beverage output for local consumption and exports are: Brasserie d'Achouffe, Affligem Brouwerij, NV Brouwerijen Alken-Maes, Brouweri Het Anker, Artois, Brasserie Du Bocq s.a., Brouwerij Bosteels, Chimay, Brouwerij De, Keersmaeker Brouwerij De Koninck, Brouwerij De Gouden Boom, Brouwerij De Ryck, Duvel Moortgat, Brouwerij Haacht, Brouwerij Hoegaarden, Van Honsebrouck, Brasserie Jupiler, Brouwerij Palm NV, Brouwerij Riva nv., Brouwerij Rodenbach, Brouwerij St.Bernard, Brasserie Union, Brouwerij Van Steenberge, 't Pakhuis, and Brouwerij Der Trappisten van Westmalle. (Pattinson, www.xs4all.nl). Abbey, Non-/low-alcohol, Amber, British type, Gueze/fruit, Luxe pils, Pils, Regional, Table Beer, Trappist, Wetbier, Sour, Strong golden were the different beer sold in and by Belgium. From the analysis of the report published in the "Het Brouwersblad" June 2004, p.12, and "Het Brouwersblad" June 2005, p.8, publications, the maximum production was of Pilsner, at a staggering figure of 7,044,252 out of 9,935,211hectolitres in 2003, and 6,930,525b out of a total of 9,702,619b Hectolitres in 2004 (Pattinson, www.x

Saturday, August 24, 2019

If accepted to nursing school, what unique perspectives or talents do Essay

If accepted to nursing school, what unique perspectives or talents do you bring to the profession of nursing - Essay Example Each person deals with the death of a loved one in a different way. I feel that from this experience I can better relate to people who have experienced a similar loss, and attempt to ease the anxiety of those anticipating loss. I try to look at this life altering experience in a positive light and use my knowledge in my future quest to become a nurse. I believe that it is my relationship with God that helps me to appreciate relationships with others are key to all that happens to us in life. Throughout all of my life events, I have come to understand that service is truly the giving of self for the welfare of others and that not everyone can do just that. The principles I have gained through being an Aerospace Medical Technician in the United States Air Force have inspired me to do my best for the sake of other individuals both on and off duty. Volunteering with other people has given me an ambition that has ignited me to try my hardest at everything I do. Participating in such a dynamic organization has aided me to develop composure, character, and talent. My faith proved a strong component of my desire to serve during voluntary tours in Turkey supporting Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, Guam supporting a Security Theatre Package, and a Humanitarian Call to Service in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. To be a great nurse, you have to care about others to the extent of going beyond anything a textbook could ever teach you. With every patient, a nurse is given the opportunity, responsibility and privilege of making a difference in a life; to protect and preserve it. One major skill that I am very proud of is my ability to prioritize and stay calm in a stressful situation. The talent I realized is very important while I was serving in the community of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi at a field hospital after Katrina hit. Our Emergency Medical Expeditionary

Friday, August 23, 2019

Main Cause of Murder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Main Cause of Murder - Essay Example The cultural beliefs about valor and patriotism can become a cause of murder in an indirect way. For example, a father has been described to feel proud about the death of his son for having, â€Å"died a martyr† (----, 57). It is observed that aggravated and simple assault can be considered as two reasons for murder though aggravated assault can be having an intention to kill while simple assault is considered as â€Å"a misdemeanor† (----, 57). An exploration of the factors that prompt murder thus will show that the reason for a person to murder can vary from psychological to circumstantial and accidental. And it can be naturally concluded that most murders are not planned ones. ---- has also cited alcoholism and extreme hot climate can become factors that motivate an assault which may lead to murder (57). The author (----) has also opined that poor people and black people are the groups whose members are most likely to commit murder (57). Such an argument immediately would invite allegations of extreme racial and class prejudices. Also, there has been no conclusive evidence also to prove that these assumptions are right. But the author has referred to studies which suggest that â€Å"poor generally consider violence a badge of toughness and masculinity† (----, 58).

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Social Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Media - Essay Example Information sharing is considered as one of the major aspects of social media. The success of social media relies on the way people transmit and share information in an efficient manner (Panahi, Watson and Partridge, â€Å"Social Media and Tacit Knowledge Sharing: Developing a Conceptual Model†). Thesis Statement The report discusses the opinions of people on the usage of social media for sharing information. In order to understand the opinions about social media, two people have been interviewed on how they make use of social media for gaining information in one of the popular social networking sites named ‘Facebook’. The objective of the report is to recognize the importance of social media for sharing of information in present times. Information Sharing and Facebook Social media permits users to share their views, experiences, thoughts, understandings and perspectives effortlessly. Social media has opened new opportunities for users to involve in online groups and to develop media contents. Social media utilizes Web 2.0 application which has brought in a big revolution in the internet. Social media encourages sharing of information in a cooperative way. ... In these social networking sites people can establish relationships and influence social associations for sharing information and resources. In this context, it can be stated that Facebook is the biggest social networking site in the world (Wilson, Boe, Sala, Puttaswamy and Zhao, â€Å"User Interactions in Social Networks and their Implications†). It allows users to share basic information such as name, birthdate and other private interests. In Facebook, people use messaging applications in order to share information. Unlike other social networking websites, Facebook is developed by the model of networks which categorizes users to membership oriented groups. Users’ network membership enables to decide the type of information they can view and how their information is viewed by other people. Users can easily share photos and can post remarks (Wilson, Boe, Sala, Puttaswamy and Zhao, â€Å"User Interactions in Social Networks and their Implications†). Data Collectio n In order to understand the opinions of the people about information sharing in social media, two teenage students have been interviewed. The reason for selecting teenage students is that they are considered as the most active players in using social media and they also engage in social media activities frequently. Findings The interviewees were interrogated with close ended questions and open ended questions in order to understand their modes of using social media along with their thoughts about it for information sharing. The interview began with asking two questions concerning the frequency of using Facebook messaging and information sharing. It has been found that both interviewees use instant messaging on Facebook on a daily basis. With respect to sharing information both contribute

Of Mice and Men is chiefly concerned with imprisonment and repression Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men is chiefly concerned with imprisonment and repression Essay How does Steinbeck present such themes within the novella? All of the characters within Steinbecks Of Mice and Men have a dream, yet this dream is unobtainable because they are trapped, inside the ranch and inside themselves. They cannot break out because of their lifestyle and their need for work and money. Lennie and George dream of having their own ranch and live off the fatta the lan' yet they hold each other back. George represses Lennie, he has become like a father to him but will not let Lennie grow up, Lennie cannot talk without Georges permission. What are you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions? Lennie, however, realises that George cares for him and he has learnt to manipulate George, If you dont want me you only jus got to say so, and Ill go off into those hills right there. Lennie makes George guilty, so that George feels that he has to stay with him. Neither will let each other go, as neither knows about life without them. George and Lennie travelling together is unusual Aint many guys travel around together and this means that they are left as outsiders. Other workers turn up alone so have to fit into ranch life and into the group but as George and Lennie are together, they become unapproachable, as other workers are confused about their friendship. After leaving Weed George and Lennie believe that they have escaped from their problems however whilst Lennie is there they can never truly escape their problems as they will just follow them from place to place The marginalised characters are repressed, because of their age, sex, or race. Curleys wife has no name; she is just the stereotypical woman. Candys dog also has no name and the two are on the same level on the ranch. Being married to Curley, she has given up her right to freedom, as at the time women were just expected to be a good wife aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Curleys wife has dreams, like the others which she can never achieve Coulda been in the movies an had nice clothes. She is trapped in the ranch she could leave but would not be able to support herself, as all she has is Curley. Curley, whilst he seems like he is in control of his life, is imprisoned within his personality. Curley is the Boss son and feels that he must live up to the Boss reputation and be an unofficial leader for the ranch workers, the fact that Slim seems to have taken this role angers him. He is married and uses this to his advantage, he has something that the others do not have and uses this to intimidate the others and show off, seems like Curley is cockier than ever since he got married. However, Curley cannot control his wife and is paranoid that she may be seeing another worker, he is looking for her throughout the text, he knows her flirtatious nature and suspects others of being with his wife. It is pointed out by others that Curley is like a lot of other little guys. He hates big guys he feels that has to prove himself, just because he is mall does not mean that he isnt strong. Curley likes to be in control and make others fear him and this holds him back, if he behaved like any of the ranch workers then it is likely that he would be accepted but he cannot change himself now. At the time of the novella, black people were discriminated against and Crooks is an example of this. He is left to live alone and we rarely see him. If Lennie had not gone into his room and spoken to him then we would have never met Crooks or learnt about him. He is never given a chance to speak or voice his opinion. The majority of the ranch workers were involved with the discussion about Candys dog but Crooks being in another room was never involved. Crooks knows being black is the reason for his isolation Cause Im black but he cant leave the ranch because he is crippled so he is imprisoned somewhere he is ignored. On a ranch where working is all there is to do Candy finds life difficult. He is the eldest and this prevents him from working and socialising. When the others are playing horseshoes Candy is not, he is talking with the other outsiders, George and Lennie, in the barn. Candy is not given chance to think or consider suggestions, during the conversation about his dog he seemed pressured into the decision. Carlson is speaking at him rather than to him and he is given very little time to form a counter argument. The town where the ranch is situated is called Soledad, which means, in Spanish, loneliness or secluded. George and Lennie have to walk miles to reach the ranch, suggesting that it is isolated. Once on the ranch workers are stuck doing the same monotonous tasks daily. Whilst workers could escape from that particular ranch, it would only be to find another. Because of the Depression, workers were stuck travelling from place to place in search of work and once they had found one place, some were reluctant to move on for fear of not being able to find any more work. Migrant workers were very low down in the social hierarchy and found it difficult to break out, as they needed the money. Steinbeck presents themes of imprisonment and repression well, with many ideas not apparent on the first read. His novella is a look at life in 1930s America and he manages to show how life was for many different types of people and shows how everyone was trapped in some way.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability

Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability The Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability Experienced by Multiple Sclerosis Patients Mark M. Makar Hypothesis: Diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Abstract (word count: 213) Hypothesis: Diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Methods: The PubMed database was searched on January 18, 2017 to identify studies relevant to this review. The database search combined terms from three themes: 1) multiple sclerosis patients 2) diet and 3) diet modification. This search yielded 118 articles for screening, with no duplicates. With abstract screening and inclusion criteria, 10 articles were included in this final review. Results: Modifying the diet of multiple sclerosis patients can greatly reduce fatigue and moderately help decrease symptoms experienced during this disease. Replacing animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, with plant-based alternatives that are high in starch showed noticeable improvement in symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients. The plant based diet showed a decrease in inflammatory cells, damage of the blood brain barrier, demyelination, as well as axonal and oligodendrocyte injury. Conclusions: A variety of dietary modifications have been demonstrated to effectively improve quality of life and reduce disability in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. More studies are needed to assess the efficacy of dietary intervention with respect to reducing episodes of disability experienced by multiple sclerosis patients and including diet modification into the current disease modifying therapies available. Key Words: multiple sclerosis, diet modification, review Ultramini Abstract: A search of the PubMed database yielded 10 articles for review. A variety of randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case studies, cross sectional studies, and surveys regarding multiple sclerosis patients and diet modification to exclude animal protein from the diet and include only a plant based diet, can help to ameliorate disability. Introduction Multiple Sclerosis has an ongoing prevalence of 33% globally, with its incidence growing in North America and Europe (Evans C et al., 2013). Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. It is the number one cause of non-traumatic neurodegenerative disability in the young adult population, and is twice as common in women as men (Browne, P et al., 2014). The etiology of multiple sclerosis is still unknown; however, it is believed to have autoimmune origins. Patients tend to experience multiple sclerosis differently; the most common presenting symptoms include sensory (40%), motor (39%), fatigue (30%), and visual (30%), and urinary incontinence (17%) along with less common symptoms presenting as pain and cognitive decline (Evans C et al., 2013). The wide array of symptoms experienced in multiple sclerosis has sprung forth an influx of scholarly research on beneficial disease- modifying therapies (DMTs) and alternative non-traditional methods for treating multiple sclerosis. Many governments across the world subsidize the current platform therapies for multiple sclerosis across the world including interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer acetate (Browne, P et al., 2014). There is a considerable degree of variance between different levels of income groups in society with regards to accessibility of government-funded therapies for multiple sclerosis (Browne, P et al., 2014). Availability of government funded DMTs were accessible to 96% of high-income countries, 45% of lower to middle income countries, and none in the low-income countries (Browne, P et al., 2014). These surprising statistics have led to new research development, which focus on new treatment methods for multiple sclerosis that cannot only be efficacious, but also be economically accessible for all levels of socioeconomic statuses across the world. There is much speculation regarding cost effectiveness of current treatment regiments for multiple sclerosis with interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer ace tate. There is a common consensus that the current platform therapies are not cost effective for the long-term therapy of multiple sclerosis (Bogglid, M et al., 2009). Given the pathology of multiple sclerosis, it is believed that dietary factors play a key role in autoimmune degradation and can induce myelin breakdown in the central nervous system by molecular mimicry (Ashtari, F et al., 2015). Multiple sclerosis prevalence is believed to be high in regions furthest away from the equator, however recent research has found that these regions of the world also consume a greater amount of saturated fat and animal protein such as dairy (Swank, R et al., 1990). Diets high in animal protein saturated fatty acids tend to worsen progression of multiple sclerosis and increase relapse of symptoms (Hadgkiss, E et al., 2015).It has been proposed that dietary interventions such as low fat, plant-based diet may decrease autoimmune inflammation in the central nervous system and help maintain the protective integrity of the blood brain barrier (Riccio, P et al., 2016). Dietary modifications are thought to be both a cost effective and efficacious treatment option for mitigating symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients such as loss of motor and or sensory function, as well as fatigue (Yadav, V et al., 2016). This paper aims to provide a practical overview of recent scholarly literature in order to answer the research question: Does diet modification significantly decrease the level of disability and improve the quality of life in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis? The review will be guided under the hypothesis: diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in patients suffering with multiple sclerosis. Methods Articles about multiple sclerosis and diet modification were searched on January 19, 2017 using the databases Pub Med and Google Scholar. The database search combined terms from three themes: 1) multiple sclerosis patients (relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis OR primary progressive multiple sclerosis OR multiple sclerosis OR central nervous system demyelination OR autoimmune encephalomyopathy OR demyelinating disease 2) diet (food OR animal protein OR vegan diet OR plant based diet) and 3) diet modification (meal plan OR starch based diet). When searching for articles, screening settings were set to be within 10 years, English language, full text articles, review, meta-analysis, randomized control trials, and clinical trials. Boolean operators used were OR and AND; OR was used to extract specific terms from the three main themes. AND was used to connect the three themes used in this review. This search yielded 118 articles for screening, with no duplicates. With abstract screening and inclusion criteria, 10 articles were included in this final review. Inclusion Criteria All the articles used in this systemic review had to meet the following criteria: 1) English 2) patients with multiple sclerosis for at least 6 months 3) diet modification/ assesment or pharmacological treatment as intervention. The term multiple sclerosis was defined as patients showing symptoms for at least 6 months and diet modification was defined as any change in daily food intake. Exclusion Criteria Articles were excluded from the review if they were published prior to 2007 and/or were not written in the English language and/or if patients had any type of prior chronic disease other than multiple sclerosis. Results Randomized Controlled Studies In a randomized controlled study by Vijayshree Yadav et al, 61 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis were monitored for a one-year period. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups: Diet group and control group. The diet group was placed on a strict starch plant based diet (potatoes, corn, beans, bread, sweet potato and rice), while the control group was allowed to continue with their usual diet (meat, eggs, dairy products, fish) throughout the study. Each participant was surveyed once every three months or the duration of the study during which disability, and fatigue levels were recorded (by the expanded disability status scale, EDSS and fatigue severity scale, FSS/ modified fatigue impact scale, MFIS respectively). Serum lipid levels and brain MRI were also recorded at the end of the twelve months. The results observed demonstrated a significant reduction (pFigure 1 shows a summary of fatigue improvement throughout the duration of the study. These fin dings suggest that intervention with a plant-based diet does indeed help reduce fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients. Figure 1: Graph of Fatigue Scores as Measured by FSS score (A) and MFIS score (B) over a 12 Month Time Span In a similar randomized control trial by Anja Mahler et al, 18 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group was started on 600 mg green tea catechin capsule per day and the control group received a placebo capsule for 12 weeks. A 4-week period was allotted during crossover to assure a sufficient wash out period. The results observed determined there was a significant increase in efficiency of muscle work from 20 (SD= 3) in the placebo group to 25 (SD= 6) in the intervention group (p>0.004). This finding suggests that intervention with plant based green tea extract helps to decrease muscle fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients. Cohort and Cross Sectional Studies: Emily Hadgkiss et al surveyed 2087 patients with multiple sclerosis globally. The comprehensive online survey inquired about dietary habits, quality of life, disability, and relapse rate. Dietary habits were assessed using the Diet Habits Questionnaire (DHQ), baseline quality of life was calculated using the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life scale (MSQOL-54), and disability was calculated by using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Results of this study demonstrated that patients who reported higher intake of fruits and vegetables and low intake of fats had significantly higher physical health scores (PHC) ranging from 54 to 68 (pFigure 2 and Figure 3 shows a brief summary of these results. Figure 2: Mean Physical Health Composite by Dietary Factors   Ã‚   Figure 3: Mean Mental Health Composite by Dietary Factors Another significant finding in this study showed that patients who consumed meat and dairy had much poorer disability scores 624 (pTable 1. The frequency ofmultiple sclerosis disease activity was also significantly increased in meat and dairy consumers, 309% and 271% respectively (p Table 1: Level of disability and disease activity by dietary subgroups Soodeh Jahromi et al surveyed the diets of 75 women with multiple sclerosis from Iran. Dietary patterns were assessed using a 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). This study found patients whos diet consisted mainly of animal fat (high in animal fats, potato, other meat products, sugars, hydrogenated fats and low in whole grains, spices, and poultry without skin) had higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (OR = 1.99; CI: 1.63-2.94; P = 0.04), and patients who had a vegetable based diet (high in green leafy vegetables, hydrogenated fats, tomato, yellow vegetables, fruit juices, onion, and other vegetables) had lower incidence of multiple sclerosis. (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.19-0.90; P = 0.026). These findings suggest an inverse relationship between high amount of hydrogenated fats, green leafy vegetables, fruit juices, and other vegetables and risk of multiple sclerosis. A longitudinal retrospective analysis was conducted by Weinstock-Guttman et al, where lipid levels of 492 multiple sclerosis patients were assessed for one a year time period. The study deduced that increasing LDL (p Geeta Ramsaransing et al investigated the levels of 23 dietary nutrients in 80 patients with multiple sclerosis: 27 with benign course multiple sclerosis, 32 with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and 21 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. The secondary progressive group demonstrated significant decreases in magnesium intake (p In a cohort study by Mike Bogglid et al, 5583 multiple sclerosis patients in the UK were monitored from May 2002 to April 2005 in an effort to establish the long term cost effectiveness of current platform therapy (interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer acetate) for multiple sclerosis. Following the duration of the study, 49% of patients that were on platform therapy were found to have experienced progressive deterioration in EDSS 2.68 at baseline, 2.90 after one year, and 3.24 after two years (p Case Control Studies In a comparable study to Soodeh Jahromi et als work, a cross sectional analysis by Tatjana Pekmezomiv et al was conducted to investigate possible dietary trends in patients living with multiple sclerosis. The dietary habits of 110 multiple sclerosis patients were compared to 110 healthy controls. Results showed that meat intake such as chicken (OR=2.0, p=0.045), lamb (OR=2.1, p=0.013), and beef (OR=1.7, p=0.043) was significantly higher in multiple sclerosis patients as compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, the study found that multiple sclerosis patients consumed significantly higher levels of ice cream (OR=0.18, p=0.031) and butter (OR=1.7, p=0.056) in comparison to controls. Table 2 shows a brief summary of these results. These findings suggest that there is a significant association between dietary intake of meat products such as chicken, lamb, and beef, as well as ice cream and butter to the disease in question. This may suggest that removal or reduction of said food items may be beneficial in decreasing the incidence of multiple sclerosis. Table 2: Consumption frequency of different food groups and food items in MS patients and controls Fereshteh asharti et al conducted a case control study in order to evaluate cows milk allergy (CMA) in multiple sclerosis patients versus healthy individuals. The authors compared 48 multiple sclerosis patients with 48 healthy controls. After 16 weeks there were no differences in the frequency of CMA between the two groups. Contrary from the results of Emily Hadgkiss et als study, the study done by Vahid Shaygannejad et al, found that there was a higher frequency of dairy products consumed by healthy control individuals (67%, p=0.01) compared to multiple sclerosis patients. These findings suggest that there is no reliable association between milk consumption and risk of multiple sclerosis development. Discussion This review attempted to answer the question: Does diet modification significantly decrease the level of disability and improve the quality of life in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis? The general shared consensus of articles included in this review support the proposed hypothesis of diet modification can, indeed, significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Shaygannejad V et al., 2016; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012; Pekmezovic T et al., 2012). However, one article concluded that consumption of animal protein in the form of milk did not increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (Shaygannejad V et al., 2016). However, these findings should not be generalized to the general population as the sample size used was too small and did not represent a true spectrum of multiple sclerosis prevalence across the world. The remaining articles reviewed corroborated that removal of both animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, and their replacement, high starch, plant-based alternatives, provided improved disability and fatigue in patients suffering from this disease (Pekmezovic T et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016). The plant based, high starch diet (potato and rice) was found not only be an efficacious treatment option for mitigating symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients but is also economically accessible for all levels of society across the world. It is also evident that most clinicians involved in the articles reviewed, found enough evidence in their research to warrant providing advice to patients with multiple sclerosis about the importance of healthy diet modification in regards to their condition (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009;). Many of the articles reviewed used a survey platform to assess the diets of multiple sclerosis patients; this may have had some effect on the results due to the nature of the retrospective study design used, making way for possible recall bias, hence potential misreporting of dietary intake (Pekmezovic T et al., 2012; Hadgkiss, E et al., 2015;). As well, since many of the articles used a food frequency survey approach, it may have limited the interventions possible with regards to experimenting with different types of foods that may have improved or worsened multiple sclerosis outcomes. A common limitation in this review is that none of the articles inquired about portion sizes of their meals, just food items (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012;). Across all articles reviewed, mean age of the study population was between 30- 47 years; therefore the results of this review may not be true for younger or more elderly patients. Many of the researchers in this review found it difficult to recruit many subjects due to health concerns regarding a low protein diet (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012). It is possible that the results observed with regards to studying the diets of multiple sclerosis patients may have been due to associations with other confounding variables. It is also important to note that given the disabling nature of multiple sclerosis as a disease state, many of the patients may be relying on a caregiver or family member for their meals, which may influence their dietary intake. Limitations encountered in this review include only utilizing articles written within the past 10 years, articles collected from only two databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), and articles were only included only if they were published in the English language. Future research may consider standardizing meal portion sizes during experimentation as various parts of the world have varying standard portion sizes. Future studies should also consider accounting for possible supplementation use in the participants such as vitamin and mineral intake. This would help diminish possible confounding variable. Future research may also utilizing experimental analysis encompassing a larger age range. All together, these factors would help encompass a much broader spectrum of patients living with multiple sclerosis. Conclusion In conclusion, diet modification has been shown to be a viable option not only for effectively improving quality of life, and reducing disability in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, but also in lowering the risk of developing the disease. Evidence showed that removal of both animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, and replacing them with plant-based alternatives which are high in starch showed noticeable improvement in muscle weakens and fatigue levels. Unfortunately we do not have sufficient research that definitively demonstrates that diet modification can be used alone without traditional medication to prevent and/ or treat multiple sclerosis. Additional studies are needed to assess the efficacy of dietary intervention with respect to reducing episodes of disability experienced by multiple sclerosis patients and including diet modification into the current disease modifying therapies available. References Ashtari, Fereshteh, Fatemeh Jamshidi, Raheleh Shokouhi Shoormasti, Zahra Pourpak, and Mojtaba Akbari. Cows milk allergy in multiple sclerosis patients. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences 18, no. Suppl 1 (2013): S62. PMCID: PMC3743324 Boggild, Mike., Palace, Jackie., Barton, Pelham., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Bregenzer, Thomas., Dobson, Charles., Gray, R. (2009). Multiple sclerosis risk sharing scheme: two year results of clinical cohort study with historical comparator. BMJ, 339, b4677. http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/339/bmj.b4677.full.pdf. Browne, P., Chandraratna, D., Angood, C., Tremlett, H., Baker, C., Taylor, B. V., Thompson, A. J. (2014). Atlas of Multiple Sclerosis 2013: A growing global problem with widespread inequity. Neurology, 83(11), 1022-1024. http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000000768 Guggenmos, Johannes, Anna S. Schubart, Sherry Ogg, Magnus Andersson, Tomas Olsson, Ian H. Mather, and Christopher Linington. Antibody cross-reactivity between myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein and the milk protein butyrophilin in multiple sclerosis. The Journal of Immunology 172, no. 1 (2004): 661-668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.172.1.661 Emily J Hadgkiss, George A Jelinek, Tracey J Weiland, Naresh G Pereira, Claudia H Marck Dania M van der Meer (2015) The association of diet with quality of life, disability, and relapse rate in an international sample of people with multiple sclerosis, Nutritional Neuroscience, 18:3, 125-136, DOI: 10.1179/1476830514Y.0000000117 Evans, Charity, S-G. Beland, Sophie Kulaga, Christina Wolfson, Elaine Kingwell, James Marriott, Marcus Koch et al. Incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the Americas: a systematic review. Neuroepidemiology 40, no. 3 (2013): 195-210. doi: 10.1159/000342779. Jahroomi, Soode., Toghae, Mansoureh., Razeghu Jahromi, M., Aloosh, Mahdi. (2012). Dietary pattern and risk of multiple sclerosis. Iranian Journal of Neurology. 11(2), 47-53. PMCID: PMC3829243 Joscelyn, Jennifer., Kasper, Lloyde. H. (2014). Digesting the emerging role for the gut microbiome in central nervous system demyelination. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 20 (12), 1553-1559. DOI: 10.1177/1352458514541579 Mà ¤hler, Anja, Jochen Steiniger, Markus Bock, Lars Klug, Nadine Parreidt, Mario Lorenz, Benno F. Zimmermann, Alexander Krannich, Friedemann Paul, and Michael Boschmann. Metabolic response to epigallocatechin-3-gallate in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a randomized clinical trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition 101, no. 3 (2015): 487-495. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.113.075309 Otaegui, David, Sara Mostafavi, Claude CA Bernard, Adolfo Lopez de Munain, Parvin Mousavi, Jorge R. Oksenberg, and Sergio E. Baranzini. Increased transcriptional activity of milk-related genes following the active phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis. The Journal of Immunology 179, no. 6 (2007): 4074-4082. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.6.4074 Pekmezovic, Tatjana D., Darija B. Kisic Tepavcevic, Sarlota T. Mesaros, Irena B. Dujmovic Basuroski, Nebojsa S. Stojsavljevic, and Jelena S. Drulovic. Food and dietary patterns and multiple sclerosis: a case-control study in Belgrade (Serbia). Italian Journal of Public Health 6, no. 1 (2012). http://ijphjournal.it/article/view/5808 Ramsaransing, Geeta, Mellema, Sanne. A., De Keyser, J. (2009). Dietary patterns in clinical subtypes of multiple sclerosis: an exploratory study. Nutrition journal, 8(1), 36. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-8-36 Riccio, Paolo, and Rocco Rossano. Nutrition facts in multiple sclerosis. ASN neuro 7, no. 1 (2015): doi: 10.1177/1759091414568185 Riccio, Paolo., Rossano, Rocco., Liuzzi, G. Maria. (2011). May diet and dietary supplements improve the wellness of multiple sclerosis patients? A molecular approach. Autoimmune diseases, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2010/249842 Riccio, Paolo, Rocco Rossano, Marilena Larocca, Vincenzo Trotta, Ilario Mennella, Paola Vitaglione, Michele Ettorre et al. Anti-inflammatory nutritional intervention in patients with relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis: A pilot study. Experimental Biology and Medicine 241, no. 6 (2016): 620-635. DOI: 10.1177/1535370215618462 Shaygannejad, Vahid, Nooshin Rezaie, Zamzam Paknahad, Freshteh Ashtari, and Helia Maghzi. The environmental risk factors in multiple sclerosis susceptibility: A case-control study. Advanced Biomedical Research 5 (2016). doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.183665 Swank, R. L., and B. Brewer Dugan Effect of low saturated fat diet in early and late cases of multiple sclerosis. The Lanet 336, no. 8706(1990): 37-39. DOI:10.1016/0140-6736(90)91533 Tlaskalovà ¡-Hogenovà ¡, Helena, Renata Ã…Â  tĆºpà ¡nkovà ¡, Hana Kozà ¡kovà ¡, Tomà ¡Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ Hudcovic, Luca Vannucci, Ludmila TuÄ kovà ¡, Pavel Rossmann et al. The role of gut microbiota (commensal bacteria) and the mucosal barrier in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancer: contribution of germ-free and gnotobiotic animal models of human diseases. Cellular molecular immunology 8, no. 2 (2011): 110-120. http://www.nature.com/cmi/journal/v8/n2/abs/cmi201067a.html Vieira, Silvio. M., Pagovich, Odelya. E., Kriegel, Martin. A. (2014). Diet, microbiota and autoimmune diseases. Lupus, 23(6), 518-526. doi: 10.1177/0961203313501401 Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca, Robert Zivadinov, Naeem Mahfooz, Ellen Carl, Allison Drake, Jaclyn Schneider, Barbara Teter et al. Serum lipid profiles are associated with disability and MRI outcomes in multiple sclerosis. Journal of neuroinflammation 8, no. 1 (2011): 127.DOI: 10.1186/1742-2094-8-127 Yadav, Vijayshree., Marracci, Gaild., Kim, Edward., Spain, Rebecca., Cameron, Michelle., Overs, Shanon., Murchison, C. (2016). Low-fat, plant-based diet in multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 9, 80-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2016.07.001. Appendix First Author Population Year of Publication Study Design Outcome Ashtari, F. 48 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and 48 healthy patients as control group, mean age 30.7 March 18, 2013 Case control Study Serum IgE levels against cows milk antigen was taken from both groups. Results were very similar between both groups and showed no statistical significance (30.7  ± 6.9 vs. 30.9  ± 6.3 respectively, P value = 0.83) Boggild, M. 5583 patients with multiple sclerosis monitored from May 2002 to April 2005 from neurology clinics across the UK August 5, 2009 Prospective Cohort Study Patients received Interferon Beta treatment to determine long term cost effectiveness. Results showed worse disability progression than in the untreated group (deviation score of 113%; increase in mean disability status scale 0.28) Hadgkiss, E. 2087 patients with multiple sclerosis, mean age 45.5 participated in a comprehensive online survey March 17, 2014 Cross Sectional Study

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Exploratory Paper On Political Ideology History Essay

Exploratory Paper On Political Ideology History Essay Political ideology is defined as a set of ideals and principles created for social order. Thus, after much consideration and deliberation, I chose to work on Political Ideology. Politics appeals to me because I have been intrigued by how it can inspire the masses with powerful rhetorics by charismatic personalities. President Barack Obama is a political leader whom I greatly admire for his oratory eloquence displayed during his maiden speeches in the U.S. Presidential Elections 2008. I was captivated by his Yes We Can! speech which moves the crowd to disperse all doubts about their future and believing that America will succeed under his leadership. Marxism-Leninism and Maoism are communism by nature but takes on a different form to cater to the circumstances in their respective countries, Russia and China. Marxism-Leninism is a political ideology that is based on Valdimir Lenins writing on the ideas of Karl Marx. Marxism advocates socialism while being heavily critical on capitalism which he believes is the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, which means a society run by the upper echelons of society to their own benefit. His idea of socialism is that the society will be run by the working class known as the dictatorship of the proletariat. Marxs ideas were heavily influenced by the class struggle in society. One significant event that epitomises Marxism-Leninism ideology would be the 1917 October revolution in Petrograd, currently known as St. Petersburg. Valdimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik (communist) Party that toppled the Russian Provisional government and created a new form of Russia called Soviet Russia which borrowed Marxism ideologies along with it. The Bolshevik won over the support of the majority of the workers and soldiers because of the repressive and autocratic ruling by the imperialist Tsar which resulted in declining economic and social conditions. The working class was unhappy with long working hours, overcrowded housing problems with poor sanitary control, low wages which was made worst by increases in cost of living due to Russias involvement in World War one at that time. Thus Lenin-led Bolshevik appealed to the masses and faced little resistance when they staged a coup, occupying government buildings and strategic points. In China, Maoism is a political ideology that straddles along the Marxism-Leninist line. Peasants and farming forms the fundamental and building blocks of a socialist society. The difference between Lenins Russia and Maos China is dictatorship of the working class while another is the dictatorship of the peasants. Mao Zedong rise to the top of the Chinese Communist Party was nothing short of spectacular. He was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and was actively involved in spreading Marxist ideas to the peasants in his hometown of Hunan Province. The most significant event in the history of communist China is The Long March in 1934-1935. During the Zunyi conference, Zhou Enlai was ousted as the Chief Political Officer of the party while Mao Zedong was elected Chairman of the Politburo with backings from the military leaders and he has never relinquished his position since. Mao Zedong was credited for unifying China as a Peoples Republic and away from imperialism (Qing Dynasty) and feudalism (War-Lords). Also, the Long March gave the Chinese Communist Party the reputation that they are willing to endure hardship for the people and to formulate policies on land reform that would reduce the plight of Chinese peasants thus gaining wide support from the peasants. Another difference from Marxism-Leninism is the deep belief that man can prevail in harsh conditions and achieved things through strong willpower. He personally pushed through this ideology during the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) and the Cultural Revolution (1968-1976). Maoism ideologies can also be found in Peru and Nepal. Locally, Singapore also had brushes with communist in the past. The Barisan Socialis was a former left-wing political party formed in 1961 by former members of the PAP (Peoples Action Party) and led by Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong. The party was accused by the PAP to be a communist front and deemed a threat to national security which resulted in many Barisan Socialis members arrested and imprisoned without trial during operation coldstore by the internal security department. Singapore, widely regarded as a democratic society, would be understandably not be tolerant of the Barisan Socialis, supposedly advocates of communism since that would be conflict of political ideologies. However, based on an extract below, I felt that it could be reasons of a partisan nature. In a recently declassified Colonial office papers, Baron Philip Moore, who was Deputy High Commissioner of Britain in Singapore from 1963 to 1965, was quoted as saying: He (Lee) went on to suggest that in order to avoid the Communists taking over, he would create a situation in which the UK Commissioner would be force to suspend the Constitution. This might be done either by the Singapore Government inviting a Russian trade mission to Singapore thus forcing a constitutional crisis, or by instigating riots and disorder, requiring the intervention of British troops. I did however, form the impression that he was quite certain he would lose a general election and was seriously toying with the thought of forcing British intervention in order to prevent his political enemies from forming a government. (CO 1030/1149 p.95, para 3) In history, after revolutions for a change in political ideology, there would be power struggle for leadership as can be seen in the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong wiped out all that threatens his position as leader and started the Cultural Revolution. In the Soviet Union, after Lenins death, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky fought for power to lead. In the end, Stalin ordered the assassination of Trotsky. The lesson to be learned from history is that power struggles for leadership happens before, during and after a revolution. Leaders clinging to power would use all means to consolidate their status by eliminating political rivals. It is no difference regardless of political ideologies.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Arbitration Case: Discharge Of Peter Seichek :: essays research papers

Arbitration Case: Discharge of Peter Seichek Closing Statement Mr. Arbitrator, the termination of the employment of Mr. Seichek, by the Wheelwright Corporation, was for his "sleeping on the job". Lets examine this stated reason - in the light of the evidence provided by witness testimony and contained within Mr. Seichek's personnel record. 1) Mr. Holloday testified that he and Mr. White, the third shift supervisor, observed Mr. Seichek, wearing his welding hood, sitting or leaning against the ladder, "apparently" asleep. Further, Mr. Holloday stated that he called to Mr. Seichek six or seven times to get his attention. Mr. Seichek was then directed to accompany Mr. Holloday and Mr. White to the office. In the office, Mr. Holloday told Mr. Seichek that he had been caught sleeping before, and that his absenteeism was excessive, and therefore was being suspended. Mr. Arbitrator, they found Mr. Seichek at his work station, wearing his protective clothing, waiting for a co-worker to return with needed parts, in order to continue the job. With the welding hood on, they could not positively determine that he was asleep, and six or seven calls to get his attention in the noisy, factory atmosphere is not extreme. In reference to having been caught sleeping before, Mr. Holloday, testified that on August 16,1982, that he found Mr. Seichek asleep in the reception area and on August 17, he was found asleep on a tool box near the time clock. In both instances, Mr. Holloday awakened him, directed him to clock in and return to work. Mr. Seichek complied with this direction. Mr. Holloday went on to state that these instances annoyed him, but since Mr. Seichek was on break and not "on the clock", that he (Holloday) should not and did not issue a formal, verbal warning or make any notation concerning these incidents in Mr. Seichek's record. 2) Mr. Lewis, the third shift steward, gave testimony that it has been a common practice for employees to sleep during their break periods and to occasionally doze on the job. This corresponds with Mr. Holloday's testimony concerning his decision not to issue a formal verbal warning to Mr. Seichek after he (Holloday) found him asleep during break. Of further note, Mr. Lewis stated that heard Mr. Holloday use an ethnic slur when referring to Mr. Seichek sleeping on the job. This raises a question as to the objectivity of Mr. Holloday with regard to his supervision of Mr. Seichek. On the morning of December 3, 1982, Mr. Holloday notified Ms. Delores Lopez, the Personnel Assistant, that he had suspended Mr. Seichek pending possible discharge because he had found him sleeping on the job.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

How I Learned To Become Literate Essay -- Personal Narratives Literacy

How I Learned To Become Literate As a six-month-old baby books had opened up a whole entire new world of experience for me. My inspiration to learn how to read and write was encouraged by my Mother and Grandmother. This is because they read out loud to me before bed occasionally and gave me the best time of my life by introducing me to a library. By two years of age I developed speech and other communication skills. This helped me understand and develop a favorite book, â€Å"PJ Funny Bunny,† and I would stare at the pages pretending I was reading them. I would continually pretend to read with other Dr. Seuss books, Smurf pop-up books (I imagined I was a part of these for hours), sniff & scratches, and sensory books. I had just begun encouragement to learn literacy. I always had a fascination when I would watch my Mother or Grandmother write (with their neat handwriting) or read something. I too, as a toddler, wanted to write just as well as they did. Therefore, I began writing on my games, play tables, and toy boxes (this was a big No, No). My Mother would in addition write out bills and use a calculator. Of course, I had to imitate her. But, any of this just wasn’t enough for me. I desired something more . . . I can remember I was extremely excited to begin school. It wasn’t fair to me that all the bigger kids that lived nearby got to go to school and I didn’t. Jealousy grew as I watched them out the front window of our house when they would return home with their happy school faces. This showed me school was fun and I was missing out on the greatest thing. It just wasn’t fair! I wanted to learn too! When I began Kindergarten I was prepared by knowing how to spell my name, recite and write the letters of the alphabet, and spell a few small words like, â€Å"CAT† and â€Å"DOG.† Our teacher, Mrs. Lowler, encouraged us to continue learning literacy by: sounding out letter or words, giving us more words to practice spelling, reading aloud to us every day, allowing us to take turns on the typewriter, recite poems and songs, take turns reading to each other, and finally writing a few small sentences. We also had a heartening contest that whoever read the most books would get a free pizza at Pizza Hut. There are two things I remember Mrs. Lowler did to encourage my literacy skills. One time she made us paint a picture and then we had to present... ...e a real feel for what it was like to truly be that character. Mrs. Paris also had us keep journals in class. Here she would give us a topic and we took about fifteen minutes to write our thoughts out. The fact that she took the time to write back to us made me excited and eager to write in my journal. This helped give me the idea to maintain a pen pal relationship with one of my friends from church. Throughout my years of learning literacy I have combined my knowledge into different experiences. I have written papers, articles for newspapers (16), read to younger to children, and much more. My own philosophy as a teacher is to be a â€Å"Reading Mentor† to my students. I want to show my students that literacy is fun to learn and expands your imagination. Without books we would not be able to have the ideas and thoughts we do today. There would be no creativity; as a result places like Disney World would not exist. I have learned so much from each of these teachers. The important lesson that I will pass on is to make learning an enjoyable and pleasant learning experience. Like Mrs. Paris, my Fifth Grade teacher, I want to show my students I love and enjoy what I am teaching them.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Demoiselles D’ Avignon Essay

During the 20th century the art form â€Å"Primitivism† was just taking shape. Any artist that wanted to paint in this style would look for inspiration from sculptures and masks of African and Polynesian origin (Yahoo.com, 2007). Spain’s distance to Africa played a huge role on this art styles coming about. Paul Cezanne took this style and adapted it to his work. You could say that primitive art was deeply influenced by the works of Paul Cezanne. Cezanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century (PaulCezanne.org, 2012). Pablo Picasso was one of those artists who were influenced by the works of Cezanne. You can see Cezanne’s influence in Picassos Demoiselles D’ Avignon. Through Picassos Demoiselles d’ Avignon he is able to reshape the art of the 20th century. Pablo Picasso w as born in 1881; he was a Spanish painter, draughtsman, and sculptor (PabloPicasso.org, 2009). He is one of the most recognized figures in 20th-century art. Picasso is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement and also for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work. Among his most famous paintings are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) and Guernica (1937), his portrayal of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War (PabloPicasso.org, 2009). No painter had been as famous as Picasso leading up to the 20th century. To say that he is one of the best that ever lived is an understatement. During the early parts of the 20th century Picasso’s style varied as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. Picasso also mastered all aspects of late century realist technique (PabloPicasso.org, 2009). Born to a father that was a painter Picasso was instilled with the tools and skills to succeed in art at a very early age. By the time he became the age of 14 Picasso had become an advanced student at the Barcelona Academy of fine Arts. Picasso’s art was like no other, you can see who he was influenced by but he always had his own twist. Picasso believed that the true meaning of art was to be derived from the works of other art, and not directly from nature (Renoirinc.com, 2008). Throughout his life his work was influenced by many different artists. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s and Paul Cezanne style of work can be seen in Picasso’s earlier work, during his â€Å"blue period† which lasted from (1901- 1904). After his â€Å"blue period was a period called the â€Å"rose period†. During which he painted harlequins and circus performers in a lighter and warmer color scheme, an underlying mood of spiritual loneliness and lyrical melancholy that marked his â€Å"blue† paintings was retained (Renoirinc.com, 2008). Picasso’s blue and rose periods vanished rather abruptly when he started the next phase of his career; both Picasso and Georges Braque began to lay the foundation of a new art form called cubism (Renoirinc.com, 2008). Cubism was the use of geometric shapes, interlocking planes. Astonished by the simplicity of pre-Christian Iberian bronzes and African sculpture, he and Braque began to work in a consciously primitive and monumental style that Picasso explored in sculpture as well as in painting (Renoirinc.com, 2008). He took these art forms combined them with the style that was first developed by Cezanne and produced Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Ladies of Avignon) was originally titled the Brothel of Avignon, was painted in 1907 Pablo Picasso. The painting is a portrait of five nude female prostitutes from a brothel in Barcelona. According to Wikipedia.com â€Å"Each figure is depicted in a disconcerting confrontational manner and none are conventionally feminine. The women appear as slightly menacing and rendered with angular and disjointed body shapes. Two are shown with African mask-like faces and three more with faces in the Iberian style of Picasso’s native Spain, giving them a savage aura† (Wikipedia.com, 2012). This portrait of Demoiselles was very controversial, because of that it led to wide anger and disagreement, even amongst his closest associates and friends (Wikipedia.com, 2012). When Picasso set out to paint this portrait I believe he wanted to make a statement. He could have painted anything; instead he chose to paint prostitutes. It wasn’t just the fact that painted these prostitutes it was also a big deal because of the manner and art form he chose to paint them in. Though this painting is controversial it opened the door for a new method of art style. When Picasso first began to sketch this painting he originally started the painting with men in it but by the end of the finished product he dropped the man and added the drapery in their place. The influence of â€Å"primitive art opened the door of to a radically new method of form and space (Kliener, 2006). When asked why he chose to portray the women the way he did Picasso said â€Å"I paint forms as I think them, not as I see them† (Kliener, 2006). Pablo Picasso had a tremendous influence on art. He is recognized as one of the most famous since Michelangelo. His work in pioneering Cubism established a set of pictorial problems, devices, and approaches, which remained important well into the 1950s (TheArtStory.org, 2012). Yes, cubism was there before Picasso decide to adapt the style but it wasn’t until he used the style in his own way did it really get the true recognition that it did. Picasso went through many stages in his career, from his works in the 1920s to his works in the 1940’s it took him to really put theses styles on the map. Pablo Picassos work lives on in many American artists. Taking a look at the artist Willem de Kooning and his work of monstrous women we will see him pay homage to the cubist women that were typically painted by Picasso. You will also see artist like Jackson Pollock reference Picasso by using bold black lines to outline figures in his work. Jasper Johns is a painter and sculptor, he is best known for his encaustic painting of flags and targets. Beside his works of flags and targets he also created dozens of works that incorporate elements directly from Picasso paintings – including nudes, mythical creatures, and portraits of women (artrevived.com). Pablo Picasso was a great artist, more like a jack of all trades. He was able to take art styles created by other people adapt it to his own style of work and make it amazing! He not only mad a claim on the people of his time but is still in some was very much alive in artist today. Picasso began his early work influenced by â€Å"primitivism† and â€Å"cubism† art and let the world influencing all the art of today. He not only mastered the works of artists before him and during his time he perfected it as well as opened the door for many different artists. Pablo Picasso had a huge influence on 20th century art. If we look at one of his most famous works of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon we will see how he was able to reshape the art of the 20th century. Referlles d’ Avignon. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Demoiselles_d’Avignon

Poverty Alleviation Through Zakah and Waqf Institutions Essay

* Islam emphasize on the importance of distributive justice through Zakah, waqf†¦ * The main objectives of Zakah are to promote stable economic growth through investments, employment and balance consumption, and the achievement of greater income equality through an equitable distribution of wealth, thereby eliminating poverty and extreme disparities of wealth between the rich and the poor. * Waqf is holding a Maal (an asset) and preventing its consumption for the purpose of repeatedly extracting its usufruct for the benefit of an objective representing righteousness and/or philanthropy for as long as its principal is preserved either by its own nature – as in land – or from arrangements and conditions prescribed by the Waqf founder. * In the past, the state would assign Zakah workers. * The first known Waqf is the mosque of Qubaa in Madinah, â€Å"which was built upon the arrival of the Prophet (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) followed by the purchase of the land and construction of the mosque, known today as the Prophet‟s mosque†. * There are three types of Waqf, religious Waqf, philanthropic Waqf, and posterity or family Waqf. * Religious Waqf â€Å"adds to the social welfare of the community because it helps satisfy the religious needs of people and reduces the direct cost of providing religious services for any future generation†. * Philanthropic Waqf â€Å"aimed at supporting the poor segment of the society and all activities that are of interest to people at large such as public utilities, libraries, scientific research, education, health services, care of animals and environment, lending to small businessmen, parks, roads, bridges, dams, etc†. * Posterity or family Waqf â€Å"is argued that it is charitable in essence because it gives income/usufruct to persons free of charges and improves the welfare of future generation†.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Grill case Essay

In this case, we can appreciate the Sunset Grill at Blue has operational failures on management of capacity and demand which should be considered to solve to get success. Also it explains how the Sunset Grill at Blue was a restaurant which his aimed was to provide affordable meals that appealed to the entire family during their vacations. This restaurant offered breakfast items and lunch menu through the day. The franchisor of this restaurant always was focused on how he could save waiting time to the client when they come to eat in the restaurant instead of customer’s satisfaction. For this reasons, the owner evaluated important points about the service he has on the restaurant. First, he had a strict police of no-substitutions plates even when they brought the wrong plate and he knows that was bringing complains from the customers. In addition, the franchisor thought that maybe he could reduce items from the menu. Also, he realized they have more clients during the weekend and for that reason he decided to hire one runner staff who just delivers the food from the kitchen to the tables, allowing serves to serve customers more efficiently. No concern for the client No waiting area The Sunset Grill was not able to making a special area for the clients give them a place more comfortable at the restaurant if they need to wait. As the case mentioned, the client had to wait around 40 to 50 minutes to get the table and order their food. The lack of this waiting area, was affecting directly to the clients. They could be losing some of them because they can find another place without waiting that time. Also, nobody wants to wait 50 minutes for a table on an uncomfortable place. No customer feedback â€Å"The relationship with the customers is of paramount importance because it is a source of innovation and differentiation† (service management, operations strategy, Information Technology, Fitzsimmons. J, 7th edition ). The franchisor of Sunset Grill shows he didn’t have any relationship with the clients in order to get feedback to improve the restaurant. He focused his business on reduce the time to their clients, instead of worry about client’s satisfaction. The first point the owner of a company or business should do, is create a close relationship with the customer in order to give them what they need or what they want.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Use of Mythological Allusions in Margaret Atwood’s Poetry

Julie Mewhinney ENG4U1 October 16th, 2012 J. Edwards Mythology: Because I’m Too Jaded to Write about Love An allusion is a casual or passing reference to a famous historical or fictional character. In poetry, allusions are often used to help reinforce a point or characterize the speaker or the addressee. In the case of Margaret Atwood’s poems, â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing† and â€Å"Sekhmet Lion-Headed Goddess of War†, allusions are used to empower and change the way we view the female speaker. This is especially obvious in â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing†.The poem is about a stripper, which is considered to be quite a degrading job in today’s society. Normally such a protagonist would be looked down upon and pitied by the readers, and yet through allusions to Helen of Troy (a woman widely considered to be the most beautiful of the ancient world, and also the sole cause of the Trojan War according to myth) the speak er comes off as superior to women with â€Å"respectable† jobs, and also to the men who watch her, when you would think it would be the other way around.In using lines such as â€Å"I don’t let on to everyone, / but lean close and I’ll whisper: / My mother was raped by a holy swan† (Countertop, 59-61) Atwood references Helen of Troy’s links to the Gods of Greek mythology (her father was Zeus; he had appeared to Helen’s mother in the form of a golden swan and raped [or had consensual sex with, depending on the version of the story that you read] her), and makes her speaker seem otherworldly and goddess-like in doing so.Instead of feeling ashamed of herself for her employment, the speaker feels superior in that she can make so many men swoon, much like Helen of Troy, and also in the knowledge that they cannot lay a finger on her; â€Å"I hover six inches in the air/ in my blazing swan-egg of light. / You think I’m not a goddess? / Try me. / This is a touch song. / Touch me and you’ll burn. † (Countertop, 78-83). Atwood uses these allusions to aid in the acceptance of the feminist view on such a controversial subject as stripping or prostitution.In â€Å"Sekhmet, Lion-Headed Goddess of War†, Atwood references the Egyptian goddess of war and destruction, Sekhmet, daughter of the god Ra, and various other Ancient Egyptian deities, most notably Osiris. The speaker in this poem seems to be Sekhmet herself, or at least a statue of her, much like in â€Å"Siren’s Song†, where the sirens are the speakers. In mythology, Sekhmet is the daughter of the sun god Ra, who unleashes her upon the world to bring vengeance upon those who have rebelled against him.She goes crazy with blood-lust and begins to kill everyone resulting in her being tricked into drinking red dyed beer by the men of the day in order to stop her killing rampage. With a bit of cleaver emphasis, and a feminist viewpoint, Atw ood turns Sekhmet into a proud and fearsome warrior queen, who is not content to sit in a museum with the god â€Å"†¦who wouldn’t hurt a fly† (Sekhmet, 2), Osiris, and who would like to go back to the days when she was worshipped, not just shown to children learning about cultural diversity.Both of these poems utilize strong female characters in their allusions, most probably because Atwood tends to write from a feminist viewpoint and likes her woman to have ower over the men, as opposed to in the majority of society, where the view is quite patriarchal, and the men tend to hold power over the women. Helen of Troy, the femme fatale who caused one of the greatest conflicts of the ancient world, and Sekhmet one of the most revered, and certainly the most feared warrior of the Egyptian empire are strong, untouchable and confident in themselves, just the sort of woman that Atwood believes all women should strive to be like.Because of these references, we do not see a degraded stripper who is taunted and looked down upon, or a lonely and forgotten goddess sitting in a museum gathering dust. Instead we see an unattainable woman of unsurpassable beauty, above the people who sneer at her, confident in her own skin, and a proud, fierce warrior goddess who remembers her glory days but still knows that she will never be forgotten.Margaret Atwood uses allusions to mythological figures to the highest degree, giving protagonists that would normally be seen as weak or pitiful characteristics of such influential women; she empowers her speakers with these allusions, using them to show us a different, stronger side to cliche characters that we thought we already knew. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing. † Morning in the Burned House. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Print. —. â€Å"Sekhmet, Lion-Headed Goddess of War. † Morning in the Burned House. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Print.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Business Commnication Essay

Expanded Communication Opportunities Technology allows individuals to communicate and carry on a business relationship without ever meeting face to face, so people in all parts of the world now have the chance to interact with a company in a rural part of the United States. For example, technology allowed for the emergence of the virtual assistant, a worker who completes tasks for her client online without having ever met him, in the 20th century. Communication Must Be More Deliberate Although technology has made communication instantaneous, so you don’t have o spend hours planning and composing before you communicate and wait for a long period for the reply, it has also made planning deliberate communication periods more important. First, companies that do take advantage of telecommuting and virtual offices need to deliberately plan to communicate with individuals in teams to avoid employees losing touch and to make sure all are working toward the same goals. Second, even if you work in a physical office, instantaneous communication regarding quick decisions and memos cannot replace specific communication times where big decisions are discussed and progress reports given. However, when employees are communicating in multiple ways every day, it can be easy to forget to schedule these types of meetings. Communication Is More Distracting From constantly overhearing cell phone conversations, to the worker who is constantly emailing or texting you to the incessant â€Å"ding† of your office’s instant messenger, communication tools that were designed to make you more productive can actually do the opposite. Instant communication can make it harder for workers to deal with one task at a time when their work is constantly being interrupted by comments and questions that relate to other projects or even personal issues. In fact, some employees must make an effort to turn off communication devices while they work to meet deadlines. by Miranda Morley, Demand Media References (2) †¢ Walden University College of Management and Technology: How Has Technology Changed Business? †¢ â€Å"Entrepreneur†; Effective Communication for Managing Virtual Office Employees; David G. Javitch; December 2008 Information technology is a modern phenomenon that has dramatically changed the daily lives of individuals and businesses throughout the world. Information technology is driven by the microchip, which owes its existence to the semi-conductor. IT solutions run the gamut from personal computers and computer software to production robotics to communications technology. Leveraging information technology for business success is key to survival in the modern business world. Significance Information technology has grown to permeate the business world, affecting how companies make and market their products, as well as how people communicate and accomplish their jobs in modern organizations. Specialized software shapes best-practices and industry standards, continually changing the face of business in almost every way. Production Technology Production technology has allowed modern companies to make great strides in operational efficiency and the effectiveness of human resources. Automation technology, such as assembly lines and computer-controlled machinery, can allow companies to produce unprecedented volumes of goods, and advances in transportation technology allow businesses to ship their products anywhere in the world. Information technology has also changed the way that companies operate internally. Personal computers have become a necessity for a large majority of corporate jobs, and many manual labor jobs require the use of a handheld computer or other electronic device as well. Communications Technology Leveraging advances in communications technology is imperative to surviving in the modern business world. Advances in cellular phone technology have revolutionized the way businesspeople communicate with clients, employees, suppliers and strategic partners. The Internet has revolutionized the marketing function in addition to opening up a wide range of communication options. Modern smartphones are changing the game yet again with the introduction of new and innovative applications. A small business owner can now access a web-based customer relationship management service on a smartphone from anywhere in the world, for example, allowing him to obtain vital data about contacts before making calls. Considerations While information technology solutions can contribute to the success of your organization, there are a number of unique costs to consider. In addition to the cost of implementing an IT solution, you must employ highly educated and specialized workers to maintain, monitor, expand and repair your IT infrastructure. The Future Modern information technology has gained popularity rapidly since the mid-twentieth century, and the trend is likely to continue into the future. As IT solutions continue to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations and communications, businesses will continue to rely on IT for success †¢ Small Business Bible: Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Information Technology †¢ Benefit Of: Benefits of Technology The Disadvantages of Information Technology in Business Information technology has changed the way that the world does business. Correspondence that once took weeks to get from one organization to another is now delivered instantly with the push of a button. Advances in telecommunication allow associates from all point of the globe to confer in a virtual environment, minimizing the need for business travel. Although the benefits of integrating information technology in business are many, there are also disadvantages to its use. Implementation Expenses Every business must consider startup costs when implementing any type of information technology system. In addition to the cost of hardware and software, some technology vendors require businesses to purchase user licenses for each employee that will be operating the system. Businesses must examine the cost of training employees in unfamiliar technology. Although basic information technology systems may be user friendly, advanced programs still require formal instruction by an expert consultant. In addition to the startup expenses, information technology systems are expensive to maintain. Systems malfunction, and when they do, businesses must engage skilled technicians to troubleshoot and make the necessary repairs. These expenses present a major disadvantage of information technology in business, particularly to businesses that are entering the technology era for the first time. Job Elimination Implementing information technology into business operations can save a great deal of time during the completion of daily tasks. Paperwork is processed immediately, and financial transactions are automatically calculated. Although businesses may view this expediency as a boon, there are untoward effects to such levels of automation. As technology improves, tasks that were formerly performed by human employees are now carried out by computer systems. For example, automated telephone answering systems have replaced live receptionists in many organizations. This leads to the elimination of jobs and, in some cases, alienation of clients. Unemployed specialists and once-loyal employees may have difficulty securing future employment. Security Breaches The ability to store information in an electronic database facilitates quicker, more efficient communication. In the past, an individual would sift through stacks of paper records to retrieve data. With properly implemented technology, information can be recovered at the touch of a button. Although information technology systems allow business to be conducted at a faster pace, they are not without their flaws. Information technology systems are vulnerable to security breaches, particularly when they are accessible via the Internet. If appropriate measures are not in place, unauthorized individuals may access confidential data. Information may be altered, permanently destroyed or used for unsavory purposes. Small Business Bible: Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Information Technology Information Technology & Its Role in the Modern Organization Information technology (IT) has become a vital and integral part of every business plan. From multi-national corporations who maintain mainframe systems and databases to small businesses that own a single computer, IT plays a role. The reasons for the omnipresent use of computer technology in business can best be determined by looking at how it is being used across the business world. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]Sponsored Link Looking For New Customers Drive Customers To Your Website W/ Free Rs. 2000 Advertising Credit www. Google. com/AdWords Communication For many companies, email is the principal means of communication between employees, suppliers and customers. Email was one of the early drivers of the Internet, providing a simple and inexpensive means to communicate. Over the years, a number of other communications tools have also evolved, allowing staff to communicate using live chat systems, online meeting tools and video-conferencing systems. Voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephones and smart-phones offer even more high-tech ways for employees to communicate. Inventory Management When it comes to managing inventory, organizations need to maintain enough stock to meet demand without investing in more than they require. Inventory management systems track the quantity of each item a company maintains, triggering an order of additional stock when the quantities fall below a pre-determined amount. These systems are best used when the inventory management system is connected to the point-of-sale (POS) system. The POS system ensures that each time an item is sold, one of that item is removed from the inventory count, creating a closed information loop between all departments. Data Management The days of large file rooms, rows of filing cabinets and the mailing of documents is fading fast. Today, most companies store digital versions of documents on servers and storage devices. These documents become instantly available to everyone in the company, regardless of their geographical location. Companies are able to store and maintain a tremendous amount of historical data economically, and employees benefit from immediate access to the documents they need. Management Information Systems Storing data is only a benefit if that data can be used effectively. Progressive companies use that data as part of their strategic planning process as well as the tactical execution of that strategy. Management Information Systems (MIS) enable companies to track sales data, expenses and productivity levels. The information can be used to track profitability over time, maximize return on investment and identify areas of improvement. Managers can track sales on a daily basis, allowing them to immediately react to lower-than-expected numbers by boosting employee productivity or reducing the cost of an item. Customer Relationship Management Companies are using IT to improve the way they design and manage customer relationships. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems capture every interaction a company has with a customer, so that a more enriching experience is possible. If a customer calls a call center with an issue, the customer support representative will be able to see what the customer has purchased, view shipping information, call up the training manual for that item and effectively respond to the issue. The entire interaction is stored in the CRM system, ready to be recalled if the customer calls again. The customer has a better, more focused experience and the company benefits from improved productivity. In the past 20 years technology has made many changes in the world. One of the most significant changes was in business communication, with the invention of smartphones, emails, and communication apps turned business communication into a much more efficient and effective tool for the firm’s use. Throughout this essay contrasting arguments will be provided to highlight the effects of technological advancement in business communication.. One of the most innovative technological inventions used for communication purposes was the cellphone. Important time was lost when co-workers had to move within the company in order to reach other employees with the aim of exchanging valuable information towards the company success. Now with a cellphone, employees can often be found quickly by text messaging or direct calls. With the most recent advancement of technology in the cellphone industry, the smartphones offers a higher level of productivity by offering a wider range of services and tools making communication through e-mail and other apps. Employees now can reply to emails wherever they are and use free application tools to give the feedback even faster. Therefore it can be said that most firms have become more productive after the implementation of smarthphones. Computer tools combined with fast Internet connection enable Tele-Conferencing with employees or suppliers. Tele-Conferencing also helps us setup live virtual meetings, saving a lot of money for the firm as a result of lowered travel expenses; no participants of the meeting need to add extra traveling expenses. With the advancement of smartphone apps it is now possible to scan any images on demand, any place, any time; converting paperwork or photos into virtual documents. With these technological advanced phones we can send these documents to any co-worker within the company.