Food Systems and the Environment Essay

The status of food security in any community across the globe can be considered as the major principal outcome of food systems when these systems are defined generically and broadly. Increase in the productivity and efficiency of food systems have shown much success across the globe in improving nutrition and reducing the prevalence of hunger. However the efficiency and productivity of food systems have raised concerns as they pose serious threats to economic, environmental and social goals and hence they have undermined food security. On the other hand environmental changes around the world in the context of political, economic and social changes may result to unprecedented stresses to bear on food security and food systems. Food systems are conceived as set of activities that range from production through to consumption. In production process of raw materials for food the major trends have been intensification of agriculture which is accompanied by concentration in the agricultural inputs and the trend to larger agricultural lands sizes with hired labor. This trend is accompanied by increased fragmentation of land among the marginalized small holders. As a consequence there is increased demand of water for irrigation, increased pollution, soil loss and increased energy demands in the production sectors. (i. ) Environmental pollution resulting from food processing industries In the current economic systems farming is no longer the dominant economic activity in the overall food systems. This is because people are more concerned in adding value in the overall food product in the area of processing and packing of raw materials into food products. Due to increase of these activities many factories and industries have concentrated up and down the food production and supply chain. The expansion of industries has resulted to more toxic effluents being emitted from factories into water and air. The number of processing industries in both urban and rural areas has grown tremendously which have resulted to pollution of water bodies, air and soil (Richardson, pp 7). In some cases ground water quality has also been affected due to increasing production and use of pesticides and fertilizers aimed at promoting more intensive cropping and self sufficiency in food. Expansion of factories and food processing plants has also created major problems of waste disposal. Low lying fields are generally used for waste disposals without the benefits of using sanitary methods have resulted to major pollution problems. (ii) Over killing of animals species leading endangered species. Endangered animal species face the dander of becoming extinct since they are low in number and therefore need protection in order to survive. Human activities such as killing animals for food and commercial trade are rendering many animals to continue suffering high rates of exploitation. A species that is being overexploited become endangered or may become extinct due to the rate at which is being consumed. An example of over exploitation that has been experienced was the unrestricted whaling. The whaling industry during this time over exploited whales and resulted to low population sizes of whales. Due to the decreased number of whales and nearly some of them were nearly extinct several governments agreed to abide by international moratorium on whaling. Over exploitation of animals species harms livelihood since high proportion of world’s population depends on wildlife for their meat protein and their components provided traditional medicines. Over exploitation of plant and animal species does not only affects the following community and threatens the particular species but also it causes imbalance in the whole ecosystem (Guynup, para 4). (iii) Genetically modified foods ecological balance Genetically modified foods are produced from animals and plants which their genes are changed by scientists in the laboratory. Genes are written on the DNA and are the chemical instruction for building and maintaining life. Scientists modify these genes and alter the characteristics of an organism. In so doing yields and resistance to diseases can be improved in both plants and animals. However there are fears some of the genes which have been introduced into some crops can escape and be transferred to other plant species where they can have adverse effects. Some critiques believes that leakage of these genes will result to emergence of super weeds and extinctions of ordinary species of birds and insects and the food chain will became damaged (Eiswasser, Gan & Alia, pp 9). (b) Influence of environment to food systems (i) Effects of global warming and environmental pollution. The overall climate changes including global warming and the increased climate variability will result to variety of impacts on agriculture. Some of he effects of climate change are ecological, biophysical and some are economic. These factors include the following; first there will be shift in agricultural zone and climate towards the poles. Second, the production patterns would be changed due to higher temperatures. Third, agricultural productivity in some regions would be increased due to increased levels of carbon dioxide, fourth the precipitation patterns will be changed and finally most people will be vulnerable of becoming landless. In addition changes of weather patterns may lead to increased crop infestation by pests and chocking weed. In most of the low lying climate change will result to decreased crop yields and therefore in most regions net import of crops will increase. Higher prices of food will render most people to become at risk of hunger (Natural Resources Defense Council, para 8). (ii) Greenhouse production Greenhouse method of food production makes use of controlled environment in modern terms it is also referred to as controlled environmental agricultures. Those methods enables farmers to cultivate food or fruit producing plants in areas and at times when weather conditions would prevent them from growing or adversely affects them green house also prevents the crops from adverse weather conditions which due to the ever increasing population and more agricultural land being lost to urban development. Intensive food production in greenhouse will play a significant role in food production (Peet, para 11). (iii) Location and food prices Provision of food system impacts on what people choose to eat and evidently people can only choose foods that are accessible, affordable and available to them. Food availability is related to the prices and this is determined on the process that the food gets to the consumers and what is on offer. Development and changes of food distribution and supply may be parallel but there may remain strong cultural differences between regions in the way food is produced, distributed and made available to consumers. The cost of distribution of food also affects the food prices due to higher transport costs over long distances (Iton, pp 14). 2. Relationship between food and society. (a) Influence of food systems to the society. Alongside global environmental changes globalization of consumers’ preferences is another change that is taking place. In food systems the spread of fast food is considered synonymous with globalization. There has also been expansion of Asian Latin American and African and other international cuisines into national food cultures (Food and Fuel America. com, para 8). (ii) Food cultures bring people together. There are several areas which can help to bring cultures together. These include talent shows, style shows, and food court. These areas are more effective especially when they are organized for international cultural festivals. When people are eating from the same table they can speak and ask each other questions about their culture directly. Food cultures and style show displays expressions from different countries and therefore people can learn the cultures through hearing, feeling and experiencing the show. In addition people learn about each other when they start taking about food (Weickgenant, para 5). (iii)Treads in food production in the global economy In the year 1999 economic recovery had manifested itself globally after the global slow down which was cause by financial crisis in 1997 and 1998 in Asia. In the year 2000 there was further strengthening and the world GDP was expected to rise by not less than 3 percent which would reflect stronger economic activities. GDP in the developing countries is expected to rise by 4 to 5 percent. At this rate the growth of agricultural GDP in developing countries would not grow strongly than overall GDP in developed countries which is expected to grow at the rate of 5 to 6 percent (Rosegrant, Paisner & Witcover, pp 4). Emerging food safety technologies Due to the needs of the societies to keep food for longer, government agencies and departments of homeland security set targets on bulky food contamination as the focus of attention for food security. Tampering of food or contamination of bulky food poses a serious threat to society. New technologies on the other hand provide mean of monitoring food systems and modifies people behavior. The surveillance technology that has been developed influences individual behaviors and altitudes by introducing additional procedural arrangement (Hendrickx, para 10). Government enacts laws and policies in order to offer remedies of harms which might have been created in the past for example enacting new seed law. Government also aims at protecting safety, quality and health of its citizens (Niskanen, pp 13). Changing in demand and supply When the demand and of a particular product of food increases production and supply of that product increases. As a result there will be much of that product in the market leading to fall in demand and price of the product leading to reduced production and supply (Lee, pp 6). Work Cited Eiswasser E, Gan K & Alia K. Genetically modified foods raise new legal issues, 2001.Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. cov. com/files/Publication/e435e641-b00a-4e20-92f3-0a8639b8f9bb/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/7cd905a2-fe8e-4a25-8709-1096d7ce6aef/oid6070. pdf. Food and Fuel America. com. Food and Fuel America, 2007. Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. foodandfuelamerica. com/2007/06/find-alternative-fuel-location. html. Guynup S. Killing the Endangered Species Act, 2008. Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. blueridgepress. com/Forms/brp_columns/*ws4d-db-query-Show. ws4d? *ws4d-db-query-Show***EBK-EB-089090098094094090-1377***-Database***-***brp_columns(directory)***. ws4d? brp_columns/detail. html. Hendrickx D. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 2008. Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. elsevier. com/locate/ifset. Iton A. Tackling the Root Causes of Health Disparities through Community Capacity Building. Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. chc. ucsf. edu/pdf/Iton-Tackling%20The%20Root%20Causes%20of%20Health%20Disparities. pdf. Lee D. Demand and Supply the Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, 1998. Retrieved on 1st October 2008 from; http://www. commonsenseeconomics. com/Readings/Demand%20and%20Supply. CSE. pdf Natural Resources Defense Council. Issues: Global Warming, 2008. R

Change Management: The Komatsu Case

Organizations are in constant interactions with their environments.   A change in the environment will subsequently cause a change in the organization that interacts with it.   This change can be positive or negative, and in both cases, it alters the organization’s status on many different levels.   Dealing with this change on all the levels is a key factor in minimizing disruptions to the organization’s functioning and growth.   In other words, change management is â€Å"a managerial and organizational process that realigns an organizations strategy, structure and process in pro-action or reaction to chaos in the environment† (Worthy et. al., 1996, p. 16).   The process of change management, and how it influences an organization’s strategy and management, is analyzed herewith in context of the Komatsu company.Brief HistoryKomatsu Iron Works was a subsidiary of Takeuchi Mining Industry, manufacturing industrial tools for the parent company.   I n 1921, the founder of the company, Mr. Takeuchi, incorporated Komatsu Ltd. as an independent company.   Komatsu originally manufactured mining equipment, but started making agricultural equipment such as tractors by 1931.   During the second world war, it was an important manufacturer of tanks, bulldozers, and other heavy machinery.   Post-war, Komatsu began focusing on the earth moving equipment (EME market).   In the 1950s, the company’s machinery was in demand because of the ongoing postwar construction in Japan.   Although its customer base was strong at that time, Komatsu did not command a significant market share, and the quality of its machines was inadequate.   This was a major factor in customer dissatisfaction, however, the Japanese manufacturers operated in a protected environment at that time, with no significant foreign competitors.In 1963, the Japanese Ministry of Trade allowed the entry of foreign EME manufacturers in Japan.   This signaled a com plete change in Komatsu’s market environment.   Now the competition extended to foreign counterparts, most of whom had long been established as market leaders in the EME category.   The following sections discuss Komatsu’s strategies for managing these challenges, and how they dealt with change in the process.CompetitionMajor heavy machinery manufacturers like Caterpillar, J.I. Case, Fiat-Ellis and John Deere were all technologically more advanced than Komatsu, and had widespread dealer networks and manufacturing bases.   The most formidable competitor in the EME segment was Caterpillar, the world’s largest manufacturer of heavy machinery.   Caterpillar’s equipment was much more sophisticated and of a higher quality, and its distributor and dealer network was very solid.   Komatsu realized then that it was imperative for the company to upgrade its products and operations, in order to survive the competition.The company was headed at the time by Yashinari Kawai, who recognized the urgent need to revamp the company’s product quality, both technically and functionally.   In order to bring Komatsu products up to date, the company signed licensing arrangements with two major EME manufacturers, International Harvester and Bucyrus Erie.   This gave Komatsu the opportunity to improve the equipment quality for the agricultural and the industrial sector.In addition, Kawai implemented the Japanese concept of TQC (Total quality Control), which led to a huge improvement in the performance, reliability, and durability of the equipment.   This was one of the major change management challenges that Kawai handled successfully.   Kawai realized that in order to change the customers’ perception of Komatsu products, it was first necessary to change the employees’ own view of the kind of products that the company made.Changing the mindset of every employee and incorporating the philosophy of uncompromised quality a t every level in the company required a strong, skillful leader.   Kawai manouvered this change implementation by open communication, reward, and most importantly, setting an example for all employees by involving everyone from the top management to the shopfloor workers, in this endeavor.  Ã‚   When Komatsu was awarded the Deming Prize for quality control just 3 years later, it served as a huge morale booster for the company.Another major change measure implemented at this time was Project A.   In the first phase of this project, the employees were instructed to ignore costs and concentrate solely on achieving the best possible quality for their equipment.   Once this goal was achieved, the second phase of Project A was implemented, focusing on cost reduction.   Each and every aspect of design and manufacturing was closely scrutinized, checking for bottlenecks and wastage of resources.This resulted in a lean, finely-tuned manufacturing process, that complemented the high quality of Komatsu’s equipment.   From 1965 to 1970, the company’s domestic market share grew from 50% to 65%, despite the presence of Mitsubishi-Caterpillar.   According to Kawai, this feat was achieved largely due to the employee morale and drive at Komatsu.   In his words, â€Å"the prevailing atmosphere was that of a crisis, resulting in a spirit of unity between the management and the staff†.   This company-wide presence of a common goal took precedence over management and labor issues, and resulted in highly successful change management.Komatsu had implemented a two-pronged strategy to achieve success – vertical integration and TQC.   Vertical integration meant that the entire line of business had to be perfectly aligned and free of defects, right from the bottom.   To ensure this, they started with quality raw materials.   The second aspect was TQC – incorporating the philosophy of quality control everywhere and within everyone in the company.   Komatsu also extended the TQC strategy to its dealerships, encouraging them to implement the system.   This strategy of tackling the problem at the root and improvising upon it was the key to strong growth, and enabled Komatsu to offer formidable competition to Caterpillar – accomplishing what other companies such as J.I. Case and John Deere could not.Business EnvironmentFrom the time Komatsu started implementing change, the business environment was constantly shifting, in terms of demand, cost advantage, and regulations.   By mid-1970s, the domestic market for EME was stagnating, with Komatsu having 60% of the market, and the Mitsubishi-Caterpillar partnership having 30%.   Growth was slowing down in the less developed countries too.   Komatsu’s management responded by developing the V 10 plan, aiming to reduce costs by 10% while improving quality.   In 1976, an unexpected event in the financial markets caused further concern.   The Ja panese Yen was appreciating rapidly against the dollar, rising from 293 in 1976 to 240 in 1977.   To cushion the company’s exports, Komatsu’s management followed an internal exchange rate of 180 yen to the dollar.   This ensured that Komatsu’s costs and pricing were well-adjusted to the market conditions, and their exports did not suffer.   Komatsu’s policy of anticipating change and fortifying the company against any adverse effects again worked to its advantage.Problems faced by KomatsuExporting their equipment to other countries had always been a part of Komatsu’s vision.   This goal constituted the company’s Project B.   With their improved and technically capable equipment, by 1970 Kawai was eager to launch major international operations for the company.   However, there were considerable barriers to this end – Komatsu’s limited international recognition and dealer base, fierce competition, and legal regulation s.The technology license that it had obtained from International Harvester and Bucyrus Erie had imposed export restrictions on them.   Komatsu recognized this as an impediment, and established its R&D laboratory in 1966.   But there were still significant requirements for establishing an international market presence.   Caterpillar, for example, had its dealership centers across the globe, some of which were exclusive dealerships.   This made it difficult for Komatsu, with its relatively limited product line and manufacturing base, to create the required dealer network.   In order to overcome this obstacle, Komatsu priced its products 30 to 40 percent below Caterpillar’s.   This allowed them to get the intial foothold in the international markets.   Komatsu also benefited from the increased demand for construction machinery in less developed countres in Asia and Mexico, and in Saudi Arabia.In the 1970s, Komatsu had also started expanding its product line.   Ry oichi Kawai, now the president of Komatsu, made special efforts to build and develop international client and dealer relationships.   He also instructed managers to regularly visit customers, and get first hand information on their requirements and issues.   Keeping abreast of technological changes and being one of the first to adopt and incorporate new technology in its equipment was a key factor to success.Komatsu incorporated electronic technology into all its machinery, creating differentiated, high quality products.   In 1979, the worldwide construction industry was at a low.   To combat the depressed economy, Komatsu’s management launched the â€Å"F and F† or Future and Frontiers program, formulated to develop new products and new businesses.   Once again, a companywide buzz was created, and suggestions were welcomed from every level within the company.   These suggestions resulted in the production of diverse new products such as arc-welding robots and an excavating system for deep-sea sand.In the early 1980s, Komatsu objected to the export restrictions which still continued to be imposed on it by Bucyrus Erie.   Komatsu won this appeal and gained export rights from Bucyrus Erie.   It also managed to free itself from the agreement with International Harvester, and gained full freedom to export its equipment worldwide.   This was a major milestone for Komatsu, and the company took full advantage of its established quality and dealerships.   It also capitalized on the embargo that prevented Caterpillar from exporting to Russia in the early 1980s.   In 1981, the Siberian Natural Resource Project was handed over entirely to Komatsu.   In a short while, Komatsu was expected to outperform Caterpillar in the Russian market.As their international customer base increased, so did the need for customized equipment for different countries, based on the type of work, environment, and legal regulations.   Designing customized equipment for each customer separately was not cost effective.   To counter this, the management adopted the policy of EPOCHS – Efficient Production-Oriented Choice Specifications.   The idea was to save costs by standardizing production modules for core projects along with the required number of parts, and adding different specifications as necessary.Around this time, the increasing freight and shipping costs, and Japan’s strained trade relations with the US and Europe were increasingly becoming a cause for concern.   It was during this time that the US automakers opposed the import of Japanese cars in the market, and Komatsu was fearful that a similar plea might be raised by Caterpillar and other heavy-machinery manufacturers. In order to curb these potential problems, Komatsu manufactured the core parts of its equipment in all its plants.   This reduced the shipping frequency as well as the freight costs.   It also developed assembly bases in Brazil and Me xico, and was working on a joint venture proposal with its dealer in Indonesia.Current Situation and OptionsThe case refers to the scenario in 1984, a period of recession around the world.   The building and construction industry was also affected, with most players assuming some losses.   The biggest source of concern for Komatsu, however, was Caterpillar.   Caterpillar had experienced its third consecutive year of losses, and was in the midst of a major labor strike.   Kawai knew that this was an opportunity to take over where Caterpillar faltered – but it was also an indication of the increasingly difficult   business environment.   Witnessing a large, successful company like Caterpillar struggling to retain its position in the market, Kawai became concerned about Komatsu, and what it could do to avoid being in a similar situation.Komatsu’s options were centered around keeping a close watch on the market and on Caterpillar.   Komatsu employees were in the habit of reading Caterpillar’s monthly news bulletins and press releases, in order to stay informed regarding their competitor’s activities and plans.   Komatsu also realized the need to keep its labor force functioning, and continue keeping the costs down.   Their international operations also had to be strengthened at this time, capitalizing on Caterpillar’s compromised position.  Ã‚   These options are evaluated in the following section.RecommendationsIn keeping with its established policy, Komatsu should place particular emphasis on anticipating change and devising measures to optimize the benefits while curbing the negative effects.   To an extent, it was complacency that had cost Caterpillar – the managers’ priority was on increasing the customer base without addressing customer value or employee needs.   Therefore, managing labor relations is one of the most important issues for Komatsu.   The workers at Komatsu earn signific antly lesser than their counterparts at Caterpillar.   However, this is offset by high employee morale and  Ã‚   strong labor-management relations.   Maintaining this status is extremely important for Komatsu, both in terms of employee productivity and controlling costs by minimizing overhead.The second recommendation for Komatsu would be to strengthen its international presence.   With the capital that it has accumulated, Komatsu is in a position to either buy out a number of smaller competitors, or acquire a successful ally.   This would further consolidate Komatsu’s manufacturing operations and distributor channels.   It should also continue its R&D efforts and product diversification plans, and stay ahead of the competition.   If necessary, Komatsu can form a joint venture with a company to ease the manufacturing and operations of diversified products.ReferencesWorley, C.G., Hitchen, D.E., & Ross, W.L. (1996). Integrated strategic change: How OD builds a com petitive advantage. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Darren Mansaram (or Flash as he is better off known) scored one of the best goals he had ever scored in his short career

Darren Mansaram (or Flash as he is better off known) scored one of the best goals he had ever scored in his short career. Only eighteen years of age, but an up and coming star of the future hit the sweetest of shots to keep Grimsby Town in the F. A Cup. Grimsby was playing Burnley in the third round of the F. A Cup for a place in the fourth round maybe to face one of the premiership big boys. It was a miserable day with snow coming down in buckets. The previous league match at Grimsby was called off because of a waterlogged pitch so this match was lucky to go ahead. The eighteen year old from Doncaster was named in the starting eleven to face the team they had beat 6-5 two months previously. With the ground quickly filling up, the players came out of the dressing room onto the pitch for a warm up. Every Grimsby player applauded the Grimsby fans for their support and every person in the crowd applauded back. The team started their warm-up and there, right in the middle was Darren Mansaram. This was to be his first F. A. Cup match of his career and it was definitely going to be one to remember. Kick Off was approaching quickly and the snow seemed to have cleared, so the referee gave to ‘all clear' for the match to go on. The ground was rather full as the players came out of the tunnel, the Grimsby faithful applauded their team and the Burnley faithful applauded theirs. The officials called in the two captains to determine who was to kick off. It was to be Grimsby to kick off left to right towards the away end. Flash and David ‘Digger' Soames to kick off, playing the ball back to Stuart Campbell who in turn plays it to player/manager Paul Groves. Groves loses out to Paul Weller who plays a first time ball to Arthur Gnohere. He hits a long ball over the top of the Grimsby defence, Georges Santos looks over at the linesman to see if there is an off-side, Robbie Blake chases it down, takes it around the Grimsby keeper, Danny Coyne, and hits a shot which smacks the upright. The Grimsby defence can't clear it, Tony Grant comes steaming in and whacks the ball straight over the Pontoon. The town fans cheer with sheer delight as they watch the ball disappear. Grant got right under the ball there. Danny Coyne to take the goal kick, it's a brilliant kick which Stacey Coldicott heads on straight for ‘Digger' Soames who chases it down and hits a first time shot right into the Burnley keeper's arms. A great chance for Grimsby turned into a wasted opportunity. Marlon Beresford clears the ball for Burnley, Georges Santos heads the ball clear. It's pumped straight back into the box by Mark McGregor; Coyne comes flying out of his goal and gathers the ball comfortably. He rolls it out to Gallimore who plays a first time ball to Ford. Ford to Santos, up to Cooke who controls the ball well. Cooke has the ability to take people on from here. Branch and Gnohere quickly close Cooke down. Cooke decides to dribble the ball. He's took it past Branch, skips past the challenge from Gnohere. It's three on two for Grimsby here, what can Cooke do? Who can he pick out? It's a great ball behind Cox. Digger Soames is onto it. One on one with Marlon Beresford. Beresford makes himself as big as possible, Digger slides the ball underneath Beresford and just the wrong side of the post. The Burnley supporters look happy to see the ball slide the wrong side of the upright. Great play by Grimsby, deserved a goal there. Beresford to take the goal kick. He's taking his time with it to slow down the flow of play. Super goal kick headed away by McDermott, headed on by Groves. Cleared by McGregor, Ian Moore controls the ball. Forty yards out, dribbles the ball around Coldicott, Groves comes steaming in. Moore skips past the challenge from Groves, slides a ball around the back of the Grimsby defence, Alan Moore is onto it. Just Coyne to beat. SUPER GOAL from Alan Moore, 1-0 Burnley. Coyne is absolutely furious with his defence. The Burnley fans jump up as overjoyed as Moore himself. Flash to precede the match with the kick off. He plays the ball to Digger who picks out Cooke with a pin-point pass. Cooke, back to McDermott. McDermott brings the ball in-field, Santos goes the opposite way. Great play here from Grimsby. Santos plays a neat one-two with Cooke, Santos keeps going. He sees Flash in space and plays a tidy ball around the back of the Burnley defence. Flash runs onto it. Cox comes flying in with the challenge. Flash neatly tucks the ball between Cox's legs. This is great build-up play from Mansaram. The town faithful are on their feet, urging Flash on. He spots Digger making his way into the box. Superb ball straight to the head of Digger Soames, Just wide, if anything deserved a goal that certainly did. Beresford to resume play, just a short kick out to Cox, who turns and controls well. Tony Grant receives the ball at half way. Grant runs with the ball, past Groves, past Santos. One on One with Coyne. The shot deflects off Coyne's legs straight to WELLER. 2-0 to Burnley who I dare say justify this lead. Player/Manager Groves can't believe that his side are 2-0 down to the team they beat 6-5. Where on earth was the Grimsby defence there? Digger to kick off for Town as they look to come back from 2-0 down to beat this Burnley side. Coldicott in possession of the ball for Town. Groves takes over and plays it to Cooke. Cooke attempts to play a cross-field ball to Gallimore, which finds its intended target. Gallimore plays a neat one-two with Santos. Gallimore to Campbell, who plays a first time ball to Stacy Coldicott. Town are keeping possession well here. Coldicott in midfield plays the ball back to Ford. Ford leaves it for Coyne, who hits the ball first time to out to McDermott. McDermott turns and sees Cooke in space. Cooke receives the ball at half-way. He's got time and space to run with the ball here. Cooke takes the ball on, Gnohere comes across. Cooke skips past the challenge from Gnohere. The crowd urges Cooke on. Cooke comes in-field, he's got time to cross a ball in. It's a superb ball onto the head of Mansaram. It smacks the upright and bounces out. Groves has a shot, which is blocked by Branch. Coldicott hits a shot which is saved by Beresford. What a goalmouth scramble. Campbell hits a screamer which is blocked on the line by Cox. Finally Ian Moore clears the ball for Burnley and the defence can breathe again. Grimsby are really trying to get back into the match. Graham Rodger the assistant manager screams instructions to the captain McDermott and to player-manager Paul Groves. For the time being it is Burnley in the lead and Burnley in possession with Papadopoulos. This is his first real touch in this exciting and productive first half. Thirty Seven minutes in and its Grimsby Town 0, Burnley 2. Papadopoulos with a one-two with Grant. Papadopoulos keeps going and slides a ball through the middle of the defence. Alan Moore is chasing the ball down, Coyne comes flying out of his goal. Moore has to get past Santos first. He's done that successfully. He's one on one with Coyne. Coyne still flying from his goal line, collects the ball comfortable. The danger is over for Grimsby. Burnley are to make a substitution here, It's going to be Paul Weller to leave the field of play to be replaced by Paul Cook. Grimsby will be happy to hear the referee's whistle for half time. There is two minutes plus stoppage time left. McDermott is in possession for Grimsby. He's trying to slow things down here. He plays it back to Coyne, Coyne controls the ball and takes his time before playing the ball to Gallimore. The fourth official holds up the electronic board. He's indicated one added on minute. Gallimore to Georges Santos straight to Groves. Groves hits a ball over the top of the Burnley defence, Digger chases after it. Last chance for Grimsby. Digger has two defenders to beat. Cox and Gnohere. He beats Cox comfortably, only Gnohere to beat. Gnohere takes the ball off Digger and pumps a ball up-field. The Burnley crowd breath a sigh of relief. The referee blows for half time. What an exciting, action-packed first half, more of the same is expected in the second. Burnley are two goals up here against a weak Grimsby side compared to the one almost two months ago. Well, Grimsby have had the most possession but it's Burnley who have got the rewards for their hard work. At half time here at Blundell Park, it's Grimsby Town nil Burnley two. Half time entertainment here at Blundell Park today with to local junior sides are playing in a mini tournament. I wonder what is going on in both changing rooms, do you? Well wonder no more because in both changing rooms we have installed microphone camera's, so off to the home changing room to get an idea of the atmosphere in there. What a pathetic performance you lot are showing, absolutely pathetic' Graham Rodger, the assistant manager, was yelling at his players. ‘Either buck your ideas up or some of you are going to be put on the transfer list' he continued. Ok, I think we are getting the point that the Town assistant manager is appalled with the first half performance of the mariners. Off to the away dressing room we go. I presume it's a better atmosphere in there. ‘E. I. E. I. O through the F. A Cup we go, when we get Man United, this is what we'll sing. We are Burnley, we are Burnley, Ternant is our king' Wow, they are really enjoying today. Grimsby Town are coming out for the second half. Grimsby Town look fired up for a tense and nerve wracking forty-five minutes for the Grimsby Town supporters. There is no sign of Burnley yet. I can tell you there have been no substitutions during half time. Papadopoulos and Blake to get this second half under way. Blake back to Grant who gives the ball to Cook. Cook plays a neat one-two with Branch, Cook continues down this left hand touchline. He comes in-field and gives the ball to Alan Moore who loses out to Groves. Groves, who is just inside his own half, plays the ball back to Santos who kicks it first time to Gallimore. Santos looks like he has injured himself but play continues with Gallimore. Gallimore to Campbell. An over-hit pass there from Gallimore which Campbell controls brilliantly. He turns, looks up and sees Digger in Space. Campbell decides to take the ball on himself. Santos is signalling to the bench that he wants to come off. Campbell to Mansaram. Mansaram to ‘Digger' Soames. Soames tricks the defender into going one way and he goes the other. Excellent build up play from Grimsby Town. Digger sends in a left footed cross which falls onto the head of Coldicott. Super header from Coldicott smacks the bar, Terry Cooke comes flying in and sails the ball straight into the stand. Beresford takes his time in retrieving the ball from the stand containing Grimsby supporters. Grimsby Town to make a substitution here. It's going to be Steve Chettle coming on for Georges Santos. Beresford to resume play from the goal kick, plays a ball up-field trying to find Alan Moore. The ball doesn't reach him but is headed away by Groves. Coldicott picks it up on half way, controlled well. He picks out Cooke with a precise pass. What a good game Cooke and Coldicott are having. Cooke on the right wing plays the ball to Mansaram who gives the ball back to Cooke. Great play from Grimsby Town, the crowd are really getting behind Grimsby. Cooke travels further with the ball. There is only ‘Digger' Soames in the box. Cooke decides to shoot himself. It's a real pile driver of a shot that Beresford can only tip behind for a corner. The crowd are buzzing with excitement. Campbell to take the corner for Grimsby. There are six in the area for Grimsby including Cooke, Mansaram and Chettle. The ball is driven into the area to Cooke who stumbles under a challenge from Cox, Burnley manage to clear the ball. The referee blows his whistle, the crowd are astonished to hear the whistle, and the players are totally astounded to hear it. The referee points to the penalty spot, he's awarded a penalty to Grimsby Town, possibly for the slight challenge on Cooke, we'll never know. Cooke has got up and is ready to take the penalty himself. He puts the ball on the spot, this to make it two-one. The crowd are trying their best to put off the Burnley keeper. It's Cooke against Beresford. Cooke takes a run up and belts the ball. GOAL. Grimsby Town are back into this game thanks to a dubious decision by the referee. At Blundell Park, Cleethorpes its Grimsby Town One, Burnley Two. Burnley are absolutely furious with the decision but ‘The show must go on'. Stan Ternant, the Burnley manager, is angry at the officials, he's having a right go at the fourth official. The referee sees it. He's walking over. He's talking to the official. He's going over to Stan. The referee has sent him away from the dugout. I presume that is for the abuse he was giving the fourth official. He will certainly be complaining about these officials to the F. A. Burnley to resume play from the centre circle. Papadopoulos plays the ball back to back who spots Grant running down the left touchline. Brilliant ball straight to the feet of Grant who loses out to McDermott. McDermott plays a long cross-field ball to Campbell who turns well. Grimsby look like they are going to make a substitution, Chris Thompson is warming up on the touchline. Groves receives the ball at half way and takes his time before playing a ball back to Santos. Santos to Gallimore on this left touchline. Thompson is ready to come on when the ball goes out of play. Gallimore hits a long ball up to Cooke who mis-controls and the ball rolls over the line for a Burnley throw-in. It's going to be a double substitution for Grimsby Town. The electronic board goes up, it's going to be 14 Chris Thompson for 20 David Soames and 12 Jonathan Rowan replacing 2 John McDermott. Burnley to take the throw-in with Branch. Gnohere receives the ball who gives it to Cox. Up-field straight to Paul Cook. Cook runs with the ball, trying to take on the Grimsby defence by himself. He's past Groves, skips past the challenge from Ford and rides the challenge from Santos. Only Coyne to beat. Cook tries to slide the ball underneath Coyne. He's done that successfully. Coyne got a touch, the ball is rolling towards the line, Santos is trying to get back. What a brilliant clearance off the line from Santos. Grimsby are straight on the attack with Cooke on the ball. Cooke hits a ball up-field to Mansaram. Great touch to control the ball. Mansaram brings the ball out left, he's got support from the packed Grimsby midfield. He's turned brilliantly, he's going back to where he started. He turns well again and strikes a left footed shot. GOAL, wow what a superb shot straight past the helpless Beresford. There was nothing the goal keeper could do there. After 88 minutes, it's Grimsby Town 2 Burnley 2. Burnley are devastated by that, that they decide to make an attacking substitution. Dimitrios Papadopoulos is coming off to be replaced by Gordon Armstrong. The fourth official holds up the board and indicates two minutes added time. The ninety minutes are up, Grimsby are under a lot of pressure from the Burnley attack. The referee blows his whistle for full time, it's finished Grimsby Town 2 Burnley 2.

Health care reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Health care reform - Essay Example It is not good for the declining American economy to spend more amounts at this juncture in the non-productive healthcare sector. â€Å"For the first ten years, the new bill will cost about $100 billion a year. This is about the yearly cost of the Iraq War. The bill might increase the cost of health insurance†(Pros and Cons of the Healthcare Reform Proposal(s), 2010). Moreover tax hikes as part of the new bill will destroy family budgets. â€Å"You will have to either buy health insurance if you don’t have it or have a 2% tax increase† (Pros and Cons of the Healthcare Reform Proposal(s), 2010). Tax increase will affect both rich and poor people. â€Å"There will be a doctor shortage because of the 40 million or so more people with health insurance. There may be a delay in getting medical treatment† (Pros and Cons of Health Insurance Reforms, 2009). The new reforms give more emphasize to the betterment of the patients and it says nothing about the betterment of healthcare professionals. In other words, the benefits enjoyed by the healthcare professionals as part of the old bill are ceased and therefore doctors are not taking their profession seriously now. The delay in getting essential medical services is a big threat to the lives of patients. "According to experts, more than 87 million American could lose access to their current health care plan under the new law† (Are the March 2010 federal health care reform laws good for America?, 2010). The current bill is intended not only to the uninsured people but also to the people who have already insurance coverage. In other words, all the existing insurance coverage may become void and all Americans should seek new coverage irrespective of whether presently they have insurance coverage or not. â€Å"Rep. John Shadegg (R) of Arizona holds a news conference on Jan. 13 on Capitol Hill to make the case that there are hidden costs in the new health care bill† (Trumbull, 2010). In other words, the new bill is

Reflection Paper on Group Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection Paper on Group Cases - Essay Example usiness practice to be operating without having a primary infrastructure as well as use of only a particular system to take care of all other necessary elements. Any company worth its salt should be equipped with an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) to ensure that its operations are carried out smoothly. This is because, without such an effective management system, a company’s business may be unable to coordinate its work across all functions, something that may lead to serious losses, even collapse of the business. The VTB case clearly illustrates this phenomenon and the company was in a terrible rush to make sure that it has its house in order just before peak seasons such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day as well as Mother’s Day. Secondly, I have learnt that it is good to always have a single centralised command from where an application can be run to manage the business functions.VTB for instance had a lot of complicated middleware as well as incompatible applications which did not provide the company with any benefits at all. Investment into a robust IT system therefore brings with it several benefits such as seamless working by eliminating lack of standard operating procedures, facilitating transfer and maintenance of information as well as allowing for strategic development of a firm’s information system. Information system therefore can be used as a tool for competitive advantage and can strategically be used to add value to a firm’s customer service by maximising the efficiency of the supply chain as well as solving operational constraints. The second case was that of IT outsourcing gone wrong. Clean & Cure, a multinational company had engaged the services of XperTrans; a provider of human resource outsourcing (HRO) to provide its services all over the world in 44 countries. However, this was never to be, and XperTrans encountered so many problems and finally had to engage a consultancy firm to bail them out. This is a case that really

Peer Review of the Things they carried Assignment

Peer Review of the Things they carried - Assignment Example The writer presents the idea that soldiers cease the be just men of the war, but begin to be people that carry with them thoughts, memories, emotions, and little trinkets that remind them of something other than the war. The reader simply needs to be aware of some of the goings-on during the Vietnam War, such as all of the basic facts. The reader should also know a little about what else was taking place throughout the world during the time of the war, which can help to give them insight into what many of the soldiers were leaving behind. The examples that are used are clear and appropriate. The writer did an excellent job at combining the use of phrases throughout the novel with the points that they were trying to get through to the reader. The examples that the writer uses, such as those that were italicized excerpts from the novel, are followed by statements and points that deal with the excerpts that the writer pointed out. There is quite an array of evidence and support for the claims that are made. The writer used articles that dealt with the specific points that the writer makes throughout the course of their essay. Furthermore, the writer also backs up their claims by using examples that can be found in the book that the essay is based on. Together, all of the outside pieces of information form enough evidence and support for what the writer is trying to convey. The topic that the writer chose is appropriate to the writing assignment. While it does not need to be more general, the writer needs to look at the different claims that they make and order them so that they flow together accordingly. The writer often jumped back and forth between topics, first explaining the physical things the soldiers carried, then explaining the emotional and mental things -- and then they jumped back to the physical objects. The writer began and ended their essay in a very intelligent fashion, beginning with the physical materials and ending with a

Wind farme Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wind farme - Assignment Example he farm, mean annual wind speed at elevation, turbine power curve, rated power capacity, investment required, operation and maintenance cost (O&M)/ year, durability and useful life. Covering the wind profile, total annual energy output per turbine, total energy output, capacity factor, uptime percentage, average annual cost, value of electricity, annual O&M cost, annual inflation rate Based on wind maps, the mean annual wind speed can be determined. In fertile areas, quite prominent for energy harvesting; 100 meter Mean Annual Wind Speed Map, 70 meter Mean Annual Wind ... Mean Annual Power Density Map; 30 meter Mean Annual Power Density Map. To illustrate, a basic analysis of the Buckeye Wind Farm, comprised of 54 wind turbines planned for Champaign County, Ohio. The wind maps provided by the Ohio Power Sitting Board indicate that the mean annual wind speed in the area of the wind farm is approximately 7.5 m/s. Based on this, the analysis indicates a non-existent ROI because the wind turbines do not produce enough reliable electricity to pay for the investment required within a reasonable amount of time. In short, the annual expectation of 439,852 MWh of electrical energy generated does not generate enough revenue at regular average rates to overcome the O&M costs and pay back the $380 million investment within an anticipated 20 year lifespan of the turbines. It can therefore be expected that government grants and subsidies will have to be used to offset the losses, and that the cost of electricity will have to be increased. The simple economic analysis does not account for the cost that will be incurred to maintain and operate a traditional back-up system for generating power when the wind is not blowing adequately, and for the added cost and inefficiency of cycling this back-up system on and off to balance the supply load against the variability of the wind generated power. The lowest wind conditions and the lowest power output will occur in the summer, when

United States Health Care Reform and Accountable Care Organizations Research Paper

United States Health Care Reform and Accountable Care Organizations - Research Paper Example The U.S. health sector is very inefficient in terms of cost levels and in order to bring this down this paper discusses the implementation of Affordable Care Organizations and whether or whether not they will be able to remedy this situation. If indeed, ACOs benefit the health sector over the years as predicted by studies the U.S health sector will be able to lower costs and increase the quality of their health care. The United States Health Sector has gone through many reforms over the years and has recently been subjected to the Affordable Care Act which calls for Accountable Care Organizations within the sector to increase its efficiency of functioning. With the ACA up and running, the health sector seems to have a much better chance of improvement, however this wasn’t always so. Body President Harry Truman initiated the idea of a socialized healthcare program in the United States in the period 1945-48 but was put down by the American Medical Association (AMA). However, Medicare was finally made operational in 1965 under President Johnson’s socialist regime. (Oliver, Lee and Lipton, 2004). From the end of the 1960s to the end of the 1990s prescription drug coverage was never an independent factor that fell under the responsibility if Medicare. It was only until the end of the Clinton regime that this issue came to light. Towards the end of 2003, President Bush added the coverage of prescription drugs under Medicare which was one of many other changes to the organization. The implementation of these changes will increase tax burden on the population by roughly in the bracket of $400-550 billion in the future. The population had a 60/40 negative/positive stance about the new reforms respectively. (Oliver, Lee and Lipton, 2004). There was a gigantic increase in the price of medical drugs around this time and Medicare’s expenditure which used to amount to $700 million in 1992 was costing Medicare around $6.5 billion in 2001. Obviously, their costing system was hugely defected. (Oliver, Lee and Lipton, 2004). The explosive increase in the price of prescription drugs also allowed greater power to pharmaceutical companies who realized that on this scale the stakes were larger and politics came into play; since the drugs were too costly the federal government would have to sponsor their coverage. (Oliver, Lee and Lipton, 2004). Another issue that has remaine d persistent where American healthcare is discussed is that of the racial partiality with respect to adequate healthcare provision. In 1993, it was estimated that the life expectancy of African Americans was roughly 7 years less than that of white Americans. This difference was attributed to mortality rates and the differences in income distribution. But the truth according to research was that black Americans were not allowed as much health care as their white counterparts. (Bhopal, 1998). There are also language barriers to effective health care provision in the United States. A research paper describing this situation tells of a situation of this boy called Raul who spoke little English, his mother who spoke no English and was describing his condition to a doctor and the doctor who spoke very little Spanish. His mother was telling the doctor that her son had been dizzy the day before; the doctor took it to mean that Raul had been looking a little yellow. When confirmed from Raul, the doctor was told that his mother was saying that Raul had been

Regulation of Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulation of Internet - Essay Example What is imperative here is an understanding that applies in unison for the Internet being a source of inspiration as well as dismay at the same time for a number of people all over the world. Why the Internet is being seen as a deterrent towards inculcating a prosperous society is largely dependent on the people who have used it for their ulterior motives. Then the only discussion to make headlines surrounds the basis of regulating the Internet so that it could be used properly. The kind of audience that visits the Internet daily is somewhat of a confusing scenario as older adults and teenagers hook on to the Internet to seek their own needs and wants. Now how Internet shapes up for them is somewhat of a diabolical question – which leaves many people surprised and confused at the same time. Regulating the usage of the Internet seems to be the best foot forward but then again who is going to decide what should be regulated and in what capacity? There are many questions that req uire adequately sound answers so that the topic of Internet regulation can be materialized further. The manner in which Internet needs to be regulated is a classic case in point. This is because there are certain nuances related with the Internet that deem more regulation than others. This means that the content aspect is one of the more serious pointers which need our attention. Some content on the Internet is illegal to be hosted on certain websites without proper litigation measures taken. Then again, copying data is an infringement which needs to be sorted out (Schwartz 357). There are people out there who would go to any limit to make sure that Internet is used for negative purposes. This does not come out as a major sign of optimism for anyone and the people at large suffer. Also the ones who are doing something worthwhile on the Internet are made to suffer since some websites get regulated and hence they have to face the brunt of it in the long run. Looking at the opposing vi ewpoint is also significant. This is because some of the Internet users are of the view that regulating Internet would mean that the speed will become slow and the servers will have a hard time coping up with similar issues. Therefore it would be in the best interest of the Internet users if they keep doing what they are undertaking without any rules and restrictions whatsoever. It will resolve quite a few issues that engulf the Internet users and amicably resolve many more that are about to crop up in the future. The need is to understand that Internet is an open domain and should be seen as such. These people opine that Internet must not be regulated under any scenario whatsoever since they do not want to miss out on what Internet offers them in entirety. Their viewpoints are generally not appreciated by the ones who believe in having regulations on the Internet. In the end, it would be sound to suggest that the regulation of Internet can be a good omen for keeping away the undesi red stuff on the Internet but there needs to be a proper mechanism for deploying such a nuance. What is even more imperative here is the fact that regulation of Internet must not hurt the people at large. The speed of the Internet should remain as such and if there are any compromising features, these must be taken care of in a quantifiable way. When this happens, people achieve the

Diagnosing and medicating grief as illness Essay

Diagnosing and medicating grief as illness - Essay Example Gup’s argument for alternative emotions management strategies, to medication is also justified. Grief has not been classified as depression, until the new D.S.M. publication, and the proposed management strategy may be a risky shortcut. Gup agues for use of coping skills and these appear to empower psychologically and to ensure a long lasting solution to emotions. In addition, understanding emotions such as grief to be non-medical conditions also justifies the call that medications should not be used for management. Traditional understanding of management of emotions such as grief also validates Gup’s position against medication of emotions. Grief normally transforms people’s lives and could motivate the grieving person of help the person identify opportunities for progression in life and medicating grief denies a person an opportunity for transformation. Grief is also a way of expressing love for what a person has lost and medical treatment therefore undermines the emotional aspect of grief. In addition, counseling that has been used as a strategy to managing grief requires acceptance of loss and the need to shift the pain to emotional development. Medication doses not however address the suffered loss and could therefore be a short-term solution yet a long-term solution is more appropriate. It is also important to note that crisis into emotions can be best understood from the beholder’s perspective. However, medication is based on a practitioner’s perspective and could therefore undermine resolving the real problem into grief.

Collaspe of the Soviet Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaspe of the Soviet Union - Essay Example In understanding how the collapse affected the west it is important to understand what the collapse entailed. Until 1991 there had been two major superpowers battling for supremacy, this occurred in many areas; space travel, economics and the aggregation of various cultures and countries. This was accomplished through direct interference and outside pressure using various propaganda approaches as well as financial and physical methods. The West up to this point had been, at least in the West, the ideal of civilization, with a solid mixture of physical liberty and fiscal freedom and ability. With the vacuum that occurred as a result of the collapse of the U.S.S.R. There was now a direct competition between â€Å"western† influences to gather more abilities and support. The West had as a result gained the upper hand however, as a result of the militarization that occurred during the â€Å"cold war† the United States now has a large military force that is has no given obje ctive and needed to be put to use. As a result of the â€Å"cold war† defense spending in the United States had doubled in the 1980’s and the size and ability of the United States military had expanded to fill the roles needed as a front line and support in this â€Å"cold war.†

How Technology Has Changed the World Essay Example for Free

How Technology Has Changed the World Essay The world has surely changes a lot in just a few years. The life people are living right now is way different than the life people used to live some years back. And if theres something responsible for this change, its technology. Technology has surely changed the world. It has also changed or thoughts about gadgets and other technological stuffs. Technology is that one thing that has been evolving each and every day making life of people simpler and easier. Technology is something that everyone is fond of. Doesnt mater if its a 5 year old boy or a 60 year old man,. everyone is interested int technology Technology has changed the way we look at out lives. Technology has brought a drastic change in your life. In our parents time, the term Luxury referred to Gold, Silver, acres of land they owned. But now, the most luxurious products are Gadgets or technological innovations. Technology has become everything for people. You want to decorate your house, you go for a big 65 led TV. You love music, you go and get a 5.1 Woofer which gives enough bass to shake the whole building. What you have describes your class. Anyone today wants to stay updated. No matter who you are, you will need to know about technology if you dont want to be called a fool. Technology has inspired a lot of us including me. So, let us all stay updated and know about gadgets. Read more:Â  How Technology Changed Our Lives

Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Mentat Tablet (MT)

Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Mentat Tablet (MT) An ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of twenty-eight major bioactive compounds in Mentat tablet (MT), a complex Indian herbal medicine used in the treatment of neurological disorder and improvement of mental health. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was employed for quantification in positive and negative mode. The analysis was accomplished on Waters AQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with linear gradient elution of water/formic acid (0.1%) and acetonitrile/formic acid (0.1%) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The proposed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r2, 0.9984-0.9999), precision (RSD, 0.22–2.11%), stability (RSD, 0.16–1.78%) and recovery (RSD ≠¤ 3.74 %), under optimum conditions. The limits of quantitation were low ranging from 0.28 to 3.88 ng/mL for the 28 compounds. The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous deter mination of 28 compounds in twenty batches of MT tablets. Also, hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis was applied to categorize 20 samples based on characteristics of the 28 bioactive compounds. The results have indicated that this advanced method is rapid, sensitive and suitable to show the real quality of the MT composition and also capable of controlling quality of polyherbal formulations having similar markers/raw herbs. Keywords: Multiple Reaction Monitoring / Multi-Marker Quantification / UPLC-ESI-MS/MS / Hierarchical Cluster Analysis / Principle Component Analysis 1. Introduction Herbal medicines (HMs) refer to one herb or complex mixtures, which usually contains hundreds of chemically different components. Their curative effects are principally based on the synergic effect of their multi-targeting and multi-ingredient preparations [1, 2]. Consequently, quality control becomes troublesome for crude drugs. the method that employs pharmacologically active components to evaluate the quality and authenticity of the complex preparations is confronted with severe challenges. Therefore, better analytical strategies to assure their efficacy, safety, and consistency is essential and in great demand [3]. Moreover, the chemical compounds in the poly herbs in HMs products may vary depending on harvest seasons, plant origins, drying processes and other factors. Thus, it seems to be necessary to determine most of the phytochemical constituents of herbal products in order to ensure the reliability and repeatability of pharmacological and clinical research and to enhance pro duct quality control [4, 5]. Currently, selection of a single or a few specific components from a certain herbal medicine as markers for quality assessment is a widely applied strategy. However, it cannot afford sufficient quantitative information for the other medicinal compositions and cannot accurately reflect the quality of HMs products. All the HMs compositions play important roles in the therapeutic effects. Therefore, selecting multiple constituents from different medicinal herbs as evaluation markers has been gradually applied for the quality control of HMs [6, 7]. Mentat tablets (MT, commercial product) is a polyherbal medication with each tablet composed of multiple herbs extracts (listed in Table S1). Major contributed herbs are Bacopa monnieri, Centella asiaticaand Withania somnifera. MT is a unique all-natural multi-ingredient formula that promotes brain health. It improves the mental quotient, memory span, concentration ability, stress threshold and exhibit significant anti-parkinsonian activity. MT also offers protection against convulsions, which is beneficial in insomnia with its sedative and tranquilizing effects [8-10]. Chemically bacosides, saponin mixture in B. monnieri, triterpenoid glycosides in C. asiatica, steroidal lactones in W. somnifera are the major representative ingredients in MT, in comparison to others. [11-14]. Phytochemical investigations show important classes of bioactive constituents in selected plants which are as in combination of MT that are responsible for the bioactivity [15-20]. Literature survey reveals various analytical methods including thin layer chromatography (TLC) [21], high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) [22, 23], liquid chromatography (LC) [6, 24, 25], liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [26-29], nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [30] for the quantitative analysis of the bioactive constituents in HMs to assess the quality of the complex preparations. To the best of our knowledge, there is no method reported for the simultaneous estimation of selected 28 multi-markers in herbals by UPLC-ESI-MS/MSand no such approach has been explored on this important drug combination for quality and consistency evaluation of this herbal preparation. Natural alteration in preparation processes and climate affects the safety and batch-to-batch uniformity of HMs products. Highly sensitive analytical methods are thus required to identify ingredients and evaluate batch-to-batch variation. Compared to conventional TLC, HPTLC, HPLC method which are less sensitive and takes longer analysis time, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode is more powerful approach. Due to its rapid separation power, low detection limit, high sensitivity, selectivity and specificity, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS offers effective detection to quantify multi-ingredients in complex sample matrices. Previous methods reported in literature only contained one or few compounds, without the consideration of other active ingredients. This paper describes for the first time a simple, accurate and reliable UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 28 multiple bioactive compounds from different polyherbs viz., bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C), withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, magnoflorine, curcumin, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, rosamarinic acid, ursolic acid, catechin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, corilagin, chrysin and chlorogenic acid with single runtime of 10 min. This method is intended not only for quality control of commercial polyherbal formulated products but also for efficient evaluation of raw materials. The quantitative results were further analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis i.e., hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principle component analysis (PCA) to provide more information about the ch emical differences and batch-to-batch variations. Chemical Structures of all analytes and internal standards were showed in Fig 1. 2. Experimental 2.1 Reagents and materials The reference standards (purity≠¥90%) bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C) was purchased from Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd. Apigenin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, protocatechuic acid, rosamarinic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, ursolic acid, palmatine, withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, magnoflorine, catechin, chlorogenic acid, curcumin, rutin, corilagin, chrysin, gallic acid and ellagic acid were purchased from Sigma Aldrich Ltd. (St. Louis, MO, USA). Reference standards of quercetin, luteolin and internal standards (IS) andrographolide and piperine were purchased from Extrasyntheses (Genay, France). Twenty different batches of Mentat tablets produced by Himalaya Drug Company, Bangalore, India were purchased from local drug stores from different places in India (Table S2). For all solutions and dilutions, methanol, acetonitrile (LC-MS grade) and formic acid (analytical grade) were purchased from Fluka, Sigma–Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Milli-Q Ultra-pure water was obtained from a Millipore water purification system (Millipore, Milford, MA, USA). 2.2 Preparation of standard solutions and samples A stock solution containing 28 standards i.e., bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C), withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, magnoflorine, curcumin, gallic acid, procatechuic acid, ferulic acid, caeffic acid, ellagic acid, rosamaric acid, ursolic acid, catechin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, corilagin, chrysin and chlorogenic acid were weighed accurately, dissolved in pure methanol.The working standard solutions were prepared by diluting the mixed standard solution with methanol to a series of concentrations within the ranges from 1 to 1000 ng/mL used for plotting the calibration curves. Meanwhile, each standard was also prepared respectively. The coating of each samples were removed completely, and the remains were smashed into powder. Pulverized sample (0.5g) was weighed precisely, and sonicated by ultrasonicator (53 KHz, Bandelin SONOREX, Berlin) using 50 ml 100% methanol at room temperature for 30 min. The extracted solution was centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatant was filtered through a 0.22  µm syringe filter (Millex-GV, PVDF, Merck Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany) to obtained 10,000  µg/ml. The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ltrates were diluted with methanol to final working solutions and analyzed directly by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The internal standards andrographolide for negative mode and piperine for positive mode were spiked to each working concentration of mixed standards solution and sample solution at a final concentration of 50 ng/mL (50  µL of internal standards mixture of 1000 ng/mL of each in methanol) were mixed properly. All solutions were stored at -200C until use and sonicated prior to injection. 2.3 Instrumentation and analytical conditions An Acquity ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLCTM) system consisting of an auto sampler and a binary pump (Waters, Milford, MA was used for analysis. The compounds were separated on an Acquity BEH C18 (2.1 mmÃâ€" 50 mm, 1.7 µm; Waters, Milford, MA) analytical column at a column temperature of 25à ¢- ¦C. A gradient elution was achieved using two solvents: 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water (A) and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in acetonitrile (B) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The gradient program consisted of an initial of 5% with linear increase from 5% to 60% B over 1.85 to 7.5 min and increased from 60% B to 90% B over 8.5 min, which was maintained for 1.5 min, followed by a return to the initial condition over 2.5 min with a sample injection volume of 5 µL. The UPLC system was interfaced with hybrid linear ion trap triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (API 4000 QTRAPâ„ ¢ MS/MS system from AB Sciex, Concord, ON, Canada) equipped with electrospray (Turbo V) ion source. The optimized parameters for positive mode were as follows: the ion spray voltage was set to 5500 V; the turbo spray temperature, 550à ¢- ¦C; nebulizer gas (gas 1), 50 psi; heater gas (gas 2), 50 psi; collision gas, medium; the curtain gas (CUR) was kept at 20 psi. Optimized parameter for negative mode were as follows: the ion spray voltage was set to −4200 V, the turbo spray temperature, 550à ¢- ¦C; nebulizer gas (gas 1), 20 psi; heater gas (gas 2), 20 psi; collision gas, medium; the curtain gas (CUR) was kept at 20 psi. Quantitative analysis was performed using multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and its conditions were optimized for each compound during infusion. For full scan ESI-MS analysis, the spectra covered the range from m/z 100 to 1000. Analyst 1.5.1 software package (AB Sciex) used for instrument control and data acquisition. The results of the precursor ion, product ion, corresponding declustering potential (DP), entrance potential (EP), collision energy (CE), cell exit potential (CXP) were shown in Table S3. 2.4 Multivariate analysis Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) is a tool to identify relatively homogeneous groups of cases based on selected characteristics, using an algorithm that starts with each case in a separate cluster until only one is left. In the experiment, HCA of 20 batches of samples were performed, in which a method called average linkage between groups was employed and 28 markers were selected as the measurement. Similarly, Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out based on the contents of quantified 28 bioactive compounds in 20 batches of samples. All the experiment was done using software STATISTICA 7.0. When the contents of investigated compounds were below the quantitation limit or not detected in the samples, the values of such elements were considered to be zero.

Treatment Options for Fractured Bridge

Treatment Options for Fractured Bridge Case Study: Discuss the treatment options of a case that you have treatment planned as part of your ICEi clinical portfolio. Patient complaint: Had a bridge in upper left area which had fractured and wanted to enquire about the possibility of implant treatment to replace the teeth and close the gap . History of present condition: Patient had a bridge for years for his one front missing tooth , and had recently fractured the bridge .No pain or discomfort from the broken tooth and has left the gap as such .Patient also had tried dentures for his other missing teeth but was not able to get used to them. Patient wanted to explore the options to replace his front missing teeth, in particular with dental implants. Patient not in any discomfort, and did not report any other dental problems. Patients’ expectation from the treatment is to replace front teeth, so that they look, function and feel like his own teeth and can give him confidence to smile as before . Social History: Patient rarely consumes alcohol and is a non-smoker Low sugar intake in diet Medical History: High blood pressure Medications: Ramipril, Cardioplen (Felodipine) / Simvastatin Extra oral examination: No abnormality detected Intra oral examination Soft Tissue: The soft tissues intra-orally were in good health. Periodontal condition: Bleeding on probing at some areas and calculus in lower front teeth. Grade 1 mobility with LR1, LL1 teeth but the pocketing depth was within normal range. Patient had average oral hygiene. Teeth :Teeth and existing restorations and crowns were generally in good condition. Generalised mild attrition was noted. Missing teeth: UR8 UR7 UR6 UR5 UL3 UL6 UL7 UL8 LR7 LR6 LR5 LL5 LL6 LL7 Crowned teeth (PBC) UR4 UR3 UR2 UR1 UL2 Restored teeth UL5 LR8 LR4 LL8 restored with amalgam restoration LR8 LL8 drifted mesially. UL4 tooth was fractured which was an abutment for mesial cantilever bridge (UL3-pontic, UL4- retainer crown), No caries, minimal coronal tooth structure present Occlusion: Upper arch Kennedy’s Class 1, Modification 1, considering missing UL3. Lower arch Kennedys Class 3, Modification 1 relationship was present. Due to missing posterior teeth in both upper and lower arch, patient had an edge to edge bite No obvious canine guidance or group function on lateral movements. Lip / Smile line: Lip and smile lines were positioned in such a way that when smiling broadly some of the gum margins of teeth were seen. An average (Moderate) lip line was hence recorded.(Van der Geld, Oosterveld et al. 2011). Bone morphology on palpation: UL3 area was noted to have buccal bone defect on palpation. UL4 tooth was having good hard tissue height and width due to the presence of the tooth. Diagnostic tests: Radiographs taken: DPT x-ray was done to assess the alveolar bone levels Periapical X-ray UL34 was done to assess the quality and quantity of bone available for the implant fixture. Photographs: Front view (close up) to record the lip line Intraoral view of UL3, UL4 area Bone defect picture Diagnosis: Failed anterior cantilever bridge (UL3 pontic, UL4 retainer) UL4 fracture tooth (no caries minimal tooth to restore) Upper and Lower partially edentulous arches. Generalised chronic mild gingivitis Patient wishes: Patient prefers a fixed option for the gap in the front. Treatment planning, objectives and considerations: Treatment is indicated to restore aesthetics and function and would also benefit the patient psychologically to have confidence in his smile again (Lindsay, And et al. 7). Considering patient desires, specific objectives of the treatment should be to restore missing UL3 tooth and UL4 tooth with a fixed option. The bone around the fractured tooth (UL4) is adequate, and there is sufficient bone height and width to allow the restoration of implant fixture. However, the bone around the missing tooth (UL3) was inadequate with bony defect and would need bone grafting to aid the long-term stability of the fixture. This can also further help to improve aesthetic results after implant treatment. Risk factors / limitations: Fracture of buccal bone can occur during extraction of UL4. UL3 has been noted to have less adequate bone, the implant restoration may have a higher restoration margin than the natural teeth, and tooth might appear to emerge higher up the gum than the adjacent teeth. No posterior support present in the present compromised occlusion and risk of excessive load on implants and hence failure of implants due to biomechanical reason and occlusion overloading(Kim, Oh et al. 2). Lack of primary stability of implants and Implant failure. (Chrcanovic, Chrcanovic et al. 6). Treatment options for the replacement of the missing teeth are: No treatment Leave Gap UL3 (Kanno, Carlsson 2006),Leave alone UL4 Extraction of UL4 and partial dentures (Davenport, Basker et al. 2000). Bridge (Not advised in this case, considering UL2 heavily restored and not suitable as an abutment). (Anonymous 2007). Implant options : UL4 implant and mesial cantilever bridge with UL3 UL4 (Implant supported bridge), (Kim, Ivanovski et al. 2). b. UL4 implant supported crown and UL3 Implant supported crown with bone grafting in UL3 (Al-Khaldi, Sleeman et al. 2011). Advantages and Disadvantages of different treatment options : 1. Leave, accept gap / Leave alone fractured UL4 Advantages: No treatment required No surgery Accept gap, no cost Disadvantages: Unaesthetic Drifting / Tilting of adjacent teeth Function and phonetic compromised Continuous bone loss, making restoring site more challenging at later date. Development of occlusal interferences Risk of caries developing UL4 Risk of acute pain / swelling and infection UL4 2. Partial dentures Advantages: No surgery Low cost Few visits for treatments Disadvantages: May be unstable Food accumulation Does not prevent bone loss Tolerance can be difficult 3. Bridge work (Not advised / feasible in this case) Advantages: No surgery Low cost Few visits for treatments Teeth are fixed Disadvantages: Healthy teeth prepared for support, Risk of loss of vitality ,may need Root canal treatment or Extraction at later date . Food accumulation as difficult to floss Does not prevent bone loss High cost Fracture of bridge or any part of it , needs replacing with new bridge as difficult to repair . Implant options: a) UL4 implant and mesial cantilever bridge with UL3 UL4 (Implant supported bridge) Advantages: Less cost as one implant to be placed No bone grafting needed, one surgical visit would be less. Treatment completion would be early as no bone augmentation needed. Fixed prosthesis Prevent bone loss at UL4 site Disadvantages / Limitations: Risk of implant failure is high due to excessive occlusal load due to missing posterior support. Compromised aesthetic outcome for UL3 due to bone defect present. If bridge work fails, would then plan to put two implants as planned as the next option and hence further cost. Oral hygiene needs to be maintained. b) UL4 implant supported single crown and UL3 Implant supported single crown with bone grafting in UL3 area. Advantages: Fixed prosthesis Prevent further bone loss at UL3 UL4 sites. Better aesthetic results. Individual implants, easy to maintain oral hygiene. Risk of failure due to occlusal load decreases as forces divided on two fixtures. If an implant fails, they could be replaced or treated individually. Long term clinical data reveals that the prognosis for implant treatment is very high, in the region of 90-95%. (Pjetursson, Pjetursson et al. 6). Disadvantages / Limitations: More cost as two implants and bone augmentation required. One surgical appointment added and wait for bone material to mature and hence prolonged treatment time. Risk of implant fixtures failure to ossteointegrate. The success of implant treatment will mainly depend on the ability to maintain a very high level of oral hygiene and plaque control measures in the long term. Need to attend dentist at 3-6 monthly intervals to ensure good periodontal (gum) condition is maintained around your implant fixture and standing natural teeth. Provisional restoration options: No Provisional restoration or Denture Patient opted for No Provisional restoration Type of bone grafting options 🙠 Dib 2010) An osseous graft can be osteogenic, osteoinductive or osteoconductive agent. Osteogenic graft contains vital cells, which will contribute to new bone growth. Osteoinductive graft stimulates the differentiation of osteoprogenitor cells into osteoblasts due to the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). Osteoconductive graft will serve as a scaffold for new bone formation. Graft materials are also classifies as: Autograft bone, obtained from the same individual. Allograft bone, obtained from a different individual, but from the same species (Bone bank) Xenograft bone, obtained from different species (Bovine) Alloplast graft is made of synthetic materials. Patient had no reservation for xenograft and hence xenograft Bio-oss was agreed to be used. Patient information leaflet given on same. Treatment agreed and planned: From the options discussed and considering patients’ wishes , it was agreed to plan two individual implant retained single crowns with bone augmentation at UL3 site and it was proposed to do: Scale and polish Extract the UL4 tooth and Bone Graft UL3 area Place two implant UL3 and UL4 Fabricate new upper and lower partial dentures Maintenance instruction and regular follow up A report was sent to the patient with all the options written after the consultation and attached with a breakdown of the costs for consideration and consent to proceed. Reference list : AL-KHALDI, N., SLEEMAN, D. and ALLEN, F., 2011. Stability of dental implants in grafted bone in the anterior maxilla: longitudinal study. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 49(4), pp. 319-323. ANONYMOUS, 2007. Long-term survival of complete crowns, fixed dental prostheses, and cantilever fixed prostheses with posts and cores on root canal-treated teeth. British Dental Journal, 203(9), pp. 523. DAVENPORT, J., BASKER, R., HEATH, J., RALPH, J. and GLANTZ, P., 2000. The removable partial denture equation. British Dental Journal, 189(8), pp. 414-24. DIB, M., 2010. Successful Bone Grafting. Oral Health, 100(4), pp. 106-107,109. KANNO, T. and CARLSSON, G.E., 2006. A review of the shortened dental arch concept focusing on the work by the Kà ¤yser/Nijmegen group. England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. KIM, P., IVANOVSKI, S., LATCHAM, N. and MATTHEOS, N., 2. The impact of cantilevers on biological and technical success outcomes of implantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ supported fixed partial dentures. A retrospective cohort study. Clinical oral implants research, 25(2), pp. 175; 175-184; 184. KIM, Y., OH, T., MISCH, C.E. and WANG, H., 2. Occlusal considerations in implant therapy: clinical guidelines with biomechanical rationale. Clinical oral implants research, 16(1), pp. 26; 26-35; 35. LINDSAY, S., AND, K. and JENNINGS, K., 7. The psychological benefits of dental implants in patients distressed by untolerated dentures. Psychology Health, 15(4), pp. 451; 451-466; 466. PJETURSSON, B.E., PJETURSSON, B.E., BRÄGGER, U., LANG, N.P. and ZWAHLEN, M., 6. Comparison of survival and complication rates of toothà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) and implantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ supported FDPs and single crowns (SCs). Clinical oral implants research, 18, pp. 97; 97-113; 113. VAN DER GELD, P., OOSTERVELD, P., SCHOLS, J. and KUIJPERS-JAGTMAN, A.M., 2011. Smile line assessment comparing quantitative measurement and visual estimation. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 139(2), pp. 174-180.

The Power of Internet Feedback :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Power of Internet Feedback Eight Sources I. Introduction Feedback is one of the most important elements to a businesses success. No matter what the business, all have to deal with two constants, customers and customer satisfaction. These two things lay the groundwork for a successful business. The customers come from various types of media strategies such as advertising, mail-order publications, public relations, retailing and merchandising, sales, market research, and prices of goods. In order for a business to be competitive in its market the business must know what the customer wants, what price the customer is willing to pay, why the customer would buy one brand over another and other feelings that customers need met that would make them buy your product or service. Great customer service is the difference that makes the difference, whether your customers deal repeatedly with one representative of your company or with a different person each time they call, whether you do business face-to-face or electronically. Internet feedback is the new wave as far as getting feedback from customers, "A company can't create advocates without a true understanding of customer preferences. Not surprisingly, much of the innovation and groundbreaking techniques for "listening" to customers is coming from the Web world (Griffin.)" This is why Internet feedback is one of the most useful and resourceful tools a business or institution can have at its fingertips today. II. Literature Review and Findings The literature I found to be most relevant to the type of information that I deemed most important covered a websites ability to satisfy a customer having specific feedback goals from the website. In an essay written by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir called, Design Usability: Keep Your Users In Mind Incorporating Feedback at Several Stages into an Ongoing Design Process Will Help a Site to Thrive. In this article the authors describe how the Web, like nothing else, has taught people how easy it is to walk away from a poorly designed product. The truth with the person who could easily and swiftly go to your website they can leave just as fast. A person who has invested the time to drive to a mall might be willing to suffer through a long checkout process much more readily than a Web customer, who can just as easily click over to the competition.

Free College Essays - The Obligations of Hector in Homer’s Iliad :: Iliad essays

The Obligations of Hector in Homer’s Iliad    In Homer’s Iliad, an extremely courageous and noble character is Hector, Prince of Troy.   Hector does not want war, so his decision to lead the assault on the Achaean forces may seem strange.   However, if there were a noble way out of the war, Hector might have taken it. â€Å"Without a noble escape, Hector is forced to fight†(Willcock 62).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     It does not seem to be rooted in his own belief that his brother Paris' actions are worthy of defense, or that Helen is a prize absolutely worth fighting for. In fact, although he feels fraternal affection for his brother, he reviles Paris several times for his selfishness and womanizing that has brought such grief to Troy. To Hecuba, he says "A great curse Olympian Zeus let live and grow in him [Paris], for Troy and high-hearted Priam and all his sons." (VI.334-5) He is angry at Paris, not only for the taking of Helen, but for his hiding from battle, allowing the other men of Troy to die for the trophy that Paris keeps in his bed. "You'd be the first to lash out at another -- anywhere -- you saw hanging back from this, this hateful war. Up with you -- before all Troy is torched to a cinder here and now!" he berates Paris (VI.389-90). And later, in the heat of battle, he cries again: "Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty -- mad for women, you lure them all to ruin!" (XIII.888-9) He is not fighting, then, out of respect for his brother's right to Helen. It is not that Hector believes that he is doing the right thing according to his own perception of the situation, only the honorable one, out of duty to country. Hector also has a personal stake in the battle -- he sees fighting his hardest as the only possible means of saving his beloved wife and child. He says to Andromache: "I would die of shame to face the men of Troy . . .if I would shrink from battle now, a coward." (VI.523-5) He goes on to evoke images of a widowed and enslaved Andromache, living far from home. However, it appears that his concern here is not entirely for her pain, but for the fact that people will speak of her as the woman whose husband, although brave, was not strong enough to fight off her day of slavery.

Brand and Chapter

CB2201 Consumer Behaviour Lecturers: Kristina Georgiou and Alison Barker Tutorial Questions Trimester 1, 2013 Students Week 2 – 04/03/13 Chapter 8 1. 2. 4. How does a discrepancy between the ideal state and the actual state affect consumer behavior? What factors affect the inclusion of brands in the consideration set, and why would a company want its brand in the consideration set? What six broad groups of sources can consumers consult during external search. Where does the Internet fit into these groups. Chapter 9 3. 6. 7. How do consumers use compensatory and noncompensatory decision-making models?How do appraisals and feeling, as well as affective forecasting, influence consumer decision making? What three contextual elements affect consumer decision-making?Week 3 – 11/03/13 Chapter 10 5. 6.What is brand loyalty, and what role does it play in low-effort decision-making? How do price and value perceptions affect low-effort decision making? Chapter 11 3. 5. How do expe ctations and performance contribute to disconfirmation? Why is complaining important to marketers and how should complaints be handled?Week 4 – 18/03/13 Chapter 2 Case Study – SUBMIT CASE ANSWERS IN CLASS WHAT’S IN A STORE AT UMPQUA BANK 1. 2. 3. How does Umpqua enhance consumer motivation by making itself personally relevant to customers? Explain, in consumer behavior terms, how the Innovation Lab enhances customers’ ability to process information about banking products and services? What is Umpqua doing to enhance consumers’ opportunity to process information about financial services? Week 5 – 25/03/13 Chapter 3 1. 4. 5. How do zipping and zapping affect consumers’ exposure to stimuli such as products and ads.What is perception, and what methods do we use to perceive stimuli? Differentiate between the absolute threshold and the differential threshold, and explain how these concepts relate to Weber’s Law. HEINZ IS LOOKING FOR ATTENTION – SUBMIT CASE ANSWERS IN CLASS 1. Using the concepts discussed in this chapter, explain how Heinz has been successful in generating exposure and capturing attention. What other ideas would you suggest Heinz try to foster exposure, attention and perception? In terms of exposure, attention and perception, what are some potential disadvantages of Heinz’s Top This TV contests?Do you think Heinz will benefit long-term from holding a contest for students that focused on the visual appeal of designing single-serve ketchup packets? Explain your answer.2.3. Teaching Free Week Friday – 30/03/13 – Thursday 04/03/13Week 6 – 08/04/13 Mid Term Test in Class BASED ON CHAPTERS 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 & 11Week 7 – 15/04/13Chapter 4 – SUBMIT CASE ANSWERS IN CLASS HYUNDAI ACCELERATES NEW IMAGE MARKETING 1. 2. 3. Why would Hyundai have a voice-over stating â€Å"We’re pretty sure that Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus aren’t going to like it very much† in a Genesis ad? How is Hyundai using country of origin to influence consumers’ inferences about the Genesis? In terms of knowledge and understanding, how is the introduction of the upscale Genesis sedan likely to affect how consumers think about lower-priced Hyundai models? Chapter 5 1. 3. What are attitudes, and what three functions do they serve.What role does credibility play in affecting consumer attitudes based on cognitions?Week 8 – 22/04/13 Chapter 6 2. 3. 5. 7. What role do source, message, context, and repetition play in influencing consumers’ cognitive attitude? What is the mere exposure effect, and why is it important to consumers’ affective reactions. Explain the dual-mediation hypothesis. What are the implications for affecting consumers’ brand attitude? What are the advantages and disadvantages of featuring celebrities in advertising messages? Chapter 7 4. . 6. How can retrieval failures and errors affect consumer memory? How does recognition differ from recall? What is implicit memory, and how can it affect a consumer’s ability to retrieve a brand name?Week 9 – 29/04/13 Presentation DayWeek 10 – 06/05/13 GROUP PROJECT DUE AT BEGINNING OF CLASS 8. 30am Chapter 14 1. 2. 5. Explain the differences between global values, terminal values, instrumental values, and domain-specific values.What are the four main value dimensions along which national cultures can vary? What are the three components of a consumer’s lifestyle? . Chapter 15 2. 5. 7. Why do companies sometimes target opinion leaders for marketing attention? What three techniques can marketers use to encourage consumer compliance? Why is word of mouth so important for marketers?Week 11 – 13/05/13 Chapter 16 4. 5. 6. How can consumers be categorized in terms of their timing of adoption relative to other consumers?What is the product life cycle, and how does it differ from product diffusion? How do consumer learni ng requirements and social relevance affect resistance, adoption, and diffusion? Chapter 18 1. 5. 6. What is compulsive buying, and why is it a problem? What influences environmentally conscious consumer behavior? What can consumers do to resist marketing practices they perceive as unwanted or unethical?Week 12 – 20/05/13 Final Test – In class BASED ON CHAPTERS 14, 15, 16 & 18

Baseball vs. Football

If you’re like most Americans, you probably have a favorite NFL team. You probably watch football games on TV and if you live in a city with an NFL team, you may shell out the cash to buy a game ticket to cheer them on. That is to say, no matter where you live, you almost certainly watch the Super Bowl, even if it’s just to check out the exciting commercials. In fact, if you’re not wearing an NFL team logo hat, T-shirt, or jacket today, you’ll almost certainly run into someone who is. The NFL, it seems, has become an unavoidable presence in American culture. Although baseball is know as America’s favorite pastime, professional football is the country’s most popular sport, and has been since the 1960’s. According to Forbes Magazine, the NFL is economically the strongest sports organization in the world today. (Vogan, T. 2011) On the other hand, baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente will always be remembered, especially for their outstanding accomplishments and remarkable sportsmanship. What happened to America’s favorite pastime sport? I grew up playing my favorite game baseball. I remember playing and dreaming of being one of my favorite players. I knew the stats of every player in the baseball league. In particularly, I loved going to the ball park, eating ball park franks, and watching my baseball hero’s play. This was the most exciting childhood memory for me. For this reason, I feel sorry for today’s children. They don’t know what it’s like to sit back and enjoy baseball, like it was back in those days. My greatest fear is that baseball is no longer America’s favorite game. What caused baseball to lose its popularity? It’s not easy to pinpoint. I can only speculate as to how this happened. For one thing, all the scandals, the controversy issues, and the trikes, fans have been disappointed by the unsportsmanlike conduct that resulted from this. The 1990 season bought major controversy. For example, Pete Rose was ruled ineligible for the hall of fame by major league baseball for gambling on games. Lets not forget about the Barry Bonds incident in 2007, that convicted him for the use of steroids in every vain of his body. Certainly, all of the steroid talk led other players down the same road. Players were randomly selected and busted on drug tests, the hitters in baseball have taken a backseat to the pitchers which no one wants to see. Another key point to why baseball is losing its swag, is because the ridiculous salaries paid to the players. USA today provided a detailed report, showing the total payroll for the New York Yankees. The payroll was at a whopping $202,689,025. The average salary for each player was $6,756. 300. (USA Today, 2011) Compared to the NFL New York Giants, total payroll was a mere $138,354,866 and averaged $2,470,622 per player. (USA Today, 2011) Consequently, this has caused a lot of controversy amongst the players, owners, and the league. Let’s talk reality, baseball owners are forking out a huge amount of money, to buy themselves a World Series. In my books you can’t buy a championship. To put it another way, NFL players must display a supreme test of strength and endurance. Unlike baseball, football has a high risk factor for injuries. When comparing the compensation of two sports, it appears the risk factor hasn’t been taken into consideration. In comparison to baseball, football has gained more popularity and amongst our generation today. In 2004 Gallup polls reported that, â€Å"64% percent of Americans identified themselves as football fans, 52% said they were baseball fans. (Isley. K, 2006 pg. 1) In the NFL, we see extremely talented NFL players. Day after day, these men go out and take a beaten. They earn the salary and gain the respect they deserve. You never hear the football league talking about strikes or walkouts. Of course, there are a few football players that embarrass the profession; but the numbers are a lot less noticeable. How many World Series can compare to the excitement of the last couple Super Bowls? The NFL has been able to make the Super Bowl not only exciting with the parity of the league, but they make it the most entertaining of all championship games. In Conclusion, in football we see talented players in the game, making less money then baseball players. They appear to be more loyal and genuine to the game of football. As a kid, I was huge fan of baseball, but I don’t love what it has become. Even though my heart will always be in baseball, I can honestly say that, â€Å"I’m a bigger football fan, at this time in my life†. It appears to be true that baseball is not nearly as popular any more as it once was. Clearly, baseball is not the favorite mass media sport anymore, and hasn’t been for the last 40 years. As television replaced radio as the preferred entertainment medium, football replaced baseball as the preferred sport to watch. References Keith, Isley (2006, August 18) Really? Is baseball less popular? Hard Ball Times, Retrieved from http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/really-is-baseball-less-popular/ USA Today. (2011) Salaries Databases. Retrieved from http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team Vogan, Thomas. (2011, May 02,) Historians, storytellers, mythmakers: NFL films and pro football experience. Proquest Dissertation and Theses. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/862727108?accountid=87314