Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Finance - Essay Example Union (EU) and creation of bodies such as South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SCCRC), North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO) and Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) are all examples of such regionalization. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is also one of these organizations which have been developed to promote the interests of the whole Southeast Asia. Being a fast growing economic bloc, observers pay a special attention towards its financial worth now and in future. Here we would focus on financial implications of ASEAN being our research question, vis-Ã  -vis other blocs and in global economy as a whole. Our research method would be primarily comparative and analytical and will be based on available historical data, both in print and electronic media, as primary research does not suit the purpose. We will also deliberate upon the individual contribution of member states wherever seems necessary. ASEAN was founded on August 8, 1967. Initially, it had five member countries namely Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. Since then, five more countries have joined ASEAN namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Laos making it a vibrant regional organization with ten members. Together these nations look to strengthen their political, economic, social and cultural development. With the passage of time ASEAN has provided even bigger platforms for nations of the region to sit together. One of them is ASEAN plus three where three economic giants of East Asia i.e. China, South Korea and Japan also attend the meetings to further the cause of regional development. Similarly, the creation of East Asian Summit is another step towards such regional dialogue. East Asian Summit includes New Zealand, Australia and India in addition to the ASEAN plus three states making it a meeting point for 16 nation states. 5. To mutually work for the development of agricultural, industrial and trade related issues.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Thermodynamics Paper Essay Example for Free

Thermodynamics Paper Essay Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. The term thermodynamics was coined by James Joule in 1858 to designate the science of relations between heat and power. The starting point for most thermodynamic considerations are the laws of thermodynamics, which postulate that energy can be exchanged between physical systems as heat or   work.   They also postulate the existence of a quantity named entrope, which can be defined for any system. In thermodynamics, there are four laws of very general validity, and as such they do not depend on the details of the interactions or the systems being studied. They are: zeroth law of thermodynamics, stating that thermodynamic equilibrium is an equivalence relation; first law of thermodynamics, about the conservation of energy; second law of thermodynamics, about entropy; third law of thermodynamics, about absolute zero temperature. An important concept in thermodynamics is the system. A system is the region of the universe under study. A system is separated from the remainder of the universe by a boundary which may be imaginary or not, but which by convention delimits a finite volume. The possible exchanges of work, heat, or matter between the system and the surroundings take place across this boundary. There are five dominant classes of systems: Isolated Systems, Adiabatic Systems, Diathermic Systems, Closed Systems, Open Systems. Thermodynamics describes how systems respond to changes in their surroundings. This can be applied to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, such as engines, phase transitions, chemical reactions, transport phenomena, and even black holes. The results of thermodynamics are essential for other fields of physics and for chemistry, engineering, cell biology and material science.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Report on Esther Essay -- Bible, The Book of Esther, God, Jews

Introduction Throughout time, people have attempted to destroy the nation of Israel, the â€Å"apple of God’s eye.† It was because from the Jews, came the covenants, promises, the law, and the messiah—the savior of the world. God’s chosen people are the enemy of Satan, the prince of this world, and the conflict started back in Genesis 3:15. While a remnant from Judah returned to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, other Jews remained in the cities of their captivity. Some were welcomed as valued members of their communities, but others were despised and hated. Some were even targeted for extermination. The book of Esther tells a story of an attempted extermination. It records a ten-year span during the 58-60 year interlude in the book of Ezra (ch.6-7) between the first return headed by Zerubbabel and the second return headed by Ezra. It also tells of the inauguration of a feast (Purim), which has endured over 2,000 years because of one woman, whose name the book is titled, said, â€Å"If I perish†¦ I perish.† Moreover, Esther is a story of courage and communication displayed in the life of two people: Esther and Mordecai. Author and Date The author of this book remains unknown. However, the author was probably a Jew, both from the purpose of the book in accounting for the origin of the Jewish festival Purim and from the Jewish nationalism, that permeates the story. Also, the author was acquainted with Persian culture. This is indicated by the extensive descriptions of the palace complex in Susa filtered throughout the book and the domestic reign of King Ahasuerus. Based on these observations, some have ascribed the author to Mordecai. However, modern scholars reject this idea because Mordecai is referred to in... ...ther realization of the sovereignty and providential care of our almighty God. What stood out to me above all in this study was the relationship of Mordecai and Esther. The communication and courage that these two had throughout the book was, in my opinion, phenomenal. These two cousins recognized their positions in relation to each other during the different dispensations of their lives, and thus submitted to one another; and because of this, they triumphed (2:10, 20; 4:17). What I gleamed from them was an example of how Christians ought to relate to each other (Eph 5:21). A Brief Outline of the Book of Esther I. The Fall of Queen Vasthi and the Rise of Queen Esther (Ch. 1-2) II. Haman’s Plot to Exterminate the Jews: His Rise and His Fall (Ch. 3-8) III. Mordecai’s Rise and the Deliverance of the Jews (Ch. 9-10)

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Need for Performance Appraisal in the Uae Transport and Travel Industry

Student Name: Instructor’s Name: Title: PROPOSAL: The Need for Performance Appraisal in the UAE Transport and Travel Industry Course: Institution: Table of Contents An evaluation of performance appraisal in UAE travel department3 Introduction3 Statement of the problem3 Research Objectives and Aims3 Background and Significance4 Significance of the Study4 LITERATURE REVIEW5 How has the UAE transport industry failed in embrace performance appraisal? 5 Emirisation policy (Nationalism)5 Employee wage rates and prohibition of workers tribunal6 National Culture and traditions7Organization Culture8 Research methods and design9 Research design9 Research deliverables/potential values/expected outcomes10 Limitations of the research10 Ethical Implications10 Bibliography12 The need for performance appraisal in the UAE transport and travel industry An evaluation of performance appraisal in UAE travel department Introduction Human resource management is the main determinant of employee perfo rmance in any organization (Wright et. al 2003). For effective management of employees, performance appraisal and management is a critical aspect in the human resource department.With the increasing competition, the advancement of technology and the current global economic decline, government departments and organizations are changing their employee practices to save resources and at the same time increase productivity (Armstrong 2009). They are working towards improving employee productivity. Resources in organizations are currently moving from capital and asset holding to skills employees possess, their brand and intellectual capability. Thus, the research will aim at critically examining how performance appraisal will improve employee productivity and reduce disputes in the UAE transport travel industry.Statement of the problem Increased poor performance and low employee productivity in the government sectors is affecting the general economy of the United Arab Emirates government s. Increased employee within the transport industry calls for a critical evaluation and implementation of performance appraisal. Research Objectives and Aims The research will basically base on ways of improving UAE employees’ productivity through performance appraisal. It restricts its scope to government sector and issues affecting employees within their departments and in the general organization.The research will also involve the government sector in the UAE. Specific Objectives ? To determine what is causing reduced productivity among employees ? To identify areas of weakness within the government organization ? To identify specific appraisal measures that the organizations are lacking ? To suggest appropriate measures of realizing improved performance Background and Significance The United Arab Emirates is a federal association comprising of seven different countries in the Southeast of the Arabian Pensula. The Emirates has conserved customs, laws and business practices governed by the Islamic beliefs.It is known for well developed infrastructure and its transport and travel industry that extends to international levels and serves a wide range of nationals. This is because it adopts technologies of other foreign states and is improves its transport industry by expanding it internationally (Alrawi & Sabry, 2009. However, currently, employee disputes and strikes experienced in most of the emirate countries is rampant. This is common in the biggest and most famous Emirates such a Dubai and Sharjah. Significance of the StudyThe study will look at employee productivity as a factor of performance appraisal in the UAE government departments with emphasis on the travel and transport industry of the UAE. The study will have significance both theoretically and practically. It improves the understanding of how performance appraisal of employees will increase their productivity and improve relations among employees and with their seniors in the UAE. It will a lso enable the government department to know which strategies they should put in place in order to attain employee job satisfaction, commitment and increased retention rates.The problem of employee productivity is an area of limited research. The study will develop a theoretical framework for employee performance appraisal and productivity in relation to UAE policies. LITERATURE REVIEW Employee performance and levels of productivity determines profits of any firm. According to Heathfield (2008), organizations are aiming at seeking advantages, and for this reason she says, evaluation of workers performance is becoming the immediate area of target. She says that the management of employee performance is of advantage for both the employee and the employer.She further states that, however the approach to the concept of performance appraisal may differ from one organization to another, the concept and its meaning still focuses on human capital as the most important asset in the organizat ion. How the UAE transport industry has failed in embrace performance appraisal Emirisation policy (Nationalism) Emirisation policy aims at developing more workforce among the nationals of UAE through education systems, training and career development so as to reduce the number of non-nationals in the countries and encourage employment of the nationals (Rees Et. l, 2007). This in turn may affect performance of the non-national employees and may lead to unfair judgment of employee performance by the managers. Many organizations are embracing the policies, and in turn changing the managerial approaches of the firms (Mansour, 2008). Human resource practices such as recruiting procedures (Randeree, 2009) and employment strategies are affected as a result of the emirisation policy. For example the banking sector where employment of the nationals increased to 30% from 28% in the year 2005. Employee wage rates and prohibition of workers tribunalLow wage rates and poor working conditions as a result of prohibit trade unions in the UAE, is a matter of concern and making headlines (Francis, 2008 ). This however involves discrimination of non-national workers from india, Plilistienes and Pakistan. The result of ignoring the human resopurse factor leads to disputes, strikes low employee production and damages the image of the organization. She states that the government intervenes to have more control on the employees; however, arresting workers who are fighting for their rights is uncouth.Performance appraisal aims at looking into the affairs of workers which also involves changing policies as the economy also improves. Francis (2008) further states that employee strike also resulted from policies established in the past two decades that organizations were still using in determining the rates of payment entitled to workers. He says that in Dubai, striking was illegal and therefore, for workers to engage in it, having in mind the consequences, it means that they are respo nding to the industrial working conditions that would result to utter poverty.The government in this case denies the workers certain rights and worsens it by detaining the demonstrators when they have no tribunals that they could rather have gone to and negotiated with the government. Dubai is known for its advanced air services, transport and tourism. However, labour issues as a result of employee wage rates are also a rising issue of concern. Shaibany (2011) writes an article on employee strike as a result of less pay. In is report he says that two hundred employees of Oman air went on strike following their demand for increase in pay. This is just after another incident in the North of jobs and wages.He say says that however, the flight staff did not strike, that the ground staff. Although this had no effect on flights for that day, the issue of employee performance is still an issue of concern. The issue of remuneration is also affected by gender inequality. In some cases in the UAE, female employees have been legally considered to earn less income than their male counterparts irrespective of their abilities and commitment (Tanmia, 2005). This has a direct effect to their performance. National Culture and traditions Arab traditions do not for provide elections in the political system of the UAE.The culture is based on previous generations, National and regional culture, gender and social organizational cultures that in turn have an effect on work values (Abubakr, 2006). Regional influence is more diverse than the rest. Religion, language and historical factors affect organization retention and employee satisfactions which are among the goals that performance appraisal aim at. Pawan et al. (2006) argue that the economic and political importance in the middle East are the areas of interests and therefore, this over shadows the development of human resource management literature.This, he says, affects performance in the business sectors which largely contribu te to the general economy. That poor economic growth as a result of assuming the human resource capital of the organization is affecting the standard of living of people in the region. Goel (2008) explains how a performance appraisal interview puts the employee in a better position to communicate their views and opinions, to identify their weaknesses and knows areas which require improvement and adjustments. He states that this improves communication within the organization and motivates workers to improve themselves.Goel notes that different organizations conduct the appraisal exercise at different times, others yearly or twice a year. However, he suggests that unscheduled and informal exercises are better and more useful. The United Arab Emirates is experiencing a commendable growth in the economic sector and is embracing technology from foreigners at a high rate. According to (OECD 2010), the government aims at capacity building. The government is now moving form the traditional system of personnel management that has less professionalism and is routine oriented to a human resource management system which focuses on performance.OECD states that human resource management focuses more on employees as recourse to the organization and not a tool. This therefore means that, their performance is a priority to the organization as well as their well being, which the organization ensures by providing them with favorable working conditions while balancing its advantage. Organization Culture Recognition is one of the factors that ensures employee satisfaction and enables them to stay in a given job for a longer period (Buckingham & Coffman, 1999).Many organizations in the United Arab Emirates transport industry, especially in Dubai and Sharjah, perceive manager as the best and expect employees to simply follow instructions and work. Practices within organizations in relation to economic policies and strategies are also an issue. Beer and Ruh in Vroom (1990) managing p eople state the use of Management by Objective (MBO) system as an important in instilling accountability on the part of workers other than just improving their personal qualities.Beer and Ruh further explain that many managers and top executives dislike judging their subordinates on how they work as a way of ensuring that everyone is working towards the goals of the organization. However, he says, this is the most Important role of the managers within the organization to ensure that all efforts are directed towards achieving a common goal of the organization. Some managers fear giving negative results o employee analyses when they need to so as to enable the employee improve on the areas of weaknesses. Likely, some are ignorant of employee reactions and interpersonal situations as they focus on results alone.Such managers, he says, do not care about the employee and at times will communicate the results in a manner to frustrate them, which is not ethical. Research methods and design The research will use secondary data from available literature that is books and internet sources. The research will also use survey methods in collection of data by use of survey questionnaires to employees and employers at different job posts. Semi-structured interviews will also be involved. The research will include qualitative technique to gather analysis and concepts and quantitative technique to gather numerical data (Punch 2005) Research designThe purpose of the research is to investigate the need for performance appraisal in the transport and travel industry in Dubai. The study will based on employees and employers responses regarding the objective of the need for performance appraisal in the industry. The researcher will adopt an exploratory study design. An explanatory approach will also be used in explaining the relationship between variables. Research deliverables/potential values/expected outcomes The research will provide managerial information for managing human res ource that will enable organizations in the transport industry to increase employee productivity.This is of value to both employers and the workers. The research expects that the outcome will give relevant areas of weakness that management require applying employee performance appraisal and effectiveness of this procedure to the general organization. Limitations of the research Dubai is an Arab speaking country which only embraced English for business and commerce purposes. The researcher therefore is likely to face the problem of language barrier among the nationals. Not all nationals are used to English and if so, not fluent English. This will be a limiting factor in the case of interviews.Being a Muslim country, religious barriers are likely. Cultures like restricted closeness with respondents of the opposite sex and way of dressing as restricted by the respondents’ religion might be a limitation during the research. Collection of information from respondents of a differen t gender will pose a challenge to the researcher. Nationality and race of the researcher might be a possible limitation in the research. Respondents may fear to respond to questions or get close to the researcher because of racial barrier and different nationality. Organization policy in the foreign country will limit research and collection of information.Organization management might refuse to cooperate by restricting employees from participating in the data collection. Ethical Implications The research will observe quality in information and findings, encouraging no faulty or defrauding information from the participants of the research. It will also ensure safety of the participants is taken into consideration with equal assurance to them of confidentiality and non disclosure of their information details. The researcher will present confidential forms to this effect which he will sign and the respondent will sign too.Quality of information will be ensured by collecting informatio n from direct victims of performance appraisal (employees). Bibliography Abubakr, M. (2006). Managing human resource in the Middle East: Human resource management in the United Arab Emirates. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. Alrawi, K. , & Sabry, K. (2009). E-commerce evolution: A Gulf region review. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 4(5), 509 – 526 Armstrong, M. (2009). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practices (11th ed. ). London: Kogan Page Limited. Buckingham, M. , ; Coffman, C. (1999).First, break all the rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently. New York: Simon ; Shuster. Francis. V, (2008). Dubai Labor Fighting Back Vs. Indentured Globalization. Retrieved on November 5, 2012 from GOEL, D. (2008). Performance appraisal and compensation management. New Dehli, Prentice-Hall of India. Heathfield, S. M, (2008). Why organizations employ performance evaluation. Retrieved on November 5, 2012 from Organisation for Econo mic Co-Operation and Development. (2010). Progress in public management in the Middle East and North Africa: case studies on policy reform. Paris, OECD Pawan S. B, ;Mellahi,K. (2006).Managing Human Resources in the Middle East. Routledge Punch, F. (2005). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. London: Saga Publications Randeree, K. (2009). Strategy, policy and practice in the nationalisation of human capital: Project Emiratisation. Research ; Practice in Human Resource Management 17(1), 71-79. Rees, C. , Mamman, A. , ; Bin Braik, A. (2007). Emiratization asa strategic HRM change initiative: Case study evidence from a UAE petroleum company. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), 33-53. Shaibany, S. (2011). Oman Air employees strike for higher wages.Tanmia, 2004. Emiratisation in the Banking Sector: Factors Influencing Success and Failure: The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority: Centre for Labour Market R esearch and Information. Human Resource development and employment Authority. Dubai: United Arab. Emirates Vroom, V. H (1990). Manage people, not personnel: motivation and performance appraisal. Boston, MA, HBS Press. Wright, P. , ; Kehoe, R. (2008). Human resource practices and organizational commitment: A deeper examination. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 46(1), 6-20. Appendices Appendix 1: Timeline and work plan Task |Duration | |Review of literature |1day | |Investigations of surveys done |1day | |Preparation of questionnaires |1day | |Actual survey |2weeks | |Data analysis |4days | |Report writing and compilation |1 week | Appendix 2: Budget Expected task |Expected cost ($) | |Information from the library |170 | |Testing of questionnaires |150 | |Actual survey |300 | |Miscellaneous costs |150 | |Total |770 |

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Buying Behavior

There are many aspects of life that effect a person’s buying behavior. Buying behavior is the decision process and actions of people involved in buying and using products and services. Influences on buying behavior can be classified into three major categories: situational influences, psychological influences, and social influences. Situational influences include physical surroundings and social surroundings. Depending on who is around at a certain time may sway a person’s decision to buy something. Psychological influences include perception, motives, attitudes, personality, and lifestyles.Although these psychological influences are very much internal they still effect people’s actions on the outside. Social influences include roles, family influences, reference groups, social classes, and subcultures. Social influences are perhaps the most distinguishable influences and contribute to buying behavior in many ways. Influences on consumer buying behavior come from all aspects of life and have major impacts on the type, brands, and kinds of products people buy everyday. One of the major psychological influences on buying behavior is lifestyle.A lifestyle is an individual’s pattern of living based on his or her interests, activities, and opinions. A person’s lifestyle is based off what they need, want and do, this in turn effects their buying behavior. It influences what products people need, which brands they prefer, and how and when they shop. A lifestyle develops into a consistent pattern people follow in their lives. An example of how a certain lifestyle affects a persons buying behavior is the new shift in the United States towards a healthy and natural lifestyle.People who want to become healthier will buy healthy foods and maybe even purchase things such as new running shoes or a gym membership. A person who is not concern with following a healthy lifestyle would not have any motives to buy these things. My lifestyle defin es what I spend my money based on my hobbies, opinions, and interests. Every month I pay twenty dollars a month for a gym membership because staying in shape is something that I value. I also shop as stores such as Forever 21 and H&M because they sell trendy clothes for an affordable price.This suits my lifestyle because I like to keep up with the latest fashion without spending all of my income on clothing. I also spend a lot of money on gas for my car because I commute back and fourth to school. I decide to use my money on gas because getting an education is important to me. A major part of my lifestyle is love for animals. I have recently bought a puppy and now must buy things for him such as food, toys, and medicine. The type of lifestyle a person has, has a major impact on what types and brands of products they buy. One of the major social influences on the buying decision process are the roles a person assumes.A role is the actions and activities that a person in a particular position is thought to complete based on expectations of the individual and surrounding persons. People can assume many roles in life and must buy different kinds of product for each role. The most common example of how a persons different roles effect their buying decisions is the clothes that they wear. A person has different clothes that they wear at home, at the club, at the gym, and at work. They must adapt to the role they are assuming at a certain time and their clothing must suit each of these roles.I assume many roles in my life including daughter, student, girlfriend, friend, and worker. As a girlfriend I decide where what do on the weekends and often spend money on going out. As a daughter I buy food, toilet paper, and essential good for everyone’s use in the house. As a student I buy pens, paper, and supplies that make me successful in doing my school work. Buying behavior is very much based on specific roles in life, and because people’s roles are ever cha nging sequentially so is their buying behavior. One of the major social influences on buying behavior is family influence.Family influence is the different influences each family member assumes in the buying decision process. All family members play a role in the families decision to buy something. There are four major roles that family members can play. The gatekeeper collects and controls information about price, quality, and location. They do the research on the best product, brands, and places to shop. The influencer expresses his or her opinion and tries to influence the family’s ultimate buying decision. The decider makes the actual buying choice.They make the final decision on what product will be purchased. However, they do not necessarily make the purchase that role is assumed by the buyer. These various roles show how different family members contribute to the buying behavior of the family as a whole. In my family my brother is the gatekeeper, my mom is the decider, I am the influencer, and my dad is the buyer most of the time. We all are usually the users, which are the household members who consume or use the product. I always help my mom make the grocery list so I can tell her all of the food I want her to buy.Also I have traveled the most out of anyone in my family and often try to influence where we take our family vacations. My mom does not always take my advice but she always takes it into account when making any decisions. An example of me in the role of the influencer is last year when we were planning our family vacation I kept telling my parents how many things there were to do in Bermuda and how much fun it would be for the whole family. We ended up going to Bermuda much to my persuasion. Family influences can also pass on from generation from generation.For example when I moved into my own apartment I always bought Snuggle fabric softener because that’s what my mom always used and I always loved the way my clothes smelt gro wing up. I am now loyal to the Snuggle brand because my mom was always loyal to the brand. Family members can have many direct or indirect influences on buying behavior. Another social entity that affects buying behavior is reference groups. A reference group is a group that a person identities with so powerfully that he or she embraces the values, attitudes, and behavior of other group members.People often look to others in their reference group for â€Å"conspicuous† purchase, or purchases that will be seen by others. They seek out brand patronage, information on products, and brand comparisons from people in their reference group to help them make buying decisions. Reference groups are usually formed with people that are trusted and thus the information given can affect whether a person does or does not buy a product, buys a specific brand, or buys a certain type of product.Buying behavior can be changed to be more in line with actions of other group members once a member is swayed in a specific direction. A reference group in which I belong to is my three best girlfriends. We are always giving each other advice on the best clothes, nail polish, shampoo, and even hairdressers. We all use the same products and are always sharing positive and negative feed back on brands and services. I think that my reference groups has the most influence on my buying behavior because I have such similar wants, needs, and expectations to the other members.Social class is another social influence on buying behavior. Social class is an open group of individuals with similar social rank. In the United States it is made up of three major social classes Upper American, Middle American, and Lower American. People in similar social classes also develop many similar social patterns. They have similar values, belongings, needs, and wants. The fact that people in the same social classes are so similar, they are influenced by each other’s actions. These influences include which brands people buy, where they shop, and what kinds of products they buy.My family falls into the upper middle class. We are careful with money but still spend it on leisure and entertainment. My parents often ask neighbors for advice when buying things such as a new lawn mower, grill, or car. As a result many of the people in the neighborhood all have John Deer lawn mowers and Toyota cars. Another social influence on buying behavior is subculture. A subculture is a group of individuals whose characteristics, values, and behavioral precedents are comparable within the group and different from those in the nearby culture.Some examples of subcultures are college students, teenagers, Latin Americans, and the West Coast. Subcultures influence attitudes, lifestyles, and beliefs. This affects what people in certain subcultures like and do. For example, people from Japanese culture eat raw fish, and their children learn to like raw fish as well; however, not many children in other pl aces of the world eat sushi. A subculture that I am a part of is college students. College students usually have a small budget so we are looking for quantity over quality.We buy cheap alcohol and fast food because we can get a lot of product for less money. Another subculture that I belong to is commuters. Unlike people who live at school I must spend money on gas and leave extra time to get to class. As commuters we look for the cheapest gas stations and the shortest routes to school. Subcultures influence buying decisions because most of its counter parts have very similar motives. There are many factors that influence the buying decision process. Some of these influences are social, some are psychological, and some are situational.When marketers are trying to market their products they need to keep in mind all of these factors. These categories can help marketers discover whom advertisements should be targeted at in order to be the most successful. They also reveal the reasons p eople buy what they buy which gives marketers key information that they can use to change the marketing mix to suit the buyer’s needs and wants. The decision buying process is a complex process that is affected by many interior and exterior pressures.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Organism essays

Organism essays Every organism at one time or another has to learn to adapt to a new environment. This is why evolution of organism is needed in order to survive changes to its environment, such as the case of the flightless birds. For one reason or another over a period of 100,000 years the need for wings was unnecessary to their survival. There could be many reasons why the birds evolved to be more adaptable to their environment. A small population of birds would have to replenish and start a new population. In all populations there are great reproductive potential to replace numbers and expand the number of population. After their population grew there would be a leveling off of the population once it reached a stable size. The birds' population would become stable due a lack of food to support every bird in the population, along with predators helped to contribute to keeping the population stable. After being on the island a while the birds' population would start showing a variation in differen t traits. Such things as color, wing size and overall size may vary, due to predators and the terrain of the environment. Eventually the birds evolved to the point where the use of their wings was no longer needed, as a necessity to survive. The adaptation could have been because flying itself took to much energy, so to conserve food they didn't fly too much. The bird's food also could have been close to the ground and there was no need to really fly. Another thing could have been that it was hard for predators to catch the birds if they stayed in think under brush or traveled along the ground. For whatever reason the birds didn't need their wings this trait was passed of from generation to generation. The reason this trait was passed on was because it helped the survival of these individual birds. They were able to reproduce and pass these traits through heredity. ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Media in the Ivory Coast

Media in the Ivory Coast Free Online Research Papers Part 1: Country Background The Rà ©publique de Cà ´te dIvoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, is a country in West Africa bordering Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The location now known as the Ivory Coast was made a protectorate of France during the era of imperialism by a treaty in the 1840’s, and became a French colony in 1893. The country gained its independence in 1960, at which point it was led by Fà ©lix Houphouà «t-Boigny until 1993. During these years, the country was closely tied with its’ West African neighbors economically and politically, but also maintained trade with the Western world, furthering the nations economic development. However, since the end of Houphouà «t-Boigny’s rule the countries stability has been in serious decline, brought on by a number of coups vying for power. Following the takeover by two militia groups in 1999 and 2001 that served to replace the preexisting political powers, the country has been subject to a civil war since 2002. Today, the government is identified as a republic with strong executive power embodied by the president, President Gbagbo. The nation’s current state of unrest has greatly hampered its economic development and social and political stability, and the violent state of the country poses a serious threat for those wishing to do business with the Ivory Coast. Part 2: Country Profile Population: According to UN census data in 2005, Cà ´te dIvoire has a population of 17.1 million individuals. According to data in 2003, 43.6% of the population is female. The largest city in the country is Abidjan, which is the center for most of the countries economic activity and host to over twenty percent of the nation’s total population. However, the capital city is Yamoussoukro, which has less than 300,000 inhabitants. Language: French is the official language of the Ivory Coast, although there are additionally over ten native languages spoken. Each native language represents the first language of less than fifteen percent of the population, expressing a wide range in culture. However, most individuals in the country speak more than one language. Religion: 63% of the country subscribes to a variety of localized African religions. Islam is the most widespread singular religion, hosting 25% of the population. Approximately 12% of the population reports being Christian. Economic Industries: The economy of the Ivory Coast functions primarily on agricultural exports, representing nearly a third of the gross domestic product. The primary exports of the nation are cocoa beans, coffee, cotton, palm oil, and bananas. The economy is currently severely threatened by the violent state of the nation, which discourages foreign traders thereby limiting exportation. An additional 20% of the GDP is comprised by industrial services, including food and beverage manufacturing, wood products, oil refining, automotive assembly, and textile production. The labor force accounts for the remainder of the economy, with over 60% of the population providing physical labor to support the large agricultural industries. Income: The gross national income was estimated at only $840 U.S.D. per capita according to World Bank data in 2006. Additionally, a significant portion of the population, approximately 37%, is below the poverty line, and 13% of the population suffers from unemployment. The GNP of the country was approximately $15.3 billion in 2005, just below Cameroon, Iraq, and Latvia, placing it in the top third of the world’s countries. Life Expectancy: Men have a life expectancy of only 45 years, with women expected to live only marginally longer, with an average life expectancy of 47 years. This suggests a lack of medical resources and social services. Literacy: The literacy rate is just over fifty percent, indicating a lack of educational opportunities. Part 3: Media Investigation Publications: The Ivory Coast has nine primary daily publications. Of the nine, one is state-owned, one is owned by the ruling party, one is run by the opposition, and the other six are privately funded. It is important to note that Notre Voie, the paper that is funded by the ruling party, has the largest daily circulation. Television: Television service is provided by Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirenne, or RTI, which is state-run. There are no private TV stations, although rebel groups have gained the ability use state-owned TV facilities in certain areas for their own broadcasts. Radio: Radio is the Ivory Coast’s most popular medium for media. There are a total of only seven radio stations that are broadcasted throughout the majority of the country. While the majority of stations are state-owned and run by RTI, there are also non-commercial radio stations that are run more locally by church groups as well as by UN peacekeepers. News Agency: The Agence Ivoirenne de Presse, which is the equivalent of the United States’ Associate Press and is required to regulate the legitimacy of the news being produced, is state-owned, suggesting possible censorship and government biases. Internet/ Telephones: Two Internet service providers: Africaonline and Aviso, with only 1.5% of the population estimated to be Internet users as of 2005. Only 328,000 main line telephones in 2003, although at the time there were over one million cellular phone users. Today there are over four million cell phone users. Part 4: Media Analysis The Ivory Coast was ranked 98th on the most recent list put out by the international World Press Index. This free press index ranking is up 41 places from the previous year. This rise in ranking was particularly shocking to me, especially considering many of the testimonies of journalists I encountered during my investigation. For example, the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders recently described the Ivory Coast as â€Å"one of Africa’s most dangerous countries for both local and foreign media,† which is largely based on the threat of violent actions from both rebel and state-run military forces. This testimony is evidenced by occurrences such as that in 2004, at which point the government used media under its’ control, specifically the RTI, to enable them in their struggle against rebel forces. The close ties between media and the government is further solidified by the fact that in 2006, members of the Young Patriots militia, who are loyal to Pre sident Gbagbo, invaded RTI headquarters in order to gain more control over the output of information in the media. Although these events occurred several years ago, as recently as 2007 the local UN peacekeepers expressed reports of a â€Å"growing number of inflammatory articles in the press,† providing propaganda for the groups in power. The UN peacekeepers also reported an increasing number of violent attacks on publications. This information does not seem to validate any indications of positive steps towards the production of unbiased media. Based on my investigation of the nation known as the Ivory Coast, it is clear that there is a close link between government forces and the media. Not only are the radio, television, and newspapers state-run, but even peacekeepers have had to take a claim in the media in order to gain any semblance of an effective voice within the community. In 2005, the peacekeepers were able to launch their own radio station in Abidjan, although it did not have broad enough range to reach the entire nation. Even church groups have had to succumb to the media game being played by the government, opting to fund their own radio stations in order to provide some sense of hope for citizens in opposition of the forces in charge. In dissecting the media in Cà ´te dIvoire, I tried to keep an open-mind before passing judgment on the state of affairs. I was initially impressed by the website of the Ivory Coast’s largest circulating newspaper, Notre Voie. The website provided a variety of local articles in English, which I hoped would prove to present an unbiased form of media. However, once I discovered that Notre Voie was state-owned, I began to recognize a pattern in the nature of articles presented; none of the articles provided any opposition to President Gbagbo, nor did they even address the current state of disarray caused by the ongoing civil war. In fact, the themes of the news stories were very localized, and tried to put a positive slant on what was occurring throughout the country. Overall, I think the shape of the media in the Ivory Coast is a product of a variety of influences. The ongoing state of political unrest as caused political parties to enlist propaganda as a strategy for increasing support. This sort of output from the media has served to further the division between groups, causing it to be deemed â€Å"hate media,† and has recently been present in a large number of African nations such as Rwanda who have struggled with similar issues with infrastructure. It seems to me that these unsteady political circumstances translate to corruption within the media, with no authorities working to ensure an unbiased presentation of the news because state-run media sources receive pressure from parties in power to present a specific point of view. Additionally, I believe that the widespread poverty throughout the country further inhibits the local freedom of press. My findings of limited internet access and low literacy rates suggest a lack of social mobility that may correlate with people’s inability to demand truth from local media forces. It is clear that the powers in charge have not accepted the responsibility to place value on a high standard of media, and therefore it is the role of the citizens to pursue such freedoms. Because local citizens have not been able to express these wishes, perhaps it is at this point that Western influences must intervene. Although Western influence has been hampered in the Ivory Coast by civil war, our global awareness of the situation in the country provides grounds for intervention. Research Papers on Media in the Ivory CoastAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeQuebec and CanadaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaDefinition of Export QuotasBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Email Matters

Email Matters Email Matters Email Matters By Maeve Maddox The ease of dashing off an email is both a convenience and a deadly snare. Emails are not as public as a Twitter tweet, but can lead to grief for the unwary. We’ve all heard the horror stories of the jokester who says something outrageous intended for the eyes of a friend, and then hits the â€Å"Reply All† button by mistake. Because there’s always the chance that an email might go astray, the best practice is what I call the â€Å"Klingon rule†: Don’t say anything in an email that you don’t want a third party to read. (I think it was General Chang in StarTrek VI who said he never uttered anything he wouldn’t want to be overheard. Klingons are always under surveillance.) One way to avoid embarrassing situations with clients or employers is to make a habit of treating every email with care, even the ones you dash off to your friends. Human frailty being what it is, there’s probably no way to avoid saying or typing something stupid at some time or another, but a few tips can save some embarrassment. Common courtesy is the key to writing an email that won’t come back to bite you. Courtesy when writing an email means considering such things as the fact that not everyone can read tiny type or understand texting abbreviations. Depending upon the recipient, sloppy English or attempts at humor can prove deal breakers. In these tippy-toe times of political correctness, it doesn’t take much to offend some people. No one, however, is likely to take offence at standard usage and conventional formatting. Email Address A snappy email handle may amuse your friends, but if you use your account for business as well as social correspondence, you may want to avoid choosing a handle like redhotpapa or partygirl. As the first thing the recipient sees, it can affect the spirit in which the message is received. Subject Line Put something meaningful in the subject line. Be as specific as possible, even for your friends. Instead of â€Å"Hi† or â€Å"Hello,† type something that refers to the message. No one enjoys having to sort through hundreds of emails in order to double check one of them. Font Leave the fancy script and colored text for homemade greeting cards. Choose an easy-to-read font and a dark font color. Dark blue is all right, but black is better. Red is the hardest color to read. Big is better than small. Use a minimum of 12-point. Upper- and Lower-case Use lowercase type with capitals where capitals are called for. Lowercase is easier to read than all caps, but don’t go to extremes and omit capitals altogether. Friends may not mind, but a business colleague may interpret lack of capitalization as evidence of lack of education or energy. Spelling Spell correctly. Use conventional abbreviations. Save texting code for texting. Punctuation It’s easy enough to misinterpret a written message. Reread what you have written before hitting Send. See if the addition of a comma or other punctuation might make your meaning clearer. Salutation Begin your email with the recipient’s name. For a friend or associate, the first name is the obvious salutation. Otherwise, use the full name. I don’t often see â€Å"Dear So-and-So† in electronic correspondence; beginning with the name alone is sufficient. Close The way you end your email will depend upon your relationship with the recipient and the nature of the email. If you are reporting bad news or responding to it, you’re not going to close by writing â€Å"Cheers† or â€Å"Have a nice day.† Here are some options: Best, Best regards, Best wishes, Cheers, Cordially, Kindest regards, I remain yours truly, Regards, Sincerely, Take care, Thanks again, Warmest regards, Yours. If you have asked someone to do something time-consuming for you, your close can be even longer: Thanks for your time and consideration. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"50 Idioms About Roads and PathsCharles's Pen and Jesus' Name

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Fundamentals of Strategic Communications and Public Relations Assignment - 1

Fundamentals of Strategic Communications and Public Relations - Assignment Example The department also acts as the chief source of contact between the media and the College staff and takes part in the arrangement of interviews with the journalists and issue press releases. The department is also responsible for the production of the college publications and the simultaneous management of the internal communications (Media & Public Relations, 2011). The paper will focus on the optimal strategies adapted from the viewpoint of the public relation consultant in bringing forth several aspects of the College and exposit it as one of the prime educational institutes. Stress will also be focused on the various strategies used in the promotion of policies which would attract more and more students as well as enhance the position of the college in the prevalent competitive scenario. The strategies will be explained in a recent speech of Barrack Obama that will attract at least 400 media representatives and robust media coverage. The realms of Public Relations (PR) generally circumscribes around the creation and establishment of the mutual understandings among the organizations and the public related to those institutes. The planning of public relations is not a haphazard process; rather it is a synthetically complex process which incorporates the basics of attention, impulsiveness, forecasts, analysis and focuses on the consequences. The PR planning also must ensure that not only the organization takes part in the understandings of the public but also in the real understanding of the public. The foremost task of the public relations is to ensure that the public concerned must understand those formulated policies. The Prin its core is an art because it chiefly incorporates the artistic skills, fine arts, language, writing, public speaking and so on.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Simulation Impact on Saudi Internship Nursing Students Essay

Simulation Impact on Saudi Internship Nursing Students - Essay Example There are different types of simulation in nursing including high, mid, and low fidelity simulations, and several organizations such as International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) support and improve simulation (Aebersold & Tschannen, 2013). Additionally, simulation allows educators to concentrate on their students’ performance rather than focus on patients’ safety and possible errors that could harm the patients (Sideras, McKenzie, Noone, Markle, Frazier, & Sullivan, 2013). In the contemporary age of rapid technological advancement, nursing education should follow this pedagogical strategy and provide the modern generation with high-quality education which would help them practice safely. Improving high fidelity simulation to create a suitable learning environment is particularly relevant in the contemporary age because technology is omnipresent and modern generation is really connected to technology. Cordeau (2010) mentioned that using simulation for undergraduate nursing students helps improve their thinking ability and practice and optimizes their ability to enhance and patients’ safety. High fidelity simulation helps the learners imagine real situations. This type of simulation has a lot of programming and monitoring to improve the teaching and learning experience for the instructors and learners respectively (Dunnington†¨, 2013). The revolution of technology solves a number of instructional problems such as insufficiency of educators a nd clinical placement, so the education and learning processes are improved with direct feedback and reduced tendency to cause errors (Partin, Payne, & Slemmons, 2011). Some hospitals in Saudi Arabia offer internship programs for nursing students to help them use their theoretical knowledge in practical situations. The limitation of clinical experience among the nursing students on

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution Research Paper

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution - Research Paper Example One of the important amendments of the Constitution is the 8th Amendment and its significance lies in the fact that it has, though the years, promoted humane and civilized forms and methods of punishing criminals. This amendment is adopted from an ancient English law and incorporated into the US Constitution at the time its framers were drafting the basic law of the land. The History of the 8th Amendment The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution states thus: â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed and no cruel, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† The 8th Amendment was first suggested by James Madison, the fourth president of the US, for inclusion to the US Constitution while the framers were working on its draft. The Commonwealth of Virginia, from where Madison hailed, had its own version of the passage incorporated in its Declaration of Rights. Its origin, however, was the 1689 English Bill of Rights. The inclusion of this passage in t hat law was to limit English courts from imposing punishments and fines that were excessive, cruel and unusual as was the practice of the English courts in the time of the House of Stewarts under King James VI who would impose such punishments such as quartering, boiling alive, disemboweling, decapitation and crushing criminals with heavy weights (Gill 114). On the other hand, the â€Å"excessive bail† clause was included in the 1689 law to prevent the English judges from circumventing the Habeas Corpus Act of 1969 by setting bail at very high amounts so arrested persons were unable to meet them. Finally, the â€Å"excessive fines† clause was also â€Å"intended to limit only those fines directly imposed by, and payable to, the government† (Excessive Bail 2011). Cases Involving the 8th Amendment Most of the cases decided by the US Supreme Court involving the 8th Amendment are related to the issue of the death penalty and its possible infringement of the â€Å"c ruel and unusual punishment† clause of the 8th Amendment. Some of the well-known cases involving the 8th Amendment are: Weems v US 217 US 349 (1910); Stack v Boyle 342 US 1 (1951); Furman v Georgia 408 US 238 (1972); Gregg v Georgia 428 US 153 (1976); Browning-Ferris Industries v Kelco Disposal, Inc 492 US 257 (1989), and; Austin v US 509 US 602 (1993). In Weems v US, the US Supreme Court held that the â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† clause of the 8th Amendment can apply not only to court punishments, but also to legislative laws and rendered the punishment of 14 years of imprisonment with hard labor on top of civil and political disabilities as disproportionate to the crime of falsifying public documents. In Furman v Georgia, the Court ruled that the manner of imposing the death penalty in which there is an absence of standard to guide the jury as to when to impose the death penalty is â€Å"cruel and unusual† and therefore unconstitutional. However, in Greg g v Georgia, the Court clarified that the death penalty per se does not infringe the 8th Amendment so long as its imposition is not purely discretionary to the jury and laws exist that define the crimes that should be meted with the death penalty. In Stack v Boyle, the Court held that setting bail at an

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Digital Media and how it has changed buisness in society Research Paper

Digital Media and how it has changed buisness in society - Research Paper Example Cutting edge media is no longer limited to a TV or radio show, daily paper or promotion. Rather, todays media from content to movie and sound could be recovered and imparted electronically, utilizing everything from desktop workstations to little portable apparatuses. This electronic spread of media has had a capable effect on the way individuals convey for private explanations, school and even business. Then again, advanced media has not had just a positive effect on business (Lake & May, 2012). Over the past decade, the web and new media have improved quickly. The expanding criticalness of the web and new media has a major effect on business correspondence. There are numerous issues that conglomerations are challenging in this specific field of correspondence, for example publishing news via message, the most favorable way of correspondence with clients, the value and client-cordiality of their resource. An additional part of this study is the social media angle and how conglomerations manage it. As a result of advanced media, associations can get their informative data out to the people speedier than any other time. Rather than printing embeds and sitting tight for the Sunday paper to advertise their bargains, associations now can let the planet ponder an electrifying announcement through message, informal communication, their web spaces and Internet notices. Notwithstanding, advanced media can spread terrible qualified data around a business exactly as speedy as it can spread exceptional. A movie or camera brought with a mobile phone or a Facebook announcement offering an association mystery or blooper can go viral inside minutes, leaving a business notoriety harmed when business before advanced media might have been equipped to clear up the mess in length before it started offering stock purchases (Castells & Cardoso, 2005). Innovation has empowered business correspondences extending from message to motion picture visit to cell calls.

Triple Bottom Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Triple Bottom Line - Essay Example The triple bottom line abbreviated (TBL) is a framework of accounting that utilizing the three dimensions performance module: financial, environmental and social spheres. This negates from traditional frameworks of business reporting through the incorporation of environmental and social parameters. These parameters utilisation as measurement means have difficulties that hinder their appropriate assigning in various fields. John Elkington who coined the term in 1994, endeavoured to measure sustainability in the mid 20th century through encompassing of a new measure to evaluating performances in corporate America (Elkington 1994, p. 92). This framework, known as the triple bottom line (TBL), involved going beyond traditional profits measuring strategies, as well as investment returns and shareholder value allowing for the inclusion of social dimensions and environmental (Elkington 1994, p. 93). Through putting emphasis on focus on comprehensive investment results, triple bottom line serves as an important support tool for goal sustainability maintenance. Triple bottom line Interest has seen growth especially in accounting in the lines of non-profit and profit oriented organisations as well as government sectors. Many firms including non-profits have incorporated TBL sustainability frameworks in performance evaluation. Similarly federal, local and state levels of governments have also adopted the modules in the management of currencies and such like activities. This paper seeks to analyse the concept of TBL while highlighting the practicability of the same in the business context on a global level through the utilisa tion of the diverse literature currently available on the issue. The dimension of the TBL commonly labelled the three Ps: profits, planet and people have proven to be a vital part of business integration since their formulation by John Elkington. Even before this pioneer started the idea of TBL concept for the manipulation

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Digital Media and how it has changed buisness in society Research Paper

Digital Media and how it has changed buisness in society - Research Paper Example Cutting edge media is no longer limited to a TV or radio show, daily paper or promotion. Rather, todays media from content to movie and sound could be recovered and imparted electronically, utilizing everything from desktop workstations to little portable apparatuses. This electronic spread of media has had a capable effect on the way individuals convey for private explanations, school and even business. Then again, advanced media has not had just a positive effect on business (Lake & May, 2012). Over the past decade, the web and new media have improved quickly. The expanding criticalness of the web and new media has a major effect on business correspondence. There are numerous issues that conglomerations are challenging in this specific field of correspondence, for example publishing news via message, the most favorable way of correspondence with clients, the value and client-cordiality of their resource. An additional part of this study is the social media angle and how conglomerations manage it. As a result of advanced media, associations can get their informative data out to the people speedier than any other time. Rather than printing embeds and sitting tight for the Sunday paper to advertise their bargains, associations now can let the planet ponder an electrifying announcement through message, informal communication, their web spaces and Internet notices. Notwithstanding, advanced media can spread terrible qualified data around a business exactly as speedy as it can spread exceptional. A movie or camera brought with a mobile phone or a Facebook announcement offering an association mystery or blooper can go viral inside minutes, leaving a business notoriety harmed when business before advanced media might have been equipped to clear up the mess in length before it started offering stock purchases (Castells & Cardoso, 2005). Innovation has empowered business correspondences extending from message to motion picture visit to cell calls.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Critical Exploration by Using Gibbs Model Essay - 1

Critical Exploration by Using Gibbs Model - Essay Example A 2nd-year student is practicing as a nurse at a hospital. The girl is very sweet, caring and loving towards her patients. She is always up to help other staff members with a smile. However, she has trouble in being able to prioritize and co-ordinate the attention needs of patients that we both have duties for. She also seems to lack confidence in her nursing skills and has teething troubles in linking theory to practice.  The result of the study reveals that the girl needs to understand what she wants to achieve. In this case, it is very obvious what she wants to achieve but she is not sure how to achieve it. The consequences of not prioritizing her duties make her more frustrated and annoyed and at the end of the day, nothing has achieved the way she wants to achieve it. It is also expected that some of the patients end up saying that want a different nurse to take care of them. As frequently does not complete the instructions given to her by these other staff and leaves the care given to patients unfinished. At the second stage of the Gibbs model, it can be said that the girl needs this practice because she wants to end up at some great hospital but if she continues to give such results that are poor practices, poorly set priorities it is giving out a bad image of her and the further recommendation for her are at stake. The student for sure feels the responsibility she has but as an amateur, she is finding difficulties in some areas and usually panics. She needs someone to guide her for at least a week so that she improves her practice and give satisfying results. However, the good part is the girl is willing to help. She wants to be someone and never refuses to work. In short, the girl has proved to be a very hard working dedicated worker but needs to manage things a little more. Most nursing students will attain the expertise criterions they need to catalog but tutors may be faced with an apprentice whose  presentation is scrawny.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay One of the disadvantages of globalization is the over-standardization of products through global branding. Using Emirate Airline to illustrate this point, globalization will means that their services are standardized which aim to serve all customers. They would lose their uniqueness of the business culture after they go global. Also, the over-globalization will result in the lack of creativity and product diversity Hongladarom (2002), Zekos (2004). Moreover, globalization can also create diseconomies of scale as not all countries have the same growth and economic cycle. For example, Emirate may operate very well in the Middle East and Europe market but expanding into Asia or America market will reduce their profit. This could be due to difficulties of coordinating activities in those new markets or the culture differences. It is also important to note that globalization will cause de-industrialization and high unemployment in the domestic market. Empirical evidences included: Mello (1997), Rodrik (1996), Fagerberg (1994).

Sunday, October 13, 2019

How Does Technological Advancement Eliminate Genetic Disease

How Does Technological Advancement Eliminate Genetic Disease Amy Chong How Do Technological Advancement, Combined With Our Extensive Knowledge From The Human Genome Project, Help Us To Eliminate Genetic Diseases? Abstract The aim of this project is to answer the question how do technological advancements, combined with our extensive knowledge from the Human Genome Project, help us to eliminate genetic diseases? I want to find out more about genetic diseases, such as Myotonic Dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis, and the stage that scientists are at in curing patients. Ill explore the ethical issues of possible gene editing in the future. Ive carried out a lot of research on the background of genetic diseases and one could speculate that gene editing could eliminate diseases within the next decade or two, if technologies continue to expand at the current rate. This report has enabled me to recognise the work of scientists and furthermore, encouraged me to pursue a career in STEM[DS1]. Introduction History of the Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project was a ground breaking discovery in the understanding of how we evolved as human beings (Carey, 2015). Their aim was to map and understand all the genes for building human beings by going through 3.2 billion bases. A genome can be defined as an organisms complete set of DNA, including all of its genes (Genetics Home Reference, 2016). This research has clearly revolutionised genetics as the cost of gene editing and testing has decreased by 99 percent (Kurzgesagt, 2015[DS2]). Methodology My research is based on secondary qualitative research from published journals, scientific reports and books. It didnt cost any money to conduct. Ive approached my question through Jennifer Doudnas lens on future technology such as CRISPR to eliminate disease. Theyre all diseases that have known genetic causes, and we now have the technology that can repair those mutations. (Jennifer Doudna, 2016). Ill apply CRISPR in contrast to current technologies used. DNA Coding What is the genetic code? DNA is made up of many nucleotides containing three molecules: a deoxyribose pentose sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous organic base. These bases are Cytosine (C), Adenine (A), Thymine (T) and Guanine (G) (Toole, 2015). How does genetic codes link to genetic diseases? Three bases code for an amino acid. The code is non-overlapping which reveals theres only twenty different amino acids present in proteins. Changes to the base sequence or quantity results in a mutation. There are four types of mutations that can occur during DNA semi-conservative replication: nonsense, missense, silent and frame shift. Any of these changes to the DNA sequence leads to gene mutation'(Toole, 2015). This is shown in figure one. Figure one Effects of single base mutation In DNA Code[DS3]. Myotonic Dystrophy From the Genome Project, its evident that the isolation of a number of genes is associated with Myotonic Dystrophy. Myotonic Dystrophy is a dominant disorder. Patients suffer from prolonged contractions, therefore are unable to relax their muscles (Genetics Home Reference,2016). The symptoms start to appear during adulthood. According to the Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy in Britain research, (1975) there are two types of Myotonic Dystrophy. Type one involves weak muscles affecting the lower legs, hands, neck, and face. Whereas type two is associated with the muscles of the neck, shoulders, elbows, and hips. The two differ due to mutations in different genes (Harper, 1975). Figure two (in appendices) reveals the muscle strength of those who suffer from this disease in contrast to a person, with average height and build, with the muscle strength of 38kg (Grassino etal.,1997:135). How does Myotonic Dystrophy differ from other genetic diseases? This genetic disease has different characteristics to a typical dominant disorder. Normally, the symptoms of genetic diseases dont get worse when they are passed on from parent to child. This is the case with Myotonic Dystrophy. The disease is unique due to the gene containing small sequences of DNA thats repeated multiple of times. Type 1 is caused by a mutation in the DMPK gene, which appears to regulate the production and function of structures inside muscle cells. The mutated DMPK gene contains three DNA nucleotides CTG repeated in the ranges from 5 to 34. On the other hand, type two is caused by CNBP gene. This consist of four DNA nucleotides CCTG repeated fewer than 26 times (Carey, 2015). What technologies have been made to eliminate Myotonic Dystrophy? Currently, theres no cure or specific treatment for Myotonic Dystrophy but there is a promising step forward toward muscular Dystrophy treatment (the University of Rochester Medical Centre, 2012). Their research involves reversing the symptoms by creating synthetic compounds that will eliminate a buildup of toxic RNA in muscle cells. This was tested on mice and results showed that symptoms were reduced for up to one year. According to Charles Thorntom (2012), these results give us strong encouragement about the possibility of developing a treatment. Is testing mice the best research method? How will we know if the research would eliminate the genetic disease in humans[DS4]? What are the implications of the research? As the cure is still to be found, it is not possible to test on humans due to limitless RNA targets involved in disease; the question is how to find small molecules that bind to them, (Disney,2012). Because of limitless RNA targets, it complicates the target amplification system. This is an enzyme-medicated process, therefore, millions of targeted enzymes are copied within several hours; the copies made would be used for research. As a result, the techniques are sensitive to contamination. This could lead to false-positive reactions which cause implications for future research (McClatchey, 2002). What has been done to prevent false-positive reactions? Perhaps the University of Rochester Medical Center should consider using Kaspersky Lab technology to test for false-positive reactions. The machine can automatically create files for results that are common or not. Results that are not common are ignored and wont affect research. This upgrade in technology would make their results more clear (Kaspersky Lab, 2015). But should they accept the false positive results as side effects of their research? Could these false positive results be significant in their research? Cystic Fibrosis   Ã‚   Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease causing a build up of mucus to damage the bodys organs. Mucus is a lubricant that protects the linings of the airways and digestive system. People with cystic fibrosis, produces thick mucus that clogs the airways causing problems with breathing. Over time, it can permanently damage the lungs by producing scar tissues. Scar tissues are thicker and less elastic than normal tissues so the tidal volume is reduced (Genetics Home Reference, 2016). Which codes causes Cystic Fibrosis? If youre missing two letters out of 3.2 billion of the sequence, ATT CTT GATT, you have cystic fibrosis (Sabatini,2016). Mutation in the CFTR gene disrupts the flow of chloride ions across cell membrane, which is necessary to produce freely flowing mucus (Genetics Home Reference, 2016). What technologies have been made to eliminate Cystic Fibrosis? From the Human Genome Project, we know which genome codes for lungs, and with the help of stem cells and tissue engineering, scientist believe it is possible for human lungs to be successfully grown in a lab for the first time, (Medical News Today, 2014). Due to shortage of donor organs, using stem cells (which are able to differentiate in to other cells) is a desirable approach for organ replacement. Whilst the field of tissue engineering has successfully reconstructed cartilage frameworks for ears and bones in the skull and face; they struggle to use stem cells to grow lungs thatll survive and function properly (Lui etal.,2013). This means maintaining blood and oxygen supply inside the body without clotting (The Guardian, 2015). Will growing organs give a better quality of life to those who suffer from Cystic Fribrosis? Would this be as effective as gene editing technology? Gene Editing Technology CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) CRISPR-Cas9 is a technology, using bacteria, that enables parts of the genome to be cut out and replaced, or to add parts of DNA sequence.The CRISPR-Cas9 system consists of two key molecules: enzyme Cas9 (a molecular scissors that cuts a specific location of DNA) and RNA (The New York Times, 2015). Figure three (in appendices) will show the steps of gene editing. Once the DNA is edited, the mutation causing the genetic disease would be eliminated (Your Genome, 2016). Technology success Layla recovered from leukaemia thanks to gene-editing technology. For children as young as Layla, the cure rates are only 25 per cent (Sujith Samarasinghe, 2015). As a result, her doctors proceed to gene therapy to removing immune cells from her body and genetically engineer them to attack cancerous cells (Nature, 2015). She received T-cells (exposed to a DNA-cutting enzyme called a TALEN) from a healthy donor. The process was done so that the modified T-cells injected were not recognised as foreign. T-cells are significant because receptor CAR19 helps programs the T-cells to kill any cells with protein CD19 found on cancer cells. Is the process this simple? Theres a risk of the enzyme being cut the wrong place resulting cells turning cancerous (New Scientist, 2015). Research on gene editing is now expanding to minimise this risk. Soon there are a whole bunch of other disorders we cure (Qasim, 2015). Since she is the first person to be cured using gene editing does this mean its safe to proceed this process on other diseases? Ethical Issues Objective of Gene Editing As the technology is at its early stages, scientist are creating a modified version of Cas9 thatll change specific letters to remove the mutation that caused genetic disease. In most eyes, gene editing is unjust since the technology is limited to individuals. Researchers are mainly testing on reproductive cells to prevent children from having the condition. Theyre plan to carry human trial by the end of 2016. Do we know enough information for humans to participate as the effects are unpredictable? (Your Genome, 2015). Future Generations According to David Baltimore (2015) we sense that we are close to being able to alter human heredity. CRISPR is opposed by a lot of people as they want new laws and regulations to protect the human gene pool of our entire species. The process is irreversible. If technology advancement and researchers have enough information to create modified humans, we have to consider the cost. This is a valid point as wealthy parent maybe tempted to treat unwanted characteristics that are not actually diseases. Do we want stronger, smarter, taller children with specific colour eyes? Could designer babies be the answer to eliminate genetic diseases? These are the questions that pose potential flaws is the advancement of technology[DS5]. Conclusion Gene editing research and technology advancement is the step forward in eliminating genetic diseases. From my selective mention of genetic diseases such as Myotonic Dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis, we can see technologies such as growing organs using stem cells and synthesis of compounds to cure disease are making progress. The focus of gene editing will an effective treatment if the trials are successful. This is the beginning of revolutionising human genome and eliminating genetic disease as a whole. References Carey.N, (2015). Junk DNA. London: Icon Books Ltd. Pages 7-11. CNBC, (2016). Editing our genes to cure not just treat disease. [Online] Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/26/editing-our-genes-to-curenot-just-treatdisease.html [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Genetic Home Reference, (2016). Myotonic Dystrophy. [Online] Available at: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/myotonic-dystrophy [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Genetic Home Reference, (2016). What is a genome? [Online] Available at: https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/hgp/genome [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016]. Grassino etal. (1997). Relationship Between Chronic Hypercapnia and Inspiratory-Muscle Weakness in Myotonic Dystrophy. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, [Online] Volume(158), pages 133-137. Available at: http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.156.1.9509041#readcube-epdf [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Harper,P. (1975). Congenital myotonic dystrophy in Britain. Archives of Disease in Childhood, [Online] Volume(50), pages 505-513. Available at: http://adc.bmj.com/content/50/7/505.full.pdf [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Kaspersky, (2015). Kaspersky Lab Patents Automated False-Positive Testing Technology Based on Machine Learning Algorithms. [Online] Available at: http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/product/2015/Kaspersky-Lab-Patents-Automated-False-Positive-Testing-Technology-Based-on-Machine-Learning-Algorithms [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, (2016). Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything Forever CRISPR. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhjPd4uNFY [Accessed 11 Aug. 2016]. Live Science, (2013). DNA: Definition, Structure Discovery. [Online] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/37247-dna.html [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016]. Lui, Yunying etal.(2013) Generation of functional organs from stem cells. BioMed Central, Page 1. McClatchey,K. (2002). Clinical Laboratory Medicine. 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Page 1237. Medical News Today, (2014). Human lungs successfully grown in a lab for the first time. [Online] Available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/272763.php [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation, (2012).SCIENTISTS CREATE POTENT MOLECULES AIMED AT TREATING MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY. [Online] Available at: http://www.myotonic.org/scientists-create-potent-molecules-aimed-treating-myotonic-dystrophy [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. National Human Genome Research Institute, (2012). A New Five-Year Plan for the United States: Human Genome Program. [Online] Available at: https://www.genome.gov/10001476/human-genome-projects-fiveyear-plan-19931998/ [Accessed 29. Aug. 2016]. Nature, (2015). Leukaemia success heralds wave of gene-editing therapies. [Online] Available at: http://www.nature.com/news/leukaemia-success-heralds-wave-of-gene-editing-therapies-1.18737 [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. New Scientist, (2015). Gene editing saves girl dying from leukaemia in world first. [Online] Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28454-gene-editing-saves-life-of-girl-dying-from-leukaemia-in-world-first/ [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Openstax CNX, (2016). DNA Repair. [Online] Available at: https://cnx.org/contents/[emailprotected]/DNA-Repair [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016]. Science Daily, (2015).Potential treatment identified for myotonic muscular dystrophy. [Online]. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150318140652.htm [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Toole,G. and Toole,S. (2015). A Level AQA Biology. 2nd Edition. Glasgow: Bell and Bain Ltd. Pages 36-37, 202-203. University of Rochester Medical Center, (2012). A Promising Step Forward Toward Muscular Dystrophy Treatment. [Online] Available at: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/3572/a-promising-step-forward-toward-muscular-dystrophy-treatment.aspx [Accessed 29 Aug. 2016]. Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, (2001). Ten facts from the Human Genome Project. [Online] Available at: http://www.sanger.ac.uk/news/view/ten-facts-human-genome-project [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016]. Your Genome, (2015). Is germline gene therapy ethical? [Online] Available at: http://www.yourgenome.org/debates/is-germline-gene-therapy-ethical [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Your Genome, (2016). What is CRISPR-Cas9? [Online] Available at: http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-crispr-cas9 [Accessed 31 Aug. 2016]. Appendices Figues and diagram Figure two Results of muscle weakness in Myotonic Dystrophy patients in contrast to those who dont have the disease. Figure three The stages of using bacteria to edit DNA sequence. Gantt Chart Glossary Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) a molecule that is consist of instructions for an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. Non-overlapping each base in the sequence is read one. Dominant allele the disease is present even if the individual only has one copy of the allele. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) a messenger carrying single stranded instructions from DNA to control protein synthesis. Enzyme-medicated process single enzyme or multiple enzymes synthesis copies of nuclei acid. False positive A result that indicates that a given condition is present when it is not. Cell membrane the partially permeable membrane surrounding the cytoplasm of a cell. Stem cells an undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism which has the ability to differentiate to repair and replace damaged tissues and organs. Tissue -   group of similar cells working together to perform a special function. Organ Combination of tissues that are coordinated to perfrm a variety of functions. Eg. Heart, lungs. T- Cells Type of lympocyte matured in the thymus gland that is involved in humoral immunity. Enzyme a protein with a specific active site and tertiary structure. It acts as a biological catalyst to bring about a biochemical reaction. Cas9 a protein that guides the RNA to enter cells without undergoing transcription and translation. [DS1]Good start. In future, try to practice academic language. Such as This paper willà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or The research in this paper will discussà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ avoid using I, me, we my etc. [DS2]Good. [DS3]Good [DS4]Excellent points raised. [DS5]Good point

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Scope of Woolf’s Feminism in A Room of One’s Own Essay -- Woolf A

The Scope of Woolf’s Feminism in A Room of One’s Own Missing Works Cited A highly contested statement on women and fiction, Virginia Woolf’s extended essay A Room of One’s Own has been repeatedly reviewed, critiqued, and analyzed since its publication in 1929. Arnold Bennett, an early twentieth-century novelist, and David Daiches, a literary critic who wrote an analysis entitled Virginia Woolf in 1942 (Murphy 247), were among those to attempt to extricate the themes and implications of Woolf’s complex essay. The two critics deal with the often-discussed feminist aspect of Woolf’s essay in interestingly different ways. Bennett states that Woolf’s essay is not a feminist work, rejects the idea that Woolf’s discussion of women and fiction may lean towards the political, and reduces the essay’s scope to a collection of musings on women and fiction. Daiches responds to A Room of One’s Own in the opposite way: he claims that Woolf’s work is feminist, and Woolf’s feminism emphasizes not only women and their relationship to fiction, but all people of genius who have not had an opportunity to use it because of their lack of money and privacy. While Bennett restricts the scope of the essay to a non- feminist, completely apolitical ideology and Daiches enlarges the scope to a wide, universal feminism, Woolf’s own intention in writing A Room of One’s Own may have actually been to create a work that lay somewhere in between these two extremes. In one of the earliest reviews of A Room of One’s Own, British novelist Arnold Bennett addressed the question of feminism in the essay and concluded that Woolf was not writing from a feminist perspective. â€Å"It is a book a little about men and a great deal about women. But it is no... ...ments do point out important limits on Woolf’s feminism. As Arnold Bennett says, Woolf’s concerns are not political; although our modern definition of feminism is wider than Bennett’s was, Woolf’s lack of political interest does certainly limit the scope of her feminism. David Daiches’s critique of the essay points out another important characteristic of Woolf’s feminist thought. Her feminism is not, as Daiches believes based in a â€Å"larger democratic feeling.† Woolf’s feminism is in actuality quite limited in tha t she only applies it to British, upper middleclass women writers. Virginia Woolf’s essay-which to Bennett seemed non- feminist and to Daiches seemed feminist- universalist-is, by our modern definition, feminist; however, the borders of culture, class, and profession that composed her frame of reference drastically limit the scope of Woolf’s feminism.

Friday, October 11, 2019

How Does the Early Mobile Phone Compare to those of the 21st Century? Essay

Nowadays, the usage of mobile phones is one of the most common practices that everyone indulges in and this is regardless of the age group or ethnical background to which the person belongs to (Cooper, 2003, n. p. ). Undeniably, mobile phones or cellular phones are tools in our modern world that has changed the way by which humans accomplish their day-to-day tasks. Moreover, further affirmation of the importance of mobile phones in our lives today is evident in the wide variability of the mobile phones that can be found in the market (Cooper, 2003, n. p. ). However, prior to the development of these modern type of mobile phones, these man-made gadgets have undergone rigorous and numerous alterations over the past years (Cooper, 2003, n. p. ). In connection to this, the objective of this essay is to discuss the changes that these products have experienced over the past few decades by utilizing a compare-and-contrast strategy to illustrate the difference between early mobile phones and the wireless phones of the 21st century. The era of mobile phones has started with the introduction of radiotelephones for military purposes which are found in ships, aircraft and military vehicles during the 1940s (Connected Earth, 2010, n. p. ). This was actually the time when telephones were used to pass information from one military camp to another in order to hasten the military operations (Connected Earth, 2010, n. p. ). Potential usage of telephones for commercial uses were introduced in 1947 when a taxi company in Cambridge has availed themselves mobile services in order to improve their service to the passengers and improve the profit input for their companies (Connected Earth, 2010, n. p. ). From then on, the mobile industry has continued to develop in order to become one of the most dynamic industries this world has ever known (Connected Earth, 2010, n. p. ). One of the greatest parameters of the advancements that this industry has encountered is seen on the features of the early mobile phones. It was said that a concept of a mobile phone in the early parts of the 1980s meant that a person was carrying a very big suitcase with a lot of electronic devices and wires inside it and is also characterized by the presence of about three-foot steel antenna that was drilled through the suitcase (as cited by Gow & Smith, 2006, pg. 22). By analysis, it can be said that the early mobile phones provide a perception of a non-easy-to-carry devices and this evident in the features and characteristics of the first and second generation cell phones (Memebridge, 2010, n. p. ). First generation cell phones was represented by the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, considered to be the first portable mobile phone, which had the following characteristics: 28 ounces in weight, dimensions of 13 x 1. 75 x 3. 5, and physical features resembling a brick (Memebridge, 2010, n. p. ). Second generation cell phones, on the other hand, was highlighted by the replacement of analog system frequencies, about 100 to 200 grams, handheld and portable, and were significantly smaller than the first generation mobile phones (Memebridge, 2010, n. p. ). Third generation mobile phones are the type of the present cell phones that we have today (Memebridge, 2010, n. p. ). These mobile phones are characterized by the presence of all of the basic features that were developed from the first and second generation cell phones plus the addition of a number of practical features (Siegel, 2010, n. p. ). Mobile phones of the 21st century do not only serve communication purposes but are also being used to connect to the internet, chat with friends, take pictures and videos, watch your favorite television program, and even use it as a replacement of a computer (Siegel, 2010, n. p. ). These additional features of the modern cell phones have actually revolutionize the lifestyle of man. In addition to these purposes, modern cell phones can be used to save the lives of people who are endanger and this is seen on the events when a person who has encountered an accident uses his or her cell phone to dial emergency services (Siegel, 2010, n. p. ). Consequently, it can be said that cell phones have indeed progressed from being brick-like, heavy, and inconvenient tools to light weight, hand held and multipurpose equipments for communication. In general, it can be said that the greatest comparison of early mobile phones to cell phones of the 21st century lies in the dimensions of the cell phone, physical features, ease of communication rate, and general usability to the person. List of References Connected Earth. (2010). The origins of mobile. Retrieved 06 May 2010, from http://www. connected- earth. com/galleries/frombuttonstobytes/mobilecommunications/theoriginsofmobile/ Cooper, M. (2003). History of cell phone. Retrieved 06 May 2010, from http://inventors. about. com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/martin_cooper. htm Gow, G. A. & Smith, R. K. (2006). Mobile and Wireless Communication: An Introduction. USA: Mc-Graw Hill Ed. Siegel, A. (2010). Modern cell phones are more than just talk. Ezine articles. Memebridge. (2010). History of cell phones. Retrieved 06 May 2010, from http://www. historyofcellphones. net/

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Lexical Semantics: Hyponyny Networks

Question 2 Not all dictionary definitions contain classifiers, but many do, and in some cases when you look up the classifier itself, you find another even more general classifier within its definition. For example, you might like to think about the following definitions from the Collins English Dictionary. Colostrum is the thin milky secretion from the nipples that precedes and follows true lactation. It consists largely of serum and white blood cells. A secretion is a substance that is released from a cell, especially a glandular cell, and is synthesized in the cell from simple substances extracted from the blood or similar fluid. Substance is (1) the tangible basic matter of which a thing consists; or (2) a specific type of matter, especially a homogeneous material with definite or fairly definite chemical composition. Matter is (1) that which makes up something, especially a physical object; material. What are the classifiers in these definitions? (Why is this question hard to answer? Can you change the definition to make it easier? ) Draw a diagram to show the hyponymy chain you found in (a), with hyponyms shown below their classifiers. Can you think of any additional levels that you can put in the hyponymy chain above secretion? Add them. Sebum and saliva are co-hyponyms of colostrum. Add them to the diagram, along with two co-hyponyms for each level of the chain. Add distinguishers to your diagram, to differentiate each of the co-hyponyms you have added. On an intuitive level it would seem a simple task to select the different classifiers within each of the above definitions however, several problems arise which belie this. Colostrum is the easiest to deal with as it is the most specific of the four terms, although there is still potential for an error to be made. The only classifier in this description is ‘secretion' as, according to Hudson (1995: 26) â€Å"the classifier †¦ is the first common noun that follows is†[1]. Although this syntactic relationship is useful as a method of identification, it is not the reason ‘secretion' is a classifier of ‘colostrum'. Syntactic relationships exist between lexemes, not senses, and are governed by the relationships between senses, thus it is the latter that hyponymic networks represent. The classifier (C) is the concept that is superordinate to the ense in question (S1) in that S1 must possess enough characteristics of the classifier to make it a type of that concept, even if not a typical one, as well as distinguishers that serve to differentiate it from the classifier and any other co-hyponyms. More simply, S1 is a hyponym of C iff all S1 are a type of C, but not all C are S1 (op cit. 16). Furthermore, classifiers for common nouns will always capture what S1 is, not how or why it is. In the case of ‘colostrum' only ‘secretion' performs this function: we can say that colostrum is a type of secretion. It is important, however, to refine the concept of ‘what it is': if this is taken to include a material concept as well as a typical one, i. e. , what it is made up of or consists of, there is more scope for what can be considered a classifier. Under this description both ‘serum' and white blood cell' can be considered as classifiers of ‘colostrum'. This does not seem to be correct though, as ‘colostrum' is not a type of serum or white blood cell, nor does it possess enough of the characteristics of either to qualify as a hyponym. Therefore, in such cases we can eliminate concepts about the material of which a referent of the given sense consists as candidates for classifiers. Having established the criteria for identifying classifiers it should now be easier to identify those for the remaining senses however, there are further difficulties. It is safe to say that ‘substance' is the classifier of ‘secretion' according to the above rule but the use of ‘substance' twice in the definition provides potential for confusion: according to the definition for ‘secretion' above we can make the following statement: (A) a secretion is a substance1 made up of substances2. The difficulty seems to lie in SUBSTANCE being polysemic (Palmer 1981: 100), a fact apparently proven by its having two definitions. This implies that SUBSTANCE1 represents one of the given senses of ‘substance' whilst SUBSTANCE2 represents the other, but neither fits with sense (1) as both are a specific type of matter. Therefore, both must be the concept in sense (2) but if SUBSTANCE1 and SUBSTANCE2 do have the same sense statement (A) has no useful meaning, for it to do so SUBSTANCE requires an additional sense. The solution is provided in the definition of ‘secretion': SUBSTANCE1 is istinguished from SUBSTANCE2 by the addition of ‘simple' to the latter. In this way it can be seen that SUBSTANCE1 refers to sense (2) whereas SUBSTANCE2 refers to a different sense that is related to, but more specific than (2). To avoid such confusion replacing SUBSTANCE2 with a different lexeme could prove useful, e. g. , COMPOUND, although this is not necessary so long as we unde rstand that SUBSTANCE is polysemic and we know which sense each refers to. As ‘substance1' has the sense (2) in the definition we shall refer to it as ‘substance (2)' and it is this sense that is the classifier for ‘secretion'. The definition provided for ‘substance (2)' makes identifying the classifier here straightforward as it begins by telling us that it is a â€Å"specific type of matter† (my emphasis), which is the central criteria for hyponymy. So given that ‘matter' is the classifier for ‘substance (2)' we can now find the next classifier in the chain. It could be assumed that the brevity of the definition makes this task even more simple however, the definition is a â€Å"consists of† statement which rules out any concepts it contains as a classifier. It is thus the case that not all concepts have a superordinate concept. As such we can say that ‘matter' sits at the top of the hyponymy chain and is the broadest sense of ‘colostrum'. Given this information we can now represent all of the relationships above in the following diagram: Fig. 1) Initial hyponymy chain for colostrum. This chain is based solely on the definitions given above however, the claim can be made that this diagram does not contain a complete set of classifiers for ‘colostrum'. There are facts about ‘secretion' that are not contained in ‘substance (2)' but that cannot be considered as unique to it, in particular those about its relationship with organisms and organic matter. This claim is based on the fact, as given in the definition, that ‘secretion' is a substance particular to cells, which are the constituent parts of an organism. All of this information is unrepresented within the chain as it is because the relationship ‘secretion' has with ‘cell' is not due to a shared nature or type. When the hyponymy test is applied the mismatch is more evident: ! a secretion is a type of cell. This does not deny that the two are related however, only that they are not the same kind of thing, so instead n alternative way must be found of including and representing this relationship. As ‘cell' is the missing concept there must be some sense it shares with ‘secretion'. According to my definition of ‘cell' many together make up an organism and because any substance that is a ‘secretion' is the product of a cell, it can also be considered the product of an organism. We can go a step further and state that both are types of sub stance particular to organisms, which allows the statement a ‘secretion' is a ‘substance particular to organisms'. This can be further refined when the concepts ‘glandular' and ‘blood' are considered as these relate specifically to ‘body', not just to any organism in general. We can thus replace ‘organism' and instead state that a ‘secretion' is a ‘substance particular to a body' or, more concisely, it is a ‘bodily substance'. A second gap exists between ‘bodily substance' and ‘substance' for the same reason as above: arguably, a ‘bodily substance' has characteristics shared with other types of particular substance that together constitute a more general type of substance. As mentioned above ‘organism' bears a relation to ‘organic material' in that all of the substances of which an organism is composed are organic. Given that a body is a kind of organism any bodily substance must also be organic but not all organic material is of the body hence, ‘organic material' is a classifier of ‘bodily substance'. These new facts can be added to Fig. 1) to provide a more complete sense network: Fig. 2) Full hyponymy chain for ‘colostrum'. When considering potential co-hyponyms there are two criteria that must be met: the co-hyponyms must share most if not all of the sense of the shared classifier but they must be differentiated by at least one distinguisher (Hudson 1995: 27). Each of the co-hyponyms in Fig. 3) meets these criteria but this does not mean to imply it is a simple task. Take ‘matter' and ‘substance (1)': the two could initially be considered to be co-hyponyms. This, however, is not the case. Essentially, the definitions for ‘substance1' and ‘matter' are the same: we could give a definition of matter s ‘that of which a thing consists' because CONSISTS OF and MAKES UP have the same sense. Nor does there appear to be any fact about either concept that serves to differentiate them so we must accept that rather than ‘matter' and ‘substance (1)' bearing a hyponymic relationship they are actually synonyms. As such, SUBSTANCE (1) is nothing more than an alternative lexeme that can be used to represent ‘matter' and so can be omitted from the network. Fig. 3) shows that although many of the co-hyponyms do not bear a direct relation to ‘colostrum' they are part of a conceptual network that illustrates how senses are related. It also displays the fact that the further up the chain a concept is the broader is the range of its hyponyms because the sense becomes more generalised at each level. Furthermore, it also shows how concepts can share multiple classifiers and hyponyms. Fig. 3) Hyponymy network for ‘colostrum'. Distinguishers can be concise or generalised providing they serve as differentiators between the senses. When selecting appropriate facts to include the notion of prototypes should be accounted for in that any potential distinguisher should ideally describe a prototypical referent of the given sense (op. it. 20). Take ‘glandular' it appears in the definition of ‘secretion' but it has been omitted from the network. This is because it is not a prototypical characteristic in that not even the majority of secretions are from glandular cells, it is only provided as an example of the kind of cell involved. A further difficulty in selecting distinguishers is deciding what kind of inf ormation to include. Definitive information serve to provide the minimum data needed to clarify a concept whilst encyclopaedic information attempts to provide all of the facts about a concept. The danger with the latter is that information may be included that does not serve to differentiate that concept from another. I would argue that both kinds of information should be included provided that each fact is part of the sense it iff that fact is relevant to the function of differentiation. Fig. 4) includes information of both kinds and, although I have removed the referent and lexeme classifier for the sake of clarity, it can be considered as the most complete network of senses that relate to colostrum'. Fig. 4) Complete hyponymy network for ‘colostrum'. Bibliography Hudson, R. (1995). Word Meaning. Padstow: Routledge. Palmer, F. R. (1981). Semantics. Bath: Cambridge University Press. Stevenson, A. (ed. ) (2007). Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (6th edition). Italy: Oxford University Press. Word Count 1693 not including diagrams. 1799 with diagrams ———————– [1]I have used â€Å" â€Å" for quotations rather t han ‘ ‘ to prevent confusion between quotes and senses.