Rainbow’s end-belonging

Relationships and experiences shape an individual's sense of belonging Belonging means the idea of being part of something where you are accepted without compromise, conditions or limitations. Relationships with people around ones environment and experiences through one's life have a strong connection to shape an Individual's sense of belonging. The play Rainbows End by Jane Harrison demonstrates that relationships and experiences affect Individuals to shape their sense of belonging.Relationship between females usually has a great Influence on shaping Individual's sense of belonging. In the play, Rainbows End, It Is shown through contrasting Dolly and Errol. â€Å"But†¦ A real home? A real home Is where there are people looking out for each other In this part, Dolly pauses for a moment In which punctuation is used to indicate that she is confused and disagree with Errol. While Errol thinks the ‘home' is where he physically belongs, Dolly thinks the ‘home' is where h er family belongs together. This difference refers to their cultural background.Aboriginals believe that they are all closely related so that they always have to be together. However, Whites are usually individualists who just care about their ‘own' family thus; they haven't had to consider the place where they belong. Dolly and Roll's relationships with their own community has shaped their different perception about ‘home'. Furthermore, the play conveys that the sense of belonging can be divided by relationships people are involved. When Dolly goes to the Miss Moorland-separator Ball, she is the only person who is an Aborigine. Thieve cooking at us†, Dolly is an unwelcome guest in the Ball between Whites. Then Nancy, who is also a White, says â€Å"Love your dress, Dolly. Love your fabric [with a giggle]†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. L thought we took them to the tip. † sarcastically in a derogative tone. As the White is in higher status than the Aborigine, they used to i solate and discriminate them in Australia even though originally Aborigines were living in Australia. In the same way, Dolly was insulted by Nancy Just because she wasn't belonging to the white but belongs to Aborigines.The Rainbows End emphasizes that the relationship In group an have different sense of belonging to other groups and sometimes It does not get along together. An individual's sense of belonging can also be affected by the experiences they have had. Nan has a strong desire to go back to her hometown as she was obliged by the White to leave her hometown. â€Å"They forced us to leave. Forced us to leave Counterargument. Our home. † By repeating ‘forced us to leave', Nan exposes her strong sense of resentment towards Whites. Nan's sense of belonging Is reinforced through this experience.The more she has got forced, the more she Is offensive about her family. Gladys used to admire the white society and had strong desire to fit in there. â€Å"†¦ The QUE EN pulls her into a hug. The lights come back to reality. Gladys is holding a bunch of weeds. † The weed is the symbol of poorness which is her reality. She had many daydreams. However, by experiencing the rejection from the bank manager, the blocked out from the Queen's visit and the isolation from housing problem, she begins to realism that the Whites would not accept her; the Aborigines.So she starts to approach to the reality and consider the way to change. We demand the right to make our own decisions. † Finally, Gladys makes a speech in the petition, represents the development of indigenous voices. The experience has changed Gladys sense of belonging more respectfully. According to the relationship and experience, individuals can shape one's sense of belonging. This is well demonstrated in the play, Rainbows End. Relationships can have an influence on shaping one's sense of belonging and can be divided into each group. Also the experiences make changes or strengthe n one's sense of belonging. Rainbow’s end-belonging Relationships and experiences shape an individual's sense of belonging Belonging means the idea of being part of something where you are accepted without compromise, conditions or limitations. Relationships with people around ones environment and experiences through one's life have a strong connection to shape an Individual's sense of belonging. The play Rainbows End by Jane Harrison demonstrates that relationships and experiences affect Individuals to shape their sense of belonging.Relationship between females usually has a great Influence on shaping Individual's sense of belonging. In the play, Rainbows End, It Is shown through contrasting Dolly and Errol. â€Å"But†¦ A real home? A real home Is where there are people looking out for each other In this part, Dolly pauses for a moment In which punctuation is used to indicate that she is confused and disagree with Errol. While Errol thinks the ‘home' is where he physically belongs, Dolly thinks the ‘home' is where h er family belongs together. This difference refers to their cultural background.Aboriginals believe that they are all closely related so that they always have to be together. However, Whites are usually individualists who just care about their ‘own' family thus; they haven't had to consider the place where they belong. Dolly and Roll's relationships with their own community has shaped their different perception about ‘home'. Furthermore, the play conveys that the sense of belonging can be divided by relationships people are involved. When Dolly goes to the Miss Moorland-separator Ball, she is the only person who is an Aborigine. Thieve cooking at us†, Dolly is an unwelcome guest in the Ball between Whites. Then Nancy, who is also a White, says â€Å"Love your dress, Dolly. Love your fabric [with a giggle]†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. L thought we took them to the tip. † sarcastically in a derogative tone. As the White is in higher status than the Aborigine, they used to i solate and discriminate them in Australia even though originally Aborigines were living in Australia. In the same way, Dolly was insulted by Nancy Just because she wasn't belonging to the white but belongs to Aborigines.The Rainbows End emphasizes that the relationship In group an have different sense of belonging to other groups and sometimes It does not get along together. An individual's sense of belonging can also be affected by the experiences they have had. Nan has a strong desire to go back to her hometown as she was obliged by the White to leave her hometown. â€Å"They forced us to leave. Forced us to leave Counterargument. Our home. † By repeating ‘forced us to leave', Nan exposes her strong sense of resentment towards Whites. Nan's sense of belonging Is reinforced through this experience.The more she has got forced, the more she Is offensive about her family. Gladys used to admire the white society and had strong desire to fit in there. â€Å"†¦ The QUE EN pulls her into a hug. The lights come back to reality. Gladys is holding a bunch of weeds. † The weed is the symbol of poorness which is her reality. She had many daydreams. However, by experiencing the rejection from the bank manager, the blocked out from the Queen's visit and the isolation from housing problem, she begins to realism that the Whites would not accept her; the Aborigines.So she starts to approach to the reality and consider the way to change. We demand the right to make our own decisions. † Finally, Gladys makes a speech in the petition, represents the development of indigenous voices. The experience has changed Gladys sense of belonging more respectfully. According to the relationship and experience, individuals can shape one's sense of belonging. This is well demonstrated in the play, Rainbows End. Relationships can have an influence on shaping one's sense of belonging and can be divided into each group. Also the experiences make changes or strengthe n one's sense of belonging.

Government Control and Subsidy of Energy vs. Private Sector Investment Essay

A subsidy is a payment from the government to a business to encourage the continual use or development of a technology or product that is considered to be useful or beneficial to the society. Most often, the money (or subsidies) is coming directly from taxpayers. This is where Milton Friedman’s signature phrase, â€Å"there’s no such thing as a free lunch† comes in to play. A unit of a product or service may be free for one person, someone or something is enduring an opportunity cost. Currently, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are being subsidized by roughly $24 billion a year because of the perceived environmental benefits that go along with â€Å"green† technologies. However, renewable energy companies such as Solyndra have gone bankrupt and the government has supported them to keep them running via subsidies. The argument for continuing these subsidies is that wind and solar are still in the start-up phase in the industrial world a nd have not yet reached large scale markets. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that these companies will ever be largely profitable because renewable energy, with a few exclusions, are unable to reach the profitable market margin that generating plants fueled by coal, natural gas or nuclear can. While the government tries to focus their support on said renewable energies, only providing limited tax breaks for the private oil companies, the US private sector has produced a substantial increase in oil. 2011 was the third consecutive year of higher domestic oil production and, at the same time, natural gas output reached an all-time high. Over the past five years, about two thousand new jobs have been created in the oil and gas industry while employment growth for renewable energies has been limited at best. With many of the recent failures of several renewable energy companies, employment has declined in this area during several periods. The renewable industry will also struggle to prosper because they rely too heavily on the government for support. The government has taken billions of dollars and will place it in this industry with little to no return for the enrichment of the economy and society. Friedman makes a rather sarcastic comment on activities like this by saying, â €Å"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand†. This is an example of rent-seeking. Rent-seeking is a term, used by economists, to describe actions that involve a political process of taking wealth of others and getting essentially a loss of wealth. Without the incentive to compete to raise and gain money, the renewable energy industry doesn’t feel the need to produce more efficient and cost effective products or services. On the flip side of that, since most companies in the oil industry are in the private sector, the profit alone is a large enough incentive to supply valued goods and services at reasonable prices. If private sector companies do not continually improve or develop, they will quickly be â€Å"weeded out†. Since the private markets are decidedly competitive, they are continually searching for the sweet spot in the market that assures a large and readily available supply of energy and the cleanest yet practicable balance of the usage of our limited resources, all at the lowest price possible. Despite the fact that for more than a decade, there has been a large amount direct taxpayer support, renewable energy still cannot meet the market demand and, therefore, the subsidies for these areas should be significantly reduced if not completely done away with. If politicians are truly concerned with cutting greenhouse gas emissions, a better allocation of federal spending would be to target subsidies and incentives towards natural gas and nuclear power plants. These clean-burning fuels can heat our homes, power our vehicles, and generate electricity for America’s households and industries a lot more cheaply and reliably than renewable energy can. If America is not careful, it will quickly fall into crony capitalism. Crony capitalism, in layman terms, is where private businesses focus on doing political favors rather than the consumer market because the government uses spending, regulations, and subsidies to benefit businesses that provide political support. Instead of trying to pick winners and losers, the government should create a competitive marketplace with fair rules, no subsidies, and allow the private sector to prosper. One great aspect of America is the freedom to continuously change business strategies and marketing to adapt to change. Like Milton Friedman said, â€Å"Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.†

Seiko Go Upmarket

Executive Summary Seiko Watch Corporation and its predecessor had always been innovative in watch technology development and brought many industry firsts to the watch market, and Seiko was very successful before the 1990s. With competitive environment change started in the 1990s, Seiko found it was not in the right segment of the market for growth, this segment is high end watch market. Seiko tried to break into the high end watch segment, but the attempts haven’t been proved successful.Based on detailed analysis of Seiko’s industry environment, competitive arena, and internal issues, conclusion was drawn that Seiko’s past vision, strategy and structure didn’t support its ambition to be an important player in the high end watch market. Countermeasures were then proposed: 1) have a clear and viable vision for future; 2) install a solid strategy of brands differentiation; and 3) match the strategy with organizational structure and resources. * IntroductionTh is case, â€Å"SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION: MOVING UPMARKET†, examined Japanese watch maker Seiko’s history, major technology developments, competitive environment, business expansion, and efforts and challenges to uplift brand image to compete in high end market segment. Seiko’s predecessor K. Hattori was established by 22-year-old founder Kintaro Hattori in 1881. The business was started with second-hand clocks sell and repair, and later on retailing and wholesaling of imported clocks.Hattori then established Seikosha (â€Å"Seiko† means exquisite and â€Å"sha† means house in Japanese) in 1892 to begin to produce wall clocks, launched the first wristwatch in Japan in 1913, and started to use Seiko brand on watches in 1923. Since then, Seiko had been enjoyed rapid growth in domestic market until 1950s when it accounted for 50% of total production in Japan, while Citizen and Orient shared the remaining 50%. Facing pressure from Swiss watch makers, Sei ko started to upgrade its technology to improve accuracy and add features, and managed to be comparable with Swiss products in terms of accuracy in the early 1960s.Around the same timeframe, after dominating the domestic competition in the late 1950s, Seiko started to go abroad. Through advertising initiatives such as being official time keeper of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and continued technology focus such as being the world’s first company to introduce quartz wristwatch in 1969, Seiko earned its place in international market: it had become the leading watch brand in most Asian countries and successfully built sales channels in US and European countries by 1970s.Though Seiko was historically accepted by domestic customers as luxury watches producer at top-end of the market in addition to mid-range watches, its several attempts to reposition itself to high-end segment in international watch market didn’t enjoy much success: in the late 1970s, Seiko bought Jean Lass ale, a Swill watch brand, to form a sub-brand â€Å"Seiko Lassale† to sell luxury quartz dress watches at higher price points in international markets, but this brand was not successful in the US and Europe markets and eventually discontinued; another sub-brand â€Å"Grand Seiko†, once alive in 1960s aiming at the high end of the domestic watch market, was re-launched in the late 1980s to flight with Swiss watch makers in the high end segment, this attempt didn’t meet its desired effect otherwise Seiko would have not taken the third try in 2000s to move upward of the market through the spring drive technology. In 2007, doubt about brand upgrade was casted on Seiko again. * Analysis of the issues The myriad of problems facing Seiko can be traced to below three causes. Industry environment – Strategic context change of the horological industryThe first phase – before the late 1950s / early 1960s, everybody in the watch industry had competed in a pret ty straight forward environment: watches were mainly used for chronometric purpose, watch’s core technology was homogenous (everybody in the horological industry used mechanical movements system), and main objectives for watch makers were to mass produce precise timepieces at competitive cost and sell to everybody needs a watch. Seiko did a nice job in this era. It occupied majority of Japanese domestic market share and caught Swiss rivals up in terms of production facility and product accuracy. The second phase – from the late 1950s / early 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s, technological revolution, mainly application of electronics and quartz technologies, reshaped the horological industry. Every watch shared certain common elements: a movement to measure the passage of time, any energy source, a display, a case, and a bracelet or strap.Electronics altered the stereotype of energy source and display, while more significantly, quartz timekeeping technology broke the tradition of mechanical movement to bring much more accuracy to watch benefiting from its properties of a quartz crystal oscillating at precise frequencies. Comparing to mechanical components, electronics and quartz components could be produced and assembled at more stable, economic, and fashionable way, Watches then could be offered to customers with unprecedented accuracy, lower cost, and fashion statement. To embrace the change or be changed, all players of the industry went through an era of uncertainty and innovation. Seiko was very creative in the time and pioneered many watch technologies to the market. Seiko started expanding overseas and its international brand image was formed during the period. In the meanwhile, Seiko began efforts to setup sub-brand to move up in market.People would not have known ramifications of what they were doing when in process of historical events, but looking back into history, we know today the seed of Seiko dilemma was planted in the 1970s and 1980s under the soil of its success. The third phase – the 1990s was a no name decade for Japanese watch makers including Seiko. Domestic economy was staggering. Watch technology was still in evolution, but there was no break-through invention like quartz could stir up the arena. Low cost economies such as China and Hongkong were arising to take over in mid-priced and low-end watch market. Swiss watch makers firmly seized hold of high-end watch market while fighting back in mid to low end market.Watch Competitors came out from outside of the chronological industry: pocketable digital device made watch no longer a functional necessity for timekeeping purpose. Seiko sales declined in the decade. The fourth phase – after the millennium, prevalence of cell phones further deteriorated watches’ position as personal primary timekeeping accessory. People bought watches not for time telling but for social status and prestige distinguishing. Global demand for luxury goods grew, and high-end segment of the watch market was emerging as the most profitable and the fastest growing sector. Seiko was adjusting itself to the new era, but its brand image had never been perceived as luxury.Competitive arena – Strong Swiss competitors in high end segment, fierce competition in mid and low end segments from LCE (low cost economy) watch makers, domestic rivals, and Swatch group In the high end segment, Swiss watch makers were lost in the 1970s when quartz technology was changing the game. Though painful, a number of Swiss watch companies such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Omega chose to stick to mechanical watch making, and they laughed at last. Below quotation could best describe the situation: We worked really hard in the 1980s where everybody was dead. The quartz movement came in the 1970s, so all the other watchmakers threw away everything, both their equipment and their movements. In the 1980s is when we started to redevelop all our complications.At the time, my father [Philippe Stern] had a vision that only one type of watch should remain – the one with a mechanical complication. He believed there would always be people who appreciate fine mechanisms, whether it's manual winding or automatic. And he was right. It's like a nice painting. It's something unique, rare and made with passion. * Thierry Stern, Patek Philippe President, interviewed by Timezone. com in Sep 2012 In the mid and low end segments, Seiko’s attacks were from all around as technologies were easy to duplicate and consumers really cared about money they were spent, thus if you could provide fair quality watches with lower cost, e. g.LCE watch manufacturers, you could win some share of the market segment; if you could provide good quality watches with comparable cost but more features and fashion styles, e. g. Japanese domestic competitors Citizen and Casio as well as Swatch group from Swiss, you could gain some other share of the segment of this market. Company vision, strategy and structure – Seiko had no clear vision and strategy for the era of watches as prestige symbol, its structure was prohibitive from effective decision making and resources utilization Vision – we know in the 1970s and 1980s, Seiko enjoyed much success and went global as an icon of precise and inexpensive quartz technology.Seiko didn’t foresee that the greater success it appreciated the stronger consumer would tie it to the quartz brand, and fine craftsmanship of mechanical watch making would override in the future. Seiko has always been innovative in technology development, but failed to grasp a watch’s implication to today’s consumer: time is timeless and invaluable; consumers would eventually wish their watches as seen carrier of time are timeless and invaluable as well. Quartz or electronics is perceived by consumers as ephemeral and cheap consumable stuff. Strategy – Seiko made mistakes in brand portfoli o strategy. It launched two sub-brands to go up of the market segment in the years.The â€Å"Seiko Lassale† equipped with quartz movement was launched in the late 1970s and discontinued when it turns out not welcomed in US and European markets. The â€Å"Grand Seiko† featuring mechanical movement was alive from 1960-1975 within Japan domestic market only, and had been stopped for more than a decade in the quartz era until re-launch in 1988 for global market featuring quartz movement, after another decade, the â€Å"Grand Seiko† sluggishly began to shift to high grade mechanical movement. Both the â€Å"Seiko Lassale† and the â€Å"Grand Seiko† were too close to Seiko name and technology of quartz to reverse the quartz image of usually non-luxury items. In addition, it seemed Seiko didn’t have a carefully planned long range brand strategy.High end sub-brands were created and abandoned. The recent example was that Spring Drive, Seiko’s latest breakthrough mechanical movement technology bared management hope to upgrade brand image, first debuted in lower â€Å"Seiko† product line rather than high end â€Å"Grand Seiko† line. Seiko’s another high end brand â€Å"Credor†, though had long history and good acceptance at home, had never been marketed in international markets. Structure – Seiko historically had too complicated structure arrangements: a sales company purchased Seiko watches from its parent company owned manufacturing arms, and the arms were competing with each other and developed into firms with watch as minor business.The good thing was Seiko management realized this point and reorganized the company in 2001 to streamline decision making and focus on branding. * Conclusion and Recommendation Seiko’s vision, strategy, and structure didn’t help the company to gain advantage over its rivals in the competitive environment in recent two decades. Recommendation for Seiko is to build prudent and viable company vision ;amp; strategy, link the vision and strategy together with organization structure and resources, and get the vision and strategy realized. Details are following: Seiko needs to re-think that who are Seiko’s intended, actual, potential, and future customers, and what do these customers value in a watch.Watch collectors and enthusiasts, successful executives, and younger generation of rich families should be target clients for top end watches. These people care about watches’ craftsmanship and uniqueness, aesthetic and intricate style, status and symbol indication, as well as investment and heritage value, much more than superior accuracy and function for daily use. Seiko should take care of the demands of these people. However, Seiko shouldn’t give up the mid to low end market. Consumers of this market segment need a quality watch for money, fashion, function features, and some kind of status symbol will be plus. Seiko needs to have a solid strategy of distinguishable brands to server different segment demands.Seiko can get best practice idea and lessons learned from companies in the watch industry, such as Swatch group, and in other industries, such as VW group in automotive industry and L’Oreal group in cosmetic industry. Though the basic inner technology and formula could be shared across different brands and models, the exterior and style must be different. Different brands should convey clear different messages to customers. It would take too many resources and too long time to move the current Seiko brand up. The â€Å"Grand Seiko† name is no significant different from â€Å"Seiko† name thus is not appropriate to be a top end brand, but could cover the segment in between.The brand â€Å"Credor† is suggested to carry over the high end segment responsibility and needs to expand globally under intensive and well-designed promotional campaign. Seiko made a positive move to centralize and streamline watch company organization; the next step would be to match brand differentiation needs with organizational structure and resources. The â€Å"Credor†, â€Å"Grand Seiko†, â€Å"Seiko†, and other brands could share R;amp;D, production facility, IT, finance, HR and administration. But segmental marketing and sales, brand management, and some other specialized tasks can’t be shared. Each brand should be led by experienced and proved executives and take its own profit and loss responsibility.

Education in the Middle East in the Last 20 Years Essay

Education in the Middle East in the Last 20 Years - Essay Example Poor governance, political revolutions, poor traditional laws, and high poverty levels have had negative reflections on attitudes towards education, especially for the girl child. However, the reform movements have seen significant changes in the people’s perception of education. The governments are increasingly investing in education as they seek aid from international agencies and industrialized nations. Thus, despite the difficulties that are experienced in the most of the Middle East countries, there have been significant improvements in education in these countries, especially in the last two decades. The level of literacy, especially for women, has improved dramatically with women having more access to institutions of higher learning. Education improving in the Middle East in the last 20 years Introduction Education has been considered as one of the fundamental human rights that are necessary for development in a given society. Every individual in the society has the rig ht to access quality education owing to the benefits that education has to the individual and to the society. Education contributes towards all aspects of development in the society. It provides individuals with the basic knowledge and skills that are appropriate for the development of a career. It provides the medium through which different talents can be identified that are beneficial to the society (Behrman & Stacey, 1997, p.11). Education improves an individual’s general understanding of life as well as how to relate to others morally and responsibly in the society. Through education, one is able to understand his or her fundamental rights and freedom in the society, and the necessary steps to be taken when such rights are infringed. The fights for democratic forms of government that are experienced in different parts of the world can be easily won if the citizens are more educated. The education in the Middle East has been low as compared to the other parts of the world like the West. In many regions in the Middle East, education was not taken seriously by the public as well as the government. It was considered a luxury and its access was limited to few individuals (Editorials, 2005, para.3). The restrictions were extreme on the female children. The political oppression, traditional beliefs, and high levels of poverty greatly contributed to this situation. The Middle East Countries include the Arab nations in South Asia and North Africa like Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Armenia, and Bahrain among several others. The countries have certain similarities and differences in terms of the system of government, economic activities, and the religious culture. All these countries exhibit the Arab–Muslim relations. Most of these countries and the neighboring countries of North Africa that form the Greater Middle East have experienced civil wars resulting from poor forms of governance as well as terrorist attacks. The North African Ara b nations have experienced rebel movements that have seen most of their long-term leaders hoisted unceremoniously. Similar revolutions continue to be witnessed in the Middle East countries like Syria and Yemen.

Cause and effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cause and effect - Essay Example The party went on until after midnight and with increasing time, he drank even more. By the time the party was over, he was heavily intoxicated and was not even in the state to drive. But he did not have any other option and he had to drive himself. He was not in a very conscious and alert state and did not realize when he crossed the speed limits. He was stopped by the police and they analyzed his level of alcohol which was way above the normal limits. They not only fined him but he was also taken to the police station where he was jailed. His act of carelessness made him land in this trouble. It was a very difficult situation for my friend. He was not only caught by the law enforcement personnel but his parents also got really worried about his whereabouts. They were very disappointed with his act and he also found himself in a very embarrassing position and could not face them. If he would have been careful and would not have consumed excessive alcohol he could have saved himself from this occurrence.

Employability and Consulting Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employability and Consulting Skills - Assignment Example Burberry has positioned itself as the most pioneering fashion brand in numerous product lines such as coats, leather goods, shoes, belts, jewelry, outwear, fragrance, beauty products. The company also provides licenses allowing third parties to manufacture and distribute products under the Burberry trademarks (Burberry Group plc, 2014). External Environment Post 2008 financial crisis, the current external environment is extremely challenging. Unemployment in the UK and the other developed economies is ruling at between 8-9 percent. Global competition has intensified in last couple of years and customers have been highly demanding in the sense that mass customization at competitive rates is a need of time. Overall, investments in Europe and the UK are not picking up restricting demand of the products. Moreover, Burberry has to compete with several established global brands such as Polo, Gucci, Armani, Coach and many others in fashion segment (Jacobson, 2012). Positioning and Customer Base Burberry competes with many fashion brands such as Polo, Gucci, Armani, Coach. The company competes with Polo in clothing business. Burberry has captured the upper-end market in comparison to Polo. Coach and Gucci are more focused on accessories while Armani and Polo target more on Apparel market; however, Burberry has been able to penetrate in both apparel and accessory market of the luxury goods. It can be said that Burberry's positioning is extremely competitive among other fashion brand products.

Research Methods For Engineers (Factors Affecting Project Alliances in Proposal

Methods For Engineers (Factors Affecting Project Alliances in Construction Industry ((Australian Construction Industry )))) - Research Proposal Example This was a source of losses to both the construction companies and the general public. It was also a blow to the government since it was not able to complete the planned development projects within the stipulated timeline. These are the factors which contributed to research and proposition of the Industry Alliance design in strategic operation and management of projects (Shayne, 2012: 382). Project alliance is strategic management proposition that works to integrate the objectives various stakeholders in the construction industry. This is a concept in relationship contracting that dates back to the 20th century. This concept entails sharing risks and benefits between those involved in the construction projects. This method was first used in streamlining operations in the UK oil and gas industry. It was then first applied in Australian in the 1990s. Since then, project alliance has been modified to suite various sectors. For instance, project alliance is now widely used as a procurement tool for public infrastructural projects (Mounir, 2011: 263). The initial procurement rules applied pricing tactics in tender allocation. This old process was flawed as it failed to address the key problems related to large cost construction projects. For instance, there were foreseen and undetermined project outcomes. In event of such, some stakeholders were forced to fully absorb the outcomes, a factor that was demoralizing. Project alliancing shifted from these traditional procurement procedures by creating new guidelines for procurement. These new procedures called for complete and thorough evaluation of bidders in objection to price bidding. This helped to ascertain the capabilities of the bidders to meet any unseen occurrences and their corporate social responsibility strategies (Diponio & Dixon, 2013: 167). During its inception, its major aim was to unify all those involved in the Australian construction industry.

The invitro effect of sildenafil citrate on the outcome of pregnancy Literature review

The invitro effect of sildenafil citrate on the outcome of pregnancy in mice and offsprings - Literature review Example Other medications that can be put to use to make infertile women conceive a baby includes the controlled ovarian stimulation, intrauterine insemination (IUI), and ovulation induction. Although the use of ART can result to a successful pregnancy, not all women who undergo ART can become pregnant. Infertility may occur in all types of species; whether human or animals. This chapter tries to investigate the expression of PDE5 in the pre-implantation embryos and the effect of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) on pre-implantation murine embryo development in vitro. Sildenafil is a special drug with a nitric oxide effects on vascular smooth muscles. Randomly selected mice were divided into two groups. One group was hyper stimulated group whereas the other was hyper stimulated plus sildenafil citrate group. The mice were injected with human menopausal gonadotropin (HMG), and later they received human chorionic gonadotropic (HCG) hormones. Afterwards, two female mice were put in one cage with one male mouse for mating process (Rashidi, Rad, Roshangar, & Mira, 2012). For a period of three days, the hyper stimulated plus sildenafil citrate group was injected with three mg of sildenafil citrate after every 24 hours. This was done after the mice had received the HMG injection. Ninety six hours of HMG injection later a cervical dislocation was done, and their urine specimens were prepared for laboratory tests; electron microscope studies. After the study, it was realized that there was long and short microvilli in the control group while no observable pinopodes development. On the other hand, the other hyper stimulated plus sildenafil citrate group experienced pinopodes development after injecting the mice with HMG after four days. This study brings to the attention on how import hyper stimulation of mice with sildenafil citrate can be. For instance, it helps in formation of pinopodes and implantation. Failure of implantation is one of the major problems in infertility treatment. In addition, implantation is believed to be one of the most interesting biological events. Implantation failure can be as a result of impaired uterine receptivity caused by high concentration of serum estradiol, which is induced by an ovulation induction treatment. Appearance of pinopodes is a specific morphological marker that has been associated with window of implantation (Rashidi, Rad, Roshangar, & Mira, 2012). The pinopodes are found in mice and rats but lack in other animals and humans. These are surface projections of the endometrial cell, which are involved in uterine pinocytosis. These pinopodes are essential in the implantation window, and for this reason, it is of note for them to be developed in mice at-time to facilitate implantation. The use of sildenafil citrate can maintain effectively the vasodilatory effects of the Nitrogen Oxide by blocking the breakdown of cGMP. Reducing the problems associated with the development of a foetus is possible through proper facilita tion of blood to the endometrial lining. In addition, enhancing the flow of blood to the endometrium lining will help reduce the risk of maternal hemodynamic complications. Also known as Viagra TM or RevatioTM,

Digital revolutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Digital revolutions - Essay Example To understand the consumers, organizations have historically employed a market research strategy. This traditional method involves deploying marketing representatives to the ground to identify the consumers’ needs and advise the business on the best approach to addressing these needs. Advancement of technology has however changed the situation. The invention of the internet, mobile phones, and other technological devices have revolutionized marketing. Today, human beings are connected to one another regardless of the distance. This implies that the physical interaction of the marketer and the target audience is no longer necessary. The interaction and market study happens online and through the technological devices. This has changed the global marketing environment. This paper is a research report on the changes in global marketing that have resulted from the digital revolution. The paper addresses these changes from the perspective of technology and globalization. Marketing involves a great deal of communication. Technologies such as the web, mobile phones, social media, and customer relationship management systems greatly affect modern marketing. The marketing representatives of any company or specific product must communicate with the consumers. The communication helps them to learn and identify the consumers’ needs and requirements. Further, this also helps them to identify the challenges that the product may face in the market and hence adjust their strategies accordingly. In the past, communicating with the consumers demanded costly travels and promotions to issue questionnaires or conduct interviews (Glance et al. 2005). However, with the digital revolution communication technology has made it possible to interact and communicate with consumers in a more effective and cost effective way. Marketers are now targeting social media and the

United States Postal Service Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

United States Postal Service - Case Study Example Rather, it creates revenues out of its sale of postage stamps, products and services. Over the last 2 years (2007-2008), the USPS has been hit by increase in cost of postage stamps, cost of deliveries and shipments and the increasing tendency of people to use email to send messages rather than posting letters or cards. It has absorbed a loss of $5.3 million in 2007 and $2.8 million in 2008, leaving it strapped for cash and increasing the possibilities of bankruptcy or business failure. This has been eating into its retained earnings for the period (David, 81). Meanwhile its revenues stand at $75 million and though it has cut back on employees and increased the number of points served, this is not translating into an increase in profitability, mainly due to the rise in costs. USPS clearly needs to follow the lead of its competitors UPS and Fedex, who have leaner and more profitable operations. Its service agreements with them need to be scrapped. USPS also needs to reduce the number of service outlets it has which will reduce the cost of maintaining them. At best one service location per district will work fine. It needs to adopt a centralized system. The internal analysis for USPS shows that it is suffering from many problems. Its employee unions have been successful in bargaining for compensation and benefits, while the employees have been working less hours due to lack of work. As 52 percent of its revenues derive from first class mail, a decline in this volume has affected its revenues. Meanwhile the fact that its Board is appointed by the President and its prices are regulated by CPI, there is a double bind on USPS in that it cannot increase its prices beyond a certain limit. The separation of business into market regulated and Government regulated areas has been the death knell for USPS (David, 83). No organization can be run as a combination private and public enterprise- it is either one or the other. In spite of all its efforts,

Macro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Macro economics - Essay Example This essay aims at explaining how fall in household savings can have a negative effect on the UK macro economy. Savings kept in bank accounts are key part of money. To the extent banks decide to finance commercial investment with respect to amount of deposits they receive, an increased personal savings could raise investment by the established international organization. If money deposited is changed in equity subscription in ones own secure, savings serve for personal independence and careers, again with a possible connection to investment in a macro-economic sense. Invested in the Treasury bonds, and savings finance public expenditure inform of shares, they may directly or indirectly fund the firms. Savings may also be transfer overseas by remittances, leading to rise to a new option between savings and consumption. For instance, in the form of buying an existing house or in funds on entrepreneurial activity). Insufficient and minimized savings due to a deliberate policy to promote the growth of GDP by independent consumption alone can reduce, if the policy is only feebly effective, the national economy capability to absorb treasury bonds, which in certain circumstances may put the country under high pressure by foreign creditors, when public debt is huge and prevalently held by foreigners (Swan, 2007). The paradox of thrift remains an important idea from the Keynesian economics. Reduced saving is observed as negative because it does not provides the money to finance the capital investments needed to promote a long-term economic growth. But if many people in UK start saving more in the same time, it may causes a drop in the consumer demand and even deeper recession. What can be rational and good for an individual can be damaging for whole economy at large, Monetary easing (ME) is a type of monetary policy used by central banks, whereby it purchases financial assets from existing commercial banks and other private financial

The Work of one Christian Relief Agency Essay Example for Free

The Work of one Christian Relief Agency Essay Christian Aid is an organisation that supplies aid to those in need. It is generally considered to have been the first missionary agency to support indigenous mission boards in countries all over the world. It all began in 1945 when Bob Finley was asked to speak at a rally of Youth for Christ in a Chicago stadium. His testimony was so fresh, unique and powerful that the 25,000 people in the stadium interrupted him several times with spontaneous applause. His words were broadcasted all over the continent and he was sent to speak at rallies throughout the U. S. and Canada. Along with his close friend, Billy Graham, they were enlisted as field evangelists with the Youth for Christ and spoke at youth rallies, churches, public schools, seminaries, colleges and Bible institutes. Between 1948 and 1950 Bob Finley traveled the East China, Korea and Asia preaching the word and lead Korea in the spiritual awakening that took place there in early 1950. Bob Finley returned to America determined to arouse the churches about the need for reform in foreign missions. He said the best way to plant a Christian witness in closed countries was to reach people who were away from home. Then when they would go back to serve Christ in their homelands; get behind them with financial assistance. Following the presentation of his honorary doctors degree, in 1953 he started International Students, Inc. to reach foreign students all over the U.S. and Canada. In 1972 the headquarters of ISI was moved to Colorado Springs, while the AID (Assisting Indigenous Developments) division was spun off as Christian Aid and remained in Washington D.C. with Bob Finley as the President. A competent staff was assembled to travel all over the world searching out indigenous ministries in every country, especially those that were closed to missionaries from America. Christian Aid grew and grew, with a number of new buildings built in co-ordination with the agency. They had a new headquarters with a conference center and more offices. It continued making contact with indigenous missionary groups in closed countries all over the world. Bob Finleys goal was to have a part in planting a witness for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ among every unreached people group on earth. Christian Aid is governed and staffed by evangelistic, Bible believing, born again Christians who uphold the fundamental doctrines of historic evangelical Christianity. The work of Christian Aid is felt in over 60 countries where they try to fulfill its aims of helping people in the long-term. This is achieved in various ways. The first is to raise money that is needed in order to help these people. They gain an income of around 48 Million Pounds a year, which they can use. This is done throughout the whole year where churches may hold collections or some sort of fund raising events where donations go to charity. A considerable amount of this money is collected during one particular week, annually. This is called Christian Aid Week. In 1995, 8.6 Million Pounds was raised in this one-week. Christian Aid has two main policies of donations. They give Emergency Aid and Long Term Aid. Emergency Aid 10% to 15% of their money is when people are in need of some sort of aid, straight away. For example, if there has been a natural disaster, or an influx of refugees to a country then they are in need of emergency aid in order for them to survive. We can see the work of Christian Aid in the Caribbean Sea islands where a 140mile-per-hour Hurricane battered the islands, leaving 20 dead and numerous others in desperate need of attention and shelter. Christian Aid went to the islands to help the suffering people get their lives back on track. Long Term Aid is when Christian Aid helps to set up funds in communities to help them in the future. This is done through churches and community centers. We can see this in place in Bangladesh where Christian Aid workers have been living there to help administer drugs to the people in need of it. They get their money to do this by Christian Aid and have helped many hundreds of people. Bob Finley has now completed 53 years of ministry as an evangelist, pastor, missionary, Bible teacher and Christian statesman. During these years he has traveled over four million miles and preached face to face to more than 20 million people. Additional millions have heard his message through radio, TV, films and videos. His published articles have touched thousands of lives and played a major role in changing the methodology and direction of Christian missions throughout the world. His influence and financial support has been used of God to further the cause of Christ among more than 2000 tongues, tribes and nations. Christian Aid continues to reach out to those who are in the remotest countries and have not heard of our Lord Jesus Christ. They continue to help other struggling ministries to preach the word of our Lord.

Assessment Of The Iranian Contra Affair Politics Essay

Assessment Of The Iranian Contra Affair Politics Essay The Iran-Contra affair was a controversial political scandal that dealt with senior US figures who had been facilitating the sale of arms to Iran, that was under an arms embargo, to secure the release of the hostages and to fund the Nicaraguan anticommunist rebel contras. While these two scandals were unconnected the contras would not have been able to be funded without the cash flow that the Iranian weapons money created. The operation began as a way to improve U.S. -Iranian relations during a time of extreme turmoil between the countries. The plan was to ship weapons to Israel who would in turn give them to a relatively moderate politically influential group of Iranians. Israel would in turn be resupplied and receive a payment from them. In return for the arms the Iranian recipients had promised to do everything in their power to have the 6 U.S. hostages, who were being held captive by the Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah. The plan eventually was broken down to a direct arms- for-hostages scheme that came to light in November of 1986 during the Reagan-Bush administration. Although November of 1986 is when the scandal came to light the origins came about seven years earlier in November of 1979 when nearly 500 Iranian students took over the American embassy taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. This was important because it was an earmark of one of the first major conflicts with the country of Iran. (Historycommons.org) Then in early 1980 the Israeli government proposed a deal to secretly sell arms to Iran as a means to gain diplomatic ground and a way to get the 52 hostages released, however President Carter angrily declines. The Israeli government then went on with the plan by themselves secretly supplying weapons to Iran shortly after. With the change in presidency from Carter to Reagan the US geared up to begin the shipment of arms to Iran through Israel. This however was illegal due to the Arms export act, which requires written permission from the U.S. for a nation, in this case Israel to transfer U.S. made arms to a third party. (Jonathanpoll ard.org) In a popular conspiracy theory, the October Surprise is said that Ronald Reagan conspired with the Islamic Republic of Iran to beat Jimmy Carter in the 1980 U.S. presidential election. The deal was apparently to have the Khomeini government keep the U.S. hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran until after the election, damaging Carters candidacy, afterwards Reagan would reward them with armaments. (danielpipes.org) This theory gained little notoriety due to it being relatively unbelievable until the Iran-Contra scandal came to light in 1986. After the commanding victory over President Jimmy Carter Reagan is sworn in to office and all 52 hostages are released ending the 444 days of captivity. (Danielpipes.org) The new Administration publicly maintained a hard line against Iran, a nation with little popularity due to the hostage taking and the murder of the CIA station Chief. Reagans Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, was quoted saying, Let me state categorically today there will be no military equipment provided to the government of Iran. However within weeks of this statement senior officials in the administration began putting together a continuing package of secret arms sales to Iran. (jonathanpollard.org) In 1982 Vice President George H. W. Bush asked CIA Agent and national Security Council Official Donald Gregg to serve as his national security adviser and foreign policy adviser who agreed and retired from the CIA. The two worked closely with CIA agent Felix Rodriguez, who was known for the interrogation and eventual execution of revolutionary Che Guevara, to help put together a covert operation to supply the Nicaraguan Contras with money, supplies, and weapons. Rodriguez and North later strike up a deal to divert funds and weapons to the Contras. Rodriguezs job was to set up the servicing of CIA transport planes at the Air Base. Later that year in December the first Boland Amendment restricted government support for Contras; the bill restricted US humanitarian aid to the Contras, and prohibited the use of U.S. funds for the purpose of overthrowing the government of Nicaragua. However the administration managed to get around the first of the three Boland Amendments by saying their he lp was only designed to force the group in charge, the Sandinistas to come to a peace agreement with the anticommunist Contras, and not to entirely bring the Nicaraguan government down. (spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk) March 17, 1983 the three had a secret meeting in the White House, which resulted in the National Security Council establishing a secret scheme to provide aid to the Contras. Rodriguez was placed in charge of the supply depot and placed at Llopango Air Base in El Salvador. In October of 1985 Congress modified the Boland Amendment by approving to send $27 million in non-lethal aid. (historycommons.org) As a result of this Reagan creates the Nicaraguan Humanitarian Assistance Office, or the NHAO in the State Department for the purpose of administering the money to the Contras. In the first of the NHAO organizations meetings Oliver North offered the services of Rodriguez to assist in distributing the $27 million in humanitarian aid meant for the Contras. Through the Air Base i n Llopango the legal NHAO and the illegal North fund distribution merge into one secret group. In 1984 Reagan publicly claimed to end aid to the Contras in accordance with the Boland Amendments. However men in his administration continue to support them. Late in 1985 Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams joined the National Security Council and then joined Oliver North and Alan Fliers as the principal members of the Restricted Interagency Group (RIG), which worked on Central American Affairs for the Reagan Administration. Abrams, a large supporter of the anticommunists in Nicaragua became aware of Norths plans to divert Congresss approved 27 million dollars directly to the Contras despite being prohibited to do so. In effect Abrams became directly involved with in the illegal procedures to help the Nicaraguan rebel forces. Unaware of the illegal weapons exchange Congress approved another 100 million dollars for military and non-arms aid to the Contras. (Historycommons.org) In the month of August in 1983 the conservative talk show host Barbara Studley established GeoMiliTech (GMT) Consultants Corporation. After the start of the company a large number of right-wing, high ranking American and Israeli military officials became associated with the company, which had offices in both Washington D.C. and Tel Aviv. The Company began selling arms to Iran through Israel and North Korea. According to several authorities the motives for Israel are clear, which were to have the Iran-Iraq war go on as long as possible and to be as destructive as physically possible, however the motive for the U.S. is much less clear. Many believe that the founding of GMT was the beginning of the arms dealing to Iran by the U.S.. Later in the year the American government started Operation Staunch which asked other countries not to sell arms to Iran in hopes that it would bring peace talks in the Iran-Iraq war. In January of 1984 Iran was officially named a state sponsor of internation al terrorism, because of the large number of militant actions Hezbollah had been committing throughout the Middle East and Europe, a label that has not been lifted to date. In early March 1984 CIA Station Chief in Beirut, William Buckley, was kidnapped by the Muslim organization Islamic Jihad. Buckley would die in 1985 after 15 months of captivity. Buckleys kidnapping along with at least five others was a cited reason for the arms dealing to Iran, which spurred such controversy. (Historycommons.org) On May 8, 1984 the American reverend Benjamin Weir became the first in a string of kidnappings by Hezbollah in Beirut. He was held captive until September 1985, allegedly only being released due to the Israeli arms sales to Iran during the same year. In August of 1984 the National Security Advisor McFarlane asks the United States government to reconsider Iran as a sponsor for terrorism, but is denied. In December Peter Kilburn, a professor at the American University of Beirut became the second victim of kidnapping by Hezbollah militants, later to be murdered in 1986 for the US military strikes against Libya. In January of 1985 the second American pastor, Fri ar Lawrence Jenco, was kidnapped by the Hezbollah and would not be freed until July of 1986. The militant group Hezbollah kidnapped three more men in 1985, including reporter Terry Anderson, hospital administrator David Jacobsen, and an employee of Beiruts American University Thomas Sutherland, all of the men would eventually be released. Anderson was held hostage for seven years, which was considerably longer than any other American captive, and was released in 1991 due to the end of the civil war in Lebanon. (Nytimes.com) On June 11, 1985 the pro-Iran and pro-Iraq factions inside the White House met a boiling point when Robert McFarlanes National Security Council staff drafts the presidential directive supporting America helping Iran obtain weapons, whereas the opposing side headed by Secretary of State George Shultz and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger remarked that the directive was almost too absurd to comment onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However the arms-for-hostage deal went on as planned even with the strong objections by Shultz and Weinberger. After the Iranian sponsored Hezbollah kidnapped two more Americans, Reagan makes the statement that Iran is in a confederation of terrorist statesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a new, international version of Murder Incorporated. And also went on record as saying, America will never make concessions to terrorists. Although privately authorizing his National Security Advisor, McFarlane, to make contact with Iran. McFarlanes plan was to win influence in Iran by helping it win in its war with Iraq. Reagan believed that the improvement in relations would help in the release of American hostages held in Lebanon by the Iran backed Hezbollah. (Nytimes.com) In July of 1985 Israeli representatives met with Iranian arms merchant Manucher Ghorbanifar for the first time to discuss brokering the United States-Iranian arms deal authorized by President Reagan, during this meeting the plan to have Israel sell arms to Iran while having America replenish Israeli stockpiles on weapons. (pbs.org) On August 6, 1985 Reagan hosted a meeting in the White House having to do with the arms-for-hostage deal with Iran, and is allegedly told by McFarlane that the Iranians will see to it that the Hezbollah in return for U.S. and Israeli arms will release four American hostages. Later that year in August Israel sent 96 TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran, however no hostages were released. In September, the now ex-National Security Advisor McFarlane takes twenty-three tons of weapons to Iran . (pbs.org) In September America had its first success in the arms-for-hostages arrangement, where Israel sold 500 U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran. As a result of the sale Iran released American hostage Benjamin Weir after over a year of captivity. In November of 1985 the CIA sent 18 Hawk anti-aircraft missiles on a CIA fronted plane to Iran by way of Israel only to have the Iranians reject the missiles because they did not meet their requirements after test firing. After the transfer of weapons the deputy director of the CIA, John McMahon, reportedly said that the agency could no longer provide covert assistance to Iran without written permission by president Reagan himself. Not even a month later Reagan agrees and authorizes the sale of missiles from that point on as well as retroactively. However that document was destroyed nearly a year later. (Nytimes.com) A day after the president signed the arms-for-hostages deal the pro-Iraq defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger warne d Reagan that There was no way in which this kind of transfer could be made if that particular act governed. However the president felt that the American public could not forgive him if he were not able to save the American hostages lives due to legality. (Jonathanpollard.org) Oliver North, the National Security Council, or NSC staffer who handled the Iran-Contra dealings told the Israeli Defense Ministry officials that he would use the profits from any future arms sales to Iran to directly fund the anti-communist freedom fighters Contras. In early 1986 North set up a network that illegally diverted funds from the Iranian arms sale to the Nicaraguan Contras by using the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, or the BCCI to channel the money to the Contras. The arms money from Iran was sent from the White House controlled account to Saudi Arabia to hide the origins and then deposited into the BCCI bank account controlled by the Nicaraguan rebel leader Adolfo Calero. In January of 1986 several White House officials met including Vice President George H. W. Bush, President Ronald Reagan, Secretary of State George Shultz, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, and CIA Director William Casey to discuss whether or not the U.S. should continue on with the ar ms-for-hostages dealings with Iran. Weinberger and Shultz are as they have been from the very beginning against any and all dealings with the terrorist state of Iran. Bush did not express an opinion either way, however later that month President Reagan will sign the authorization needed for the U.S. to allow Israel to sell 4,000 U.S.-made antitank missiles. According to several White House officials both the President and Vice president believed, that supporting Iran thwarts Soviet plans for Middle East domination, and by his own personal sorrow over the plight of the hostages. With the 1986 elections coming up however there were plenty of political reasons to continue with the arms dealings in hope that the hostages would be released before the November elections. Many of the chief facilitators admitted to the political concerns, saying that they had to meet a deadline on releasing the hostages. The U.S. actually tried to make an ultimatum saying that all hostages would have to be released in order to receive the antitank missiles, however Iran refused which caused a deadlock, which lasted for nearly a month. (Jonathanpollard.org) When the deadlock ended in late February the U.S. sent between 1500-2000 TOW antitank missiles to Israel who in turn sent them to Iran. At this time Oliver North diverted $12 million in money from the arms sale in Iran to the Nicaraguan Contra leader by way of the BCCI. At this time Gene Wheaton, a co-owner to a cargo airline, National Air, was being enlisted by North to help fly in supplies and arms to the Contras. Wheaton tentatively agreed until he became informed that the retired General Richard Secord would be involved in the affair. Wheaton had a personal dispute with Secord over a government contract dealing with humanitarian aid to insurgents such as Mujaheddin of Afghanistan and the Nicaraguan Contras. With Secord in the picture Wheaton refused to go along with the plan and actually went to William Casey, head of the CIA. H owever, Casey does little to nothing over the issue saying that it was not of government concern. Wheaton then notified several reporters of the San Francisco Examiner of the dealings. In mid-September of 1986 the U.S. was planning on forcing Iran to trade hostages for arms. The plan seemed to work until the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group controlled by Iran simply kidnapped more Americans after the release of other hostages. In October the U.S. puts pressure on Iraq to increase bombings in Iran to create a greater need of military assistance by America. This plan began to work when Iraq in fact increased the bombings but the arms-for-hostages dealing was exposed in a Lebanese newspaper as well as some U.S. papers. With the public aware of the potentially criminal acts committed by the Reagan administration support for any more weapons dealings collapses. After the information was leaked most of the pro-Iranian faction inside the White House left office leaving a large pro-Iraqi side which would remain in power until Reagans term was over. In the last months of the administration U.S. military and economic aid for Iraq met an all-time high even giving Iraq the te chnology for long-range ballistic missile, chemical weapons, and even nuclear weapons. (Jonathanpollard.org) On October 5, 1986 a CIA transport plane carrying weapons and supplies for the Contras was shot down by the Sandinista, which brought the U.S. connection to the Contras to light. The Nicaraguan Sandinistas exposed the United States after interrogating the sole survivor of the plane crash, Eugene Hasenfus, who said that he had made ten other deliveries to Nicaragua including six from Llopango. (Nytimes.com) All government officials at that time lied about any involvement in the illegal support of the Contras. Both the story of the arms-for-hostages deal in the Lebanese paper and the CIA transport plane being shot down exposed the dirty dealings the Reagan administration had been committing beginning the Iran-Contra scandal. In Reagans address to the nation speech he denied the allegations of any arms sales to Iran, however he does admit to honorable involvement, such as to renew relations with that nation, to bring an end to the Iran-Iraq war, to eliminate Irans sponsorship of terrorism, and to effect the release of the US hostages being imprisoned by Hezbollah. (reagan.utexas.edu) Later when the facts came to light Reagan and several other senior officials stated that all of the Iranian negotiations were on a strict need to know basis, and that the appropriate Congressmen were notified and informed properly. (reagan.utexas.edu) However an investigation was done on the dealings but a large amount of information was destroyed, and many stated that Attorney General Edwin Meese, who was in c harge of the investigation, was not interested in finding the facts since he refused help from the FBI and did not take notes in his interviews. Oliver North, whom many believe as the mastermind of the operation held several shredding parties at that time to destroy thousands of documents that would likely implicate White House officials in criminal acts. The Iran-Contra investigation later faulted Meese for not using standard investigating techniques. However Meese finds a document that verifies the $12 million that was diverted from the arms dealings in Iran to the Contras in Oliver Norths desk. Meese notified Reagan about the diversion of funds, and tells several senior officials about the acts. Reagan realized that he could actually be impeached on the grounds that they broke the Boland Amendment, but Meese allegedly created a case for deniability for the president. In late November Meese revealed the Iran-Contra funding connection, Oliver North is immediately fired, while other officials are forced to resign. In December Reagan appointed former Texas Senator John Tower to head a commission to investigate the Iran-Contra affair. The investigation lasted for three months. In January of 1987 Reagan admitted to authorizing the sale of missiles to Iran in front of the Tower Commission. A day before the head of the CIA, William Casey, is set to testify before the Senate on the affair he has two seizures and is hospitalized, later dying of brain cancer making him unable to testify. The Tower Commission found that the Iran-Contra affair was a rogue operation and that Reagan himself was largely unaware of the dealings. The majority report cam out in November of 1987 stating that the clandestine financing operation undermined the powers of Congress as a coequal branch and subverted the Constitution. Although no major reforms would come as a result of the majority report. Four men were indicted on multiple felony charges as a result of it including: former National Security Advisor John Poindexter, Oliver North, Richard Secord, and Albert Hakim. North and Poindexter are both convicted and sentenced to jail time, however both convictions are overturned. In the end no high-ranking public official was found guilty of anything more than perjuring themselves in front of Congress, however the Iran-Contra scandal tarnished the reputation of many. This scandal seems to disprove that justice is indeed blind in this country, since many high ranking officials with even more powerful allies were guilty of committing serious crimes but were never punished because of who they knew. I feel that this is an incident that should be remembered for many years, and hopefully it will never be repeated.

Swot Analysis In Terms Of Strength Marketing Essay

Swot Analysis In Terms Of Strength Marketing Essay PapaRich is a moderm kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies at affordable Malaysian prices. PappaRich kopitiam has multiplied from one kopitiam to 41 shops around Malaysia, one in Hong Kong and one in Singapore. Thailand would be a good market for PappaRich to enter because Thailands GDP by sectors show as high as 45% for service industry. This clearly shows us that PappaRich can invest in Thailand to serve the community with Malaysian authentic, classic, and timeless kopitiam meals. Using the SWOT analysis, in terms of strength, the PappaRich serves the community with Malaysians kopitiam meals with affordable prices with a classic coffee shop ambience. In terms of opportunities, economically the GDP and inflation rate has been steadily increasing in recent years. Interest rate fell sharply due to the US financial crisis. The Thai Baht appreciated against MYR and a result of that, the revenue generated in Thailand comparatively to the Malaysian Ringgit would be higher. The weakness for PappaRich to go into Thailand which is the food that PappaRich is serving might not be accepted by the locals. Besides that, the threats to the company are the political instability due to street protests. PappaRichs success as of today is due to its successful differentiation business level strategy to set them apart from other companies from the same FB industry. PappaRich focuses on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience is what captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. The best way for PappaRich to enter the Thailand market is the franchising market entry strategy. To become a successful FB franchisors that can go nation, PappaRich (the franchisee) can sell the franchisors trade mark, product or services, or trade name and benefits from the franchisors help and support in Thailand market. In return, the franchisee from Thailand need to pays an initial fee to PappaRich and then a percentage of the sales revenue. In cultural analysis, there are five areas to be concerned, the cultural analysis of Thailand and Malaysia is shown respectively; PDI 64;104, IDV 20;26. MAS 34;50, UAI 64;36, LTO 56. This is further elaborated in the pages to come. 2.0 Introduction Many years ago, to enjoy a classic kopitiam meal in Malaysia, such as half-boiled eggs, toasted bread with kaya and butter, and a cup of coffee, one will have to travel many miles back to their hometown. Kopitiam is a traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in South East Asia. Since the establishment of PappaRich in 2006, one need not go the distance. PappaRich is a modern kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies at affordable Malaysian prices. In four years, the string of PappaRich kopitiams have multiplied from one kopitiam in Selayang Mall to 41 shops around Malaysia, one in Hong Kong and one in Singapore. It has emerged as a formidable player in the local and food beverage chain. PappaRichs philosophy is to serve authentic, classic and timeless kopitiam meals, the traditional Malaysian style where the locals can mix and mingle in the ambience of a relaxing atmosphere with a sense of belonging. In Thailand, PappaRich intends to serve the Thai community the same philosophy it currently serves the Malaysian community. As there are not many kopitiams in Thailand that serves authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine, PappaRich intends to venture into Thailand by becoming one of the pioneers in serving the authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine. As seen in the diagram on the left, the services industry holds a 45% stake of the total market share for GDP composition in Thailand. Examples of the services industry include the tourism sector and the FB sector. Due to the high stake of the services industry in Thailands GDP percentage, investing in PappaRich in Thailand may be a wise investment choice. Furthermore, potential customers from the tourism sector would be an added advantage to the company into raking in more potential revenue. 3.0 Situation Analysis 3.1 SWOT Analysis 3.2 Strengths As mentioned in the introduction, PappaRichs philosophy is to to serve authentic, classic and timeless kopitiam meals, the traditional Malaysian style where the locals can mix and mingle in the ambience of a relaxing atmosphere with a sense of belonging. This concept is a major strength in branding the kopitiam brand in Thailand as there arent many affordable restaurants in Thailand that serve traditional kopitiam meals. This places PappaRich as one of the pioneers into introducing the cuisine to the Thai locals. Furthermore, it will further strengthen its reputation as being one of the most original and authentic kopitiam in Thailand. Another major strength of the company is its emphasis on clientele service. In the FB industry, it is important to note that service is one of the main priorities in differentiating a good restaurant and a bad one. Thus, PappaRich places much emphasis on its clientele service to not only lure first-time or one-time customers but reoccurring customers, over and over again. 3.3 Weaknesses A major setback that hinders the kopitiam business into the Thai market is the different taste buds between the Thai and Malaysians. Only the adventurous ones may venture out of their comfort zone into eating Malaysian kopitiam cuisine. Furthermore, street food is popular and cheap in Thailand, thus the locals may not be very willing to pay extra for Malaysian food. Besides that, PappaRich and the kopitiam concept is a rather new brand in the region, and thus may acquire more time to be familiarised by the locals. Also, the management style used in Malaysia may not be applicable to the culture of the locals and thus, new management style may have to be devised to suit the employees in Thailand. 3.4 Opportunities and Threats In recent years, Thailand has been politically unstable due to street protests and riots. It is important to note that such political instability is a major disadvantage to the business. This is because, the employees of the company may engage themselves into the protests that halts production and services of the restaurant. Furthermore, a demonstration will hinder potential customers from leaving their homes to eat out as they may fear for their safety. An improvement of technology has both pros and cons to the setting up of the new company. It can improve the cooking standards of the restaurant as better kitchen equipments are purchased to monitor the quality of the food. Furthermore, improvement of the equipments may reduce cooking time that increases efficiency. In time, more customers can be served and profit can be increased. However so, an improvement in technology can bring about an increase in capital cost due to expensive kitchen equipments. As seen in the graph above, the GDP rate of Thailand has been steadily increasing in the last couple of years. However, during the US financial crisis in 2009, there has been a slight fall in GDP. It may be wise to hold back the venturing of the business into Thailand for a couple of months to ensure the stability of the market. During the 2009 US financial crisis, the inflation rate went negative, to as low as -4 showing a shrink of the economy. However so, in 2010, Thailand has begun to pick up the pace and shows that there has been a boost in the economy. As the consumers expectation and confidence is strengthened, Papparich can start investing into Thailand. Unemployment rate has been steadily decreasing over the years. As unemployment falls, more people in the community will have income to spend on goods. As such, it is a good idea to invest into Thailand. Hopefully, when the company decides to invest in the country, there will be people to be employed as staffs. A fall in interest rates in recent years is an advantage as we can apply for loans at low interest rates to set up restaurants in the country. This will encourage more franchising options. Comparitively, the Baht rose 0.115% against the MYR. There are both pros and cons to this situation. Pro, the revenue generated in Thailand comparitively to the MYR would be higher and the con, more money will have to be pumped into Thailand to set up the restaurant, comparitively to the MYR 4.0 Business Level Strategy In order to measure the feasibility of Thailand as a strategic location for expansion, we have to look into the business level strategy of PappaRich. Every organization has a competitive strategy to plan how it will compete in its business and this applies to PappaRich as well. PappaRich is a food beverages (FB) industry that focuses on serving quality authentic traditional Malaysian delicacies at affordable prices and that is their competitive advantage and what sets them apart other regular kopitiam. Aside from that, the ambience of PappaRich has also been one of their greatest assets as the decorated surroundings are chilling and hence many people would choose to go to PappaRich to enjoy one of their specialty; coffee made from locally roasted coffee bean while catching up with friends and family. Theyre also located everywhere as they have over 41 outlets in Malaysia as of today and this brings great convenience to their customers as the nearest outlet is just around the neighbourhood. This is PappaRichs aim in their investment into the Thai market as well that people would have a pleasant experience every time they set foot in PappaRich. With Michael Porters five forces model, managers can determine and control the rules of completion and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Firstly, PappaRich is an FB industry with barrier to entry; PappaRich must comply with the standard set by the Thai government in its policy, the high level of capital needed for investment may be hard to acquire as the result of the recent US financial crisis and also the brand identity may be unknown to most consumers as it is new in the market. Furthermore, economies of scale may also be another barrier to entry for PappaRich as existing companies in Thailand enjoys low cost of production due to this factor and there is no way PappaRich could compete with them in short term period. If PappaRich were to venture into the Thai market, it might face substitute companies such Hailam Kopitiam, Station 1 caf and Old Town Kopitiam and Madam Kwan which are also strong growing FB companies with similar business concept that may also be trying to expand internationally to Thailand as well. Not to mention, the substitute companies that are already in Thailand such as Coffee Bean and Starbucks. However, in terms of bargaining power, many consumers would choose PappaRich over Starbucks for coffee as the price is more affordable in PappaRich. The supplier also plays an important role in determining the feasibility of PappaRich as a good investment opportunity in Thailand as supplier determines the cost of operating and this will affect the total profit of the business. PappaRich can get their supply of raw material from suppliers such as President Rice Products Public Co. Ltd, Siam Future Farm and Exotic Food Co. Ltd. Lastly, the current rivalries that are already in Thailand would also affect the profitability of PappaRich if it were to venture into Thailand as it is a very competitive industry and the competitions are intense. In terms of the target market of PappaRich, it would target the middle income group of consumers as the prices are moderate. It would not fully use the cost leadership strategy which refers to the basis of having the lowest cost in the industry as there are many other companies that have comparable price ranges with PappaRich. Also, PappaRich is a contemporary classy type of coffee shop with required standard of decoration which further increase their cost and this doesnt comply with the low cost leader strategy. In fact, PappaRichs success as of today is due of its successful differentiation strategy to set them apart from other companies from the same FB industry. PappaRich focus on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience is what captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. 5.0 Market Entry Strategy Expanding a company to new market can increase the sale, brand awareness and achieve business stability. To entering new market, we need to study the size of the country, number of opportunities and sheer geographical size. Besides that a proper market entry strategy requires market research so to give us a vision about the existence opportunity, understand the competitive landscape and see who are our potential customers. Foreign market entry can be done via four mechanisms which are exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising. Exporting is the most traditional way to go into foreign market by direct sale of the domestic-products to the country. This can be done through an export intermediary such as commissioned agents and trading companies. Exporting do not require the goods or product must be produce in the target country therefore there is no necessary to invest in foreign facilities. PappaRich is a FB business through serving Malaysian Traditional Delight at their outlets cafe. This mechanism is not suitable for PappaRich extend to Thailand because they are providing service but not produce goods. Licensing is an essential permit to enter a new market. A license is a legal contract to run a business. The licensee is about to pay a fee of exchange for the right to use the property of licensor such as trademarks , patents , and production techniques . For PappaRich, the licensing support comes in the form of outlet setup, outlets designs, menu and recipe of PappaRich, chef and waiters training by experienced Pappa licensing trainers. Joint venture is a legal entity formed when two parties equally invest in terms of money,time and effort on the same project. Basically joint venture happen when one individual want to extend his business to nation while he has no enough of capital to do so and need to find a partner from the target country to run the project together. The joint venture may be an easier first-step for PappaRich to extend to Thailand before go to franchising. PappaRich can reduce the entry risk by using Thailand partners assets through joint venture. Besides, the inadequate knowledge of legal environment can be solve. Through joint venture, PappaRich can start the business at little or no costs. Franchising is another form of licensing. Franchise occurs when the franchisor grants a licence to the franchisee to use their business idea. To become a successful FB franchisors that can go nation, Papparich (the franchisee) can sell the franchisors trade mark, product or services, or trade name and benefits from the franchisors help and support in Thailand market. In return, the franchisee from Thailand need to pays an initial fee to PappaRich and then a percentage of the sales revenue. In a conclusion, we found that franchising is the best way for PappaRich to go into Thailand market as Papparich is FB industry which gives servicing to community. 6.0 Cultural analysis Diagram 1 Country PDI IDV MAS UAI LTO Malaysia 104 26 50 36 Thailand 64 20 34 64 56 Table 1 6.1 Power Distance Index (PDI) Hofstedes PDI measures the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations accept and expect that power is distributed unequally (Geert HofstedeCultural dimensions). On the scale, Malaysia has a score of 104 and Thailand 64. Thailand does not have a large gap between the wealthy and the poor, but have a strong belief in equality for each citizen. Thailand has the opportunity to rise in society compared to Malaysia. Malaysian employees see their managers as being far more superior to them and perceive them as unapproachable. This attitude gives the managers a sense of superiority and empowerment. In Thailand however, people view themselves more as equals hence there is a lot more communication between the employees and managers. 6.2 Individualism Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups (Geert HofstedeCultural dimensions). Thailands and Malaysias IDV is at 20 and 26 respectively. A low score, as Thailand and Malaysia has, indicates the society is more of a collectivist than an individualist. This manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member group, is that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules and regulations. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. Therefore in Individualism, it can be said that Thailand and Malaysia stands almost the same. Employees in both countries are very team orientated; therefore the managers do not need to make any changes. 6.3 Masculinity Masculinity versus its opposite, femininity refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. Thailand has the lowest masculinity ranking among the Asian countries listed at 34, while Malaysia is listed at 50, compared to the Asian average of 53 and the World average of 50. This lower level is indicative of a society with less assertiveness and competitiveness, as compared to one where these values are considered more important and significant. This situation also reinforces more traditional male and female roles within the population. Therefore it can be said that Malaysia is doing better than Thailand in terms of assertiveness and competitiveness. Thailand should improve in this area in order to continue to compete. Malaysians tend to be a bit more to being assertive and aggressive while Thai employees are more laid back and more accepting of feminine traits. Therefore managers from Thailand have to be stricter in order for their employees to be more efficient. 6.4 Uncertainty avoidance index UAI deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations (Peruvian Attitude On UAI) The UAI indicates the societys low level of tolerance for uncertainty. In an effort to minimize or reduce this level of uncertainty, regulations are adopted and implemented. The ultimate goal of this population is to control everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. As a result of this high UAI characteristic, the society does not readily accept change and is very risk adverse. The Thailand rank of 64 is slightly higher than the Asian average of 58 while Malaysia is slightly below average of 36. It can be said that Malaysia is doing quite well while Thailand should start to accept change and implement policies to control everything. The Malaysian managers in Thailand will have to change the way they manage their employees and actually put into place more guidelines and rules to get the best out of their Thai employees. 6.5 Long-Term Orientation Long-Term Orientation is the fifth dimension of Hofstede which was added after the original four to try to distinguish the difference in thinking between the East and West, defined as the degree to which one plans for and considers the future, as well as values traditions of the past.( Making Sense of Cross Cultural Communication) Below are some characteristics of the two opposing sides of this dimension: Long term orientation: -persistence -ordering relationships by status and observing this order -thrift -having a sense of shame Short term orientation: -personal steadiness and stability -protecting your face -respect or tradition -reciprocation of greetings, favors, and gifts Thailand measure a middle ranking being listed at 56 while Malaysia has no measures of LTO therefore no comparison can be made between both countries. 7.0 Recommendation Based on both SWOT analysis and Porters competitive force framework, it is the right decision to further the investment of PappaRich Group Sdn. Bhd to Thailand as it has the qualities and potential to penetrate into Thailands market. PappaRich is a modern kopitiam that serves quality coffee and asian delicacies that is currently doing very well in Malaysia. However in Thailand, PappaRich intends to serve the Thai community the same philosophy it currently serves the Malaysian community. As there are not many kopitiams in Thailand that serves authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine, PappaRich intends to venture into Thailand by becoming one of the pioneers in serving the authentic Malaysian coffeeshop-styled cuisine as well as Thailands own authentic delicacies. Setting up a food industry in Thailand is certainly a wise investment as services industry holds a 45% stake of the total market share for GDP composition in Thailand. Besides that Thailand has a lot advance in the improvement of technology, this can improve the cooking standards of the restaurant, and better equipment in the kitchen which will enhance efficiency and improve in the quality of the food and drinks. In addition, after the 2009 US financial crisis, Thailand has begun to pick up the pace and shows that there has been a boost in the economy. As the consumers expectation and confidence is strengthened, Papparich can start investing into Thailand. Based on the cultural analysis by Hofstedes framework, by comparing PDI, IDV, MAS, UAI, and LTO, the employees and managers in Thailand are more team orientated, more laid back and more accepting of feminine traits, and dominant. The type of managers in Thailand will be suitable to handle PappaRich, although they are not perfect, they are trainings available to improve their standards to achieve better efficiency and to increase productivity. PappaRich is slowly being recognised globally as it has build up a good reputation internationally in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. Referring to the market entry strategy, requires market research so to give us a vision about the existence opportunity, understand the competitive landscape and see who our potential customers are. Foreign market entry can be done via four mechanisms which are exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising. The strategies of exporting, licensing, joint venture, and franchising have to be done efficiently in order to enter a new market. Lastly, based on Michael Porters five forces model in the business level strategy, managers can determine and control the rules of completion and create a sustainable competitive advantage. PappaRich is an FB industry with barrier to entry and it requires high level of capital to start up the business. Besides that the brand identity of PappaRich might not be well known in Thailand, it faces substitute companies that are already in Thailand such as Coffee Bean and Starbucks. However, in terms of bargaining power, many consumers would choose PappaRich over Starbucks for coffee as the price is more affordable in PappaRich. The supplier also plays an important role in determining the feasibility of PappaRich as a good investment opportunity in Thailand as supplier determines the cost of operating and this will affect the total profit of the business so maintaining a good relationship with the supplier will definitely give and advantage to the company. The investment to Thailand is a goo d choice as PappaRich focus on the quality of their product and keeping it consistent throughout all their outlets. Furthermore, the ambience has also captivated the consumers and made them regular customers in PappaRich. 8.0 Conclusion After much evaluation from the swot analysis, business level, market entry strategy and the cultural analysis, it is concluded that Thailand is a good choice of investment location for PappaRich to venture into internationally. It can also be one of the pioneers of Malaysian food cuisine in Thailand as there are very few coffee shops that serve authentic Malaysian delights in Thailand as of today. Thailands increasing GDP is also another attraction to investment in Thailand as it shows the stability of the economy and the higher expected return on profit because of the appreciation in Thai Baht against Malaysian Ringgit if PappaRich were to venture into Thailand. Other advantages in investing into Thailand include attracting the locals in Thailand to experience new and different culture and delicacies. Furthermore, this provides Malaysian in Thailand a taste of their hometown within reach. Although there are many advantages in investing in Thailand, there ought to be some setback on the investment too and they are such as the political instability of the country which may hinder the operation of the business if the employees were to go on riot. Moreover, the political situation in Thailand may also cause the consumers to be fearful of leaving the house to dine out as it is unsafe. Lastly, from the uncertainty avoidance index, it has shown that Thailand is rank 64 while average in all other countries are at 58, this means that Thailand is very risk adverse and do not like any changes in their countries so they would have very strict policies and laws regarding foreign investment being parked in their country.

Deletion Essay -- Biology, DNA

Deletion is a mutation in which a part of the chromosome or the DNA is absent or lost. It may be inherent, or it may be due to improper chromosomal crossing-over during meiosis. This deletion is responsible for the abnormalities in the patient. One of the known disorders seen due to deletion is the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS), first described by Wolf et al[1] and Hirschhorn et al[2], results from the hemizygous deletion of the distal short arm of chromosome 4. Due to the complex and unmarked expression of this disorder, the WHS syndrome is presumed to be a contiguous gene syndrome with an indeterminate number of genes responsible for the phenotype i.e. a multigenic etiology. [3][4] The size of the terminal deletion may vary from a subtle 1.4Mb to a classic 30Mb [5]. Earlier genotype-phenotype correlation studies reveal that the main characteristic feature of WHS - the ‘Greek warrior helmet face’, is caused due to the hemizygosity of the WHSC1 gene located in the WHS critical region (WHSCR).[5] Various other genes are also located in the WHSCR which are responsible for most other phenotypic features. More precisely, the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome critical region (WHSCR) is located at 4p16.3 region. Approximately 25% of the patients with WHS deletion in this region are not detectable by cytogenetic karyotyping [6]. Hence, FISH has to be performed. The prevalence of this syndrome is estimated to be 1 in 50,000 births [7] with a female to male ratio of 2:1[8]. Case report: A baby was born with low birth weight of 1.8 kg to a 36 yr old father and 32 yr old mother. The proposita is the 6th girl child of the non-consanguineous parents. As can be seen from the pedigree chart shown in figure 2, the mothe... ...infant with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome: a dilemma in determination of the optimal timing of delivery. Clinical Medicine: Case reports. 8. Society for the Study of Behavioral Phenotypes (SSBP) Information sheet: Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Registered Charity number 1013849. 9. Altherr, M.R., Bengtsson, U., Elder, F. F. B., Ledbetter, D. H., Wasmuth, J. J., McDonald, M.E., Gusella, J. F., Greenberg, F. Molecular confirmation of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome with a subtle translocation of chromosome 4. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 49: 1235-1242, 1991. [PubMed: 1746553] 10. Althea T. Impact of chromosome 4p-syndrome on communication and expressive language skills: A preliminary investigation. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools. Vol 41 265-276 July 2010. 11. Harold Chen. EMedicine Specialties> Pediatrics: Genetics and Metabolism Disease> Genetics. Updated Jun 16, 2009.

Mondavi’s Strategy, Success, Threats, and Risks Essay -- Business Mana

Mondavi’s Strategy, Success, Threats, and Risks Bargaining Power of Supplier: Necessary products to make the wine e.g. grapes are easily available that allows Mondavi to have a considerable amount of choice to choose and keep their costs and expenses. Threat of Substitutes: There are a significant number of replacements for the Mondavi’s product that includes beer, wine coolers, spirits, and various other drinks. Threat of New Entrants: The wine industry is undergoing consolidation. Even several beer and spirits companies were moving toward the wine industry, which was growing more and more. Current Competitors: Mondavi wine has many different competitors from small size to large wine companies. There are lot different factors involves when considering a market segment. The quality of the wine, design of bottle, labeling can have a significant impact on consumer’s choice. And on the top of that cost will also play important role. Bargaining Power of Buyer: Mondavi usually distribute their product through distributors and wholesalers. There were few distributors who cover most of the markets. As there were just handful distributors, they hold a majority of bargaining power in the company. Why has Mondavi been successful to date? * Widely credited as America’s first premium commercial Winery. * Established as one of America’s most innovative and highest quality vintners. * First winery in the world to use refrigerated stainless steel fermentation to retain ...