Human Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Disease - Essay Example This is because such resources are subjected to prerequisite verifications before their publication. Grace, a sixty five year old woman, noted some changes in her cognitive ability that she associated with the general assumption that body processes slow down as people age. Her condition however continued to deteriorate with symptoms that were not reported by people of her age or those who were older than she was. Diagnosis of her condition as Alzheimer’s disease identifies a number of factors as possible causes. Her old age, being 65 years old is one of the risk factors that could have caused the disease. Genetic factors that could have been indicated by the disease’s diagnosis among her close relatives such as sibling or parents, or existence of particular genes in her system are another possible set of causes of her changed condition. Having a reported case of a cardiovascular disease or extreme level of mental stress as well as her gender could also have facilitated development of Grace’s disease. The disease could have therefore independently developed in h er or she could have inherited it from her parents through genes (Jasmin, p. 1). Changes in Grace’s cognitive ability that included forgetfulness of tasks and procedures, reduced ability to perform duties, and reduced decision-making ability raised her concerns of a possible problem. Complications that were more serious and that included change in behavior, difficulty to communicate, deteriorated memory and poor cognitive ability then prompted her medical attentions (National, p. 1; Jasmin, p. 1). Even though the disease started with mild symptoms, it gradually worsened to more serious symptoms and adverse effects on the patient. She for example lost her ability to coordinate words into sentences for communication. There was also a significant level of emotional instability as she could easily get angry and overreact to conditions that never bothered

Grossman's Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography, and Intervention Essay

Grossman's Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography, and Intervention - Essay Example The researcher states that cardiac telemetry helps in diagnosing the yield of arrhythmia and manages therapeutic caused by the consumption of antiarrhythmic drugs. They expected for arrhythmias to occur during post angiogram at approximately two hours. The cardiologists examined the condition of softness particularly on the femoral vein and the neurovascular observations as well as the rate of bleeding on both legs of the patient in every hour of operation. It suggests that Popliteral Femoralie maybe had experienced numbness in his legs which could have resulted from the failure of blood supply through lunar or radial arteries. Since the cardiologists observed on femoral veins, therefore, they mostly focused on lunar artery which is located in the legs. During angioplasty, femoral angiography is more efficient than radial angiography and this case that is why the cardiologists opt to do it on the patients’ legs where the lunar artery is located. Cardiologists seem to have inse rted the catheter through the lunar artery which is mostly associated with a lot of bleeding. Lidocaine is usually injected into patient’s body in either through the arm or the upper leg close to the hip. It numbs the body but does not make the patient to sleep. The catheter is threaded up to the heart through an artery with no pain. An x-ray camera although not mentioned, in this case, can assist in projecting images of the arteries on the screen where cardiologists can intervene about the obstruction in the artery. A contrast is later injected for it to flow up to the heart. If an impasse is found, a guide-wire is usually passed crosswise the narrowed segment which supports in placing a tiny balloon in that region. An inserted balloon catheter is later inflated many times where it flattens lamination inside an artery where the artery may crack, and the blockage is gone.

Research Methodology In Management Decisions Management Essay

Research Methodology In Management Decisions Management Essay Abstract Inline with planning and development, the quality and content of the supporting research is of great importance. It is therefore very necessary to design and adhere to an appropriate research methodology. The research methodology differs from one problem to another, but the basic approach remains the same. The objective of this assignment is to familiarize the art of using different research methods and techniques. This outline will assist in the accomplishment of exploratory, as well as result-oriented research studies. The following are the considerations which will be covered within the preview of research methodology. Objective of Business Research, Types of Research, and Types of Research Approach, Benefits, Business Research Requirements and Problems, Contents of a Research Plan, Features of a Business Research Report. Introduction and Needs: Introduction to Business Research In the present fast track business environment marked by cutthroat competition, many organizations rely on business research to gain a competitive advantage and greater market share. Business Research will be the pursuit of the truth with the observation of study, an comparison and experiment. The knowledge can be searched through objectives and systematic methods of finding solution to the entire problem. Discover answers to questions through the application of scientific procedures. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon. Research comprises the following: Defining and redefining problems. An art of formal training which enables one to understand the new developments in ones field in a better way. Search for knowledge, scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic, an art of scientific investigation. Careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. Systematized effort to gain new knowledge. An original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. The Business Research Problem 1. The lack of a scientific training in the methodology of research 2. Most of the business units do not have the confidenceThat the material supplied by them to researchers will not be misused. They are often reluctant in supplying the needed information to researchers. The concept of secrecy seems to be sacrosanct to business organizations. 3. Research to many researchers is mostly a scissor and paste job without any insight shed on the collated materials. Due to this the research results, quite often, do not reflect the reality or realities. My Idea There is a need for generating the confidence that the information/data obtained from a business unit will not be misused. Good research is structured systematically with specified steps and sequence to be taken in accordance with the well defined set of all rules. Care should be taken that the systematic characteristic of the research work does not rule out our creative thinking but it certainly does not reject the use of guessing intuition in arriving at conclusions. Good research is empirical as it is related to basically one or more aspects of the real situation and deals with concrete data that provides a basis for all external validity to have a research results. Good research is replicable as it allows research results to be verified by expert in replicating the study for building a sound basis for decision. 1. Objective of Business Research To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else and to test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables. To understand the market trends, or find the optimal marketing mix, devise effective HR Policies, or find the best investment options. 2. Types of Research 2.1 Application of Descriptive Research For descriptive studied in which the researcher seeks to measure items such as, frequency of shopping, preferences of people etc. Method of research utilized are, Survey methods of all kinds, Comparative methods and Co-relational methods 2.2 Analytical Research The researcher has to use facts of information already available. The researcher has to analyze facts to make a critical evaluation of the material. 2.3 Applied Research Its main purpose is to find a solution for an immediate problem facing by a society or an industrial business organisation and to discover a solution for some pressing practical problems. For example, Research studied concerning human behavior must be carried on with a view to make generalizations about human behavior. Research aimed at certain conclusions facing a concrete social or business problem. 2.4 Fundamental Research It concerned with generalization and with the formulation of a theory. For example, Research concerning some natural phenomenon, Research relating to pure mathematics. 2.5 Quantitative Research Based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity. It concerned with qualitative phenomenon and phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. 2.6 Attitude or opinion research It is a qualitative research designed to find out how people feel or what they think about a particular subject or institution 2.7 Qualitative Research It has importance in the behavioral sciences. Its aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behavior. It analyzes the various factors which motivate people to behave in a particular manner or which make people like or dislike a particular thing. 3. Types of Research Approach 3.1 Quantitative Approach It involves the generation of data in quantitative form, which can be subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion. 3.2 Experimental approach Greater control over the research environment and some variables are manipulated to observe their effect on to other variables. 3.3 Qualitative Approach It is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behavior. Techniques used are Focus group interviews, Projective techniques and Depth interviews. 4. Benefits of Business Research 4.1 Benefits in business and Industry Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system the plight of cultivators, the problems of distribution, size and nature of defense services etc. It collects information on the economic and social structure of the nation; which indicates what is happening in the economy and what changes are taking place. Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems of business and industry. 4.2 Benefits for professions, philosophers and thinkers Its responsibility as a science is to develop a body of principles that make possible the understanding and prediction of the whole range of human interactions. Because of its social orientation, it is increasingly being looked to for practical guidance in solving immediate problems of human relations. 5. Contents of Research Plan 5.1 Layout of the Report Anybody, who is reading the research report, must necessarily be conveyed enough information about the study so that he or she can place it in its general scientific context; judge the adequacy of its methods and thus form an opinion of how seriously the findings are to be taken. Following are some suggestions, though styles may differ. 5.2 Preliminary Pages In its preliminary pages the report should carry a title and date, and put acknowledgements at the end in the form of Preface or Foreword. Then, a table of contents, list of tables and illustrations so that anybody can easily locate the required information in the report. 5.3 Main Text This provides the complete and detailed outline of the research report. The title of the research study is repeated at the top of the first page of the main text and then follows the other details on pages numbered consecutively, beginning with the second page. The main texts have the following sections. a. Introduction findings b. The result c. The implications drawn from the result and d. The summary. The main body of the report should be presented in logical sequence and broken-down into readily identifiable sections. The key findings are concisely presented in the executive summary running into 100-200 words or a maximum of two pages. The major thrust should be on highlighting the objectives, salient features, and analysis of the results including the recommendations 5.3.1 Introduction It includes Clear statement of the objectives of research. A brief summary of other relevant research so that the present study can be seen in that context. The hypotheses of study Definitions of concepts The methodology adopted The statistical analysis adopted The scope of the study and The various limitations should be mentioned. 5.3.2 Results It includes a. The main body of the report b. Statistical summaries All relevant results must find a place in the report and must be presented in logical sequence and split into readily identifiable sections. 5.3.3 Implications of the results It includes a. A statement of the inferences drawn from the present study which may be expected to apply in similar circumstances. b. The condition of the present study which may limit the extent of legitimate generalizations of the inferences drawn from the study. c. The relevant questions that still remain unanswered or new questions raised by the study along with suggestion for the kind of research that would provide answers for them. 5.3.4 Summary It has become customary to conclude the research report with a brief summary, describing in brief the research problem, the methodology, the findings and conclusions drawn from the research results. 5.4 End Matter At the end, appendices should be enlisted such as questionnaires, sample information, mathematical derivations etc in respect of all technical data . Bibliography of sources consulted should be given and index should invariably be given at the end of the report. The value of index is the fact that lies in the works as a guide to the reader for the contents of all the report. 6. Criteria of Good Business Research 1. Purpose should be clearly defined and common concepts be used. Statements should be short and direct. 2. Underlining relevant parts for better emphasis 3. Pictures and graphs accompanying tables. 4. Graphics and animations accompanying the presentation of the report. 5. Procedure should be described in sufficient detail to permit another researcher to repeat the research for further advancement, keeping the continuity of what has already been attained. 7. Features of a Business Research Report 7.1 Problem Definition A problem is any situation which requires further investigations. Decisions made on the judgments may not always turn out to be correct, but the problem may not be important enough to justify substantial time, money and effort to be spent on solving. It is correctly said that a problem well defined is half solved. Clear, precise, to the point statement of the problem itself provides clues for the solution .On the other hand a vague, general, or inaccurate statement of the problem only confuses the researcher and can lead to wrong problem being researched and useless results generated. 7.2 Research Objectives Address the purpose of the project. The basic purpose of research is to facilitate the decision making process. Every research follows a set of well-planned objectives. The general and specific objectives should be stated. These can be adjusted for sequencing without changing their basic nature. The research objectives can take the form of questions and statements. 7.3 Background Material à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Include a review of the previous research or descriptions of conditions that caused the project to be authorized. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It may entail preliminary results from an experience survey or secondary data from various sources. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The references from secondary data, definitions and assumptions are included. 7.4 Methodology 1. Sampling Design 2. Research Design 3. Data Collection 4. Data analysis 5. Limitations 6. Findings 7. Conclusions 8. Recommendations 9. Appendices 10. Bibliography 7.4.1 Sampling Design Here Researcher defines the target population and the sampling methods put to use. It contains other necessary information such as: 1. Types of sampling (probability or non-probability) used 2. Types of probability sampling (Simple random or complex random) or non-probability sampling (quota sampling or snowball sampling) used. 3. The factors influenced the determination of sample size and selection of the sampling elements. 4. The levels of confidence and the margin of acceptable error. 7.4.2 Research Design Should be carefully planned to yield results that are as objective as possible. It should contain information on: Nature of research design Design of questionnaires Questionnaire development and pre-testing Data that was gathered Sources (both primary and secondary) from which data was collected Scales and instruments used Designs of sampling, coding and method of data input. Strength and weaknesses Copies of materials used and the technical details could be placed in the appendix. 7.4.3 Data Collection The collection of primary data for business research is of paramount importance to assist management in making decision. Generally, information regarding a large number of characteristics is necessary to analyze any problem pertaining to management. The collection of primary data requires a great deal of deliberation and expertise. 7.4.4 Data Analysis Provides information on the different methods used to analyze the data. It should justify the choice of the methods based on assumptions. It should be sufficiently adequate to reveal its significance and the methods of analysis used should be appropriate. The validity and reliability of the data should be checked carefully. It provides details on: a) Data handling b) Groundwork analysis, c) Rational statistical test and analysis. 7.4.5 Limitations Certain researchers tend to avoid this section but this is not a sign of professionalism. There should be a tactful combination of reference and explanation of the various methodologies and their limitations of implementation problems. The limitations need not be explained in detail. Details of limitation do not detract from the research. They help the reader in acknowledging its honesty and validity. 7.4.6 Findings It is better to report one finding per page and support it with quantitative data It presents all the relevant data but makes no attempt to draw any inferences The section attempts to bring to the fore any pattern in the industry Charts, graphs, and tables are generally used to present quantitative data 7.4.7 Conclusions Conclusions are inferences drawn from the findings. It should be directly related to the research objectives or hypotheses. Researcher should always present the conclusions as he has first hand knowledge of the research study. It is wrong to leave the inference of the conclusions on the reader. It should be confined to those justified by the data of the research and limited to those for which the data provide an adequate basis. Towards the end of the main text, researcher should again put down the results of his research clearly and precisely. In fact, it is the final summing up. 7.4.8 Recommendations Recommendations are a few corrective actions presented by the researcher. Highlight the actions the report calls for as per the researcher. It should be in line with the results of the report. It should be explicit. They may even contain plans of how future research for the same can proceed. Recommendation should be given if the client wants them else should be avoided because some decision-makers do not want their thought process to be limited to the recommendations given. In such a case, the report should not carry any recommendations. 7.4.9 Appendices Appendices are optional. It includes Raw data Calculations, Graphs Copies of forms and questionnaires Complex tables Instructions to field workers Quantitative material that would look inappropriate in the main text. The reader can refer to them if required. Care should be taken that they do not exist in isolation and reference to each appendix is given in the text. 7.4.10 Bibliography There is a list of citations and references of books and periodical articles on the particular topics, journals etc., consulted should also be given in the end. 7.4.11 Index Index is given specially in a published research report. It contains all the works consulted in the preparation of the report, not just those referred to in the text. A consistent reference format should be used all through the section Conclusions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Research will require the collection of new data through surveys and/or the use of existing data such as is often the case in the application of econometrics. These approaches are often associated with survey statisticians and economists, respectively. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Report should be written in a concise and objective style in simple language avoiding vague expressions such as it seems, there may be, and the like. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Charts and illustrations in the main report should be used only if they present the information more clearly and forcibly.

The Tragedy of Child Abuse in America :: Violence Against Children

Child abuse is the intentional infliction of physical, moral, and sexual pain and suffering on a child. It is performed mainly by parents who were maltreated as children themselves. There are many causes for child abuse. In some cases children are mistreated when parents or caretakers have maladaptive responses to stressful situations or feel powerless. Searching for relief, they may hit someone with even less power than they, and these are often children. Other times child abuse is the result of family problems over which the abuser has no control. Alcohol was said to be involved in fourteen percent of the cases of abuse and in eighteen and a half percent of the cases of neglect. â€Å"Religion, residence in the city or country, region of the country, and race are all related to violence in a home.† Approximately eighty percent of the child-abusers were themselves abused as children. A high percentage of abusing parents feel that they are legitimately exercising their parental right. The parents injure their offspring hoping that the child will change a manner or learn a lesson. They take the idea of discipline to a brutal degree. In some cases the parents are simply too young and/or immature to take good care of their children. There is a higher percentage rate of mistreatment in families with mixed religion marriages. Very often it is a recollection of small pressures that finally make a parent explode. It is most likely that the abuser is employed only part-time or is jobless. Retired men and women are the least likely to harm a child. Most of the abusers do not suffer any kind of psychiatric illness. Because children with disabilities create more stress, they are more likely to be abused. Physical violence is more common in poor families, families living under stress or parents who suffered cruelty as children. Types of abuse also vary. The broad picture includes only moral, physical and sexual abuse, while in the narrower picture each of these has its own sub-topics. The kind of abuse varies depending on the age of the victim. Infant and pre-school children are more likely to suffer fractures, burns and bruises. This is called the â€Å"Battered child syndrome† discovered by C. Henry Kempe. Although school aged or adolescent females are more likely to suffer from sexual molestation, there is a recently growing number of sexual abuse of pre-school and male victims. The Tragedy of Child Abuse in America :: Violence Against Children Child abuse is the intentional infliction of physical, moral, and sexual pain and suffering on a child. It is performed mainly by parents who were maltreated as children themselves. There are many causes for child abuse. In some cases children are mistreated when parents or caretakers have maladaptive responses to stressful situations or feel powerless. Searching for relief, they may hit someone with even less power than they, and these are often children. Other times child abuse is the result of family problems over which the abuser has no control. Alcohol was said to be involved in fourteen percent of the cases of abuse and in eighteen and a half percent of the cases of neglect. â€Å"Religion, residence in the city or country, region of the country, and race are all related to violence in a home.† Approximately eighty percent of the child-abusers were themselves abused as children. A high percentage of abusing parents feel that they are legitimately exercising their parental right. The parents injure their offspring hoping that the child will change a manner or learn a lesson. They take the idea of discipline to a brutal degree. In some cases the parents are simply too young and/or immature to take good care of their children. There is a higher percentage rate of mistreatment in families with mixed religion marriages. Very often it is a recollection of small pressures that finally make a parent explode. It is most likely that the abuser is employed only part-time or is jobless. Retired men and women are the least likely to harm a child. Most of the abusers do not suffer any kind of psychiatric illness. Because children with disabilities create more stress, they are more likely to be abused. Physical violence is more common in poor families, families living under stress or parents who suffered cruelty as children. Types of abuse also vary. The broad picture includes only moral, physical and sexual abuse, while in the narrower picture each of these has its own sub-topics. The kind of abuse varies depending on the age of the victim. Infant and pre-school children are more likely to suffer fractures, burns and bruises. This is called the â€Å"Battered child syndrome† discovered by C. Henry Kempe. Although school aged or adolescent females are more likely to suffer from sexual molestation, there is a recently growing number of sexual abuse of pre-school and male victims.

Fast Food or Sit down Restaurants Essay

Enjoying your food with warm cooked bread along with sweet butter to spread and an iced cold drink to top it all off, or Rushing to eat your food because you feel as if you have to scarf it down before it gets to cold. Sit down restaurant or fast food what would you prefer? Sitting down talking, ordering refills and desserts is my favorite while at a sit down restaurant but sometimes I am in a bit of a hurry and need to swing bye and get something fast that is easy to eat in a short amount of time. Some people may think fast food compared to sit down restaurants are almost the same but they do have many differences. Comparing two local food businesses such as Taco Bell and Texas Road House, there prices I would like to say are a little low but the other are a little high. Taco Bell is considered a fast food joint, and is a place to go when you may be low on cash or even when you may want something fast and easy after a long day at work to feed your family. Taco Bell always has deals and low prices for those times when you want something good not to expensive but worth your money. Texas Road house on the other hand is the opposite this is the place to go when you just got a really good paycheck and feel as if you and your boyfriend need to be spoiled or maybe just want to have a night and go somewhere that will have fun serving you and also do not mind if you get a little crazy cause that’s what having fun is all about.. Texas Road House is considered a Steak House and it is somewhere to go when you want to enjoy a delicious meal and maybe even some drinks to have just a great night out ye s you will be spending way more then you would if you went to Taco Bell but Texas road house always fulfills my taste buds and its worth the money every time. For some people the environment Is the most important part about eating at a restaurant. Some like it quiet and not to be bothered others like it loud and packed. When picking a place like taco bell it is a very quiet place to go and eat and rarely do you go in and enjoy your meal. Texas Road House on the other hand is very loud and there is always a long waiting list because it’s so packed. Not only is the environment important but also how clean the place is to, taco bell is always on top of cleaning and how nice and clean  there lobby is and also there bathrooms too. Texas Road house is clean besides all the peanuts you bring home on your shoes bathrooms are always kept up and you always leave with a full stomach.. To me having something fun at your restaurant is good it gives the place character and everyone knows where to go when they just feel like a bag of peanuts, or when you need some extra hot sauce packets at home. When it comes to different food items at these two places, they are different but that’s what makes each place unique. Taco bell has burritos, tacos, nachos, Mexican pizza etc. Texas Road House has a variety of things burgers, steaks, salads, baked potatoes, bread rolls, and so much more but each place does have a signature sauce they serve, taco bell has there mild ,medium, hot, and Verde sauce while Texas road house there steak sauce and there butter that everyone loves. Not only do you need the sauces and butters with your meal but you do need drinks as well. Taco bell has a variety of different pops, while Texas road house has pop, tea, lemonade, beer, margaritas, shots, etc. Taco bell compared to Texas Road house are very different in their own ways.

The economy of the early Roman Empire

The economy of the early Roman Empire and the late Republic of Rome was driven primarily by trade. Although in modern times history the economic basis of the Roman Empire has been neglected and focus has been directed to the exploits of the Roman Legions and Lingua France of Latin, it is important to note that Rome had an estimated population of over a million and to sustain its population, the economy had to be centered on a central avenue and this avenue was trade.Most of the Romans were traders and this ensured that the empire lasted a long time, probably one of the longest lasting empires the world will ever witness[1].Theoretically, there was a prohibition of the members of the senate to be indulged in business and this also applied to their family members. However, the Equestrian Order members were hugely involved in business not withstanding the fact they belonging to the upper class, the society expected them to be involved more in leisure and military activities and pursuits .There were also a huge proportion of slaves who were responsible for doing most of the work while the Plebeians practically held shops and manned stalls around the vicinity of the markets.The slaves were also involved in the commerce of the empire and they played a great role in giving the empire's commerce a distinct flavor compared to other commerce in the world[2].Thesis StatementThe study will focus on the Roman Empire involvement in the Mediterranean trade and how this trade was conducted and how it benefited the Roman Empire. The study will look in the Maritime routes that were present during the trade and how they helped in the development of trade among various regions in the world including Asia, India, Africa and Western Europe.The study will also strive to look into the regions that benefited from the various commodities of the trade and how they came to be powerful empires as well. This study will look into the ancient Roman trade partners and what commodities were exch anged during the trade.The Study will also look into the importance of certain commodities to the Roman Empire and chief among them will be marble.Maritime RoutesArchaeological studies of the ancient maritime trends supported by manuscripts derived from Classical antiquity have proved that the Roman Empire was in possession of numerous fleets of ships. Also as a show of evidence of the maritime trade conducted by the Roman Empire are the ruins and remains of lighthouses, moles, harbors and warehouses which were found in the ports of Caesarea Maritima, Ostia, Civitavecchia, Leptis Magna and Portus.As with other forms of technology, the Roman maritime technology was not as advanced as that of the Greeks. It is evidence that the Roman fleets were constructed with great concern about the security of the fleets.This is because there was lead sheeting for hulls which were meant for protection. They used sailing ships which were round hulled. One of the factors that led to the success of t he Roman Maritime Commerce was the continued policing that run over a number of centuries. This was necessitated by the fact that their ships had been an easy prey for the pirates[3].The sea transport was widely used for transporting of commodities which were low valued yet very bulky. This mainly comprised of construction materials and grains. One of the reasons for this was that the sea transport was the cheapest mode of transport that the Roman Empire could afford. They used to import cereals and papyrus from Ptolemaic Egypt and this followed a continuous fashion[4].The Roman Empire trade via the Indian Ocean blossomed in the first two centuries of CE. The Roman sailors would make use of the Monsoon winds to cross to such ports as Myos Hormos, Roman Egypt, Red Sea Muziris and Malabar Coast. The Tamil dynasties were their leading trade partners the region of Southern India and this can be evidenced by the numerous Roman artifacts that are found in India.[1] Donkin, Robin A. (2003) . Between East and West: The Moluccas and the Traffic in Spices Up to the Arrival of Europeans. Diane Publishing Company, p. 45, pp 65 – 94 [2] Carter, Mia; Harlow, Barbara (2004). Archives of Empire: From the East India Company to the Suez Canal. Duke University Press pp 54 – 96. [3] Casson, L., Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1971. pp 12 – 59 [4] Rawlinson, Hugh George (2001). Intercourse Between India and the Western World: From the Earliest Times of the Fall of Rome. Asian Educational Services. pp. 87 – 198.

Environment Cleaning Potential of Microorganisms Essays

Environment Cleaning Potential of Microorganisms Essays Environment Cleaning Potential of Microorganisms Paper Environment Cleaning Potential of Microorganisms Paper Bioremediation, a form of biotechnology, involves the use of the actions of microorganisms to aid in the removal of oil spills in oceans throughout the world. In essence, the process of bioremediation takes advantages of the biodegradation capabilities of microorganisms, which pertains to the capacity to break down and utilize various compounds, one of which is petroleum (Congress of the United States [CUS], 1991). Although by definition it is rather simple, bioremediation is not as easy as placing certain microorganism at oil spills. There are three different approaches used in bioremediation depending upon the conditions. The three methods are nutrient enrichment, indigenous microorganism seeding, and genetically altered microorganism seeding (CUS, 1991). In relation to this, the best known microorganisms that degrade oil are from strains of Bacteroides, Cytophaga, and Flexibacter, which are all gram negative bacteria (MacNaughton et al., 1999). The fact that bioremediation is considered as biotechnology is easily proven. Given that the term biotechnology is a generalization of the use and application of organisms and related processes for the benefit of humans, in this case, microorganisms are used to improve the condition of the environment which evidently improves the environment and eventually benefits humans. Due to biotechnology being associated with alterations in known organisms, the public has often been concerned about the negative impacts which biotechnology may bring. In this case, however, the main concern is the possibility that the added microorganisms might alter ecological balance. This is easily refuted as studies have shown that upon clearing the spill, the oil degrading microorganisms become significantly minute in terms of number, hence allowing the natural balance during normal conditions to persist. The only question whether bioremediation may be used is regarding the capacity of the government to provide such solutions. Therefore, in a purely environmental and biological sense, bioremediation is the best and safest possible way of eliminating oil spills in the ocean. References MacNaughton, S. J., Stephen, J. R., Venosa, A. D., Davis, G. A., Chang, Y., White, D. C. (1999, August). Microbial population changes during bioremediation of an experimental oil spill. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 65 (8), 3566 – 3574. United States Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. (1991, May). Bioremediation for Marine Oil Spills- Background Paper, OTA-BP-O-70. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved May 14, 2009, from fas.org/ota/reports/9109.pdf.

The Story Of An Hour Essays - Smoking In The United States, Smoking

The Story Of An Hour Essays - Smoking In The United States, Smoking The Story Of An Hour What I Already Know: I really dont know much about teen smoking or why they like to smoke. This is just what I think about it. I know most teens love to smoke because they think its cool. Some teens smoke because they want to fit in with their friends. Other kids just smoke because of the peer- pressure from their friends. What I want to Know: - Why do teens smoke? - Is it an addiction? - Do teens smoke because of the peer-pressure? What I found out: The reason why teens smoke is because of the cigarette ads and problems at home. Smoking and chewing tobacco are just like using drugs and alcohol. Once you start you may not ever be able to stop smoking. I also found out a September 2000 study shows that one -quarter of 12-13 year olds. Who smoke as few as two or three cigarettes a day becomes addicted in just two weeks? Most of the rest get addicted within a few weeks or more. New studies show it only takes a matter of days for 12 and 13 year olds to become addicted to smoking. Weve all seen the ads for Marlboro Country, with images of beautiful country scenes, wild horses galloping, and cowboys around fire or on horseback. Well, heres the real Marlboro Country. If Joe Camels ad told the truth about smoking it would say. I wish I hadnt smoked. I got a lot of kids to think smoking was cool, and Im so sorry! Im so very sorry. I smoked, and now Im dying of cancer. Just look at me now! Please whatever you do, dont smoke! More About Tobacco Advertising! Unfortunately, many teens are not too concerned about the risk of disease later in life. But the fact is cigarettes cause emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease. Today in the US, smoking causes 1 of every 5 deaths. Cigarettes kill 1,2000 Americans every day that amounts to 420,000 Americans deaths each year and two to three million deaths worldwide annually. In coming decades, the World Health Organization tell us that smoking will kill 500 million people worldwide. Thats 9% of the present world population. It means that nearly 1 of every 10 people now alive on earth will die because of cigarettes! And tragically, this is entirely preventable. Tobacco ads are also designed to play with your mind. In magazine ads, we see healthy young people playing sports which require breath, like tennis or mountain climbing, but we all know thats a lie. These cigarette ads intentionally make it appear that smoking is socially acceptable. That is so false. The truth is, here in the US, three out of four people dont smoke, and its not okay to smoke around most people not any more. Smoking is not socially acceptable. Every year, the tobacco industry spends $ 4.5 to $ 5 billion on the daily advertising of its deadly, addictive products. In conclusion, the sad fact is that advertising has as much stronger effect on teens than most consciously realize. Every day 3,000 teens become newly addicted to cigarettes. The tobacco industry knows exactly what they are doing, and they spend billions every year to manipulate the unconscious minds of millions, dont let them manipulate you! New Scientific studies shows. Teens, who believe advertising has no effect on you, consider this. A recent study demonstrated that advertising plays a greater role than peer-pressure in getting teens to smoke. Studies also show the most popular brands teens smoke is Camels, Marlboros, and Newport. The Addiction The physical portion of the addiction is to nicotine. The psychological part of the relaxing, familiar sensation of handling the cigarette, watching its curling smoke, the deep and relaxing breathing associated with inhaling and exhaling, the taste, and so on. When quitting, a smokers conscious mind says, I will stop smoking no problem. But the unconscious mind has been conditioned that cigarettes give pleasure, and thats all it can focus on. The addicted unconscious mind says, Give me a cigarette now! It only recognizes what feels good, or what doesnt feel good. It demands a cigarette without regard to right or wrong, and rebels against the conscious mind decision to not smoke.

32 Famous Basketball Quotes

32 Famous Basketball Quotes Some say it is just another ball game. However, basketball enthusiasts swear that the game is the purpose of life. While both views are extreme, you cannot help being intrigued by the genuine fanaticism of the fans. Read these famous basketball quotes. Maybe, in these famous basketball quotes, you will find the purpose of life. You can read inspirational basketball quotes to take you forward in the game of life. Jason Kidd A lot of late nights in the gym, a lot of early mornings, especially when your friends are going out, youre going to the gym, those are the sacrifices that you have to make if you want to be an NBA basketball player. Magic Johnson Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates. Elgin Baylor Coaching is easy. Winning is the hard part. Michael Jordan Even when Im old and grey, I wont be able to play it, but Ill still love the game. Obstacles dont have to stop you. If you run into a wall, dont turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace. Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times, Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. I would tell players to relax and never think about whats at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, youve lost your focus. Wilt Chamberlain Everybody pulls for David, nobody roots for Goliath. Kobe Bryant Everything negative pressure, challenges are all an opportunity for me to rise. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody. I can accept failure, but I cant accept not trying. I think someone should explain to the child that its ok to make mistakes. Thats how we learn. When we compete, we make mistakes. Ive had enough success for two lifetimes, my success is talent put together with hard work and luck. Dennis Rodman I couldnt care less if the guy Im guarding has HIV. Im going to slam him anyway. Julius Erving I think that my God-given physical attributes, big hands, and big feet, the way that Im built, proportion-wise, just made basketball the most inviting sport for me to play. If you dont do whats best for your body, youre the one who comes up on the short end. Larry Bird Once you are labeled the best you want to stay up there, and you cant do it by loafing around. If I dont keep changing, Im history. Push yourself again and again. Dont give an inch until the final buzzer sounds. Ive got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end. Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. Its being able to take it as well as dish it out. Thats the only way youre going to get respect from the players. James Naismith The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play Drop the Handkerchief. Jerry West You cant get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good. Charles Barkley If you are afraid of failure you dont deserve to be successful! Elgin Baylor If you look up the definition of greatness in the dictionary, it will say Michael Jordan. Isiah Thomas If you want consistency, then you perform. This is a performance job. You get paid to perform. Your money is guaranteed, but your minutes are not. My greatest gift that I have in life is basketball. Pete Maravich Love never fails. Character never quits. And with patience and persistence, dreams do come true. Shaquille ONeal Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just Gods way to say nobodys perfect. Kevin Johnson No matter what you say, you can have as many receivers as you want; there are enough balls to go around.

Britain's Conservative Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Britain's Conservative Movement - Essay Example Tories, such as Woolton and Churchill, captured this new worldview and offered the people of Britain a mixed economy based on pragmatism and built upon the progressive programs that labour had failed to deliver in the post war period. In 1945 the Conservative party faced a British electorate that perceived them as elitist and the party of the wealthy, which resulted in a disappointing loss at the polls in 1945. The Labour Manifesto of 1951 stated that, "The Tories are against a more equal society. They stand, as they have always stood, for privilege. In parliament they proposed cuts in taxation on large incomes and fought the profits tax" (Dale 1999, p.78). During this period, Conservatives sought to widen the appeal of the party. According to Lynch (1999, p.22), "Conservative claim to be the patriotic party had lost resonance given their association with the pre-war depression, the emergence of a popular patriotic discourse on the Left and a new period of consensus politics". This disconnection with the voting public would hamper the Conservative efforts during the next five years as they restructured the party, both philosophically and pragmatically. During the period of 1951-1964, the Conservative party was able to reap the rewards of the British public seeking to maintain a coherent national identity. David Hume and Henry Bolingbroke had written, in the 18th century, about the character of the British and that image endured for two hundred years of multi-national imperialism (Lynch 1999, p.3-20). However, by 1950 this image had weakened due to de-colonization, decentralization, and the growing integration of Europe. The empire and the monarchy no longer served as models for the British identity. Lynch (1999, p.21) contends that "a renewal of substate nationalism, immigration from the New Commonwealth and a Keynesian welfare state political settlement in which the Conservatives had lost their distinctive patriotic voice and had not developed a coherent post-imperial idea of Britishness". This loss of a national identity created an environment where the Conservatives could build a new identity in the image of the new Social Cons ervatism. This would further hold voters in the Conservative camp as they identified the party with the nationalism and patriotism of nationhood. This required conservative platforms to appeal to left wing social ideals, while supporting right wing capitalistic economic freedoms. The issues of decentralization, housing, health, and education became the property of the Conservative party, and by 1949 Churchill would assert that the Conservative party was a "broad, tolerant, progressive and hopeful prospect to the British people" and had become "..an overwhelming repudiation of the taint that we are a class party seeking to defend abuses or willing to tolerate the exploitation of the mass of people by vested interests, by monopolies or by bygone ideas" (as cited in James 1974, p.7863). The Conservative's rebranding as a socially progressive party shed the perception of an economically exclusive organization and helped attract many former labour supporters. Conservative policy following the Second World War was built upon the philosophy of the social reform policies of former Conservatives such as, "Thomas Carlyle, the Earl of Shaftesbury, William Wilberforce, and

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Discussion Questions - Essay Example Therefore, the id drives the individual towards making decision that will satisfy their need. For instance when one feels that they need drugs but they have to undertake a certain duty, then drugs will come first. However if the individual does not take the drugs the feeling will still remain there until they take the drug. The ego is the executive of personality as it mediates between the urgent urges of the id and the demands from the superego as stated by Rasmussen (32). For instance when one desires to use drugs the ego will intervene to make the individual know whether it is the right time to take the drugs. Therefore, the ego functions according to the reality principle hence it delays the immediate satisfaction until the appropriate time. Therefore, in the event of the urge to take drugs the ego will suppress that feeling until the right time. The superego embodies the ideals and principles of society as they are conveyed by what parents do and say. Within the superego, the conscience arises hence its role is to block the unacceptable urges by the society as stated by Sullivan (24). For instance when one feels like abusing drugs, the superego reminds the individual that the habit is not allowed and thus suppresses the feeling. This model aims at imparting information about drugs taking the assumption that children and adolescent will keep away from drugs after understanding their prospective risks. It also makes the assumption that the information will lead to students to developing negative attitude that will prevent them from abusing drugs. In brief the model speculates a casual series leading from knowledge (n drugs) to attitude change (negative) then to behavior change (non use) according to Abadinsky (226). The model seeks to shape personality. It centers on the person rather than the drugs and it assumes that young people with high self esteem can not abuse drugs. It also

Everyday uses of mathematics 0920 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Everyday uses of mathematics 0920 - Essay Example One simply cannot cook unless one is not able to get the proportion of varied ingredients that need to be put in a particular dish. One cannot cook varied recipes given in cook books and magazines if one does not know the basic mathematics to be able to calculate the quantity of varied spices and ingredients that one needs to put in a dish one is cooking. Once again, driving a car is a fairly common activity. Yet, the thing is that to know as to when one will reach one’s destination one need to know about the distance at which a place is located and the speed of one’s car. Only then one is able to calculate the time when he will reach the intended destination. Once again, this requires knowledge of basic mathematics. Students and household people do keep weekly and monthly budgets to keep an eye on their expenditure and savings. Again it is not possible to make and manage household budgets unless one does not know how to count the money one has at one’s disposal and as to how to add, subtract, divide and multiply varied sums of money. The one other thing students and professionals do is to keep a weekly and monthly planner to be able to manage their routines and to keep an eye on the time they have at their disposal. Again, one really cannot keep oneself organized and punctual by keeping a track of one’s t ime if one does not know how to watch time and the basic mathematics to be able to add and subtract time. The other commonly known activity that requires the knowledge of mathematics is the maintenance of personal statistics. People losing weight do keep a track of the pounds they have gained or lost and the change in the circumference of their waist and arms and legs. One really cannot do these things without knowing a little bit of mathematics. Isn’t it interesting to note that one even cannot lose weight without having knowledge of mathematics? People often go to shopping and while

20th Century Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

20th Century Philosophy Paper - Essay Example This work was extended by Russel who derived the whole of mathematics from logic. The projects of both Frege, and Russel failed but gave rise to what is known as analytic philosophy today. There is no clear definition of analytic philosophy. This philosophy â€Å"emphasizes clarity, rigor, argument, theory, truth. [†¦] This kind of philosophy is more like science than religion, more like mathematics than poetry – though it is neither science nor mathematics† (Collin, 2002). The history of analytic philosophy can be divided into five phases. The first phase from 1900 to 1910 is characterized by the quasi-platonic form of realism, which was articulated in the idiom of ‘propositions’ and ‘meanings’. Later, Moore proposed the philosophy of common sense, while Russel developed logical atomism with Ludwig Wittgenstein. This second phase continued till 1930. 1930s saw the development of logical positivism by A.J. Ayer. The fourth phase form 1945-1965 saw inclination towards ordinary-language analysis developed by John Wisdom, Gilbert Ryle, and Paul Grice. Criticism in 1960s led the analytic philosophy to dump its linguistic form. This continued till the end of the 20th century and illustrates pluralism. Simply defined, modernism is the social thought process, logical behavior, and character in the present time. This movement stretched from 1890 to 1920 and witnessed the genius of Joyce, Eliot, Lewis, and Pound among others. This movement had a far-reaching influence on the American and British society in terms of art, architecture, literature, religion, politics, and social behavior. Some of the salient features of modernism include: Experimentation; self-consciousness; individualism; elite intellectualism; and anti-realism. The modernism movement was influenced by many sources. It took allusiveness in style from symbolism; an urban setting from realism; artist-focused view, and

Local Area Network Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Local Area Network Design - Assignment Example From this research it is clear that WAN technology is implemented in many different ways depending on the requirements of the organizations. Topology is the network structure which can be connected to multiple networks structured on different topologies. Corporate organizations need massive volume of data to be transferred from their head office and remote offices. For example, the backup servers located in the head office, needs to be updated on a regular basis. The data from the remote offices is essential to be updated on the backup server at every 24 hours. The bandwidth requirement depends on the data type and volume of the information which needs to be synchronized or transferred from the remote offices. For universities, bandwidth requirements are aligned with application and data that needs to be transferred from each campus to another, depending on the network structure. Moreover, security issues must be addressed, as academic papers, results and exams are stored in a databa se that can be exploited by hackers. However, connecting remote offices securely and effectively can be accomplished by implementing Virtual Private Networks operating on WAN. Blue Coats system executive Chris Webber says, â€Å"Credit must be given to the WAN technologies for facilitating the corporate organizations economically†. The packet switching network is directly connected to the Internet Service Provider similar to a network device i.e. hub. As more than one customer is subscribed to the service running on a PSTN, bandwidth issues are common; however, they can be managed by configuring a router that can be connected to a dedicated physical connection. Likewise, the physical connection can be segmented by virtual connections that can be allocated to remote offices of the organization. Some of the technologies that contributed in a packet switched network are frame relay networks and X.25 protocol. After discussing these two type of networks, cell switching is the thi rd type of network. The packet switching network transmits data or data packet in a variable length frame, while, the cell switching network transmits data packet in cells of fixed size and length. Likewise,

Deviance and social controls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Deviance and social controls - Essay Example The goal of sociologists is to identify the common characteristics of deviance. This approach is not concerned with the classification of deviant behavior. This research paper will seek to analyze and assess the phenomenon of social deviance. Deviance is considered to be aberrant behaviors that are contrary to established cultural norms and values. However defining the term is more complex given the sheer assortment of actions that are categorized as aberrant by society. The goal of sociology is to identify the common characteristics of various forms of deviance. The normative definition argues that any behavioral pattern that infringes upon the established rules of society is tantamount to deviance (Ben Yahuda, 1990). This definition is perhaps the oldest one regarding the phenomenon of deviance. Contemporary sociologists have attempted to formulate a relativistic definition in order to ensure computability with modern sociological theories. Thus the relativistic definition considers deviance as actions which are perceived to be aberrant according to social agents. Deviance helps to establish social morals and standards that provide guidance to society. The function of society is to create parameters that divide behaviors on the basis of acceptability. Any action that is outside such parameters will be categorized as deviant by society. Human beings are able to make decisions based upon the classification of deviant behaviors (Downes, 2003). These decisions are implemented within the moral boundaries in order to ensure acceptability from fellow human beings. An important function of deviance is to rally and mobilize the social classes against the outcasts of society. This helps to develop a consensus among the general public that deviant acts will not be tolerated in society. For instance there is a universal stance against pedophilia which is deemed to be a

Local Area Network Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Local Area Network Design - Assignment Example From this research it is clear that WAN technology is implemented in many different ways depending on the requirements of the organizations. Topology is the network structure which can be connected to multiple networks structured on different topologies. Corporate organizations need massive volume of data to be transferred from their head office and remote offices. For example, the backup servers located in the head office, needs to be updated on a regular basis. The data from the remote offices is essential to be updated on the backup server at every 24 hours. The bandwidth requirement depends on the data type and volume of the information which needs to be synchronized or transferred from the remote offices. For universities, bandwidth requirements are aligned with application and data that needs to be transferred from each campus to another, depending on the network structure. Moreover, security issues must be addressed, as academic papers, results and exams are stored in a databa se that can be exploited by hackers. However, connecting remote offices securely and effectively can be accomplished by implementing Virtual Private Networks operating on WAN. Blue Coats system executive Chris Webber says, â€Å"Credit must be given to the WAN technologies for facilitating the corporate organizations economically†. The packet switching network is directly connected to the Internet Service Provider similar to a network device i.e. hub. As more than one customer is subscribed to the service running on a PSTN, bandwidth issues are common; however, they can be managed by configuring a router that can be connected to a dedicated physical connection. Likewise, the physical connection can be segmented by virtual connections that can be allocated to remote offices of the organization. Some of the technologies that contributed in a packet switched network are frame relay networks and X.25 protocol. After discussing these two type of networks, cell switching is the thi rd type of network. The packet switching network transmits data or data packet in a variable length frame, while, the cell switching network transmits data packet in cells of fixed size and length. Likewise,

The concept of God is incoherent Essay Example for Free

The concept of God is incoherent Essay The concept of God is incoherent. Discuss God is conceived of as a (supernatural) being that is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, all good, all just and all merciful. These attributions appear to create logical difficulties, sometimes singly, sometimes when taken together, though it is in some cases necessary to add facts about the world (such as the existence of evil) to create the incoherence. In such cases, it is the whole picture of the nature of God plus aspects of reality that is held to be incoherence. Firstly God is Omnipotence. Omnipotence by definition means that God is all powerful. If God were all powerful, he would be able to do anything, which would include any act which he can overcome with his own power. For example; creating a stone so heavy, that he could not lift it. However the suggestion that God makes a stone so heavy that he himself cannot lift it is actually a contradiction and so logically this makes it impossible. One might react to this by saying that God is indeed so powerful that he can defy the laws of logic. However, a better response, in my view, is that being unable to do what is logically impossible is not a genuine limitation on Gods power, since any proposition that purports to say that some logically impossible act has been performed is in fact nonsense. In such a proposition, no act has really been described. Omnipotence does create problems in other areas. In addition another problematic attribute of God is his omniscience. Omniscience means all knowing. The claim is that if God is all knowing. However this creates a problem, if God knows everything then surely that must indicted that we as human do not have free will. For example suppose I am going to be going on holiday in March God would know that this was going to happen. (Gods foreknowledge) In some way God had already planned what would happen next. Therefore it hardly seems to be my act. However on the other hand if I was to commit a bad act that I am planning to carry out surely in this case we can apply the same method as the first illustration. It seems not fair to blame me for what God knew I was going to do anyway. He could have stopped me! Some people claim that surely we shouldnt be blamed also for our sins Basically in other words, Gods omniscience seems to prevent us having free will. However, I think the theist can give a plausible answer to this particular accusation of Incoherence. If I am free, my doing a particular action X makes it the case that God knows that I have done it, so that the causal relation runs the opposite way from that claimed in the objection. This does not imply that I can make it the case that God knew it before the time when I did X, and therefore that I can affect the past. For God is usually thought of as existing outside of time. (It is perhaps only in this sense that he can correctly be described as eternal-he never begins or ceases to exist.) Of course, it must be Gods decision to give us freedom to perform one act rather than another.

Designer Babies- Has Genetic Engineering Gone Too Far?

Designer Babies- Has Genetic Engineering Gone Too Far? The colloquial term designer baby refers to a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics. (1) The process of creating a designer baby is often questioned mostly because of its lack of agreement by experts on a moral platform. Embryo screening involves a process called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Genetic engineering of babies can change possible traits such as gender, appearance, intelligence and disease. In-vitro fertilization is used to create embryos that are then grown to the eight-cell stage, when one or two cells are removed. Scientists then examine the DNA of these cells for defects, and only normal embryos are replaced in the womb (3). In this essay I will discuss and include points on whether or not scientists are interfering with nature, safety issues around creating designer babies, the superiority of designer versu s non designer babies and whether the possible life saving benefits of designer babies outweigh these other issues. My opinion is that the negatives far outweigh the positives; however I will lay the foundation for both sides so that I may leave the reader to reach their own conclusions. Adam Nash, born in 2000, was the worlds first known designer baby. This was hailed as not just a medical innovation, but one with a definitively life-saving purpose. If Adam had been created naturally he would have inherited his sisters Fanconis anaemia. She was saved from the disease, as after his birth, blood cells from his umbilical cord were transplanted into her body. (2) Adams birth even though it seemed artificial without question had served a vital purpose. Though there are certainly some positives that can be obtained from the use of genetic engineering used on unborn babies, it is now heavily debated whether parents have the right reasons to genetically modify their baby. One of the main issues with genetic engineering is that scientists could be perceived as interfering with nature and in effect trying to play God, by cheating him out of his chance to decide whether, for example, we are blonde or dark haired or if we have blue or bright green eyes and ultimately whether indeed it is right to do so in the first place. If designer babies became prevalent, a potential social problem could be a new rivalry between designer and non-designer babies. This could create a hostile environment where genetically engineered children could somehow feel superior over non-designer children. This could become a new social problem akin to existing and troubling ongoing prevalent race issues within our society. Scientists do not yet know absolutely everything about the way that the human body functions works, therefore how can they possibly understand the ramifications of slight changes made at the smallest level? They may manage to wipe out one disease and without int ent to harm introduce something even more dangerous? My view is that it would seem unfair for the baby to be treated like a tool instead of a human, as this could potentially violate human rights. The experience of Adam Nash in saving his sister was relatively non-invasive experience as only the blood cells from his umbilical cord were used. However in other cases where bone transplant is the only available option, the providing child will undergo painful invasive treatment. How can someone as fragile as any human being be fairly treated in such a cruel manner? Genetic modification of the DNA in human embryos would not only affect the individual but their children and their childrens children and so on down the generations. Advocates argue that it could not only halt the inheritance of genetic diseases that run in families, but it could also pass on unforeseen medical problems that the procedures may cause. At first it may seem that the negatives of genetic engineering may outweigh the positives, but if one looks closely, a number of benefits that can be achieved by scientists wishing to study and advance this study. There is the potential to live longer because of the advances of modern medical science and genetic engineering. The main aim of technologies that are used as gene editing is the ability to precisely control changes to very specific areas of the genome giving such technologies a powerful ability. There are around 7.9 million children each year are born with a serious birth defect and the unlocking of gene editing could be for some the only way to fight genetic disease and be a life saving option. (4) One could suggest that if these errors could be safely corrected at the embryonic stage then maybe there would be hope to virtually remove this burden of disease. Embryos that would otherwise be destroyed could advance greatly through gene editing techniques. For example the gene which causes children to develop normally for six months and then become progressively deaf, blind, unable to swallow, and paralytic, before dying at four (Tay-Sachs disease) (5) it could be argued that nothing would be lost by can be lost by editing this gene out of the human lineage. Similarly parents who have Huntingtons disease carry a 50% chance of passing that gene down to their children (6) and, even if they do not, they are likely to be carriers of the disease. It would be very difficult to stop people from having children if they suffer from a disease like this, therefore genetic engineering can help to ensure that their children live long and healthy lives. The modification and precise editing of human embryo can be seen by many Scientists taboo since they feel it crosses an ethical line . Some state that no matter what genes are targetted, the key risk in crossing the line would be unpredictable consequences, and any interference with our innate genome would be dangerous, chaotic and uncontrollable. Even the mere dipping our toes in the gene pool will cause large ripples and thus it would be better not to dip at all. But the capability is becoming ever more likely. Scientists at Sun Yat-sen University in China have recently developed a host of genome editing procedures used as a first study of its kind to modify the genes of a human embryo, (7). However even though these procedures on the face of it seem to be very exact, simple to use and powerful questions on how safe they are, how they should be used are just not clear enough. In conclusion the impact on society is hard to predict, but several ethical questions certainly arise. The huge cost of the procedure means that few families probably will have access to the procedures, which could create a wide divide between the poor and the genetically altered wealthy. It is possible that genetic diversity also be greatly reduced, leaving the human race susceptible to certain diseases. While the basic intentions of the science behind designer babies are positive, the potential for ethical compromise is great. I would therefore argue that the human race in its pursuit for intelligence and athletic aptitude could leave the genetic Pandoras Box open to unknown manipulation and therefore would be better placed not continuing such technologies. Using this technology to have better looking children or to have more desirable traits is an idea that may seem appealing, but in reality, is it actually something scientists should be doing? I would say no.

Online Communities :: Internet Technology Computers Papers

Online Communities The Internet...the most exciting, mysterious and phenomenal form of communication to date. It allows people to enter a world where they can explore far off places they would not dare to venture into in the tangible world. It gives people the opportunity to communicate with other human beings from all over the world using nothing but a keyboard. It is an information highway, a place where research can be gathered on any topic capable of entering into the imagination. My exposure to the world of Cyberspace began six years ago when I entered college at California State University, Chico. I obtained a school-based e-mail account. In addition to writing to friends at other colleges, I was able to chat with other people on campus using a "talk" command. Throughout my two-year experience at Chico, I never ventured far out of the school-based e-mail system and never once went surfing on the "net." It wasn’t until I transferred to California State University, Northridge that I began my exploration of the Internet. Since I was commuting from home where I had a computer with no modem, it was at the school library where I did my e-mail. It was on these library computers that I became familiar with the Internet. I was now exposed to a whole new aspect of being online. I began using the Internet to research topics for both papers and recreation. In fact, when I moved back home and started going to CSUN, I became very involved in swing dancing. I wanted to know the "where, when and how" of the swing dancing scene in Los Angeles. The Internet became my source of information. I became part of an online community of swing dancers. I joined a forum where people gathered to post announcements and talk about nothing more than swing dancing. The Internet provided me the opportunity to get hooked into the dancing community via an online community. After the first couple of years at CSUN, upon my graduation in Deaf Studies, I obtained a personal computer with a modem and signed up for America Online. I was now able to have both e-mail and access to the Internet from the comfort of my own home. And now, for the last two years, I have been using this AOL account almost exclusively for e-mail. I never use the Internet unless absolutely necessary and find myself getting impatient and agitated when I can’t find what I am looking for or when I come to a screen saying "Page Not Found.

ancient egyption pottery :: essays research papers

Ancient Egyptian Pottery   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose to do my research paper on Egyptian pottery because in my art appreciation class I was most fascinated with the ancient Egyptian era. I found this website that explained all about how pottery they made helped them function in everyday use. It also told me a lot about how the made everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The need to store things led to the development of containers, first among them bags of fiber or leather, woven baskets and pottery. But clay lends itself to many other purposes: bricks, statuettes, funerary offerings, toys and games etc. Pottery, the molding of form out of a formless mass and its becoming imperishable through firing, is the most miraculous kind of creation. The exquisite artifacts made of gold, carved out of hard stone or formed from glass might make us forget that the Egyptians lived with clay and not the expensive alternatives found in royal tombs. They lived in it, drank from it, cooked in it, ate on it, carried liquids in it, played with it, and when they died, the only offerings of any permanence most could afford were made from it. Most of the pottery manufactured in Egypt was made of reddish brown clay, which is called Nile silt ware. It served everyday purposes and was often left undecorated. The red color of the fired product was the result of iron compounds oxidizing. The oldest pottery technique consisted in hollowing out a lump of clay by hand and pinching it to give it the final form. Later a flat tool was used to press the clay against the other hand. The ancient Egyptians used a number of techniques to improve the look of their pottery. Decorations were incised, painted or stuck on and black coloring was the result of exposing the vessels to smoke. Slip, an often pigmented mixture of water and clay of the consistency of cream, was applied to smooth the surface and color the earthenware. Wash, a mixture of pigment, such as red ochre, and water changed or intensified the color of the pottery. Glazing began during the 4th millennium BCE, mostly blue mezzomaiolica, lead based glazing, until Roman times, when true tin-based faience began to appear. An example of the blue glaze is on the statue of a monkey to the right. The red wares were made without a potter's wheel like all pre-dynastic pottery. After giving them their form, which was sometimes unconventional, they were dried in the sun, sometimes covered with red ochre, and burnished with a stone.

Smith Systems Consulting

The assignment for week two is to study three virtual organizations, choose one, and write about an information system that is critical to that organization’s business processes. The chosen organization for this paper is Smith Systems Consulting (SSC). SSC Inc. is a technology-driven company that offers services building and maintaining databases, designing and hosting websites, and all types of programming. This makes SSC the perfect organization to focus on because their entire business focuses on some aspect of information systems. This paper, however, will focus on how important computers are to SSC Inc. To understand how information systems affect SSC, it is necessary to first understand just what an information system is. An information system can be described as â€Å"any combination of information technology and people's activities using that technology to support operations, management, and decision-making† (Wikipedia, 2010). Jon Jensen, instructor for the Business Systems in the IT department at University of Phoenix in Taylorsville, Utah, teaches that information systems are things that â€Å"collect, store, analyze and disseminate information for a specific purpose. An information system includes inputs and outputs. By either of these two definitions, a computer is undoubtedly an informtion system. A computer actually contains smaller classes of information systems like a processor, hard drive, and keyboard, but for the purpose of this paper they will be combined as a single item. The focus then becomes how computers are critical to the business processes of SSC Inc. A business process can be defined as â€Å"a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers† (Wikipedia, 2010). There are three types of business processes. 1. Management Process: This is just as it sounds. Processes involved in the management and supervision of the business. 2. Operational Process: This is the â€Å"what† of the business. What the business does, makes, sells, distributes, or the service it provides. 3. Support Process: These processes are there to support the â€Å"what† of the business. Things like payroll and accounting, inventory and supply, call centers and tech support. Management Process- Since its founding in 1984, SSC Inc. has grown from a small business of five people to a multimillion dollar enterprise employing more than 350 people. A business won’t grow to reach these numbers without great vision and leadership. Computers no doubt played and continue to play an important roll in SSC’s management processes. Software programs ran on computers help visionary leaders forcast and track the success of their ideas. Using computers, they can compare results of similar ideas in similar markets. The automation made possible by computers takes away much of the tedious labor involved in supervising so many people and makes it possible for less people to manage more. Managers are able to track statistics and numbers of their sales and production forces. Computers and software help them find areas of improvement and ways to streamline in order to cut costs in increase revenue. Of course management has been able to do these things for years, but with the help of computers, they are able to do them much faster, with less risk of human error, and without needint to hire secerataries or assistants to help with such a large workload. Operational Process-SSC Inc. is a company who specializes in technology related services. Without computers, SSC would not be able to offer any of the services they provide. They offer services such as computer programs that will allow other companies to use computers to more effictively manage their own personnel in the same ways discussed in the management process praragraph. They offer services such as database creation and database management; both of which are information systems, and would not exist without computers. SSC offers web based services such as web design and site hosting. Again, there would be no internet and no web sites to design without computers, and SSC would not be able to host sites for their clients without a computer to act as the server. With all the things computers are able to do for a business, they would be useless without the trained personnel to operate them and ensure that they perform the functions that they are designed to carry out. Thus, people become an important part of any information system and it is critical that SSC employ qualified IT professionals. Without these skilled workers, SSC would have a difficult time offering many of their services. Support Process-In a company as large and complex as SSC Inc. has become, there is an increased need for quality support. As defined above, support includes areas such as human resources, accounting and payroll, inventory and supply, and call centers and tech support. Inventory and supply aren’t as critical to SSC’s business model as accounting and tech support. Imagine tyrying to keep track of the finances for a $45 million company manually; handwritten invoices, all the possibilities for human error that could potentially cost millions of dollars. Think of the man hours involved in calculating payroll for 300 plus employees every week, and again the margin for human error. Computers make it possible for only a few people to manage these enormous tasks in less time than it would take numerous people to do it manually and with considerably less risk for human error. Tech support and call centers are invaluable to a business model such as that of SSC Inc. They are providing technical services to clients that may not be tech savvy. There needs to be a way to ensure that these clients are able to use the products and services that they are subscribing to. If SSC isn’t able to provide support for these customers, they will take their business elsewhere. Computers and trained personnel are necessary for these types of services. A trained technician may be able to remotely access a client computer and correct problems or walk the user through how to use a software program that they purchased. Computers at SSC can rout calls to available customer service personnel saving hold time and keeping customers happy. SSC can store customer data and history in a database and access this information later to batter service their customers. As this paper has shown, computers are an information system that is an essential part of the business proccesses at Smith Systems Consulting. They are used in virtually every aspect of their day to day operations from management and operations to their support processes. As the world becomes more and more technical, and businesses and communication become global, it is all the more important to integrate the use of information systems into business processes. If unable to do so, a company like SSC Inc. would soon become obsolete. However, SSC has the insight to see where the global economy is heading and has developed a business that uses informations systems to cater to the needs of an increasingly technical society. This insight has brought them great success and made them a leader in the world of information technology. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process

Marketing Concept and Marketing Segmentation in Practice Essay

INTRODUCTION Haagen-Dazs were the pioneers in the market for creating distinctive and indulgent taste experiences by marketing to an untapped segment – the adult ice cream lovers. The Haagen-Dazs brand quickly developed a loyal following. Its early success was created by word of mouth and praise. Without the benefit of advertising the story of an incredibly rich and creamy confection spread rapidly. At first, it was only available at gourmet shops but soon distribution expanded In 1983 Haagen-Dazs was sold to The Pillsbury Company , which remained committed to the tradition of superior quality and innovation on which Haagen-Dazs was founded. Since then, it has become a global phenomenon. Ice Cream lovers the world over now recognize the unique Haagen-Dazs logo as synonymous with the ultimate super-premium ice cream. However, for the company to reach where it is today, a sincere marketing effort was undertaken from its early days to understand customers and their needs. Since the beginning, Haagen-Dazs has kept a keen focus on developing an internal & external marketing orientation. They obtained their current competitive strengths to establish premium pricing from: *Developing the brand with an attached history of perfection and luxury *Using the finest ingredients to deliver product excellence *Invested in consumer research to understand tastes and preferences of customers *Used selective distribution and did not mass market until the minimum critical mass of opinion leaders were established *Did not change their objectives in between *Used creativity and innovativeness to support brand identity This report will discuss in detail the evidence that Haagen-Dazs does, indeed, practise the marketing concept of keeping customers needs as a priority for the rest of the business to follow. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Year by year, new products and their competing items have entered into the field and have successfully created a slot for themselves. This phenomenon is greatly supported by the open down policy of the local government to the people coming from other lands for settlement and tourism. Ice creams are a product that has not seen their prime in the U.A.E. Its potential is tapped in a meagre form. Not that the commodity is in short supply. There is ample ice-cream available even at the moment. But, there is great scope of habitualizing the inhabitants of this place to consume more of the product, by exploiting the U.A.E. climate to its best potential. The United Arab Emirates has an ice cream market of Dh140 million, yet it has one of the lowest consumption (6.00 per capita/ pints) of ice-cream when compared to Australia which consumes 36.87 per capita / pints and USA 30.04 pints . In spite of these low figures, Haagen-Dazs began its Middle East venture by opening its outlet in Al Diyafa Street in Satwa and from then on rapidly opened up cafes in Deira City Centre, Rigga Street, Palm Strip Shopping Mall and Thunderbowl. However, prior to their entry into this market, a proper industry analysis was undertaken, similar to the one described below using the Porter’s Industry Analysis. Rivalry in the Industry – Medium Rivalry is strong due to a number of factors. Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs dominate the global super-premium ice cream market. Each of these competitors has approximately 42% of the market, with the remaining 15% being divided up between a number of smaller firms that compete on either a local or national basis . However, within the U.A.E., Haagen-Dazs made its entry while Ben & Jerry’s was still concentrating on Europe. Globally, Haagen-Dazs was competing for a larger slice of what was a shrinking pie. The ice-cream sector has been stagnating in the recent years. In addition to this, new government labelling regulations, a rise in consumer price sensitivity, and other factors have led to further slow growth. In the U.A.E. however, the major competitor at the time was the highest priced ice-cream at that stage, namely Baskin Robbins. Baskin Robbins ice-cream parlours are still not considered direct competitors because they do not portray the image and class associated with a Haagen-Dazs cafà ©. Further, industry lead times for copying a new flavour are lowering, making it harder to maintain a competitive advantage in this area. Haagen-Dazs has been facing intense competition from a relatively similar priced entrant ‘London Dairy’ which has positioned itself as a premium ice-cream but still made itself accessible at every petrol station and convenience store in town. Haagen-Dazs quite readily imitated them and are now available in select petrol pumps and supermarkets. Threat of new entrants – Weak Though there are a significant number of competitors in the market, the largest firms still have such large market shares that they are somewhat â€Å"insulated† against smaller competition. Barriers to entry into this market are relatively low, especially since a firm that already competes in the premium or standard ice cream market could easily convert to the super-premium market (though not with guaranteed success). There is not a significant threat for a new firm to enter the market and establish itself as a rival to the main competitors though brands like Unikai, Kwality and London Dairy have been introducing ice creams to attract this market. Substitute Products – Weak This is not a significant force, even though there are a number of substitute products for this market. Because this is the super-premium ice cream and yogurt market, and the products have prices that reflect this super-premium  standard, the buyer who is interested in this type of product is probably going to be an ice cream lover that is willing to pay the extra price to receive the higher level of quality . One of the driving forces in this industry is the ability to produce a range of flavours, and to keep introducing new ones. Many sales could be attributed to the buyer attempting to satisfy a craving for some unconventional flavour of ice cream. Such a buyer would probably not be satisfied with a substitute product. Though there is sure to be some competition from products such as high quality cakes and cheesecakes, other frozen dessert products, and other snack products such as chips and dips, these products are not a significant factor to this super-premium ice cream market . Power of Suppliers – Weak This force is also weak since, in some cases, Haagen-Dazs is paying well above market prices in an effort to stay true to their mission of producing super-premium quality ice-cream and exotic flavours. Should the need arise, it would be quite easy for them to find a new supplier for any of its products. The advantage the Haagen-Dazs and Baskin Robbins have over the smaller producers are that since they purchase on a global scale, being such a large buyer, gives them more power in the supplier/buyer relationship. Power of Buyers – Strong This is obviously not a product that is necessary to the consumer. There is a declining level of the price elasticity of demand. This puts more of the power in the relationship into the hands of the consumer. Producers in this market must respect this and be sensitive to consumer attitudes concerning their products or face declining sales. Most of this revolves around flavours that they produce and for this reason, Haagen-Dazs is continuously innovating on newer and more exotic flavours to keep their customers continuously attracted to them. FOCUS ON CUSTOMER NEEDS Haagen-Dazs continuously researches its market because this is exactly what got them into the business in the first place. Effective marketing is based on three key elements, the marketing philosophy, market segmentation and consumer behaviour. Haagen-Dazs has been noted to practise the consumer-driven philosophy whereby they rely on research to discover consumer preferences, desires and needs before production actually begins. This philosophy stresses the need for marketing research to be conducted in order to better understand where or who a market is and to develop a strategy targeted toward that group . The core business they are in is production of ice-cream. This industry primarily focuses on consumer tastes and preferences and only research can help identify these. However, it is not enough that research is conducted only prior to production of a particular flavour. They need to constantly research the movement of this flavour in the market and get feedback from customers about this. Market research has given Haagen-Dazs many advantages, such as, *Unique environmental insight, which they used to spot opportunities others overlooked – Reuben Mattus found a segment in the market he believed to be un-served, namely, the adult ice-cream lover segment. While other companies focussed on enticing kids with ice cream, Mattus decided to tap the older, mature segment that had the disposable income to ‘indulge’ themselves. *Are proactive to competitor moves by following them closely – Haagen-Dazs quite readily met all of competitors’ Ben & Jerry’s moves by continuously introducing new flavours focussing on their niche while others lost focus and were mass marketing heir ice creams. This helps makes them fiercely competitive constantly striving to defend their turf. *Identify customer wants thus focussing energies on giving them exactly what they want – research helped them realise that Japanese love tea and hence introduced the Green Tea flavour which was an instant success in that market . They are not the only ones undertaking market research. The UK Super Premium  ice cream market had a retail value of  £56 million in the UK in February 2000. Ben & Jerry’s accounted for fully 83 per cent of the overall growth in the UK Super Premium market in 2000. Multiple grocers account for 70 per cent of all Super Premium ice cream sold in the UK, and in September 2000 Ben & Jerry’s secured parity with Haagen Dazs in terms of sales through this channel, with Ben & Jerry’s securing a 52 per cent share of the market as against 48 per cent for Haagen Dazs . In the U.A.E. though, despite being of reasonably higher price, the brand established itself quite comfortably as a ‘must try’ product among the elite and middle-class. This is exactly what Haagen-Dazs had hoped to achieve when it first came here. The management were counting on the expat population of the U.A.E. who were already familiar with the brand to spread word of mouth about its high quality, unique flavours and prestige associated. MARKET SEGMENTATION As simple as it looks, every little detail of the ice cream is meticulously planned for the final consumer to buy the product. Of the money that goes into paying for the ice cream, nearly 80% is returned into marketing costs for the company. The rest of the 20% represents the actual production costs. Consumers are an integral part of the industry and the market research helps identify the core market segments that Haagen-Dazs caters to. Market segmentation is the process of identifying a specific set of characteristics that differentiate one group of consumers from the rest. In respect to ice creams, although many people eat them, the market can quite easily be segmented on bases of taste and price. Some individuals prefer high-quality ice cream made with real sugar and cream because of its taste while others cannot tell the difference in quality and would buy primarily based on price and availability. Lower-priced competitors are into mass marketing while premium priced ice creams makers have followed a niche strategy to target that one single segment consisting of affluent upper-middle to upper class segment. Haagen-Dazs uses a few main segmentation bases for dividing their market,  namely, demographic, socio-cultural and psychographic. Under demographic segmentation, they focus on the income bracket of consumers. Their products are mainly aimed at the affluent with higher disposable income to spend on frivolous luxuries like super-premium ice cream. Although they do not segregate flavours by gender they do tend to highlight he romantic and sensuous image of ice-cream by featuring couples in all their international adverts. They tend to link their ice creams directly to sex in order to highlight that the indulgence and pleasure felt is similar in both cases and just as fulfilling for inner desires. This leverage gives it extreme importance among the adult population as they can understand this feeling and hence relate consumption of this product directly to this feeling. The socio-cultural segmentation looks at various cultures and nationalities and their preferences. Certain cultural groups tend to have similar needs especially when it comes to food, confectionery and drinks. For this, Haagen-Dazs has taken into account various national tastes and preferences in their innovative product line by introducing flavours like Cheesecake ice cream for the UK, Green Tea ice cream for Japan, Belgian chocolate for those in East Europe, and so on . Finally, probably the most important type of segmentation bases in this case is the psychographic segmentation. To be attracted to eating super-premium ice cream, people need to be part of a particular lifestyle segment. They should technically be among those that enjoy the luxury and indulgence associated with the brand. Haagen-Dazs has been portrayed to be a reflection of pleasure and for this reason, the brand creates an ambience behind its cafes too by ensuring that furniture is cozy and in deep shades of browns, burgundy and red to add a feeling of cocooning and intimacy . Using these segmentation means, Haagen-Dazs has narrowed down its business to cater to specifically two main target markets, namely, *Affluent, pleasure seeking adults who are generally brand conscious, innovators & trend followers *Health conscious, young adults who are interested in desserts but prefer natural ingredients and low fat substitutes By identifying only two target segments and focussing on a small but profitable segment of the market, Haagen-Dazs is practising a niche market strategy. They have been fairly successful in identifying and catering to this segment and this can be determined by their growth from gourmet stores in New York City to its global presence now in over 54 countries. Identification which segments are profitable to market to is not enough. Companies need to design a marketing mix to cater to each of these segments. The next section discusses Haagen-Dazs current marketing mix for the mentioned segments. MARKETING MIX INDULGENT & AFFLUENT ADULTSHEALTH CONSCIOUS ADULTS PRODUCT – All products made with exotic ingredients to add to the luxury and fine taste by sourcing nuts from Hawaii, vanilla from Madagascar, and chocolate from Belgium, etc. – Ice cream flavours ranging from Bailey’s Irish Cream and Blueberry Cheesecake to Cherry Vanilla and Chocolate Caramel, etc. Velvety Gelato in flavours from Cappuccino to Raspberry. Ice cream, sorbet, gelato bars for the adult palate in all flavours of the tubs – Frozen yoghurts where the fat content is derived directly from fresh cream and fresh egg-yolk. Sorbets are sweetened only with ‘pectin’ which is derived from fruit sugar thus ensuring no extra artificial sweeteners – All low-fat bars & tubs are marked with accurate calorie counts and fat content on the packaging to ensure that this segment knows exactly what it’s eating PRICE – premium priced at AED 7-10 a scoop while regular ice-creams are only priced at a maximum of AED 5 per scoop – no price discounts or special offers to keep in line with the luxury and prestige associated with the brand – for the health conscious, Haagen-Dazs have not reduced price to try and attract them simply because this segment already exists and they are willing to pay the same amount and purchase the product PROMOTION – although initially advertising was only through word of mouth, today Haagen-Dazs uses its print adverts to entice customers worldwide. Due to regulations in the Middle East region, they have refrained from linking their product attributes to sex, intimacy, alcohol, etc. and have focussed on highlighting the pleasure of eating ice cream made from the finest ingredients in the world – advertising for this segment has focussed on the fact that you can still maintain a great body and still treat yourself to an occasional ice-cream and not add on pounds for it – in store displays of the actual number of calories in each scoop and endorsements from fitness conscious stars are evidence enough of how Haagen-Dazs is continuously trying to attract people from this segment. PLACE – cafes with comfortable seating for couples, bar stools, dim lighting, rich colours all help to create an ambience of intimacy & love – all cafes are located on prime streets or malls where young adults tend to hang out or socialise thus enabling maximum accessibility for the elite – focus for this segment has moved away from actual cafes where they may be tempted by the non-low fat products and towards supermarkets, petrol pumps and other convenient areas where they can pick a scoop while their on go. The current marketing mix does quite effectively meet the needs of the target segment and my only recommendation to Haagen-Dazs would be to start targeting emerging segments such as the affluent teenage segment that would have more time to spend in cafes an who would be more easily convinced to experiment with flavours. Haagen-Dazs major success factor was the way it positioned itself in the minds of the consumer. It took a strategic marketing outlook to achieve this positioning. All said and done, Haagen-Dazs core business is still in the production of ice cream. However, differentiation using the finest products and developing of a premium ice cream brand was the positioning they portrayed. The next section will look into how they achieved this. POSITIONING Superior flavour and texture are principal to Haagen-Dazs and their definition of quality extends much further. From the ingredients they choose to the recipes they develop, from the packaging materials they select to the care with which they deliver the ice creams, from the ambience of each Haagen-Dazs cafà © to the attention with which they serve, the Haagen-Dazs brand quite obviously signifies its commitment to perfection. However, it is not enough that they believe they have done this. At the end of the day, the customers would base their decision on the tangible aspects of the brand such as the taste of the products, the quality of service offered at the cafes and so on. Product-wise, Haagen-Dazs ensures to maintain the high quality and luxurious taste associated with the brand by using best-selected ingredients from  around the world and ensuring that fresh cream is used for a rich creamy flavour, fresh skimmed milk for body and texture and fresh egg yolk for delicate flavour As a matter of differentiation, they advertise that their ice cream is ALL ICE CREAM by ensuring that the ice cream is perfectly rich because it contains no excess air. Further, unlike mass marketed brands, no artificial flavourings or colours are used. Haagen-Dazs prefers to find better natural alternatives and make sure that their customers know about this. Although most companies limit their product quality testing only within their manufacturing process, Haagen-Dazs takes it a step further to ensure that quality tests take place at every stage of production by visiting and testing ingredients suppliers, checking manufacturing processes and equipment daily, tasting ice cream in-store on a regular basis for temperature and taste. From this we can see how Haagen-Dazs positioning is based primarily on product & image differentiation. For this to be understood by customers, Haagen-Dazs has tried to convey this through every available communication vehicle such as the deep maroon & gold logo, to the Scandinavian name and lettering, and the seductive adverts mentioning the various exotic flavours. The only possible aspect that they need to modify with regards to their positioning would be to start co-branding the product in the U.A.E. with luxury events, shows, etc. Although currently premium ice creams like Godiva and Haagen-Dazs are served at all the major five-star hotels in town, they have not really ventured into sponsoring or conducting events. Locally held international-level fashion shows, horse races and golf tournaments are splendid opportunities to link the brand with the ‘best of the best’. Being primarily based on an actual product and its augmented offerings, Haagen-Dazs has not been very successful in differentiating its products from its services. The next section will look at this in further detail. SERVICE VS. PRODUCT ASPECTS Haagen-Dazs product aspects have already been discussed and this section will now concentrate on the services that they offer that acts as evidence of their marketing orientation. Haagen-Dazs has a global website that offers customer information on all the newest flavours, special recipes, current promotions, events, links to other Haagen-Dazs international websites and even access to their loyalty programme called REWARDS . This is a free membership to all their loyal customers who like to enjoy the uncompromising quality and indulgent taste of their products. This gives customers VIP access to all Haagen-Dazs sponsored events, fashion and art shows, early announcement of all new products, trial coupons and free gift vouchers. An excellent means to keep their customers coming back to them time and time again. The website also gives investors information on how to open a franchise outlet and company highlights which gives a better understanding of the company’s early beginnings. The primary mode of service at Haagen-Dazs was through their numerous high-street cafes. The website is a feature that was established of late but to actually receive the welcoming, customer-friendly service, one must visit a cafà ©. All Haagen-Dazs cafes are staffed with well-trained staff whose primary concern is to keep their customers feel relaxed in the cozy ambience of the outlet. The staff are always impeccably dressed in fine uniforms and are sure to be there at every customer’s beck and call whether asked for or not. The feeling is almost as if being served in a five star hotel. Even within the various cafes, club memberships are offered for all regular customers . These customers get free privileges like attending flavour launches, sample testing and focus group meetings. All these features help Haagen-Dazs continuously cater to its niche affluent segment who are willing to pay that extra premium for this high grade of service. Extra services offered at the cafes are the free ‘love’ postcards and mugs that are given as giveaways to promote the feeling of love, intimacy, sensuousness and passion that the brand is directly linked to. CONCLUSION Haagen-Dazs’ main challenges will be faced from the growing media effect on consumer preferences and tastes. New segments are emerging constantly and they need to continuously innovate and broaden their target market to incorporate these. In the 1980s, the premium brands were faced with intense competition from consumers changing preferences to low-fat, fat free and light ice-creams . Now, the media is actually convincing people that they deserve to indulge and this has resulted in many ice cream marketers to come up with products that are both indulgent, yet not high in calories. Currently, Haagen-Dazs just has frozen yoghurts and sorbets to cater to this segment, but they need to come up with newer recipes and ideas for getting this segment to eat more of their ice-cream. Haagen-Dazs need to realize that the world is moving to a general economic trend of higher earnings, more disposable income and leisure time and they need to understand that its not just the affluent that are eating their ice-creams but also those of the lower and upper middle-income segments. They have focussed on capturing the innovators in the market but need to start developing their marketing strategies to include the early and late majorities into this segment because they pose as a larger market. The brand has repositioned itself from being exclusive to being accessible yet high-class and quality. This needs to be further capitalised on by convincing the market move it from being something to be eaten at the cafà © to something in all family fridges to indulge in when important guests come for dinner. Their clear marketing orientation has given them an established brand. They managed to educate their customers on how they should indulge themselves occasionally even if it means buying a relatively more expensive ice-cream. Now they need to change focus to monitor international tastes and trends to better predict changing customer tastes and preferences. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Lancaster, G., and Massingham, L., 1993, Essentials of Marketing, 2nd edition, McGraw Hill Book Company Dickinson, P., 1994, Marketing Management, The Dryden Press ARTICLES Business News Publishing Group, September 2001, Sales Flat, Prices up for Top 12 Ice Cream brands, Dairy Foods Liebman, B., May 2002, Frozen Desserts Fatten Up, Nutrition Action Healthletter Reyes, S., 7th February 2000, Haagen-Dazs Extends Dulce’s Reach, Brandweek Wallace, K., 4th July 2002, Consumer Reports has the Scoop on the Best Ice Cream, Consumers Union of U.S. WEBSITES www.haagendazs.com www.finadarticles.com/cf_0/m0BDW/6_41/59779529 www.finadarticles.com/cf_0/m0813/4_29/85915465 www.finadarticles.com/cf_0/m3301/9_102/79007885 www.hauserbeiten.de/faecher/hausarbeit/bwu/5732.html www.wral.com/money/1544486/detail.html