Merger and Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Merger and Acquisition - Essay Example Johnson & Johnson, on the other hand, is one of the biggest names in the healthcare industry, serving customers around the globe with its baby care products, medical devices, medicines, body nutrition and other day to day consumer products (Jnj.com, 2013). The announcement by Johnson & Johnson had created waves in corporate world; firstly, this marked the biggest acquisition in this industry, and secondly it had multiple-fold effects disturbing many organizations within and outside the industry. Strategic Justification Johnson & Johnson was observed to be laying great emphasis on healthcare sector in recent years, and wanted to shift its focus from consumer products to healthcare products. Thus, in the words of CEO of Johnson & Johnson, acquisition of Synthes was all part of the big plan for Johnson & Johnson: becoming most wide-range orthopedics and neurological business, serving customers worldwide in medical industry. This has enabled Johnson & Johnson to be the absolute provider of all related services in supply chain of orthopedics with a comprehensive coverage for all kinds of products and services. Synthes makes substantial profits in developing markets and third world nations. Therefore, the acquisition decision was in line with Johnson & Johnson’s long-term strategy to promote well being of public, especially in underdeveloped and developing areas, through innovative and healthier products, putting the company in a stronger position than before. It also provided benefits of economies of scale, synergy and bulk buying to the group as they were engaged in similar businesses and therefore idle capacities and resources could now be better utilized, leading to efficient or full employment of factors of production and fall in unit costs as fixed costs were spread over larger number of units being produced (invertor.jnj.com, 2012). Regulatory implications When deciding on acquisition of Synthes, Johnson & Johnson had to consider all legal complications involved; one of them being prohibition of simultaneous holdings in Synthes and DePuy orthopedics subsidiary. Johnson & Johnson and Synthes have been direct competitors in certain sectors of medical equipment and surgical treatment goods and therefore, Federal Trade Commission intervened to protect public interests (reuters.com, 2012). Antitrust regulations governed by the European Union and U.S. regulators were required to be satisfied and complied with to make due diligence effective. Consequently, it had to divest its stakes from DePuy in order to be able to make acquisition of Synthes legally possible. It accepted offer from Biomet, a company involved in surgical products and instruments to sell the subsidiary for $280 million, receivable in cash (Nj.com, 2013). On part of Synthes, there were past accusations regarding one of its business units, Norian, of conducting trials to promote its product without permission of relevant authorities. The company ended up paying a penalty and damages to another company, amounting to $22 million. It agreed to dispose of its unit which committed offence previously at its acquisition date (Bloomberg, 2013). Apart from mentioned implications, it was very vital to account for the deferred taxation repercussions involved in due diligence activities, including consideration of accumulated tax losses and deferred tax assets that could be utilized for tax avoidance tactics.

The Function of Jesus' Relationship with His Mother in John 2 and 19 Dissertation

The Function of Jesus' Relationship with His Mother in John 2 and 19 - Dissertation Example The common theological idea is that in Jesus, the Word turned into flesh so that the Father will be revealed. Since he is the revealer of the Father and that he brings to life all those who believe in him, Jesus is considered the Redeemer. Redemption occurs through faith in Jesus as the Revealer.3 All other factors involved in the gospel of John are inferior to the Christology. One of these factors is marian theology. Although the mother of Jesus is nameless and secondary, she plays an important role. She is present in the two main scenes of the gospel of John – the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12), where the Johanine Jesus performed the first miracle in the gospel, and the scene at the foot of the cross (John 19:25-37), the last episode of Jesus’ life on Earth. ... Lee bluntly reveals that in order for the Johanine text to become any powerful than it already is, the symbols contained in the gospel of John should be given importance, be emphasized and brought in the center of the theological discussion. Roadmap This paper is created to show a textual and historical approach in showing the functions and meanings of the relationship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, using the gospel of John, particularly in chapters 2 and 19. This study is divided into six parts. Part I contains the introduction and the roadmap. The introduction will give a brief background of John’s gospel where the mother of Jesus was mentioned and how it will be interpreted by some theologians. It will likewise show a glimpse of what the readers can expect upon digesting the entire content of the paper. The introduction also contains a roadmap of the study where it will be clearly shown what readers can expect to find in each part of the paper. Part II contains accounts of t he relationship between father and son in John. It is necessary to show this to get a better understanding of the relationship between Jesus and his mother. Part two will be further subdivided into three sections giving a more organized and comprehensible presentation. Part III is the main gist of this study. This section contains interpretations, insights and understanding of various theologians, scholars and experts on what the relationship of Jesus and his mother is as presented in the gospel of John. It contains a comprehensive, informative and detailed historical account of what is written in chapter’s 2 and 19 of the gospel of John and what it means in accordance to historical evidences and context and as compared to other

Tropicana Marketing Strategy

Tropicana Marketing Strategy Not many people know about the benefits of drinking juices. The core marketing strategy should be to make people aware the benefits and additional advantages should be highlighted. Surveys should be done to increase awareness among the people. This will in result help the organization to increase the shares in market and get more profits. Vision The underlying vision of the company is to become the worlds premier beverage industry and thereby creating healthy financial rewards and growth. Moreover they are also of the opinion to provide largest range of refreshing, preservative fruit beverages for health and well being of every household (tropicana.com, 2013). Core Objectives The core objectives of the company are to increase awareness of the Tropicana Juice, to inform people that the product is composed of 100% natural ingredients and to portray the product as a healthy drink. They are promoting health and wellness of the individuals and focus only on reformulation. The biggest advantage the company has strong product portfolio which is assisted them in developing niche business. Target Market Primary Adults: 21- 30. These people are more concerned about their health and are usually professionals. Choose nutritious diet Concerned about their outlook Dont care much about the price. Secondary Elderly: 50+. People who are more about their health rather than outlook Require solutions for health problems Concerned about diseases. Want a longer life. Channels for Marketing Tropicana juice has made use of print advertising as well as television commercials for years. These will be the channels of marketing for now as well. The advertising will highlight the benefits of juice and also show how children enjoy the product. Advertising The previous ads showed the Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Creations range of mixed juices, as the company was looking to increase awareness of products other than its orange juice In 2012, the marketing campaign came up with a new tagline Tap Into Nature. Tap Into Nature highlighted Tropicanas relationships with its growing networks and, in the U.S., says that its juice was made from 100% Florida oranges. It was big change for the company, which for several years had been using a blend of Florida and imported oranges (Berinstein, 2003). Recently Tropicana introduces a new marketing campaign. It was a crowd specific advertising campaign made of tweets posted by New-Yorkers. TheÂÂ  tweets featuring the hashtag #WorstMorningEverÂÂ  were reviewed by the team, and the more interesting ones are used and displayed in the subway, on busses, in stores, on billboards or on taxis. People would tweet all day telling a story about impressive that occurred to them in the morning and that Tropicana Juice changed their moods (Meeks, 2010). Web Presence Tropicana has a lot of web presence which shows that they are making used of the power of social networking sites such as Google+, twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Tropicana can enhance their web presence for advertising purposes (Grewal, 2011). Other media plan choices can be: Billboards Magazines Radio Core Strategies Their advertising print and media will be based on two messages: 1. 100% pure drink 2. Large amount of Fruit in Each Bottle They have selected these themes because they would be most effective in reaching their health-conscious target audience of 21-30 year-old people. The goals of their campaign are to increase product awareness and increase sales. Therefore, they must first increase awareness of Tropicana health benefits to increase sales of the product. Tropicana uses health benefits and humor as consistent themes in their advertisement to attract the attention of their audience. Sometimes advertisements are planned to raise awareness of the product, and some are advertisements that are intended to promote sales. The beginning commercials will be made on account of increasing the awareness of people. The later ones will be based on increasing the sale because it will be assumed that people are familiar with it (Llc, 2010). Marketing Recommendations Product Make clearer packaging to make it more close to natural. Price -Prices should be lowered as an increased price decreases the number of buyer from purchasing. Placement Expand distribution area. Keep product location consistent within grocery stores. Measurement Method The two major aims we set in this advertising campaign are to increase awareness of Tropicana Juice from 30-40% and to increase its sales by 30%. To make sure that their progress towards getting their objectives done is accurate we will conduct surveys before starting the plan, after each phase, and finally at the end of the campaign. The survey will include likeness of the product, purchasing history, how people are aware about the product, and likeness towards the brand. By surveying before and after each phase, assessment can be done to check their advertising efforts and if any required, necessary changes can be made to keep us on the track to successful campaigning. As we mentioned earlier, we plan on conducting post testing to measure consumer attitude towards the product (Laszlo, 2008). It is of core importance that buyers are pleased with Tropicana Juice and that they all view at it as a healthy and fresh option to drink. 500 buyers will be interviewed before and after each phase to make sure that the efforts being done is advertising for raising awareness and promotion is successful or not and if the sales have increased to the target level. A sales test can be done to determine the percentage of growth in sales. Using these measurement methods, we can know if their advertising campaign was successful in meeting their goals within the timeframe (Hephaestus, 2011). Keys to Success They keys to success is that store design will be both visually attractive to customers and intended for fast and well-organized operations. The marketing strategies are aimed to put together a solid base of loyal customers. They have created an atmosphere where employees love coming to work and can bring in good money. They are committed to providing excellent quality juices at all time. Conclusion The market of juices is increasing because the utilization of juices increases every year and it is also anticipated that it will be increase continually due people change the life style and more health conscious attitude. They prefer juices on other soft drink. Consumers want to drink fresh juices on a regular basis as they are increasingly adopting Western lifestyles, particularly the younger generation which is enormously influenced by the Western media.

The Phenomenology of Fodor or the Modularity of Merleau-Ponty :: Psychology Psychological Papers

The Phenomenology of Fodor or the Modularity of Merleau-Ponty ABSTRACT: In 1983, Fodor’s Modularity of Mind popularized faculty psychology. His theory employs a trichotomous functional architecture to explain cognitive processes, which is very similar to Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception. Each theory postulates that perception is a mid-level procedure that operates on transduced information and that perception is independent of our cognitive experience. The two theories differ on whether perception is informationally impenetrable. This difference is essentially an empirical matter. However, I suggest that Merleau-Ponty’s allowance of cross-modal communication within perception explains our ability to identify features in noisy backgrounds better because his theory offers a more definitive ontology that matches human substantive behavior. Likewise, evidence within cognitive science suggests that Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology is a more accurate depiction of human cognitive processes. Introduction (1) Fodor’s modularity thesis popularized faculty approaches to cognitive psychology. This theory bears a striking resemblance to the phenomenological theory that Merleau-Ponty proposed two decades earlier. Both theories employ a trichotomous functional architecture to explain cognition and view perception as a mid-level processing of information that lies between the world and consciousness. The key feature that differentiates the views is whether that middle level of processing is completely impenetrable by consciousness. If Fodor was to relax his strong position of the impenetrability of information in modules, modules could both be somewhat encapsulated and maintain a general independence from consciousness. Then only the degree of perception’s independance from consciousness would distinguish his theory from Merleau-Ponty’s. Currently, both theories can account for the substantive, outward, behavior of humans. Only the procedural behavior, the internal process, differentiates the theories. The conundrum of deciding between the theories is resolvable by an empirical critical experiment. While this will require more knowledge of cognitive psychology, current evidence suggests that Merleau-Ponty was correct and the mind is less encapsulated than Fodor's original claim. The Two Theories and Their Resemblance Merleau-Ponty distinguishes three aspects of the psychological process; basic sensations, perception, and the associations of memory (Merleau-Ponty, 1994). Basic sensations receive raw information from the world and transduce them for our perceptual processes. Perception unifies the infinite amount of information about our environment, from our environment, into a meaningful structure. Perception is interpretive, but its presentation of the world is as distal and objective. There are three central features of perception for Merleau-Ponty. First, perception is synthesized independently by the body and not by the mind (consciousness).

Busy city sidewalks Essay

Yellow taxis and wide streets; hot dog stands on every corner; Central Park covered in a blanket of snow; the Statue of liberty and all of its glamour; the bright lights of Times Square; world’s famous designers shops on 5th Avenue and last, but not least ice skating on a central park – this is what comes to mind when I picture New York City†¦.. I haven’t traveled to a city that can even come close to comparing to Manhattan. I haven’t travelled to manhattan to, but this is the only place in the world i would like to visit. I would no hesitate to choose Britain. The main reason why I would choose Britain as my destination is that I want to visit London and Cambridge. After all that travelling you must be wondering about the kind of food that is unique to Melaka. A good Malaysian hostess like me is bound to tell you about those delicious desserts that Melaka has to offer. Walking along Jonker Street in the heat, you will certainly enjoy the tasty dessert of cendol. This is a green colored jelly (made from rice flour) in the shape of worms and served with shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar. The cendol can be served in a bowl or sometimes in a glass. This one shop I went to served it in a specially paper container shaped like a durian. The cendol may look a bit strange to you but believe me, it tastes great! Nyonya kuih as the name suggests originated from the Nyonyas, the descendants of the Chinese Immigrants who came with Admiral Zheng He. The Nyonya kuih are bite sized desserts made from ground rice flour and usually steamed and can be sweet or savory. A Famosa or â€Å"The Famous† in Portuguese is a fortress located in Melaka. It is among the oldest surviving architectural remains in Asia. All that is left of the mighty fortress is this tiny gate. In 1511, the Portuguese fleet under the command of Alfonso De Alberquerque attacked and defeated the native ruler of Melaka. He had a fortress built around a natural hill near the sea. The fortress is one of the places to visit in Melaka that every visitor must not miss. To have a better understanding of the Chinese influence, one of the best places to visit in Melaka is the  Admiral Cheng Ho’s museum. The museum displays the life and times of the historic Ming dynaasty admiral whose voyage to this part of the world played an important role in the Melaka sultanate. The rooms like Tea House and Treasure Ship Living Cabin will offer you a glimpse of his life. The museum located in Jalan Hang Jebat is in a central location and easy to get to from wherever you are staying. Admission fee is RM 10 for adults and RM 5 for students and children. This is one of the best places to visit for a bit of history lesson on Melaka and should be included for your family vacation. Another attraction of Jonker Street are the rickshaws. The are almost extinct now as modes of transport with highways, air-conditioned taxis and buses. Tourists are game to try a ride in these colorfully decorated trishaws equipped with stereo systems and loudly blaring the latest pop songs. A ride in a a trishaw is one of the things to do in Melaka that will be remembered for a long time. A family vacation would not be complete without a trishaw ride. This is your once-in-a-lifetime ride on this outdated mode of transport to get around the places to visit in Melaka. After all it may not be around forever as less and less people are taking up this trade. Don’t be too shocked when you hear Beyonce providing you the musical accompaniment as you sit in your trishaw, lol. Jonker Street, a narrow street located in Chinatown is one of the top ten places to visit in Melaka. It has some of the oldest houses dating to the 17th century. This street is famous for its antique goods with its past associations with Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and British. You can find Chinese porcelain pieces, old coins, unusual lamps and various Buddha statues. The history of Melaka began with a simple fishing village inhabited by local Malays. In the fourteenth century, a Hindu prince, Parameswara was driven from his home in Palembang by Javanese enemies and found himself in this small village. According to legend, he was resting under a gray tree while hunting when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer. In self defense, the mouse deer pushed the dog into the river. Impressed by the courage of the mouse deer and feeling it was the sign of a good omen, Parameswara decided to build an empire at that very spot. He could see it was strategically located to be an excellent trading port. He named the place after the tree he was sheltering under, the Melaka tree. Another version of the story tells of Parameswara choosing the name Malacca from the Tamil word â€Å"mallakka† which means upside down. Old illustrations of the dog and mouse deer shows the dog falling on its back into the river which gave him the idea of the name Malacca. Some of the best places to visit in Melaka, Malaysia recounts the influence of the rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial powers. Besides the European colonial powers, the Chinese came to trade and settle down with the local Malays. It is one of the top historical places in Malaysia not to be missed. After all, at the height of its prominence, Bandar Melaka or Melaka City was an important port along the Straits of Malacca This historical city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008 and listed among45 â€Å"must visit† places by the New York Times. A World Heritage Site is a place that is of special cultural or physical significance. Melaka gained fame mainly because of its strategic location as a good port accessible in all seasons and situated at the narrowest point of the Malacca Straits. It was formerly named Malacca and some still refer to this popular name. Allow me to be your guide on this tour of the ten best places to see in Melaka. I am sure you will be fascinated by its rich historical background. For those who want to experience the traditional way of life in a Malaysian village, you can be a guest at a Melaka Homestay. For those who prefer to  rent an apartment in Melaka, there is the Malacca Homestay Apartment which is near the city center. The strategic location of Malacca meant that it was an important stop for Chinese admiral Zheng Ho’s fleet during the Ming dynasty. In order to enhance better relationships, a delegation was led by the Princess Hang Li Po to marry Sultan Mansur Shah who reigned from 1456 until 1477. This resulted in a mass settlement of Chinese people which led to a community of Peranakan or Baba-Nyonya. Nyonya are for the ladies while Baba are for the men. This community identify themselves as descendants of the late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants. Some have intermarried with the local Malays and are usually traders. Most of those descended from the early settlers speak two or more languages and towards later generations have assimilated to the Malay culture with their own particular way of dressing as well as cooking style. Why not stay at The Baba House Hotel Malacca Town which is traditionally designed based on the culture of Baba-Nyonya.

A Bend in the River

A Bend in The River is a book published by V.S. Naipaul in 1979. The novel is set in Zaire during the rule of Mobutu Sese Seka in the late 1960s and early 1970. The country nor its president are ever mentioned but many commentators agree that it is in fact Zaire.This period was one of great social and political upheaval in Zaire, later known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. There were armed coups, political machinations, guerilla rebellions, urban riots, rural massacres and widespread social reforms. Against this backdrop, the transformation of Salim is presented. External sources are one in saying that Salim transformed from a propertied and upright man into a poor scoundrel because of the environment he was thrust in. I am in agreement with this.â€Å"The tall lilac-coloured flower had appeared only a few years before, and in the local language there was no word for it. The people still called it ‘the new thing' or ‘the new thing in the river,' and to them it was a nother enemy. Its rubbery vines and leaves formed thick tangles of vegetation that adhered to the river banks and clogged up waterways. It grew fast, faster than men could destroy it with the tools they had. The channels to the villages had to be constantly cleared.Night and day the water hyacinth floated up from the south, seeding itself as it travelled.† This except from the book can be taken as a simple botanical statement, yet in the subtle mind of Naipaul this simple botanical fact suggests a broader truth in relation to the life of Salim. It will be a foreshadowing of the creeping corruption that will rend Salim’s soul.In the beginning of the novel, Salim is an Arab-African of Indian descent who comes from a lapsed Muslim family that has resided in eastern Africa for generations. However, Salim sees no future for himself or for his culture along the east African coast. He also has a bit of an inferiority complex, in chapter two he says he left English language sch ool when he was 16 not because he was not smart enough to graduate but because no one in his family went to school beyond 16.He decides to travel to the interior of the Continent. However, because of the chaos prevalent in those days his trip takes a full week and Salim paid bribes to many people to facilitate his travels. Family friend Nazruddin had sold him sundries and supply store which he discovers is a mess. and travels to the interior of the African Continent to start a new life.At this stage he still has high hopes and aspirations for a better life. He eventually arrives along a town at a town along the bend of the river, this is likely based on the river Kisangani, there he is joined by his servant Metty and he establishes his business. Salim quickly gains a regular customer in Zabeth the merchant.Zabeth is an authentic African who is in touch with the tribal ways, she uses charms and potions to defend from evil yet is easily able to enter the modern world. By comparison he r son Ferdinand is a through and through ‘modern’ African who is in the process of being educated in the modern ways. Since Zabeth is his friend Salim takes an interest in watching over the boy as he grows up.Clearly in the beginning of the novel, Salim is a man of some property and he is also an upright and moral person despite his lack of faith in his religion.However Salim is trapped in a rather miserable environment, the post colonial environment he resides in is a no-man’s land. There are European Intellectual advisers, mercenaries, profiteers and other Third World flotsam and jetsam who populate the land.These people and the environment of rebellions and repression will slowly degrade Salim as he loses his properties and his integrity in the mounting chaos. By the end of the novel Salim’s transformation is complete when he notes in page 36-7 that even Natives have become exiles in their own country, so can become exiles in their own country when life itself is lived at the whims of the ruler.This descent from propertied upright man to improvished scoundrel happens gradually. It begins for our man living along the bend of the river with Bigburgers. This is the name of the place where the prominent members of the local society meet. It is also the name of a large hamburger which Salim, descendant of fastidious Indian immigrants, describes the Bigburger as â€Å"smooth white lips of bread over mangled black tongues of meat† Here is where Salim goes regularly and strikes acquaintances with the locals.In the beginning the town is admirable in its simplicity. The Villagers descend from the bush to sell monkey meat to the steamer passengers. Then they turn around and use it to buy pots, cloths and razor blades from the shops. The shop owners can then go to Bigburgers for their meals. Salim for his part moves his sundry and supplies store and converts it into a dry-goods store, he bought the place cheap because the revolution de pressed real estate values. Lucky for him he catches on to the economic boom that occurs shortly after he arrived.Soon the jingoistic â€Å"Big Man’s† misrule takes its toll on his prosperity. Father Huisman, a Belgian priest who taught at the school where Ferdinand studies is depressed at his relative wealth compared to the young Africans who must eat caterpillars just to sate their hunger.He decides to leave but dies before he can go. In chapter 6 the town becomes a thriving marketplace. However the lack of urban planning, since the â€Å"Big man† has neglected the town, leads to squatters who have no homes and just throw their garbage out the door creating a big hill of garbage making the town stink.In chapter nine Indar talks about his life to Salim, Indar reveals how in the past he too was idealistic and appreciated nature in all its beauty. His visit to London changed him greatly, he became London-centric in a sense believing that all other life was false and London was the true life.Indar was so in love with London that he wanted to stay there for good. However, he had a change of heart and after graduating from college he already had a cynical view of life. He now thinks only of himself and cares little for the greater world around him. Little do we know that Indar is a foreshadowing of Salim’s fate.By chapter 13 things are really going bad for Salim as well. He is now intimately involved with a woman named Yvette who in the past was seduced by Raymond. Before, he derided Mahesh as a half man because of his devotion to his wife.Now he is doing exactly the same thing with Yvette seeing the world based on how it would affect their relationship. After the Youth Guard is disbanded in chapter 14, things get even worse. The police are harassing everyone thinking them to be rebels, supposedly, in fact they are merely trying to extort money from everyone they suspect still has any.â€Å"The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.† Reads the first sentence of page one. It summarizes, Naipaul’s rather cynical world view and the thesis of his book. In the end Salim casts doubt upon the validity and legitimacy of the historical documents from which he draws his identity.Despite all the turmoil he sees around him his friend Raymond, a historian, can be seeing painting a rosy picture of the events. He asks himself if it were possible that his own past had been manipulated too?This crisis is the last straw that breaks the camels back. With his present in ruins and his future bleak, Salim finds that his past is also a sham. This is too much to bear, following his trip to Europe and seeing that even Europe is not the paradise it was made up to be Salim returns having lost all hope in the world.   

Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions

Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions Introduction â€Å"The customer is always right† is a slogan popularized by the management to encourage their staff to take customer complaints seriously (Zikmund Babin, 2006). The underlying assumption is that customers are always â€Å"rational and functional† in their encounters with employees (Harris Reynolds, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While honest customer feedback is vital in improving business services or products and growth, addressing unrealistic expectations and requests can affect employees’ morale, leading to high turnover rates (Ben-Zur Yagil, 2005). Therefore, business owners should protect staff from deviant customers to improve employees’ satisfaction, increase confidence in their work and reduce turnover intention. Research shows that there are a variety of fact ors which affect employees’ turnover intentions. According to Harris and Reynolds (2003), such factors may include consumer aggression, job satisfaction, workload, distributive justice and management style. In-depth research reveals that some of the aforementioned factors have positive influence whereas others have negative impact on employees’ turnover intentions (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Research Question The research question for this study is as follows: does customer deviance influence turnover intentions in the service industry? Research Objective The objective of the study is to identify the effect of customer deviance on turnover intentions in the service industry. Background Research Research shows that unruly customers cause psychological and emotional stress to staff through verbal abuse, unreasonable requests, and disrespect for company’s policies (Harry Reynolds, 2003). According to a study conducted by Zikmund and Babin (2006), some customers disp lay verbal aggression that affects employees’ turnover intention. As employees play a mediating role between employers and customers, they may suffer from emotional exhaustion (Harris Reynolds, 2003). When employees face aggression and pressure from their employers, they are likely to develop psychological stress. Harris and Reynolds (2003) point out that psychological stress in the workplace undermines staff morale and job satisfaction, which increases turnover.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this view, Zikmund and Babin (2006) emphasize that support from the management can help staff to deal with hostile clients. Ben-Zur and Yagil (2005) highlight that lack of organizational support and customers’ deviance can cause â€Å"burnout, emotional exhaustion, and low self-esteem† among the personnel. This eventually affects employeesâ €™ productivity and retention. Thus, customer deviance coupled with a lack of organizational support can increase turnover. Research conducted by Zikmund and Babin (2006) also confirms that burnout among employees often occurs due to consumers’ deviance, which leads to undesirable outcomes such as diminished performance, customer dissatisfaction, low commitment to organizational goals and absenteeism. It is therefore beyond reasonable doubt that burnout directly affects employees’ turnover intentions. It is shown that there are personality resources such as optimism and hardiness that keep employees from burning out due to customer aggression (Zikmund Babin, 2006). Numerous studies compare the difference in turnover among employees in different employment sectors. Previous research demonstrates that professionals such as doctors rarely encounter customer aggression, hence they have more job satisfaction than e.g. bank workers and other employees (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Consequently, doctors are less likely to leave their job or absent themselves from it. The research conducted by Harris and Reynolds (2003) also shows that the majority of employees in different sectors get little pay and experience pressure from their bosses, yet they are less likely to leave their jobs, in contrast to those who have to cope with customer aggression. Zikmund and Babin (2006) reiterate that independence in one’s job helps to overcome customer aggression. For instance, while the customer is always right, the doctors can rarely be questioned for their actions, unlike banks and factories employees (Ben-Zur Yagil, 2005). In other words, professions where workers are protected from customer aggression record low turnover intentions. Hypothesis The study will test the null hypothesis that there is no difference in turnover intentions between bank employees (front-desk staff) and factory workers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper samp le on Disobedient Customers and Employee Turnover Intentions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research Design Previous researchers have relied on survey methodology in order to obtain anecdotal observations on customer aggression and employees’ turnover intentions (Harris Reynolds, 2003). Numerous theories presented in the past have been empirically tested through use of multiple methodologies. However, research-based studies have been proved to be more reliable. Therefore, the study design will involve a descriptive research design. In this case, the research will be qualitative in nature. The study will have dependent and independent variables. Customer deviance will be used as an independent variable. On the other hand, there will be key dependent variables in the study. These will include turnover intention, job satisfaction, customer incivility, and organizational/management support. The study will draw its participants from the front-desk and management staff that spend most of their working hours interacting with customers responding to their problems, queries and complaints. Interview method will be used to collect data from the participants. Each respondent will be interviewed in a 15-minute session using semi-structured questions. The key focus will be on customer incivility, management support, and turnover intentions. It is important to highlight that information provided by participants will be treated as confidential. Data analysis will involve thematic analysis method. Sampling Approach The study focuses on employees’ response to customer aggression. Therefore, the sampled participants will strictly include people who are in banking industry and factory jobs. Moreover, the participants must have ample and direct contact with customers. A convenient sample of 25 participants will be picked from the staff of a bank and a factory. It will consist of 10 front-desk staff (bank), 10 factory work ers, and 5 managers/supervisors. The participants will be selected through random sampling. Moreover, the researcher may use simple but stratified method to sample out participants depending on the nature of employment, age, sex and employment duration. In order to facilitate this procedure, a preliminary request for participation will be sent to the institutions to obtain approval and informed consent. Upon approval, the researcher will schedule the interview dates to collect the data.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Possible Types of Secondary Data Secondary data for hypothesis testing will be obtained from existing sources when primary data is unavailable. Zikmund and Babin (2006) outline four different forms of secondary data, namely, published data, which include personnel records, government reports, public sector reports, and electronic records. Journals, books, and periodicals archived in libraries are the major sources of published data (Zikmund Babin, 2006). These sources will be used to obtain and compare data acquired by different researchers in their study. Data published in periodicals and journals will be preferred since they are often reliable and present-day. Personnel records will encompass personal communications that can be used as sources of secondary data (Landrum, 2014). Personal letters and diaries can provide information, but efforts must be taken to eliminate any bias they may contain.  According to Zikmund and Babin (2006), government reports, particularly â€Å"sur veys, tax records, and census data†, can also provide secondary data for hypothesis testing (p. 37). They are widely available on official government websites and databases. In addition, public/private sector reports published by various institutions contain information that can be useful in the research (Landrum, 2014). Documentaries and films provide electronic data that can also be helpful in the study. To test the study’s hypothesis, the researcher will use more than one type of secondary data (Landrum, 2014). Government reports, newspaper/magazine articles, and private sector reports will be useful sources of secondary data. These sources will provide useful statistics on turnover rates in the banking and manufacturing industries. This will allow the researcher to compare turnover rates between factory and banking staff. Possible Measurement Benchmarks and Scales A benchmark indicates the critical point at which the difference between the sample mean and the expect ed value becomes significant, that is, it supports the null hypothesis (Landrum, 2014). A p-value indicates the acceptable level of significance of a test (Zikmund Babin, 2006). In most studies, the p-values of 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 are used as benchmarks for acceptable levels of type I error. When the value obtained from statistical tests, such as t-test or Z-test, is lower than the benchmark value, it indicates that the difference is significant or the null hypothesis is not supported.  According to Zikmund and Babin (2006, p. 155), the main scales used to measure variables include â€Å"nominal, ordinal, ratio, and interval† scales. The nominal scale classifies variables into mutually exclusive groups while the ordinal scale organizes data in a ranking order or hierarchy. In an interval scale, the difference between any two values is fixed. On the other hand, a ratio scale is similar to an interval one, but contains â€Å"a true zero point† (Zikmund Babin, 2006, p . 157). The type of measurement scale to be used in research depends on the nature of the study variables.  The proposed research will use a single measurement benchmark, namely,  p = 0.05. Higher values than 0.05 will indicate an acceptable level of significance, i.e., the null hypothesis will be accepted. To measure turnover intentions, job satisfaction, customer incivility perceptions, and organizational support, the study will use the Likert (interval) scale. This scale will provide quantitative differences between the participants’ responses with respect to the four study variables. Data Collection As mentioned earlier, data will be obtained from secondary sources such as books, journals, periodicals, government reports amongst other published materials. Primary data will be obtained from structured interviews. The researcher will email all the participants in advance in order to explain to them the intent of the study and to assure them about the confidentiality of the information that they are to provide during interviews. Responses given by participants will be entered into the MS-Access database for easier analysis. Data Analysis A statistical package may be used to analyze data in order to determine the validity of scales used. SPSS and Microsoft Excel will assist in calculating statistical frequencies (Landrum, 2014). Use of hierarchal regression will aid in comparing the effect of independent variable on the dependent variable such as turnover intensions and level of satisfaction. A co-relational analysis will help to establish the relationship between customer’s deviance and employees’ turnover intentions. Results Upon examining the behavior of employees in various work environments, the researcher will be able to establish the relationship between customer deviance and employees’ turnover intentions. The researcher will consider all demographic factors such as age, sex, job characteristics and hours of interaction with customers. Discussion and implications Depending on the results obtained in the study and the laid objectives, the researcher will be able to make conclusions. Therefore, discussion will be conclusive by approving or disapproving the research hypothesis (Landrum, 2014). The conclusion will determine the implications of the research. Hence, the researcher will make recommendations based on the research implications. It is worth pointing out that major findings will help to formulate managerial implications such as reinforcement of customer orientation and distributive justice. Plans for analyzing the obtained data Upon conducting the interviews with the sampled set of employees, the collected materials will be organized and subjected to thematic analysis in order to find out types of data that occur with certain frequency, which will allow for initial qualitative evaluation of influence of the independent variable (customer deviation) on the dependent variables (turnover intenti on, job satisfaction, customer incivility, and management support). The standard data analysis scheme of editing, coding, and filing the information will be used (Zikmund Babin, 2006, p. 479). After that, the filed information will be evaluated in accordance with Likert scale, and a hierarchical regression will be employed in order to capture the qualitative differences between the responses of the interviewees. Statistical software can be used to determine the qualitative differences and allow for easier co-relational analysis of the obtained data. The null hypothesis can then be tested using the p-value method. Plans for analyzing the achieved results The results will be presented by describing the sampled set of workers, explaining the methodology used in the study, and displaying the results obtained in each of the steps of analyzing the data. The null hypothesis will then be accepted or rejected (depending on the result of the p-value test), and, in case of the positive outcom e, the research question (â€Å"Does customer deviance influence turnover intentions in the service industry?†) will be answered along with presenting the quantitative results obtained. Perceived lacunae of the results will be subjected to discussion. The discussion will also include a comparison between the outcome of the research and the data that is present in secondary sources (reports, journal articles, books etc.) related to the topic, as well as possible explanations for the achieved results. The implications of the study will also be considered, and recommendations based on them will be made. References Ben-Zur, H., Yagil, D. (2005). The Relationship between Empowerment, Aggressive Behaviours of Customers, Coping, and Burnout. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 14, 81-99. Harris, L. C., Reynolds, K. L. (2003). The Consequences of Dysfunctional Customer Behaviour. Journal of Service Research, 6, 144-161. Landrum, E. (2014). Research Methods for B usiness: Tools and Applications. New York, NY: Sage Publishers Inc. Zikmund, W., Babin, B. (2006). Essentials of Marketing Research. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The eNotes Blog Which Harry Potter father figure is yourpops

Which Harry Potter father figure is yourpops Many of us  spent some time this Father’s Day contemplating the man  who raised us. Who is he really? Find out by answering the most vital question: which father figure from Harry Potter is your dad? 1. Your algebra homework has come to a grinding halt. You do what you always do in times of trouble and go to your dad. He a. looks at your paper, mumbles something unintelligible, and makes you a large cup of strong tea. b. explains the whole thing enthusiastically and leaves you more confused than ever but strangely comforted. c. explains with perfect clarity exactly what has you confused, helps you fix your mistakes, and also resolves that existential crisis you didn’t know he knew you were having. d. wonders why you’re worrying about this when it’s not due until next week and proposes a rousing game of Mario Kart. 2. Your dad announces you are all going on a vacation that will entail a. volunteer work at the habitat for endangered wolf spiders. b. a statewide tour of museums of history and industry. c. exciting new locations that he doesn’t really describe and an adventure that you wish you knew more about. d. traveling like Che Guevara on motorcycles through South America, stopping frequently for parties and beef jerky. 3. You’re in the throes of your first breakup, and nothing could be worse. Your dad knocks at your door and you postpone your agony just long enough to let him in. He a. shuffles his feet, gives you roughly expressed but surprisingly wise advice, and goes to make you a large cup of strong tea. b. relates an anecdote that doesn’t seem terribly relevant but that nonetheless lets you know he loves you and makes you feel better. c. gently helps you prioritize the things that really matter via the Socratic method. d. tells you it’s your ex’s loss, reminds you there are other fish in the sea, and paints a compelling picture of the freedom and advantages of being single. 4. It’s your birthday, and your dad offers to make the cake. After a day out with friends, you return to the house and step into the kitchen to find a. a lumpy, rock-like cake, a proud father, and a warm hug that makes you forget the lumpy cake. b. an interesting-looking cake but no kitchen; he got distracted by inefficiencies in your mom’s setup and is in the process of remodeling. c. the best lemon meringue pie you’ve ever tasted. d. not only a cake but a massive party that seems to have been going on for some time before you got there. 5. Your house is on fire. Your dad a. scoops you, your mom, your siblings, and the dog into his arms and hits the pavement running. b. accidentally caused it, but does manage to put it out with reasonable haste and only minimal damage. c. puts the flames out with grace, speed, and a gentle joke tossed over his shoulder. d. deliberately caused it, but only so he could remodel the dining room. 6. Your dad surprises you with a new pet. You open the box to find a. no pet, some alarming dents, and an enlarged ventilation hole. b. a dog reputed to be clever, but whose only skill appears to be getting food out of your pockets. c. a lovely bird with large, wise eyes. d. a small tiger. 7. It’s an important day. You ask your dad what you should wear. He a. expresses enthusiasm for what you are wearing, which, as you have not yet made a decision, is a bathrobe. b. discourses on historical modes and what you would wear if you lived in the time of Charlemagne, which doesn’t really help you decide but at least puts things in perspective. c. recommends something colorful and a little flamboyant. d. recommends you go naked, and upon receiving the full force of your disapproval, finds in your closet something tasteful that also makes you look cool. Tally the results! Now it’s time to do the math. Or spelling. Figure out which letter you have the most of, and find your Harry Potter dad below. a. Rubeus Hagrid: A little rough around the edges, your dad has a heart of gold. He probably can’t tell you what to wear to that important occasion or how to do your algebra homework, but he’ll always be there to offer roughly spoken wisdom and large cups of tea. He’s a source of comfort and courage you’re lucky to have. The weird pets are just a bonus. Image via hpcompanion.com b. Arthur Weasley: Though his enthusiasm sometimes leads to confusion (or housefires), you always get the message- he loves you tons, and he’s with you all the way. He’s also going to make sure you learn a thing or two, and since his curiosity about the world is catching, you’ll be a font of knowledge (or at least solid party trivia). c. Albus Dumbledore: An intimidating blend of social and technical perfection, he’s nonetheless softened by warmth, compassion, and a frighteningly good understanding of you. Sure, once in a while you wish he’d explain himself, but on the whole you know he’s making you into a smart, self-sufficient cookie capable of making your own decisions in tight places. d. Sirius Black: He’s the life of the party, and though occasionally you long for an ordinary day or a quiet evening, you know you wouldn’t want anything less. Life’s not always easy, so you should live it up while you can- and your dad is going to make sure you make the most of it. Images via the Harry Potter series chapter illustrations and Buzzfeed.

How to Get Into West Point 3 Key Tips

How to Get Into West Point 3 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Located in West Point, NY, West Point is also known as the United States Military Academy. West Point is one of the most prestigious universities in the country and is extremely competitive to get into. It also has an in-depth application process with some unique requirements that you won’t see at non-military colleges and universities. In this article, we’ll cover exactly how to get into West Point, from the test scores you should aim for to the logistical requirements of your application. How Hard Is It to Get Into West Point? In order to judge how competitive a school is, you need to look at its acceptance rate. West Point has a 10% acceptance rate. That means it’s very selective. When you’re applying to a highly selective school like West Point, you need to make sure your application is as perfect as possible so that you stand out from the crowd. The vast majority of West Point applicants will be highly qualified - you need to be even more so. Your SAT/ACT scores, grades, recommendations, essays and extracurricular activities are all super important parts of your West Point application. You need to have high marks across the board to be a competitive applicant. What Is West Point Looking For in Its Students? You can learn a lot about what a college or university is looking for in its students by looking at its mission. Let’s take a look at West Point’s mission: The United States Military Academy's mission is to educate, train and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army. West Point has a unique mission among colleges and universities: it’s not only trying to educate students at the highest levels possible, it’s also preparing students to serve in the United States military after graduation. West Point graduates will go on to act as officers in the United States military; they’re required to serve for five years on active duty. Because West Point graduates will become soldiers, West Point looks for unique qualities among its applicants including: Academic Prowess: West Point trains officers in the US military who will go on to lead people in challenging situations. West Point wants the best and the brightest for its students. Physical Fitness: West Point requires applicants to pass a physical fitness test (more on that later). Students at West Point will have to take rigorous physical fitness classes, so it’s important they have a base level of fitness. Character: Being involved in the military requires a strong character and spirit of service. West Point looks for applicants that have demonstrated a selfless desire to help others. Can You Apply to West Point Early? West Point doesn’t have an early action or early decision deadline. Every applicant has to abide by the February 28 regular admission deadline. West Point Admissions Requirements and Deadlines All West Point applicants must meet the following personal qualifications before applying: Be at least 17 but not older than 22 on July 1 of the year they enter West Point Not be married Not be pregnant Not be legally responsible for support of any children Be in good physical and mental health Pass a medical exam (DODMERB) Above average strength, agility, and endurance A strong performance on the West Point Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) West Point provides a candidate questionnaire if you have any questions about your eligibility based on these requirements. In addition, all applicants must have a Social Security number at the time of their application. West Point also requires that applicants receive a nomination to attend. You can get either a congressional nomination or a service-connected nomination. There are only a few approved sources of congressional nominations: Your representative in Congress Your US senators The Vice President of the United States Delegates to the House of Representatives from Washington, D.C., the Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands The Governor of Puerto Rico The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico The Secretary of the Army The following applicants have what are known as service-connected nominations, which means that the applicant has a connection to someone in the US military. Sons and Daughters of "career military personnel" (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard) Members of Regular Army and Reserve Components (Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard) Sons and Daughters of Deceased or Disabled Armed Forces Veterans Sons and Daughters of Medal of Honor Recipients Army Junior and Senior ROTC Programs and Honor ROTC Units of Other Services There are specific requirements to being service-connected, so make sure you check them out on West Point’s website. West Point applicants are also required to submit the following: High school academic transcripts SAT or ACT scores SAT or ACT writing scores 4 letters of recommendation West Point application essay What GPA Do I Need to Get Into West Point? West Point is very competitive to get accepted to. West Point only accepts 10 students out of every 100 applicants, which means that you need to have a stellar application to be considered. One of the most important factors on your application is your GPA. While West Point doesn’t have a minimum GPA requirement, you can look at the average accepted GPA of West Point students to see what you need. The average GPA of admitted West Point applicants is 3.74. You’ll want to at least meet this GPA to apply. Your application will look even better if it’s higher than the average. That means you’ll need mainly A’s (you can have a few B’s peppered in) to achieve this GPA. Since West Point values the academic preparedness of its applicants, you can also demonstrate how serious you are as a student by taking AP, IB, honors, or other advanced classes. If your grades aren’t perfect, you can compensate with high standardized test scores. What Test Scores Do I Need to Get Into West Point? West Point applicants traditionally have competitive standardized test scores. Just as with GPA, you’ll ideally want to meet, if not exceed, the average standardized test scores of West Point’s admitted applicants. The average SAT composite score for West Point admitted applicants is 1340 (on the 1600 point scale). West Point does something known as â€Å"Highest Section† scoring. That means they consider your highest scores on each section. So, for instance, if you took the SAT in May 2018 and earned a 690 on Reading and a 740 on Math, then took it again in August and earned a 770 on Reading and a 700 on Math, West Point will take the highest score on each section (in this case, 770 and 740). That means it’s in your best interest to take the SAT at least twice before applying to West Point - you can’t hurt your score by going down the second time you take the test. The average ACT score for West Point admitted applicants is 28. West Point doesn’t indicate whether it also takes your highest score on each section for the ACT. You’re also required to take the writing section on both the SAT and ACT. West Point doesn’t require any SAT subject tests. How to Write Your West Point Application Essays West Point requires that you submit an essay as part of your statement. The essay topic changes yearly and you only get access to the prompt after confirming your eligibility via birthdate and Social Security number, so I can’t offer specific information on the prompt for this year. However, you’ll likely also have to write an essay as part of the nomination process so that your representative, senator, or the Vice President can get to know you. While there’s no specific formula for what you need to write to get nominated by your congressional representative, successful essays typically do the following: #1: Clearly Demonstrate Interest in West Point and the US military Deciding to go to West Point is a big choice - one that will affect the rest of your life, even beyond graduation. Your essay should indicate why you want to make a commitment to West Point and the military. You need to have clear, compelling reasons. #2: Highlight Your Qualifications for Going to West Point It's extremely competitive to get into West Point. Your representatives will be asked to write multiple letters, so the competition really starts with this letter. You need to show why you deserve their recommendation. Your representative won't have your full West Point application, so you'll need to highlight your academic and extracurricular qualifications to them. #3: Write Clearly and Double-Check for Errors It should go without saying, but your letters should be well-written and error-free. Ask someone to proofread your work and get (at least) a second opinion on the content. so you can be sure you're making a compelling case for why you need a letter of recommendation. 3 Tips for How to Get Into West Point Getting into West Point is difficult, but not impossible. Here are some tips for successfully being accepted at the US Military Academy. #1: Start the Process Early West Point has unique application requirements. Among them, a nomination from an important political representative. You need to build in time to reach out to these representatives and establish a relationship before submitting your application. You also have to pass a physical fitness test. That’s not even to say anything about the other application requirements, such as taking the SATs and writing your West Point essay. West Point recommends that students start their applications as early as possible - often, mid-way through their junior year. If you wait too long, you won’t be able to get all of the application pieces together in time. #2: Know the Application Requirements West Point has unique application requirements. If you’re missing any one of them, your application won’t even be considered. Make sure you familiarize yourself with these requirements before submitting. Otherwise, you’ll waste your time. #3: Demonstrate Why West Point Is Right For You West Point is not like most other colleges and universities. You need to prove that it’s the right opportunity for you, which means thinking about more than just the stellar education you’ll receive. You need to show that being a part of the military is something important to you, too, and that you’re committed to this career path. Recap: How to Get Into West Point West Point is one of the most competitive schools in the United States to get into. In order to be accepted, you need to have strong academics, high test scores, and stellar recommendations from many people, including your member of Congress or US senator. Start on your West Point application early, put effort into it, and you’ll be on the right track. What’s Next? Thinking about college? Read our guides to developing a target ACTorSAT score to get into your target colleges. Read our guides to learn more about AP tests, such as how long they areand how can you deal with exhaustion. Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet? Not sure which one you’ll do best on? Read our guide to choose the test that’s right for you. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Hayley Milliman About the Author Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Nietzsche and The Meaningful Life Philosophy Essay

Nietzsche and The Meaningful Life Philosophy - Essay Example During the industrial revolution, the Western world engendered the new problem of individual existence in the world. This was based on the absurdity and alienation as portrayed in the sufferings of Etienne and Gervaise. People are still disturbed by the question of reasons of living and to find solutions on reasons of suffering. According to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher meaning of human suffering lies on ‘styling’ through ‘becoming’. He believes that people suffer because they are under a delusion that there exists inherent meaning in themselves and the world. He believes that life is based on contingency and only individuals can instil meanings to their lives. He disagrees with persons following a ‘herd’ and a standard moral conduct. In a pursuit to find meaning in life, one must be courageous and avoid indoctrination of social morals and values. Individuals should then go out to decide on what they want to become because there are no societal intrinsic morals that are permanently embedded in us.( Gravil, 72). Nietzsche in understanding this creates a theoretical argument called ‘eternal recurrence’. This is where individuals live there life in an exact manner over and over again. Having such life demands aesthetic, ones desire harmony and experiences. Through this concept, our life is nothingness and it’s our responsibility to assert meaning to it. For styling to take place, everyone must be contended and build their lives from that. He holds that those who are dissatisfied with life will never find happiness as they will always resent who they are. Nietzsche also proposes the argument that God is dead in his book ‘The Gay Science’. He believes that God remains dead and humans have killed him and no longer aides the survival of species instead he kills them. Nietzsche believes that he is the first to have discovered the death of God. He states that the idea of God lost its fu ll power and creative force.

THTR 201 Production Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

THTR 201 Production Response - Essay Example Mr. Darcy is not an easy man to love and at first is graceless and stiff making Elizabeth to be prejudicially inclined to make unwarranted observations towards him. The development of this love and attraction between Darcy and Elizabeth commences with the refusal by Darcy to have a dance with Elizabeth, which would be followed, later by Elizabeth’s passionate refusal to his initial proposal at a wonderfully wet rainy scene. Though female characters dominate the play, there are strong performances by males as shown by the sycophantic Mr. Collins and the commanding and all-powerful Mr. Bennet. Mr. Collins shows in the play that all the six women from Bennet’s household will be under his command and mercy as he stands to inherit the entire estate which makes the senior Mrs. Bennet to try and find means of safely marrying off their other daughters. My three favorite characters are Elizabeth, Darcy and Mrs. Bennet as they clearly give credence to the name of the play, which is pride and prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy are very quick to judge someone else and are proud emphasizing the human natural instinct to judge quickly on the first impression. Both the eventual two lovers have strong negative first impressions of each other and people in general and it becomes more fun when they get over their pride and come together at the end of the play. Mrs. Bennet is equally my favorite character as having known the character of Mr. Collins; she endeavors to ensure that her remaining five daughters have the best in life and would want them to be safely married off. These characters of being proud and prejudicial to others also apply to me as in most instances, I have always been proud and make perception of people even before knowing them. The major theme in the story â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is love as it is a courtship between Elizabeth and Darcy and these two have to overcome numerous

Business law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Ergonomics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ergonomics - Case Study Example Industries dealing with the usage of heavy machinery and involving direct interaction with the equipment that is hazardous can be properly handled through the principles of ergonomics. NIOSH is an acronym for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The Institute provides guidelines for safe working procedures in various disciplines, especially those fields where the use of physical exercise is directly involved. The incumbent organization provides necessary awareness about the kind of material to be used and it also identifies the material which might not add any value to the processes and human safety while working in industrial environment. The main purpose of this organization has been to reduce the injuries and make physical work safer and more enjoyable. Various devices have been introduced for the purpose of creating comfort in the organizational environment. Back belt is one of them, which has been used to a certain degree. The purpose of back belt is to reduce the stress that may be exerted on the body while performing activities during the operations. In an industrial environment, the workers are usually confronted with the lifting of heavy objects, leaning against them or sliding into the very narrow parts of the machine, for this purpose back belts provide sufficient resistance to the back. The usage of back belts is not just limited to the working environment, many athletes use them while lifting the heavy weight material, and even the deep sea divers use them to provide support against any sudden jerk that may be felt by the body. Back belts are worn for the purpose of reducing the chances of stress and injury to the body, however , on the contrary, research conducted in this regard by the administrative body, NOISH has shown that there is little effectiveness provided by these back belts, rather they squeeze up the body and limit the motion. While similar things were

Obesity and chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obesity and chemistry - Essay Example The government spends more than $7000 in medical treatment and lost productivity of a single obese person. Obesity is blamed for more than 160,000 deaths a year. Understanding the factors that lead to obesity Shedding extra weight is very difficult despite the seemingly simple formula of consuming fewer calories than being expended. Dieting is not effective for two thirds of dieters who end up heavier two years after dieting. The National Institutes of Health is spending $800 million annually to understand the underlying causes of obesity with focus on metabolism, genetics and neurology. Highlights of the researches are protein function, signaling pathways in the brain and other organs, obesity genes, and effects of environment on metabolism and weight gain. The large body work has led to understanding of protein interactions that result in energy extraction and distribution; fat production and storage; hunger signals emanating from the brain, and genetic inclination towards obesity. In the brain, the hypothalamus, brain stem, limbic system, and the pre-frontal cortex are involved in controlling hunger and fullness. Metabolic studies show that brown fat is associated with lower weight or leanness in some persons; while the prevalence of white fat is for storage of excess energy, and hence increased weight. Genetic studies identified more or less twenty genes that correlate with predisposition to weight gain, although the effects were later quantified to be modest. Genetic regulators for obesity were identified in mice, but human homologues are not yet known. Possibly, the environment has a large effect on the switching on of genes that predispose an individual to obesity. However, since the results of biological studies have not been translated to a solution for the problem on obesity, the article proposes that the best approach is behavioral psychology methods that have been used for over than 50 years and proven to work in treating autism, alcoholism and stut tering. Behavioral psychology as a solution to obesity In the hope of finding a quick means to losing weight, the public is easy to follow recommendations from researches that are played up by the media. However, the results of the different studies are sometimes in conflict. It is clear that the obesity problem cannot be fixed by a single simple action because of the contribution of many factors. The combination of social, biological, economics and marketing factors make simple solutions to obesity fail. Diets and exercise regimens are also bound to fail because they become more punishing as weight is lost, since more effort is exerted to retain that loss. Furthermore, as the diet and exercise become more severe, the reward (reduced weight) recedes. A less punishing regimen will make more people stick with it. Changing behavior has had the most success in losing modest amounts of weight and keeping off that weight with diet and exercise. This approach involves making small sustaina ble modifications in the eating and exercises habits with the encouragement of people and environment surrounding the individual. The basis for the behavioral approach goes back to more than fifty years when BF Skinner, Harvard university psychologist, developed the science of behavioral analysis. The foundation for the approach is the belief that the workings of the brain are unknown despite advanced science, but physical behavior is measurable and so is the

Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror Essay - 2

Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror - Essay Example The work that follows discusses the right of habeas corpus in the war on terror and its historical evolution. Historical Evolution of habeas corpus According to English tradition, habeas corpus fought for liberty of citizens after English land owners forced it on King John in their constitutional document named Magna Charta (Halliday, 2010). The constitutional document declared that no seizure, imprisonment, exile or injury shall occur on anyone except by lawful judgment by the law of the land. In other words everyone had a right to freedom unless they pass through due law process. The common-law courts became the first to use habeas corpus in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries competing with feudal courts, which local land owners controlled (King & Hoffmann, 2011:). These feudal courts had no consistency in their procedures, and the common-law courts began issuing orders demanding release of prisoners in the feudal courts. According to the U.S tradition, Americans believed habe as corpus as a weapon used to defend an individual’s liberty, and planned to protect it from suspension in times of peace through inclusion of a provision in Article I of their constitution (King & Hoffmann, 2011:). ... ?s war against terrorism, habeas corpus checks abuse of government power on alleged terrorists or suspected aliens or criminals to ensure protection of individuals’ liberty. Examples from U.S. history of the suspension of habeas corpus and their applicability to the present There are several examples of suspension of habeas corpus in the United States history, which are in application at present. An example of habeas corpus suspension is during the reign of Abraham Lincoln. Although authorizing order of the suspension took place in the year 1861, the suspension took place in March 1863 (Dueholm, 2008). The orders given stated that, first, throughout the war period, any person committing a disloyal practice or giving aid to rebels against the U.S authority would be liable to punishment by military commission or courts martial. Secondly, the orders stated that the suspension of habeas corpus was in respect to all persons arrested in places confined by military commission or auth ority. As Article I in the U. S constitution stated, the government had authority to suspend the writ of habeas corpus incase there is risk of security, and when the public safety requires it. Lincoln got authority to suspend habeas corpus after Congress passed an act, two years to the war (Dueholm, 2008). According to the article, the president had executive power vested in them, which gave authority to conduct any changes in the government. The suspension of habeas corpus still applies at present, as the president still has powers to execute changes in the government. Another example in U. S history is seen when Bush signed a law in October 2006 that suspended the rights of habeas corpus to persons whom United States considered an enemy in the war against terror (Longley, 2013). However, this

Obesity and chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obesity and chemistry - Essay Example The government spends more than $7000 in medical treatment and lost productivity of a single obese person. Obesity is blamed for more than 160,000 deaths a year. Understanding the factors that lead to obesity Shedding extra weight is very difficult despite the seemingly simple formula of consuming fewer calories than being expended. Dieting is not effective for two thirds of dieters who end up heavier two years after dieting. The National Institutes of Health is spending $800 million annually to understand the underlying causes of obesity with focus on metabolism, genetics and neurology. Highlights of the researches are protein function, signaling pathways in the brain and other organs, obesity genes, and effects of environment on metabolism and weight gain. The large body work has led to understanding of protein interactions that result in energy extraction and distribution; fat production and storage; hunger signals emanating from the brain, and genetic inclination towards obesity. In the brain, the hypothalamus, brain stem, limbic system, and the pre-frontal cortex are involved in controlling hunger and fullness. Metabolic studies show that brown fat is associated with lower weight or leanness in some persons; while the prevalence of white fat is for storage of excess energy, and hence increased weight. Genetic studies identified more or less twenty genes that correlate with predisposition to weight gain, although the effects were later quantified to be modest. Genetic regulators for obesity were identified in mice, but human homologues are not yet known. Possibly, the environment has a large effect on the switching on of genes that predispose an individual to obesity. However, since the results of biological studies have not been translated to a solution for the problem on obesity, the article proposes that the best approach is behavioral psychology methods that have been used for over than 50 years and proven to work in treating autism, alcoholism and stut tering. Behavioral psychology as a solution to obesity In the hope of finding a quick means to losing weight, the public is easy to follow recommendations from researches that are played up by the media. However, the results of the different studies are sometimes in conflict. It is clear that the obesity problem cannot be fixed by a single simple action because of the contribution of many factors. The combination of social, biological, economics and marketing factors make simple solutions to obesity fail. Diets and exercise regimens are also bound to fail because they become more punishing as weight is lost, since more effort is exerted to retain that loss. Furthermore, as the diet and exercise become more severe, the reward (reduced weight) recedes. A less punishing regimen will make more people stick with it. Changing behavior has had the most success in losing modest amounts of weight and keeping off that weight with diet and exercise. This approach involves making small sustaina ble modifications in the eating and exercises habits with the encouragement of people and environment surrounding the individual. The basis for the behavioral approach goes back to more than fifty years when BF Skinner, Harvard university psychologist, developed the science of behavioral analysis. The foundation for the approach is the belief that the workings of the brain are unknown despite advanced science, but physical behavior is measurable and so is the

Dear Doug Essay Example for Free

Dear Doug Essay I am happy to hear you are adjusting to college life. I’m sure it’s a big change, but at least you have found friends to help you with the transition. It is also good to hear that you have a diverse group of friends, even though you do not all agree on the same thing. It will be a really good opportunity for you to show them the Christian view and maybe question their own beliefs. So I saw your question from Nathan about if God created all of nature, everything would be divine. No, not everything is divine, but God did create everything. Divinity has characteristics specific to itself that are lacking in finite (human) beings, animals, and material things. For instance, none of these are omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), omnipresent (always everywhere), or immutable (non-changing). Therefore, nature is created by the divine (God), and is a work of His creative nature, but nature is not divine in itself. Human beings were created in the image of God†, meaning that He provided us with the knowledge and gifted us the Holy Spirit, which gives us a connection, a relationship with Him. Now the question about the trinity is hard for everyone to understand. Since we as human are very visual and physical we try to understand that trinity in our own terms, but since it is something out of our nature we have a hard time grasping the concept that God is three in one. In the essay â€Å"Are all Religions One† by Douglas Groothuis he explains that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), who eternally exists in three equal persons: The Father (Ephesians 1:3), the Son (John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-5). The trinity teaches that there is one divine essence that exists in three persons, not that one person equals three. Also I do not think God is a human invention. If we believe that we exist because of matter and chance then how could we trust our own minds? There would be no reason to trust our own mind since there is no absolute truth. Also everyone has a sense of right and wrong, well again evil could not exist if there was no truth, and God is our truth. I think it is pretty hard to make say God is a human invention and then have no explanation for the creation around us. Last but not least you asked about what is the Christian view of God. The Christian view would be that Physical and non-physical things both exist, such as morality, minds, souls, and numbers. Also while physical things change, non-physical things do not. Therefore, Christians believe that God (non-physical) exist and is unchangeable. Along with that he is all knowing and all-powerful, creating the universe in which we live. God is not dependable on us, but we sure are dependable on him. I hope this helps answers some of your questions, have fun on your date night! Cannot wait to hear all about it. Sincerely,

Crime and Punishment | Character Analysis

Crime and Punishment | Character Analysis In the novel Crime and Punishment, the author Fyodor Dostoevsky creates a character in Raskolnikov who is plagued with dueling personalities. One side of Raskolnikov is caring and sensitive, often sharing what little money he has with others, while the other side is dark and indifferent, eventually leading him to commit the murders of a pawnbroker and her sister. These personalities create an inner-conflict that progressively grows worse and drives Raskolnikov insane until he is forced to confess his act. Dostoevsky introduces the conflict within Raskolnikov early in the first chapter. Raskolnikov is contemplating some mysterious thing that is not announced to the reader and simply referred to as that. In his mind, he continuously goes back and forth over whether he is truly thinking of doing that or if it is just a thought going around in his head. As he is finishing his thoughts, he attempts to shake off whatever that is by telling himself, It is not that serious at all. Its simply a fantasy to amuse myself; a plaything, but after a short moment he ends with, Yes, maybe it is a plaything, (Dostoevsky, pg. 2). In this quotation the maybe allows a reader to assume that Raskolnikov may, in fact, be considering this thing. The conversation Raskolnikov holds with his self, as he goes back and forth over this issue, shows that he his mind is conflicted. This thought so early in the novel lets us see Raskolnikov is already thinking to himself but is not even sure of his own thoughts. Such indecision over what it now an unmentioned matter sets the tone for this inner-conflict that he struggles with throughout the novel and that nearly consumes him. When the truth of what that is comes out, readers grasp the extremity of the inner-dual of Raskolnikov. That, the murder of an innocent woman, is something truly unimaginable by, what society considers, a rational person. Raskolnikov is endlessly at odds with whether or not this is just an idea formed in his head or if he is willing to commit such an act. In a dream he sees the brutal torture of a horse, which leads to its death. After the dream Raskolnikov wonders how he could even contemplate murder and cursed the thought of it saying, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦My God! Anyway I couldnt bring myself to do it! I couldnt do it, I couldnt do it! (Dostoevsky, pg. 54). Such adamant renouncement of the act is suddenly and easily altered as he strolls upon a conversation where he discovers that Alyona Ivanova, the woman he is thinking of murdering, will be home alone at a certain time. Raskolnikov sees this as fate and completely forgetting about his dream once again alters his mindset and decides to commit the crime. The plot thickens and the clash continues inside the mind of Raskolnikov, as what was once just a plaything grows into a reality. Throughout the novel the reader is able to see the tremendous amount of unsupported pride Raskolnikov holds for himself. Although he lives in what seems to be a slum in St. Petersburg, does not pay his rent, and he has recently dropped out of school, he believes that he is better than those around him. In spite of the level of pride he possesses he is still content to leave his house dressed as though he has no regard for his appearance. With that said, in explaining an article that he wrote, he says, I simply hinted that an extraordinary man has the rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that is not an official right, but an inner right to decide in his own conscience to overstepà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦certain obstacles, and only in case it is essential for the practical fulfilment of his idea, (Dostoevsky, pg. 226) whatever that idea may be. He feels that he is so superior to others that he even has the right to take the life of another human being, though he adds, sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of humanity, (Dostoevsky, pg. 226). He attempts to validate his point by saying that it is more reasonable for a superior being to break the law when the act benefits all of society. This allows the reader to see that his mind is clearly mixed up. He believes that he is superior, though he does nothing to prove it. His sole claim to fame is this article that was published in a newspaper and that does not contain his signature, only his initials. One of the most significant views of Raskolnikovs dueling personalities can be seen through his interaction with others. The moral-psychological traits of his character incorporate this antinomy between instinctive kindness, sympathy, and pityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Unkown). Theses are the words of a law student who explains that when acting on instinct Raskolnikov is kind, sympathetic and has pity for others. While he can often be extremely compassionate for those around him his admitted feeling of superiority over others leads him to the mistreatment of them as well as his delusional ideal mentioned in his article On Crime. The compassion he shows is frequently counteracted, because after performing an act of kindness Raskolnikov is often upset at himself for doing the deed. What a stupid thing Ive done, they have Sonia and I want it myself, (Dostoevsky, pg. 23) Raskolnikov says this after he leaves some money, which he does not have much of, for a friend and his poor family. This shows h is feeling of regret for doing what is clearly a good deed. Later, he shows regret after protecting a drunken young girl who is being pursued by an older man. The fact that Raskolnikov is not able to make what he sees as quality decisions in spur of the moment situations can be attributed to the confusion at play in his mind and the insanity it is causing. His personality is always at odds and Dostoevsky uses the continual shifting in his characters head to show this. Raskolnikovs idea that he is superior is disproved not by his actions but by the regret he has for making decisions that seem to be rational. In the weeks following Raskolnikovs crime his mental condition deteriorates even more. After many days of sick sleep he is surrounded by many of the people he knows and some he does not know. Raskolnikov finds that he actually feels he is wrong for what he did. The conflict in his head shifts from the decision of whether or not to take the life of the pawnbroker, to whether or not he should confess to his crime. However, Raskolnikovs beliefs are undermined by the guilt and illness he experiences after the murder, creating a split in which he desires to alleviate his guilt and also desires to affirm himself as extraordinary, (TheDoctor). This new split in his mind grows out of the original conflict. His guilt is something that is not completely shown, but it is present. Raskolnikov believes, even as a convict in a Siberian labor camp, that his crime would have been something understandable had not the pawnbrokers innocent sister walked in and seen him. Raskolnikovs guilt grows due to those he is closest to. Sonia encourages Raskolnikov to confess his crime because it is the only way he could be redeemed. Even with the one he loves most telling him to confess, Raskolnikovs pride is still present and he possesses a need to prove that he is truly a superior being. With all these desires going on in his head Raskolnikov does not know how to swallow his pride and accept that the only way he can exist is through repentance. In his insanity Raskolnikov is driven to do many fanatical things as he abandons his sister, mother, and best friend, and nearly lets the truth, that he committed the murders, slip out. He is once again alienated from everyone, except Sonia. The relationship between Raskolnikov and Sonia grows strong and he learns to trust her. In the books final scene Raskolnikov finds himself in a state of near delirium at the police station, and he confesses his crime, (Unknown). This quotation explains Raskolnikovs mental condition as the story is coming near to a close. Raskolnikov is so taken by his insanity that he wonders through the city in an attempt to publicly confess. He is so horrified by the crowd that he cannot bring himself to do the confession publicly. His mind could barely function as he walked into the police station where he would finally declare his guilt and own up to his crime. When he hears of the suicide of someone he knows he becomes so confused that he walks out of the po lice station. His mind is now so weak that he can be sidetracked easily. He reenters the station when he sees Sonia, the one who has finally convinced him to confess. It seems as though she has to actually control his mind in the final scenes in order for him to have enough strength to confess. Crime and Punishment, as a novel, contains many ideas of the author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Nearly everything in the book revolves around his character Raskolnikov. Raskolnikovs inner-struggle accounts for a majority of the novel. From his love for his family, to his devotion to his friends, and even his willingness to risk his life for strangers, he can be considered good. Due to his selfishness and pride, which he allows to alienate him from society, he may be considered just the opposite. When these multiple personalities mix with the ideals he has created during his extended periods of separation from others, it generates a man whose mind is torn into many directions. Raskolnikov is unable to choose his own direction and allows chance to control his actions. He is close to going completely insane and he probably would have if not for the relationship formed with Sonia in which she takes the place of chance and guides Raskolnikov in the direction of redemption. Impact of Television: The Kennedy Nixon Debates Impact of Television: The Kennedy Nixon Debates Why were the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960 so important for the political influence of American television? Introduction The debates between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in the last days of the 1960 presidential campaign have become both famous (in the American public’s imagination) and influential (in determining the nature of subsequent political campaigns, not only in America but in other western democracies as well). These debates were watched by more than 70 million viewers in America (and millions more listened on the radio). However, before the start of the campaign, it was by no means clear that Kennedy would win. At the beginning of 1960, President Eisenhower was still a popular candidate, and would have won had he been allowed by the constitution to stand for a third term. Lyndon Johnson had a regionalised support based in the South, Kennedy seemed far too young and inexperienced, and Vice-President Nixon did not have the confidence of the electorate.[1] These television debates (the first time that a presidential debate had been televised) were therefore crucial in winning the elect ion for John Kennedy, and for securing the defeat of Nixon, though the television (and the image created from being on television) had never before played such a pivotal role in an election campaign. How did this come about? Television as crucial to Kennedy’s campaign Kennedy formalised his declaration for the presidency on 2nd January 1960, which some professional politicians felt was too early to begin a presidential campaign. Kennedy realised that he had a problem, but he was forced both by his own inexperience (he needed more time to prove himself) and by the hostility he faced from senior members of the Democrat party. In order to stand any change of being nominated, Kennedy needed to make his campaign open and public, and importantly, to use television to create a good public image, to attract the public, and to excite the voters by presenting himself as the candidate best qualified to take America forward into this promising new era, embodied by hope and optimism.[2] Kennedy also had to overcome several problems that would have had a hugely negative impact on his public image: he suffered from chronic poor health and he was promiscuous, despite his prominent and public marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953 at a society wedding in Newport, Rhode Island, in front of a crowd of 3,000. It is notable that Kennedy managed to keep this aspect of his personal life quiet only because the media paid no attention the private lives of those in office, but this was in 1960, and before Kennedy was about to remake politicians as television celebrities. Kennedy managed both to overcome these detractors to his image, and to create a positive image despite others’ criticisms of his ability to hold office, by appealing straight to voters, via the new mass media technology of television and television marketing; this was a remaking of American politics.[3] The medium is the message It is the nature of the medium of television, with its combination of visual and audio clues, and its instant, mass communication, that a great many people can come to an instant judgement of a candidate based not only on what he says, but also on how he says it. The first presidential debate was key; all three subsequent debates were based upon the Kennedy’s initial television success. It is interesting to compare the television with the radio debate for an example of how influential the television debate was, and for how it would secure the primacy of the medium of television over radio, something which has not yet been changed in the modern age of political electioneering. Radio listeners rated Nixon the victor in these debates, while television viewers believed that Kennedy had won. If there was such a clear difference between views on different media, then it must be the case that the nature of the media is the explanation. On television, viewers could see a Kennedy who w as well-dressed, handsome and articulate (in other words, a political celebrity) against a poorly presented and badly dressed Nixon. Neither candidate had in actual fact any great difference between them in terms of their political policies; Kennedy was just incredibly successful at emphasising his dynamism, youth, vigour and optimism, in other words, a triumph of style over political substance. The voter turn-out of the election shows just how good Kennedy was at stimulation the interest of the electorate via his good image-presentation. The turn-out (in terms of percentage of adults of voting age casting votes) was the highest it had ever been in the history of American politics, especially among African American voters, whose vote Kennedy had managed to secure by his high-profile association with the civil rights movement.[4] President as celebrity: the focus on image The television debates greatly advanced the popular image of Kennedy. For example, many people had thought that Kennedy was too young (he was the first American president to take office born in the 20th century, at age 43)[5] and too inexperienced to take office. This would have been a serious criticism of the would-be president, and in fact, this was only dispelled by his appearance on television, something that Kennedy himself later admitted: â€Å"We wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget†.[6] He came across as cool, calm and collected, with poise and knowledge enough to endure the responsibility of holding presidential office.[7] It was these presidential debates in 1960 that really propelled Kennedy to power, on the back of the positive public image he had generated. In fact, so successful was the careful management of presidential appearance on television, that the image of Kennedy as youthful, dynamic, optimistic and able to ‘seize the momentâ€℠¢ was never lost after his election to office. Instead, Kennedy went on to embody the nascent optimism and expectancy of early 1960s America (and the image of Kennedy as glorious and heroic was established all the more firmly by his assassination on 22nd November, 1963).[8] This was a time when great social plans and movements could be won (the civil rights movement), a time when new frontiers were being expanded and explored (the space race) and a time when many dreamt of increased affluence and economic prosperity.[9] The lesson learnt No one more than failed presidential candidate Nixon was aware of how important creating a positive image on television (and radio) was: â€Å"Looking back on all four of them, [television debates] there can be no question but that Kennedy had gained more from the debates than I.†[10] It is clear that these television debates were crucial for securing electoral success; Nixon failed to win the presidential campaign in 1960, and he attributed this directly to the way his image was managed (especially on television): â€Å"I recognized the basic mistakes I had made. I had concentrated too much on substance and not enough on appearance.†[11] Nixon never made that mistake again. In 1968, when he again ran for president, he made sure that his appearances on television were closely controlled and timed, in order to appear cool, calm, and collected; in other words, just as Kennedy had so successfully appeared in 1960. It worked. Nixon became president in 1968, though he often tried to deny that he was one of the first presidents to realise that image (most easily communicated via the mass media of TV) was crucial to electoral and thence political success: â€Å"I don’t worry about polls. I don’t worry about images†¦I never have.†[12] This, of course, was not true. Nixon expended a great deal of energy into maintaining a good public image,[13] something which no president had done to quite the extent before, and something which has also set a precedent for all subsequent western political campaigns: they have learnt Nixon’s 1960 presidential lesson never ignore the importance of appearing well on television. Conclusion By looking at the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960, we can see that they were important because they set the precedent of television having an enormous political influence, in terms of setting up and disseminating an instant and successful public image. The lesson of the importance and influence of television is one that no candidate for office has ever been able to ignore, either in America or wherever television has a widespread hold on mass-media communications. Bibliography Barnouw, E., The Image Empire (New York, Oxford University Press, 1972) Havel, J.T., US Presidential Candidates and the Elections: A Biographical and Historical Guide (New York, Simon Schuster Macmillan, 1996) Nixon, R.M., Six Crises (London, W.H.Allen, 1962) Paper, L.J., The Promise and the Performance: The Leadership of John. F.Kennedy (New York, Crown Publishers Inc., 1975) Rorabaugh, W.J., Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2002) 1 Footnotes [1] Rorabaugh, 2002, 6. [2] ibid., 2002, 7. [3] ibid., 2002, 13. [4] Rorabaugh, 2002, 17. [5] Havel, 1996, 318. [6] Barnouw, 1972, 169. [7] Paper, 1975, 300-301. [8] Havel, 1996, 318. [9] Rorabaugh, 2002, x. [10] Nixon, 1962, 384. [11] ibid., 366 [12] From a rare interview with Nixon conducted by Barbara Walters in March 1971 on the â€Å"Today† programme on NBC television. [13] For example, the highly stage-managed presidential visit to China in 1972, in which Nixon was concerned to impress upon the electorate’s mind the image of a presidential diplomat, succeeding in establishing good relations with a country who had been an outspoken critic of America for over 20 years. He did this, of course, via a carefully controlled media campaign, which often seemed like a campaign for some new consumer item. Genotyping ApoE Variants: For Early Diagnosis of ARC Genotyping ApoE Variants: For Early Diagnosis of ARC Neven Abushaban Genotyping ApoE variants:  Predictor of rare cancer in young adults According to Yamashiro (2017), The rare ApoE related cancer (ARC) occurs in mostly in young adults with 80% of all cases being in people between the ages of 20-30 years old. ARC is unbiased to gender and there is evidence that it is a hereditary disease linked to the inheritance of eight variants of the gene Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), that are spread out through the gene, including two that are in intronic sequences. These alleles seem to be recessive with some of them that when they are recessive homozygotes being strong predictors of ARC. It was also sometimes found that when there is heterozygosity of two recessive ApoE alleles, one being ApoE4, can act as recessive homozygotes. However, ApoE4 has the weakest association with cancer at less than 2%, but when another ApoE allele is present the ApoE4 allele pairs as a normal ApoE gene (Yamashiro, 2017a). The ApoE gene encodes for the apolipoprotein E which combines with fats in the body to form lipoproteins (US National Library of Medicine, 2017). The ApoE lipoproteins are responsible for maintaining normal cholesterol levels in the bloodstream and the brain by transporting cholesterol and other fats in the bloodstream and assisting deposition of amyloids and the clearing of deposits from the parenchyma of the brain (Garg Roth, 2015). The allele ApoE4 has the weakest link to ARC, less than 2% and when it pairs with another recessive ApoE allele they seem to be equivalent to a normal ApoE gene (Yamashiro, 2017a). Some variants of the ApoE gene increase the risk of developing heart disease, Alzheimers diseases (AD), and ARC. Compared to the other alleles ApoE 4 increases the risk for AD and it was also found to be a risk factor cerebral amyloid angiopathy, dementia, and multiple sclerosis (Zhong, et al., 2016). Tests for Genotyping ApoE Variants Early detection of ApoE alleles that are high-risk factors for ARC is necessary for the most effective treatment of the cancer. It is essential to use rapid and cost-effective tests to genotype all 8 recessive alleles of ApoE to determine carrier status of the recessive alleles and homozygosity of the recessive alleles that will most likely lead to ARC development. There are several test methods for ApoE genotyping and this case study will focus on RT-PCR, Oligonucleotide Microarrays, and Next Generation Sequencing. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which was conceptualized by Kary Mullis in 1983 and it has the ability to amplify specific nucleic acid sequences exponentially in a short amount of time. PCR amplification is achieved through multiple cycles of denaturation, annealing, and extension in a thermocycler that controls the temperature for each cycle (Kuslick, Chul, Yamashiro, 2008). In the denaturation step the reaction mix (which contains the DNA template that will be amplified, a pair of primers, Taq polymerase, the four building blocks of the DNA which are the deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dATP, dCTP, dGTP,and dTTP), a salt with Mg2+ (a divalent cation), and a buffer) is heated for some time to cause the double-stranded DNA to dissociate in preparation for hybridization of the primers onto the DNA template. During the annealing step, the temperature is brought down in order for the primers hybridize on each DNA strand. Finally, in the extension step, the thermostable DNA polymerase, the Taq polymerase synthesizes the DNA strands with the primers to make new complementary DNA strands (Kuslick et al, 2008). The amplicons, which are the amplified double stranded deoxyribonucleic acids, are visualized as bands by agarose gel electrophoresis. Conventional PCR is useful for DNA amplification; however, it has a time-consuming procedure and data analysis of the results as each marker needs to be investigated separately by PCR, thus taking a long time to get to a final diagnosis (Irshad et al, 2016). Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) is a PCR technique that allows for visualization of the DNA while it is amplifying by the addition of a fluorescent primer/probe to the reaction mix and running the reaction under ultraviolet light with a video camera recording each cycle, and translating the data into an amplification curve (Valasek Repa, 2005). RT-PCR has the capability of genotyping all eight ApoE gene variants through SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) genotyping using TaqMan technology by amplifying each variant in a separate tube using a forward and reverse primer specific for each target sequence of the alleles. TaqMan is an RT-PCR system from Roche and utilizes a primer/probe with a reporter dye and a quencher dye attached, for visualization and follows a similar protocol to that of conventional PCR. The difference is, however, when the Taq polymerase is extending the DNA it encounters the probe and a 5-3 exonuclease activity will cleave the probe which in turn untethers the reporte r dye away from the quencher dye releasing the signal from the reporter dye and the signal is then measured by the equipment that the reaction is being conducted in (Zhong, et al., 2016). Some advantages of SNP TaqMan RT-PCR are that it is a closed reaction system which reduces the risk of contamination of amplicons, has very little labor in the protocol, and takes less than a day to get to a final diagnosis. A disadvantage is that requires an RT-PCR machine that can read data at real time rather than using a fluorescence reader used for conventional PCR (Geyer, Reisbig, Hanson, 2012). Non-technical Parameters. When designed optimally the primers for RT-PCR can be very accurate with high specificity and sensitivity of the results. There are many companies other than Roche, like Thermo Fisher Scientific that offer a variety of TaqMan assay formats for real-time PCR such as singles, 96-well plates, 384 microfluidic cards, and openArray plates (Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2017). The cost per assay for TaqMan can be from around $3 and goes up to $350 (Science Exchange, 2017a). Oligonucleotide Microarrays DNA microarray technology was originally designed to measure the RNA transcriptional levels of genes in a genome. With this technology, it is now possible gene expression patterns for studying diseases, disease progression, detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and identification for drug targeting. Microarrays use single stranded DNA sequences as probes just like in PCR to form complementary hybrids with the target DNA sequences to measure the expression of multiple genes. Thousands of DNA probes for the target sequences are bound, synthesized, or spotted to a silicon chip wafer similar to those used for computer microchips. There are two main types of DNA microarray chips methodologies and it depends on the type of probes that are to be spotted (Trevno, Faclciani, Barrera-Saldaà ±a, 2007). One type was developed by Affymetrix that is adapted from the manufacturing of semiconductors and synthesizes short single-stranded oligonucleotides, about 22 nucleotides in length, in situ onto the wafer (Trevno et al, 2007) (Yamashiro, 2017c). The second type uses reverse transcription of messenger RNA (mRNA) to get complementary DNA (cDNA) for the cloning of the double-stranded DNA gene sequence, and then amplification of the open reading frames using PCR. The cDNA are the probes bounds to the wafer. A limitation of the cDNA method is that there is an uneven melting temperature due to the differences in the CG- content of the large open reading frames or cDNA sequence probes. There is also non-specific hybridization from overlapped genes, related sequences, and variations in splicing. The oligonucleotide method i s designed in such a way that overcomes that of the cDNA probes, by designing the oligonucleotide probes to be complementary to the target sequence and redundantly detect the target segments (Pastinen, et al., 2000) (Trevno, 2007). The extracted nucleic acid sequences are labeled with fluorescent dyes and are hybridized onto the DNA array through incubation and afterward, non-specific hybrids are washed off. The fluorescent dyes are detected through a laser in a confocal scanner that excites them and then produces a digital image of the microarray. Special software is used to analyze the image that assigns a final reading of a value that is relative to concentration in each spot of the probe of the target sequence being measured. There are some microarray methods that are competitive two-dye assays that uses two types of fluorophore dyes, one for the target sequence and the other for the reference sample (Trevno, 2007). The microarray reading assigns a ratio of the two dyes equal to the amount of the target sequence to the reference sample. This method is suitable to for measuring a small number of genes (Trevno, 2007). Frequently the oligonucleotide microarray method is used for large scale multiplex genotyping of multiple alleles, mutations, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), and it would be the method of choice for genotyping the ApoE alleles (Pastinen, et al., 2000). Chromosomal microarray is a type of oligonucleotide microarray, that is commonly used in clinical laboratories as a genetic test for analyses of genomic copy number, SNP, karyotyping for visualization and analyses of chromosomal rearrangements like gains and losses (Miller, et al., 2010). Each ApoE variant sequence would be identified using two to three oligonucleotides for the sense and antisense strands. The array would have data points for the sense and antisense primers for analyses in order to reduce the occurrence of false positives. A genotyping software would then identify the variant sequences in each patient tested (Schrijver, 2005). A downside of microarrays is that for some genetic carrier screening, such as Cystic Fibrosis carriers, a second tier of testing is often required to prove carrier status. The second tier is usually a more comprehensive test such as differential gradient gel electrophoresis or denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography, followed by direct DNA sequencing to characterize the mutations identified by scanning techniques (Schrijver, 2005). Non-technical Parameters. A con of oligonucleotide microarrays is that they can take from a week to a month to get to a diagnostic result, but they do, however, have 80 98% analytical sensitivity and specificity. A pro is that the test can cost anywhere from $25 to $800 per sample, but still more expensive that TaqMan (Science Exchange, 2017b). Next Generation Sequencing DNA sequencing is the gold standard when it comes to genetic tests, however, its high costs make it difficult for routine use (Schrijver, 2005). In recent years there have been advances in DNA sequencing through Next Generation technologies (NGS), as they afford higher throughput and speed. There are three common NGS platforms, which are Roche 454, Illumina, and AB SOLiD. They are similar in that they measure and analyze signals that are emitted through a second strand of DNA to sequence the DNA. The way the second DNA strand is generated is where these platforms differ. Template DNA is split into smaller pieces, amplified, and then attached on a surface before sequencing (Pabinger, et al., 2014). In the Roche 454 platform, DNA sequence fragments are ligated onto oligonucleotide adapters on beads that go through emulsion PCR that amplifies the DNA to amplify the copy number of the DNA fragments. The beads are diluted, then a single bead is dropped into each microwell of PicoTiterPlate. Pyrosequencing is then conducted by adding enzymes for sequencing and triphosphate nucleotides bases that release pyrophosphates when the bases encounter complementary bases on the DNA sequence that are on the beads. This produces light that is recorded detected by a CCD camera that denotes the triphosphate nucleotide base type in the DNA sequence in each well. This method is error prone as it misidentifies the length of nucleotides with identical bases (homopolymers) (Hodkinson Grice, 2015). The Illumina approach is the most widely used NGS platform because of it allows a large amount of data to be generated, with a low error rate and is cost effective. This method avoids homopolymers by using a sequencing by synthesis method that uses reversible dye terminators with one nucleotide per sequencing cycle (Hodkinson Grice, 2015). The dye terminators are washed over a flow cell that has the oligonucleotides immobilized on it and had been hybridized with the DNA fragments. After the dye terminator has attached, the unbound nucleotides are washed away and the flow cell is imaged. Since the dye terminator is reversible it can be washed away after each cycle to get the identity of the next base pair. Illumina sequences shorter fragments, about 35 100 base pairs and uses a special program that uses an algorithm to determine the sequence (Hodkinson Grice, 2015) (Yamashiro, 2017d). The AB SOLiD platform is similar to 454, in that it starts with emulsion PCR but uses a sequences-by-litigation approach (Hodkinson Grice, 2015). The DNA libraries are sequenced by by 8 base-probe ligation which contains ligation site (the first base), cleavage site (the fifth base) (Liu, et al., 2012). Di-based probes that are fluorescently labeled with four dyes, ligate to the DNA sequence and produce a fluorescent signal that is recorded. The sequences are read in multiple cycles since at least the first two bases are read with high confidence. This redundancy of this method reduces its error rate (Liu, et al., 2012) (Yamashiro, 2017d). Non-technical Parameters. To cut time and money anyone of the NGS platforms could be used to only analyze chromosome 19 since that is where the ApoE protein is located. Roche 454 is the most expensive of the three starting at $8000 per sample and Illumina the cheapest with tests starting at $35 per sample. An advantage of the NGS technologies is the amount of data it can generate like mapping parts of or the whole genome of the individual and can be more sensitive to detecting rare sequences among related sequences (Hurd Nelson, 2009). Genotyping Methodologies Methods Cost per sample Time to result Analytical Sensitivity Analytical Specificity SNP TaqMan RT-PCR $3-$225 >98% >98% Oligonucleotide Microarray Chip $25-$800 1 week 1 month 80-98% 80-98% NGS platforms: Roche 454 $8,000-$9,797 1 day Illumina $35-$2,950 2-3 days >98% >98% AB SOLiD N/A > 1 week 80-98% 80-98% Results The SNP TaqMan RT-PCR test method would be the system of choice for genotyping the ApoE alleles. It has the highest analytical sensitivity and specificity and the most cost efficient. Although it does not give as much information as the NGS platforms in terms of epigenetics and genome mapping, it does get the job done within a reasonable amount of time. Microarrays and NGS need specialized software to perform bioinformatic analysis of the results to get a final diagnosis (Liu, et al., 2012) (Miller, et al., 2010). Whereas with SNP TaqMan each reaction tube has specific forward and reverse primers for each ApoE allele and can be visualized in real time, making it the easiest to use and fastest to get to a result (Zhong, et al., 2016). Table 1 compares the different technologies explained earlier for genotyping methods. Illumina is the only other technology that can compare to SNP TaqMan RT-PCR in terms of sensitivity and specificity, but it takes a bit longer and the cost can easily g o up to thousands of dollars (Science Exchange, 2017b). Validation. In order to develop the TaqMan RT-PCR assay, primers for each ApoE allele are designed through a software through a software such as Beacon Designer 7. An analysis is then done using sequences submitted to a database like GenBank on the primers/probes sequences to evaluate their ability to anneal to the target variants, by means of a BLAST analysis (Geyer et al, 2012). The primer/probe sequences that annealed with a 100% specificity to the target variants only, are chosen and are labeled with a different reporter fluorophore dye (e.g. FAM, TET, HEX) at the 5 end and a quencher dye (e.g. TAMRA) at the 3 end (Geyer et al, 2012) (Kutyavin, et al., 2000). The probes are then ordered from a company that manufactures probes for TaqMan such as Bioresearch Technologies in Novato, CA (Qu, Wanner, Christ, 2011). The next steps would be to optimize the PCR assay by testing the parameters of the different components that get put into the master mix, the concentrations of MgCl2, primers/probes, DNA template, dNTPs, Taq polymerase, and buffer concentration. These are tested using a thermocycler that is equipped for TaqMan PCR, where the temperatures and timing for each step in the cycle are also adjusted to get optimal annealing, hybridization, and amplification of the DNA. The Ct value (cycle threshold) which is the number of cycles in a run that crosses the threshold is determined. Anything above the threshold is a positive indicator that the allele being tested is present (Qu et al, 2011). For validation of the ApoE TaqMan PCR assay, the results are compared to results from a DNA sequencing analysis. The ApoE fragments are amplified by PCR with the designed primer/probes and then the products purified and sequenced by a DNA sequencer like the ABI 3730XL DNA Sequencer by Applied Biosystems (Zhong, et al., 2016). Discussion Eight ApoE alleles are linked to ARC disease and it has been determined the TaqMan RT-PCR would be the best assay to test for these alleles. Screening for ARC related alleles before cancer develops is very beneficial for early treatment before the disease develops or progresses too far and will result in greater longevity (Katsanis Katsanis, 2013). Testing for ARC may lead to the diagnosis of a highly likely predisposition to AD because of its strong link to the ApoE4 allele. With the ApoE4 gene the mean age to develop AD is 68 with a 91% chance for homozygotes, 76 years old with a 47% chance for heterozygotes, and 84 years old with 20% for people who do not carry the allele (Zhong, et al., 2016). There is an ethical dilemma when it is revealed that a patient has the ApoE4 allele, since exposing genetic risk is a complex issue, as it not only shows risk for the patient but also to the patients family member who may also have the allele. They would have to reveal to their relatives t hat they have the ApoE4 allele and that they should also get tested. The cost of testing for the just one allele would be low since it would not require a large amount of DNA sequencing, a simple PCR test would be sufficient. It also reveals to the patient that they may pass on this gene to their offspring, which might become a burden on them from having any future children. If they are not in a relationship they would also feel pressure that they have to reveal that they are carriers to future partners (Arribas-Ayllon, 2011). There is no clear benefit to early disclosure of the predisposition of getting AD to young adults because there is no medical intervention available. 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