Teenage Wasteland By Anne Tyler Essays - The Line,

Teenage Wasteland By Anne Tyler Building Blocks of a Family The short story Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler is a revealing story about the trials of a mother and her son. Donny is what is known as a problem child, and Daisy cannot to seem to figure out what his problem is. Through many attempts she tries to reach to him through counselors, and outside help. This story reveals a lack of communication, feelings of inadequacy, and lack of parental control. Daisy reminisces on what Donny used to look like. He used to have blond hair -almost white- cut shorter than the other children's so that on his crown a little cowlick always stood up to catch the light (Schwiebert 286). Times changed, and so did Donny. As he grew older, his hair grew darker, and he wore it longer - past his collar even (Schwiebert 286). Danny is having some problems at school. It seems that he does not concentrate, or put forth the right amount of effort. Daisy learns from Donny's principal that? Donny was noisy, lazy, and disruptive? (Schwiebert 287). Daisy explains to the principal that her and her husband, Matt, have tried what they can. We don't let him watch TV on school nights. We don't let him talk on the phone till he's finished his Cox-2 homework. But he tells us that he doesn't have any homework or he did it all in study hall. How are we to know what to believe? (Schwiebert 287) The principal gives Daisy the idea to check his assignments everyday. This wears down on Daisy and she becomes less involved in her daughter's life, and short towards her husband. By the time her husband, Matt, came home, she'd be snappish. She would recite the day's hardships? Matt would look surprised and confused, and Daisy would gradually wind down. There was no way, really, to convey how exhausting all this was. (Schwiebert 287) The lines of communication were broken. People were frustrated, and couldn't express themselves the way they should have. Especially Donny. In December, the school called again. This time they wanted Matt to come as well. (Schwiebert 287) Donny had run into more trouble. He had cut classes on at least three occasions. Smoked in the furnace room. Helped Sonny Barnett break into a freshman's locker. And last week, during athletics, he and three friends had been seen off school grounds; when they returned, the coach had smelled beer on their breath. (Schwiebert 287) Had anything that Daisy was doing getting through to him? Was it her fault? Had she really done all that she could have? She longed - she ached - for a time machine. Given one more chance, she'd do it perfectly? (Schwiebert 288) Daisy felt useless. She carried all the blame, and thought that she was the reason for Donny's downfall. Maybe if she had done things differently, it wouldn't be this way. It was arranged that Donny would visit a psychologist for testing. Daisy felt beaten. Cox-3 The psychologist said Donny had no serious emotional problems. He was merely going through a difficult period in his life. He required some academic help and a better sense of self-worth. The psychologist recommended Calvin Beadle, a tutor with considerable psychological training. (Schwiebert 288) Cal's presence is welcomed at first. Just look at Donny's face when they picked him up: alight and full of interest. (Schwiebert 289) Slowly he begins maneuvering into the aspects of Donny's life. The tutor had set down so many rules! They were not allowed any questions at all about any aspect of school, nor were they to speak with his teachers. (Schwiebert 290) Cal was eliminating them from Donny's life. Daisy did not notice this until she received a concerned phone call from one of Donny's teachers. The teacher explained that Donny's grades were not getting any better since the tutor, and that hey were better when she was involved with his homework. When Daisy explains to her that that th e tutor handles these things now, the teacher replies, 'I always deal directly with that parents. You are the parent,' Miss Evans said slowly and distinctly. (Scwiebert 290) As Donny spends more time with Cal, the problems seem

Assassin Bugs in the Garden

Assassin Bugs in the Garden Assassin bugs get their name from their predatory habits. Gardeners consider them beneficial insects because their voracious appetites for other bugs keep pests under control. All About Assassin Bugs Assassin bugs use piercing, sucking mouthparts to feed and have long, slender antennae. A short, three-segmented beak distinguishes Reduviids from other true bugs, which generally have beaks with four segments. Their heads are often tapered behind the eyes, so they look like they have a long neck. Reduviids vary in size, from just a few millimeters in length to over three centimeters. Some assassin bugs seem rather bland in brown or black, while others sport elaborate markings and brighter colors. The front legs of assassin bugs are designed for catching prey. When threatened, assassin bugs may inflict a painful bite, so be careful handling them. Classification of Assassin Bugs Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HemipteraFamily – Reduviidae The Assassin Bug Diet Most assassin bugs prey on other small invertebrates. A few parasitic Reduviids, like the well-known kissing bugs, suck the blood of vertebrates, including humans. The Assasin Bug Life Cycle Assassin bugs, like other Hemipterans, undergo incomplete metamorphosis with three stages- egg, nymph, and adult. The female lays clusters of eggs on plants. Wingless nymphs hatch from the eggs and molt several times to reach adulthood in about two months. Assassin bugs living in colder climates usually overwinter as adults. Special Adaptations and Defenses Toxins in the assassin bugs saliva paralyze its prey. Many have sticky hairs on their front legs, which help them grasp other insects. Some assassin bug nymphs camouflage themselves with debris, from dust bunnies to insect carcasses. Assassin bugs do whatever it takes to catch a meal. Many employ specialized behaviors or modified body parts designed to fool their prey. One termite-hunting species in Costa Rica uses the dead termite carcasses as bait to attract live ones, then pounces on the unsuspecting insect and eats it. Certain assassin bugs in southeast Asia will stick their hairy front legs in tree resin, and use it to attract bees. Range and Distribution of Assassin Bugs A cosmopolitan family of insects, assassin bugs live throughout the world. They are particularly diverse in the tropics. Scientists describe 6,600 distinct species, with over 100 types of assassin bugs living in North America.

Recent Direction of Monetary Policy in a Country of Your Choice Essay

Recent Direction of Monetary Policy in a Country of Your Choice - Essay Example Presently, the Reserve Bank executes the functions of the monetary policies in the USA for the purpose of controlling significant issues such as inflation, unemployment, and investment trends among others (Mankiw, 1997). Notably, there lie several purposes of the monetary policies that have been transformed periodically. The various guidelines of the government of a particular country possessed a noteworthy role in the economy in which the central bank acts for the purpose of executing the monetary or fiscal policies to a large extent. The chief motives of executing the monetary policies are to enhance the progression as well as the advancement of a country, decreasing the rate of unemployment and maintaining stable prices of different commodities (Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2007). Monetary or fiscal policies are often related with certain important factors including the facilities of credit and the rate of interests among others. It can be stated that the monetary guiding principl es establish a kind of interrelation amid the rate of the interest charges which indicates toward the price or charge at which money can be borrowed and also toward the overall money supply in an economy (Taylor, 2001). In this paper, a brief idea regarding the conception of monetary policy along with its recent direction prevailing in an economy is taken into concern. In this regards, this paper will focus on presenting a brief overview of monetary policies prevailing in USA specifying its recent direction. A Brief Overview of Monetary Policies in USA Monetary policy of any nation is defined as the management of money supply and interest charges that are executed by the central banks of various countries to control the rising commodity prices as well as to diminish the rate of unemployment to a certain extent. From an in-depth point of view, it can be inferred that the monetary policies have a considerable impact upon the demand in an economy which in turn tend to affect the rate o f interest charges (Patnaik, 2007). It is in this context that the substantial increase in the rate of interests makes the finance lending abilities of an individual more costly where the organizations as well as the firms hold fewer inventories. Moreover, a rise in the interest charges also influences the investment initiatives of an individual as well as of any industry participant to be more costly. Subsequently, the assets tend to lose its real value (Floyd, 2010). Furthermore, in relation to the financial reforms considered in the USA, the role and the importance of the monetary policies have posed greater attention as a major economic growth driver. Notably, the adequate functioning of the monetary policies is to sustain a stable and low inflation rate in the economy. The significances as well as the purposes of the monetary policies have increasingly become the prime importance of the policy makers in the USA for the purpose of introducing certain policies that would support to maintain a stable and low inflation rate (Friedman, 1968). The broad aims or targets of the monetary policies are to attain rapid rate of financial progression and advancement of the economy, making sure to preserve the stability of price into the economy. It also aims at generating more employment prospects and promoting distributive integrity towards the economy (Rangarajan, 1997). The issue of stability of prices, a low and a steady price situation among others are also fundamentally regarded as a necessary element for the purpose of enhancing as well as raising the productivity and growth of an economy (Rangarajan, 1997). Moreover, the other purposes of the monetary policies include stabilizing the rate of inter

Gun on campus position paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gun on campus position paper - Essay Example Campus is among the safest havens in American society. This year pro-gun organizations will again work to overturn campus bans on guns, including in Florida and Texas, where the debate on the issue has been persistent. AASCU with a backing of 370 colleges and universities in 41 states is engaged in a campaign to keep guns off campus. As articulated in its Public Policy Agenda, AASCU opposes state legislation that seeks to strip institutional and system authority to regulate concealed weapons on campus. Three divides exists in the United States. First, five states, which include Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin have laws allowing â€Å"concealed carry† at public colleges and universities. The rest consists of 21 states that do not permit concealed weapons on campuses and 24 leaving the colleges to decide on their gun regulations. The aftermath of Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 left 33 people dead (Guys and guns amok: domestic terrorism and school shootings from the Oklahoma City Bombing to the Virginia Tech massacre, 2008). A similar incidence at Northern Illinois University resulted in the death of six people. Many views were generated concerning campus gun policies in the state legislatures. Progressive increase in the number of states permitting concealed carry at public institutions has been recorded in the last decade (Smith, 2012). For instance, in 2011 and 2012, state lawmakers presented about 34 bills lobbying for concealed handguns on campuses. Mos t of those bills failed to pass. As different concerns arise from the need to permit concealed carry, many of the bills are back on the docket this year. According to the American Council of Education article, two Supreme Court cases have broadened the application of the Second Amendment, which is the right to bear arms. While most states incorporate this right in their constitutions, the decision in McDonald v. Chicago held

Individual Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual Business Report - Essay Example Our Mission: The mission of Lancome male skin care is to offer and supply products and services that will improve the physical appearance of men while maintaining their masculinity, and this promotes appreciation of gender diversity and presentable male appearance in the society. Value proposition Lancome male skin care is in a very competitive market structure that requires great value propositions. In this case, it strives to ensure that the clients enjoy high-end skin care products with affordable prices with a satisfactory feedback. This will boost its client numbers and expand its market base. The Opportunities Lancome male skin care has a lot of advantages that gives it a competitive advantage over similar companies and this entails: †¢ Differentiated skin care products that capture the male client preference diversity †¢ A multi-choice of high-end products and service offer at a significantly cheaper price compared to the competitors hence attracting more clients â⠂¬ ¢ Ability to meet immediate demand of customers on products supply and service delivery †¢ Easily approachable services that are reliable and meets the desires of the clients. Target Market The typical consumers of Lancome male skin care include: †¢ Urban male dwellers most of whom are average earners or are elite socioeconomic groups †¢ Clients with middle class annual income estimated at more than $ 50,000/year †¢ Most of the customers love their body appearance and skin texture †¢ Most of the clients show interest in fashionable so that they can gain confidence, feel relaxed, attractive and maintain masculinity. †¢ Most of the customers targeted are male life-longing men in the age bracket ranging from 15-35 years age group. These individuals are still at the heights of seeking appearance Clients’ needs that the firm seeks to meet include; †¢ Provisional of services that will make the clients show their sensitivity to fashion and their personalities at home †¢ Provision of products that will be consistent with the fashion and standard quality as per the client’s taste †¢ Ensure that the prices of the services and products are affordable †¢ Offer more services under same product package at a fairly cheap price as this will substantially save the consumers their money. The Marketing Mix The concept of marketing in this case is vital for the survival of Lancome male skin care. The first approach is to analyze the feature of the products so that potential customers and the existing ones can be made aware of the wide variety on offer. These features include: †¢ High quality premium/materials that are modern and fashionable to the customers †¢ Variety of product combinations and selections to the clients †¢ Ultramodern and safety guaranteed skin care products with immediate results Service features This is Lancome male skin care policy recommendation that emphasizing on expansion of the existing services and optimizing satisfaction of the desires of the customers. These include; †¢ Customized products pre-order so that each client attains his desirable features in a product met †¢ Help various clients in other facial lifting products and safety precautions †¢ Offer online transaction and shopping by the clients. †¢

Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure

Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure Pharmacogenetic Association of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure in Relation to Enalapril/Lisinopril among Malay male newly diagnosed hypertensives Abstract Objective: It has been suggested that genetic backgrounds, which have an association with essential hypertension, may also determine the responsiveness to ACE inhibitor. We determined the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (I/D, G2350A), angiotensinogen (M235T, T174M and A-6G) and renin (Bg/I and Mbo/I) gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension and the relationship between genetic variant of interest and high blood pressure response to ACE inhibitor (enalapril, lisinopril) in patients with essential hypertension subjects from Seremban, Malaysia. Methods: A newly hypertensive Malay male population (n=142) was recruited for a mono-trophy[ah1] pharmacogenetic study. Hypertensive patients were treated with ACEI drugs, particularly enalapril or lisinopril alone. We differentiated between those who controlled their HT with those who did not. Each group’s characteristics were compared to determine the risk of non-controlled HT associated with RAS polymorphisms by adjusting for different variables. Results: Statistically significant associations of I, G, T and M alleles were observed with essential hypertension in I/D, G2350A, M235T, and T175M. The decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure after 24 weeks of treatment of the patients carrying II, GG, and TT genotypes was greater than the groups carrying DD, AA, MM and MM genotypes. In contrast, no significant difference was shown between renin gene polymorphisms (Bg/I and MboI). Conclusions: Although this study shows a possible association of polymorphisms of RAAS genes[ah2] with the risk of non-controlled HT in ACEI-treated patients and indicates the importance of all components in this system in regulating HT, it needs to be replicated in other data sources. Keywords: Essential hypertension; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; single-nucleotide polymorphism; ACE inhibitors; pharmacogenetic INTRODUCTION Essential hypertension (EH) is an increasingly important medical and public health issue [1]. In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2013 has shown that the prevalence of hypertension in adults ≠¥18 years increased from 33.2% in 2006 to 35.7% in 2013 [2]. Furthermore, the prevalence increased from 42.6% to 43.5% for those >30 years old. Unfortunately, 60.6% of total hypertensives were â€Å"undiagnosed† [3]. These poor rates of high blood pressure (BP) control are not explained by the lack of treatment, as one study estimated approximately 30% of treated hypertensive patients take one antihypertensive drug, 40% take two antihypertensive drugs and 30% take three or more antihypertensive drugs [4]. These data suggest that the present trial and error approach for high blood pressure management is suboptimal, and alternative approaches for identifying the optimal antihypertensive regimen in a specific patient are needed. Using genetic make-up of an indiv idual along with the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for hypertensive response offers a new preventive approach to lower adverse drug interaction risk. A renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important component of blood pressure regulation, and it has been suspected to be involved in hypertension [5]. Moreover, the major active peptide of the RAS is angiotensin II. Produced from the precursor molecule, angiotensinogen (AGT), via an enzyme cascade involving ACE enzyme, angiotensin II exerts numerous effects on the homeostatic regulation of blood pressure, the vast majority of which are mediated via the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) [6]. The presence of polymorphisms in the ACE, AGT and renin (REN) genes of the RAS has been associated with adverse EH changes in several studies [7,8,9]. For example, the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphisms of the ACE gene have been associated with increased blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and target-organ damage in hypertensive patients [10]. Moreover, ACE G2350A gene polymorphisms in exon 17 were reported as a remarkable genetic variant mostly associated through hypertension with an average increase of 3.2 mmHg in SBP by having the G allele [11]. It has been reported that the presence of A-6G polymorphism of AGT gene among Chinese hypertensives increased body weight gain in hypertensive patients [12]. The Mb/I and Bg/I polymorphisms of the REN gene have been associated with hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, aortic stiffness and exaggerated vasoconstriction; additionally, the Bg/I polymorphism in the same gene appears to confer protection against the development of microalbuminuria in patients with hypertension [13]. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of four RAS gene polymorphisms on the antihypertensive response in newly detected hypertensives receiving two ACEIs (enalapril and lisinopril). The polymorphisms investigated were A-6G, the A for G substitution of the AGT gene 6 nucleotides upstream from the start site; the ACE I/D polymorphism corresponding to an insertion or deletion of a 287bp alu repeat; and two polymorphisms of the REN gene, Bg/I and MboI and both in the coding area of intron 9. There are compelling reasons hypothesizing that variations in genes of the system may be predictive of variations in BP response. Therefore, genetic variation of the RAS has been investigated in relation to antihypertensive response to ACE inhibitors in various population and dosage (Table 1) as the most common lowering BP agent in Malaysia [14]; however, previously publications have had somewhat conflicting results elsewhere [15-19]. We hypothesized those genetic polymorphisms in RAS genes, including ACE I/D, G2350A, AGT M235T, T174M, A-6G along with REN MboI and Bg/I were associated with the incidence of EHT. Therefore, the aim of this pharmacogenetic study was to investigate the association between seven RAS gene polymorphisms of interest among 142 newly diagnosed Malay male hypertensives that never took BP medications. They were treated once daily for 24 weeks with 20 mg of enalapril or lisinopril. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patient Populations Malay male patients >18 years of age with three-generation Malay family who were newly diagnosed with essential mild-to-moderate hypertension were collected from clinics for non-communicable disease Seremban, Malaysia. The information includes age (25-60 years old), onset (25-60 years old), systolic BP > 140 mmHg and a diastolic BP > 90 mmHg on 2 consecutive visits for those untreated, absence of secondary forms of hypertension. Subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, renal failure and major infectious disease were excluded. They had no metabolic or endocrine disorder, as well as any acute illness. They were not on any antihypertensive treatment and were drug-naive patients. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before being included in the clinical trial, and patient’s identity was kept strictly confidential. A specific consent form was requested for genetic testing permission. BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION PATTERN Lifestyle Modification For patients, lifestyle modification for a period of three months was advised. The patients were seen three times during this period to assess the efficacy of the non-pharmacological management including weight loss, regular exercise, and ingestion of a high-fiber, low-fat, and low-salt diet. Follow-up Mon-trophy[ah3] Management Dispensed ACEIs (lisinopril or enalapril) on the same date for individuals have recorded. Each patient received lisinopril or enalapril (20 mg, once daily) for 24 weeks on a regular basis. Patients’ BP was measured using the same device and protocol; follow-up visits were made 12 times (once per two weeks). Of the 152 patients, 10 lost to the follow-up along monitoring due to relocation, travelling and/or change of medication. Eventually 142 hypertensives (92.6%) completed the study. This subsample was divided into two groups; individuals whose HT was not controlled as the non-responded (n=35), and individuals whose HT was under control as the responded (n=107). Figure 1 presents how responded and non-responded HT groups are categorized. Fig. 1. The flowchart of sample collection. Genotyping procedures A blood sample was taken in two separate tubes; one was used for colorimetric analysis of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipid profile (HDL), low density lipid profile (LDL), triacylglycerol (TG) and fasting glucose (FBG) using Diays Commercial Kits (Diagnostic System, GmBH, D66559 Holzheim, Germany), and the other test tube contained venous blood samples collected on EDTA was subjected to DNA extraction, which was obtained from individuals in the morning after a minimum of 8 hours fasting at the time of randomization. Eventually, the samples were stored at -20 °C for further molecular and biochemical analysis. DNAs were extracted from 5 mL blood samples as explained elsewhere [20]. ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped using DNA amplification with oligonucleotides as described elsewhere [21]. For ACE G2350A, DNA amplification followed the approach by Zhu et al. [22]. Reactions were conducted using DNA amplification in a final volume of 25 mL containing 20 pmol of each primer, 0.4 mmol/L of each deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP), 2 mmol/L of MgCl2, 1XTaq buffer and one unit of NEB Taq DNA polymerase (New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA, USA). The PCR cycling conditions were carried out in an iCycler machine (BioRad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA). Were chosen[ah4] for genotyping using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach, and the details are presented in Table 2. Eventually, DNA fragments were stained in ethidium bromide and visualized by Alpha Imager (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA, USA) under ultraviolet (UV) light. Statistical Analysis SPSS 20 statistical package (SPSS, Chicago, USA) was used for analysis. Allele frequencies were calculated from the genotypes of all subjects. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was assessed by χ2 analysis. Continuous data are presented as mean  ± SD. Differences between groups were tested by an χ2 test for qualitative parameters and by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). All tests were two-tailed and the values of p

Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - The Madness of Hamlet Essay

The Madness of Hamlet    William Shakespeare, in the tragedy Hamlet, designed two characters who exhibit symptoms of madness: Ophelia and the prince. Hamlet states his own madness as intentional, purposeful, for the carrying out of the ghost’s admonition. But does Hamlet’s pretended insanity actually touch on real, actual insanity from time to time, or is it consistent? Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† consider the madness of the hero to be completely feigned and not real: Hamlet is a masterpiece not because it conforms to a set of conventions but because it takes those conventions and transmutes them into the pure gold of vital, relevant meaning. Hamlet’s feigned madness, for instance, becomes the touchstone for an illumination of the mysterious nature of sanity itself. (44-45) Hamlet’s first words in the play say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less than kind," indicating a dissimilarity in values between the new king and himself – introducing into the story a psychological problem, a refusal to conform, which lays the groundwork, or previews, the upcoming pretended madness. As the future king of Denmark, the hero is expected to maintain a good working relationship with the present king, Claudius. But this is not so. Even before the apparition of the ghost, Hamlet has a very sour relationship with his uncle and stepfather, Claudius. Hamlet’s first soliloquy deepens the psychological rift between the prince and the world at large, but especially women; it emphasizes the frailty of women – an obvious reference to his mother’s hasty and incestuous marriage to her husband’s brother: Must I remember? why, she would hang on him,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As if... ...: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis.† The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974). Foakes, R.A.. â€Å"The Play’s Courtly Setting.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet and the Court of Elsinore.† Shakespeare Survey: An Annual Survey of Shakespearean Study and Production. No. 9. Ed. Allardyce Nicoll. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1956. Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: University of Delaware Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html

Market Entry Timing Strategy Essay

Empirical study (Robinson and Fornell, 1985) shows that first mover 20%, early followers 17%, and late entrants 13% market share. Robinson (1988) believes that the order of entry alone explain 8.9% of the variation in market shares. It has been shown that the longer the elapsed time between entry of the first mover and that of later entrants, the more opportunities becomes available to the first mover to achieve cost and differentiation advantages. A longer response time provides the first mover to promote awareness and trial that contribute to category learning and for consumers to integrate into their memory additional information through media and WoM. Lieberman and Montgomery (1988) believe that first-mover advantages arise from three primary sources: Technological leadership, pre-emption of assets, and buyer switching costs. Technological leadership provides a learning curve, where unit production fall with cumulative output, which generates a sustainable cost advantage for the early entrant if learning can be kept proprietary and the firm can maintain leadership in market share. If the first-mover has superior information, it may be able to purchase assets at market prices below those that will prevail later in the evolution of the market, such as natural resources and retailing or manufacturing locations. Where there is room for only a limited number of profitable firms, the first-mover can often select the most attractive niches and may be able to take strategic actions that limit the amount of space available for subsequent entrants. With switching costs, late entrants must invest extra resources to attract customers away from the first-mover firm. Buyer may rationally stick with the first brand they encounter that performs the job satisfactorily. Brand loyalty of this sort may be particularly strong for low-cost convenience goods. Thus, late entrants must have a truly superior product, or else advertise more frequently or more creatively. Schnaars (1986) implies that the early bird normally catches and retains the worm. ‘Me-too’ products introduced by later entrants were much more likely to fail. Second entrants obtain on the average only about three-quarters of the market share of the pioneer, and later entrants are able to capture progressively smaller shares. Consumers tend to know and favour the pioneering product, they have no reason to experiment with subsequent entries. These cost advantages put later entrants at a competitive disadvantage, and pioneers may be able to erect entry barriers that lock out subsequent entrants. Late entrants can also find that the field is crowded and the market offers little opportunity. However, a well-conceived ‘second-but-better’ entry, backed by aggressive advertising, may be able to surpass the pioneer’s entry. Later entrants must be better in terms of performance or price, or both, if they are to have any chance of success. Many firms with str ong market orientation seem to embrace later entry. No one entry strategy proved best in all situations. Primary benefit for the pioneer is to build an unassailable position before later entrants recognize the promise of the market or are willing to take the risks of an early entry. It is most appropriate when image and reputation are important to the customer, experience effects are important and not easily copied, brand loyalty accrues to the pioneer, and cost advantages can be obtained by early commitment to suppliers and channels. It carriers many risks, because almost every aspect of an emerging market is unknown. Many pioneers end up pursuing false leads that later entrants are able to avoid. Thus it must be willing to commit a great deal of money – for R&D and educate customers’. The chances of a pioneer getting the product right for the first time are almost nil. One study found that it takes seven to eight years on the average before a firm that enters a new line of business actually turns a profit. Golder and Tellis (1993) state that for pioneers, consumer-based advantage relate to the benefits that can be delivered from the way consumers first choose and then repurchase the product. The pioneer may become the standard for the product category, and a pioneer can lock-in some customers in categories that have high switching costs. Seventy percent of market leaders are pioneers, and almost half of all pioneers are market leaders. Second firm to enter the market would obtain only 71% as much market share as the pioneer, and third firm to enter would obtain only 58% as much. On the other hand, they believe that if later entrants can leapfrog pioneers with superior technology, positioning, or brand names, firms could better off entering late. Evidence shows that the advantages of being first-in are almost equally balanced by the many pitfalls and disadvantages. Kerin, Vradarajan, and Peterson (1992) state that one can achieve first-mover status by producing a new product, use a new process, and/or enter a new market. They distinguish between two perspectives: the economic-analytical and the behavioural. The former indicates that the pioneer creates barriers to entry so it becomes costly for others to follow, this in turn lengthens the lead time, thus enabling the first mover to benefit initially from no competition, and being more experienced once new entrants emerge. From the behavioural view, the first mover communication is more effective and it obtains reputational advantage. Through purchase and trial, customers can become more reluctant to switch. Similarly, there are economic and behavioural views on market contingencies. From the former perspective, the uncertainty of product demands can lower resource commitments and reduce cost advantage due to scale, but small scale operations are more efficient. A first mover can influence how attributes are valued, define the ideal attribute combination, and ultimately influence consumer’s preferences to its benefit over later entrants. The industry relies heavily on advertising and marketing, thus early consumer exposures to advertising is even more beneficial. The technology changes quickly, so the legal protection and experience advantage decreases. From the behavioural perspective, products can be easily evaluated before purchase, so the purchase and trial benefits decrease. The cost of evaluating a product and making a purchase mistake is lower, hence switching costs decreases. But when consumers need to invest in special, related assets, the switching costs increase. However, following firms may benefit from the ability to free-ride on first-mover investments, resolution of technological and market uncertainty, technological discontinuities that provide ‘gate-ways’ for new entry, and various types of incumbent inertia. They can achieve a CA by influencing consumers’ preferences rather than responding to them, such by moving away from the pioneer and develop a more desirable position. Early entrants’ main benefit is to learn from the pioneer’s experience, and avoid many of the onerous costs, along with being able to assess the market’s reaction to the pioneer’s entry. Many early entrants have relied on some combination of marketing clout, product enhancement and low-cost production. Later entries can benefit from the passage of time. If the product form is changing rapidly and standardization has not been achieved, the later entrant may be able to leapfrog earlier entrants by introducing a superior product, backed by market clout. The later entrant can gain a sizable share of proven growth marketing by capitalizing on the low-cost production of me-too products. Many foreign companies pursue this strategy. Late entrant is risky when earlier entrants are able to erect entry barriers, or the market is already flooded with products that leave no room for enhancement. Level Brother’s Persil entered the tablet detergent market as a pioneer, whereby P&G’s Ariel entered as a follower. The former achieved satisfying customers that stuck to the brand, despite low switching costs. It built a brand image that indicated it was the best, it was innovative and technological advanced. It increased customer choice, which could lead to increased satisfaction and loyalty. Persil soon enjoyed large or monopoly market-share in the category, and had potentially highest share after followers enter. Moreover, entering early allowed it to learn from experiences, with more time for trial and error. By entering first, it could create barriers for entry in the retail through shelf-space, and have patent on technology. Persil also set rules for competition on features, benefits and added services. It could also set the price value based or cost based, thus deciding the market. Ariel, on the hand, had the opportunity to assess the market profitability upon entrance, and needed less knowledge to educate the market. It could learn from Persil’s mistakes in terms of pricing, and had less risk to brand equity. Ariel also enjoyed lower R&D costs and could free-ride on Persil’s effort, in addition to develop a better product. The saved time can be used for optimal positioning. The two competitors were competing heavily on the price per wash, higher and lowering accordingly to each other, starting at 22.0p and 28.0p respectively in 1999, both finishing at 20.0p in 2004, but Ariel did better in the end through learning. In conclusion, one can say that faster entry into the industry does not necessary guarantee absolute competitive advantage. The magnitude of first-mover advantage depends on the degree of fit between the environmental opportunity and the first-mover’s skills and resources. Market pioneering is not a strategy that is appropriate for all firms. In organizational reality, firms are more often a later entrant than a pioneer.

Growth Opportunities for Indian Automotive Manufacturers

Growth Opportunities for Indian Automotive Manufacturers Free Online Research Papers Being one of the important contributors to world economies, the automotive industry has been subject to globalization in the western world for a long time now. Need for high resource commitments, nature of the industry (scale sensitivity), the current stage in the industry life cycle, increasing competition and declining unit profit margins have forced automobile manufacturers to merge, form alliances or co-operate in the field of RD, production , marketing and distribution. The formation of global oligopolies first by regional consolidation and then on a global scale has been evident from the spate of mergers and strategic alliances. In the backdrop of mega mergers there has also been a change in the strategies of the global component suppliers. With the tierization of suppliers, the Tier 1 suppliers (those who directly supply to the OEM’s) have increasingly taken on the role of module integrators and have come under severe cost pressure from OEM’s as a direct result. The OEM–vendor relationship has changed drastically over the last five years and it is now cost not allegiances, which determine who carmaker, buys from. Thus they too have taken the consolidation route to survive in the times of intense cost competition. The above trends have prompted them to look at emerging countries for component and vehicle manufacture due to the inherent advantages in production and potentially large markets. As it makes less sense to focus on the geographical origins of the components or assemblage (as long as the brand guarantees as certain level of quality), there has been a gradual re-orientation in the perspective of automobile manufacturers. Research Papers on Growth Opportunities for Indian Automotive ManufacturersOpen Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Project Managment Office SystemGenetic EngineeringRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Ethics Essay Essays - Social Philosophy, Normative Ethics, Ethics

Ethics Essay Essays - Social Philosophy, Normative Ethics, Ethics Ethics Essay Ethics and Social Responsibility/ETH316 What is ethics? (Boylan, 2009) stated, ethics is the science concerning the right and wrong of human action. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethos, meaning the way things should be. Ethics refers more to public life or the workplace. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics; it will also cover how each theory addresses ethics and morality; as well as my personal experiences between virtues, values, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the theories. Virtue theory (which is also known as virtue ethics) are character traits that make up a moral life, it is based upon good being a result of pursuit of excellence (Boylan, 2009). Virtue ethics can be used to determine the rightness or wrongness of an action by relating the choice to character traits. Utilitarianism is the view that what we ought to do morally is producing the greatest possible utility for the greatest possible number of people (Boylan, 2009). Utilitarians contend that the greater good of people is more important than the individual. One must be selfless and follow the path that leads to the greater good of the group by overlooking one's own needs and desires. Deontological ethics describes ones moral duty is based upon principles of reason and action (Boylan, 2009). One must act by the guidelines without thought to the consequences bestowed upon them or anyone else in order to maintain morality. An action is right regardless of the consequences of the action. With this theory it is either right or wrong no in between. The relationship between virtues, values and moral concepts as related to utilitarianism ethics are discussed in this example. While living in a condo you have certain rules everyone must follow and when a problem comes up everyone have to meet about it. Well one day they was a problem with some work that the condo association wanted everyone to help pay for. The problem was that several people of the group didnt want to do it and felt that it was unfair to make everyone pay for something that smaller group wasnt benefitting from. But because the majority of the group was ok with it, the condo association billed everyone. I say this is the utilitarianism theory because even though a small part of them didnt want to help the largest of the group did and the association felt that it was better overall to have the work done. These theories of virtue ethics, utilitarianism and deontology ethics all have several things in common, they all have their own way of outlining what values are virtuous and in what way are they right and wrong. All three drive for maintaining the best standards of moral value in regards to their own moral values. They are different for every circumstance and they may not always agree. References Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Ethics Essay PAGE 4 Running head: Ethics Essay PAGE 1

A)The Hurricanes Pauline on the cost of South Pacific is caused for Research Paper

A)The Hurricanes Pauline on the cost of South Pacific is caused for the climate changed or is human responsible( what causes and effects) - Research Paper Example Hurricane Pauline struck the south pacific coast on October 5 1997. The winds were at a speed of 135 miles per hour, enough to shatter everything that came in its path and take more than 200 lives in the process. Hurricane Pauline affected a large area of Mexico and dissipated on October 10 1997. While hurricanes are considered to have a history as old as the existence of this very world, their frequency has increased in the recent past, an important point for the rapidly growing world to give a thought to. Are we humans responsible for their increased frequency or is it just nature showing its wrath upon us. Many of the researchers and scientists have raised questions on the progress of the world and global warming. There have been debates concerning the relation of global warming and increased number of hurricanes than ever. Indeed some of the researchers have been able to prove that global warming has somewhat a role in this increased number of hurricanes and their disastrous effect. It has also been proposed and later proved that climate change has major role in the power dissipation of Atlantic system of hurricanes. These climate changes either natural or not have an important affect in the increased activity of hurricanes in the Atlantic region (Emanuel, 2007). It has also been told that human activities in the Atlantic area have been shown to cause detectable or undetectable changes that might have been leading to increased hurricane activity in that region. Hurricane Pauline that destroyed cities and took hundreds of lives was followed by Hurricane Katrina and many other in the later years specifically in areas where an annual rise in temperature was recorded showing the role of global warming directly and humans indirectly in causing hurricanes. To conclude, we humans have been progressing rather too rapidly, at a pace at which we might leave everything

Ayurvedic Medicine Used as Alternative Therapy in Modern Medicine Essay

Ayurvedic Medicine Used as Alternative Therapy in Modern Medicine - Essay Example This was traditional medicine to treat fever, cough and diarrhea. People were encouraged to suppress natural urges which was considered as unhealthy by moderating the amount and quantity of food intake, sleep and sexual intercourses to ensure healthy body at all times. Gregory (2004) states that alternative medicine refers to treatment of diseases using methods such as massage therapy or herbal use. This practice is being highly appreciated by learning institutions who teach about it. Importance Frawley and Ranade (2001) states that herbal method as one of the alternative method has been well embraced by many communities in the world hence rendering the use of Ayurvedic medicine easy and of great importance. People consider this method efficient since it is less costly and also has few side effects. This method also have seem to treat a variety of diseases which lead people to prefer using it since he will only require one drug to heal so many diseases. This alternative is readily av ailable since most of these herbs are found free of charge in the forests and other bushy areas within the society. This method has been considered to be less demanding because it does not require highly qualified personnel to administer the medicine. This method is also effective since it is not selective with the age bracket hence can be used by all people within the community. Unlike the artificial drugs these medicines do not lead to very adverse side effects. It does not have the time limits hence one can use it as long as he wants. This therapeutic method is easily acceptable to be used by people because it is mostly orally administered which is the most preferred method. This method can not react while using other methods hence gives it another advantage of it to be considered above the other method. This method is reliable since one can get it from various places. Frawley and Ranade (2001) argues that this method is used even by the illiterate people in the society since the instructions given are clear and simple to be understood hence very low cases of overdosing. Since this method is given by people who are locals in the community the patients respect the instructions given no deviations since there is sense of belonging. At times there is reinforcement of this method by the religious people and other important people in the society hence the patients look forward to embrace this method to the fullest. Lad (2012) says that Ayurvedic medicine does not demand one to go to hospital for the treatment he can get the treatment while at home. Diagnosis According to Lad (2012) the patient who was recommended for use of this drug was to be carefully examined and undergo through various diagnosis procedures using all body senses by the health profession administering the drug; since each component of the body had the ability to influence others either negatively or positively. This aspect was to be carefully considered during the drug diagnosis and therapy. V arious things were to be checked such as the body composition, any disorder, body stability and all other body systemic functions. The systemic composition and functioning was checked so that to prevent any adverse side effect that would arise while on medication. The body was to be considered compatible to the drug for one to be in a position to use the drug. There were various criteria that were