Monday, September 30, 2019

Stephen King and Langston Hughes – Perspectives on Good Writing

In How to Be a Bad Writer (in Ten Easy Lessons), by Langston Hughes, and Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully – in Ten Minutes, by Stephen King, the reader is advised on a variety of writing topics. Hughes, a product of segregation and racism, uses biting humor and sarcasm to rail against bad writing, whereas King, a former teacher and a product of the counterculture movement, uses folksy charm to instruct us. King cleverly prefaces his advice with a self-effacing story about learning to write in his sophomore year of High School.In essence, he says that if he could do it, then so can we, if we listen. King values brevity (remove every extraneous word) and warns us not to get on a soapbox and preach. King also has great respect for the process, from drafting to submission etiquette, and belittles those of us who do not know the markets. In conclusion, he states, â€Å"And if you listened, you can write everything and anything you want. † It sounds sedu ctively simple, and that is King’s greatest success. He makes you believe.Hughes takes the gloves off in How to Be a Bad Writer (in Ten Easy Lessons). He scolds us with ten critical statements and leaves us to do the reverse engineering. Hughes places a premium on honesty, devoting half of his essay to that message. One example is, â€Å"Never write about anything you know, your home town, or your home folks, or yourself. † Hughes attacks dishonesty, verbosity, and affectation with, â€Å"Have nothing to say, but use a great many words, particularly high-sounding words, to say it. When you add Hughes’ instruction to use stereotypes of older stereotypes, his anger is evident. Sadly, Hughes' race-related advice, if not some of his terminology, remains relevant. There is no universally correct way to be a successful writer and I find it comforting that neither author refers to his advice as rules or laws. King and Hughes have given us valuable reference tools to a ssist in developing our own techniques. It is up to us to choose how we will apply their advice.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Feature Article: Drug Abuse by UK Youngsters Essay

Discovery of the unknown and trying new things are the themes of the life of teenagers to young adults who feel the need to extend their boundaries in order to obtain a more fulfilling life. This is true for the case of British youngsters who have been discovered to be indulging in the abusive usage of drugs (Hickley, 2006). Reports from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, a British government sector, have shown that a great scale of British youngsters seem to be unaware of the effects of drug abuse on their life on a longitudinal perspective that they tend to overuse these harmful chemicals for self-gratifying purposes (Hickley, 2006). In fact, about 20 to 25% of the total teen-age and young adult population of Britain is found to have used illegal drugs (Hickley, 2006). Youngsters are seen partying in clubs, drinking until dawn, participating in group riots, and are literally destroying their lives just to feel the psychological effects attributed to the utilization of drugs. Among the list of drugs, cannabis is seen to be most popularly used.   Recent reports have even shown that young people tend to use drugs in order to acquire a more fulfilling sexual experience, an event that may lead to prostitution, spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and promiscuity (News Group Newspaper Ltd., 2008). It is actually very sad that these people are being misguided by the absence of proper laws that will directly prohibit, and even prosecute them to use drugs. The future of the British race lies in the hand of the present generation and if it appears that the said generation is out of track then it is likely to think that the future of this nation is compromised. Immediate actions must be done by the British government to formulate laws that will certify proper academic drug education in high school and college, increasing the minimum of age that is allowed to purchase alcoholic drinks from 16 to 18, a substance that usually goes along with the usage of drugs, imposition of strict rules on late night partying, and on encouraging parents to provide responsible parenthood to their children. These steps, if executed in the soonest possible time, can save British youngsters from a life of misery and unfulfilled life goals to a more rewarding and productive way of life. Reference Hickley, M. (2006). Drink and drug ruining British youngsters, government admits. Mail   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   online. Retrieved 30 April 2010, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk News Group Newspaper Ltd. (2008). Drink and drugs used for sex. The Sun. Retrieved 30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   April 2010, from http://www.thesun.co.uk

Saturday, September 28, 2019

D3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

D3 - Assignment Example If these views are put together, a more comprehensive perspective of child development can be obtained. (Berk) The underlying perceptions of these theories are technically different; and even contradicting to some extent. Piaget’s point is that the child’s learning and mental capabilities are fundamentally not inferior to that of the adults. The child’s learning is actually activity and observation based. But Vygotsky’s theory gives more prominence to the psychosocial aspects of child development. The emphasis on cognitive capabilities of a child can also be explained by genetic claims and calls for assistance from a capable teacher to help the child learn. The adult is more knowledgeable, experienced, and physically capable than the child. In the early stages of child development, assistance from the adult can be pivotal. Although self learning and activity based training processes are essential to achieve wholesome development, the importance of guidance by an adult can be considered as the basis of both preschool and Kindergarten levels of education and training. (Berk, 2-3) In the course of maturing the child’s tendencies and attempts toward developing a firmer grip on language (be that the child’s mother tongue or some other language), what the adult can do to help the child has been termed as â€Å"scaffolding† by many experts (e.g. Plumert and Whitehead, 523). Making the child aware of the different aspects of a language not possible unless all the four basic language capabilities are supported, which are writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills. Since developmental psychologists like Vygotsky put emphasis on the cognitive aspects of a child’s mental development, adult-child conversations can be regarded as an excellent tool to develop the child’s language skills during his/her pre-school days. This the primary stage of the child’s education and psychosocial

Friday, September 27, 2019

Logistic and Global Supply Chain Management M&S Case Study Assignment

Logistic and Global Supply Chain Management M&S Case Study - Assignment Example The report outlines and explains the different measures and steps taken by the management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) to change the clothing business and supply chain strategy in order to remain competitive in the industry. Changes made by Marks and Spencer (M&S) in its Clothing Business to enhance its Competitiveness: Marks and Spencer (M&S) is a big name in the UK clothing retail industry. The company has been providing the customers with high quality products at competitive prices. Marks and Spencer (M&S) made record profits until year 1998 and expanded into different international markets (Davies, 1999). However, in 1998 the company faced increasing issues and challenges which resulted in negatively affecting the performance of the organisation and hence the organisation started showing negative results (Christopher and Peck, 2001). The main reason behind these negative outcomes was the long supply chain which decreased the responsiveness of the company (Harrison and Pavitt, 2001; Mellahi, Jackson, & Sparks, 2002). However, the management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) analysed and explored the situation and came up with several changes not only in operational practices but also in its overall clothing business in order to increase the competitiveness in the market. On one hand the company focused on reshaping and redesigning its supply chain order to make sure that the customers are provided with clothes on time according to the changing needs and trends in the market. On the other hand the management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) worked on improving and updating the clothing segment according to the changing requirements and preferences of the customers (Burt, Mellahi, Jackson, & Sparks, 2002). The management of the company came up with different clothing brand lines in order to cater to the needs and requirements of different sets of target customers. As a result the company introduced different brands for its clothing business namely: per una, The Autograph, Th e Perfect Collection, The Classic Collection, Indigo Collection, Blue Harbour, and several other (Harrison and Pavitt, 2001). The management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) came up with different brand identities and positioning statements for its different clothing brands and collections keeping in view the different requirements and needs of the targeted customer segments. This in turn allowed the company to increase the overall sales and enhance the growth and performance. Marks and Spencer (M&S) has learned from its initial mistakes and now is monitoring the marketing trends closely in order to respond to the changes on timely basis with effective and efficient strategies. Due to the increasing competition in the clothing retail industry, the company is facing increasing competition in street retailing from the other clothing retailers in the market like Zara and Primak and for this reason the management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) is spending heavy amount to survive and win in the wa r of street retailing (Ruddick, 2012). On the other hand the management of Marks and Spencer (M&S) is looking for other channels to reach the customers including e-commerce and m-commerce. For instance, the company has also provided the customers with the facility of the online

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership - Essay Example The study will discuss different aspects of an effective leader. The study will cover three areas, such as role of a leader, different leadership styles, and impact of leadership style on the organizational culture and employee motivation. The Role of a Leader Effective leadership style is important for an organization or a group of several individuals to perform effectively. Role and Responsibility of a Leader The major responsibility of a leader is to organize entire team and motivate them to attain the goals and objectives. Development of attainable goals and objectives are also key responsibilities of a leader. A good leader generally shares several information and effectual experience with the sub-ordinates to accomplish a common task. Sharing experience or knowledge actually influences entire team to give full effort. One of the major responsibilities of a great leader is to implement both top-down and bottom-up approach in order to enhance organizational communication process (Daft, 2008, p.44). Knowledge and Skills Required for a Good Leader An individual cannot be called as an effective leader without effective leadership knowledge and skills. A leader has total authority to manage entire team and develop potential strategies, decisions and goals so that a team can effectively achieve those. Knowledge and skills generally differ from each other. A leader has to have some key skills, such as effective communication skills, speaking power, listening skills, memory skills and skills to motivate entire team. An individual cannot become a leader and lead a team without having these fundamental skills. In terms of knowledge, a good leader has to obtain time management knowledge. It is true that the entire member within a team cannot have similar competencies and views. Therefore, there are some possibilities of conflict of ideas and conflict of skills between the team members (Walker, 2011, p.259). A leader generally has to deal with a diverse team in a spec ific workforce. Knowledge about workplace diversity, team direction, inspiring initiatives and self-motivation process of a leader can help an organization to become successful. Role of a Leader differs from Role of a Manager The major role of a leader is to develop effective attainable and perceived goals and objectives. On the other hand, role of a manager is to administrate entire team to ensure effective workplace performance and good business output. It is true that a leader always can become an effective manager due to effective leadership skills. Generally leadership skills direct the managerial skills. But, a manager cannot become an effective leader due to lack of leadership skills and visionary power. It is quite challenging for a leader to develop goals and direct an entire team towards success. But, it is quite easy for a manager to assist and administrate a team based on the showed path of a leader to accomplish developed tasks or goals or objectives. Development and Co mmunication of

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Chivalry among men in the novel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chivalry among men in the novel - Essay Example Despite their difference in origin, the two terms referred so much to a similar class of soldiers with similar ideals in proper behavior and conduct that the terms can now be used almost interchangeably. However, the word ‘chivalry’ still works to connote more of the honor code that was held among these fighters, such as the duty to uphold one’s honor regardless of the cost and the charge to protect a woman’s honor to an even greater extent. The Catholic Encyclopedia offers the most complete definition of what the word came to mean by the time Dumas wrote his novel: â€Å"Chivalry †¦ as an institution is to be considered from three points of view: the military, the social, and the religious† (Moeller, 2006). The ideals contained in these three areas can be traced throughout Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers through the characters of D’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis. At the very beginning of the novel, the concept of chivalry is introduced as a principle part of D’Artagnan’s upbringing as the reader is given a glimpse into the young man’s leave-taking of his parents. His father advises him, â€Å"At Court, if you ever go to Court, ... be honest and above board with everyone. Always remember your rank and carry on the tradition of good behaviour which your family has been true to for the past five hundred years. †¦ Stand no nonsense from anyone but the King and the Cardinal. Remember, nowadays it’s only by personal courage that a man can get on in the world† (Dumas, 1982, p. 29). This speech sets the tone very early on by which D’Artagnan’s life is to be characterized. In all of his actions, he is expected to be truthful, honest, above board and courageous, repaying every insult given him with immediate and swift retaliation. It also becomes apparent during this speech that D’Artagnan i s indeed of an ancestral line capable of attaining knighthood and is

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Costing Method with ABC Costing Essay

A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Costing Method with ABC Costing Method - Essay Example (Charles T. Horngren p150) Manufacturing company only produced a few types and high quantities of products before, traditional costing method which focused on direct costs were much more important than the production overheads, traditional costing would be accurate before While the production structure has changed, the times demand that flexibility and love of change replaced absorption costing method in Manufacturing company. Our company is a Manufacturing company. The company has a processing system that is used to manufacture two products: Hinkels and Quirts. Cost drivers are the real factors that decide the cost incurred and the resource consumed. Unlike the traditional method plagued by inaccuracy in manufacturing overheads allocation, ABC need not adopt two-stage cost allocation process to figure out the each target cost, in order to achieve cost information accuracy. Therefore, ABC adopts multi activities to distribute costs. It demonstrates that choosing proper cost drivers i s the most important and key step. In practice the ABC system uses many drivers as allocation bases in the second stage of the cost allocation system whereas the traditional cost systems tend to use, at the most, two second-stage allocation bases. (Colin Drury, 2002, p298) II. ABC process: Activity-based costing has the following five steps: a. Identify the different activities performed by the business. b. Calculate the total cost of each activity over the financial period(cost pool) c. Identify a cost driver (i.e. a causation factor) for each activity. d. Calculate the cost driver rate(i.e. the average cost of one occurrence of the cost driver) e. Assign part of the cost each activity to different products based to the extent to which each product has caused the activity to occur (i.e.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Rewrite lecture review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rewrite lecture review - Assignment Example The suggestion that were made to contact people and groups were really amazing because they would rarely cross one’s mind. The suggestions included the social media group page for Star Trek fan conference or rare car owners club. Twitter is the main social media site that is being used by the police to instantly communicate with the public. However, a few of police officers make use of other social media platforms such as Google+ to ensure efficient and service to the neighbourhoods they are offering security. Other than using social media as a tool for communication, police are also monitoring it for criminal of offensive activity. In my view, social media can be a very effective tool in law enforcement if not misused by the police workers. The administrators of law enforcement must establish proper controls over the use of social media to increase the benefits and reduce incidents of misuse by their staff. In doing so, the potential of social media in police force may fully be realized. Toin Pijnenburg works as a manager for change also coaches a number social media sites such as Prezi. Mr. Pijnenburg is the owner of Toin XXL. He is always startled by change and constantly seeks it mainly through putting himself in situations that are inconvenient and assisting others in overcoming change. He made an introduction on the media in the past few decades and its shift to the internet in class. According to him, the present day objectives are changing in their aims. In the past they had to be relevant and achievable, but today, these qualities have been taken for granted. While lecturing, he suggested that the pace of modern society can be reflected better by ambitious and revolutionary. He used Wikipedia as an example on how the audience can assist in creating and developing a web site. Wikipedia unlike other mediums or emails that may require extra services

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Answering Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Answering Questions - Research Paper Example Hogan is incredibly light in her touch in connecting these ideas, relying on the inbuilt notions of her reader more than her own prowess. Answer: Hogan’s tone is incredibly personal, and she tries to bring out the magic of her subjects to give a sense of wonder to her reader. She starts out by being incredibly personal, telling about her own life, which helps build a report and avoids any stilted formality. She then moves on, however, to connect her life to the wonders of the cosmos in the form of the voyager space craft, expanding her vocabulary and putting herself in the context of the wider universe. She thus minimizes both herself and her reader, asking them to see themselves in the context of the wonder of the universe. Answer: I think that it is a natural human impulse to put our best foot forward, and in that way we were somewhat honest to ourselves in leaving some things out. We sent this to be a craft that was supposed to demonstrate who humans want to be, the best of our capabilities, not the worst. To answer this question, ask yourself if it would be wise to tell a stranger the best and worst things about you all at once when you first meet them. In any society on the planet Earth, the answer would be a definitive no. We were being honest to who we are: people who want the universe to think well of us. Finally, putting the bad in with the good might codify the bad: make the bad okay, normal, who we

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Electric Scooter Market in China- Market Competition & Opportunities Essay Example for Free

Electric Scooter Market in China- Market Competition Opportunities Essay Research and Forecast of China Electric Scooter Industry, 2014-2018 mainly conducts in-depth market research on Electric Scooter market in the following aspects: market scale, supply and demand, market competition and business performance of major enterprises, meanwhile it makes a prediction about electric scooter industry and provides decision-making references for investors. In 2013, the demand volume of electric scooters in China reached 1. 05 million units, an increase of 31. 25% year-on-year. In current electric scooter market, the products mainly serve for the elderly, the disabled and home women; with the deepened population aging degree and the increased consumption level, the demand for electric scooter is also growing increasingly. Complete Report @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/research-and-forecast-of-china-electric-scooter-industry-2014-2018 . Inquire Before Buying @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/inquire-before-buy? rname=4357 . Table Of Contents 1. Overview of Chinas Electric Scooter Products 1. 1 Product Brief Introduction 1. 1. 1 Brief Introduction 1. 1. 2 Composition 1. 1. 3 Advantages 1. 2 Classification 2. Electric Scooter Situation in Foreign Countries and Taiwan 2. 1 Foreign Countries 2. 2 Taiwan 3. Environment of Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 3. 1 Economic Environment 3. 2 Industry Relevant Policies, Standards, Laws and Regulations 4. Characteristics of Electric Scooter Industry 4. 1 Concentration Ratio 4. 2 SWOT 4. 3 Industry Chain 4. 4 Competitive Landscape 5. Supply and Demand in Chinas Electric Scooter Market 5. 1 Supply Situation 5. 1. 1 Supply Situation 5. 1. 2 Main Brands 5. 2 Demand Situation 5. 3 Demand Factors 5. 4 Price Situation 5. 4. 1 Price 5. 4. 2 Factors Affecting the Price 5. 4. 3 Price Trend 6. Overview of Chinas Low Speed Electric Vehicle 6. 1 Brief Introduction 6. 1. 1 Product Introduction 6. 1. 2 Main Products and the Introduction 6. 2 Development Situation in China 6. 3 Overview of Chinas Main Manufacturers 6. 4 Market Situation of Four-wheel Low Speed Electric Vehicle Market and the Forecast 6. 4. 1 Current Application Situation. 6. 4. 2 Domestic Market 6. 4. 3 International Market 7. Import and Export of Chinas Electric Scooters 7. 1 Import and Export 7. 2 Sources of Import and Destinations of Export 8. Technological Development of Electric Scooter Products 8. 1 Technological Development Situation 8. 1. 1 Relevant Domestic Patents 8. 1. 2 Research Situation 8. 2 Technological Development Direction 8. 2. 1 Technological Maturity in China and Technological Difference between China and Foreign Countries 8. 2. 2 Technological Development Direction 9. Main Enterprises and Competitive Landscape in Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 9. 1 Feishen Group Co. , Ltd. 9. 1. 1 Company Profile 9. 1. 2 Company Strength 9. 1. 3 Independent RD Situation 9. 1. 4 Business Performance 9. 2 Jinhua ACEME Electric Co. , Ltd. 9. 2. 1 Company Profile 9. 2. 2 Company Strength 9. 2. 3 Development Trend 9. 2. 4 Business Performance 9. 3 Zhejiang Ripu Electronic Science and Technology Co. , Ltd. 9. 3. 1 Company Profile 9. 3. 2 Company Strength 9. 3. 3 Business Performance 9. 4 Wisking Electromechanical Product Co. , Ltd. 9. 4. 1 Company Profile 9. 4. 2 Company Strength 9. 4. 3 Business Performance 9. 5 Xuzhou Maston Mobility Co. , Ltd. 9. 5. 1 Company Profile 9. 5. 2 Company Strength 9. 5. 3 Business Performance 9. 5. 4 Development Strategy 10. Development Forecast and Investment Prospect of Chinas Electric Scooter Industry 10. 1 Forecast of Supply, 2014-2018 10. 2 Forecast of Demand, 2014-2018 10. 3 Main Development Direction 11. Investment Suggestions and Opinions from the Experts 11. 1 Investment Opportunity 11. 1. 1 Market Space 11. 1. 2 Industry Development Trend. 11. 2 Investment Risk 11. 2. 1 Horizontal Competition Risk 11. 2. 2 Market Trade Risk 11. 2. 3 Influence of Industry Policy Changes 11. 3 Risk Precautionary Measure and Industry Coping Strategy 11. 3. 1 Precautionary Measure for Horizontal Competition Risk 11. 3. 2 Actively Develop Upstream Sellers and Downstream Consumers to Reduce Market Risk 11. 3. 3 Coping Strategy of Enterprises Request Discount @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/discount? rname=4357 . Buy Report @ http://www. marketreportschina. com/contacts/purchase? rname=4357.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Distinct Serum Protein Pattern in Paranoid Schizophrena

Distinct Serum Protein Pattern in Paranoid Schizophrena A DISTINCT SERUM PROTEIN PATTERN IN PATIENTS WITH PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA[A1] N. A. Timofeyeva1,3, I. V. Alekseeva1,3, S. A. Ivanova2,4, G. G. Simutkin2, A. V. Semke2, I. S. Losenkov2, N. A. Bokhan2, O. S. Fedorova1,3, A. A. Chernonosov1,3* 1 Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia 2 Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia 3 Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia       4 National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia ABSTRACT The proteomic approach, namely, a combination of 2D gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry, is a powerful tool that allows researchers to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in disease states. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness, whose aetiology is still unclear; therefore, information about differences in serum protein patterns may improve the understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to use the proteomic approach to identify altered protein levels in the serum samples from patients with schizophrenia. For this study, blood was collected from 10 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 10 healthy volunteers. We uncovered major changes in the expression of such proteins as apolipoproteins of classes A4 and C3, transthyretin (TTR), and serum amyloid A1. Furthermore, an increase in expression was found only for apolipoprotein A4, whereas the expression of apolipoprotein C3, TTR, and serum amyloid A1 was decreased. The observed differences in the expression of serum proteins (TTR and serum amyloid) are in good agreement with the results obtained by other research groups during analyses of cerebrospinal fluid or post-mortem brain tissues by other methods. Keywords: psychiatric disorder, schizophrenia, [A2]  proteomics, 2D electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, biomarker, serum. Introduction Although in recent years, great progress has been made in reducing mortality and in the treatment of common illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, the mortality caused by mental disorders remains unchanged [1]. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness, whose aetiology is still unclear. Schizophrenia is characterised by hallucinations, delusions (positive psychotic symptoms), affective problems [A3](negative psychotic symptoms), and cognitive dysfunction [2]. A number of hypotheses have been proposed about the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, for example, aberrations [A4]  in the pathways of transmission of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin [3, 4] or pathological changes in embryonic neurogenesis owing to variations in gene neuregulin-1 [5], as well as oxidative-stress-mediated cell damage due to lowered levels of antioxidant defence enzymes in patients with schizophrenia[A5] [6]. Such pathogenesis may be caused by a dysfunction of some enzymes (proteins) as well as changes of their quantity in the blood of these patients. At the same time, there is no information about differences in serum protein patterns that can be used for typing of psychopathologies among individuals at risk of developing psychiatric disorders [7]. Diagnosis and nosology rely on symptoms and accumulated clinical observations, and thus far, have been based mostly on interviews with patients and on patients subjective complaints [8]. Moreover, current medications still have substantial adverse effects and/or require weeks for therapeutic effects to manifest themselves; not all patients respond to current pharmacotherapy [9]. In sum, an insufficient understanding of psychiatric disorders at the molecular level and the lack of disease-specific changes in serum protein patterns prevent optimisation of diagnosis and treatment of such complex psychiatric disorders as schizophrenia  [A6]. The proteomic approach, namely, the combination of 2D gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), allows researchers to reliably identify proteins isolated from human bodily fluids [10, 11]. Our exploratory study [12] showed that 2D gel electrophoresis is suitable for isolation of proteins from blood of patients with mental disorders. Therefore  [A7], in the present work, clinical blood samples from patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were tested to identify quantitative differences in the proteomic profile of serum. Results and Discussion In this study, we examined blood serum of healthy people and patients with paranoid schizophrenia to search for quantitative and/or qualitative differences in proteins associated with this mental disorder. The use of 2D gel electrophoresis enables researchers to simultaneously isolate more than 300 protein spots on one gel containing 150  µg of protein for subsequent MALDI-TOF MS/MS analysis [10, 11]. We analysed differences in serum protein patterns by comparing the gels between the patients and healthy controls. The analysis [A8]  of protein patterns in serum was focused on those protein spots that differed in 2D gels between the patients and healthy controls. Such protein spots were analysed by means of the Gel-Pro Analyzer software and normalised to the sum of three proteins (a, b, Ñ ; for details, see Materials and Methods). These three proteins are isoforms of apolipoprotein L (ApoL) [18]. As a result, 15 protein spots were isolated and identified by peptide mass fin gerprinting and MS/MS analysis. The list of proteins identified in the NCBI database is shown in table [A9]1. Some proteins haptoglobin, transthyretin (TTR), and apolipoprotein C3 shown in table 1 are present in more than one spot on a gel and have different pI values. Perhaps this phenomenon is due to various post-translational modifications or partial processing. It was found that only the serum level of ApoA4 was increased (1.8-fold) as compared to the control group (figure 1a). Our findings support other [A10]  reports on altered protein levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in schizophrenia [19, 20].   Ã‚   The decrease in the serum concentration relative to the control group was observed for ApoC3 and for ApoC2 in patients with schizophrenia (figure 1b). This downregulation was on average from 1.8- to 3-fold for ApoC3, and smaller for ApoC2: only 1.25-fold. These proteins are synthesised in the liver and are components of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs). Apolipoprotein C2 activates extrahepatic lipoprotein lipase, whereas apolipoprotein C3 can inhibit lipoprotein lipase Fig. 1 Examples of proteins with differential expression in human serum are presented in the enlarged sections of the 2DE profile. a) Apo A4; b) Apo C3 and C2; c) serum amyloid A1; d) transthyretin (the protein is present in two spots because of post-translational modifications). Sch: schizophrenia. and activate LCAT [21, 22]. Previously, it was found that the expression of apolipoproteins is altered in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric disorders [23]. The authors found that low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and VLDLs are the most prominent factors differentiating depressed patients from healthy controls, and that plasma unsaturated lipid concentrations are elevated in the depressed group. Thus, there is growing evidence that deregulated lipid homeostasis may play a common role in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Other proteins with a decreased concentration are serum amyloid A1 and TTR (figure 1c and 1d). Inflammatory amyloid A1 is among the so-called acute phase proteins, which have both direct and indirect bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic properties. According to the classical theory of inflammation, in the acute phase of inflammation, the serum concentration of amyloid A1 increases 100- to 1000-fold [24], whereas in our study, we observed a 2.3-fold decrease in the serum concentration of this protein in patients with schizophrenia. Perhaps this result  [A11] is due to decreased immunity in Table 1. The list of proteins from human serum analysed by 2DE and identified by MALDI-MS/MS after in-gel digestion with trypsin. Protein NCBI database no. Protein ID pI MW (kDa) Score (individuals/ significant) Fold Change (+/-)* Sch vs control 1 gi157831596 ÃŽÂ ±2-antitrypsin 5.37 44.3 48/45 -1.32  ± 0.2 2 gi338305 SP 40 5.74 36.7 17/10 -1.31  ± 0.09 3 gi3337390 Haptoglobin 6.14 38.2 35/29 +1.22  ± 0.13 4 gi114318993 Transthyretin (dimer) 5.16 20.2 120/84 -1.68  ± 0.25 5 gi11957960 Apolipoprotein A4 5.28 28.9 43/32 +1.84  ± 0.16 6 gi223976 Haptoglobin hp2ÃŽÂ ± 6.23 41.7 39/20 -1.38  ± 0.17 7 gi296653 Haptoglobin hp2ÃŽÂ ± 6.23 41.5 18/10 -1.42  ± 0.11 8 gi296653 Haptoglobin hp2ÃŽÂ ± 6.25 41.5 39/15 -1.56  ± 0.24 9 gi4507725 Transthyretin 5.52 15.9 75/52 -1.06  ± 0.13 10 gi4507725 Transthyretin 5.52 15.9 65/60 -1.45  ± 0.23 11 gi4557323 Apolipoprotein C3 5.23 10.8 112/70 -1.85  ± 0.21 12 gi4557323 Apolipoprotein C3 5.23 10.8 115/68 -3.28  ± 0.16 13 gi4557323 Apolipoprotein C2 5.42 11.2 104/78 -1.25  ± 0.08 14 gi40316910 Serum amyloid A1 6.28 13.5 134/90 -2.34  ± 0.09 15 gi19626079 Albumin fragment 6.20 22.4 56/40 -2.06  ± 0.32 The fold change is equal to SPi/SPcontrol, where i is the identification number of a spot. Symbols - and + mean a decrease and increase, respectively. Sch: schizophrenia. patients with psychiatric disorders or to the presence of comorbidities. In addition, [A12]  it is possible that a decrease in serum amyloid A1 concentration is related to downregulation of antioxidant-defence enzymes in patients with schizophrenia [6] because high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) inhibit oxidative modification of LDLs via the activity of their associated enzymes and apolipoproteins [25]. If HDLs become so-called dysfunctional HDLs because of accumulation of oxidants derived from an inflammatory reaction, such HDLs inhibit the HDL-associated antioxidant enzymes and reduce the ability of apolipoproteins A1 to promote ABCA-1-mediated cholesterol efflux [25]. In the literature, there are data on a strong positive relation between cholesterol levels and pathophysiological features of mood disorders. The link between mental health (brain) and cholesterol is believed to be based on hypothetical neuron-associated mechanisms. Cholesterol is an integral component of the plasma m embrane of neurons and is present in myelin. Furthermore, cholesterol performs crucial functions in the development, stability, and workings of the synapse [26]. Overall, aberrations in cholesterol in a psychiatric illness may substantially affect the mood via synaptic stability and lowered serotonergic activity. In the case of TTR, we observed a decrease in the serum concentration of its dimer and one of monomeric forms (protein 10 in Table 1) among the patients with schizophrenia (~1.7-fold and ~1.5-fold, respectively), whereas the serum level of another TTR monomeric form was found to be unchanged relative to the control group (protein 9 in Table 1). TTR is a liver-derived secretory protein and is the major serum carrier of thyroid hormones: thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine. TTR is also involved in the transport of retinol via an interaction with retinol-binding proteins. Several studies were conducted in an attempt to identify disease biomarkers that could advance the understanding of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In some of these studies, a link between TTR and schizophrenia was found [27, 28]. In ref. [28], it was estimated that 3% of TTR in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid [A13]  and 10% of TTR in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid are derived from blood. To assess the involvement of blood TTR in the changes observed in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with schizophrenia, those authors also studied serum TTR levels in the same people (simultaneously with cerebrospinal fluid collection) by an ELISA. They observed a significant moderate decrease in TTR concentration in serum samples of patients with schizophrenia compared to co ntrols. Nevertheless, there was no association between cerebrospinal-fluid and serum TTR levels in the same individuals, indicating that the protein levels of TTR are regulated by different systems in serum and in cerebrospinal fluid. Conclusion In the present study, we identified differentially expressed proteins in the serum from patients with schizophrenia by proteomic analysis. We showed differential expression of such proteins as TTR, serum amyloid A1, and apolipoproteins of classes A4 and C3. Furthermore the increase in the expression was found only for apolipoprotein A4, whereas the expression of apolipoprotein C3, TTR, and serum amyloid A1 was decreased. Such alterations of the expression of these proteins may indicate problems with regulation, for example, in the synthesis. On the other hand, the altered protein expression may simply reflect the pathophysiological status of patients with schizophrenia, where these proteins could be candidates for biomarkers.   Nevertheless, to confirm the significance of the altered levels of these proteins in the pathogenesis [A14]  of schizophrenia, and to determine their suitability as biomarkers of schizophrenia, further research is needed. Competing interests. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the contents of this article. Funding. This research was made possible in part by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (14-15-00480, with the exception of the work corresponding to MALDI-TOF MS/MS analysis) and Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (the part of work corresponding to MALDI-TOF MS/MS analysis). References Kessler RC, Demler O, Frank RG, Olfson M. 2005 Prevalence and treatment of mental disorders 1990 to 2003. N. Engl. J. Med. 352, 2515-2523. J. van Os, S. Kapur Schizophrenia. Lancet (Lond. Engl.), 374 (2009), pp. 635-645 H. Moore, A.R. West, A.A. Grace. The regulation of forebrain dopamine transmission: relevance to the pathophysiology and psychopathology of schizophrenia. Biol. Psychiatry, 46 (1999), pp. 40-55. M.A. Geyer, F.X. Vollenweider. Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses. Trends Pharmacol. Sci., 29 (2008), pp. 445-453. E. Bramon, E. Dempster, S. Frangou, M. Shaikh, M. Walshe, F.M. Filbey, C. McDonald, P. Sham, D.A. Collier, R. Murray. Neuregulin-1 and the P300 waveform-a preliminary association study using a psychosis endophenotype. Schizophr. Res., 103 (2008), pp. 178-185 P.K. Ranjekar, A. Hinge, M.V. Hegde, M. Ghate, A. Kale, S. Sitasawad, U.V. Wagh, V.B. Debsikdar, S.P. Mahadik. Decreased antioxidant enzymes and membrane essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in schizophrenic and bipolar mood disorder patients. Psychiatry Res., 121 (2003), pp. 109-122. Ivanova SA, Fedorenko OYu, Smirnova LP, Semke AV. 2013 Biomarker discovery and development of pharmacogenetic approaches to personalized therapy of patients with schizophrenia. Siberian vestnik of psychiatry and narcology. 12-16. Turck CW, Maccarrone G, Sayan-Ayata E, Jacob AM. 2005 The quest for brain disorder biomarkers. J. Med. Invest. 52, 231-235. Bystritsky A. 2006 Treatment-resistant anxiety disorders. Mol. Psychiatry. 11, 805-814. Davalieva K, Kostovska IM, Dwork AJ. 2016 Proteomic research in schizophrenia. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 16, (doi: 10.3389). Guest PC, Guest FL, Martins-de Souza D. 2016 Making sence of blood-based proteomics and metabolomics in psychiatric research. Int.J. of Neuropsychopharmacology. 719-728. Alekseeva IV, Timofeeva NA, Chernonosov AA, Ivanova SA, Bokhan NA, Fedorova OS. 2013 Use of two-dimensional electrophoresis for proteomic studies of serum from patients with mental disorders. Vestnik of Novosibirsk State University. Series: Biology, Clinical Medicine. 11, 56-60. PeÃ…Â ¡iĆ¡ I, Dihazi GH, Mà ¼ller GA, Jahn O, Hoffmann M, Eltoweissy M, Koziolek M, Dihazi H. 2011 Short-term increase of glucose concentration in PDS results in extensive removal and high glycation level of vital proteins during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. 26, 2674-83. Giuliano S, Agresta AM, De Palma A, Viglio S, Mauri P, Fumagalli M, et al. 2014 Proteomic Analysis of Lymphoblastoid Cells from Nasu-Hakola Patients: A Step Forward in Our Understanding of This Neurodegenerative Disorder. PLoS ONE. 9(12): e110073. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110073). Candiano G, Bruschi M, Musante L, Santucci L, Ghiggeri GM. 2004 Blue silver: a very sensitive colloidal Coomassie G-250 staining for proteome analysis. Electrophoresis. 25, 1327-1333. Brauner JM, Groemer TW, Stroebel A, Grosse-Holz S, Oberstein T, Wiltfang J, Kornhuber J, Maler JM. 2014 Spot quantification in two dimensional gel electrophoresis image analysis: comparison of different approaches and presentation of a novel compound fitting algorithm. BMC Bioinformatics. 15, 181-193. Perkins DN, Pappin DJ, Creasy DM, Cottrell JS. 1999 Probability-based protein identification by searching sequence databases using mass spectrometry data. Electrophoresis. 20, 3551-3567. Lepedda AJ, Nieddu G, Zinellu E, De Muro P, Piredda F, Guarino A, Spirito R, Carta F, Turrini F, Formato M. 2013 Proteomic analysis of plasma-purified VLDL, LDL, and HDL fractions from atherosclerotic patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy: identification of serum amyloid A as a potential marker. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2013, 1-11. Aphkhazava D, Nieves E, Callaway M, Olszewski W, Rotzschke O, Santambrogio L. 2013 Protein expression profiles of human lymph and plasma mapped by 2D-DIGE and 1D SDS-PAGE coupled with nanoLC-ESI-MS/MS bottom-up proteomics. J Proteomics. 78, 172-187. Wan CLa Y, Zhu H, Jiang L, Chen Y, Feng G, Li H, Sang H, Hao X, Zhang G, He L. 2007 Abnormal changes of plasma acute phase proteins in schizophrenia and the relation between schizophrenia and haptoglobin (Hp) gene.Amino Acids Amino Acids 1, 101-108. Eckel RH. 1989 Lipoprotein lipase: a multifunctional enzyme relevant to common metabolic diseases. N.Eng.J.Med. 320, 1060-1068. Wang HEckel RH. 2009 Lipoprotein lipase: from gene to obesity. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 297, 271-288. Zheng P, Gao HC, Li Q, Shao WH, Zhang ML, Cheng K, Yang de Y, Fan SH, Chen L, Fang L, Xie P. 2012 Plasma metabonomics as a novel diagnostic approach for major depressive disorder. J. Proteome Res. 11, 1741-8. doi: 10.1021/pr2010082. Baumann  H. 1994 The acute phase response. J. Gauldie: Immunologie Today. 2, 74-80. Vohnout, B., de Gaetano, G., Donati, M. B. and Iacoviello, L. (2011) The Relationship between Dyslipidemia and Inflammation, in Nutritional and Metabolic Bases of Cardiovascular Disease (eds M. Mancini, J. M. Ordovas, G. Riccardi, P. Rubba and P. Strazzullo), Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK. doi: 10.1002/9781444318456.ch26 Chattopadhyay A, Paila YD. 2007 Lipid-protein interactions, regulation and dysfunction of brain cholesterol. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 16, 627-33. Wan C, Yang Y, Li H, La Y, Zhu H, Jiang L, Chen Y, Feng G, He L. 2006 Dysregulation of retinoid transporters expression in body fluids of schizophrenia patients. J. Proteome Res. 5, 3213-3216. Huang JT, Leweke FM, Oxley D, Wang L, Harris N, Koethe D, Gerth CW, Nolden BM, Gross S, Schreiber D, Reed B, Bahn S. 2006 Disease biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with first-onset psychosis. PLoS Med. 3, (e428). [A1]Dear Author, Please dont forget to update the title in all supporting documents and correspondence. It often happens that after the language editing, coauthors make additions to the manuscript; also, some of the corrections are rejected. As a result, the manuscript that is submitted to the journal may contain 5-10 new errors. My advice is to send me the manuscript for a quick check on the day of the submission to the journal. I can use the automatic compare documents function of Word to find all new changes and to correct them quickly. I will also issue a certificate after this final check, and you can insert the sentence (optional) The English language was corrected and certified by shevchuk-editing.com. into Acknowledgments. [A2]Please do not include keywords that other researchers are unlikely to use when searching for articles. [A3]Affective disorders are depression and bipolar disorder. [A4]Please be careful with the words abnormal and abnormality when referring to a persons health status because they may be insulting to patients. [A5]Please note that this is a more polite form. [A6]Please avoid creating unusual abbreviations and single-word abbreviations because they make a text harder to read (well-known abbreviations such as DNA and official gene symbols are OK). The only valid reason for creating an abbreviation is the following: a long multiword expression (4 or more long words) that occurs more than 4 times in the text. Even in this case, it is better to avoid abbreviating. It is easy to write in abbreviations but it is difficult to decipher such a text. [A7]Please avoid creating long sentences because they are hard to read. [A8]Please note that the word study usually means the whole manuscript. [A9]The typical format is Table [A10]Please keep in mind that the word previous is redundant in this context because all published studies are previous. It is OK to say previous when you discuss your own earlier studies. [A11]Please dont use the words which or this as a substitute for the whole sentence or a statement. This usage is vague and confusing because some people will think that this or which refers to the last word, not the whole statement. Therefore, it is better to use a descriptive phrase instead. [A12]Its not a good idea to start a sentence with such words as and, but, also, or, so in a formal text. [A13]Please dont create abbreviations at the end of the article, after the full form was already used many times. [A14]= mechanism

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Society’s Attitude Towards Under Privileged Children in the Novel Olive

Society’s Attitude Towards Under Privileged Children in the Novel Oliver Twist ‘Oliver Twist’ is one of Charles Dickens most enduringly popular novels. Best known for his host of distinctively cruel, comic and repugnant characters, Charles Dickens remains the most widely read of the Victorian novelists. ‘Oliver Twist’, a meek, mild young boy, is born in the workhouse and spends his early years there until, finding the audacity to ask for more food, â€Å"Please, sir, I want some more.† he is made to leave. Oliver represents the underprivileged children in this novel. Dickens shows us society’s attitude towards Oliver and the under privileged children, they were abused, beaten and â€Å"brought up by hand.† ‘Oliver Twist’ is a criticism of the workhouses, the judicial system and the criminal world of London society of the time. Dickens use of satire and descriptive style conveys the pain of the unfortunate to the reader. His narrative skills are loaded with biting sarcasm and irony making the novel a chilling revelation of the life of the orphans. Dickens was a lifelong champion of the poor. He himself suffered the harsh abuse visited upon the poor by the English legal system, as he himself was an orphan. In England in the 1830s, the poor had no voice, political or economically. In Oliver Twist, he presents the everyday existence of the lowest characters of English society. He goes far beyond the experiences of the workhouse, extending his depiction of poverty to London’s squalid streets, dark alehouses, and thieves’ dens, he gives voice to those who had no voice, showing us a link between politics and literature with his language techniques and social commentary. The novel is that of a young individual boy but t... ...y to make us visualize the19th century London. Characters such as Mr.Brownlow, Nancy, Ms. Rose, all give comfort to Oliver’s life but filthy characters such Fagin and Sikes never allow Oliver to be in peace. Dickens shows us how society can change the life of a person. The different classes of society all have good and bad. But in the end we know that good prevails over evil. The novel has made me realize that I can survive under any circumstances if I keep hope and keep praying like Oliver did, have more faith. The novel also inspires me as good prevails over evil and always will. The novel is also an eye opener for me as it teaches me to appreciate the comforts of my life as I have a home to live in, love from my parents, food to eat everyday and it teaches me to be more understanding and gentle towards younger people who are less fortunate than me.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Emerson :: essays research papers fc

The relatively obscure release of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first book, Nature, in 1836, gave few clues to the celebrity and influence which would later be enjoyed by its author. The piece was originally published anonymously but did mark the beginning of Emerson’s future role of mentor, lecturer, and teacher. His scope was wide, attracting a number of admirers across Massachusetts, reaching audiences from both his literary works, as well as his numerous appearances on the university lecture circuit. One such admirer was a young Massachusetts neighbour, Henry David Thoreau. A schoolteacher by trade, Thoreau ended up as a boarder at Emerson’s home, beginning a lasting, if not frustrating, friendship. This complex relationship introduced Thoreau to the literary world, as well as to the art of lecturing, as performed by Emerson. One such lecture, delivered by Emerson in 1837 to a Harvard audience, spoke about the past, present, and future of “The American Scholar.'; Twenty-five years later, in 1862, shortly after his death, a monthly periodical published an article constructed from Thoreau’s journals, entitled simply “Walking.'; Though very different in general subject matter, both pieces contain very similar philosophies, applicable to many areas of life and society. The application of these philosophies from one work to the other, show not a taste of plagiarism, but rather act as a testament to the influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson on the thoughts and ideas of Henry David Thoreau. One recurring theme of this era of American literature was the idea of establishing independence for the United States from the historical ties to Europe. A cry went out for Americans to marvel in the wonders of their own backyard, rather than to look overseas to the previously dominant western European nations. Emerson was no exception to this movement and took time during his “The American Scholar'; lecture to speak of the need for the present generation of Americans to establish their own history: “Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding. The books of an older period will not fit this.'; Emerson called for active, original thought on the part of American scholars and criticized those who wrote as they: “set out from accepted dogmas, not from their own sight of principles.'; His criticism more specifically, was directed to those scholars who looked abroad for inspiration, only to find: “That which h ad been negligently trodden under foot by those who were harnessing and provisioning themselves for long journies into far countries, [are] suddenly found to be richer than all foreign parts.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders has in the past posed some challenges to the human race with regard to addressing the plight of the victims  Ã‚   . This disorder is a cause of severe pervasive mode of thinking impairment, individual feelings, language problems and an adverse relationship to other people.This disorder is primarily diagnosed at the early stages in childhood and progresses throughout the rest of the life of the affected individual. It is a complex disability in the developmental stages of a person brought about by neurological disorder with severe effects on the normal brain functioning.The normal brain development is impacted specifically with regard to the areas responsible for social interaction as well as communication skills. This is a real crisis in the health sector due to the fact that for every 150 children below the age of eight years, one of them is a victim of this disorder (Uta, 1991).Social welfare historyIn this society, autistic and families with autistic ch ildren were initially faced with three typical challenges namely lack of financial, emotional and educational support. The families of the children who are victims of autistic disorder were confronted by tremendous financial as well as emotional burdens they also receive little support with regard to the education of these children.The families have therefore to endure a significant financial burden relative to the families with upright children. This arises from the requirement of cutting down the schedules of work or an entire quitting of the job due to the requirement of the duty of caring for these children (Charles, 1992).Further more, there is a very high chance that the families of the children with ASD are prone to delayed or even unattended health-care requirements of their children. They are exposed to insufficiencies and obstacles with regard to the access of the medical care needed by their children.According to Anthony, no difference was noted with regard too the access to usual care, a nurse or a personal provider in normal circumstances. However on the emergency of a special problem for autistic children families, the primary contact point becomes beyond reach and the access to referrals is denied (Anthony, 1998).These families are therefore subjected to particularly enormous as well as stressful emotional situations and financial demands. To complicate the matter, majority of the insurance firms are adamant when it comes to the coverage of the demands of an autistic child.This is because of their perception of the situation as being a form of developmental disorder rather than a disease. It therefore applies that the parents of these children are required to pay large amounts of money from their pocket to access the services of occupation therapy and the speech therapy for their children.The education of the autistic children is also faced with a milliard of problems because the schools are ready to offer a half day session for these children. Therefore the majority of the parents of autistic children opt that they stay at home altogether (Simon, 1995).The history of this disorder dates back to around 1911 in Swiss. ‘Early infantile autism’ was later coined in 1943 with the much milder Asperger syndrome coming much later. These are the disorders that were put under the description of the five pervasive types of developmental disorders which are currently termed as the autism spectrum disorders, i.e., ASD (Judy & Sean, 1993).

Monday, September 16, 2019

Germany increase in Britain in the 1936-1939 Essay

The policy of appeasement had reached its heights by the period between 1936 and 1939. It was felt by many to be the best policy at the time, as it allowed Britain to buy herself some valuable time in order to delay the inevitable war. Opposition during 1936, when appeasement was first seen as really taking the forefront of foreign policy, was small and weak. However it was by 1939 that the opposition had swelled gradually under opposition leaders such as Churchill to the point where there were only few people who truly believed that a long-lasting period of peace would arise from this idea of appeasing the enemy. Over this period of time, both public opinion and Parliamentary opinion would lean towards the opposing side, based a series of factors that had changed in this 3 year span of time. A poorly-prepped military and defense services, a lack of trustworthy allies, Hitler’s legitimate claims and a change in public opinion all contributed towards a shift in beliefs. Opposition to the policy of appeasing militaristic powers began to grow after Hitler took power in Germany and it became clear to many in Britain that he would carry out his expansionist aims. Some of appeasement’s most vocal opponents came from within government, from people such as Winston Churchill and the Labor party, more significant was the publics strong anti war stance beginning to slowly shift as they learnt more of Hitler and the rise of fascism. However this did not mean that they were strongly in favor of pursuing war with Germany as Chamberlain was greeted like a hero when he returned with â€Å"peace for our time† following the Munich Agreement. Having already known of how crippling the economic costs were following WW1 the idea of pursuing conflict with another foreign power was considered unacceptable. This was compounded by the fact that events occurred so soon after the Wall Street Crash, Britain simply could not afford another major loss of her monetary funds in order to prepare for war. Appeasement was believed to be the answer to Britain’s needs, by deploying a policy of appeasement Britain could use the time it gained to find allies and develop British defenses and technology. By 1936 intelligence reported that German rearmament was already under way and that Britain had to get its armaments up to a sufficient standard. However in order for armament spending to increase the Government would have to raise taxes and focus their spending upon military. A raise in taxes would also inevitably lead to public outcry and loss of government support. Even if sufficient funds were acquired in order to reach the amount of armaments needed there was only one working armaments factory in the whole of Britain that could produce weapons fit for modern warfare. Due to the Ten Year Rule the state of Britain’s armed forces was essentially desolate, this meant that much of Britain’s armed forces required updated weaponry if it ever were to stand a chance against Hitler’s formidable Third Reich. For example Spitfires and radar were rather new to the world of air defense systems, however they were in short supply at the beginning of 1936 despite it being British technology. Spending focus upon defenses was suggested by the Inskip Report as opposed to any other offensive tactics. However, after 1938 the readiness of the British army had certainly improved, and Chamberlain had confidence that if war was to come, Britain would be ready to take Germany on. German power had been exaggerated greatly, especially the power of the Luftwaffe through propaganda and the sheer numbers who attended the infamous Nuremburg Rallies. The time bought with appeasement had consequently allowed Britain to build up a strong naval blockade in order to strengthen its naval security and rearmament spending increased sufficiently. During this period the Territorial Army had also doubled in size. Appeasement provided Britain with extra time to develop her armaments and develop a defense plan in preparation of the oncoming war. There was little opposition to this from the officials in Parliament, however as the military and defense services were brought back to their former strength, the idea of opposition started to re-emerge. One of Britain’s key aims during the period was the perpetual search for a strong ally, by averting the war through appeasement, Britain had given herself time to try and ally her herself with the USA. While the USA may have followed an isolationist policy she was still the largest power in the world and would have been a strong diplomatic and military ally. France was something of a wreck, thanks to Britain’s doing, and had tried her best to prepare herself for German invasion by creating the Maginot Line the previous decade. Britain’s desire for allies had even turned eastwards in the direction of the USSR, who until that point had only been seen as a need to allow Germany to rearm. However, the Communist nation could have helped the Western powers against Germany and Japan in the Far East. At first appeasement was used to try and gain favour with any potential allies. However, as opposition grew the lack of emerging allies forced Britain to try ‘kindling’ a relationship with the USSR. It was believed by many, specifically Chamberlain, that Hitler had legitimate claims for his conquests in Europe. The reoccupation of the Rhineland was enough to be seen as a legitimate grievance even though it was outlawed in 1919 at Versailles. Despite this, Britain did not see her as a sufficient threat just yet and refused to act upon the reoccupation. By 1936 Germany had gained the status of ‘Ultimate potential enemy’ and this led to a concern that Germany would be enticed by Italian and Japanese expansionist aims, and considering they were also ‘UPEs’ this could spell further disaster for Britain. With the Mediterranean under threat and the Suez Canal with it and the Empire in the Far East under constant vigilance, trade and the Empire’s safety were put as higher priorities than Germany. Even the union between Germany and Austria had little effect, the Anschluss was not opposed by Chamberlain, considering that that a staggering amount of those in Austria rejoiced at the idea of being reunited. Rather than try to cause conflict by splitting them up, appeasement allowed them to get back together without much trouble. This act of appeasement found little opposition within Parliament, however as 1938 approached opposition started to gain a foothold, Hitler’s reactions were becoming increasingly aggressive- Kristallknacht had shown a far darker and more menacing side to the dictator and had displayed to many the true extent of the oppressive regime within Germany. This was seen as a repeat of The Night of the Long Knives four years previous. Hitler’s grievance at first seemed to be legitimate and therefore was a driving reason as to why Britain continued to appease Germany. Nevertheless as his tactics became more aggressive and he started to threaten the surrounding countries it became apparent that appeasement no longer satisfied him, this led to critics of Chamberlains policies such as Churchill developing a larger power base against appeasement. British public opinion swayed greatly throughout the period and vastly impacted British foreign policy. Although the fear of rearmament was strong in the public opinion, it was the additional fear of the outbreak of war that started to swing their opinions towards appeasement during 1936-38. The Spanish Civil war had provided a glimpse of what future warfare would be like, and the terrifying realization of the destructive power one country could inflict on another was nothing like what had been previously experienced. In 1937, Guernica had showed the devastation that could be brought about by terror-bombing. This served as another reason why appeasement should be maintained as it was considered a more sound option than sparking a war, this was something that the public supported wholeheartedly. However it was clear that attitudes had started to change as 1938 approached. Opinion polls had gradually started to show support for other methods, as shown in the 1938 poll which asked what Britain should do if Germany acted hostile to Czechoslovakia as a large proportion of polls suggested that Britain should rearm and prepare for conflict. Still highly influenced by public opinion, Government policy seemed to switch to a more anti-German undertone. This switch was seen in the increased rearmament revenue expenditure in 1938. The public now wanted Britain to take on a stronger stance against Germany and this resulted in increased pressure upon Chamberlain to boost the army’s numbers. At first public opinion was strongly in favor of appeasement, this was due to reluctance of diving into another war war. However when war was no longer avoidable, it was within public interest that Britain prepare for war in any way she could. Opposition to appeasement did increase between 1936 and 1939, but at a steady pace. Appeasement was originally pursued in order to protect British interests; the protection of her Empire, finding suitable allies, and preparing for war via defense and military spending, as well as to prepare the public that war was coming. Opposition to Hitler and the appeasement of Germany did increase between 1936 and 1939, but at a steady pace as the true aims of Hitler became evident and it became clear that the British government could not make him back down. In parliament the stance of the labour party had changed drastically from favouring. The public’s willingness to support independent states at this time shows that it was Hitler’s continued actions in 1938 that pushed many people into opposing appeasement or even advocating war. Churchill was used as a figurehead in which opposition to appeasement could rally behind. Appeasement was originally pursued in order to protect British interests; the protection of her Empire, finding suitable allies, and preparing for war via defense and military spending, as well as to prepare the public that war was coming, however towards the end of the period when Hitler started to set his sights on further expansion the mood changed in Britain and appeasement was no longer a feasible option.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ethical behavior principle Essay

The behavior of each and every person is control by moral and the guiding principles. This is normally portrayed in our daily usual acts, and hence shaping of our ethical behavior is critical in the making sound decision and upholds the trust of the public. A successful business is only possible if there is a strong and profound held value. Most companies will set up strategy of coming up with the required values in order to attract their prospective clients, manage their workers, and attained the expected development of the company. The guiding principles of ethical behaviors which these companies will struggle to uphold are based on the values. According to American Psychological Association, (1953) these values include beneficence and nonmaleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, respects for people’s rights, and dignity. Coordination and active participation of the workers will be of great importance in attracting the attention of the clients. In any organization, leaders will continually strive to ensure that their company achieved its standard. Their main aim is to make sure that the rights of the employees are taken care of, and that the company in general performs well at all cost. In order to achieve this, their actions will be guided by the ethical values which will assist them in the decision making processes (Leal, 1998).

Mental mindset paper Essay

Assume you work in Human Resources as a part of the management team for AAA Transportation in Waukegan, WI, which has recently been acquired. AAA Transportation is an interstate trucking company that specializes in transporting wholesale produce in refrigerated trailers throughout the Midwest. The new owners want to make some sweeping changes in the services offered. One of the things that they would like to do is add delivery of nonperishable products, such as canned foods, to their delivery routes, allowing AAA to expand the area they cover and to provide expanded service to their existing customers. They think that, because many of the routes do not require a full load on the trucks, there is room to add the nonperishable goods and provide delivery at a lower rate than the customers are now paying. Two of your coworkers, Vernon and Bud, are resistant to the changes proposed by the new owners. Vernon supervises the company’s drivers and Bud works in the corporate offices. Vernon does not think that it is a good idea to expand out of their core business, while Bud thinks that AAA is not strong enough to compete with existing companies that service the nonperishable foods market (several of whom AAA has had a long history of mutually respecting each others customers and routes); they risk alienating long-term customers; and transporting nonperishable goods in refrigerated trailers is inefficient. Both employees have been with the company for more than 20 years and have much influence among the rest of the employees. Management does not want to terminate such long-term and  influential employees but need for Vernon and Bud to join the effort to make the company successful  Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you define and discuss mental model/mindsets and their impact on you and your two  coworkers. Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team.  Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets. Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company. Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making?  Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines and how  Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team The first step is to recognize the power and limits of the models. The second step is to test the relevance of the mental models against changing environment and to generate new models. The third step is to overcome inhibitors such as lack of information, lack of trust, desire to hold on to old patterns, and the expectations of the others. The final step is to implement the model, assess the model and continuously strengthen the model (Crook, Wind, Gunther, 2005, p. xxiv). Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets The Porter Five Forces model helps to simplify the business decision-making process by breaking down business situations into five key areas, which include Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Competitive Rivalry, Threat of Substitution and Threat of New Entry (Mind Tools, 2011). By using this model to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business and its competitors, aspects of risk, planning and decisions for a course of action can be clarified. However, an incorrect perception in any of the five areas could create a mindset that limits decision-making process (Malone-Kline, 2008). For example, a known weakness in the areas of Buyer Power, Supplier Power or Threat of Substitution could create the mindset of vulnerability to a Threat of New Entry without recognizing that an extremely high cost of entry (hence high risk) places any new entry in a more vulnerable position (Mind Tools, 2011). A large number of suppliers can result in a mindset of relative strength in the area of supplier power, a mental model that could prove disastrous if a sudden shortage occurred (such as was the case when Japanese  silicon chip manufacturers closed down after the recent earthquakes, causing a worldwide shortage of certain high quality chips). The inverse could also be true as was the case for Buyer Power in the U.S. housing market when the low buyer power mindset for many was not in line with the sudden drop in housing prices. For many computer manufacturers, a Threat of Substitution position of power mindset resulted in their demise because they did not recognize the fact that the market was oversaturated. A mindset or mental model of weakness in the area of Competitive Rivalry has resulted in many new inventions not being introduced to market when in fact the invention technology was superior to rivals. Apple is a great example of a company that has recently been successful through a change in mindset in a market where their Competitive Rivalry position and mindset was not favorable only thirteen years ago (Business Insider, 2010). Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making How might mental models and mindsets limit the decision making process. Education, training, influence from others, rewards or incentives and personal experience all help to create our mental model and mindset of the world around us. These factors can shape our expectations such that we make decisions based upon our mental model rather than based upon the information presented to us. For example, if we have a high level of faith in the truth of the information learned through the education process and information to the contrary is presented as a decision factor, because the information is contrary to the mental model created through our education, the new but contrary information is set aside as invalid and decisions are made based upon the mental model. Another example would be making the decision to enter a market where competition is high and so it the power of substitution. If your mental model shaped by personal experience leads you to believe that substitution is less of a factor than it really is, you may opt to take the  risk and enter that market, ignoring the substitution factor entirely, resulting in a failed venture.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

The Best Personal Experience

Everyone have experiences in their life. These experiences could be the incidents which was happened in someone else life or in our life. Some people learn lessons from their experiences and some experiences change the peoples life automatically. Who am I? is my best personal experience I have ever had in my life . During all of my primary school times, I seemed as if I were hiding behind a mask. When I was at home I was a totally different person. At school I was trying to be a person who could fit in, but the more I tried the more it didn’t seem to work. Everywhere I went I would censor what I said depending on my surroundings and the people that were with me. Most of the time I would not say anything at all because I was afraid of being embarrassed. I would always have to change my mode when different people were around me. It was horrible; I hated it. I was getting sick and tired of always being someone I was not. It was about the middle of the summer of 1998, when I was at grade nine, that I realized that being two different people was the worst thing that I could done to myself and that I did have other options. Around that time, a major influence on my life was my cousin, Thilani. She taught me that I would only live once and that I should be the person that I was and not some one that just tries to fit in. We were sitting a in a coffee shop, one evening, when she asked me the one question than changed my life. â€Å"Who are you? † When I first heard this question I hesitated to answer. This question opened a new door in my mind that had never been opened before. This was the first question that had actually made me think about myself and who I was. The more I thought about her question the more I realized that I had a decision to make; to be the person who tried to fit in and cared what other people thought or to be myself. For the past 15 years I had tried to fit in, and I had cared what other people thought and this hadn‘t seemed to work. So, for the first time, I was going to be myself. When I started to be myself, it seemed as if everything was different. I used to look at was only on the surface. I would not normally look deeply into a particular subject. When I was myself, the environment seemed as if it had a deeper meaning. Every thing I saw, heard, smelled, and felt I would perceive it in a extremely different way than ever before. Because of this, I was able to take what I had learned and apply it to many different things. When I went back to school, things were completely changed, my view toward life had changed, the people around me changed and my relationship with my family was changed. For example, before I realized this, my grades at school were decent but not the best that could be because I was lazy. After I got to school everything kind of fell together, it all made sense. I realized that if I did the work first I could be lazy later and not have to worry about it. As a result, my grades sky-rocketed in my senior year. In school, my circle of friends were people that I had been going to school with since sixth grade. I also had friends that were not in my circle. When I went back to school I decided to be one person, myself. After the first month, I realized that most of my friends were all single serving friends. That is, they were friends only during good times and that’s all. Most of my friends slowly parted from me because I went my own way. I didn’t try to fit in. At this time in my life I found out who my real friends were and who I really was. As my attitude changed so did my relations with my family. My sister and I fought all the time. It was always about small stupid stuff that was not really relevant. One day while we were having a small quarrel, I stopped and took a step back and looked at the big picture. It hit me, I realized that I shouldn’t sweat for small stuff. People are not perfect, they do make mistakes. After this day it seemed as if my sister and I had the perfect relationship. I was also able to really connect with the people in my family. The bond between my family and I has grown stronger ever since. Through what I have learned, I was able to put myself into other peoples shoes and see their point of view as well as my own, giving me new perspectives and insight in all areas of life. Everyday is a new day, and I take one day at a time. So, who am I? I am not a person who tries to fit in, I am not a person who cares what other people think, I am Anuththara, an individual, I am my own entity. So far, this has been, without a doubt, the best personal experience I had in my life.

Friday, September 13, 2019

MATH 1)NUMBER SYSTEMS 2)PYTHAGOREAN BROTHERHOOD 3)BOOK 'HOW TO SOLVE Essay

MATH 1)NUMBER SYSTEMS 2)PYTHAGOREAN BROTHERHOOD 3)BOOK 'HOW TO SOLVE IT' 4) JOHN NAPIER - Essay Example Napier was one of the first, if not the first, to use the decimal point in expressing decimal fractions in a systematic way and according to the modern system of decimal notation[1]. The first tables of logarithms were published independently by the Scottish mathematician John Napier in 1614 and the Swiss mathematician Justus Byrgius in 1620. The first table of common logarithms was compiled by the English mathematician Henry Briggs [1]. Henry Briggs (1561-1630) was born at Warley Wood, near Halifax at Yorkshire and educated at St. John's College, in Cambridge. He is notable for changing Napier's logarithms into common/Brigessian Logarithms [2]. In the year 1616, Henry Brigss visited John Napier in his home in Edinburgh to discuss the suggested change to Napier's work [2]. The next year, Henry again visited John regarding the same matter. He proposed the alteration of the scale of logarithms from the hyperbolic 1 / e from which John Napier had given to that which unity is assumed as the logarithm of the ratio of 10 to 1 [2]. During their conversation, the alteration proposed by Briggs was agreed upon by Napier and published the first chiliad of his logarithms du ring his second visit to Edinburgh in 1617. In 1624 Henry Briggs gave a numerical approximation to the base 10 logarithm. The Pythagorean Brotherhood is one of Greece's ancient societies. ... settled in Crotona, a Greek colony in southern Italy, where he founded a movement with religious, political, and philosophical aims, known as Pythagoreanism.. There he founded the famous Pythagorean school in the south of Italy, which in addition to being an academy for the study of philosophy, mathematics, and natural science, developed into a closely knit brotherhood with secret rites and observances (Eves, 54). The Pythagoreans adhered to certain mysteries, observed bedience and silence, abstinence from food, simplicity in dress and possessions. The Pythagoreans believed in immortality and in the transmigration of souls. The brotherhood became so great that the democratic forces of the south of Italy destroyed the school buildings and caused the society to disperse (Eves, 55). According to Eves, the Pythagorean philosophy rested on the assumption that whole number is the cause of the various qualities of matter, which led to the exhaltation and study of number properties and arithmetic along with geometry, music and spherics constituted the fundamental liberal arts of the Pythagorean program of study(Eves, 55). The brotherhood dispersed after Pythagoras was said to have died through murder. Although scattered in different places, not only in Italy, the brotherhood continued to exist for at least two (2) more centuries. For the reason that Pythagoras' teaching was entirely oral, and also because of the custom of the brotherhood to refer all discoveries back to the revered founder, it is now difficult to know which mathematical findings should be credited to Pythagoras himself, and which to other members of the society (Eves, 55). How to Solve It How to Solve It is a book in small volume describing the methods in problem solving [3]. George Plya was

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Dialogue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dialogue - Essay Example The conversation progresses as they debate about the attitudes rampant in the society regarding social networking sites. Goffman: The craze is not just limited to the youth. Adults are equally involved in the promulgation of this trend. Most of my colleagues at my office are often using these sites during their free time. In fact, I have seen some of them so obsessed with them that they keep them opened in the Internet browser even when they are working on office assignments. Giddens: Yes, true but what amazes me the most is their surprise when they find out that I am not a member of any social networking site. I have often found myself in heated conversations with them and to be honest comrades, this has given me some interesting insights into their perceptions about social interaction. I am incredulous at the explanations that they have to offer in defense of these sites and how they help them socialize. Bauman: I have encountered the same attitude at my workplace as well. Social networking sites are considered to be the holy grail of cyber socialization. My colleagues who do not know me well often misjudge me for being unsocial and conservative for not having a profile on these sites. Friends, this came as a surprise to me when I first heard this view but people regard these sites to be a very good way of fostering friendships with acquaintances and getting to know other people well. This has led me to believe that social networking sites have completely transformed the way people perceive friendship. Bauman: In my view, it is the concept of liquid life and liquid modernity that is the underlying cause of such an attitude shift. Liquid life and liquid modernity are intricately tied to each other. Liquid life is the life that one has in a liquid modern society. For me, a liquid modern society is one where people do not get time to develop habits. It is characteristic of conditions under which people

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Operation Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operation Management - Assignment Example The location would provide greater benefits to the company as there is significant demand for printing related services. Correspondingly, the aspect of quality control and capacity planning have been emphasised as they would enable the printing organisation to ensure quality outcomes. Part 1: Introduction The growing demand of the printing industry has inspired in strategizing a business plan related to printing. The business is based in the city of Madinat Zayed in the UAE to meet the market demand and benefit from the business in the future years. Al Gharbia Printing Centre will be based on the concept of partnership, where the capital for the business will be provided by every member. The business will be headed by three partners; one of the partners will focus on the operational aspects and the others on the marketing. The intention for the business to set up was the profit making perspective and the demand. The printing service will be small in nature with nearly 30 employees in the initial years. The factors that influenced the business idea regarding the printing were the market trend and the growing demand in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The growing economy of the country, the future market growth prospects and the present market need of the business have influenced the choice of the business. The printing services as planned by the partners would offer cards, brochures, booklets, envelops, business forms and catalogues to meet the demand of the market and to attain its unique position. The easy availability of the raw material and the location of the business selected in the UAE would prove to be of advantage to the business. Moreover, the business can be beneficial as the printing service would provide assistance to the other industries by fulfilling their requirements of cards, catalogues and brochures (Palo Alto Software, 2013). Mission The missions of the Al Gharbia Printing Centre are as follows: To ensure satisfaction to the clients Creation o f more value through better services Promoting the cultural communication for the up gradation of the society Ensuring creativity and design in serving the public To influence the growth of the people working in the organisation Employing high standards Ensuring reliability, ethical practises and professionalism Ensuring timely delivery of services Goal of the Company The goal of the business is to develop relationship with clients. Working together with the client and gaining trust would facilitate in the delivering better services. Providing satisfaction to the customer is the primary goal of the business. Attainment of the long-term goals by providing quality services through Al Gharbia Printing Centre business will be the utmost objective. The business strategy for the success of the business is based on the mission, goals and objectives of the business. The business strategy to be used is to analyse the market and the target segments. The target market segment strategy is to be followed in which the focus of the company will be to satisfy the requirements of the small organizations. The reason for selecting this strategy is because the primarily aim to would to work at small level and gradually grow towards satisfying larger organisations’ demand. The business depends on the knowledge of the print vendor they rely upon. The main area of the marketing strategy would be face-to-face contact with the individuals. The pricing and the promotion

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Financial Performance of The BEST Pty Ltd Research Paper

Financial Performance of The BEST Pty Ltd - Research Paper Example The culprit can be seen to be the ballooning of expenses. It should be noted that depreciation and amortization registers 165% growth while other selling and administration expense records higher growth of 178%. To make matters worse, finance costs more than tripled at 355% from 2003 to 2007. Turning to the balance sheet accounts of the business organization, it should be noted that the mounting finance costs can be traced to the ballooning of assets which is unmatched by the growth in equity. This indicates that the company's acquisition of asset is financed by the more costly liabilities. Logically, when Best resort to its creditors to finance the acquisition of its assets, it incurs the obligation to pay interest at specific intervals thus boosting its finance cost. The company's cash account grew weakly at 18% during the seven-year period. Table 2 highlights the financial ratios of Best from 2003 to 2007 utilizing the selected data provided. In terms of profitability, the year 2007 saw a decline both in return to assets and return to ordinary shareholders. It should be noted that this decline indicates the company's inability to create net income which adds to shareholder wealth and value to its assets. From the high return of shareholder's equity ratio of .25 in 2006, this slumped to .12 in 2007 meaning that for every dollar invested in the company's stocks, a shareholder gets 12 cents in 2007 compared to the 25 cents in 2006. Asset turnover also declined from 0.53 to 0.47 signaling lower asset utilization and possibly an inability to maximize the company's resources. Profit margin ratio is also in decline from .18 to 0.09. The decrease in profitability ratios from the good performance in 2006 can be an indication of company's difficulty of providing profits to its stakeholders. Consistent with the observation above, the company's debt to asset ratio has steadily increased from 2003 to 2007. In fact, during 207 debts finance 65% of the company's assets leaving only 35% to Best's stockholders. Logically, this will mean that the company is paying off higher interest expenses which is also reflected in its dwindling times interest earned ratio. Conclusion The trend analysis and financial ratio analysis brings out problems in profitability together with the company's riskier resource structure which leads to mounting financial costs. It is recommended that the company particular focus in improving in these aspects through more efficient resource management and managing costs effectively. However, since the analysis is only grounded in the selected financial data at hand, it should also be stressed that it does not show the complete picture. For one, the performance of Best should be benchmarked with its competitors in order to know where it stands. The slower performance in 2007 could also be brought be external factors which are beyond the business organization. Thus, understanding the trends in the business environment will also be important as well. In assessing and evaluating the performance of a company, quantitative and qualitative information should always be utilized hand in hand.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Please answer in short paragraphs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Please answer in short paragraphs - Assignment Example Health indicators can simply be defined as quantifiable characteristics of a population that researchers use as evidence to support the description of the health of said population. What happens is the researcher will use survey methods to obtain information about certain people in the population. This will be followed by use of statistical methods to generalize information to the entire population and finally use of statistical analysis to create a statement about the health of said population. Life expectancy is an example of a common health indicator used by the government. Cleverly et al explains that one reason for the continued rise in the cost of healthcare is the rise in the cost of goods and services associated with healthcare. These include workers and equipment. Another reason faced by hospitals is the total percentage of Medicare and Medicaid admissions. This is because neither of the two programs fully reimburses the cost of care. In a bid to reduce some of these costs, the current financing options, especially those offered by the government should be revisited. Regulation should also be put in place to counter the rising cost of goods and services used in healthcare. Gaps in regulatory design have been seen. Some basic regulatory functions may fail to be assigned to a regulatory body while others may not be underwritten by law. Research in India showed that weakness in the design of regulatory methods in the above-mentioned ways is the reason why regulation has failed.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Reserach Report and Problem Analysis Report Essay

Reserach Report and Problem Analysis Report - Essay Example The audit led to a loss of a lot of money for Mrs. Roadway because she did not have any paperwork like a VAT invoice from the supplier to substantiate that she had paid VAT. The legal representatives for the Jeffersons Company maintain that she does not have the right to ask for a VAT invoice but they were willing to give her their VAT number. The reason given to Mrs. Roadway by the legal representatives for not providing a VAT invoice (i.e. no other customer has ever requested for a VAT invoice) is not sufficient enough to deny her the invoice. For Mrs. Roadway’s business proposal to be financially viable, she has to be able to reclaim this VAT from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) because the repayment will reduce her borrowings to a manageable level. However, without a valid VAT invoice from Jeffersons, reclaiming the VAT might become problematic. As a corollary this research report will cover the issues of whether a supplier is required to issue an invoice, when it should be issued and what it must contain. CONCLUSION: Value Added Tax (VAT) can be defined as a category of consumer tax charged for any manufactured consumer product. A VAT invoice is usually dispensed to purchasers who give substantial statistics and details to prove that they have an intention to claim back the VAT paid to the government. In order to acquire a VAT invoice there are a set of some very precise pre-details which must appear on the VAT invoice such as the name, address and VAT number of the company or enterprise that provided the merchandises. For continuous and excellent book-keeping, accurate VAT calculations and invoices are required (Ebrill, et al 2001)1 Mrs. Roadway has already made strides to hire a Private Wealth team which has handled her application to HMRC so that she can charge VAT on the leases and reclaim the VAT that she will pay to Jeffersons. As a result, she has the right to request a VAT invoice from Jeffersons solicitors so that she can have the right paper work to help her with the process of reclaiming the VAT. Mrs. Roadway had to needed a VAT invoice from Jeffersons’ solicitors because she had previously gone through problematic experience which was brought about by lack of a VAT invoice. The fact that Jeffersons’ solicitors has never issued a VAT invoice to any of their consumers, will help Mrs. Roadway and build up her case against Jeffersons’ solicitors. The pre-requisites put in place to guide the process of dispatching an invoice for purchases as denoted in Article 33 of the VAT Directive2 might make the process of acquiring a VAT invoice frustrating but it is considered important for regulation purposes. In Mrs. Roadways case, the guidelines denoted in the VAT Directive will help Mrs. Roadway show that she deserves to be issued with a VAT invoice from Jeffersons’ solicitors because as per the VAT Directive a potential beneficiary of VAT refund should be issued with a VAT invoice. REPORT: Primary Sou rce: Staatssecretaris van Financien v Stadeco BV, 2009: A primary ruling in relation to the explanation of art21 (1) (c) of the 6th Council Directive was offered. The ruling was that a VAT invoice should be issued to a potential beneficiary of VAT refund. This was in line with Article 33 of the VAT Directive. HMRC concisely states that a registered VAT member has an obligation to provide any VAT-registered clients with a VAT invoice

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Research on Proliferation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

On Proliferation - Research Paper Example According to the research findings it can therefore be said that despite the fact that every country agrees that zero tolerance on nuclear weapons is the way to keep international security, there has been a continued spread of the weapons. This leaves a question on how the terrorists groups still manage to get the weapons and what the role of the government has been in the failure of Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also leaves a question on the role of international community in regulating government-sharing weapons with the terrorist groups. Terrorists are a small number of people â€Å"who act outside the normal boundaries of morality, compassion and humanity†. With a continued nuclear technology growth, the highest possibility stands at there could be a high circulation of nuclear weapons internationally. This has lead to the government yielding to external pressures instilled by the desire to compete with other international states as far as state protection is concerned. As a means of protecting the states interests, nuclear proliferation becomes inevitable since no state like being uncertain of their security. They therefore end up involving the terrorist groups by issuing them with weapons to help in states survival. However, there are instances when terrorist groups get weapons illegally for their own reasons. They purchase them on the grounds of performing terrorist attacks to their rival groups that end up harming innocent people in the fight. Failures that have made it hard to end terrorism The issue of proliferation has remained a mystery for decades now. This has made a thorough approach more difficult to the countries seeking solutions. Its definition of it being a puzzle for many years has made a gap in the definition of its cause and effects hence making every theoretical debate not to arrive at a conclusion (Ogilvie-White 1996, 43). Having politicians at the forefront in perpetrating the phenomenon has contributed to making it difficult to determine how weapon proliferation can be without international processes. The way out is to do a thorough investigation to eliminate these perpetrators so that solutions could be arrived at. Lack of official documentation on the past nuclear proliferation has made it difficult to establish reliable sources of evidence to use against the crimes. This has led to abstractness in every debate that has been done on the same hence resulting to doubts on reliability of the information gathered (Ogilvie-White 1996, 43). Criticism has emerged making it hard to obtain valid information on causes and consequences of weapon proliferation in the international political circle. Some countries are feared to have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty but may not follow the regulations. This has become one of the huddles facing Non-Proliferation Treaty since such countries cannot expose the terrorist groups existing within their borders. Such failures ensure that terrorism continues under the cover o f the individual government. What the role of the government has been in the failure of Non-Proliferation Treaty The government has contributed highly to having distorted evidence on proliferation through its failure to document any such occurrence as it happen. This has led to lack of reliable sources to serve as evidence in the cases against weapon proliferation. With a high foreign secrecy and small number of weapon proliferation cases, politics has proved to be more influential in the causes of proliferation. Nuclear technology funded by the government has been the force behind the production of the nuclear weapons (Ogilvie-White 1996, 44). The speculation as at now is there could be future spread in