Saturday, August 31, 2019

New horizons in standardized work techniques for manufacturing and business process improvement Essay

This document analysis different business improvements techniques stating the benefits and limitations of the improvement techniques and going further to reviewing and reflect on the social, commercial and economical factors that affect these business improvement techniques. Investigation on the engineering and manufacturing processes and systems by explaining in details one type of the system known as the lean or Sigma manufacturing system in depth is critically evaluated based on benefits to business: productivity, quality and cost. In today’s very competitive market environment, there is a dire need for enterprises to ensure continual improvement in all their operations. Manufacturing companies always continue to face increasing pressure to improve the quality of their products, to increase productivity and to reduce costs with the available scarce resources. Service firms need to reduce their response time so as to eliminate errors and ensure customer satisfaction. Deployment of suitable techniques to ensure continued improvement thus proves to be a necessity. Through these techniques process capability need to be enhanced which will do away with any kind of defects? Mechanical Engineering is a field of engineering that deals with the application of engineering principles, physics and material science to analysis, designing , in manufacturing and in mechanical systems. Manufacturing Engineering on the other hand is still field of engineering that deals with various manufacturing processes and practices, research and development of the manufacturing systems, machines, equipment and tools and outline of the manufacturing processes being a core part and parcel of this field. BITs (Business Improvement Techniques)                  Business improvement techniques or process improvements also known as business process reengineering entails improving the quality, productivity and the response time of a business process by doing away with activities that add no value and also doing away with unnecessary business costs. An improvement technique(s) thus brings about overall effectiveness in the business operations and processes through optimization of the organization`s underlying processes and activities so as to achieve more and more efficient results. Business Improvement Techniques are very important and beneficial for the different types and sizes of companies in each and every sector so as to remain competitive and relevant in today’s challenging business environment. Implementation of Business Improvement Techniques usually requires a dynamic culture change throughout the whole organization. The organizations that have been in a position to successfully implement a philosophy of continuous improvement over the time have had benefits of reduced costs of operations reduced inventory costs, increased sales and profitability, improved team work and better customer service level and thus leading to customer satisfaction. These Business Improvement Techniques can apply to the organization as a whole in any particular sector of the economy starting from service providers, to government departments to the health care sector then to construction, agriculture and also from manufacturing. The techniques are also very pivotal in the development of a vision, goals, objectives and a strategy towards yielding extraordinary gains in the business. Through these Techniques proper mapping and identification of key processes is done and the information is systems are designed to ensure that information flows within the whole organization in the right order and manner. Another benefit of these techniques is that through them defective points are noted or identified and areas or points of â€Å"waste† are also identified. Recommendations in terms of ways and methods of introducing business those which will eliminate waste and provide bottom line benefits to the business are formulated. Despite the fact that Business Improvement Techniques have numerous bottom line benefits the techniques still have some limitations. The process of Business Improvement Technique is quite engaging and tiresome it surely requires diligence, dedication and concentrated efforts for it to bear fruits or yield the expected results. The process is also usually costly to implement despite having very many benefits it requires resources in terms of skilled and experienced manpower, hiring of experts and also machinery, tools and equipments especially for a manufacturing organization so as to effect the recommended changes. Thorough and detailed analysis of any available information and gathering of data may in a way strain the organization. In-depth training of workers and staff, regular monitoring and evaluation thorough planning, scheduling and organizing are also highly inevitable if the improvement technique is to succeed. It also takes time for the benefits of implementing the improvement technique to be realized at times even years after the start of the implementation process. Resistance to changes by some people in the organization is also an expected limitation in an endeavor to improve the business, some factions in the organization may feel threatened and insecure with the changes brought about by the techniques in terms of changes to processes and systems in the organization. At times workers and even some customers tend to oppose changes to the existing processes and systems. Difficulties can also be experienced before the new established or streamlined processes and systems can become ful ly operational and functional. The Sigma Six                  Sigma Six is a powerful management philosophy business improvement technique developed by Motorola that champions setting of very high objectives, collection of data and its analysis to give out results to a really high degree so as to reduce defects in the products and services offered by the organization. The word â€Å"Sigma† originates from a Greek letter sigma which is usually used to denote variation from a certain set standard. The Six Sigma philosophy is based on the fact that if you take consideration of the many number of defects through measuring there is in a process then it becomes easier to figure out how to eliminate the defects systematically and get near to perfection as much as possible. For Six sigma to be achieved by any organization or company it cannot be producing more than 3.4 defects per one million opportunities in which case an opportunity is taken to mean a chance for nonconformance. Sigma Six has six processes namely Six Sigma DMAIC and Six Sigma DMADV, each term deduced from the major steps in the process. Six Sigma DMAIC is a process that deals with defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling of existing processes that fall below the Six Sigma standard or specification. Six Sigma DMADV deals with defining, measuring and analyzing designs and also verification of new processes and even products that are striving to achieve the Six Sigma quality. All Six Sigma processes are implemented by Six Sigma Green Belts or Six Sigma Black Belts, which are then overseen by a Six Sigma Master Black Belts. Six Sigma proponents argue that it has mega benefits to the company. These benefits include an up to 50% process cost decrease, cycle-time improvement, a less waste of materials and company`s resources, a better understanding of customer needs and requirements, multiplied customer satisfaction, and also more reliable products and services that can be trusted . Six Sigma can be a really costly improvement technique to implement and can even take several years before the company begins to see its benefits or bottom-line results. Some of the Companies that have practiced and still practice Six Sigma are, General Electric, Texas Instruments, Scientific-Atlanta, Allied Signal and many others. Cases showing application of Six Sigma Technique in the Industry                  The samples below shows some Six Sigma projects evidencing the improvements and changes to processes and systems that were ongoing some of which were very problematic and people would wonder whether those problems could have actually been saved at all at all. It is the Six Sigma technique or approach that leads to these companies identifying their problems and thus be in a position to seek solutions to them many of these projects that were tackled by Six Sigma teams would not have been tackled or addressed at all. Some of these sample cases are: Sample Case 1: CANCEL THAT NEW PLANT                  The case involved a highly successful new pain-killer drug, a pharmaceutical company launched plans to set up a $200 million production facility so as to double its capacity. As the effort of setting it up were starting some people from the company who were new participants in the company’s Six Sigma effort resolved to investigate some of the short-term steps that can boost production in the existing plant. As they collected data, the group or participants first realized that it was only about 40 percent of the drug that was being packaged was usable or could be used. Looking further, they discovered that the sealing method that was being used for the drug vials was very inconsistent that some of them would not be completely closed, while at the same time others were too long to fit in the box. The team thus used a number of testing and refining of the Sealing process by use of different design experiments methods and finally determined the very best combination of inputs or factors that is the time, temperature, distance and so on that could be used to ensure a good seal. Effecting these changes and an addition of few $50 parts to regulate and change the sealing equipment was done and there was no need of establishing the new plant. Sample Case 2: REPAIRING REPAIRS                  A major organization dealing with appliances repair realized the need to improve its capacity to return items to the customers in accordance to when the goods were promised to be returned. Many are the times that repairs were late and the customers became disappointed when they would call in or drop by the organization premises to pick up their appliances or computer. A multi-level DMAIC team decided to narrow their scope to two repair locations and to diligently and carefully analyze all the causes leading to late repairs. The first discovery is that the time taken to repair one product was only part of the problem and that the time taken to ship appliances back and forth from repair shop to the customer site also was the main and big contributor to delays or missed dates. Based on the findings together with the cost/benefit analysis the team in assistance with other colleagues engaged in the two pilot facilities or projects implemented a few changes so as to streamline the process and increase the number of appliances being returned to customers when promised. Lean Sigma on Manufacturing Systems and its Importance in the Production system                  The value of Lean Manufacturing System is best comprehended when at the particular time that its impact of change on economics is properly understood. This manufacturing engineering philosophy is based on designing a manufacturing process or system that very well blends together the essentials of minimizing cost and maximizing profit. The main fundamentals with these systems are Labor, Materials and Machines or Equipment referred to as 3Ms of manufacturing. A very well balanced 3M results in: Maximum utilization of both skilled and unskilled labor; optimal use of the plant size; Smooth traffic movement of materials, labor and automotives. It can also lead to minimum grand total manufacturing costs of the products being produced; Reduce investment; reducing labor requirement and utilization of more productive equipment. Disposition of less productive or unproductive equipments; Flexibility to keeping in pace with market and customer changes and also Increa se Return on Net Asset are other results of use the 3M fundamentals. Three steps involved in the accomplishment of the ultimate manufacturing engineering lean philosophy namely: The first step is to design a simple manufacturing system; one commences the process of system design as simple as possible with just a low volume through the system. The second step is the realization that there is always a room for improvements and thus refining the first step as much as possible. The third step is to continuously work on and improve the lean manufacturing system design concept with addition of the appropriate insertion of and balance of automations, conveyors and in necessary cases the buffer stocks. Additional concepts can be generated that could lead to satisfaction of product and the technical marketing requirements of the products. Through a thorough re-examination of intra- and inter- technologies, through past production process errors and the lessons learned. The competitive analysis of techno-communication may be applicable and finally selection of the proper manufacturing system concepts to be adopted for further considerations or developments should be based upon a thorough analysis performed or done in accordance with the established selection criteria. Consideration of two manufacturing systems that when they are combined give rise to Lean Manufacturing system that is the Flow Manufacturing System and Agile Manufacturing System. Designing a Simple Manufacturing System through flow manufacturing is a time-based process that joins together a smooth production system without any disruption. Rapidly and smoothly flowing materials from raw materials to finished goods through systematic balancing of the laborers or operators, the machine and equipment to customer demands or requirements. The objective of Flow Manufacturing is to provide the ultimate response and also produce the customer requirement, benefits of this goal being to decrease the Total Product Cycle Time, increased productivity and also increased the per capital equipment utilization. In this system of Flow Manufacturing, the performance and output is measured by the Total Product Cycle Time also referred to as the Critical Path. Total Product Cycle Time is the longest lead time path right away from raw materials to finished goods it is the quickest possible response to a customer order with finished products. Lead Time consideration and analysis is derived from the Critical Path which helps us to outline opportunities so as to reduce or eliminate Non-Value-Adding activities and in the process shortening the Total Cycle Product Time. When reducing the variations in the rate of flow in the manufacturing system, the lead time will be reduced. These variations can be reduced through random downtimes, higher uptime, through quick changeover, lower downtime and also through improved quality through error proofs, self checks, and equipment product centered cellular layouts. Agile Manufacturing is quite a profitable manufacturing system that is closely inter-twined to the concept of Flow Manufacturing. It goes further and builds on the Flow Manufacturing concept to further reduce the lead time, optimize asset utilization or use and build to customer demand by focusing on being able to aptly respond to customer requests and demands. It has an assumption that the customer requirement or specifications and volumes which is based on continuous changes. Program lead time is the form of measurement of Agile Manufacturing performance. The main goal is to have a system that has a smooth flow of material while at the same time maximizing the value added activities of the operator. There are other situations in the system design process that requires special consideration such as situations include: Manufacturing Process, Manufacturing System, Value Added (VA) activities and the Non Value Added (NVA) activities. The manufacturing process entails the equipments used to create, to alter, to assemble, to measure and tests the product with the objective of meeting a pre-determined product requirement. This equipment includes machines, tools, fixtures, and gauges such as drills, grinders and test stands. The manufacturing system involves the combination of labor and manufacturing process which are then linked together with materials handling both manual or automated so as to move the material or product from one manufacturing point to the next process and to the next until it is processed into a finished product. VA or Value Added is any activity that is performed to a product as it moves along the production process that the customer perceived as actually addition of value to the product. The NVA (Non Valuable Activities) are all the activities that are associated with the production process that happen not to be adding any value to the product and thus not necessary to be performed but it is st ill nonetheless performed at the current moment awaiting the emergence or arousal of awareness on availability of better methods to replace it. In Lean Manufacturing however the manufacturing cost does not necessarily have a steep drop as the volume requirements or demands of customer’s changes. This is because of the product flexibility and also equipment flexibility that can be very well incorporated into the Lean Manufacturing System. This system is mostly characterized with: investment which are done as required, more flexible equipment, more adaptability to uncertain markets in terms of volumes and products and also characterized with smaller capacity increments and more product(s) flexibility. Lean manufacturing system design needs to be continuously improved so as to aptly respond to the customer requirements and to ensure this is by having flexibility of equipment and have the capability to match it with the product flexibility. Having uncertain customer requirements makes it important to examine the manufacturing costs over a range of volumes also been very keen not to produce beyond the requirements. This system is characterized with: investments committed upfront which is usually quite high; more rigid and complicated equipment and larger capacity increments with high customer volume demands or requirements for long periods Lean Manufacturing System has potential for greater profitability which highly depends on utilization of its resources that is the 3Ms in terms of the materials moving the Value Activities or VA, man or labor working by adding value to the product, machine running in a manner that is more productive. Lean Manufacturing System can be successfully adopted in new manufacturing system or environment, in an existing manufacturing system requiring capitalization, new equipments or even in product relocation. In conclusion given the increasing competitiveness in the market place it would be suicidal for a business to ignore continual improvement in its systems and operations. Manufacturing companies specifically will always continue to face increasing pressure to improve the quality of their products, to increase productivity and to reduce costs with the available scarce resources. Use of the right Business Improvement Techniques to ensure continued improvement of the business to as to keep afloat of competition and deal with changes in its environment. From this paper it is clear that Business Improvement Techniques dramatically decreases the waste chain in the business operations and also reduces the Inventory and floor space requirements. Creation of more robust production processes and systems and also appropriate material delivery systems are established and there is improved layouts for more flexibility in business as a result of the Business Improvement Techniques and thus should b e a priority for any business to consider embracing. References Marcos, M. (2012). Advances in manufacturing systems selected, peer reviewed papers from the 4th Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference, September 2011, Cadiz, Spain. Durnten-Zurich, Switzerland: Trans Tech Publications. Martin, T. D., & Bell, J. T. (2011). New horizons in standardized work techniques for manufacturing and business process improvement. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Meyer, U. B., & Creux, S. E. (2009). Process oriented analysis: design and optimization of industrial production systems. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor & Francis. Olaru, A. (2012). Optimization of the mechanical engineering, manufacturing systems, robotics and aerospace selected, peer reviewed papers from the 7th International Conference on Optimization of the Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing systems, Robotics and Aerospace (OP. Stafa-Zurich: TTP Trans Tech Publications. Rogers, D. (2011). The future of lean Sigma thinking in a changing business environment. Baco Raton, FL.: CRC Press. Source document

Friday, August 30, 2019

Young’s Double Slit Experiment

Young’s double slits Formal Lab Florencia Shi Purpose: The double slits experiment was conducted to observe the interference of light waves, to explore how interference pattern would be affected by different colours, and to determine whether interference would change if the angle of slits was changed horizontally or vertically. Hypothesis: Dark and light bands would be seen, and red light causes wider nodal spacing, while blue light causes shorter nodal spacing. Materials: In this experiment, a lamp base assembly, a piece of blue filter, a piece of red filter, a slit plate, a laser pointer, a meter scale, and a 40 W lamp were used.Procedures: 1. A 40 W lamp was assembled in a lamp base assembly, and the assembly was settled on the edge of a desk top. 2. The lamp was turned on. And the filament of the lamp was seen, from a distance, by a person through the double slits on the slit plate. The shape of the interference was recorded. 3. A piece of red filter was placed in front of the lamp, and the lamp was seen, from a distance through the same double slits. The change of the interference pattern was recorded. 4.The filament of the lamp was seen by a student standing a certain distance away through the same double slits with a piece of blue filter placed in front of the lamp. The change of interference pattern was observed. 5. The slit plate was rotated vertically and horizontally, while other factors were kept constant. The change of interference pattern was observed. 6. The laser light conducted by the laser pen was directed through the double slits onto a piece of paper located 3m away. The interference pattern was observed through the slits. 7. The nodal spacing on that piece of paper was measured. 8.Step 6 and step 7 were repeated at a distance of 2m away. Observations: 1. The patterns of lamp light interference were dark and light bands, while the patterns of laser interference were dark and light spots. 2. After the red filter was placed in front of the lamp, the nodal spacing increased. After the blue filter was placed in front of the lamp, the nodal spacing decreased. 3. After the slit plate was rotated vertically, the light and dark bands were not parallel to each other any more, because after the slit plate was rotated vertically, the top and bottom of the double slits were not in the same vertical straight line.After the slit plate was rotated horizontally, the nodal spacing increased, because the distance between two slits (d) decreased. |Distance |? x1/2 |? x2 |? x3 |? x4 |? x5/2 |? xav | |(m) | | | | | | | |3m |0. 0022 |0. 0051 |0. 0049 |0. 0042 |0. 0025 |0. 0047 | |2m |0. 020 |0. 0048 |0. 0042 |0. 0039 |0. 0021 |0. 0043 | Discussion: 1. Dark and light bands were seen through the double slits. These were seen because the two lights came from the same source and had the same frequency. Therefore interference of light waves occurred. The light band was where two crests or two troughs intersected (antinodes), and the dark band was where a crest and a trough intersected (nodes). 2. A wider nodal space occurred in the interference pattern.Since when the lamp was blocked by the red filter, only red light could go through it, and the dark band occurs when the difference between the travelling distances of the two light waves is half of the wavelength. Since the red light has a longer wavelength, half of the wavelength increases accordingly, which means the dark bands will be more away from the central bright band. 3. The nodal space of the interference pattern decreased, since blue light has a shorter wavelength. 4. Blue has the shorter wavelength, and it was proved when the nodal spacing of the interference pattern became shorter. 5.After the slit plate was rotated vertically, the light and dark bands were not parallel to each other any more, because after the slit plate was rotated vertically, the top and bottom of the double slits were not in the same vertical straight line. After the slit plate was r otated horizontally, the nodal spacing increased, because the distance between two slits (d) decreased. 7. The pattern of laser interference consisted of light and dark spots, while the pattern of lamp light interference consisted of dark and light bands, because the light of the lamp could diffuse into a wider range of direction, while laser was ollimated, and was directed into a much narrower direction. 8. |Distance |? x1/2 |? x2 |? x3 |? x4 |? x5/2 |? xav | |(m) | | | | | | | |3m |0. 0022 |0. 0051 |0. 0049 |0. 0042 |0. 0025 |0. 0047 | |2m |0. 0020 |0. 0048 |0. 0042 |0. 0039 |0. 0021 |0. 0043 | 9. 1. Conclusion: Based on observations gathered during the experiment, the interference pattern of the 40 W lamp consisted of dark and light bands. When red filter was used, the nodal spacing of the pattern increased, and when blue filter was used, the nodal spacing of the pattern decreased. After the slit plate was rotated vertically, the light and dark bands were not parallel to each oth er any more. After the slit plate was rotated horizontally, the nodal spacing increased. The interference pattern changed into dark and light spots, after laser pointer replaced the lamp as a light source.The wavelength of the laser was predicted to be And the percentage of error calculated was Experimental Uncertainties: 1. The value of nodal spacing (? x) measured was not precise because the scale of a meter scale is only accurate to millimetres. 2. The slit plate was not exactly parallel to the screen that interference pattern was shown. 3. The measured nodal spacing (? x) was not precise due to the width of the slit. The d was only the distance between two slits, without including the width of the slit.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Mechanical Engineering- Mechanical Project Essay - 1

Mechanical Engineering- Mechanical Project - Essay Example Mongols, began utilising composite bows around 1200AD, presenting improvements on the utilisation of composites. The Mongols combined wood, bone and animal glue to create a powerful weapon, which provided them with significant military dominance during these ancient times. The modern era of composites began with the development of plastics, which contributed significantly towards increased utilisation of composite materials. The utilisation of plastics began in nearly 1900s, replacing natural resins previously utilised in composites. These plastics, however, had the weakness of lacking sufficient strength for structural requirements (Kulshreshtha and Vasile 2002). Owens Corning remains credited with the introduction of fibre glass in 1935, which ultimately solved the problem of plastics lacking sufficient strength. This invention remains the notable beginning for Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) industry. During the Second World War, demand for alternate materials increased, as they b ecame necessary in the manufacture of lightweight military aircrafts. During this period numerous advancements occurred regarding the production and application of fibre composites. Engineers discovered other advantages as these material remains transparent to radio frequencies utilised during wartime. Many fibreglass reinforced material became adopted in protecting electronic radar equipment. Following the end of the war inventors began making application for the fibreglass within other industries, other than aviation. Brandt Goldsworthy – grandfather of composites, developed numerous processes for manufacturing composites utilised in different industries. He remains accredited with development of the first fibreglass surfboard, which revolutionised surfing, and remains commonly utilised even today. This scientist invented pultrusion – the process utilised today in the manufacture of many fibreglass materials. The utilisation of composites could be identified as havin g begun maturing. During the 1970s, improvements were made; consequently producing better plastic resins (Seymour and Deanin 1987). Carbon fibre also developed during this period and has continued to replace metal as the material of choice. During the periods preceding these developments, metallic materials were highly utilised in the manufacture of many tools. Currently almost all manufactured tools have handles made from carbon fibre. As the composite industry continues to advance technologically, the 21st century has brought challenges focusing on renewable fibres and green environment. The 21st century concerns have changed the focus towards utilisation of environmentally friendly fibres based on ensuring sustainability on the industry (Johnson 2013). Under the current environmental concerns, inventions continue to occur utilising recyclable resins and bio-degradable fibres. Focus has been exclusively dedicated towards delivering environmentally friendly sustainable fibre source s. The concept of utilising composites in manufacturing various tools remains the same. Various universities and dedicated organisations continue to pursue research seeking to establish utilisation of fibres meeting the energy and environmental requirements of the 21st century. The current focus of composite development remains concerned with delivering environmentally friendly composite materials, and focuses on improving properties of

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Latinos underepresentation in the criminal justice system are reflect Research Paper

Latinos underepresentation in the criminal justice system are reflect in the lack of latinos judges in the United States Supreme Court - Research Paper Example Without the promotion of a significant number of Latino legal professionals, Latinos perhaps have access to a very few culturally aware Latino legal experts to cater to the needs of the continuously increasing Latino population in the U.S. (Failde, 1997). This paper argues that Latino underrepresentation in the criminal justice system is reflected in the lack of Latino legal professionals or judges in the U.S. Supreme Court. Several qualitative and quantitative findings and statistics are available on affiliates of the legal profession who are self-identified Latino and hence offer some ideas about the opportunities, difficulties, and achievements of Latino judges and legal professionals (Rivera & Roure, 2012), and is crucial in gaining knowledge of the experiences of Latino legal experts. The rise of Latinos as a capably major electoral group is apparent in the judicial selection policymaking during the Bush administration. A Latino lawyer and past state judge, Alberto Gonzales, has become controversial because of his job as the head of the Bush judicial selection board. More importantly, the attempt of the Bush administration to assign Miguel Estrada to the federal appellate position brings a realization that Latinos can be a major political electorate. The appointment of Estrada was among the few disapproved by Democratic senators due to worries about his alleged fanatic conservatism (Chavez, 2011). It is widely believed that the Bush administration would want to take acclaim for assigning the very first Latino Supreme Court justice. However, in relation to other parts of judicial selection, there was no rise in the number of Latino judges from the conclusion of the Clinton presidency to the middle of the Bush government. Nevertheless, there was a little surge in t he population of Latino judges in U.S. District Courts (Smith et al., 2005). Regardless of whether Bush has the chance to

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Starting a Clinical Trial Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starting a Clinical Trial - Research Paper Example A clinical trial will now involve such investigations in human beings. The effects of such practice will have been investigated before approval for a clinical trial (Friedman, Furberg & DeMets, 2010). In order to determine if the research question is important enough to pursue further investigation through a clinical trial, the following criteria can be used. Clinical trials, like other research studies, are guided by specific criteria. It is important to: Determining the problem is an exercise similar to the formulation of a research question in the initial processes of the research study. It involves identifying the population affected, why such a population is the target and the issue of interest. In this case, a specific study has already been selected; â€Å"Chlorhexidine decreases the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in intensive care unit patients: a randomized clinical trial†. The problem here is; the patients in intensive care unit faced with a major problem of ventilator-associated Pneumonia. Research has however, established that this ventilator-associated pneumonia can be prevented by use of Chlorhexidine. In this research, the results have been confirmed; Chlorhexidine helps in preventing the occurrence of the disease. The next step should be investigating the correct dosage that will increase the percentage of the number of patients that it protects. It is expected that with such results, Chlorhexidine will help reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia cases. Already the research is a randomized clinical trial. 61 patients were involved in the study to assess the effects of Chlorhexidine on VAP prevention. It specifically assessed whether â€Å"oral care with swabbing four times daily with CHX reduced VAP development† (O ¨zcaka et al., 588). The results are supportive of further clinical trials. In this case, only 61 patients were involved in the study. Further clinical trials involve phases I to III of clinical trials

Monday, August 26, 2019

C5 - Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

C5 - Managerial Economics - Essay Example The objective of the paper is to provide advice to a large travel agency of Hong Kong from an economic point of view in order to reassess the company’s business strategies. Relevant official data available in the government sites, the local airlines, and travel agencies will also be collected to facilitate the analysis in this study. Our prime focus will be to provide an in-depth analysis of the pricing strategies adopted by the local airline industry by using the concepts of market structure, cost and revenue structure and price discrimination. With this purpose, an in-depth analysis will be conducted through literature review describing the current business environment of Hong Kong airline industry. 2 Background 2.1 Theoretical Background Evidences have revealed that economic factors have a significant influence on the business environment of any and every region (The Times 100, 2008; Kitching & Et. Al., 2009; Floyd & Wooldridge, 1997). Based on this concept, experts have fi rmly stated that macro and micro economic factors, both play a crucial role in influencing the pricing strategies of an industry. Besides, the macroeconomic environment which may greatly affect the demand side of the market, the micro economic factors can be witnessed in terms of the market structure of the industry, the price discrimination taking place in the market scenario, its cost and revenue structure as well as the demand elasticity observed in the industry (Nadar & Vijayan, 2009). Musonera & Ndagijimana (2001) stated that the pricing strategies of an organisation depend largely on the political, economical, technological and social factors. For instance, when the economic factors tend to be highly fluctuating, the pricing strategies of organisations are developed to be flexible which can effectively deal with the economic variations. It is in this context that the aforementioned factors create a string impact on the market structure of firms in an industry which in turn inf luences its pricing structure (Mazzucato, 2000). Hong Kong airline industry is scrutiny by various regulatory bodies, such as Civil Aviation Department, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Authority Hong Kong and others. These regulatory bodies deliver the industry with a strong and well-organised structure (Information Services Department, 2010). The initial factor that will be considered in this study is the influence of market structure on the pricing strategies of the airline industry. Market structure relates to various elements existing in the business environment such as product differentiation, market concentration, economies of scale, vertical integration of the competitors in the market and other similar aspects that in turn define the market structure of an industry. Therefore, market structure can be defined as â€Å"the organisational characteristics of a market that largely determine where it fails on competitive spectrum between monopoly and compe tition†

Sunday, August 25, 2019

CITY BUDGET ANALYSIS OF AVALON, CA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

CITY BUDGET ANALYSIS OF AVALON, CA - Essay Example 7.3 km of which (2.8 mi) is land and 0.9 km (0.3 mi) of the area (10.48%) is water (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). The process of preparing and presenting a budget for approval and adoption by the Council administration takes various steps. A proper estimate of the available resources with the estimated amounts and the purposes for which the funds are to be deployed effectively are the main considerations for the preparation of any budget. The formal budgetary process encompasses a structure involving the following essential components: The complexity of the budget review process depends on the size of the council for which the budget is being prepared. In some cases the budget responsibilities would be assigned to a chief executive officer for reviewing the requests and present them to the elected board for approval. When the unit is large there may be a separate budget office functioning within the council. In even larger City councils apart from the review by the budgetary office departmental budgets would be prepared and reviewed for appropriate provisions in respect of the individual departments. In the case of the City of Avalon, the City Manager and his office will be responsible for the preparation and presentation of the budget for the approval of the elected council members. Being a small town, there is no necessity to follow an elaborate budgetary process. The process broadly will follow the procedure outlined above and will be reviewed by the elected council members themselves for approval and adoption. 3.0 Strategic Goals and Key Performance Indicators: The administration of the City Councils has become the function of the elected representatives as well as the appointed officials who have to operate in unison with each other's ideas. If they start to function in tangential directions, it will be detrimental to the well being of the city dwellers, as no welfare measures can be undertaken without the concerted action of both these bodies. In order that the mission, vision and value of the city can be accomplished in all intent it is important to adopt certain strategic planning measures encompassing the performance of the city council or the county board as the case may be. Like in any other profit centered organization, the strategic planning helps setting the direction of the council and with the set directions, the elected street-level bureaucrats are motivated to perform at their best efficiency levels to organize the functions and activities of the Council in the direction of the welfare of the people of the City. Establishment of long-term objectives and goals are an essential pre-requisite of any strategic planning. Once the broader goals are established it becomes easier to break down them into smaller performance targets to be achieved by the appointed officials and the representatives. Just as in the case of private organizations strategic goals in respect of

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Analysis of elizabeth barret browning's work and contemplation poem Essay

Analysis of elizabeth barret browning's work and contemplation poem - Essay Example A lot of her works are in the possession of Moulton-Barrett family but the majority is safely kept in the Berg Collection of the New York Public Library. Elizabeth Browning was greatly enriched by the complex political, social and economic situation of the times as a lot of people she came across were from different ethnic borders and cultural backgrounds. Women poets during the Victorian Age, existed at a time when religion was a critical or vital part of their identities. â€Å"Work and Contemplation† is one of her reflective poems that make her readers to sit back and reflect upon the thoughts of the poet. In the poem the poet speaks of a lady who sits patiently at her spinning wheel spinning the yarn she has gathered. While engaged in her work of spinning, the woman sings an enchanting ballad or a bar Carole, which helps to make her work lighter and much more pleasant to perform. Elizabeth in her poem â€Å"Work and Contemplation† reflects on the aspect that even though the woman is doing a tedious job of spinning her yarn from morning to night, and though she thinks of her song, still she contemplates on the duty before her which is spinning. This can be clearly seen from these following lines in the poem – The poet wants to tell us that the lady has full control as she deftly carries out her work though she is contemplating on the song she sings. She also wants to let us know that it is possible to do both things at the same time as long as it is harmonious. Her Christian thoughts come to fore as she pleads with the reader to purse their work with full contemplation but at the same time let our souls pursue a much higher level of thinking to enjoy some respite such as the sweetness of a song, so our work would be less tedious and much more

2page and a long essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

2page and a long - Essay Example This saw many tensions and it were at this time where activist were trying to preach against discrimination. Black Americans were moving to other towns to look for jobs and employment. It was at this stage that slavery was made illegal and amenities were scarce for the black Americans. The most common jobs for the blacks was cotton picking, and they were no school ready to accept the blacks as they were still viewed as slaves who had nothing good to offer it as this point that the white settlers would sign a pact not to sell any land to the blacks though the court had already abolished the discrimination law. It is at this time that landowners who were mostly the white would underpay and would also beat the black Americans and even kill them if they were found to have broken the law. Rampant cases of black Americans by their employers were not seen as a strange thing, and it is at this of this that activists and human rights were very active. Discrimination among the blacks brought about rebellion and theft and shackles neighborhood came up. This was after the whites refused to sell the land the blacks would go on to live in their zones. The whites viewed the blacks a parasites and illiterates who would not survive on their own. Rural to urban migration became rampant, and this was caused by the need to look for better opportunities agrarian revolution had taken place and blacks were tired of the cotton picking jobs that were could not match their expenses. Its importance to the American history is the steps they went through all those fighting and discrimination has made America stronger as a country the fighting of racism the sprouting of estates viewed as a no for the whites proved that hatred and racism was real. It shows the way why America should foster love and fight racism as this would strengthen them and not divide them. Institutions are also built to promote love and also sportsmanship. It is evident

Friday, August 23, 2019

Analysis of Mobile Commerce Market in Hong Kong Essay

Analysis of Mobile Commerce Market in Hong Kong - Essay Example The report presents a review of Hong Kong mobile commerce markets together with areas where work has been undertaken to introduce new services and products for potential customers. It is noted, however, that the paper does not differentiate among the actions that have already been taken by mobile service providers in Hong Kong market, and the ones that are recommended by the authors in this report. There is no separate section to provide recommendations for improving the overall state of affairs. Even in the conclusion section of the paper, it is evident that the authors have made no efforts to provide any recommendation. The entire conclusion is a brief summary of the contents above it. No future grounds have been identified for the Hong Kong mobile commerce market and that causes the report to be just a compilation of facts (unconfirmed, as these are not referenced at many places in the text). It is difficult to establish the utility of such a report since it does not serve a great deal of useful purpose to audience in general, except to provide a summary of current market situation and industry trend in the Hong Kong mobile commerce market industry. The study presents some very interesting facts have been provided like WAP enabled mobiles, stock and news through mobile phones, credit card transactions and other interesting and knowledge enhancement uses of the mobile commerce technology. This provides a comprehensive insight into the mobile commerce industry and builds a foundation for developing feasibility analysis of market potential for m-commerce in Hong Kong markets.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Rsa Public Key Essay Example for Free

Rsa Public Key Essay Asymmetric algorithms rely on one key for encryption and a different but related key for decryption. These algorithms have the following important characteristics: †¢ It is computationally infeasible to determine the decryption key given only knowledge of the cryptographic algorithm and the encryption key. In addition, some algorithms, such as RSA, also exhibit the following characteristics: †¢ Either of the two related keys can be used for encryption, with the other used for decryption. A public key encryption scheme has six ingredients: †¢ Plaintext: This is readable message or data that is fed into the algorithm as input. †¢ Encryption algorithm: The encryption algorithm performs various transformations on the plaintext. †¢ Public and private key: This is a pair of keys that have been selected so that if one is used for encryption, the other is used for decryption. The exact transformations performed by the algorithm depend on the public or private key that is provided as input. †¢ Cipher text: This is the scrambled message produced as output. It depends on the plaintext and the key. For a given message, two different keys will produce two different cipher texts. †¢ Decryption algorithm: This algorithm accepts the ciphertext and the matching key and produces the original plaintext. The essential steps are as the following: . Each user generates a pair of keys to be used for the encryption and decryption of messages. 2. Each user places one of the two keys in a public register or the other accessible file. This is the public key. The companion key is kept private. As figure suggests, each user maintains a collection of public keys obtained from others. 3. If Bob wishes to send a confidential message to Alice, Bob encrypts the message using Alice’s public key.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Communication Skills Required For Holistic Nursing Care Nursing Essay

Communication Skills Required For Holistic Nursing Care Nursing Essay The communication skills required for holistic nursing care of patients in adult nursing. The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) defines holistic nursing as all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal. Holistic nursing recognises that there is a connection between a persons mind, environment, culture, emotions and body. holistic nursing is not necessarily something that you do; it is an attitude, a philosophy and a way of being. American Holistic Nurses Association 1998. The Oxford online dictionary defines the word holistic as: medicine characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Oxford Dictionary online 2010. There are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal. Communication is the exchange of information, verbally or non-verbally. The Oxford dictionary defines the word communication as: the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. Oxford Dictionary online 2010. verbal communication is speaking face to face to someone using words, sounds, speech and language. Verbal communication is separated into two types, public speaking and interpersonal communication. There are over 3000 languages spoken in the world and verbal communication is based largely on these as well as class, profession, age and social factors. some sources suggest that written communication is verbal as well as non-verbal. Non-verbal communication is email, letters, databases, social networking sites, text messaging as well as body language. Body language is an important means of communication, it includes gestures, eye contact, expressions and posture. How we communicate non-verbally is extremely important and sends strong messages as to whether you care and to what extent you are listening. We communicate this way by how we sit, the tone and pace of how we talk, how much personal space we use and the eye contact we make. There are five roles in non-verbal communication: Repetition the message we send can repeat the verbal message. Contradiction the message we send can contradict the verbal message. Substitution the message we send can be substituted by our body language. Complementing this adds to the verbal message e.g. a hug or a pat on the back. Accenting this underlines the message e.g. punching a wall or slamming a door. There are many barriers with communication such as: learning disabilities languages blindness/ deafness gender culture age professionalism the ability to digest information and bad news lost or incomplete records Language differences pose a large barrier in effective communication for nurses, although the option for a translator is often accessible, although it may not be readily at hand. There are also regional dialects that present barriers, for example, different regions refer to bodily parts and functions differently. Such as to pass urine may be commonly known as having a wee, taking a pee etc. Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011 Maintaining eye contact with someone who is blind or from a religion that doesnt allow this may also be a significant barrier. To overcome this you would need to ensure that the rest of your body language was correct and consistent. Asking questions that are open ended or asking the patient to repeat the question back would be the best way to ensure that the patient has clearly understood you and what information you are relaying to them. Another barrier may be if a patient had a learning disability and required a parent, guardian or advocate present. You need to ensure that you fully understand the disability your patient had and to what effect certain gestures may have, for example, eye contact with an autistic patient may be deemed aggressive. This is where a nurse needs to assess a patients holistic (or whole) needs, and what brings them to their care. A patient may have only been admitted with a knee injury but how was that injury sustained? This is were holistic nursing care is most important. A knee injury may not be a one off incident, it may be through lifestyle choices, e.g. are they sports fanatics, regular walkers etc. For a nurse to just assess that patients knee injury on face value may lead to the patient being readmitted with the same injury. Again, asking questions that require more than just a yes or no answer, these are called open questions, or asking the patient to non-verbally communicate how they sustained their illness or injury by filling out a questionnaire. The Nursing Times 2007 says that communicating correctly is a basic yet fundamental requirement of good nursing and the breakdown of communication can quickly ruin the already delicate nurse/patient relationship. Other barriers in nurse/patient communication is that nurses are often pushed for time, facing targets, have a lack of privacy or lack of training. This can often make holistic nursing impossible. The communication skills required for holistic nursing (given the correct conditions) are: having the correct patient information. Observe a patients body language. Maintain eye contact where possible. Listen properly. Avoid difficult to understand medical terminology. Be emotionally prepared. Be honest, empathise and show compassion. There has been extensive research into effective communication with patients Dougherty and Lister 2007 highlighted the importance of providing patients with the correct information, communicated in the correct way aided the patient to a quicker recovery. An article in the Nursing Times 2007 by Hamilton. S.J et al highlights a framework of communication skills effective in holistic nursing called the five Is. INTERACT with the patient. Establish the INTENTION of the interaction. Decide on the INTERVENTION to be used. Assess the IMPACT of the interventions. Evaluate the IMPLICATIONS of the subsequent information obtained and act accordingly. In order to get the patient to express their fears and anxieties a nurse needs to display strong and confident non-verbal communication skills and talk to the patient not at them, seeking as much information as possible. Most communication barriers can be overcome if the nurse (or any individual) is ready to try. Repeat open questions, make time for the patient and complete all patient notes thoroughly and to a Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011 standard that complies with NMC guidelines. Also remembering that a patients needs may change often but the level of communication should remain the same. On my placement I realised just how effective holistic nursing can be given the time and location. I observed a drug counsellor attempting to discuss a patients rehabilitation and how they intended to take it forward and at what pace and level. The drug counsellor had to find out if what type of drugs the patient was using, how often and were there any underlying physical or emotional reasons why the patient was a drug user. The patient was very withdrawn and didnt appear interested. The counsellor repeatedly asked him questions but the patient stared at his feet and didnt answer. He became noticeably agitated and his body language appeared to become aggressive (he folded his arms). The counsellor suggested they took a break and had a cup of tea. During the break the counsellor asked some indirect questions about the weather etc., I noticed the patient started to relax and build a rapport with the counsellor, this I feel was the counsellor gaining knowledge of the patients whole being not just his drug problem (this is a strong example of holistic care in an adult medical setting). On returning to the treatment room the patient seemed more relaxed and began to answer the counsellors questions whilst maintaining a good verbal and non-verbal communication. This was the first barrier I noticed being over come the second was the patients inability to read and complete a questionnaire. The counsellor sat and read the questions to the patient and then asked the patient to repeat the questions before answering them, ensuring that he had understood what she was asking. Jemma Harrison 20174222 October 2010 cohort Adult Nursing 9th January 2011

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Economic Growth of China

Economic Growth of China Introduction This paper provides summarizes of FDI in China in the past decade until 2009, It describes the overview of the Economic growth, the sources and the benefits and costs to China and foreign companies. Moreover, the paper analyses the potential impact of China to compare with other countries. This paper covers four main ideas: Firstly, there is the definition of FDI and how there are different between the direct and indirect investments. Secondly, to analyze the benefits that China will receive from FDI and case study of Hewlett-Packard. Next, how Economics China has been growing fast from 1999 to 2008 and how inflow FDI has effected to GDP growth. Finally, the last part is summary of benefit in China. What is FDI The International Monetary Fund defines foreign direct investment (FDI) as an investment that allows an investor to have a significant voice in the management of an enterprise operating outside the investors own country. For example, General Motor decided to reduce the cost of production in United State; therefore, GM invested money to build new factory in different countries such as China, Thailand and Malaysia. However, the host country has to have an equity stake at least 10 per cent or more for the voting power of the operation in a foreign country. There are two types of investments which are the direct investment such as bonds, stocks and buildings and the indirect investment such as new technologies, capital, processes, products, organizational technologies and management skills. Both investments have advantages to Chinas Economic and foreign investors. China has the population more than 1.3 billion people (1,330,044,605 as of mid-2008), and is the worlds largest number of the population. China has become the largest recipient of FDI in the third world, absorbing nearly half of total foreign investment in developing countries since 1992 (The Economist, 1999). Between 1999-2008, China had received the FDI inflows about US$ 58.52 billion which is equal to 7.32 per cent of direct investment with non-financial. At the end of 1978, Deng Xiaoping who was Chinese communist leader had new policy opening its economy for foreign firms to increase investment (Kahal, 2001). The government policies were set up for new joint ventures in special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Xiamen, Guangdong, and Shenzhen and coastal cities such as Fujian, Beijing, and Shanghai. The government also offered special incentive policies for FDI in these SEZs. As Tian said ‘The significant of Dengs policy initiatives is to make full use of market mechanisms, or re-link with the global market system, domestically as well as internationally. From this result, China has become a new market for foreign investors to encourage FDI inflows. In 2008, as shown in figure 1, China has a high of FDI inflow about US$ 92.4 billion or about 23.5 per cent of Economic growth. Non-Financial Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows between 1999-2008 Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Number of projects 16,918 22,347 26,139 34,171 41,081 43,664 44,019 41,473 37,871 27,514 Growth (%) -14.6 32.1 17.0 30.7 20.2 6.3 0.8 -5.8 -8.7 -27.3 Utilized FDI ($ billion) 40.3 40.7 46.9 52.7 53.5 60.6 60.3 63.0 74.8 92.4 Growth (%) -11.3 1.0 15.2 12.4 1.5 13.3 -0.5 4.5 13.6 23.5 General Economic and Financial Indicators between 1999-2008 (All figures are in billions of RMB or percent unless otherwise indicated) Main Indicators 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 GDP 8,967.7 9,921.5 10,965.5 12,033.3 13,582.3 15,987.8 18,321.7 21,192.4 25,730.6 30,067.0 Growth (%) 7.6 8.4 8.3 9.1 10.0 10.1 10.4 11.6 13.0 9.0 How does China get the benefit from FDI? To analyze the benefits of FDI into China; There are several opportunities for foreign invertors such as low cost and productivity of labour, natural resources and opening policy. China is the worlds largest population in the world and has a high level of labour with low salaries which can reduce the cost of production for foreign companies. In addition, this chance can create of employment opportunities and learn high technology skills. For example, Hewlett-Packard which was the first Sino-American high-tech joint venture in the Chinas electronic industry built in June 1985 in China (Lou, 2000). HP offered a long-term partnership, to maintain in the four modernizations and technological transfer and invested US$6-$7 million a year in the research and development center to provide professional service and support for its clients in China (Lou, 2000). From this investment, local communities would have knowledge transfers, technology spillovers and inflow of the capital. Moreover, MNCs in China give more benefits and higher rates such as bonuses, salaries, wages, and insurances because they are larger and more productivity than domestic companies or small companies. FDI transfers high technology skills to Chinese for increasing quality of production methods. How many of investment is Economic Growth? During 1999-2008 periods, Chinas FDI increased from US$ 40.3 billion to US$ 92.4 billion and the percentage of real GDP growth also become increasing from 7.6 per cent to 9 percent at the same time. However, the number of projects by foreign firms had dropped from 41,473 in 2005 to 27,514 in 2008 because of Economic crisis such as the Asian financial crisis, increasing fuel price and unemployment rate. Top 10 Origins of Non-Financial FDI Country/Region of Origin Amount Invested 2007 ($billion) Amount Invested 2008 ($billion) Year-on-Year Growth (%) Hong Kong 27.7 41.0 48.1 British Virgin Islands 16.6 16.0 -3.6 Singapore 3.2 4.4 39.3 Japan 3.6 3.7 1.8 Cayman Island 2.6 3.2 22.3 South Korean 3.7 3.1 -14.8 United States 2.6 2.9 12.5 Western Samoa 2.2 2.6 17.5 Taiwan 1.8 1.9 7.0 Mauritius 1.3 1.5 12.1 FDI is significant element in Chinas reform and economic growth. Thats mean inflow FDI increasing effect to the volume of GDP growth. In 2008, as shown in figure 3, Hong Kong that was the highest top 10 origins of non-financial FDI inflows, received the capital of investment from foreign enterprises about US$ 41 billion and gained more 48.1 per cent from last year (Cheng and Kwan, 2000; Gao, 2005). Conclusion China has become the largest market of FDI among developing countries because of opening trade policys Deng. It has been increasing of the capital inflow by foreign firms, even though economic world is slowly growth. Indeed, foreign investors bring the beneficial opportunity on Chinas economy such as technology transfers, productivity spillovers, employment opportunities and Economic growth. Reference Cheng, K.L. Kwan, Y.K. (2000), What are the determinants of the location of foreign direct investment? The Chinese experience, Journal of International Economics, vol. 51, pp. 379-400. Ford, M. (2008), Adoption of Quality Practices in a Multidivisional Environment: a longitudinal Study, Quality Management Journal, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 7-16. Kahal, S. E. (2001), Business in Asia Pacific: text and cases, Oxford University Press, Oxford [England]. Luo, Y. (2000), Guanxi and business, World Scientific, Singapore. Rosenberg, M. (2008), China Population The Population Growth of the Worlds Largest Country. About.com Guide. Available from: http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm [Accessed: December 10, 2009]. Tian, X. (1996), Chinas open door policy in development perspective, Canadian Journal of Development Studies 17, vol. 1, pp. 75-95.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Orlistat :: Obesity Science Pills Papers

Orlistat In today's world, people are turning more and more to the use of Pharmaceuticals to solve their problems or to improve their health. Drugs are beingused to treat everything from hair loss to impotency. There is a new pill being developed todayto treat the problems that people face due to obesity. Orlistat, which goes by the brand name Xenical, was invented and developed by Hoffman-La Roche Inc. Headquartered in Nutley, NJ, Hoffman-La Roche is an affiliate of the company known as Roche of Basel, Switzerland. This company wants to remind us that obesity is not just a cosmetic concern anymore but is associated with a risk for other life-threatening diseases. Many people are realizing this fact now and wish to do something about their weight problems before it becomes too late. The new pill is being advertised on television, magazines, newspapers, anthe Internet as a wonder drug that helps people take off the pounds and keep them off. Heart Information groupsalso claim that the drug reduces obesity-related risk factors, such as heartdisease, stroke, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and insulin levels. Orlistat claims to be a replacement for the diet drug Fen-phen, which was linked to heart valve damage. One man who took part in the longest and largest study ever done with this drug says, "In my adult life, I've always been 20 to 40 pounds overweight. It has always been a problem for me." He was able to drop 21 pounds and keep them off for two years by using orlistat along with maintaining a healthy diet. One can find numerous testimonies such as this one in magazines or on the world wide web. But just how effective is this drug and is it safe for those who use it? The appeal of orlistat to people who wish to use it is that is a new and safe approach to managing obesity. The safety of the drug is its most attractive feature because it is not absorbed into the body. Instead of reducing appetite as most diet drugs do, orlistat works as a lipase inhibitor, which means that it blocks intestinal absorption of fat by locking onto the enzyme in the gut that allows fat to pass across the intestinal wall. Only the fat is blocked, allowing proteins and carbohydrates to be absorbed.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Satan is No Hero in John Miltons Paradise Lost :: Milton Paradise Lost Essays

Satan is No Hero in Paradise Lost There have been many different interpretations of John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost. Milton's purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, Milton's character structure differs from that of the Bible's version. Through-out the epic Milton describes the characters in the way he believes they are. In book II of Paradise Lost, Milton portrays Satan as a rebel who exhibits certain heroic qualities, but who turns out not to be a hero. Milton's introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan's heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan's ways when stating, "His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers" (Milton Book I). Satan's pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God's shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being abo ve everybody else. Milton uses many events like the ones listed above to encourage the reader to view Satan as a hero. "Satan is described to be the brightest and most important angel" (McColley 32). These traits of Satan show how one might recognize Satan as the second in power right below God, who was the highest power of all. Before Satan decides to give up what he has and to rebel against God, he was one of the wisest and most beautiful of all the angels in heaven (McColley 24). Although Satan was beautiful, the most important trait that makes him fit into the hero category is that he was the most powerful angel in heaven.

War Creates Social Division, Not Cohesion Essay -- Politics Sociology

War Creates Social Division, Not Cohesion In attempts to truthfully learn from our past and make progress towards a peaceful world with equality for all, the topic of war, and the effects of war, is an importance issue. Many people believe that war, although obviously destructive, does lead to social cohesion within the particular nation-state at war. The Senate of Canada defines social cohesion as the capacity of citizens living under different social or economic circumstances to live together in harmony, with a sense of mutual commitment. (Culturelink, par. 2) The idea that war leads to social cohesion is based upon the assumption that during a time of crisis, such as a war, people will come together out of the necessity to survive. This belief that the masses unite, neglecting prior dispositions towards one another while opposing a common enemy, has been fairly prominent throughout history. The Second World War, the Cold War, and the Gulf War will be used as examples to research the assumption that social cohesion is a re sult of warfare. I will argue that warfare, opposed to popular belief, causes large-scale discrimination, which in turn creates social division, not cohesion. Once an understanding of the discriminatory effects war causes is expressed, the backbone derived from the research is that we must valiantly oppose military action to uphold our freedom and equality for all, rather than trying to fight for freedom. Second World War The Japanese bombed the United States' Hawaiian naval base, Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941 and this began what we now know as the Second World War. The news swept the country by surprise, from that point forward the nation was shocked into a sort of social cohesion. "After the b... ... military action against another nation-state. Yet, since this is the result that occurs during war, we can no longer accept war as an option to settle discrepancies. When accounting for discrimination and looking at the long-term effects of war on a pluralistic society such as the United States, it is impossible to deny that these feelings of hate and fear for a particular race will not overlap onto that race existing in the United States. Any short-term division with real furry behind it, will not suddenly disappear when the war does. No, prejudices are learned traits. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge, and the presence of incorrect knowledge is ignorance. We can no longer accept ignorance as an outcome from war. Therefore, military build up must be stopped immediately and diplomatic measures must be taken in proliferating arms to stop war from reoccurring.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Monkey in the mirror

Monkey in the mirror is a book written by Ian Tattersall and it was published by the oxford university press in the year 2002 with 203 pages and the serial number is ISBN 0-19-851569-3. Tattersall a curator by profession is a PhD holder From Yale University,Tattersall, a Briton, is a curator in the Division of Anthropology of the American Museum of Natural History â€Å"Dr. Tattersall is currently working with Research Associate Jeffrey Schwartz on a multi-volume project to document the major fossils in the human fossil record. The literature as it stands is not a good resource for comparing human fossils, because standards of description and terminology vary widely. Because it employs a consistent descriptive and photographic protocol, this new work will make it possible for the first time for colleagues, students, and others to make the necessary comparisons without the extensive travel needed to consult the originals, which are in institutions all over the world. It will thus be a unique resource for pale anthropology that will spur future research† by D.S.G. POLLOCK â€Å"According to tattersall this is a great book having researched on it well and pointing to a lot of essays and as we all know human history or geology is a difficult topic and needs much research before one tries to defend his/her argument and as tattersall explain in his preface, â€Å"this is a somewhat unusual book, being â€Å"a series of loosely connected essays on evolution and related subjects† rather than a tightly constructed argument. Presumably because of this, it lacks both an index and any references or even a suggested reading list, which is a rather unfortunate limitation, especially in view of its author's somewhat contentious views† Campbell. Copyright  © Anthony Campbell (2002) The book in all has eight in which tattersall has discussed different issues brings out Where the man came from that is according to evolution theory which he has stated different parts of the world. The first two paragraphs are of general information about what science and evolution is. He firstly discuss what science is and theory and its findings and what it helps us in modern day to understand The first chapter of the book, titled What's So Special about Science?, provides a surprising insight into the cultural context in which Tattersall works. at the American museum In these, Tattersall sets the scene for what follows. He is particularly keen to counter the idea that adaptation in evolution is â€Å"for† anything. Novelty arises on a haphazard basis and it is purely a matter of luck if it turns out to have a beneficial effect on survival and reproduction. About novelty in evolution, tattersall supports the view that radial innovations can appear in select few the rest of the book is concerned in one way or another â€Å"with aspects of human evolution. In a chapter called â€Å"The Monkey in the Mirror†, which is also the title of the whole connection, Tattersall considers the question of which animals are capable of recognizing their own reflection (only humans and some though not all apes), and considers the connection, or lack of connection, between brain size and intelligence. Although we often think that a large brain is what mainly distinguishes us from other species, pre-human hominids were not chiefly remarkable for the size of their brains. Instead, Tattersall identifies three features that he thinks are important in this regard: upright stance, the use of stone tools, and a â€Å"modern† body form.† Anthony Campbell. â€Å"Tattersall devotes a full chapter to Homo erectus and the Australopithecenes who preceded him; and he is emphatic that the transition from one to the other was abrupt. Another of the evolutionary themes that Tattersall is keen to emphasize is denoted by the inelegant neologism of exaptation† pollok Neanderthals has a complete topic dedicated by tattersall and adopts the view that they were not ancestral to us but are of different species he holds a view that they were killed by our own ancestors and has a believe that the they could have interbred. Chapter Seven consist of a sustained attack on evolutionary psychology and sociobiology. Tattersall is scornful of the idea that our present-day behavior is conditioned by our long evolutionary background as hunter-gatherers or that our psychology is dependent on our genes. â€Å"However, I think there is a better case to be made out for such ideas than he allows, and his inevitably rather brief discussion of it is one-sided† Kevin N. Laland and Gillian R. Brown. â€Å"Tattersall's account of man's evolution conveys a modern message. As far as the science of paleoanthropology is concerned, it is up to the minute in the way that it reports the tenor of current thinking. It has been written with such facility and in such affluent prose that, sometimes, its cutting edge is too well concealed. It can take an effort of concentration, far beyond what the book ostensibly requires of the reader, to anatomize its rich and complex message. But, any reader who is prepared to devote time and thought to this brief book will be abundantly rewarded† Stephen Pollock. The final chapter forecast the future. in his essay he says, I quote: â€Å"It is fairly pessimistic about our chances of survival. As a consolation prize, however, if humanity is reduced to scattered pockets of survivors in relative isolation from one another there will be a chance for evolution to take off again; a large and unified population like ours today does not afford the fragmentation and isolation that is needed for selection to act.† tattersall Conclusion To conclude and in short, tattersal is a profound writer and this book is exceptional and will interest anyone who envies evolution of the current day. And as we see the book has no references and this is a set back because readers will not have an alternative incase they want an alternative view. Works cited; Monkey in the mirror-Ian tattersall Anthony Campbell- Essays on the scienc

Friday, August 16, 2019

Community: Police and Good Schools Essay

If you were to close your eyes and think about your ideal place to live, what would come to mind? For some of us, it would be a condo on a beach where it was warm all year long. For others, it would be living in the mountains or on several acres out in the country near a small town, but what things would you need to feel secure and happy? It has become necessary to create an ideal community since people first started to settle down. There were several issues that people put importance on to achieve such a community, such as good schools, police protection, appearance of neighborhood and public transportation. I believe that police protection and good schools are the main factors to create an ideal community. First, police protection is a major part in a community they provide security and welfare to people. As the rate of crimes is increasing day by day, people are becoming to feel more insecure and less safe. When there is more crime, then more people have the fear of being harmed and that creates a large number of withdrawn individuals. Therefore, this situation affects the well being of the community in the negative way. As it is claimed that the appearance of neighborhood is essential to create and ideal community, I believe that the security of people is essential for the appearance of neighborhood. Security and appearance are connected because having good security allows the people feel like things can be good, which makes the people of the neighborhood want to make things look as beautiful as they can make it. Security can help create the ideal community because it brings the warm feeling of safeness. Second, if there are good schools, the less ignorance will exist in a community. In my opinion ignorance is one of the major barriers in front of the development of individuals. Good schools create well informed and sophisticated individuals and by the help of people like that a community has a better chance to provide solutions to its main issues such as technologic and economic development. Therefore, good schools should be provided in order to avoid problems in a community and to create individuals who will take part to create an ideal community. In conclusion, there is more need for people to create an ideal community, I believe that good schools and police protection are the main needs should be provided. When there is more secure and knowledgeable people in a community, then there is more chance for that community to solve other problems and take a step in order to become an ideal community.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Personal Imaginative Coursework – Conflict

Conflict Marion had always got on with Sinead, but I'd noticed that recently things hadn't been as peachy. She was in a room, her room, flicking through old magazines. It was starting to get dark and she hadn't yet shut the curtains. ‘Knock knock'. Silence. ‘Knock knock'. â€Å"Mum?† Creak. â€Å"Why's it so dark in here? I'm going out, I'll be back later.† â€Å"I said I'd meet Mary at seven.† Sinead went over and pulled the curtains shut, tutting as she did so. â€Å"Well you can't, I'm going out.† â€Å"I told you earlier, I can still go, we're seeing ‘The Fruit Picker', you know, the one with Bobby Clampton.† Marion sat down, tucking her skirt under her as she always did. â€Å"I don't think so, fruitcake. I don't want you to OK?† Sinead said, facing her daughter. â€Å"But you didn't tell me you were going out and I've already made plans.† â€Å"Enough. I've said no.† Sinead made an annoying emphasis on the word no with her hands like she usually did before she lost her temper. â€Å"Then tell me why.† Marion was starting to get impatient but didn't want Sinead to go into one, so tried to be rational. â€Å"Because I've said so.† â€Å"I have no problem in doing what you say as long as you give me a good reason, and so far I haven't seen one so I assume I'm still going out.† As she said this, Marion went over to Sinead, noticing a helicopter circling the sky outside. â€Å"The reason is that I want you to stay home in case your father rings.† â€Å"No it's not, you made that up. I'll be back around ten.† â€Å"You'll be here at ten because you won't be going out. Ever.† â€Å"What, even school?† she said sarkily. â€Å"Don't be a smart little cow. Yeah, even school.† â€Å"Don't be stupid. You can't be serious?† The worried expression on her face showed that calm composure wasn't the first thing on her mind at the moment. â€Å"I'm deadly serious. See you later.† Sinead left the door open as she left the room and a few seconds later let the front door slam. I knew she'd be OK, so I stayed with Marion. Marion punched the bed with anger and let out a few reluctant sobs. She stood up jerkily and banged her head against the wall a few times to gather her thoughts. She stood for a moment then I followed her out of the room. I waited at the top of the stairs while she went down. She came back up with a knife from the kitchen. We went back into her room. She sat down on the bed. As I stayed by the door I watched her pull up her sleeve. She put the knife to her wrist and winced. I wanted to do something but I was only there to watch. â€Å"That'll show her.† she muttered. She reached over to get a tissue and smeared some of the blood over the rest of her arm. â€Å"Run† BANG. BANG. â€Å"Now† BANG. The light was making him see in flashes, like strobing. The night was closing in on him but everything else was breaking up. As he turned the corner he tripped on a dustbin. Him and Mark had gone in opposite directions. â€Å"The Brits are on our tail.† â€Å"Down here† Voices from all directions were clouding his mind. The sirens were deafening. All he could do was think about his wife and daughter back home and know they'd be OK. It was quite a slow process as they dragged him, with a few of the others, into the back of the van, with the gunshots still roaring through the sky. Late at night, in the depths of the Irish countryside, a man knelt down beside his bed in a dorm, alongside many other men, some only boys, and prayed. Prayed that the Lord could give him strength to stand by his country and make him a martyr for freedom. But above all that the Lord might send someone to watch over his young wife and child in times when he could not be there. Because for him, knowing that God was watching over them meant knowing that they'd be safe even when he was too distant for his love to reach them. Many other men had prayed that night, for the next day was the day they'd first gone out and fought what would be the beginning of an even longer war. But O'Brien's was the prayer I heard and the prayer I answered. And when he was caught, then lined up and shot by a British Army Officer and it was my turn to move on, I couldn't help staying just a little longer to make sure Sinead and Marion got through it alright. A few hours later Marion was back with the magazines, the blood having crusted into a nice little scar. She heard a clunk from downstairs and quickly switched off the light and jumped into bed with her clothes still on. I went downstairs to check on Sinead. She'd got back later than she normally did. She took off her coat and hung it over the banister. She walked down the hall into the kitchen and put her keys down on the table. As she scanned the contents of the fridge, forest fruits gateau, cheese, orange juice, the phone started to ring. She shut the fridge door and picked it up after three rings. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Yes, that's me.† The person on the end of the receiver was too muffled for me to hear. Sinead began fiddling with the only ring on her fingers. She paled and her shoulders tensed up. Her breathing became shallow and her chest heaved. â€Å"I understand.† â€Å"No thank you, I'll be fine.† She put down the handset and lent on the worktop for support. She stood straight and walked through the hall and up the stairs trembling. I followed closely behind. â€Å"Can I come in, darlin'?† her voice didn't come out as intended, it sounded too high, false. The door opened away from us, and Marion stood, looking unusually small. Sinead walked through and sat on the bed, her eyes were sunken and red. Marion stayed by the door too. â€Å"Are you OK mum? Has something happened?† â€Å"Come over here, love.† She gestured by patting the space next to her. Marion walked slowly over, looking stiff and uncomfortable. â€Å"What is it?† she asked. Sinead didn't look her in the eye. She gestured again and Marion sat down. â€Å"I've just had a call from Mark. He had some news about your father.† As her eyes started pricking Marion wished she hadn't turned on the light before opening the door. â€Å"He was caught on a job and he's been, he's been killed.† Marion lifted up her arm to wipe her eye, â€Å"What on earth have you done to yourself?† Sinead's voice was trembling and cracking and her eyes shot with blood. â€Å"Nothing. I – I didn't mean to.† â€Å"Oh come here, my baby.† And she pulled her to her, and as they both sat there sobbing out loud, clutching each other, I went over and put my arms round them both, gently rocking them from side to side into the night, softly singing an old Irish song my mother used to sing to me: The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone In the ranks of death you will find him His father's sword he hath girded on And his wild harp slung behind him â€Å"Land of Song!† said the warrior bard â€Å"Tho' all the world betrays thee One sword, at least, they rights shall guard One faithful harp shall praise thee!† The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain Could not bring that proud soul under The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again For he tore its chords asunder And said â€Å"No chains shall sully thee Thou soul of love and brav'ry! Thy songs were made for the pure and free, They shall never sound in slavery!†

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

An Analysis of Julia Alvarez’s Poem, “Touching Bottom” Essay

In the poem’s first stanza, Alvarez says, â€Å"Sometimes the best advice comes randomly†Ã¢â‚¬â€but without intent, how can it be advice? Perhaps good advice consists simply of one’s own ideas, rendered into words by another and recognized by the self as something true. If we go by this definition, then the random pieces of advice are, indeed, good advice. She is thus saying that some of the best â€Å"advice† is recognized by the self and in the self, and not merely received from others. Such advice is possibly worth more than any intentional directive, because the meaning of the advice is something that one makes for oneself. Alvarez implies that good advice is abundant, but requires some recognizing—which is what she does. To be able to give good advice, a person must think like the recipient of the advice, and who better to think like the recipient than the recipient herself? Alvarez creates remarkable associations in her mind between randomly heard directives and the troubles of her life; she is actually both the giver and the receiver of the random â€Å"advice†, and whoever (or whatever) â€Å"gave† her the advice only has an intermediary role. These random pieces of advice are nothing like what we usually conceive advice to be, but are simply reminders of things that she already knew. Thus these random pieces of advice that she recognizes are essentially advice that she gives to herself. In the second stanza, Alvarez talks of the power of these random bits of wisdom. She realizes that â€Å"a minotaur of your own making†Ã¢â‚¬â€that is, self-imposed limitations—puts the mind into a certain degree of paralysis, and that randomly received advice, in their simplicity, have the power to awaken an awareness of truisms deeply buried in the subconscious. Alvarez in essence, is talking about the â€Å"shock of recognition† that she experiences when she hears these random bits of meaning. It takes these to remind her of her own good ideas that she may have unintentionally discarded into the â€Å"dark labyrinth† of her mind. Additionally, Alvarez implicitly contrasts her random bits of â€Å"advice† with true advice intentionally given by others—too often, such advice is derived from the experiences of the giver and not the receiver. The poem, because of its focus on â€Å"accidental† advice, reminds us of the tendency of people to ignore intentionally given advice, no matter how good, because advice is usually given based on the perceived needs of the recipient; although these needs are often misidentified. This contrasts with her accidental bits of advice, which by their very nature are good and well received. The random advice that Alvarez hears makes her capable of   â€Å"touching bottom.† Although â€Å"touching bottom† in general usage has the negative meaning of reaching the lowest point of something (such as when a company goes bankrupt), what she means by having â€Å"touched bottom in my life† is that she realized and recognized the basic and most important aspects of her life. The examples that she gives of these bits of advice, such as â€Å"Please hold through the silence† (which she is able to connect to her problem of writer’s block) are of secondary importance, serving only to illustrate and strengthen the poem’s main point, which is that one needs only to look into the self to find wisdom.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Leadership Style and Characteristics of Richard Branson Assignment - 1

Leadership Style and Characteristics of Richard Branson - Assignment Example The music company made him numerous profits in 1973 and has led to the subsequent creation of the other facets of Virgin, including, radio, banking, healthcare, film, internet, commercial spacecraft, electronics, jewelry, mobile phones, music, radio, and retail, among others. The success of the Virgin group is attributed greatly to the personal qualities and leadership style of Richard Branson. This paper elaborates on the leadership style of the entrepreneur that makes his business flourish, having over fifty thousand employees at the moment. For the success of any business, discipline, and style of leadership of the manager is important. Richard Branson is a participative leader. He says that what leadership boils down to is people, whatever the style, technique, you need to trust in yourself (Branson, 2012). He adds that nobody can be prosperous alone, and that one cannot be a good leader without great people to lead. From the statement, it is clear and correct to say that he is t he kind of leader that involves people, and also himself, to ensure the success of Virgin group. In addition, the entrepreneur believes in the delegation. â€Å"I have continuously found in the art of delegation, finding the best people for Virgin, and giving them the freedom and encouragement to flourish, â€Å"he articulates (Dearlove, 2007). He allows people to do some work for him. In fact, when he started Virgin records, he even took a step back, just to let people do it for him. He believes in his staff and needs not be scared on underperformance â€Å"when I set up Virgin Records, I even decided to isolate myself physically from the company, by moving into a boathouse,† he explains (Branson & Overdrive, 2014). Apparently, the entrepreneur possesses an attitude that is unconventional and informal. Due to this, he has managed to gain fame all over the world. Through his leadership style, he turns every failure into success, by creating a campaign out of it.  

Local Area Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Local Area Network - Essay Example Software can take the form of a centralized database, distributed application or can be a collection of simple utilities, which might be shared on a computer with in the domain. Similarly hardware can be a printer or a centralized storage device. LAN offers the fastest data transfer rate up to 10 Mbps. Stair & Reynolds (2001) suggest that usually, LAN is wired into office buildings, factories, school buildings, etc and are built around personal computers (PC). When a PC is connected to a LAN, a network interface card (NIC) is required which is placed in a computer's expansion slot to allow it to communicate with the network. A wire or connector from the network is then plugged directly into NIC. (Stair & Reynolds, 2001, p. 138) In order to install and configure a LAN setup in a school, the topology should have to be selected. Out of the three topologies, i.e. ring, bus and star, star topology is the most feasible one, as due to the failure of a computer or a segment of wire or a node, the other network nodes would not be affected at all. For star topology the basic hardware required for connectivity are as follows: For a smaller LAN with a maximum of 10 computers Hub works fine but for a larger LAN a switch gives better efficiency compared to a hub. The reason is that the hub broadcast the data packet to every node, hence all other nodes except the destination node thereby ignoring the broadcasted data packet where as the switch store the MAC addresses of each node and would send the data packet only to the destination node. UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable: This type of cable is the most feasible one as it is cheaper and it gives a data rate of 10 Mbps. Further more in a larger LAN setup, if the distance between two switches or between switch and a terminal (computer) is more than 100 meters than we have to use a repeater device, which enhances the signal strength so that it can reach the destination. Hence for every 100 meters we have to use a repeater device. Apart from these network components, all the computers, which are going to participate as a node in the network must have a LAN card. Every computer must have to be joined directly to a switch by the help of single twisted pair cable. In case of larger number of computer, then the switches should have to be connected with each other by the help of cross twisted pair cable connection. When all the computers are physically connected with each other to form a LAN setup, then the network operating system should have to be installed and configured on every computer so that they can communicate with each other. Since a LAN must have at least one domain server so in order to make a computer to act as domain server, we have to install a server operating system like Windows 2003. After that install and configure ADS (active directory services) on that server computer. Create user accounts and register every network resource within the ADS. Further more in the ADS, privileges can be assigned individually to every user account, so that when a user logins from a client computer, he can access only the allowed resources. For rest of the client computers, we have to

Monday, August 12, 2019

Independence in American Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Independence in American Cinema - Essay Example Its lavish concentration on its business marketing efforts has escalated the concern of film critics and artists that Hollywood films portray an identity very different from the Americans. This "identity loss" has been addressed only during the 1980's and early 1990's by the "independent directors" who revive American identity in US independent film industry. Wikipedia defines an independent movie as a 'film initially produced without financing or distribution from a major movie studio.' In the popular sense, any film that receives less than 50% of budgeting from major studios is already considered "independent." Its creative approach in movie production enabled them to garner as much as 15% of US domestic box office revenue within the period of January to March 2005. In order to further discuss the current status of American Independent Cinema, there should be a distinction between a "national" cinema and the mainstream Hollywood. There are four defining approaches where one can distinguish "national" cinema as presented by various studies on the subject (Shaw 2002). First of the approaches is the cinema's economic aspect, how the cinema producers provide financing. The movie's subject and style constitute the second approach. While the third and fourth pertains to the appeal of the movies to the public in terms of its popular and critical acceptance. It is the shift from the studio system of shooting movies in the 1950's to 1960's that paved the way for the birth of what we know today as modern American independent cinema. The consistent production of movies that are modestly sized in budget and features was preferred instead of larger yet fewer films. In the previous decades, 1930's to 1940's, cinema performers were tied with their contracts in a major Hollywood studio that they were employed in. Both the directors and actors had a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Columbia Pictures, and Warner Brothers, the major Hollywood studios in those days. Just to be temporarily employed, 'one studio will be "loaned" by one studio to another for a particular project with the expectation that such offers would be reimbursed in kind. (Yahnke n.d.)' This monopolistic approach in American cinema industry was only ended when television was introduced in 1950's, together with the improved capacity of directors to decide over their creations and the actors' capacity to become "free agents" ushered the death of studio system. (Chapter 2: Classic Films n.d.).

Sunday, August 11, 2019

AT&T and T-Mobile's failed merger Research Paper

AT&T and T-Mobile's failed merger - Research Paper Example Both the corporation, AT&T and T-mobile were of the opinion that the merger lacked the intensity to affect the interests of the consumers in the wireless market. In other words, the wireless market will remain indifferent in spite of the merger. The deal amounted to 39 billion dollars. As the result of the deal, AT&T emerged as the largest mobile phone service provider in the country. Research question Whether the deal would have been fruitful from the consumers’ point of view? Literature Review and Analysis The resulted deal would offer AT&T to enjoy 43% of the market share. The market power would have widened the difference among the competitors in the market further. Researchers were of the opinion that the resulting merger would contribute to enhance the market power. The market structure is highly concentrated with lots of competitors and follows the guidelines of the horizontal merger. The arguments as well as the evidence provided by AT&T in the application were found t o be insufficient to ignore the presumption of increase in market power. According to the guidelines, the concentration of the market and the share of the market are measured on the basis of revenues. The products can be differentiated in the market and therefore revenues will act as the relevant parameter for measurement. If the revenues are fully attributable to the facilities based carriers, The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index would result to 3356 for the wireless market while the increase in index would be 741. On the other hand if the subscribers of the resellers are fully attributed to the resellers, then the index on the basis of revenue would be 3279 and the increase in the index would be 727. Therefore both the approaches show the market power is getting enhanced as a result of the merger. T-mobile continued to remain a strong player in the market. The other players lacked the competency to deal with the slack resulting from the elimination of T-mobile from the market. The effec ts of anti-competition could not be rubbed off completely as the resulting inefficiencies were not up to the mark (Goldfarb, 2011). The competitive disadvantages of the competitors rose. The effect was felt on quality and costs. The costs took the steep rising curve with poor standards of quality. The power of the competitors was limited and the roaming services felt the heat. AT&T and T-mobile offered the same quality of product under different conditions and at different prices. The authorities have to evaluate the national market and the local market separately as the price ranges kept on changing. The competitive effects on both markets were evaluated. A concern at the national level may not be a concern at the local markets and vice versa. The effects of the merger on the consumers would have been two folds. The subscribers of T-mobile will be left with no other option but to avail the highly priced smart phones and data services from AT&T instead of the affordable data plans o f T-mobile. The objective of AT&T in the merger was to enhance the consumer base (Besen, Kletter, Moresi, Salop and Woodbury, 2012). If the consumers of T-mobile come under the umbrella of AT&T significant amount of revenues will be generated and AT&T can gain the same level of profits. The customers will have to feel the pinch on the pockets by paying higher charges and also compromise of the quality of service. If T-mobile can be rubbed off from the market scenario, AT&T