Mckinsey Report July 2012

Day of reckoning for European retail banking McKinsey report July 2012 The dynamics of the global banking sector have been in flux since the beginning of the 2008. Irate creditors everywhere have called for more stringent regulation to ensure that that the interests of financial institutions are more closely aligned with those of their customers and shareholders. The global, European and national authorities have responded with vigour and the regulatory reform to which all banks, wholesale and retail, will be subject in the coming years will have an important impact on their bottom line. The single biggest cause of a reduction in retail banks’ ROE will come from the global regulatory mechanism Basel III, which will place greater capital requirements on banks and more emphasis on adequate funding and liquidity. Furthermore, three important European regulatory instruments, the EU Mortgage Directive, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), Payment Service Directive, will also considerably diminish ROE. Finally, the implementation of new national regulation will create further downward pressure on ROE, though this will vary considerably from country to country. This report provides estimates on the impact on capital, revenues, costs and profit margins of all the relevant regulations on each product (both asset- and liability-based) in each of the four biggest European markets – France, Germany, Britain and Italy – which combined constitute 66% of the EU27 retail-banking market. ROE is the standard metric used and the report calculates the cumulative effect of all regulation as if it were all put in place immediately, using 2010 as the baseline year. The paper reaches some important conclusions. Firstly, with regard to national and continent-wide retail banking markets, ROE will fall from approximately 10% to 6% when all four markets are taken as a whole. Below is a breakdown of the effect in each of the national markets: Country France Germany Italy UK ROE Pre-Regulation 14% 7% 5% 14% ROE Post-Regulation 10% 4% 3% 7% Delta -29 -47 -40 -48 The impact in the UK is particularly caustic as national regulation is extensive. In terms of the effect of regulation on the different product offerings of retail banks, asset-based products are generally the harder-hit. In the UK and France, mortgages and small-business loans will be the most adversely affected. Similarly in Germany mortgages, personal and small-business loans will be the most negatively influenced. In Italy, the value of every asset-based product will be impaired. The disheartening truth of the matter is that across the board the ROE of asset-based products will fall below 10%, which is currently the estimated cost of equity for retail banks. On the other hand, liability-based products will prove more resilient. Deposits will become more valuable to retail banks as they are an advantaged form of funding and liquidity under new regulation. Geographically speaking, in France and Germany only investment products and debit cards will be negatively affected and in Italy most liability-based products will escape relatively intact. However, once again domestic regulation in Britain will play a role in reducing retail banks’ ROE, to the extent that all liability products in the UK will be adversely affected. An important section of the report discusses global systemically important financial institutions (GSIFIs). Such pecuniary establishments are considered too interconnected and universal to be subject to the new regulation imposed on smaller-scale retail banks. The Financial Stability Board has therefore proposed additional capital requirements for G-SIFIs, which will induce a further reduction of their ROE of anywhere between 0. 4 percentage points and 1. 3 percentage points depending on the institution. In addition, it will be obligatory for all G-SIFIs to prepare a recovery and resolution plan (RRP) that will provide a strategic map for authorities to wind down the bank in the event of dissolution. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) is also developing new global rules on risk IT for G-SIFIs which are expected to be issued by the end of 2012. Such regulation will mean that these organisations will be subject to exhaustive supervision and many ad hoc requests, thus amplifying costs and absorbing management resources. The general conclusion of this paper is that it is improbable that banks across the board in Europe will return to pre-regulation ROE levels in the short to medium term. The UK will be particularly adversely affected due to its inflexible domestic regulation. Nevertheless, the paper proposes four mitigative measures retail banks can employ in order to cushion the blow of new regulatory forces on their ROE levels. The first is â€Å"Technical Mitigation†, which essentially involves improving efficiency of capital and funding. Secondly, â€Å"Capital – and funding-light operating models† seek to further improve funding efficiency and reduce risk-weighted assets (RWAs) by implementing changes to their product mix and characteristics and ensuring more vigorous pursuit of collateral and better outplacement of risk. Thirdly, and although they will be severely limited in doing so by regulatory authorities, banks can execute â€Å"repricing† in order to compensate the shortfall in ROE. The paper predicts more repricing in fragmented industries, which implies that the scale of repricing will be limited in the UK, a highly concentrated industry. Types of repricing include new fee-based pricing, modular pricing, partial performance remuneration and value-added packages. Finally, and perhaps most dramatically, financial institutions can engage in â€Å"Business-Model Alignment. Such restrategizing would involve two principle shifts. The first centres on a new, rigorous focus on ROE in retail banks, meaning greater investment in management systems and strengthening their resource allocation processes. The second important shift can be denoted as â€Å"Sustainable Retail Banking,† and comprises four key elements: expansion into new revenue sources, creation of advice for which customers w ill pay, reconfiguration and refocusing of the distribution system to render it leaner and simpler and cutting absolute costs by 20 – 30%. By exercising the above levers, retail banks can create a bulwark against the weight of new regulation and cushion the inevitable reduction in their ROE. Anticipatory forward-planning of mitigation measures is central in adapting to the new regulatory environment engulfing retail banking and will help banks that are fully committed to returning to pre-regulation ROE levels to achieve their post-regulatory reform potential.

Case Study †Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to U Aye Kyaw, Managing Director – Cum Principal of Myanmar Human Resources Co., Ltd. (MHR). I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and deepest gratitude to my course instructors, Dr. Ohnmar Myint for providing invaluable guidance, encouragement and supervision throughout the process of this assignment. I am also deeply thankful to Mandalay Shweyi Company Limited for the kind permission to study and analyze their operations. I also would like to express my special thanks to ABE for the opportunity to study for the Post Graduate Diploma through which I have gained a thorough understands of business concepts, idea and knowledge. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their love and support throughout my life. I would also like to thank all my friends for their help in the task of developing this assignment.Executive SummaryThis assignment focuses â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† of Man dalay Shweyi Co., Ltd which is a major manufacturer of alcohol industry and also a nationwide foods & beverages marketer in Myanmar. Customer satisfaction may be identified as external and internal customer satisfaction of an organisation.The main objectives of this study were focused on external customer satisfaction, to explore the main influences of customer satisfaction and to determine their relationships with customer satisfaction. This paper also intends to present the research methods reflection of customer satisfaction lead to maximize customer satisfaction benefits and minimize the customer dissatisfaction which were caused by customer service and product quality factors of Herbal Tea Product from Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd.Personal StatementI am a candidate of Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (ABE). I have been trying to complete post-graduate diploma in business management as a bridge to further study for MBA because my aim is to manage either my own business or to be able to successfully manage other businesses. This assignment is requirement for â€Å"Research Methods and their Applications to Marketing† course.Firstly I learnt the business operations and activities of Mandalay Shweyi by interviewing, observation, surveying and studying documents. I learned of the vision, mission, business strategies and challenges by interviewing the management team and identified business practice and activities through dialogs with technicians and staff. By preparing this assignment, I can apply the marketing research concepts and marketing concepts which are covered in ABE courses.This paper displays â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† profile of Mandalay Shweyi Company. I have tried my best not only reflection on the subjects and experiences but also to meet the assignment goals and constraints. I hereby declare that this assignment is a bonafide work carried out by myself. It has not been submitted to an y other university or institution for the award of any degree, certified or published any time before.Corporate ProfileAlthough started as a small scale business in 1992, Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd. Shweyi has grown into one of Myanmar's largest alcoholic beverages manufacturers with two distilleries one in Yangon and one in Mandalay. The full product portfolio includes 20 products in six different groups. Superior quality is obtained through Shweyi’s strict quality standards which are applied advanced manufacturing process. The company was formed with the well experienced distillers, knowledgeable technical experts and engineers from Yangon Institute of Technology. Shweyi is a major manufacturer of alcohol industry and also a nationwide foods & beverages marketer in Myanmar.There are nine branch offices in order to cope the whole national market (see Appendix-A). The vision of the company is â€Å"to provides healthy foods & beverages to consumers†, they produce healthy liquors series includes HERBAL RUM and SOBASHOCHU (Buckwheat Liquors). And the company also  manufactures various kinds of healthy food including Buckwheat products, Honey products and Herbal Tea products.Background of the studyNowadays, bombing of global market effect, it becomes more and more competitions in business environment and then customer satisfaction is becoming crucial role to the survival of any business organization. The competitors who will be successful recognize that customer satisfaction is a critical strategic weapon that can bring increased market share and increased profits. Therefore most of the companies all over the world are beginning to realize that customers’ satisfaction has a direct impact on the bottom line.And then they are trying to develop the unique strategies and new changes to satisfy their customer needs and wants and strive to exceed their expectations. Measuring customer satisfaction is the most important in differentiating the compan y. As markets shrink, companies are scrambling to boost customer satisfaction and keep their current customers rather than devoting additional resources to chase potential new customers. The key to customer retention is customer satisfaction.Therefore â€Å"A Research on Improving Customer Satisfaction and Retention† is essential for all business organisations. The need for customer satisfaction measurement is well documented and it can increase revenue and profit due to higher customer retention.MethodologyThis paper is a case study of Mandalay Shweyi Co., Ltd. from an inside-out perspective. It attempts to explore the benefits of Customer Satisfaction Survey and how it can provide the company with insight for development and support for future strategic decision making processes.This research was completed to identify what key components affect customer satisfaction at Mandalay Shweyi product. In this research methodology which included research design, questionnaires, samp ling process, data collection method, research timeframe and method of analysis.Research Design Exploratory: After getting the permission from company’s board of director, I  started to discuss what factors of Herbal Tea product contribute to customer satisfaction with marketing team. Because of time and budget constraints, I was unable to conduct focus groups or in depth interviews. By doing brainstorming with marketing team, I developed the research design.Descriptive: To gain a better understanding of the problem, and to clarify the research questions, I conducted secondary research to discover what experts found customer satisfaction to be at other food and beverage products. This research allowed me to gain a solid understanding of the business.QuestionnairesAfter developing what factors may lead to customer satisfaction at Herbal Tea product, I began to design a questionnaire to collect primary data from wholesalers and consumers. The type of instrument used in this r esearch was a five-point likert scale questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. The initial portion of wholesaler questionnaire included customer service factors, the second section tested the product quality and the last section tested the pricing and reliability (reliability means that it has no side effect on customer) of Herbal Tea product.In the first portion of consumer questionnaire included demographic factors, the second section was asked the product quality and the last section measured the pricing and reliability of Herbal Tea product. The five-point likert scale assigned points 1,2,3,4 and 5. The questionnaire was pre-tested among a group of 25 potential respondents but no major problems were detected. Several minor modifications were made to ensure clarity of the items in the final version of the questionnaire (see Appendix-B).Sampling process Data were collected through survey using a structured questionnaires administered to wholesalers and con sumers (end-users). The total number of respondents (samples) who participated in this research was 149. The sample was separated into two groups. One is wholesalers group (wholesalers, N=58) and the next is consumers group (consumers, N=91). In this research the type of sampling that I used was convenient sampling.Data Collection MethodI collected the primary data by using marketing team and distributing the questionnaires to wholesalers and consumers. After collecting the data, I coded the questionnaire and entered the data into the SPSS software system to run statistical tests to analyze the data I collected. I collected the secondary research by finding professional articles and past research.Research Time FrameI compiled a research report that addresses how to improve customer satisfaction and retention at Mandalay Shweyi. I began my research in October 2010 and started to develop constructs and research hypotheses to answer the research question of what factors influence custo mer satisfaction at Mandalay Shweyi. In early November I developed my survey by putting the constructs I had previously created into likert scales. In last week of November I surveyed customers in the market, using questionnaire to measure satisfaction, and at early December I ran tests on the data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 15.0. Method of AnalysisIn this research diagrammatic representations are used to represent the information which included frequencies and correlation tables, and bar charts (see Appendix-C). Appropriate statistical techniques like descriptive data analysis and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyse and interpret the data.A Literature ReviewMarketing Concept Philip Kotler who is the world's foremost marketing guru. In his first book, â€Å"Marketing Management (1967)†, marketing has been defined as â€Å"A function of management with scientific rigour, models and statistical analysis†. The à ¢â‚¬Ëœmarketing concept' in the words of Kotler is â€Å"Holds that achieving organisational goals depends on determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and more efficiently than competitors do.†Marketing is only one factor in attracting and keeping customers but it cannot fulfill its managerial role unless customer needs and wants are understood and satisfied. The organisation must try to understand the target market’s needs and wants.  Needs describe the basic requirements of human, people need food, air, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. People also have strong needs for recreation, education, and entertainment. These needs become wants when they are directed to specific objects that might satisfy the need (Philip Kotler, 2006). Marketing StrategyThe aim of any business organisation is to make profit. This can only be achieved by forming an effective marketing strategy which can actually incre ase double or triple of organisational sales. Marketing Strategy is the set of helps to guidelines and policies used for effectively matching marketing programmes with target market opportunities in order to achieve organisational objectives. Developing marketing strategy includes deciding which customers to target and how to position products and etc. When forming a marketing strategy, customer satisfaction is really the main goal. And a strategy that does not address the needs of the customers cannot be classified as a good marketing strategy.Marketing MixThe major marketing management decisions can be classified into four categories as follow: Product: The product is the physical product or service offered to the consumer. Price: Pricing decisions should take into account profit margins and the probable pricing response of competitors. Place (distribution): Place decisions are those associated with channels of distribution that serve as the means for getting the product to the ta rget customers. Promotion: Promotion decisions are those related to communicating and selling to potential consumers. It is useful to know the value of a customer in order to determine whether additional customers are worth the cost of acquiring them.These variables are known as the marketing mix and also referred to as the â€Å"Four ‘P's. The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. The service marketing mix involves analysing the 7’p of marketing, involving Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical Evidence, Process and People. Most of the firm attempts to generate a positive response in the target market by blending these four marketing mix variables in an optimal manner.External and uncontrollable environmental factors are very important elements of the marketing strategy  Programs. Therefore Marketing Mix should include customers, environmental variables, and c ompetitive variables (Kotler, 1984). Marketing ResearchMarketing research is a systematic process which may include these steps: data – gathering, analysis, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information and finally to aid decision making. The main reasons of doing research are to reduce risks, to help in planning and forecasting results, to aid marketing mix-decisions and to improve decision making capabilities (ABE, Strategic Marketing Management, Study manual). Effective communicating research result on marketing mix is an essential component of the research process. Clear, concise, and cogent reports enable informed effective decision making. For this reason marketing research is necessary to measure and track customer satisfaction.Customer SatisfactionCustomer satisfaction is regarded as customers can get more benefits than their cost (Liu and Yen, 2010). In comparison with other traditional performance measures, customer satisfaction is probably less sensitive to s easonal fluctuations, changes in costs or changes in accounting practices (Kotler, 2006). Therefore, many researchers consider customer satisfaction to be the best indicator of a company’s future profit. Keeping existing customers is as important as acquiring new ones.The approach towards existing customers must be active, based on a separate marketing mix for customer retention (Rozenberg and Czepiel, 1992). Interaction between the one delivering the service and the customer is very important and has direct effect on the service quality and quality perception (Heuvel, 1993). Sales are the most important goal of any commercial enterprise; it becomes necessary to satisfy customers. For customer satisfaction it is necessary to establish and maintain certain important characteristics like:Quality Fair prices Good customer handling skills Efficient delivery Serious consideration of consumer complaintsAccording to the Michael Porter (2006), today, more and more companies are recog nizing the importance of satisfying and retaining current customers.  Major advantage of customer retention is â€Å"Acquiring new customers can cost five times more than the costs involved in satisfying and retaining current customers.It requires a great deal of effort to induce satisfied customers to switch away from their current suppliers.† Customer satisfaction levels can be measured using survey techniques and questionnaires. Getting high levels of customer satisfaction is very important to a business because satisfied customers are most likely to be loyal and to make repeated orders and to use a wide range of services offered by a business.Analysis, Findings and DiscussionTo begin analyzing the Herbal Tea Product data, SPSS version 15.0 was used for statistical testing. In this research descriptive data analysis, frequencies and inferential statistic (Pearson correlation analysis) were used. From the analysis of Descriptive, Frequencies and Pearson correlation, the m ain findings and discussion can be found as follow.Demography of CustomersThe total number of respondents who participated in this research was 91 consumers and 58 wholesalers. Table 1 illustrates the demographic data of consumer respondents. Table 1: Demographic data of Customers (Consumers, N=91)Items n %Gender Male 38 41.8Female 53 58.2Age 20 to 40 41 to 60 61 and above 39 43 9 42.9 47.3 9.8Monthly Income (Myanmar Kyat) 10,000 to 4,00,000 4,10,000 to 8,00,000 8,10,000 and above 50 33 8 55.0 46.2 9.8As shown in table (1), the respondents consisted of 41.8% male and 58.2% female. Most of the respondents (47.3%) were in the age range of 41 to 60 years old. 42.9% of the respondents were 20 to 40 years old and only 9.8% of respondents were 61 years old and above. With regard to personal monthly income level, over half of the respondents i.e (55%) had the level of (10,000 to 4,00,000) Kyats, whereas another 46.2% of respondents earned (4,10,000 to 8,00,000) Kyats and only 9.8% of respo ndents had the range of above 8,10,000 Kyats.Frequencies of Consumers SatisfactionFrom the result of descriptive analysis on customer satisfaction (illustrated in Table 2), 29.7% of the consumers were satisfied with Good condition,  25.3% were satisfied with Fair condition, 17.6% of consumers were satisfied, 16.5% were satisfied with Very Good condition and only 11% were dissatisfied with Poor condition in quality of products.Table 2Customer satisfaction on product quality, taste of product and quality of packing (Consumers, N=91) Item Poor Fair Good Very Good ExcellentProduct Quality (%) 11.0 25.3 29.7 16.5 17.6Taste of Product (%) 18.7 24.2 25.3 23.1 8.8Quality of Packing (%) 16.5 25.3 34.1 12.1 12.1The result of finding on taste of products and quality of packing were displayed in Table 2. According to this research we can see most of the consumers are satisfied with 24.2%, 25.3% and 23.1% for fair, good and very good respectively on the taste of products. But 18.7% of consumer s were dislike the taste and only 8.8 % of the consumers were completely satisfied for taste. We can also see the frequencies of customer satisfaction on Table 2. Therefore we can conclude that majority consumers are satisfied with quality, taste and packing of the products. Table 3 shows the result of customer satisfaction on price, reliability of product and recommend to other for products.Even though (30.8%) of the respondents perceived that the price of the product were fair, another 33% were no comment (neither agree nor disagree) on price. However it was found that a significant total of 36.3% did not perceived price as fair. We can draw a conclusion that the price is not fair for most of respondents and we need to adjust the pricing strategy because pricing is one of the most important elements of the marketing mix and pricing a product too high or too low could mean a loss of sales for the organisation.For reliability (cannot side effect to consumer) of product, (38.5%) of c onsumers were neither agree nor disagree and a total of (34.1%) of the consumers were strongly reliable on product. But (27.5%) of consumers were not reliable on product. According to this result, we need to develop the product to get more reliable from customers.Table 3Customer satisfaction on price, reliability of product and recommend to other (Consumers, N=91) Item Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree nor Disagree Agree Strongly AgreeFair Price (%) 16.5 19.8 33.0 14.3 16.5Reliability of Product (%) 12.1 15.4 38.5 24.2 9.9Recommend to other (%) 5.5 20.9 26.4 30.8 16.5Frequencies of Wholesalers SatisfactionTable 4 shows the result of wholesalers’ satisfaction on service quality. From this result most of the respondents of (20.7%, 39.7% and 12.1%) were felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, somewhat satisfied, completely satisfied respectively for on time delivery. According to this analysis we found that most of the respondents were satisfied for on time delivery. But 15.5% of respondents were felt completely dissatisfied and 12.1% of respondents were also felt somewhat dissatisfied for on time delivery. If we want to maintain our customer satisfaction and retention we should care dissatisfied customers by doing effective service recovery which can improve their satisfaction level.Half of the customers were felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied on sale management. Completely dissatisfied was not found at sale management. For sale person’s dealing, we found most of the customers were satisfied and only 1.7% of respondents were completely dissatisfied. The result of non-defect performance revealed that only 1.7% was defected. Mostly they were performed without defect.Table 4Customer satisfaction on Service Quality (Wholesalers, N=58) Item Completely Dissatisfied Somewhat Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Somewhat Satisfied Completely SatisfiedOn Time Delivery (%) 15.5 12.1 20.7 39.7 12.1Sale Management (%) 0 17.2 51.7 24.1 6 .9Sale Person’s Dealing (%) 1.7 13.8 32.8 41.4 10.3Non-Defect Performance (%) 1.7 20.7 44.8 27.6 5.2Hypothesis Testing and Results Table 5 Hypothesis 1: There is relationship between product quality and customer satisfaction Variable Pearson Correlation, r Significant, p Mean Standard Deviation Product Quality .276(**) .008 3.04 1.255 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

Research and experimental development Essay

â€Å"Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.† (OECD (2002) Frascati Manual: proposed standard practice for surveys on research and experimental development, 6th edition.)[1] It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects, or the project as a whole. The primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are documentation, discovery, interpretation, or the research and development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches t o research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, marketing, practitioner research, etc. Contents [hide] 1 Forms of research 2 Etymology 3 Definitions 4 Steps in conducting research 5 Scientific research 6 Historical method 7 Research methods 8 Publishing 9 Research funding 10 Original research 10.1 Different forms 11 Artistic research 12 See also 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links Forms of research[edit source | editbeta] Scientific research relies on the application of the scientific method, a harnessing of curiosity. This research provides scientific information and theories for the explanation of the nature and the properties of the world. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is funded by public authorities, by charitable organizations and by private groups, including many companies. Scientific research can be subdivided into different classifications according to their academic and application disciplines. Scientific research is a widely used criterion for judging the standing of an academic institution, such as business schools, but some argue that such is an inaccurate assessment of the institution, because the quality of research does not tell about the quality of teaching (these do not necessarily correlate totally).[2] Research in the humanities involves different methods such as for example hermeneutics and semiotics, and a different, more relativist epistemology. Humanities scholars usually do not search for the ultimate correct answer to a question, but instead explore the issues and details that surround it. Context is always important, and context can be social, historical, political, cultural or ethnic. An example of research in the humanities is historical research, which is embodied in historical method. Historians use primary sources and other evidence to systematically investigate a topic, and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. Artistic research, also seen as ‘practice-based research’, can take form when creative works are considered both the research and the object of research itself. It is the debatable body of thought which offers an alternative to purely scientific methods in research in its search for knowledge and truth. Etymology[edit source | editbeta] Aristotle, 384 BC – 322 BC, – one of the early figures in the development of the scientific method.[3] The word research is derived from the Middle French â€Å"recherche†, which means â€Å"to go about seeking†, the term itself being derived from the Old French term â€Å"recerchier† a compound word from â€Å"re-† + â€Å"cerchier†, or â€Å"sercher†, meaning ‘search’.[4] The earliest recorded use of the term was in 1577.[4] Definitions[edit source | editbeta] Research has been defined in a number of different ways. A broad definition of research is given by Martyn Shuttleworth – â€Å"In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge.†[5] Another definition of research is given by Creswell who states – â€Å"Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue†. It consists of three steps: Pose a question, collect data to answer the question, and present an answer to the question.[6] The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines research in more detail as â€Å"a studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws†.[4] Steps in conducting research[edit source | editbeta] Research is often conducted using the hourglass model structure of research.[7] The hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the required information through the method of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then expands the research in the form of discussion and results. The major steps in conducting research are:[8] Identification of research problem Literature review Specifying the purpose of research Determine specific research questions or hypotheses Data collection Analyzing and interpreting the data Reporting and evaluating research Communicating the research findings and, possibly, recommendations The steps generally represent the overall process, however they should be viewed as an ever-changing process rather than a fixed set of steps.[9] Most researches begin with a general statement of the problem, or rather, the purpose for engaging in the study.[10] The literature review identifies flaws or holes in previous research which provides justification for the study. Often, a literature review is conducted in a given subject area before a research question is identified. A gap in the current literature, as identified by a researcher, then engenders a research question. The research question may be parallel to the hypothesis. The hypothesis is the supposition to be tested. The researcher(s) collects data to test the hypothesis. The researcher(s) then analyzes and interprets the data via a variety of statistical methods, engaging in what is known as Empirical research. The results of the data analysis in confirming or failing to reject the Null hypothesis are then reported and evaluated. At the end the researcher may discuss avenues for further research. Rudolph Rummel says, â€Å"†¦ no researcher should accept any one or two tests as definitive. It is only when a range of tests are consistent over many kinds of data, researchers, and methods can one have confidence in the results.†[11] Scientific research[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Scientific method Primary scientific research being carried out at the Microscopy Laboratory of the Idaho National Laboratory. Scientific research equipment at MIT. Generally, research is understood to follow a certain structural process. Though step order may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following steps are usually part of most formal research, both basic and applied: Observations and Formation of the topic: Consists of the subject area of ones interest and following that subject area to conduct subject related research. The subject area should not be randomly chosen since it requires reading a vast amount of literature on the topic to determine the gap in the literature the researcher intends to narrow. A keen interest in the chosen subject area is advisable. The research will have to be justified by linking its importance to already existing knowledge about the topic. Hypothesis: A testable prediction which designates the relationship between two or more variables. Conceptual definition: Description of a concept by relating it to other concepts. Operational definition: Details in regards to defining the variables and how they will be measured/assessed in the study. Gathering of data: Consists of identifying a population and selecting samples, gathering information from and/or about these samples by using specific research instruments. The instruments used for data collection must be valid and reliable. Analysis of data: Involves breaking down the individual pieces of data in order to draw conclusions about it. Data Interpretation: This can be represented through tables, figures and pictures, and then described in words. Test, revising of hypothesis Conclusion, reiteration if necessary A common misconception is that a hypothesis will be proven (see, rather, Null hypothesis). Generally a hypothesis is used to make predictions that can be tested by observing the outcome of an experiment. If the outcome is inconsistent with the hypothesis, then the hypothesis is rejected (see falsifiability). However, if the outcome is consistent with the hypothesis, the experiment is said to support the hypothesis. This careful language is used because researchers recognize that alternative hypotheses may also be consistent with the observations. In this sense, a hypothesis can never be proven, but rather only supported by surviving rounds of scientific testing and, eventually, becoming widely thought of as true. A useful hypothesis allows prediction and within the accuracy of observation of the time, the prediction will be verified. As the accuracy of observation improves with time, the hypothesis may no longer provide an accurate prediction. In this case a new hypothesis will arise to challenge the old, and to the extent that the new hypothesis makes more accurate predictions than the old, the new will supplant it. Researchers can also use a null hypothesis, which state no relationship or difference between the independent or dependent variables. A null hypothesis uses a sample of all possible people to make a conclusion about the population.[12] Historical method[edit source | editbeta] Main article: Historical method German historian Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886), considered to be one of the founders of modern source-based history. The historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use historical sources and other evidence to research and then to write history. There are various history guidelines commonly used by historians in their work, under the headings of external criticism, internal criticism, and synthesis. This includes lower criticism and sensual criticism. Though items may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following concepts are part of most formal historical research:[13] Identification of origin date Evidence of localization Recognition of authorship Analysis of data Identification of integrity Attribution of credibility Research methods[edit source | editbeta] The goal of the research process is to produce new knowledge or deepen understanding of a topic or issue. This process takes three main forms (although, as previously discussed, the boundaries between them may be obscure): Exploratory research, which helps to identify and define a problem or question. Constructive research, which tests theories and proposes solutions to a problem or question. Empirical research, which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical evidence. The research room at the New York Public Library, an example of secondary research in progress. There are two major types of research design: qualitative research and quantitative research. Researchers choose qualitative or quantitative methods according to the nature of the research topic they want to investigate and the research questions they aim to answer: Maurice Hilleman is credited with saving more lives than any other scientist of the 20th century.[14] Qualitative research Understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. Asking a broad question and collecting data in the form of words, images, video etc that is analyzed searching for themes. This type of research aims to investigate a question without attempting to quantifiably measure variables or look to potential relationships between variables. It is viewed as more restrictive in testing hypotheses because it can be expensive and time consuming, and typically limited to a single set of research subjects[citation needed]. Qualitative research is often used as a method of exploratory research as a basis for later quantitative research hypotheses[citation needed]. Qualitative research is linked with the philosophical and theoretical stance of social constructionism. Quantitative research Systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships. Asking a narrow question and collecting numerical data to analyze utilizing statistical methods. The quantitative research designs are experimental, correlational, and survey (or descriptive).[15] Statistics derived from quantitative research can be used to establish the existence of associative or causal relationships between variables. Quantitative research is linked with the philosophical and theoretical stance of positivism. The Quantitative data collection methods rely on random sampling and structured data collection instruments that fit diverse experiences into predetermined response categories[citation needed]. These methods produce results that are easy to summarize, compare, and generalize[citation needed]. Quantitative research is concerned with testing hypotheses derived from theory and/or being able to estimate the size of a phenomenon of interest. Depending on the research question, participants may be randomly assigned to different treatments (this is the only way that a quantitative study can be considered a true experiment)[citation needed]. If this is not feasible, the researcher may collect data on participant and situational characteristics in order to statistically control for their influence on the dependent, or outcome, variable. If the intent is to generalize from the research participants to a larger population, the researcher will employ probability sampling to select participants.[16] In either qualitative or quantitative research, the researcher(s) may collect primary or secondary data. Primary data is data collected specifically for the research, such as through interviews or questionnaires. Secondary data is data that already exists, such as census data, which can be re-used for the research. It is good ethical research practice to use secondary data wherever possible.[17] Mixed-method research, i.e. research that includes qualitative and quantitative elements, using both primary and secondary data, is becoming more common.[18] Publishing[edit source | editbeta] Cover of the first issue of Nature, 4 November 1869. Academic publishing describes a system that is necessary in order for academic scholars to peer review the work and make it available for a wider audience. The system varies widely by field, and is also always changing, if often slowly. Most academic work is published in journal article or book form. There is also a large body of research that exists in either a thesis or dissertation form. These forms of research can be found in databases explicitly for theses and dissertations. In publishing, STM publishing is an abbreviation for academic publications in science, technology, and medicine. Most established academic fields have their own journals and other outlets for publication, though many academic journals are somewhat interdisciplinary, and publish work from several distinct fields or subfields. The kinds of publications that are accepted as contributions of knowledge or research vary greatly between fields; from the print to the electronic format. A study suggests that research ers should not give great consideration to findings that are not replicated frequently.[19] It has also been suggested that all published studies should be

To Investigate How iPhone Maker Apple Competes across the Smartphone Essay

To Investigate How iPhone Maker Apple Competes across the Smartphone Market - Essay Example There are many iconic products in the world, but few have had the power and impact that has been witnessed in the iPhone. The way in which Apple creates a mythology about its brands and the effect that this mythology has upon the perception of the products made by Apple is of great interest. Many companies would want to mimic or surpass this type of powerful branding. Therefore, studying the way in which the product has been marketed to the public is a powerful tool for understanding how such a phenomenon can occur. 4. Research Design Two types of data contribute to the further understanding of the topic of this research study. Primary and secondary researches were explored in order to more fully understand the objectives of the study as they have been framed by the research questions. Primary data was determined through the use of a questionnaire that would be distributed to appropriate participants. The secondary data was taken from resources that have information that would add pe rspective to the topic of this study. This data was taken from internet resources as well as books and journal articles. The secondary research was conducted through the lens of exploratory research, defined by Beri (2008) as creating a focus on ideas that pertain to the concepts within the study. In researching the previously established concepts that pertain to the topic, new ideas can be generated towards discovering new aspects to the study. The data was approached through the grounded theory for qualitative research. The research was coded for its commonalities from which memos will be created in order to organize the discovery into concepts that can be analyzed for their content. In comparing the contents of the research, a hypothesis will then be considered as it is revealed through the data. Although this methodology seems backwards, it provides for the emergence of themes, rather than forcing a preconceived idea and then seeking data to prove or disprove the concept (Straus s 1999, p. vii). 5. Research Resources Analysis The research methodology is essentially qualitative in nature. It does not involve a statistical analysis of the success rate of the marketing campaign of Apple for iPhone. The research is focused on the qualitative understanding of the marketing technique employed by Apple and the effectiveness of this technique expressed in terms of customer feedback and views, and the level of customer satisfaction. To this end, the resources utilized would be in the form of questionnaires sent via email, and filled out in person by customers selected randomly in a marketplace. The second part of the study involves a review of the existing research on the topic through the examination of published journals and articles. Through a cognitive analysis of results obtained from this two-pronged study, and comparison of the established and new research on the subject, a conclusion would be drawn about the marketing methodology and its effectiveness of App le for iPhone. The questionnaires designed for this purpose will have to be open-ended so that they present flexibility to the volunteers to fully express their views. Questions that reflect preconceived ideas about the marketing strategy will be discarded. To this end, a list of all the possible questions will be prepared, from which only

Database Management in Cloud computing environment Research Paper

Database Management in Cloud computing environment - Research Paper Example Apart from this, the DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS in cloud computing environment also influence the preference of users for them by way of offering a cheap platform for carrying out development. This paper has been a review of the concept of DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS in cloud computing environment. In addition, it also enables the possibilities to be provided in the form of a service, which is also able to operate in a cloud computing environment. At the end of this report, an architectural presented of a Database Management System has been presented. A cloud database management system enables the organization to relocate databases as a service and not as a product. By using an internet connection or any other sharing system, employees working in an organization within different departments share files, software and important information with the help of cloud based database management systems (Gelogo & Lee, 2012). It is anticipated that the use of database management systems in cloud environment would increase in future, keeping in view the escalated demand of organizations for easy sharing of data. For this reason, a number of organizations like Nestle, Coca-Cola or Microsoft have installed database management systems in cloud environment (Gelogo & Lee, 2012). On the other hand, trend of outsourcing database management in cloud environment is also increasing, which is creating new businesses within the information technology industry (Gelogo & Lee, 2012). This paper would discuss and evaluate the use of cloud environment in dat abase management in the prevailing trends. Moreover, an efficient mechanism of incorporating database management in cloud environment would also be presented in this paper. To gather data and relevant information to be used in this paper, the researcher has used a number of online databases such as Ebscohost, Google Search and etc. DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Response on The Grand Inquisitor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response on The Grand Inquisitor - Essay Example This were the same people who really longed for the coming back of the savoir in regard to their torments and tribulations they had initially gone through, hence the coming back of Christ was a great relief to the people nevertheless, the church did not recognize and embrace it and went further to arrest Christ. This shows that the church doctrine has denied people the right to practice the true religion. In my opinion the parable suggests how the church has been used to articulate dictatorship and abuse of power in administering her duties and beliefs to her faithful. It was ironical for the inquisitor to tell Christ that the church does not him any more. It makes one wonder ho the church that was founded on Christ philosophical principles to reach a time and renounce the same foundation upon which they were built on. (Dostoyevsky 17). Church doctrine has been used in this story as a symbol of the characters and behaviors witnessed around the world today which are contrary and oppressive to the teachings of religion. The church has been shown as an oppressor of humanity infringing and treading on the right of believers to adore and exalt Christ. They are expected to follow the teachings and procedures laid down by the church fathers, contrary to it may lead to arrest and detention similar to Christ himself. This leaves the people hungry and unsatisfied spiritually since the waters t hey need to quench their spiritual thirst can not be able to quench the thirst they have in acquiring religious freedom. Therefore, the coming back of Christ was their ultimate redemption, but unfortunately the church authorities stood on their way of freedom by keeping Christ in detention. The inquisitor informs Christ that his coming back would have a big negative impact on the church mission work and relates his rejection on the basis of Christ temptation by Satan in the desert. In my thoughts this parable suggests that the church has adopted satanic ways of operation

Service management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Service management - Essay Example Marketing promotion is raising awareness of the customer in the organization’s brand or services. It aims at generating brand and maintaining customer’s loyalty. The objective of promotion is informing people on the services rendered, differentiating the services rendered and increasing demand of the services. Promoting company’s brand is important because people will focus on the company too not just the services they render, in case they come up with other services it will be easy to introduce to the market. Promotion can be in a physical environment or through media. Product is the first P and you look if the organization is selling the right product in our case service (Solomon &Marshall & Stuart,  2012). To know the right service, the organization should communicate with the market to know exactly what they need, promotion cannot be enough because no matter how much the service is promoted if it not in need it will not sell. In communities where they live below the poverty line, an organization cannot offer massage services because they will not get those services. Price of services can be unfavorable in the current market, hence there is need to keep communication with the market to know price trend especially of competitors. Sometimes a company may have to lower their prices and if they do not might end up losing customers and at other times they have to raise. Changing terms of sales might be helpful at times, probably add additional item to attract more customers. Revising prices help the organization to remain competitive because it goes with the trend, example when prices are very high as compared to other similar services in other companies people will opt to go for the cheaper one. To know the best place you can sell your services is to send out people to talk to the customers. It is important to reflect on the place the customer and sales persons meet because change in place can raise or lower sales. Example in rural places where there

The strategy consulting companys products Assignment

The strategy consulting companys products - Assignment Example In its activities such as assessment, formulation and decision making, this firm concentrates on the interest of their customers who plays a vital role in the success of the organization. While carrying out their plans, this organization makes sure that it has put the interest of their clients above everything. In a business, buyers or clients play a significant role because they generate the necessary income to make the business continue running its projects and be able to pay its employees (Grant & Jordan, 2012). The MGT510 strategic management calls for a strategic choice, analysis and strategic implementation from a company while carrying out its processes (Grant & Jordan, 2012). However, in its operations, this organization carries an intense analysis of their clients by asking for so much details from them, a feature that the MGT510 strategic management does not mention in its ways of operation. This company collects so much information from clients to be sure of their credibility. As much as it is important to allow customers their privacy, it is also important to gather enough information from them to be able to know how to handle their cases (Robinson,

ECONOMICS 3400 QUIZ 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECONOMICS 3400 QUIZ 1 - Essay Example Bhagwati also says that the fair trade that Obama agitates for affect free trade agreements. If Obama needs to clinch multilateralism and free trade in a forceful manner, he needs competent advisors that will see and criticize the demands associated with free trade and which amounts to protectionism (Bhagwati). Moreover, his advisors should also dismiss union fears that trading with poor countries harms the workers wages. Therefore, Bhagwati affirms that free trade is not a country’s interest. His arguments depicts that trade liberalization tends to expose secluded industries and capitalism associated with them and finally making them vanish. However, this approach does not result to growth. Moreover, it will result to emergence of new sectors that create modern exports. This will in turn propel a country towards comparative advantage. Bhagwati furthers presents his argument that free trade should not be reciprocal for it to be advantageous. He argues that the country tends to destruct its trade barriers after being offered mutual reductions. Moreover, he argues that trade liberalization has a capacity of weakening what a country is capable of offering in swapping to attain adequate access to foreign

How does military-based Virtual Reality treatment for PTSD differ from Essay

How does military-based Virtual Reality treatment for PTSD differ from commercial treatment for accidents - Essay Example ly heal from after they return home, but for some it is a difficult situation for them to understand and they may begin to have challenges within the first month. PTSD can be difficult to determine according to many experts because the emotional anxiety may not be much different from what a person would experience on a day to day basis. The normal distress of having more bills than money to pay them can result in some forms of anxiety. When it becomes more serious an individual may be going thorough flashbacks when a sound or smell triggers their anxious behaviour. In order to understand PTSD most people will have to go through a very detailed evaluation by a medical professional in order to discover whether they have the disorder or whether their anxiety is "normal". In PTSD trauma is present when there was a death or near death experience and there will be certain symptoms that go with it that include: 1. Re-experiencing can happen when the individual replays part of the trauma or experience with very strong emotional reactions. Their thoughts may be reliving the past action. This re-experiencing can happen during a nightmare or during the day. There are many ways to diagnose PTSD and this is always done by a healthcare professional, preferably a psychiatrist, psychologist or a clinical social worker. These mental health professionals must be trained in the diagnosis of psychological problems (National Centre for PTSD, Fact Sheet 2). Some of the assessments that are used include the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and The Structural Clinical Interview for PTSD. These are common tools that make evaluations more secure when talking with people who come back from traumatic events. There are a variety of traditional treatments for PTSD that both the military and commercial hospitals use to assist patients with this disorder. Experts agree that one of the ways to treat it is through psychotherapy. The therapy of choice is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Compare two images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compare two images - Essay Example "Vermeer did not do a preparatory drawing to be filled in by color. The first stage of his paintings consists of a structure of clearly contrasting light and shade where form emerge without drawing," Arasse (1993, p.52). One of his celebrated paintings, Mistress and the Maid clearly expresses the suppressed motion and activity, where maid brings a letter to the already letter-writing mistress and both seem to be aware of the importance of incoming letter. The letter writer has stopped writing while gazing at the letter in maid's hand. It is a painting full of motion, activity, and both women are caught in mid-conversation. Vermeer, born in 1632, son of a silk merchant, had excess to the world of fashion and fine clothes and his paintings reflect this knowledge in a sophisticated and effective way. They grant opulence to the painting and its dcor. Exceptionally luminous figures, almost three dimensional against the dark background are highly coherent in their fashion and movements. If the mistress is showing the high fashion of the day of genteel families, maid, though representing a lower salaried class, is extremely neat, correctly attired and almost as attention-catching as the mistress in luminous yellow. It is not a mean feat, as maid is wearing almost a merging colour and she is pitted against the bright yellow full of life worn by a more beautiful woman. Still Vermeer does not fail in making them equally attractive. Many of his women were bright yellow and golden yellow. The cut and style of head dresses of those days was very different from styles of other countries. They are entirely Dutch styles of the day. Hair is kept simple without elaboration. In this painting, fashionable wardrobe helps to bring across the visual dialogue between the two women, while showing the difference in class, work and attitude. It is dif ficult to miss the intense psychological impact created by the just arrived letter. Vermeer is famous for using 'camera obscura' to view his subjects and present them in a moment of fluidity. MUSIC LESSON http://essentialvermeer.20m.com/catalogue/music_lesson.htm A famous painting of excellent composition, brilliant and uncommonly real foreground, with a double bass on the floor, Music Class reflects a tender moment between the pupil and music teacher. Some critics have mentioned that Vermeer might have immortalised love, pointing out the blue chair and untouched double bass on the floor; but this could be mere speculation. Painting catches a moment of arrested action as per the blurred reflection in the mirror. Most of Vermeer's painting colours show the costumes of rich Dutch merchant class in mid 17th century. After the execution of Charles I, Cromwell's administration was not a particular period of art's supremacy in England and France was plagued with internal troubles and hence, Holland had the centre stage for fashion in Europe and this has reflected many times in his paintings. The ebony framed mirror which reflects the girl from a rather impossible angle that cannot be noticed in her demeanour becomes the focal point of the painting. Vermeer, who had a special penchant for light and shadow display clearly gave more attention to that pleasure than to his subjects and it could be seen in both paintings that light has been used with

History of Culinary Arts Essay Example for Free

History of Culinary Arts Essay The history of culinary arts started in the early 1800 when the first cooking school in Boston was established to teach the art of American cooking and prepare the students to deliver and forward their knowledge to others. It was in 1896 Fannie Merritt Farmer published the first cook book; the book was written referring the Boston cooking school. In the year 1946 the first cooking show was telecasted on the televised. After thatJames Beard the father of American cuisine conducted regular cooking classes concentrating on the art of American cooking. In 1960s the French cuisine has been entered the American society by Julia Child. Later in the year the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was founded and established this was the first culinary school that offers career-based courses of course in the art of cooking. The first campus of the CIA was inNew York and was started in 1972 and now there are Different types of cooking schools that offer different kinds of training programs to its candidates and the selection of the appropriate culinary arts and it can be determined by considering the goals and interests and aid to choose the education programaccordingly. The school was begun with the intention of offering education courses in culinary arts. The school offers both long term and short term courses. There are a number of students who enrol in the CIA and each year and the number of applicants increase. Prior to the establishing of the CIA, those who wanted to have a career in culinary arts typically had to go through many tests and challenges like until they become seasoned chefs by gaining on-the-job trainings. Looking at this today internships and recruitments are among the main essentials. .

Clinical Outcome after DMT Discontinuation

Clinical Outcome after DMT Discontinuation Background: Stable disease course may prompt consideration of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) discontinuation in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Objective: To investigate the clinical outcome after DMT discontinuation and to identify predictive factors supporting decision-making. Methods: We included 221 RRMS patients, who discontinued DMT after à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾12months and had documented follow-up à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾2years after discontinuation. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) regarding relapse and disability progression after DMT discontinuation were calculated from Cox regression models. Results: Age >45 years at discontinuation (HR=0.47, CI=0.23-0.95, p=0.038), absence of relapses for à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years on DMT before discontinuation (HR=0.29, CI=0.10-0.82, p=0.020) and absence of contrast enhancing lesions (HR=0.46, CI=0.28-0.78, p=0.004) were independent predictors of absence of relapse after discontinuation. Age >45years and absence of relapses à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years on DMT combined had an HR of 0.06 (CI=0.01-0.44, p45 years and longer disease duration were significantly associated with disability progression after discontinuation. Conclusion: While freedom from further disease activity is generally unpredictable, there is a subset of patients (age à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45years, DMT intake à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾4years without evidence of clinical or radiological disease activity) having a high likelihood of remaining relapse-free after DMT discontinuation. However, close clinical monitoring for recurrent disease activity is mandatory after discontinuing treatment. MS is an autoimmune, demyelinating, inflammatory neurological disease that develops from a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental factors. The mechanism of demyelination in multiple sclerosis may be activation of myelin-reactive T cells in the periphery. T cells are activated following antigen presentation by antigen-presenting cells such as macrophages and microglia, or B cells. These T cells then express adhesion molecules, allowing their entry through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). These invasive perivascular T cells can secrete proinflammatory cytokines, including interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha which contribute to the inflammatory processes in the central nervous system. Furthermore, antibodies against myelin also may be generated in the periphery or intrathecally by activated B cells. Ongoing inflammation leads to epitope spread and recruitment of other inflammatory cells (ie, bystander activation). Activated microglia may release free radicals, ni tric oxide, and proteases that may contribute to tissue damage. In summary, MS has 3 characteristic features; Inflammation leading to the infiltration of Perivascular lymphocytes into the central nervous system, demyelination of neurons and the subsequent formation of Central Nervous System lesions (Plaques) The CNS lesions mainly affect the white matter and they are both disseminated in time (DIT) and in space (DIS). White matter help transmit information between regions of grey matter, where the processing occurs. Therefore symptoms of MS are highly dependent on the location of the lesion in the CNS. In 1996, 4 main types of MS were defined, be the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, according to the clinical course of the disorder; Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) Progressive Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (PRMS) The treatments for MS are split into 3 main types that target 3 different aspects of the disease, namely treatments for MS exacerbations/attacks, treatments for specific MS symptoms and treatments to prevent relapses and disease progression. The last group of treatments are the focus of this study. Despite having no cure for MS there are treatments that significantly reduce both the frequency and severity of relapses in some patients and slow the progress of neurological deficits in MS. These are called Disease Modifying Therapies(DMT). The goal of these therapies is to decrease the extent of damage and scarring to the myelin sheath associated with relapse and in doing so prevent the progression of disease and are especially useful for patients with RRMS. This study focuses on the first line injectable treatments, Beta interferons and Galatiramer Acetate. Interferon beta balances the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory agents in the brain, and reduces the number of inflammatory cells that cross the blood brain barrier therefore it also improves nerve regeneration. Galatiramer acetate resemles myelin basic protein, thus acting as a decoy for the immune system to target and in doing so protects the myelin surrounding axons in the CNS. Despite their usefulness, DMTs are not suitable for all MS patients due to their side effects. Thus they are only prescribed to patients with RRMS or SPMS who meet certain criteria. Specifically, Beta interferon give rise to headache, chills, fever and pain and redness at injection site while, Glatiramer acetate results in redness and hardening of skin at injection site and rarely palpitations or flushing after injection. Due to these many side effects many patients who experience few or no relapses over a long period of time and have a stable disease course frequently enquire if they can discontinue their DMT without the risk of relapses coming back and the disease and disability progression of MS getting worse. Therefore this study was designed as an observational cohort study that aimed to understand the effects of discontinuation of DMTs on the primary and secondary endpoints; occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation o f DMTs respectively and thus and thus provide predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs 0-What is the research question? What is the Primary Outcome? The primary outcome of the study is understanding the effects of discontinuation of DMTs on the primary and secondary endpoints; occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation of DMTs respectively. What are the Secondary outcomes? The secondary outcome of the study was to use and analyse the findings derived from outcome one to discern any factors that would minimize the adverse effect of discontinuation of DMTs and thus provide predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs. Is the research question clear and properly addressed? Yes it is as the paper aims to answer the question of whether discontinuation of DMTs in patients with RRMS would largely affect the clinical outcomes in any adverse manner and through that discern any predictive factors that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs. 1 Are the methods valid? 1a Details of Assignment of patients Are the inclusion and exclusion criteria clear? Patients for the study were selected form the Innsbruck MS database (IMSD), which contained 1708 patients, through a careful screening process. The exclusion criteria included patients with PPMS or SPMS, patients who received DMT for less than 12 months, patients who discontinued DMT for less than 6 months, patients with less than 2 years of follow up available and patients with a documented pregnancy during the follow-up period. After all these exclusion criteria were applied, the patients who still remained were included in the study, thus 221 patients were included in the study Was randomisation done properly? Randomising before the aforementioned selection process selection process could have influenced the decisions about eligibility and introduced a source of bias and if a large number of randomly selected patients turned out to be ineligible it would have led to a very small sample size and thus significantly lowered the power of the study. Randomisation after the aforementioned selection process was not carried out for this study since this study was designed as an observational cohort study and all the patients in the inclusion list were discontinuing DMTs due to one of 3 reasons indicated in the study; namely adverse events, patients decision (including desire of pregnancy) or (3) stable disease course (subjectively defined by the treating physician and/or patient). Randomisation would have been more essential in a case control study that compared the effects of DMT discontinuation in one group against a matched control group of MS patients who continued taking DMTs. This is explored further in the future works section as a possible continuation from and improvement on this study. Was assignment concealed from Drs? (at the assignment stage) Due to the fact that the study was designed as an observational cohort study and the highly specific inclusion criteria the assignment was not concealed from Drs. Was the sample size big enough? The sample size for this study comprised all the 221 patients in the inclusion list. This was a relatively small sample size for a cohort study. However considering the large numbers of exclusion criteria and the fact that the study focused on a specific subset of MS patients; namely patients with RRMS who were being treated with either Interferon Beta or Galactemer Acetate for more than 12 months, who are not pregnant and had a greater than 2 year follow up, the study does have a high predictive power. For this subset of MS patients the studys results provide a good predictive power yet this does not extend to any MS patients outside this subset. The usefulness of this study is further undermined by the fact that just a month before this was published a similar study was done by the MSBase Registry with a case control design looking at 426 DMT stoppers, which is almost double the sample size in this study thus providing a far larger power. 1b Accounting for patients entered into the trial How complete was the follow up? The median follow up period was 3.8 years with maximum follow up period being 26.9 years and minimum follow up being 2 years. How were patients lost to follow up dealt with? As part of the exclusion criteria, patients who were lost to follow up either due to discontinuation of DMT for less than 6 months or because patients had less than 2 years of follow up available or because patients had a documented pregnancy during the follow-up period were excluded from the study and thus also excluded from the calculation on the results of the study. How were patients not receiving assigned treatment (non-compliers) dealt with ? During the follow up period 69 of the 221 patients restarted DMTs after the 6 month cutoff imposed in the exclusion criteria. If DMT was restarted during this observation period, the primary endpoint was considered to be reached at the time point of reinitiation of DMT and thus the patients were still used for calculating the final results. Is there likely to be residual bias because of any of the above? Since data for the study was collected retrospectively at the first visit this does introduce a potential source of bias due to the lack of data completeness for some variables. Moreover, since this study was not conducted in a case control manner there is a possibility that important unmeasured variables could have had a confounding effect on the observed results. However, since data was collected prospectively from then on it serves to minimize any sources of residual bias by attempting to correct for any confounders. The fact that all the patients were selected from the Innsbruck MS database, which mainly represents the demographics of western Austria and its geographical catchment areas and the fact that there was no randomization carried out also introduces a potential source of selection bias and restricts the predictive power and usefulness of this study 1c Blinding How far was it carried out for patients, doctors, other study personnel? In this study blinding was not carried out as all eligible patients in the inclusion list underwent the same intervention which was the discontinuation of DMT. Furthermore, the fact that this study was designed as an observational cohort study meant that blinding was not entirely necessary 1e Apart from experimental intervention were the groups treated equally? Apart from the discontinuation of DMTs all the other decisions about the patients care was left up to their respective doctors and any MS specific interventions or healthcare concerns, such as pregnancies, were noted in the regular follow ups. 2. What are the results? 2a Were outcomes measured in a standard valid reliable way ? The primary and secondary endpoints of this study were the occurrences of relapses after discontinuation of DMTs and disability progression after discontinuation of DMTs respectively. A relapse was defined as patient-reported symptoms or objectively observed signs typical of an acute central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory demyelinating event, current or prior to the visit, with duration of at least 24 hours in the absence of fever or infection, separated from the last relapse by at least 30 days.27 Disability progression was defined as a confirmed EDSS increase in 0.5 sustained for 6months. MRI was only included in analysis if performed within a maximum of 6months prior to discontinuation of DMT (MRI at discontinuation) and if there was another MRI available for comparison performed 1-24months prior to MRI at discontinuation (MRI before discontinuation). MRI parameters obtained were increase in T2 lesion load and presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Increase in T2 lesion load was defined as à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾1 either new or size-enlarged T2 lesion in MRI at discontinuation compared to MRI before discontinuation. 2b Are results comparable at different sites ? These crietria for measurement and reporting of data helped standardize the measurement of the outcomes among the multiple study sites. 2c How large was the treatment effect ? Relapses Primary Outcome: Bivariate testing showed a correlation between absence of relapses after DMT discontinuation and younger age at discontinuation (r=à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢0.352, p There was no association with disease duration (p=0.327). Secondary Outcome: ROC analyses indicated best possible cutoff values of 45 years for age at discontinuation (sensitivity: 65%, specificity: 85%) and 4 years for duration of DMT intake without a relapse (sensitivity: 60%, specificity: 81%) 14/56 (25%) patients aged à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45 years at discontinuation suffered a relapse after discontinuation of DMT compared to 84/165 (50.9%) of patients Age >45 years and absence of gadolinium-enhancing lesion before discontinuation of DMT were found to be independent predictors of absence of relapse after discontinuation of DMT, each about cutting the risk for future relapse in half. Absence of relapses for a period of 4 years or longer on DMT reduced the risk of future relapse to under a third. Sex and EDSS at discontinuation did not have any significant impact. Patients aged >45 years with absence of relapses for a period of 4years on DMT had a cumulative hazard ratio (HR) of 0.06 (CI=0.01-0.44, p Disability Progression Primary Outcome: Bivariate analysis exhibited a statistically significant correlation between disability progression and EDSS at discontinuation (r = 0.212, p = 0.002), disease duration (r = 0.172, p = 0.004) and age at discontinuation (r = 0.123, p = 0.042), but not for duration of DMT, occurrence of relapses on DMT and presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. Secondary Outcome: After inclusion of these variables in a multivariate cox regression model, higher EDSS at discontinuation, age >45 years at discontinuation and longer disease duration were the only significant independent predictors of disability progression after discontinuation. Patients aged à ¢Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¾45 years with absence of relapses for a period of 4 years on DMT did not have a significant reduction in their risk for disability progression How precisely is it measured (95% CIs)? Categorical variables were expressed in frequencies and percentages, parametric continuous variables as mean and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and nonparametric variables as median and range. Comparisons regarding primary and secondary endpoints were made by bivariate correlations (Kendalls tau) and Fishers exact or chi-square tests as appropriate. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to define the best possible cut-off values of continuous variables for prediction of the primary endpoint. Survival analyses were performed using cox regression models for comparison of prognostic factors over time and assessment of possible confounders. A two-tailed p-value 2d What is the clinical significance of the results and how precisely is it measured?  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The secondary outcome of this study has a higher clinical significance than the primary outcome. The results show that 3.   Are the results applicable to your patient(s)? 3a Are your patients similar to the study patients? 3b Were all the outcomes that are of interest to your patients considered in the trial? 3c Are the benefits worth the potential harms and costs? In the future a different study design can be used to tackle the same research question. A further case control study, like the one done by the MSBase Registry, that compared the effects of DMT discontinuation in one group against a matched control group of MS patients who continued taking DMTs could be carried out to minimize any effects of confounders and biases that may have affected the results of the cohort study. A future cohort study could include a larger sample size that would be more representative of a larger proportion of the patients with MS. Choosing from a more diverse patient demographic would also provide a greater amount of predictive power over the cultural diverse population of MS patients that are found in the local London boroughs. A similar study could be repeated with a fully prospective design so as to eliminate any selection biases that may have arisen due the retrospective nature of initial data collection. Furthermore, the retrospective nature of this study also led to only 168 of the 221 selected patients having MRI data available within 6 months before discontinuation of DMT thus reducing the predictive and representative power of many conclusions derived from MRI comparison data. Thus, more detailed and complete analysis using MRI data could have been obtained if the study was designed to be entirely prospectively conducted without the retrospective data collection. Focus on newer DMTs Since this study only focused on the first line DMTs which only account for a portion of the RRMS patients receiving DMT future work can focus on the other available newer DMTs. The data on the post-injectable DMT disease course may not be generalisable to the newer agents thus it is essential to conduct DMT discontinuation studies on other oral or intravenous DMTs available to patients which have a larger range of side effects and arguably have more severe side effects. Furthermore even though this study provides some predictive criteria that may help clinicians and patients make the decision to discontinue DMTs, To definitively answer the question about safety of DMT discontinuation in this patient subset, a randomised trial is required. The first randomised DMT discontinuation trial in MS is was scheduled to start recruitment in 2016 and its findings should provide more conclusive evidence about the safety and viability of DMT discontinuation in the patient subsets identified in this study both in terms of number of relapses and disability progression.

HAWT Technology Research

HAWT Technology Research Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT), are the most commonly used wind turbine.HAWTs have a similar design to a windmill, with blades that look like a propeller, spinning around a horizontal axis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure 1 Typical HAWT All the components (blades, shaft, gearbox, generator) are located at the top of the tower. The blades must face into the wind and yaw into position every time the wind direction changes. The shaft axis is horizontal to the ground. The wind hits the blades of the turbine where lift causes rotation. The shaft has a gear on the end coupled to a gearbox which turns a generator. The generator produces electricity and sends this either to power grid or electrical equipment requiring power. The wind turbine also has some key elements that adds to its efficiency. Inside the Nacelle (or head) is an anemometer, wind vane, and controller that read the speed and direction of the wind. As the wind changes direction, a motor (yaw motor) turns the nacelle so the blades are always facing the wind. The power source also comes with a safety feature. In case of extreme winds the turbine has a break that can slow the shaft speed. This is to inhibit any damage to the turbine in extreme conditions. See F igure 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure 2 Internal components of a typical HAWT The merits of horizontal axis wind turbine over vertical axis wind turbine can be seen in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Table1 Benefits of HAWTs vs VAWT HAWT VS VAWT NO POWER GENERATION EFFICIENCY HORIZONTAL AXIS VERTICAL AXIS 1 POWER GENERATION EFFICIENCY 50% 60% ABOVE 70% 2 ROTATING SPEED HIGH LOW 3 EFFECT ON BIRDS GREAT SMALL 4 GEAR BOX ABOVE 10KW: YES NO 5 BLADE ROTATION SPACE QUITE LARGE QUITE SMALL   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6 NOISE 5-60 Db 0-10 Db 7 STARTING WIND SPEED HIGH(2.5-5m/s) LOW (1.5-3 m/s)   Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Blade The blade is one of the most important components of a wind turbine. It is required to have the best materials, manufacturing, analysis and testing to endure aerodynamic loads, gravitational loads, inertia loads and operational loads throughout its lifetime. Therefore, the structural design process has a decisive and critical influence on the overall performance of the blade. The structural design of a HAWT blade involves many considerations such as strength, stability, cyclic loading, cost and vibration. Reducing the mass is a key requirement for a successful blade design. A lighter blade will not only exert lower loads on the remaining components of the HAWT, but also reduce the cost. This is a benefit to the entire turbine system, including the support body and the foundation. However, the recent approach results in material layup with high component thicknesses. Blade mass as a result often does not exhibit a satisfactory structural response. There is huge potential to reduce the amount of material used in the blades manufacture to minimise its mass. The process of structural blade optimisation to reduce mass and increase its mechanical properties is an important area of development worthy of in-depth research. Table 1 details various HAWTs and their rotor weights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Table 2 Selection of turbine size and weight configurations Turbine Name Pitch or Stall Rotar dia (m) No of Blades Nacelle and Rotor Weight (kg) Weight per Swept Area (kg/m ²) Mitsubishi MWT-1000 (1 MW) P 57 3 unspecified Nordex N90 (2.3 MW) P 90 3 84,500 13.3 Nordex N80 (2.5 MW) P 80 3 80,500 16 Repower 5M (5 MW Siemens P 126 3 unspecified SWT-3.6-107 (3.6 MW) Siemens P 107 3 220,000 24.5 SWT-2.3-93 (2.3 MW P 93 3 142,000 20.9 Gamesa G90-2MW (2 MW P 90 3 106,000 16.7 Gamesa G58-850 (850 kW) P 58 3 35,000 13.3 Enercon E82 (2 MW) P 82 3 unspecified GE wind 3.6sl (3.6 MW) P 111 3 unspecified Vestas V164 (7.0 MW) P 164 3 unspecified Vestas V90 (2 MW) P 90 3 106,000 16.7 Vestas V82 (1.65 MW) P 82 3 95,000 18 Advantages of HAWT over VAWT Axis of Rotation It is the main and biggest difference. As the name states, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine has its axis of rotation parallel to the ground and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine has its axis of rotation perpendicular to ground. Number of blades working at a time If we take a 3-bladed wind turbine for example, then in a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine, all three blades work at once. whilst in a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine only blade works at a time. Working wind direction VAWTs are omni directional and work in all wind directions while HAWTs only works in a specific wind direction and have to yaw to face the wind before they can begin operation. When wind direction changes the stops, and has to yaw into position. Efficiency at a given wind speed Because all the blade of HAWT work at the same time, its efficiency is much greater than the VAWT. REFERENCES Peter J. Schubel * and Richard J. Crossley Faculty of Engineering, Division of Materials, Mechanics and Structures, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK Veritas, D.N. Design and Manufacture of Wind Turbine Blades, Offshore and Onshore Turbines; Standard DNV-DS-J102; Det Norske Veritas: Copenhagen, Denmark, 2010. Dolcera.com(online)

Lazzaro Spallanzani :: essays research papers

Lazzaro Spallanzani Lazzaro Spallanzai, was the Italian physiologist who was one of the founders of experimental biology. Born in Scandiano, a small town in the providence of Emilia on Jan. 12, 1729 , Spallanzani was among the many dedicated philosophersof the eighteeth century (Lazzaro...1). His main scientific interests were biological and was a master at mircoscopy,but he also looked into problems of physics,chemistry, geology, and meteorology, and volcanology (Gillispie,1). After attending a local school, Spallazani went at afe fifteen to a Jesuit seminary in Reggio Emilia where he dominated in rhetoric, philosophy, and languages. He left Reggio Emilia in 1749 to study jurisprudence at the ancient University of Bologna, where he expanded is education in mathematics, chemistry, natural history, and aquired a knowledge of French (Asimov,1). For three years he worked toward his docterine in law. In 1753 or 1754 he became a doctor of philosophy. Then, he recieved instructions in metaphysics and theology and took minor orders. Within a few years he became a priest and added himself to two congregations in Modena (Gillispie,2). Spallanzani, in hundreds of experiments tested various rituals for rendering infusions permanently barren and finally found that they remained free of microorganisms when put into flasks that were sealed and the contents boiled for one hour (Lazzaro...1).The entrance of air into the flask through a slight crack in its neck was Patel 2 followed infusoria. He reported no spontaneous generation in strongly heated infusions protected from aerial contamination. In 1765, after cutting up thousands of earthworms and exploiting the ability of the aquatic salamander to regrow its tail, he resolved to investigate reproductive phenomena in animals ans plants(Gillispie,3). He proved this by cuting theworms the area that affected the segmental regenerative response. Amputation of the tailwas followed by vascularization of the transparent growing stump. He also established the general law that in susceptible species inverse ratio obtains between the regenerativecapacity and age of the animal. Lazzaro launched countless experiments relating to infusion animalcules and "spermatic worms," with result that soon made chimera of thevegetatice force and undermined the docterine of organic molecules; but these ideasdemanded more attention so they were postponed (Asimove,2). He also found that complex infusoriaare more susceptible to heat and cold than the "infinitely minute" germ of lower class,whose relative resistance he ascribed to their eggs. In 1777 he publicly demonstrated the great force exerted by the gizzards of fowls and ducks in

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

Most stories’ titles give readers some insight of what the story will be about. This important concept is seen in the novel, A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles. In general the setting is its own separate peace. There are also specific examples of when characters in the novel try to create their own separate peace. The winter carnival is a good example, which shows the students at the Devon School creating their own separate peace. After being severely maimed, Finny enters his own state of mind, where there is no war occurring. He tries to put this state of mind into the other students’ minds. Finny starts a winter carnival during which the boys at Devon feel a degree of freedom in this time of war. At the carnival the boys drink cider and dance on the tables. They all feel that nothing matters anymore but their own fantasy world. Even the boys that were uptight about the war, like Brinker, loosened up and enjoyed the fantasy that Finny created. Finny successfully creates his own separate peace by creating a fantasy world. Gene and Finny create their own peace after there is a period of guilty tension. After Gene shakes Finny out of the tree, he feels guilt start to fall upon him. He is hesitant to tell Finny the truth about his accident, and as a result his guilt jumps to a higher level. Gene tries to tell him at the hospital that he is responsible for Finny falling out of the tree, but the doctor interrupts them. This tension between them builds until Gene admits to Finny what really happened. After that, Finny forgives him, and they resume their friendship, and their separate peace. A Separate Peace is shown through many examples in this novel.

Research Paper Essay

Chapter 9 Problem 9 The Gall family became ill after drinking contaminated water provided by McKeesport Municipal Water Authority and filed suit against the Authority. The Authority filed to dismiss the complaint. Should the Galls’ complaint be dismissed? No, the Galls complaint should not be dismissed. Even though the code rule does not apply, the code concepts of good faith dealing and unconscionability exist and can be utilized. Chapter 9 Problem 10 Schumacher took over his parents business at their request, built a new home on their land, installed a well, and bought equipment for the business all with his own funds. There was a verbal agreement that Schumacher would be allowed to manage the business for life and a large parcel of land would be given to him when his first parent died. When the parents decided to sell the Inn and adjoining property, Schumacher sued. He lost, because in Minnesota, the agreement had to be in writing and his was an oral agreement. The question is does Schumacher have a valid claim for unjust enrichment? Yes, the parents benefitted from the new home and all the improvements to the parents land, such as, the new home, the well, and all the business equipment. Chapter 10 Problem 6Â  An offer for sale of a parcel of land adjacent to ST. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was sent by letter from Pernal to the church and also to White Chapel Memorial Association Park Perpetual Care Trust. The church sent back an acceptance offer that made changes to the original offer. Pernal acknowledged receipt of the offer and sent a letter to both parties that the original offer still stood. The church sued Pernal for breach of contract saying their offer was an enforceable contract. The question is will the church win? No, because the church did not accept the original offer. It changed the original offer and that change was not accepted by Pernal so there was no breach of contract by Pernal. Chapter 11 Problem 7Â  Cantu had a contract as a Special Education teacher for the 1990-91 school years. Cantu hand-delivered her resignation to the school superintendent and a letter of acceptance was mailed to Cantu by the superintendent on the same day. Cantu changed her mind, but the superintendent hand-delivered a letter telling Cantu the resignation had been accepted and could not be withdrawn. Cantu sued because her resignation was hand-delivered and the superintendent mailed his acceptance. The question, is this a good argument? No, it is not a good argument, because there was no stipulation in Cantu’s letter of resignation regarding the manner in which the superintendent must accept her offer of resignation. Therefore the superintendent had every right to use the mail to accept the resignation. Chapter 12 Problem 10Â  Tinker Construction was promised a bonus by Scroge if they completed a factory addition by a certain date and on time. Scroge also promised to pay the supplier a higher price for the materials needed to complete the addition by the date required. Scroge then refused to pay the bonus or pay the higher price for the materials. The question is, were these promises enforceable? Scroge is obligated to pay because there was an offer, new consideration, and an agreement to the new terms to modify the contract. The factory addition was completed on time by Tinker, so the bonus should be paid, and Scroge agreed to the new higher price of the supplies.

Fighting Malnutrition Essay

Malnutrition has been a serious consult across the world which is caused referable to leave let on of vital vitamins and minerals in the diet where in majority of the impoverished or pathetic wad suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Tackling malnutrition has and then been a ch whollyenge for the government, donors, and the private sector to send their attention to the phylogenesisal effectiveness and providing tax for money.Approx. 2 billion people across the globe suffer from anemia which caused payable to bid deprivation and iodine deficiency which leads to mental retardation, results in being vindication to the disease, gravid the attention and concentration of children in class rooms, causes death of pregnant mothers, deaths collect to diarrhea and million of people go blind each year.As this chore of malnutrition takes away almost 3% of the acress GDP, companies submit to be rattling much cargonful of this fact which in turn affects the consumption patter n of the consumers. Companies standardized Coca-Cola and P&G surrender indeed put much efforts in reservation their food and potables rich in vitamins and minerals unless the issue in this regards is how homes luff the grocery in terms of the availability of the carrefour, its determine strategies, the way of promoting and cr ingest aw arness among the masses and the thingamajig of the reaping. and then instead of lone(prenominal) counseling upon the Product mix, just like hundred and P&G have dealt with the hassle, the firms should rank the other marketing mix elements as hearty to successfully market their goods. What special efforts have been taken up by companies to solve this fretfulness of malnutrition, How has the query and instruction team of the firms centraliseed on their activities to quash and fight the economic concern has been the questions in most of the organizations watch list.Problems / Issues Coca-Cola introduced the product named Vitango, which was a powdered drink to be mixed with water and to be consumed as a beverage, the issue was that research did show that in that respect was a huge improvements in veritable places where it was introduced but in certain places due to the impurities in the water, it nullified the efforts of the powdered vitango. The firm encountered trouble because of wishing of pore in the initial submits of the new product ontogenesis which it at a later stage went about packaging a ready-to-drink design for its consumers.P&G also came out with their own production of Nutridelight which had an element of vitamin A, iron contents and Growth Plus was the important ingredient. But unfortunately it did not remove well in the market as the prices were non competitive and it did not meet the bear market going rate of the products price. It later came with Nutristar which performed good in the market but it would target only the premium group customers as the product was available at onl y McDonalds outlet, and in major instances it is the segment of the short(p) which actually require the product.Thus once again P&G had lack of focus in their strategic implementations. In twain the cases mentioned above, the firms lacked focus of their marketing mix factors in terms of the product, price, place or promotional strategies. Analysis Based on the research carried, both over nourished and under(a) nourished leads to malnutrition and hence meagerness and lack of food has been an issue under attachment in certain countries which has symptoms of anemia, diarrhea, disorientation, goiter, lack of coordination and press release of reflexes, scaling and cracking of lips and mouth are terrible consequences faced by the people.Companies need to provide fortified foods which have the chance of adding value and providing economies of scale by lowering upon the prices, sireing quality products to enhance tidy sum and competition and reaching out to newer customers that ha ve not been targeted, there by combating the problem of malnutrition of a huge segment of those suffering. Thus malnutrition is a vicious cycle where in an under-nourished or over-nourished person suffers from various diseases and infections which in turn increases the requirement of energy into the physical structure which needs to be fulfilled.If this demand s not fulfilled it results in malnutrition which merely reduces and diminishes the immunity train of the children and elders as well making them more prone to much(prenominal) infections. Recommendations / Solutions to the Problem To improve the nutritional aims of food, the precedent concern should be to increase the income levels where by the quality and the quantitative food use can be increased. Firms need to focus on consider the following aspects in the formulation of a strategic development in order to combat malnutrition and the poverty line.Companies need to focus upon ?Creating awareness among the world on nu tritional and health issues This go out help the local poor people to understand the value of health and the benefits of having equilibrize food habits. ?Increase the income levels there by improving the standard of living If the buying power parity of consumers is increased, the consumption level go away also increase lede to adoption of the best food eating methods.?Improve the nutritional and the health side of the society at large, ?Focus on the cracker-barrel marketing and distribution methods rural marketing needs focus curiously to instill the seriousness of the deaths and weaknesses which result finished malnutrition. Making the product available to them at a reasonable price and at their convenient places will create unequivocal sense of belongingness in the minds of the users.?Organize and develop market surveys to study the general cut off of the consumers Study the market and understand the changing food habits there by promoting the strategies in the manner w hich clears the issues of resisting and fighting the problem of malnutrition. ? teach the volunteers and create awareness among the rural sectors, ? background knowledge up production and marketing units to put up to the goals and objectives set by companies there by improvising on the nutrition status of the target village or market taken into consideration.Conclusion Fighting Malnutrition has been a concern and a serious issue for all the firms whose main objective has been to develop products which are higher in nutrient level with nutritional supplements. The prior focus should be on whether the food or the beverage should be used as a supplement or as a substitute which in turn will help in strategizing the business processes in a manner which suits the target markets requirements and needs.References Capart. (2008). progression of community initiatives to combat malnutrition and provide income generation in the backward regions of India. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from Websi te http//209. 85. 175. 104/search? q= cachePWnXLkls_2sJcapart. nic. in/scheme/projectm. pdf+marketing++malnutrition&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=in Michael, J. (2007). Fighting Poverty with Markets, merchandising to the malnourished. Retrieved October 3, 2008, from Foreign Policy Website http//blog. foreignpolicy. com/node/3712