Synthesis of Certain Derivatives of Schiffbases

Microbiological Studies A definitive diagnosis of tuberculosis can only be made my culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms from a specimen taken from the patient (Most often sputum, but may also include pus, cerebero spinal fluid (CSF)), biopsied tissue, etc. Sputum smears and cultures should be done for acid-fast bacilli. The preferred method for the identification is fluorescence microscopy which is more sensitive than conventional Ziehl- Neelson staining denoted by Steingart et al. , 2006 6. If sputum is not produced, specimens can be obtained by gastric washings, an laryngeal swab, bronchoscopy with broncho alveolar lavage or fine needle aspiration of a collection. A comparative study found that inducing three sputum samples is more sensitive than three gastric washings. Many types of culture media are available. Traditionally Lowenstein –Jensen (LJ), Kirchner or Middle Brook media (7H9, 7H10, 7H11 and 7H12) are used for cultivating of Mycobacterial species. A culture of the acid-fast bacilli distinguishes the various forms of Mycobacteria. New automated systems that are faster include BACTEC 460 TB, BACTEC 9000 and the Mycobacterial growth Indicator tube (MGIT). The microscopic observation drug susceptibility assay (MODS) culture may be faster and more accurate method. Drugs Used In Tuberculosis in the current scenario Active tuberculosis will kill about two of every three people affected if left untreated. Treated tuberculosis if taken up early has a mortality rate of less than 5%. The standard short course treatment for tuberculosis comprises of Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol for two months, then Isoniazid and Rifampicin alone for a further four months. For latent tuberculosis, the standard treatment is six to nine months of Isoniazid alone. Drug regimens are abbreviated in a standardized manner. a). Streptomycin is STM or S b) Isoniazid is INH or H c) Rifampicin is RMP or R d) Ethambutol is EMB or E e) Pyrazinamide is PZA or Z. a)According to WHO norms, there are six classes of second line drugs that are used for the treatment of tuberculosis. A drug may be classified as second line instead of first line for one of two possible reasons; it may be less effective than the first line drugs or it may produce toxic side –effects. They are classified based on their chemical nucleus: Aminoglycosides – Amikacin and Kanamycin b)Polypeptides – Capreomycin c)Fluoroquinolones – Ciprofloxacin d)Thioamides – Ethionamide, Prothionamide and Cycloserine. e)Para-amino Salicylic acid. Tuberculosis has been treated by combination therapy over fifty years. Single drug treatment is ineffective and regimens that use only single drugs result in the rapid development of resistance and thus treatment results in failure. The rationale for using multiple drugs to treat tuberculosis is based on simple probability. The frequency of spontaneous mutations that confer resistance to an individual drug is well known: 1 in 10 7 for Ethambutol (EMB); 1 in 108 for streptomycin (STM) and Isoniazid (INH); 1 in 10 10 for Rifampicin (RMP). A patient with extensive pulmonary tuberculosis has approximately 10 12 bacteria in his body and therefore will probably be harbouring approximately 10 5 Ethambutol resistant bacteria, 10 4 Streptomycin resistant bacteria, 104 Isoniazid resistant bacteria and 102 Rifampicin resistant bacteria respectively. DOTS stands for ‘Directly Observed Therapy, Short – course’ and is a major plank in the WHO global tuberculosis eradication programme. The WHO advises that all tuberculosis patients should have atleast the first two months of their drug therapy should be observed with the aid of observer within that society. DOTS is used with intermittent dosing – Thrice weekly (Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide) or twice weekly. The relative incidence of major adverse effects has been carefully described . a)Isoniazid – Hepatitis, Neuropathy – 0. 49%. )Rifampicin – Skin rash, Thrombocytopenia and Hepatitis – 0. 43 % c)Pyrazinamide – Skin rash and Hepatitis – 1. 48 % d)Streptomycin – Vertigo – 0. 43 % Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR and XDR – TB) Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is defined as tuberculosis that is resistant at least to Isoniazid and Rifampicin isolates. In the year 200 6 â€Å"Extensively- Drug Resistant Tuberculosis† (XDR-TB) has emerged and defined as multi drug resistant tuberculosis that is resistant to quinolones and also to any one of kanamycin, capreomycin or amikacin. A 1997 survey of 35 countries found that 2% of the tuberculosis populations are infected by drug – resistant tuberculosis. The highest rates were in USSR, The Baltic states, Argentina, India and China. In 2006, MDR –TB in New York city has been increased to 20-30%. Annual risk of mortality rates increases by 10-15%. There is currently an epidemic of XDR-TB in South Africa. The outbreak was first reported as a cluster of 53 patients in a rural hospital in Kwazulu –Natal of whom 52 died . The treatment and prognosis of MDR-TB are much more akin to that of cancer than to that for infection. In these aspects, molecular manipulation is a productive source of new drugs. This research work pertains to the modification of Schiff bases on isoniazid to explore the new drugs with a desire to obtain highly potent, more specific and less toxic drugs. In the foregoing literature retrieval, it had been observed that the drug design can be performed by molecular manipulation and resulting in new productive drugs. The biological study of natural products with medicinally useful property and some of the chemical structure and its analogs had furnished to lead compounds, and its variation in the biological behavior. The pre-existing tuberculosis had made a challenging effect of medicinal chemists resulting in the extreme drug resistance. The performance of molecular manipulation still existed in a major line approach for the discovery of new drug analogues. To synthesize a derivative, an intermediate step has to be performed and to proceed for the further molecular manipulation. Combination of two or more active moieties in to one is a common procedure of manipulation and this can be possibly result in augmenting the activity, removal of untoward side effects and particularly to prevent development of resistance by the infectious microorganisms. Abundant literature support were available with regard to the study of Schiff bases as potent antibacterial, antifungal, antihypertensive, antiviral and anticancer perspectives. Schiff bases were the intermediate for the synthesis of azetidine -2 & 4- ones, thiazolidine -2 & 4- ones, triazoles & tetrazoles. It was interesting to observe that some analogues of Schiff bases were combined with other moieties like phenothiazines,hydrazines and some hydrazide derivatives of carboxylic acid resulting in a better performance in their respective biological activities. Hence, it was our interest to associate the Schiff bases with the primary drug isoniazid. Since Isoniazid is a well known antitubercular drug. As a vast number of reports were been available regarding the antitubercular perspectives of the isoniazid, there is still lacuna existing in the study of Schiff bases in the multi drug and extremely drug resistant M. tb strains. This study will full fill the properties of Schiff bases relevant to the prevailing drug resistant tuberculosis. Biological activities of Schiff bases Schiff bases are of interest and its important moiety which is associated with biological activity. Initially, most of the research program has been conducted to explore the antimicrobial perspectives of Schiff base derivatives. Based on the intermediate Schiff base various molecular manipulation were attempted to investigate and discover an effective antibacterials, antifungals & antiviral agents. In this preview of literature the various activities of Schiff bases pertaining to antibacterial perspectives has been studied. 1. Hearn et. al. , 2003 7 performed enzymatic acylation of the antitubercular isoniazid (INH) by N-acetyl transferases reduces therapeutic effectiveness of the drug. Since it dealt with the major metabolic pathway for INH in human beings, many of these derivatives were prepared and screened against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the mice. They conclude the structural cogners of metabolites of INH may serve as significant leads in antitubercular drug discovery and in the exploration of the mode of action of INH. 2. Tarek Aboul – fadi et. al. , 2003 8 had synthesized N- alkyl derivative of INH and the Pharmacokinetic studies were been carried out in the bovine and sensitive strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The pharmacokinetic study revealed that the rate and extent absorption of the tested derivatives. They show relative bioavailability of 183. 15 and 443. 25 respectively. 3. Sultana et. al. , 2007 9 studied the synthesis of hydrazones. The study afforded to the hitherto unreported 1-(4-chloro benzylidene) – hydrazinophthalazine, 1- nitrobenzylidene hydrazine phthalazine. , 3-(4-Chlorophenyl) –S-Triazolo (3,4-a) phthalazine. These structures were confirmed by spectroscopic techniques – IR, UV, H-NMR, EIMS, FD & HRMS. Anti hypertensive activity were been evaluated. 4. Koussi and Abdel rahman. , 2006 10 illustrated certain novel Schiff bases of 4- methyl-1,2,4 –triazole -3-mercaptoacetic acid hydrazide were synthesized and their chemical identities were elucidated by elemental analyses. IR, H-NMR,13- C-NMR and mass spectral data. The percentage of the geometrical isomers was elucidated using the 1-H NMR. The synthesized compounds were selected for screening at the tuberculosis antimicrobial acquisition and co-ordination facility against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RV strain in which they showed moderate activity at a concentration of 625 mg/mL. . Jiang et. al. , 2003 11 studied the series of chemically modified aryl- aldehyde Schiff bases has been synthesized and tested for their antioxidant activity and radiation protection. It was observed that disulfide –containing aryl –aldehyde schiff base exhibited potent free radical scavenging, antioxidation and radioprotective activities. 6. Pandeya et. al. ,1999 12 synthesized antib acterial, antifungal and anti human immunodeficiency virus activities of Schiff and Mannich bases derived from isatin derivatives and N – (4-(4’ chlorophenyl) thiazolyl thiosemi carbazide. Investigation of antimicrobial activity of compounds was done by agar dilution method. 7. Jayasekar et. al. , 1997 13 synthesized the Schiff bases of mesalazine and studied the anti inflammatory activity. The inhibition shows about 50-60% of the potency of the drug. In the present study, we had investigated certain Schiff base derivatives modified from isoniazid and it has screened for Extreme drug-resistant and Multidrug resistant tuberculosis strain procured from the patients suffering from tuberculosis. Bibilography: 1. Rothschild, B. , Martin, L. , Bercovier, L. G. , Gal, B. G. , Blatt, G. C. , Donoghue, H. , Spigelman, M and Brittain, D. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA from an extinct bison dated 17,000 years before the present. Clin. Infect. Dis. 30(3) : 305-311 ( 2001). 2. Pearce-Duvet, J. The origin of human pathogens evaluating the role of agriculture and domestic animals in the evolution of human disease. Biol. Rev. Camb. Philos. Soc. 31(3) : 369-382 (2006). 3. Koch, R. Die Aetiolgieder Tuberculosis. Berliner Klinsche Wochenschrift. 19 : 221-230 (1882). 4. Wells, A. Q. The Murine type of tubercle bacillus : Medical Research Council Special Report No. 259. HMSO, London (1946). 5. Mark Spigelman, 2008. Excavated Jericho Bones may help Israeli- Plaestinian – German team to combat tuberculosis. News release, Feb 29, (2008): 1-5. 6. Steingart,K. , Henry,M. , Pasval,G. , Avery,T. O and Lyall, W. H. Fluorescence versus conventional sputum smear microscopy for tuberculosis : a systematic review. Lancet. Infect. Dis. 6 : 570-571 (2006). 7. Michael J Hearn, Michael H Cynamon. Design and synthesis of antituberculars: preparation and evaluation against Mycobacterium tuberculosis of an isoniazid Schiff base. Journal of Anti Microb. Chemotherapy. 53(2):185-191 (2004). . Tarek Aboul-Fadl, Faragany Abdel-Hamid Mohammed, Ehsan Abdel-Saboor Hassan. Synthesis, antitubercular activity and pharmacokinetic studies of some Schiff bases derived from 1-alkylisatin and isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH). ARCHIVES OF PHARMACAL RESEARCH , 26(10):778-784 ( 2003 ). 9. Sultana-N; Sarfaraz-TB; Nelofar-A; Hussain-SA. Potential antibacterial agents: Part VI â₠¬â€œ Synthesis and structure elucidation of schiff bases derived from hydralazine. Pak-J-Sci-Ind-Resch (Pakistan-Journal-of-Scientific-and-Industrial-Research); 50(3); 169-172 (2007). 10. El-Koussi-NA; Abdel-Rahman-HM . Novel 1,2,4-triazole-3-mercaptoacetic acid derivatives as potential antimycobacterial and antimicrobial agents. Bull-Pharm-Sci-Assiut-Univ (Bulletin-of-Pharmaceutical-Sciences); 29(Part 1); 127-136 (2006). 11. Jiang-JJ; Chang-TC; Hsu-WF; Hwang-JM; Hsu-LY. Synthesis and biological activity of sulfur-containing aryl-aldehyde Schiff bases. Chem-Pharm-Bull (Chemical-and-Pharmaceutical-Bulletin); 51(11); 1307-1310 (2003). 12. Pandeya-SN; Sriram-D; Nath-G; De-Clercq-E. Synthesis, antibacterial, antifungal and anti HIV activity of Schiff and Mannich bases of isatin with N-(6-chlorobenzothiazol-2-yl) thiosemicarbazide. Indian-J-Pharm-Sci (Indian-Journal-of-Pharmaceutical-Sciences); 61(6); 358-361 (1999). 13. Jayasekhar-P; Rao-SB; Santhakumari-G. Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of Schiff bases of mesalazine. Indian-J-Pharm-Sci (Indian-Journal-of-Pharmaceutical-Sciences); 59(1); 8-12 (1997). 14. Mcomia ; Protective group in Organic chemistry. P-66. 15. Trivedi,P. , Undavia,N. K. ,Dave, A. M. , Bhatt,K. N and Desai ,N. C. Indian Journal of Chem . , Vol 32B(7) : 760-765 ( 1993). 16. Divakar, C. M and Nair, G. R. N. Antiulcer, antibacterial and spermicidal activities of Salanin. Indian Drugs. 38(2): 629-932 (2001).

Education: No child left behind Essay

Education is the transmission of knowledge from one person to the other person. It acts as a revolutionary force not only to transmit but transmute. It helps an individual to develops, nurture and inculcates oneself. It is therefore the right of every individual to acquire education in order to make his future better. The purpose of education is to transfer knowledge and to make one aware of its own talents and potential. It helps society to progress by making them productive. People become a productive of the society instead of just being a burden on it. It develops creativity and encourages children to explore the ideas and hidden facts, discover new things and advance forward in life as a reputable figure. It also broad their minds and develops tolerance in them. Today despite of globalization there are so many children who are left behind in this race of life. There are many reasons for these children to be uneducated. Some does not have enough resources to get education. Some does not have peace in their countries and are engaged in wars. Some are opposed by their families. Some do not have proper education system structures. If we talk about these reasons individually we find that a child wants education but it is the circumstances which force them to move their motives to the other things. One of the most important reasons is the deficiency of resources for the child. A child born in a poor family is destined to be uneducated because his parents do not have enough money to pay for his school fees. These children are also neglected by their parents because of their poverty and their struggle with life. These children do not even get home education because their parents are not also educated. These children just learn how to fight the life and forget about the education and their generations keep on inheriting illiteracy. However now government and non-governmental organizations have realized and have taken steps to provide education to everyone. They have started incentive schemes and are even providing free education. Some of the children do not get education because their countries are at war. Instead of learning counting numbers they learn to count dead bodies around them. They suffer a huge loss while people fight over for power. Now leaders have realized this and they have brought their fight on the table. Some of the children are opposed by their families because of their catholic and conservative thinking. This approach is usually taken for girls. They think that girls do not need education because they have to look after their house and kitchen. For this now different organizations have started campaigns to aware people about the benefits of educations. As people have progressed they now have become aware of need of education and making sure that it reaches every one and no child is left behind.

How McDonalds use motivational theories Essay

To what extent do McDonalds use motivational theories to enhance the performance of their employees and hence increase efficiency/productivity? Are these methods effective? Introduction McDonalds is a large multinational company that supplies millions of people with fast food. It is important for them to ensure that the workforce they employ is working to their full potential. McDonalds are very customer/ market orientated. They depend on a reputation for customer service. If employees are not motivated then this will suffer. If workers aren’t motivated costs rise. E.g. training costs increase in proportion to staff turnover. â€Å"When an employee is given a task to do and it is not carried out satisfactorily, this failure may well be due to a lack of motivation, rather than a lack of ability†. With this in mind McDonalds must ensure that their workforce is motivated. Motivation can be linked to a number of factors such as pay, working hours, working environment etc. (see appendix p1 for full list). As well as these the corporate culture and management styles can play a part influencing the motivation of the employees. Well-motivated employees achieve more. They are more committed, vigorous and productive. Over the years various strategies for motivating employees have been developed. These are known as motivational theories. Many different and often contrasting theories have been put forward by a number of different theorists (see appendix p1, p2). I am going to look into the extent that McDonalds, Hertford, use these. Hypothesis/theories Employees who are poorly motivated often score badly on at least one of the factors influencing motivation: an undemanding job, unpleasant working conditions and low pay. (see appendix p1) A lack of motivation- either limited to one area or department, or spread throughout the firm- cause employee dissatisfaction. This results in a higher labour turnover leading to a waste of time and money (see appendix p2) increased incidents of absenteeism and/ or sickness, poor timekeeping, and more disputes between both formal and informal groups within the firm. Motivational problems are not easily overcome. Normally if one person in a whole workforce is unmotivated they will start moaning to the other employees. This can then cause the problems to spread as those that have heard the moaning may also start to moan (low motivation and moaning become contagious). The problems become very hard to stop dead. I feel that an organisation such as McDonalds will try to prevent them arising in the first place. Also according to V.H Room the greater the motivation of an employee the greater the chance of them performing a set task providing they have the ability. He put this into an equation: Performance = Ability x Motivation (people need the ability to do a task but they also need the motivation to do it) This equation leads me to think that McDonalds will use a lot of motivational theories as the equation shows that motivation is a very important factor influencing a person’s performance so McDonalds will try to increase it in as many ways as they possible can. Method Primary research To find the information that I needed I constructed a questionnaire table that gave me a lot of information in as little a time as possible. One table told me what McDonalds were doing to motivate the staff and which of these motivation techniques they found effective. (See appendix for method on the  questionnaire and data collection) Secondary research I used data collected by the key skills group in my year. They constructed a questionnaire to pupils in year twelve to find out â€Å"what factors motivate them in their paid work and how this information could be useful to employers†. Then I took particular questions from this for my work and they gave me the results for these. The questions that I used were 5,6 and 7. (See appendix for copy of this questionnaire Pages 6,7). This was relevant to me as some of the question lead to answers that could be related to motivational theories and motivation in general. Analysis The results collected showed that McDonalds used a lot of factors to motivate their workforce and the results showed that the factors the employees found the most important in motivating them were the ones that McDonalds had satisfied well. (The results table in the appendix p4,p5 shows this where the two columns both have the number three in them) It seems that rather than use one single motivational theory McDonalds have taken all of them and tried to combine as shown on the bottom of the back page in the appendix where I have linked factors from my questionnaire table to specific theories. (See appendix p5 for evidence) McDonalds has a democratic leadership style and a task culture (see appendix for definitions/explanations p1) both of which are associated with McGregors theory Y worker (see McGregor in the appendix p1). This increases motivation according to the survey that was carried out by the key skill group. (See appendix p8 for results proving this) There is group working associated with Elton Mayo yet there is a performance related pay scheme that would be linked to F.W Taylor. They have even taken into account the work done by Fredrick Hertzberg which says that an  employees needs can be put broadly into two categories of motivators and Hygiene factors (see appendix p1 Hertzberg). He says that although hygiene factors should be present- motivation falls if they are ignored- they themselves do not motivate employees. His theory suggests that managers must provide motivators in the form of job enrichment and job rotation schemes. As you can see from the table of results (appendix p5) McDonalds staff have said that this is important to them and have said that job rotation schemes have been used and used well. The Questionnaire that the key skills group constructed showed that most of the students were given training in their job and that the vast majority thought that they should have been trained. It is suggested that if proper training were given it would motivate the employees. However I feel that whether an employee is given training or not is better linked to Hertzberg’s motivators and hygiene factors because he says that a hygiene factor alone will not motivate a person however if the factor is neglected then it will cause a lack of motivation. This seems to be the case with training as shown by Question 6 of the key skill questionnaire. Evaluation My prediction that McDonalds would use a lot of motivational theories seems to be correct, as they do not just use one of the theories they have integrated all of them And they have a democratic leadership style. However despite all this they still have quite a lot of labour turnover. â€Å"We do everything we can to ensure that the staff are motivated. We give them proper training and a 4 week trial period yet myself and my colleagues still find ourselves short due to employees not staying with us for that long† said the store manager when I was conducting my research. One view (a) could that this could be down to the fact that most of the employees are young and still at school, college or university. Therefore they may quit the job when they have to start revising for exams, when they go home from their universities or when they finish school and go in search of a permanent higher paid job or career. All of this leads to higher recruitment and training costs. Showing that although the staff they have stated they are motivated they are still losing employees thus showing that they are not being as efficient as they would like. They are making their employees more productive and efficient but are not being efficient in keeping them. (See problems of labour turnover in the appendix p2). Another view (b) could be that staff do not see McDonalds offering a long term career. Alternative jobs are available to the staff and the pay is about the same (Evidence from results of Q5 in the key skills survey). This indicates that their staff retention problems are more likely down to the factors outlined in view (a) above. Conclusion From the data collected I can conclude that McDonalds in Hertford uses motivational theories to a very large extent. My research showed that they have tried to take all of the theories, put together by all of the theorists, and combine them as well as adopting a democratic leadership to make sure that they benefit from a hard working, motivated and therefore productive workforce. The company appears to have the correct type of management as the results of the key skills survey question 7 (See appendix p8) suggests that the workers are McGregors theory Y workers (appendix McGregor p1) I feel that the company is being effective in motivating the employees and my research proves this. This shows that they are using all of the motivational theories to their advantage shown in the appendix where the motivational factors are linked to theory. One of the reasons for motivating the workforce was to increase productivity and I think that they have done this as my questionnaire showed that the employees were motivated. This motivation will increase their productivity and performance according to the manager and V.H Rooms equation. (See appendix p2) I conclude that McDonalds have increased their efficiency to a small extent just by increasing staff productivity because if each worker is producing faster then they are cutting costs in the form of time. However my research showed that McDonalds, Hertford, are not being as efficient as possible as they are still suffering from labour turnover but this may be nothing to do with lack of motivation but simply that the predominantly young staff do not regard it as long term employment option although they do tend to be employed for 1 to 2 years as part time staff.

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence Dissertation

Leadership and Emotional Intelligence - Dissertation Example Peter Salovey and John Mayer in their definition of emotional intelligence states that it is â€Å"a form of intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions† (Salovey & Mayer, 1990). One of the most common forms of research studies are based on connecting the aspects of emotional intelligence (as defined by Salovey & Mayer) with that of effective leadership. The literature on the leadership quotient has a remarkable number of theories that create a framework on the characteristics that define an effective leader, of which the two most distinct forms of leadership traits are, transactional and transformational (Mandell & Pherwani, 2003). In a transactional leadership, performance forms the main basis for rewarding or disciplining an employee. Emphasis is placed on timely completion of work, quality of work, and compliance with the companyâ₠¬â„¢s norms and values, while trying to affect an employee’s performance organizational punishments and incentives (Bass & Avolio, 1994). On the other hand transformational leadership functions through the notions of motivating and stimulating the co-workers, in order to create a completely different perspective on the organizational objectives, foster an atmosphere where the employees are motivated to achieve higher levels of capability, while inspiring the employees to put team interests before personal interests. Thus, transformational leadership functions of four basic pillars: intellectual incentive, edified influence, inspirational motivation, and consideration for each individual employee (ibid). From the conducted literature review it is evident that from that various studies on the results of effective leadership it is seen that the transformational form of leadership achieves better performance as a team (Keller, 1995), greater effectiveness and reparation (Hater & Bass, 1988), and better efforts from the junior employees (Seltzer & Bass, 1990). In this context, the researchers have also contended that to achieve effective form of leadership with positive outcomes for the entire organization, the aspect of transformational leadership must be combined with emotional and social forms of intelligence (Mandell and Pherwani, 2003).  

Fundementals of finance Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fundementals of finance - Math Problem Example The same goes for stock b. By adding the product of the proportion and the return of these two stocks that form the combination, we get the portfolio return of 24.4% In order to get the risk of the combination of projects a and b, we use the formula for 'p=sqrt (wa2'a2 + wb2'b2 + 2wawb'ab'a'b), where we get the products of the variances of the proportions and the individual risks, adding them and adding them to the last figure which incorporates their correlation. With projects a and b's correlation of 0.7, we get a risk of .081191. By applying the same formula for projects b and c, we get the portfolio return of 29.2%, higher than the combination of projects a and b. The portfolio standard deviation on the other hand is 0.119917-the higher risk accompanying the higher expected return for the portfolio. Combinations of projects b and d have the highest return at 31.6%, with the highest risk of .120216 compared to the other two combinations. This higher return, when expected to have a drastic counterpart in the increase in risk is offset by the correlation of the two projects. This combination offers the lowest correlation at 0.3, which means that the projects' returns are not strongly correlated to the movement of the other, although the positive sign of correlation suggests the same direction of the two stocks in terms of movement. Recommendation The four projects offer seven possible combinations; however, because these projects are indivisible, the only three possible combinations left which are possible within the 2,000,000 limit are the combinations a and b, b and c, and b and d. These three combinations are assessed according to their returns and risks, measuring the returns by getting the proportion and weighted return, and then getting the risk by getting the portfolio standard deviation. Because the investors require a minimum return of 25%, combination of projects a and b is already eliminated from the choices.

Food Van Business Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Food Van Business Plan - Case Study Example Our master-chef team will oversee the whole process and ensure that the health regulations have adhered. Our foods will improve the well-being of our customers and hence our food will be prepared to have that in mind (Myrick 2012, p.23). Our grilled chicken is prepared in a convenient way using fresh ingredients. Each serving involves a sensational taste that is appealing to the customers. Our fish and veggies are pre-blanched and hygienically prepared and sealed in a way that is appealing to the customers. The veggies are being chopped and packed freshly to ensure that their natural tastes are maintained. All ordering, stocking and quality controls are managed by on an in-house computer-based system enabling usage patterns to be monitored maintaining ordering efficiency and minimizing wastage. Our customers can have their orders delivered at their destination within the campus. The business is a profit-making organization will aim at ensuring that the production cost is lower than the sales. At the beginning of each day, the van will arrive at the support kitchen where the foods will be loaded with the day’s meals. This will ensure that the supply of ordered food is constant and no inconveniences are experienced. Promotion of our products will be at offering gifts and subsiding prices on particular days. These efforts will maintain customer loyalty and ensure that customers have trust in the kinds of foods we offer.  

FedEx Management Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FedEx Management Philosophy - Essay Example According to the report findings the management philosophy of Fred Smith was ‘Take care of your People. They in turn will deliver the impeccable Service demanded by our customers who will reward us with the Profitability necessary to secure our future. This philosophy has been the guiding factor through which FedEx has over the years, built a reputation of on time, undamaged delivery of packages. Understanding the customer needs and providing it to them has been an essential element in building the brand equity. To maintain the services and reputation in a highly competitive market requires efficiency at all levels of employees. The process at each stage is important in delivering quality service to the customers. As the report declares when the courier collects a package, it is given a barcode that contains a vast amount of information. This information helps the company to disseminate information and locate the package at any stage. It also helps the customer to track the delivery because all information is available through the website. With the latest technology, FedEx can keep a close connection with the customer through out the process. The FedEx satellite tracking system identifies where every package is in the system and 55 million electronic entries are made every day. They have developed their Business Intelligence system such that the client need call only once to the company for all its needs. The same software is used all over the world at all its offices.

Lab report- materials Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

- materials - Lab Report Example Steel is artificially produced and it exists in different forms of iron. Whereas steel has carbon content which is less than that of pig iron, its carbon content is more than that of wrought iron. Moreover, steel has such qualities as elasticity, hardness, as well as strength, which depends on the heat treatment and composition (Makelainen and Hassinen 488). Consequently, it is categorized as either having low, medium or high carbon content. On the other hand, aluminium is a silvery white metallic element that is ductile and has low density as well as high strength to weight ratio and is mainly bauxite. Owing to its good thermal and conductive properties, aluminium is usually used in forming hard light corrosion resistant alloys. Similarly, a polymer is defined as chemical compound that is formed through a process known as polymerization, and it consists of repeating structural units (Cheremisinoff 1). Inherently, polymers are normally characterized by their light weight and their ab ility to resist corrosion and reaction. Materials and methods The dumbbell specimens were put under tensile forces through a horizontal tensile testing machine. Consequently, the diameter of the specimen was obtained by use of vernier calliper and recorded before the test commenced. Moreover, during the application of the load, two cameras were used in determining the diameter of specimen. Subsequently, the cross-sectional area of the specimen was obtained and together with the load, both the engineering stress and the true stress were calculated in accordance to the following equations. The process was repeated for all the materials. Consequently, a horizontal tensile force was applied to the specimen. The elongation and the new diameter of the specimen, due to the applied load were similarly obtained through the use of VI monitor and the cameras, and they were recorded. Using the load (KN), the diameter (mm) and the elongation (m), engineering and true stress, engineering strain, yield stress *0.1 percent offset, Young modulus, ductility, ultimate tensile stress and work fracture were also obtained. Where where r = diameter/ 2 = Davis defines young elastic modulus as the measure of the resistance of a material to elastic deformation (32). It is equal to the slope of a stress/strain curve in elastic region. Therefore, where , and , are y axis points of the curve, and; , and are x axis points of the curve Moreover, according to Davis ductility of material describes the ability of a material to deform permanently before failure (37). It is actually the engineering strain at failure. = Davis claims that work fracture is equal to the area under stress-strain curve, and its unit is work per unit volume (Nm/m3) (45). More importantly, the ultimate tensile strength refers to the maximum amount of stress a material can bear. It is obtained from the engineering stress-strain curve as the highest point. Conclusion From the tensile test conducted on the materials A, B, and C, the young modulus, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were obtained. Material A had the highest young modulus with a value of 190 GPa, and it was followed by material B and finally material C. Consequently, from the results it is clear that as the materials become brittle, the Young modulus tends to become higher. It was also noted that the polymer achieved the highest engineering strain, of 0.57, and was closely followed by steel with 0.35 and aluminium with 0.1.

The Effects of the Quality of Employees' Interaction with their Research Paper

The Effects of the Quality of Employees' Interaction with their Managers on the Quality of their Work - Research Paper Example The interview session was based on quality of interaction of employees with their manager and quality of performance. The interviewees of the study are employees of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ From that, samples of 12 people were identified with the help of non-probability sampling technique known as purposive sampling. Among the interviewees, 6 employees had good quality of interaction and other 6 employee has poor quality of interaction. It was found that in general, the quality of interaction and the quality of work are directly proportional. But to make a concrete conclusion, further research is required. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 4 Statement of the problem Purpose Hypothesis Importance of study De finitions of terms Delimitations CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 7 CHAPTER III: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 10 Upward communication and downward communication Theory X and Theory Y Leader Member exchange theory Social exchange theory Scientific Management CHAPTER IV: METHODOLOGY 13 Research design: Measurement of variables (Instrumentation): Sampling: Research Methods: Plan of Analysis: CHAPTER V: DATA ANALYSIS 16 Sample characteristics: Analysis results: CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSIONS 22 Introduction: Summary of findings Interpretation of findings & integration: Recommendations: ENDNOTE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.25 APPENDIX 26 WORK CITED 27 CHAPTER I Introduction This project examines the impact of the quality of employees’ interactions with their respective managers and how it changes the quality of their work by identifying characteristics o f quality of delivery. The objective is also to find out whether the quality relationship between employees and managers improve the quality of the work. How far does it make any difference in performance?  This paper takes into account research based on employees’ reaction to the level of interaction with the management and how does that interaction influence the quality of an employees’ performance by and large. Instead of quantitative research, qualitative research is opted to draw the conclusion. The manager-employee communication has a critical impact on performance. That is why companies often neglect to emphasize or provide training to help managers build this important connection? According to exit-interview, research tells that the primary reason people leave their jobs in their organization is their managers. It is said that human resource is the biggest asset and biggest liability of an organization. To make use of an organization’s human resource p ool, it is extremely important to maintain quality interaction among all the office members. End of the day, manager and employees work together as a team. If the performance is good, then not only they are benefited individually, but the office also gets advantages. So it is an extremely important issue as a research topic. Statement of the Problem The research is going to address the problem whether the quality relationship between employees and managers improve the quality of the work. With the help of testing of hypothesis, the research is trying to compare how both high and low quality interacti

Bandura's theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bandura's theory - Essay Example In fact, several studies have shown a high correlation between mastery of these behaviours and high achievement in school. Observation has been demonstrated as having a significant impact on learning in several areas of psychology (Bandura, 1986; Rosenthal & Zimmerman, 1978). These researchers have documented evidence that shows children responding to behaviours observed in adults. The children then learn and subsequently emulate the behaviours. Specifically within the education context, this theory has been found to have merit in that students who observe a model (parent or teacher) depicting positive study attitudes and habits and then emulate that model generally demonstrate a higher level of academic success than those who do not engage in observational learning (Bird et al., 2005; Martinez-Pons, 2002). One of the problems with observation in the educational context is that physical processes are much easier to observe than mental processes. The child who learns how to assemble a toy by watching an adult or older sibling is at an advantage compared to the student who must acquire skills for studying. A model's retreat to a quiet area is visible enough, but self monitoring and regulatory skills generally take place within the mind of the studier and can often only be passed on to an observer through conscious effort on the part of the modeller to get the idea across. Studies have shown that behaviours of students to whom the meta-cognitive strategies have been purposively modelled have demonstrated high levels of achievement than those who are generally left on their own to figure it out (Martinez-Pons, 2002). In a study done by Zimmerman and Kitsantas (1999) students given a writing task were separated into groups in which the necessary strategies for successfully completing the task were either modelled for emulation, verbally described, or directly practised (as distinct from modelling in which mental as well as physical processes are exposed). The result of the experiment was that students who received support in the form of adult modelling of the behaviours necessary for success were better able to independently display skills that led to success in the academic task (Martinez-Pons, 2002). The observation of parents in situations that can be related to learning has also been seen to have an effect on students' ability to perform academically. It is often the case that students who grow up in an environment that encourages learning do better academically than those who have not that privilege. This phenomenon has been described by Martinez-Pons (2002) as a "hidden curriculum." The students exposed to such a curriculum are often able to watch parents in behaviours that are self-regulatory and that lead to learning. A study carried out by Martinez-Pons demonstrated that "parental modeling and support for self-regulatory processes precede students' development of these skills" which lead to positive and high levels of academic achievement. Self Efficacy Self efficacy has been defined as a person's perception of his or her ability to perform a given task. It is distinct from self esteem and self concept in that it is closely tied to a given context, so that a person's self efficacy might vary with different

The Los Angeles Basin Pollution Problems Essay Example for Free

The Los Angeles Basin Pollution Problems Essay Final draft The significant air pollution problem in the Los Angeles Basin has been one of the most severe environmental issues that concerned the society. Due to the American tradition, public transportations are not so commonly used; therefore, a majority of the individuals owned a car. The most commonly used transportation is the convenient motor vehicles that are driven everywhere. With the high volume of traffic daily, the tremendous amount of air pollution that is produced by highly-polluted vehicles are growing at an exponential rate Although the government has been putting a massive amount of work into preventing additional air pollution from being continuously produced and also trying to wipe out the polluted air that already existed, it is still the most challenging environmental issue in America. Statistically proven that â€Å"in Southern California, episodic outdoor levels of ozone (O3), particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) historically have been among the highest in the United States, and they continue to exceed federal and state clean air guidelines.† (Kà ¼nzli et al., 2003, p.1) CAUSE Historically, * â€Å"The first recognized episodes of smog in Los Angeles occurred in the summer of 1943. Visibility was limited to only three blocks and residents suffered from smarting eyes, respiratory discomfort, nausea, and vomiting†¦ Smog events continued to plague Los Angeles throughout the 1940s.† â€Å"The City of Los Angeles began its air pollution control program in 1945, establishing the Bureau of Smoke Control in its health department. On June 10, 1947.† â€Å"During the 1940s and 1950s, air pollution control focused on obvious sources, such as backyard burning and incinerators, open burning at garbage dumps, and smoke emissions from factories. During the 1950s and 1960s, local air quality officials implemented the use of vapor recovery equipment for the bulk transfer of gasoline, regulated petroleum-based solvents, and required permits for rendering plants that processed animal waste. Starting in 1970, the federal government phased out lead in gasoline. In 1975, the first oxidizing catalytic converters to reduce CO and hydrocarbon tailpipe emissions came into use as part of CARB’s Motor Vehicle Emission Control Program.† (2007, pp. 276-278)

Causes and Consequences of Reduced Biodiversity Essay Example for Free

Causes and Consequences of Reduced Biodiversity Essay Causes and consequences of reduced biodiversity in tropical rain forests In many tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from the actions of poor subsistence cultivators. However, in Brazil only about one-third of recent deforestation can be linked to cultivators. A large portion of deforestation in Brazil can be attributed to land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, misguided government policies, inappropriate World Bank projects, and commercial exploitation of forest resources. For effective action it is imperative that these issues be addressed. Focusing solely on the promotion of sustainable use by local people would neglect the most important forces behind deforestation in Brazil. Brazilian deforestation is strongly correlated to the economic health of the country the decline in deforestation from 1988-1991 nicely matched the economic slowdown during the same period, while the rocketing rate of deforestation from 1993-1998 paralleled Brazils period of rapid economic growth. During lean times, ranchers and developers do not have the cash to rapidly expand their pasturelands and operations, while the government lacks funds to sponsor highways and colonization programs and grant tax breaks and subsidies to forest exploiters. Clearing for Cattle Pasture Cattle ranching are the leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. This has been the case since at least the 1970s: government figures attributed 38 percent of deforestation from 1966-1975 to large-scale cattle ranching. However, today the situation may be even worse. According to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), between 1990 and 2001 the percentage of Europes processed meat imports that came from Brazil rose from 40 to 74 percent and by 2003 for the first time ever, the growth in Brazilian cattle production 80 percent of which was in the Amazon was largely export driven. Factors * CURRENCY DEVALUATION—The devaluation of the Brazilian real against the dollar effectively doubled the price of beef in reals and created an incentive for ranchers to expand their pasture areas at the expense of the rainforest. The weakness of the real also made Brazilian beef more competitive on the world market [CIFOR]. * CONTROL OVER FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE—The eradication of foot-and-mouth disease in much of Brazil has increased price and demand for Brazilian beef. * INFRASTRUCTURE—Road construction gives developers and ranchers access to previously inaccessible forest lands in the Amazon. Infrastructure improvements can reduce the costs of shipping and packing beef. * INTEREST RATES—Rainforest lands are often used for land speculation purposes. When real pasture land prices exceed real forest land prices, land clearing is a good hedge against inflation. At times of high inflation, the appreciation of cattle prices and the stream of services (milk) they provide may outpace the interest rate earned on money left in the bank. * LAND TENURE LAWS—In Brazil, colonists and developers can gain title to Amazon lands by simply clearing forest and placing a few head of cattle on the land. As an additional benefit, cattle are a low-risk investment relative to cash crops which are subject to wild price swings and pest infestations. Essentially cattle are a vehicle for land ownership in the Amazon. Colonization and subsequent subsistence agriculture A significant amount of deforestation is caused by the subsistence activities of poor farmers who are encouraged to settle on forest lands by government land policies. In Brazil, each squatter acquires the right (known as a usufruct right) to continue using a piece of land by living on a plot of unclaimed public land (no matter how marginal the land) and using it for at least one year and a day. After five years the squatter acquires ownership and hence the right to sell the land. Up until at least the mid-1990s this system was worsened by the government policy that allowed each claimant to gain title for an amount of land up to three times the amount of forest cleared. Poor farmers use fire for clearing land and every year satellite images pick up tens of thousands of fires burning across the Amazon. Typically understory shrubbery is cleared and then forest trees are cut. The area is left to dry for a few months and then burned. The land is planted with crops like bananas, palms, manioc, maize, or rice. After a year or two, the productivity of the soil declines and the transient farmers press a little deeper and clear new forest for more short-term agricultural land. The old, now infertile fields are used for small-scale cattle grazing or left for waste. Infrastructure Improvements Road construction in the Amazon leads to deforestation. Roads provide access to logging and mining sites while opening forest frontier land to exploitation by poor landless farmers. Brazils Trans-Amazonian Highway was one of the most economic development programs ever devised, and one of the most spectacular failures. In the 1970s, Brazil planned a 2,000 mile highway that would bisect the massive Amazon forest, opening rainforest lands to settlement by poor farmers from the crowded, drought-plagued north and development of timber and mineral resources. Colonists would be granted a 250-acre lot, six-months salary, and easy access to agricultural loans in exchange for settling along the highway and converting the surrounding rainforest into agricultural land. The plan would grow to cost Brazil US$65,000 1980 dollars to settle each family, an amazing amount for Brazil, a developing country at the time. Commercial agriculture Recently, soybeans have become one of the most important contributors to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Thanks to a new variety of soybean developed by Brazilian scientists to flourish in rainforest climate, Brazil is on the verge of supplanting the United States as the worlds leading exporter of soybeans. High soybean prices have also served as an impetus to expanding soybean cultivation. Logging In theory, logging in the Amazon is controlled by strict licensing which allows timber to be harvested only in designated areas. However, there is significant evidence that illegal logging is quite widespread in Brazil. In recent years, Ibama Brazils environmental enforcement agency has made several large seizures of illegally harvested timber including one in September 2003 when 17 people were arrested for allegedly cutting 10,000 hectares worth of timber. Logging in the Amazon is closely linked with road building. Studies by the Environmental Defense Fund show that areas that have been selectively logged are eight times more likely to be settled and cleared by shifting cultivators than untouched rainforests because of access granted by logging roads. Logging roads give colonists access to rainforest, which they exploit for fuel wood, game, building material, and temporary agricultural lands. Fires Virtually all forest clearing, by small farmer and plantation owner alike, is done by fire. Though these fires are intended to burn only limited areas, they frequently escape agricultural plots and pastures and char pristine rainforest, especially in dry years like 2005. Many of the fires set for clearing forest for these purposes are set during the three-month burning season and the smoke produced creates widespread problems across the region, including airport closings and hospitalizations from smoke inhalation. These fires cover a vast area of forest. In 1987 during a four-month period, about 19,300 square miles of Brazilian Amazon were burned. The burning produced carbon dioxide containing more than 500 million tons of carbon, 44 million tons of carbon monoxide, and millions of tons of other particles and nitrogen oxides. An estimated 20 percent of fires that burn between June and October cause new deforestation, while another 10 percent is the burning of ground cover in virgin forest Mining Mining in the Brazilian Amazon presently results in limited deforestation due to crackdowns on informal miners known as garimpeiros. The pig iron industry may have the largest role in mining-driven deforestation by consuming wood to produce charcoal to fuel steel production.

The Five Porter Model In Bajaj

The Five Porter Model In Bajaj Bajaj Auto is a major India Automobile manufacturer. It is Indias largest and the worlds 4th largest two- and three-wheeler maker. It is based in Pane, Maharashtra, with plants in Kauri and Chaka (near Pane), Wale and Pat agar in Uttaranchal. Bajaj Auto makers and exports motor scooters, motorcycles and the auto rickshaw. Over the last decade, the company has successfully changed its image from a scooter manufacturer to a two wheeler manufacturer. Its product range encompasses scooters and Motorcycles. Its real growth in numbers has come in the last four years after successful introduction of a few models in the motorcycle segment. The company is headed by Rahall Bajaj who is worth more than US$1.5 billion. Bajaj Auto came into existence on November 29, 1945 as M/s Bachraj Trading Corporation Private Limited. It started off by selling imported two- and three-wheelers in India. In 1959, it obtained license from the Government of India to manufacture two- and three-wheelers and it went public in 1960. In 1970, it rolled out its 100,000th vehicle. In 1977, it managed to produce and sell 100,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1985, it started producing at Wale in Aurangabad. In 1986, it managed to produce and sell 500,000 vehicles in a single financial year. In 1995, it rolled out its ten millionth vehicles and produced and sold 1 million vehicles in a year. Founded in 1926, at the height of Indias movement for independence from the British, the group has an illustrious history. The integrity, dedication, resourcefulness and determination to succeed which are characteristic of the group today, are often traced back to its birth during those days of relentless devotion to a common cause. Jamnalal Bajaj, founder of the group, was a close confidant and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. In fact, Gandhi had adopted him as his son. This close relationship and his deep involvement in the independence movement did not leave Jamnalal Bajaj with much time to spend on his newly launched business venture. His son, Kamalnayan Bajaj, then 27, took over the reins of business in 1942. He too was close to Gandhi and it was only after Independence in 1947, that he was able to give his full attention to the business. Kamalnayan Bajaj not only consolidated the group, but also diversified into various manufacturing activities. The present Chairman of the group, Ra hall Bajaj, took charge of the business in 1965. Under his leadership, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has gone up from Rs.72 million to Rs.46.16 billion (USD 936 million),its product portfolio has expanded from one to and the brand has found a global market. He is one of Indias most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. REVIEW OF LITURATURE CORPORATE: BAJAJ AUTO TO USE PANTNAGAR, WALUJ PLANTS FOR EXPANSION Anonymous. Mar 28, 2010. Bajaj Auto will use its Waluj and Pantnagar plants for its capacity expansion programmes in the coming years. The company now plans to up overall capacity to five million vehicles during 2011-12 and will divide this enhanced target almost equally between Waluj and Pantnagar. Waluj is, incidentally, home to the three-wheeler range as well as bikes, while Pantnagar, the youngest plant, focuses on bikes. The Bajaj Auto board approved of this expansion programme on Wednesday. BAJAJ FINSERV SETS A GAME PLAN IN PATH TO PROFIT Falaknaaz Syed. Dec 10, 2009. Bajaj Finserv, the holding company for a clutch of financial firms controlled by the Bajaj group, has chalked out a systematic plan for the subsidiaries, giving a new focus on profitability and setting out strategic footprint to make them grow in the coming years. BEHIND THE SPIN Anonymous.: Jun 2008. Last month, Japans third-biggest carmaker missed its profits target for the second year running. And Nissan, which is 44% owned by Renault, said the coming year would be difficult, with an expected 30% fall in profits, because of absolutely scary increases in raw materials, a lackluster US market, and a strong yen. Nissan has promised to launch an ultra low-cost car in partnership with Indian motorcycle maker Bajaj Auto, in 2011. Nissan must apply all its ingenuity to meet changing consumer demands GHOSN ACCEPTS NISSANS LONGER ROAD TO GROWTH Anonymous. May 14, 2008. While his two previous strategic plans for the carmaker merited full or better than full scores for execution, Mr [Carlos Ghosn], speaking in Tokyo, acknowledged his Value-Up blueprint deserved not a full score, but . . . still a very good score. Mr Ghosn also vowed to double sales of Nissans Infiniti premium brand to 300,000 units by 2012. The carmaker will also CATALYST: BANKING ON KIM Anonymous. Jun 5, 2008. Reminisces a former employee of Videocon, Nabankur Gupta, Head of Nobby Brand Architects Strategic Marketing Consultants, Videocon was seen to be an innovator with every new product which came into the market. It was the first one to bring in the automatic washing machines and the frost-free refrigerators in the country. But such innovations have died away over the years. But now with the former LG chief at the helm, Videocon might just return to its glory days. But there is still a lot of catching up to do. In a major category, such as flat colour TVs for instance, LG holds forth with a 27.5 per cent volume share while Videocon has a mere 9 per cent share in the category, according to market estimates. Even in the air-conditioner segment the gap looms large with LG enjoying a 25 per cent share and Videocon having an 11 per cent share. In frost-free refrigerators, LG leads with a 25 per cent share while Videocon is struggling with a 6 per cent share in the category. However, in wash ing machines LG currently with a 22 per cent share has Videocon closely trailing with a 21 per cent share. According to a former LG employee, Ajay Bajaj, who is currently Product Business Head for ACs and Washing Machines, Videocon Group, As long as resources are channelled in the right direction, it is possible for Videocon to overtake anybody. Being one of the oldest companies it had added some flab but as soon as some amount of operational excellence comes in, it would be raring to go. Analysts say that in spite of Videocons shares shrinking, its brands continue to have some equity in certain segments with the durable business. While the flagship brand of Videocon has its strengths in washing machines, air-conditioners and colour TVs, Electrolux is known for its frost-free refrigerators and microwaves while Kelvinators expertise is in direct cool refrigerators. Sansui is best known for its colour TVs while Kenstar has equity for its small appliances and air coolers. We can have different trade channels for each of our brands and thereby have an extensive retail presence today, adds Baj aj, who believes in replicating the LG strategy for Videocon as well. In LG too we had different models for the different trade channels and even in Videocon we intend attacking all the trade channels with our different brands, says Bajaj. ENTRY BARRIERS: Entry barriers are high. The market runs on high economies of scale and on high economies of scope. The need for technical expertise is high. Owning a strong distribution network is important and is very costly. All these make the barrier high enough to be a deterrent for new entrants. SWOT ANALYSIS: Lets analyze the position of Bajaj in the current market set-up, evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities available. STRENGTHS: Highly experienced management. Product design and development capabilities. Extensive R D focus. Widespread distribution network. High performance products across all categories. High export to domestic sales ratio. Great financial support network (For financing the automobile) High economies of scale. High economies of scope. WEAKNESSES: Hasnt employed the excess cash for long. Still has no established brand to match Hero Hondas Splendor in commuter segment. Not a global player in spite of huge volumes. Not a globally recognizable brand (unlike the JV partner Kawasaki) THREATS: The competition catches-up any new innovation in no time. Threat of cheap imported motorcycles from China. Margins getting squeezed from both the directions (Price as well as Cost) TATA Ace is a serious competition for the three-wheeler cargo segment. OPPORTUNITIES: Double-digit growth in two-wheeler market. Untapped market above 180 cc in motorcycles. More maturity and movement towards higher-end motorcycles. The growing gearless trendy scooters and scooterette market. Growing world demand for entry-level motorcycles especially in emerging markets. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS: Supplier Bargaining Power: Suppliers of auto components are fragmented and are extremely critical for this industry since most of the component work is outsourced. Proper supply chain management is a costly yet critical need. Buyers Bargaining Power: Buyers in automobile market have more choice to choose from and the increasing competition is driving the bargaining power of customers uphill. With more models to choose from in almost all categories, the market forces have empowered the buyers to a large extent. Industry Rivalry: The industry rivalry is extremely high with any product being matched in a few months by competitor. This instinct of the industry is primarily driven by the technical capabilities acquired over years of gestation under the technical collaboration with international players. Substitutes: There is no perfect substitute to this industry. Also, if there is any substitute to a two-wheeler, Bajaj has presence in it. Cars, which again are a mode of transport, do never directly compete or come in consideration while selecting a two-wheeler, cycles do never even compete with the low entry level moped for even this choice comes at a comparatively higher economic potential. MANAGERIAL STYLE: Off late Bajaj Auto Limited, Indias premier automotive company has emphasized a lot on organizational restructuring for the Auto business. With this restructuring, the existing business roles and responsibilities at the company has been strengthened and enhanced to ensure greater operational empowerment and effective management. The five pillars of this new structure (Strategic units) are RD, Engineering, Two Wheeler Business Unit, and Commercial Vehicles Business Unit International Business Unit. These pillars will be supported by functions of Finance, MIS, HR, Business Development and Commercial. Praveen Srivastava, who was VP-Engineering prior to restructuring, will, now, is President- Engineering. As per the reorganized structure the company will have three CEOs. S. Sridhar, currently, VP, Mktg. Sales Two-Wheelers, will now head the Two Wheeler Business Unit as CEO with manufacturing operations at Wale and Kauri also reporting to him. RC Maheshwari has joined Bajaj Auto as CEO Commercial Vehicles. The company is in the process of identifying a CEO for its International Business. The three CEOs will be responsible for Top line, Business Growth profitability of their respective businesses. Abraham Joseph will continue to lead Research Development. HR PRACTICES: The Company affirms that its competitiveness is interlinked with the well being of all sections of the Indian society. The Company believes that equal opportunity in employment for all sections of the society is a component of its growth and competitiveness. It further believes that inclusive growth is a component of growth and development of the country. The Company affirms the recognition that diversity to reflect socially disadvantages sections of the society in the workplace has a positive impact on business. The Company wills neither practice nor support conscious discrimination in any form. The Company does not bias employment away from applicants belonging to disadvantaged sections of society if such applicants possess competitive skills and job credentials. The Companys selection of business partners is not based on any considerations other than normal business parameters. In case of equal business offers, the Company will select a business partner belonging to a socially disadvantaged section of society. This Code of Conduct for Affirmative Action will be put up on the company web-site to encourage applications from socially disadvantaged sections of society. The Company makes all efforts for up skilling and continual training of all its employees in order to enhance their capabilities and competitive skills. No discrimination of any type will be shown in this process. The Company may have a partnership programmed with educational institution/s to support and aid students from socially disadvantaged SECTIONS OF SOCIETY. The Company will maintain records of Affirmative Action. Â · The Company has nominated Mr. K Srinivas, Vice President (HR), to oversee and promote the Affirmative Action policies and programmers. He will be accountable to the Chairman. Â · The Company will make available its learning and experiences as a good corporate citizen in Affirmative Action to other companies desiring to incorporate such policies in their own business. BUSINESS STRATERGIES: MARKETING STRATEGIES: The focus of BAL off late has been on providing the best of the class models at competitive prices. Most of the Bajaj models come loaded with the latest features within the price band acceptable by the market. BAL has been the pioneer in stretching competition into providing latest features in the price segment by updating the low price bikes with the latest features like disk-brakes, anti-skid technology and dual suspension, etc. BAL adopted different marketing strategies for different models, few of them are discussed below: KAWASAKI 4S First attempt by bajaj to make a mark in the motorcycle segment. The target customer was the father in the family but the target audience of the commercial was the son in the family. The time at which Kawasaki 4S was launched Hero Honda was the market leader in fuel-efficient bikes and Yamaha in the performance bikes. Boxer It took the reins from where the Kawasaki 4S left. Target was the rural population and the price sensitive customer. Boxer marketed as a value for money bike with great mileage. Larger wheelbase, high ground clearance and high mileage were the selling factors and it was in direct competition to Hero Honda Dawn and Suzuki MX100. CALIBER The focus for the Caliber 115 was youth. And though Bajaj made the bike look bigger and feel more powerful than its predecessor (characteristics that will attract the average, 25-plus, executive segment bike buyer), its approach towards advertising is even more radically different this time around. Bajaj gave the mandate for the ad campaign to Lowe, picking them from the clique of three agencies that do promos for the company (the other two being Leo Burnett and OM). Going by the initial market response, the campaign was clearly a hit in the 5-10 years age bracket. So, the teaser campaign and the emphasis on the Caliber 115 being a `Hoodibabaa bike placed it as a trendy motorcycle for the college-goers and the 25 plus executives both at the same time. PULSAR Pulsar was launched in direct competition to the Hero Hondas CBZ model in 150 cc plus segment. The campaign bearded innovative punch line of Definitely Male positioning Pulsar to be a masculine-looking model with an appeal to the performance sensitive customers. The Pulsar went one step ahead of Hero Hondas CBZ and launched a twin variant of Pulsar with the 180 cc model. The model was a great success and has already crossed 1 million marks in sales. DISCOVER The same DTSI technology of Pulsar extended to 125 cc Discover was a great success. With this, Bajaj could realize its success riding on the back of technological innovation rather than the joint venture way followed by competitors to gain market share. BAL now is taking a leaf out of the FMCG business model to take the company to greater heights. Bajaj has kicked off a project to completely restructure the companys retail network and create multiple sales channels. Over the next few months, the company wills set-up separate sales channels for every segment of its business and consumers. Bajaj Autos entire product portfolio, from the entry-level to the premium, is being sold by the same dealers. The restructuring will involve separate dealer networks catering to the urban and rural markets as well as its three-wheeler and premium bikes segments. Bajaj Auto also plans to set-up an independent network of dealers for the rural areas. The needs of financing, selling, distribution and even after-sales service are completely different in the rural areas and do not makes sense for city dealers to control this. The company also plans to set-up exclusive dealerships For its three-wheeler products instead of having they sold through an estimated 300 of its existing dealers. OTHER STRATEGIC ISSUES: CASH IS STRENGTH: Bajaj Auto has been sitting on a cash pile for over five years now. Over the next couple of years, competition in the two-wheeler market is set to intensify. TVS Motors and Hero Honda are on a product expansion binge. To fight this battle and retain its hard-earned market share in the motorcycle segment, Bajaj Auto will need its cash muscle. A look at its own story over the past five years provides valuable insight. DELISTING WORRY: What is worrying is that there is an idea to delist the investment company (also an indirect indication that it would be listed initially). This would be closing the valve of equitable ownership distribution. There is a hint of a buyback of shares of the investment company as this is the only way it can be delisted. The company would not be short of cash to put through such a buyback. Factors such as low valuation, low trading interest and the need to provide shareholders may be cited as plausible reasons for the buyback. STAKE FOR KAWASAKI: Bajaj Autos attempt to vest the surplus cash in a separate company may be a prelude to offering a stake to Kawasaki of Japan in the equity of the automobile company. The latter has been playing an increasingly active role in Bajajs recent models, and its brand name is also more visible in Bajaj bikes than in the past. BETTER VALUE PROPOSITION: Shareholder interests may be better served if the cash is retained to pursue growth in a tough market. This would also obviate the need to fork-out fancy sums as stamp duty to the government for the de-merger. A combination of a large one-time dividend and a regular buyback program through the tender route may offer better value. A strategic stake for Kawasaki would only positively influence the stocks valuation. STRATEGIES FOR THE OVERSEAS MARKETS: Bajaj Auto looks at external markets primarily with three strategies: (1) A market where all BAL need to do is distribute through CKD or CBU routes. (2) Markets where BAL need to create new products (3) Markets where BAL need to enter with existing products and probably with a good distributor or a production facility or a joint venture. Earlier, most of the products that Bajaj exported were scooters and some motorcycles. However, in its target markets, like in India, the shift was towards motorcycles. With the expansion in Bajajs own range to almost five-six platforms of motorcycles, it had a better offering to export, also the reason for its stronger showing. For the last fiscal, 60 per cent of its exports were two-wheelers and the rest three-wheelers. Of the two-wheeler exports, close to 90 per cent were motorcycles. Bajaj has identified certain key markets, which hold potential. Its first overseas office established at the Jebel Ali free trade zone has been the focal point for exports to middle Africa and the Saharan nations. Egypt and Iran also continue to be strong markets for Bajaj. The other market, which would be a focus area, is South America, where the company feels it is fairly well represented in most countries, except in Brazil, the largest market. The company recently participated in a large auto exhibition in Brazil and found good consumer acceptance to products like Pulsar and Wind 125.The other focus area is the ASEAN nations, which constitute the third biggest consumer of two-wheelers. The biggest among them is Indonesia, where Bajaj distributors are looking to introduce eco-friendly four-stroke auto rickshaws. But two-wheeler market requires great deal of effort from BAL. Everybody is there with Honda leading the show. Theres Suzuki, Kawasaki and some Korean and Chinese models. BAL should look at the right product mix for two-wheelers. Bajajs Pulsar model has taken off well there. It also wants to develop a new step-through model for the Indonesian market, but for now it will create a base there with its motorcycle models. Bajaj has also made a beginning by selling bikes in the Philippines branded in the name of its technical partner, Kawasaki. The two signed a Moue in February. Kawasaki, a large multi-product conglomerate, only makes high-end bikes and does not have sub-200cc models. Kawasaki is marketing the new model, Wind 125, developed by both companies, in the Philippines. The Bajaj-developed models, Caliber and Bike, which is a fuel-efficient bike, are also being Distributed by Kawasaki. This is a good beginning strategically for Kawasaki to evince interest in Bajaj products for markets which can still buy less than 150 cc. COST EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGIES: CONSERVATION OF ENERGY: Furnaces, reduction of hot water temperature for pre-treatment, use of bio- As a part of continuing efforts to conserve various resources, following steps were taken to conserve energy Electrical energy saving was achieved by installation of localized portable air compressors at various shops during low production periods, energy efficient screw compressors by replacing CPT compressors, real timer electrical circuits installed to switch off electrical equipments during lunch / tea breaks and during non utilization of production equipments, fan less cooling towers for AC plants, high efficiency reflector fittings with electronic ballasts tube lights, use of LED CFT street lights, replacement of 350 W air circulators by 180 W air circulators, 150 W MH lamps instead of 250 W HPSV lamps at shop floors, Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) for ASUs in paint shops, washing machine blowers, compressors etc and rationalization of pumping hours of main pump as well as booster pump of pump house. Water saving was achieved by replacement of old under-ground water pipes with aboveground pipes to avoid water wastage through leakage, drip irrigation system for gardening, installatio n of localized fresh water storage systems, usage of treated water for bin washing and paint shop process, rain water harvesting and use of bio-chemical additives to reduce frequency of water change in various paint processes; and LPG saving was achieved by installation of waste heat recovery system for hot water generation used in pre-treatment process of paint shop, use of reflective coating inside furnaces for better heat retention, three-wheeler electro-deposition (ED) painting process changed from Acrylic ED to Cathodic ED, optimisation of loading pattern in CGC and seal quench gas for cooking in canteens, start-up losses in ovens and hot water generation plants and changed design of paint jigs to reduce jig stripping frequency. IMPACT OF MEASURES TAKEN: As a result of the initiatives taken for conservation of energy and natural resources, the company has effected an overall reduction in consumption as under:- COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES: During the year, the employees volunteered for blood donation camp at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune and Dr Sunshield Tiwari Hospital, Pant agar Fire fighting teams of the company along with vehicles responded to 20 Fire assistance calls from Government Fire Department / other industrial units outside the factory premises in the larger interests of saving invaluable life and property. COMMUNITY CARE: In line with the commitment to enrich the life of all with whom bajaj deals, it shows sensitivity to the employees, who opted for voluntary retirement at the Kauri Plant. Soon after the Kauri employees expressed their interest in accepting the Voluntary Retirement Scheme, the company organized a series of interactive meetings with leading financial institutions. The officers explained the need to prudently and safely invest the monies received, considering the various options available today. The company devised attractive schemes for interested employees so that they could receive regular monthly payments, in addition to lump sum compensation announced. They were also provided with options of taking loans at competitive rates of interest. By these actions, it is the companys Endeavour that the employees, who have accepted voluntary retirement scheme, are independently self-sustaining and can take good care of their families. Employees were also guided for alternative possibilities, whether as employee or entrepreneur. HEALTH: Government of India- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and CII has initiated Public Private Partnership (PPP) in order to provide better healthcare to AIDs patients. Your company has signed a tripartite Moue with NACO and Yeshwantrao Chauvin Municipal Hospital (YCMH) in Pinprick to set up an Anti Retroviral Treatment Centre (ART Centre) at YCMH in Pinprick, Pane with the cooperation of Pinprick Chinch wad Municipal Corporation for HIV patients. Many dignitaries from Global Fund, WHO and such other organizations have visited the ART centre, which is the largest unit run by an industry under Public Private Partnership programmed. Apart from two doctors and six supporting medical staff, the ART centre has added audio-visual facilities for group counseling, as a result of which the ART centre registration has reached 1,900 numbers and the unit is recognized today as one of the best ART centers in the country. Rural and community development activities and empowerment of women. The company continued with its rural development activities in Pane and Aurangabad districts of Maharashtra through its trust, Jankidevi Bajaj Gram Visas Sancta (JBGVS). JBGVS aims at an integrated development of 43 Selected villages, to be carried out by the villagers under their own leadership and through united efforts forged by local organizations with JBGVS acting as a catalyst New projects four wheeler plant: Chaka 4wheeler plant-The Late range of 4 wheeler vehicles, both in Passenger and Cargo segments of the Industry are under re-design, to Sharpen the competitive positioning of the products. The Cargo version code named PV 1500 is likely to be launched in 2011. The Techno-economic feasibility for the Passenger 4 wheeler will be Evaluated by Bajaj Renault-Nissan for a final decision, leading to firming Up of the co-operation parameters among partners and a suitable JV Agreement. Company continues to focus on expanding its design testing teams, Which has enabled it to make the new generation products? R D has Enhanced its internal competencies by installation of advanced machines in Proto shop and introduction of special equipments in testing areas. PROFITS DURING RECESSION: 2008-09 has been a tumultuous year for the global economy. The year began With a continuation of a world-wide inflationary spiral and ended with the Worst slowdown since the Great Depression of the 1930s. While India did not Face a contraction in GDP growth like the USA, the Euro zone, the UK and Japan, it has witnessed a 250 basis point compression in growth rate from 9% in 2007-08 to an expected 6.5% or thereabout in 2008-09. The second half of 2008-09 has seen severe financial distress across broad Sections of Indian industry-especially the manufacturing sectors. Companies Have got re-rated; have scrapped investment plans and capital expenditure; Cut down capacities; struggled with finances because of their earlier over- Leveraged positions; delay ed payments to vendors; and had to borrow funds .At prohibitive interest rates. It is in this context that one must look at the performance of Bajaj Auto Limited (Bajaj Auto, BAL or the Company). Despite falling demand in .The motorcycl e segment, the company has succeeded in maintaining an Operating EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and Amortization) margin of 13.6% of net sales and other operating income The heartening news for this segment is that state governments have Increased the permits for plying energy efficient three-wheelers. Bajaj Auto has a market share in excess of 90% in the permit-driven markets. The Company also intends to introduce a RE Diesel upgrade in 2009-10, which Will have a high mileage; accommodate more passengers with a luggage hold Area, and will attempt to capture a larger share of the rural market. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS: At Kauri, the management signed the wage settlement on 18 July 2008 with Vishwakalyan Kampar Sanghatana, the recognized union, in conciliation and accordingly, the benefits of the settlement have been given to all daily- Rated employees at Kauri. Subsequently, with a view to downsizing the workforce at Kauri, Voluntary Retirement Scheme was floated for the permanent daily rated workmen. 2,331 Workmen availed of the benefit under the scheme. Relations with staff and workmen across the plants at Kauri, Wale, Chaka And Pant agar remained cordial. SUBSIDIARIES: PT. Bajaj Auto Indonesia (PT BAI), was incorporated as a subsidiary company In Indonesia with an issued, subscribed paid-up capital of US$ 12.5 Million (Rs.562 million) in 2006-07. Bajaj Auto holds 97.5% shares in this Company, with balance being held by a local partner. The subsidiary company Has accumulated losses of Rs. 830.7 million as on 31 March 2009. Through The efforts, which are planned in the coming years, it is expected that PT BAI will turn around within a reasonable time. During the year under review, sales and service network reach have been Expanded substantially covering the major cities of Jaw, Sumatra, Bali And Sulawesi islands. Total showroom strength stands at around 63 numbers, Covering 46 cities of Indonesia. PT BAI assembles and markets Bajaj Pulsar and Bajaj XCD in Indonesia, Establishing Bajaj as a high quality tech-savvy brand. PT BAI plans to Expand its presence, product range and reach towards becoming a strong Player in this market currently dominated by Japanese 2-wheeler majors. Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV, Netherlands (BAIHBV) -was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary company in Netherlands with an Issued, subscribed and paid-up capital of Euros 200,000 during 2007-08. Further capital of Euro 98.2 million was invested in this company d

Mexico 1940-82: Higher Priority on Political Stability and Economic Growth than on Social Change :: Mexican History Politics Economics Essays

Mexico 1940-82: Higher Priority on Political Stability and Economic Growth than on Social Change Mexico’s political and economic stability from 1940-1982 can be well understood by looking at one of Sergio’s televisions. In Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman introduces the reader to Sergio Espinoza, a businessman who once employed some 700 workers to produce televisions, stereos and sound systems. His televisions’ high production costs, low quality, high prices and inaccessibility to the poor sketch a rough microcosm of the period from 1940-1982 by laying bare the inefficiencies of import substitution industrialization and the vast inequalities in Mexico. From 1940-82, economic growth and stability came at the expense of social justice and political pluralism. In particular, the Mexican campesinos, the backbone of the revolutionary Zapatista uprising, suffered from the economic development model and from the PRI’s ability to muzzle dissent. The basic model employed after Cardenas to promote growth in the Mexican economy was Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI), whereby Mexico attempted to build domestic industry and a domestic market. The strategy quickly started paying dividends, and the â€Å"import-substitution policies of the Mexican state were successful in generating rapid and sustained economic growth† (Sharpe 28). ISI ushered in the â€Å"Mexican Miracle† of economic growth; the Mexican growth hovered around 6% annually for some thirty years (Hellman 1). The government created incentives for investment and lowered taxation to spur domestic investment. Despite the strong economic indicators, the spoils of growth were not shared by many. Those groups who bled and died from 1910-1917 for a more just and equitable Mexico were subsequently denied the fruits of economic growth and transparent political representation. Efforts to accelerate growth since the mid 1930s â€Å"have tended to produce- or at least, to reinforce- a highly inequitable pattern of income distribution† (Hansen 71). According to Roger Hansen, the author of The Politics of Mexican Development, â€Å"no other Latin American political system has provided â€Å"more rewards for its new industrial and commercial agricultural elites† (87) since 1940 and â€Å"in no other major Latin American country has less been done directly by the government for the bottom quarter of society† (87). Mexico’s development created a middle class and brought a certain measure of industrialization but further disenfranchised the poor. Mexico’s leaders implemented a development policy which violated the ideals of the revolution by shirking the responsibilities of a social democracy. In his essay â€Å"Guatemalan Politics: The Popular Struggle for Democracy,† Garry H.

Maniac Magee :: essays research papers

Maniac Magee is about a boy who struggled throughout his life. His name was Jeffrey Lionel Magee, sometimes known as Maniac Magee. His parents died in a trolley accident when he was three years old. He is patient, determined, and he really wants to be loved and understood. He spent eight years in bizarre household of his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, who hated each other but refused to divorce. They lived in the same house without speaking to each other, using Magee as their go-between. He tried to have them talk to each other but he failed, so in the middle of his school concert Magee screamed: â€Å"Talk to each other†, and then ran away. That was the beginning of his run and search for a real home. He ended up in the town of Two Mills, two hundred miles away from his aunt and uncle. The Jeffrey meats a black girl called Amanda Beale, who introduced him to the town and told him that this town is divided by race into East and West Ends. It is with Amanda and her family that Magee found a home. In Two Mills, he was called â€Å"Maniac Magee† after defeating John McNab, a giant five feet eight twelve year old child, in a baseball game. McNab was a member of the Cobras, a survivalist gang who hates and fear blacks. Magee has a strong sense of jus tice, a thirst for knowledge, and an amazing lack of fear. The only time that he showed fear in the book was when he did not walk out on trolley trestle where his parents were killed, not even to help a frightened little boy. Magee then met a new friend called Earl Grayson, an old man at the zoo. Magee helped Grayson how to read and then he found a home with him at the zoo bandstand.

Breast Cancer Essay -- essays research papers

BREAST CANCER I) Anatomy of the breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The breast is a gland designed to make milk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   II) What is breast cancer?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of cells.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These abnormal growths are called tumors. Not all tumors are cancerous.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Non-cancerous tumors – benign   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cancerous tumors – malignant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If not treated the cancer may spread to other parts of the body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  second leading cause of cancer death next to lung cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The incidence of breast cancer is very low in women in their twenties,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  plateaus at 45 and the increase dramatically after fifty. Fifty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  percent of breast cancer is diagnosed in women over sixty-five. III) Risk factors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early onset of menses/menstrual cycle prior to age 12   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Menopause   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diets high in saturated fats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Late or no pregnancies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moderate alcohol intake   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History of prior breast cancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estrogen replacement therapy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Therapeutic radiation to chest wall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gene mutations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moderate obesity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Female **Every woman is at some risk for breast cancer (does not necessarily mean that just because it does not run in your family that you will not develop breast cancer – According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation 85% of women with breast cancer have a negative family history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IV) Symptoms/Early signs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lump in or near your breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A change in the size or shape of your breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nbs... ...run in your family, you will not get it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NO – every woman has some risk of breast cancer, 85% of women who get breast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cancer has no known family history   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Only your mother’s family history of breast cancer can affect your risk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NO – a history in your mother or father’s family will influence equally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using antiperspirants causes breast cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NO – there is no evidence that influences breast cancer risk   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Birth control pills cause breast cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NO – most birth control pills contain a low dose of estrogens and progesterone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (they however can provide protection against ovarian cancer)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Breast cancer diagnosis is an automatic death sentence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NO – 96% of women diagnosed with breast cancer live at least 5 years, more than   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  70% will survive 10 years

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil Archetypal Project

Midnight in the garden of good and evil archetypal project. Summary 1, November 10, Pages 1-25: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil starts with the main character, John Berendt as the Narrator. He first introduces the book by speaking of a man by the name of Jim Williams, the home owner of the Mercer house in Savannah Georgia. This intelligent yet cocky man is an antique dealer and is quite rich, owning many houses and valuable antiques. He spends most of his time restoring antiques and â€Å"living like an aristocrat, but not actually being one. His assistant, Danny Hansford is very rowdy, he intrudes on Berendt's interview of Williams by storming into Mercer house cursing a certain â€Å"Bonnie† and insists that he get â€Å"jacked up† on drugs. Summary2, November 11, Pages 25-50: In the second chapter of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, we are introduced to yet another character by the name of Mary Harty, and elderly woman who has lived in Savannah for m ost of her life. Miss Harty is the mentor archetype, she drags Berendt all through Savannah, giving him information that only locals could tell you.Once the tour was finished, Berendt decided he would like to stay longer in the grand town of Savannah, and booked a room in the second floor of a carriage house. From here we meet the temptress Mandy Nichols and the trickster Joe Odom. Joe is the permanent host of an everlasting party, he steals electricity from the next door neighbors and swindles people out of their money, yet everyone loves him to death. Mandy is his fourth wife in waiting, she’s won several pageants and is quite beautiful. Summary 3, November 12, Pages 50-75:Into the 4th chapter of the novel, Berendt takes us to a junk shop to shop for necessities for his new living space in Savannah. He describes a Buddha-like owner and an â€Å"expressionless man in his mid-thirties, with mousy brown hair and one eye made up in purple eye shadow. † The man with one e ye made-up is referred to as Jack-the-one-eyed-Jill, according to his boss. Afterwards, Berendt comes across a strange man who has the same morning routine as himself, and orders the same meal every single day; this man isLuther Driggers the inventor. This man is the outsider archetype, no one particularly enjoys his company, and rumors spread that he has a poison stronger than arsenic, and plans to one day dump it into Savannah’s water supply. Summary 4, November 13, pages 75-100 Berendt;s journey is beginning to unfold and the â€Å"small world† philosophy is starting to show, everybody seems to be connected to everybody in Savannah now that Berendt is getting to know more and more locals.In Joe Odom's house he meets Emma Kelly a pianist who hardly ever sleeps, music is her entire life. Joe describes the aspects of Emma's life to Berendt and he is throughly pleased to listen. Later on, Berendt is driving home and spots a woman staring him down, her name is Chablis, s he is a drag queen. Chablis is a temptress, Berendt describes her as â€Å"having no masculine features† at all and being quite beautiful and feminine. Summary 5, November 14, pages 100-125

Topic civil war

This is to analyze American Civil War based on James McPherson’s For Cause and Comrades and Sam Watkins Company Aytch, by knowing what were the most important factors that led men to join and stay with the armies. This paper will also consider the ways in which those reasons differed between North and South, and discuss why the resolve to fight largely collapsed in the Confederacy by 1865, while it continued to endure in the North. 2. Analysis and Discussion 2. 1 In general, soldier fought for cause and comrades When people go to war they do not do it for nothing.Normally nobody wants to go to war hence going to war must have their good reasons for violating their peace. It must be for reason for cause with the belief that reason of because if more important than allowing the other person of party to continue what he or she must be doing. Tolerance is therefore no longer an option hence resolution by bringing to war is the only best option to resolve the situation. What McPher son tried to paint from his work entitled For Cause and Comrades about the reason that men and women may have in going to war. The very title is speaking for reasons in getting to war.In his work, James McPherson asks that question of the combatants on both sides of the American Civil War. With his subtitle asking the familiar question: â€Å"Why did men fight in the American Civil War? † , one could readily agree that author purposely finds real reason why people go the war. The thesis therefore of this his book is that men and women go to war for cause and for comrade. Allowing the more important word to absorb the less significant one would have reduce the title into War for Cause since doing for comrades is for cause as well.He must have therefore his own reasons for choosing the title and there might be a need for special emphasis for comrades. Hence, McPherson must have been arguing that the main title states the two most important reasons: a cause moved each of them to enlist, but cohesiveness among comrades sustained them to the end. The author reported to have turned the pages of the diaries and letters of 647 Union and 429 Confederate soldiers, and he followed a simple method by categorizing the reasons and inserting four quotations from letters or diaries for each category.It may be noted that about each soldier, McPherson provided basic information: whether the soldier fought for the Union or the Confederacy, and when and to whom he wrote. His comments on each set of quotations are thin. His typical entry, early in the first chapter: quoted â€Å"I am sick of war,† as written by a Confederate officer to his wife in 1863, and of the severance from the dearest objects of life–his family. 2. 3 Resulting answers based McPherson's researchMcPherson's work was able to extract fourteen key answers as reasons for going to war and these include martial enthusiasm, comradeship, character, and discipline and leadership religion. Other rea sons include defense of homeland and preservation of the union. While further reasons include: liberty, slavery, vengeance, duty, glory, and honor. McPherson found both rebels and Yankees to have given similar reasons, except, as expected , on the subject of slavery.In doing his topical index, McPherson inserted other attitudes, motives, and types of experiences the soldiers recorded as the same soldiers followed their reasons for fighting which may be adventure, , desertion, cowardice, the draft, skulking, coercion, desertion. The other reasons for fighting include pursuit of promotion, combat stress, rage, poor morale and homesickness. Using some principles from the work of John A. Lynn, McPherson was steered by three categories of motivation: First is initial motivation, followed by sustaining motivation and finally combat motivation.It was found out the group cohesion and peer pressure were indeed powerful factors in combat motivation and were also connected to the multifaceted mixture of concepts of duty, honor, patriotism , ideology, community of peer pressure and manhood that prompted these soldiers enlist in the army, first place. McPherson then argued for a more relevant relationship among these three categories for Civil War soldiers compared with others’ work major appeal of this book is the purely interesting, sometimes awesome, but always brief stories the soldiers tell to express their reasons for fighting.2. 4 Is there basis to take Soldiers’ Writings at Face Value? McPherson had asked questions whose answers appear from the dairies and letters of soldiers he reviewed . He is therefore, inclined to take what they say at face value. From an objective historian’s point of view, it may be asked whether there is basis to take the writings at their face value. By making his title: For Cause of Comrades, McPherson appeared to have taken upon himself that what he got from the diaries and letter is really what the authors to communi cate.As a general rule a diary is something personal where if the issue is truthfulness of its contents, this researcher therefore would like to give credence the validity of those events happening with the official function of the knowledge as made known to the faculties. Although McPherson's findings represented to have the many letters, he was just trying to extract the motives from those statements. It may be argued that people react differently to situations and reactions to situations could be numerous or the context from which statements were made do really vary hence they could be capable of different meanings.Psychology is different field from law. Although in both field, motives may be used to predict behavior, the predicted behavior may really vary from the actual result. Trying to infer what was the motive by reading statements would have the characteristics of being speculative. If speculation could be away of learning for something that will come then by all means it s hould used not sparingly since the cost could be higher if futures are not studied well in the content of agreement. Motives as used by McPherson has catalogued are not the same as actual events as proved evidence.Realities cannot be equated with simple extraction from testimonies found in letters or diaries. The same argument may hold even by a quantitative statistical analysis of all the letters ever written, combined with sociological, cultural, linguistic, and psychological, principles. It may therefore be safely deduced that motives standing by themselves and by their very nature, possess few of the necessary attributes of fact. One could accept the at the most what could be done in the diaries and letters is just the option of speculation. Fortunately but speculation as sometime done have become useful sometimes.One could therefore speculate on the motive for fighting based on reading the from the testimony of soldiers on their motives for fighting, in terms of the level of co nsciousness motive as they say their own piece of their own stories. In psychology many thing is possible as it could be possible that while at certain time, the writer's conscious motive is to reassure, it is also possible that his unconscious motive is self-delusion. If the soldier asks his own self why he needs to the joining the draft, and thereby answered is religion, then such is a prerogative of any person.Taking the words of soldiers at their face value must be given credence given this may even be sustained in the court of law. In law the express meanings of the word are given preference over the implied meaning. The probability therefore that contents of the diaries are true is more than not has a good chance of being upheld. 2. 5 Questions based on Answers McPherson's latest study on the motives of soldiers from their letters and diaries may be considered as an achievement itself as for further exploration and speculation.Having perhaps taken a necessary first step, while none of the reasons he gives are new, he has assembled together many colorful testimonials of soldier who have the chance to be part of the actual war. He just set to do the laying out of they soldier's own stated reason and he must be given credit for thoroughly doing in good order, and in a readable style. But to consider his approach, as if it has accomplished everything or in a context where he has already provided almost the final answers would be too simplistic.To substitute what could otherwise be an inherently complex dynamic issue where other researcher’s may take several steps further a powerful lead to further research. Some of the questions that could be asked form his work include: Is the person talking or writing a ranking or non-ranking soldier. Is the same soldier from the South or from the North. His work may not be fully compared with the work of Sam Watkins who was part of the Confederates. Having a person interpreting what other people are saying is diffe rent form having the person who actually did it to say.To the appreciate the concept, having a person to testify in court will carry more wait than a mere affidavit of a deposition taken from that person. Sam Watkins may therefore have the chance to write the most famous and most complex memoirs in â€Å"Co. Aytch† as one who was there could actually explain it more fully. The other question that could be asked included the place where the soldier is at the time he writes. This could be Winter quarters, his home, a hospital or a even prison or on a ship. Another angle is the reason for writing which is the immediate reason. Does the writer write to reassure?to reproach? to brag and to justify? Having perhaps answered to these question would make separate research that would further really explain that is causing people to go to war. The fact that one writes in a letter, a diary, or a memoir where each is different from the other. To have a deeper truth is to ask the author to whom does he write? This will normally taking to a mother, a grandmother, a father, a grandfather, a brother, a sister, a uncle, a aunt, a cousin. The following individuals people such a friend, a sweetheart, a politician, a teacher, a wife, a little child, or even fellow soldier.What is logical is a different rhetoric is aimed at each person in this array of types. It is therefore logical to a writer to anticipate the response of his audience. If the audience is one of a variety of people or oneself, a relevant question is would include trying to persuade with such rhetoric, oneself or the other person, or both. Answers to these many questions would provide a complex setting for answers to the question McPherson poses. He doesn't pose these related questions; he does not, therefore, attempt to answer them.He has acquitted himself well of an historian's task: to state a subject that deserves research, uncover what's in the record, and then give a report of the matter. But one shoul d not expect an historian to deal with questions that can be answered most effectively by experts in other disciplines. Most questions about the Civil War are simplistically posed and simplistically answered, because each question is asked is isolation of all or most others, and asked from the perspective of a single discipline. The Civil War in most of its aspects defies single-perspective explanations.Answers to McPherson's question are most useful after the most perspectives have been brought to bear. This is a task of interdisciplinary study: psychology, linguistic anthropology, statistical analysis, cultural geography, religion, political science, social science, literary criticism, military science, etc. No one discipline serves well enough. Such is the art of making further studies in the work of others . The relevancy of questions posed will have now to consider the possibilities for multidisciplinary approaches to address such complex questions.The McPherson's book appendix es points the way to the larger, more complex job to be done. There is indeed the need for more direct interpretation of McPherson's quotations in light of such information is needed. The presence of geographical distribution of white Confederate and of white Union soldiers and their occupations, a provide a mutual misunderstanding. It could thus be asserted the Civil War, was a class war–a rich man's war, but a poor man's fight. What come s next is the unanswerable question that remained? What were the reasons of the poor and illiterate, the white, the black and the foreign born to fight in going to War.3 Conclusions The most important factors that led men to join and stay with armies vary but according to McPherson’s For Cause and Comrades, basically there must be a cause that is defined with the individual level. Fighting for comrades is a cause itself but other soldiers have expressed these reasons in other ways which McPherson was able to extract and categorized f rom the letters and diaries and soldiers involved in the war. McPherson has provided readers with the means to start on asking major questions whose answer may be applied to later years such as the reconstruction era.The same answers may also illuminate one’s understanding of the evolution of the American character from 1865 to the current chapter in our history. The answers may be used also to deal with the legacy of violence, racism, distrust of government, and economic instability, in understanding the lives that Americans have in understanding others who are enduring or surviving the crucible of Civil War around the globe. Understanding the why men and women of past fight may help the Americans to deal with those wars from within and from without more effectively.Knowledge of inner reasons is good starting point of really doing a research that points the wisdom of learning from experience. The value if learning is therefore not to commit the same mistake. The book of Watk inson the other hand was written by a Confederate private who served in the Army of Tennessee for nearly the entirety of the Civil War. Having been extracted from diaries of the author during the war, it carries more credence than that of McPherson since this memoir of civil war experiences from a private's perspective is priceless in terms of primary source material.Watkins was found to be frank and impenitent, thus his book is possessed of a quality that gives the historian with unique material in terms of dealing with the sentiments that the non-elite confederates often held. Watkins’s frankness is almost certainly the most important feature of this work. His hatred of Yankees and the same level as his hatred of some of the Confederate command proposes an individual who most likely defies current simple philosophy of Yankee/Rebel mentality. Watkins is often amusing, especially when reflecting upon feelings that we would now understand as being imbedded in â€Å"class stru ggle†.Of course, Watkins’s frankness extends to his views of blacks and slaves, illuminating an individual who was both racist and yet not in the generally held conventional manner. This paper also considered the ways in which those reasons differed between North and South, and is making a resolution why the resolve to fight largely collapsed in the Confederacy by 1865, while it continued to endure in the North. The earlier collapse in the Confederacy by 1965 may be explained by the fact that the Conferacy often used slaves as naval crewmembers and soldiers, the African American soldiers were paid less than white soldiers.And the African American soldiers were discriminated against and served in segregated units under the command of white officers. It may be given emphasis that the knowledge of knowing the motivation of soldiers would be a good way to prevent a destruction of life that must come out of the war. It is said that not any one really win in war in perfect ma nner for whoever goes of war faces the risk of possible loss of life. Work Cited: McPherson , For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War (Paperback) Oxford University Press, USA, Aug 28, 1998 Watkins, and Inge, Company Aytch, Plume; Subsequent edition (November 1, 1999)