Marketing Research Tools Essay - 1277 Words

Marketing Research Tools Strategic and tactical decisions need to be made when an organization needs to achieve the objectives of the research. Market research is a strategic step in determining the best solution for discovering opportunities and acquiring clients. This is the first critical step in the marketing department that creates a foundation for what a company needs to research to identify what opportunities are given and what steps need to be taken to achieve the goals. The process provides information for managers and necessary tools for the marketing mix, which can help with customer satisfaction and retention. It is important for proactive management because it helps develop marketing options through market segmentation,†¦show more content†¦For example, primary research would be conducted on situations in which there is a specific situation or problem that must be solved. In this case, the research would gather information on data related specifically to find solutions to the problem, w hich requires collecting original data. This includes in-depth interviews from the individuals by collecting and asking specific questions. The Internet is an excellent tool that helps collect primary information with e-mail surveys, interactive forums, online panels, and online focus groups. Secondary data can be very beneficial in market research because much of the data is already available and can be accessed through the Internet. This is particularly good if the project needs information immediately. This type of data includes existing company information systems and databanks of other organizations such as the Census Bureau or trade association studies and reports (Aaker, 2007). In addition, it can include consumer purchase panel sources, internal records, and external sources. Internal sources include internal records, customer feedback, and customer database. External sources published data sources, computer-retrievable databases, and census data. Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches Primary data collects data and has a specific research objective. In this case, methods such as qualitative research may be used. Qualitative researchShow MoreRelatedMarketing Research Tools Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesMarket Research Tools Marketing research is primarily focused on two categories of research: primary and secondary. These two forms of research provide insight into the driving source of the business, consumer behavior and attitudes, and possible pitfalls to the business. Secondary research provides knowledge gathered from within the business or already published information from outside of the business. Primary data is collected with specific purpose of creating a marketing strategy for the businessRead MoreMarketing Research Tools Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesMarketing Research Tools Once a decision is made to use marketing research, management goals and objectives determine the type of selection methods used. There are a wide range of market research tools and methods available to decision makers. Depending on the goals and objectives of the company, researchers have many options. Some of the research tools include mail and web surveys, personal interviews, and focus groups. This paper will discuss and differentiate among the various tools used in primaryRead More Marketing Research Tools Essay example1410 Words   |  6 PagesMarketing Research Tools Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfactionRead MoreMarketing Research Tools Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesMarketing Research Tools As a team of six investigating how to overcome the four different research tools, many ideas will flow through to allow the reader to get the most out of what is being taught. The team wants for the reader to indulge themselves in a company who will compare and contrast the selected tools available. Team C will choose to show the reader that tool is the most applicable and which tool is the least applicable. With this to be read and evaluated the team asks the readerRead MoreMarketing Research Tools Paper1080 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Methodologies Many companies use different research tools when conducting primary and secondary research. This paper will discuss the several research tools used and discuss the differences in primary and secondary research when using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Once that has been established, there will be discussion as to which tools are used for each approach and why. Primary Research Primary research also called field research is the most common approach. Primary researchRead MoreEssay about Marketing Research Tools1167 Words   |  5 PagesMarket Research Tools An organizational problem must be identified prior to beginning the market research process. In most cases, a problem is a research opportunity for product improvement or the launch of a new product. The first critical step of the marketing process involves how the research problem is defined by specifying the research objectives; identifying the consumer population of interest, and placing the problem in an environmental context. The very next step is to determine the researchRead MoreMy Key Responsibilities At Genesis Software Solutions1132 Words   |  5 Pagesadministration Company/Employer name: Genesis Software Solutions Supervisor Name and Title: Srikanth Kalepu Project Title: Marketing CPT INTERNSHIP REPORT SUMMER MAY2014-AUGUST2014 NORTHWESTERN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Project Overview : My key responsibilities at Genesis Software Solutions Inc., as marketing analyst were to analyze the pros and cons of launching a new marketing campaign proposed by the company. To identify market opportunities and company’s needs I first met with the subjectRead MoreTourism New Zealand : An International Visitor Destination Essay1117 Words   |  5 PagesOrganistaion which is responsible for marketing a country (I.e. New Zealand) to tourists. They are publically funded government agencies that promote and market a country which is usually directed at inbound tourists. Tourism New Zealand is a crown entity responsible for marketing New Zealand as an international visitor destination. It owns the 100% Pure New Zealand brand, under which the global campaign is managed. Tourism New Zealand follows up that marketing message by providing quality informationRead MoreEssay on Sperry/MacLennon Architects and Planners1132 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal Market Research Case Study Analysi s: Sperry/MacLennon Architects and Planners The firm, Sperry/MacLennan Architects and Planners, is a successful Canadian enterprise. The company has sustained itself for many years since its inception in the 1970s; it has survived slow periods, and overall has been successful for many years. The company is at a crossroads and is ready to consider new business endeavors and developments. It is considering expanding its operations to the United States;Read MoreMarket Research1278 Words   |  6 PagesMarket research has proven to be a vital piece of successful business plans today. It has revolutionized the way companies go to business. This paper will reflect the importance of market research along with challenges it continues to face. There are a number of benefits that market research provide to companies doing business in todays very competitive market place. I have seen first hand in my company how they utilize market research to determine how we go to market with existing products

Lld Cover Letter Free Essays

To Whom It May Concern: During this semester our class had to write three major essays, which are: Rhetorical Analysis (RA), Discipline Investigation (DI), and Critical Reading Reflection (CRR). The Rhetorical Analysis paper is based on how â€Å"to develop your understanding of rhetoric by investigating how a writer constructed a professional document or text in your major field. † It is also â€Å"to practice analytical thinking and clear writing. We will write a custom essay sample on Lld Cover Letter or any similar topic only for you Order Now Basically, I had to research a professional document that is in the field that I want to succeed in my future career. I had to analysis what the rhetorical strategies and appeals are and explain it. The Discipline Investigation paper is based on â€Å"to investigate a discourse community you hope to join and to learn about the kinds of text that community uses. † Before I started this paper, I researched about the job position I would be interested in the future and set up interviews with general managers from hotels. I asked questions to get more outside knowledge and get to know how the job works personally. The Critical Reading Reflection is based on the book we read which is, The Mind at Work and personal experiences with work. My first best essay is the Discipline Investigation, then the second best is Rhetorical Analysis, then the third best is Critical Reading Reflection. My best essay out of the three is the Discipline Investigation. I started out researching for my career choice and then I interviewed a professional to get the inside scoop of the job and daily routines. As I was developing my paper, I thought the hardest part was not being so technical my ideas but to explain and describe the details. For example, writing about the daily routine part I had started writing periodically what he did each day instead of writing explanation of the skills and knowledge he used in his job. The resources I used to write this paper are book, Internet, and personal interview. I find it helpful to research in all the areas, so you can see the different kinds of information you get from each types of source. There were different ways how I improved on my Discipline Investigation essay from the Rhetorical Analysis essay. First, I would read my paper out loud to see if I have any grammatical errors. Second, I would have friends and classmates peer-edit my paper to see if it is grammatically correct, clear and simple organizations, and make sure all my ideas and requirements are there. Third, I definitely paid more attention writing my paper more concisely since I had the idea of how my instructor was going to grade my essay. Fourth, before even starting on the paper I check to make sure I will address the prompt correctly in my essay. Fifth, I realized that free writing and jotting ideas down and creating an outline for brainstorming helps a lot in order to get the flow of writing consistently. In conclusion, I believe there are some improvements as a writer after taking LLD100A course. I learned to be more precise and focus more while I write my papers. My best paper was Discipline Investigation. Writing my best paper, I feel that I have benefited a lot from the methods of my writing improvements. As I take everything step-by-step I believe that I will process as a writer. Sincerely, xxxx How to cite Lld Cover Letter, Essay examples

Introduction to the Torah Essay Example For Students

Introduction to the Torah Essay ScriptureIntroduction to Scriptures in general and Hebrew Scriptures in particularThe TorahA. Introduction to the TorahB. Begin exploring the Torahs themes and contentThe Torah in the New Testament and the Book of Common PrayerPart IIntroduction Scripture In GeneralDoctrine of InspirationThe Bible is: A single Divine revelation, with two Testaments, better called covenants or agreements between God and his people. Three necessary theological constituents of inspiration:Gods causality: The prime mover in inspiration is God. The Bible tells us that no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (II Peter 1:21). In other words, God revealed and people repeated the revelation orally or in written form. See BCP, p. 236. The Human agency: People play an important role in the overall process of inspiration; they were the means through which God spoke. God used people to convey his propositions. In inspiration, then, God is the original cause, and the human agent is the instrumental cause. Scriptural authority: This is the third and final product of Gods causality and the human agency. God not only spoke to the writers of Holy Scripture, but he continues to speak through their God-inspired writing. See BCP, p. 853. A working definition of the doctrine of inspiration might be this: A process whereby God causes his Word to work through the mind and pen of a human being, without overriding their personality and style, to produce divinely authoritative writings.The Bible has a unifying theme Redemption: There is a two-fold meaning of the word redemption. it infers deliverance; and it implies a price paid for that deliverance, the ransom. Redemption ultimately is from: the penalty of sin: from the power of Satan and evil, cf, BCP, p. 302; by the price Jesus paid on the cross. How the Books of the Hebrew Bible are Organized(Chart) Part IIIntroducing The TorahThe books of the Bible have not always been numbered or grouped as they are today. The earliest division of the Old Testament was a simple twofold division of Law and Prophets. The first five books were called the Law of Moses and all the other books were called the Prophets. (C.f., the Summary of the Law, BCP, p. 324)The names given to the first five books of the Bible are several: They are called:The LawThe TorahThe Books of Mosesor the Pentateuch. The time covered in the Books of Moses or Torah:Genesis from the creation to the bondage of Israel in Egypt, about 1860 BC. Exodus from the sojourn of Israel in Egypt to Mt. Sinai (c. 1860-1447 BC.)Leviticus one month between Exodus and NumbersNumbers from Mount Sinai to the end of the forty-years wandering (c. 1447-1407 BC)Deuteronomy from the end of the wandering to after Moses funeral (about two months). The heart of the Pentateuch is found in the book of Exodus, which deals with the exodus from Egypt and the sojourn at Mount Sinai. All Jewish tradition reaches back to these root experiences. They constitute the basic understanding of Jewish identity and of the identity and character of God. Covenant and Law Two themes fundamental to the Old Testament: covenant and Law, are closely related. Covenant signifies many things, including an agreement between nations or individuals, but above all it refers to the pact between Yahweh and Israel sealed at Mount Sinai. The language concerning that covenant has much in common with that of ancient Near Eastern treaties; both are sworn agreements sealed by oaths. Yahweh is seen to have taken the initiative in granting the covenant by electing a people. Perhaps the simplest formulation of the covenant is the sentence: I will take you for my people, and I will be your God (Exodus 6:7). The law was understood to have been given as a part of the cove nant, the means by which Israel became and remained the people of God. The law contains regulations for behavior in relation to other human beings as well as rules concerning religious practices, but by no means does it give a full set of instructions for life. Rather, it seems to set forth the limits beyond which the people could not go without breaking the covenant. Biographical Sketch: Kasturba Gandhi EssayKey Verses: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:2, 3). Themes: 1. BeginningsGenesis explains the beginning of many important realities: the universe, earth, people, sin, and Gods plan of salvation. Genesis teaches us that the earth is well made and good. Mankind is special to God and unique. God creates and sustains all life. 2. DisobediencePeople are always facing great choices. Disobedience occurs when people choose not to follow Gods revealed plan for living. Genesis explains why men are evil: they choose to do wrong. Even great Bible heroes failed God and disobeyed. 3. SinSin ruins peoples lives. It happe ns when we disobey God. 4. PromisesGod makes promises to help and protect mankind. This kind of promise is called a covenant. God kept his promises then, and he keeps them now. 5. ObedienceThe opposite of sin is obedience. Obeying God restores our relationship to him. 6. IsraelGod started the nation of Israel in order to have a dedicated people who would (1) keep his ways alive in the world, (2) proclaim to the world wha

john mayer by john mayer free essay sample

The soothing emotional words being said kind of blues and soft rock being let out in one big flow of words. The calming of the voice being heard the way it makes you reflect and relate to your life almost as if he can see what is going on in your life†¦ but he can’t. Its demonstrating that even famous musicians still go through normal people experiences the focus and love for the music he is playing how he gets emotional and in to his music at concerts or on a recording studio it’s all real. He incorporates his love life in his words and his everyday life and sets goals only he can achieve. Songs like â€Å"slow dancing in a burning room† or â€Å"I don’t trust myself with loving you† he’s explaining his emotions through songs and impressing the world with every song he writes. Who is this talented song writer? John Mayer of course. We will write a custom essay sample on john mayer by john mayer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Going on 37 years old on October 16th he still continues to pursue his music career. I think what everyone loves about him is his drive and the fact that he writes what he wants no one writes his music for him, and when he finally shows the world his new music there astonished with his words and sound cause no songs the same. If you ever experience a concert you will realize how he gets into his music and the words hit him emotionally and mentally. John Mayer is an inspiration to many people and helps keep get people going. So next time you’re looking for something soothing and heartfelt to listen to give him a try.

Albert Eienstein Essays - Albert Einstein, Quantum Mechanics

Albert Eienstein Essays - Albert Einstein, Quantum Mechanics Albert Eienstein ALBERT EINSTEIN The German-American physicist Albert EinsteiN, contributed more than any other scientist to the 20th-century . Born in the town of Ulm, Germany, Mar. 14, 1879, HE then later died in Princeton, N.J., Apr. 18, 1955. In the wake of World War I, Einstein's theories, especially his theory of relativity, seemed to many people to point to a pure quality of human thought, one far removed from the war and its aftermath. Seldom has a scientist received such public attention for having the ability for learning thet he had. in 1905, Einstein examined the phenomenon discovered by Max Planck, according to which electromagnetic energy seemed to be emitted from radiating objects in quantities that were ultimately discrete. The energy of these emitted quantitiesthe so-called light-quantawas directly proportional to the frequency of the radiation. This circumstance was perplexing because classical electromagnetic theory, based on Maxwell's equations and the laws of thermodynamics, had assumed that electromagnetic energy consisted of waves propagating in a hypothetical, all-pervasive medium called the luminiferous ether, and that the waves could contain any amount of energy no matter how small. Einstein used Planck's quantum hypothesis to describe visible electromagnetic radiation, or light. According to Einstein's heuristic viewpoint, light could be imagined to consist of discrete bundles of radiation. Einstein used this interpretation to explain the photoelectric effect, by which certain metals emit electron s when illuminated by light with a given frequency. Einstein's theory, and his subsequent elaboration of it, formed the basis for much of quantum mechanics. Another of Einsteins theories concerned statistical mechanics, a field of study that had been elaborated by, among others, Ludwig Boltzmann and Josiah Willard Gibbs. Unaware of Gibbs' contributions, Einstein extended Boltzmann's work and calculated the average trajectory of a microscopic particle buffeted by random collisions with molecules in a fluid or in a gas. Einstein observed that his calculations could account for Brownian motion, the apparently erratic movement of pollen in fluids, which had been noted by the British botanist Robert Brown. Einstein's paper provided convincing evidence for the physical existence of atom-sized molecules, which had already received much theoretical discussion. His results were independently discovered by the Polish physicist Marian von Smoluchowski and later elaborated by the French physicist Jean Perrin. Albert has contributed more theories that help us during everyday life then anyone ever has. He has explaned what was expaned before him in an incorrect way. If he was never born, we would think of the world in a completly different manner. In my opinion, he has benifitted the world more then anyone has ever did.

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War The Fall of Saigon occurred on April 30, 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War. Commanders North Vietnam General Van Tien DungColonel General Tran Van Tra South Vietnam Lieutenant General Nguyen Van ToanMayor Nguyen Hop Doan Fall of Saigon Background In December 1974, the Peoples Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) began a series of offensives against South Vietnam. Though they achieved success against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), American planners believed that South Vietnam would be able to survive at least until 1976. Commanded by General Van Tien Dung, PAVN forces quickly gained the upper hand against the enemy in early 1975 as he directed assaults against the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. These advances also saw PAVN troops capture the key cities of Hue and Da Nang on March 25 and 28. American Concerns Following the loss of these cities, Central Intelligence Agency officers in South Vietnam began to question whether the situation could be rescued without large-scale American intervention. Increasingly concerned about the safety of Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered planning to commence for the evacuation of American personnel. Debate ensued as Ambassador Graham Martin wished any evacuation to occur quietly and slowly to prevent panic whereas the Department of Defense sought a rapid departure from the city. The result was a compromise in which all but 1,250 Americans were to be quickly withdrawn. This number, the maximum that could be carried in a single days airlift, would remain until Tan Son Nhat airport was threatened. In the meantime, efforts would be made to remove as many friendly South Vietnamese refugees as possible. To aid in this effort, Operations Babylift and New Life were initiated in early April and flew out 2,000 orphans and 110,000 refugees respectively. Through the month of April, Americans departed Saigon through the Defense Attachà ©s Office (DAO) compound at Tan Son Nhat. This was complicated as many refused to leave their South Vietnamese friends or dependents. PAVN Advances On April 8, Dung received orders from the North Vietnamese Politburo to press his attacks against the South Vietnamese. Driving against Saigon in what became known as the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, his men encountered the final line of ARVN defenses at Xuan Loc the next day. Largely held by the ARVN 18th Division, the town was a vital crossroads northeast of Saigon. Ordered to hold Xuan Loc at all costs by South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, the badly outnumbered 18th Division repelled PAVN attacks for nearly two weeks before being overwhelmed. With the fall of Xuan Loc on April 21, Thieu resigned and denounced the United States for failing to provide needed military aid. The defeat at Xuan Loc effectively opened the door for PAVN forces to sweep on to Saigon. Advancing, they encircled the city and had nearly 100,000 men in place by April 27. That same day, PAVN rockets began hitting Saigon. Two days later, these began to damage the runways at Tan Son Nhat. These rocket attacks led the American defense attachà ©, General Homer Smith, to advise Martin that any evacuation would need to be carried out by helicopter. Operation Frequent Wind As the evacuation plan relied on the use of fixed-wing aircraft, Martin demanded the embassys Marine guards to take him to the airport to see the damage firsthand. Arriving, he was forced to agree with Smiths assessment. Learning that the PAVN forces were advancing, he contacted Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at 10:48 AM and requested permission to activate the Frequent Wind evacuation plan. This was immediately granted and the American radio station began repeat playing White Christmas which was the signal for American personnel to move to their evacuation points. Due to the runway damage, Operation Frequent Wind was conducted using helicopters, largely CH-53s and CH-46s, which departed from the DAO Compound at Tan Son Nhat. Leaving the airport they flew out to American ships in the South China Sea. Through the day, buses moved through Saigon and delivered Americans and friendly South Vietnamese to the compound. By evening over 4,300 people had been evacuated through Tan Son Nhat. Though the US Embassy was not intended to be a major departure point, it became one when many became stranded there and were joined by thousands of South Vietnamese hoping to claim refugee status. As a result, flights from the embassy continued through the day and late into the night. At 3:45 AM on April 30, the evacuation of refugees at the embassy was halted when Martin received direct orders from Ford to leave Saigon. He boarded a helicopter at 5:00 AM and was flown to USS Blue Ridge. Though several hundred refugees remained, the Marines at embassy departed at 7:53 AM. Aboard Blue Ridge, Martin desperately argued for helicopters to return to the embassy but was blocked by Ford. Having failed, Martin was able to convince him to allow ships to remain offshore for several days as a haven for those fleeing. The Operation Frequent Wind flights met little opposition from PAVN forces. This was the result of the Politburo ordering Dung to hold fire as they believed interfering with the evacuation would bring American intervention. Though the American evacuation effort had ended, South Vietnamese helicopters and aircraft flew out additional refugees to the American ships. As these aircraft were unloaded, they were pushed overboard to make room for new arrivals. Additional refugees reached the fleet by boat. Fall of Saigon Bombarding the city on April 29, Dung attacked early the next day. Led by the 324th Division, PAVN forces pushed into Saigon and quickly moved to capture key facilities and strategic points around the city. Unable to resist, newly-appointed President Duong Van Minh ordered ARVN forces to surrender at 10:24 AM and sought to peacefully hand over the city. Uninterested in receiving Minhs surrender, Dungs troops completed their conquest when tanks plowed through the gates of the Independence Palace and hoisted the North Vietnamese flag at 11:30 AM. Entering the palace, Colonel Bui Tin found Minh and his cabinet waiting. When Minh stated that he wished to transfer power, Tin replied, â€Å"There is no question of your transferring power. Your power has crumbled. You cannot give up what you do not have.† Completely defeated, Minh announced 3:30 PM that the South Vietnamese government was fully dissolved. With this announcement, the Vietnam War effectively came to an end. Sources HistoryNet: Fall of SaigonBBC: Fall of SaigonUSNI: Operation Frequent Wind

What is the Strategy of Annandale Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

What is the Strategy of Annandale - Assignment Example The reason that I arrived at the conclusion that Annandale Water Ltd is using an exclusivity strategy is because its products are not available for sales at supermarkets or convenient stores. The company has control of the distribution of the product which ensures the product is sold at the locations the firm desires. The business model the company utilizes is to sell its water products to exclusive location and to provide a full service to its customers. The company delivers the water to its major customers. The main markets of the company are weddings, two exclusive catering companies in London, direct sales from the bottling plant, direct sales to five exclusive hotels located in Edinburgh, and long-term contracts with Harrods and Fortnum and Mason in London. The company has a fleet of ten 40 ton articulated trucks; 15 smaller delivery vans, and 17 cars for the speedy and responsive deliveries. The transportation department has 15 full-time employees. The model the company used has lost value due to the fact that it has become extremely expensive to deliver the goods directly through its own trucking and vehicle fleet. The strength section of the SWOT mentioned a lot of the positive aspects of the business. The strength section failed to mention that the company has a superb executive management team. Companies with great leaders have a better chance to succeed than the firm that lacks human capital. The branding value of the product is its greatest strength. The company can capitalize on its brand by expanding the number of places that distributes the water products of the company. One of the main weaknesses identified in the SWOT analysis is the transportation costs. Gasoline is one of the main cost drivers of transportation costs. An issue with gasoline prices is that they are very volatile.

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 21

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The paper also aims to discuss the various constituents for successful learning and development strategy. Learning is a continuous process that leads to development. It is a process of understanding through which the modification in the attitude and the behaviour takes place. Through learning and development strategies, the competencies and the behaviours of the individual as well as the team can be enhanced and the goals of the organisation can be achieved. For the learning and development strategy to be successful, it is important for the organisation to foster an environment that provides the trainee with ample scope to learn and develop his skills, knowledge that is necessary to perform the job effectively. Adaption to the changes is very important for the employees in the organisation. If they can adapt to the unanticipated changes then the learning and development is said to be successful. The term human resource development can be said as a coordinated use of the training and the development, career development as well as the organisational development for the improvement of the individual and the group and to increase the effectiveness of the organisation. The learning and development strategy uses the various interventions and the techniques in order to improve the performance of the people in the organisation (Swart & Et. Al., 2005). Learning and development is not any course or any event, but it is a continuous process that requires commitment from all the concerned parties. Whenever changes occur it is important for the learners and the organisation to remain agile. If the organisation as well as the learner is able to adapt to the changes then that can be considered as the biggest gift of learning. Learning and development is the process of acquiring the information and it is a quantitative increase in the knowledge of the learner. It means to store the information in such a way that it can be reproduced as and when required.

Is the Ecological Crisis the Human Rights Concern of the Century Essay Example for Free

Is the Ecological Crisis the Human Rights Concern of the Century Essay The ecological crisis has now become an important topic throughout the years. Even so, toward the end of the last century, the issues of such crises became a focal talking point of governments, international organisations and scholars. This most likely is, as Leigh (2005) discusses, an increasing acceptance that such ecological disasters affecting mankind has been one of â€Å"the most critical turning points† that the world has ever encountered. Such crises are experienced when our environment is modified in ways which undermine our continued existence. As the environment and its ecosystems are in a constant state of being damaged, its quality is vastly ruined and this has major effects on the lives that are dependent on it. Magdoff and Foster (2011) suggest that for the ecological crisis to be understood, it must be looked at in the sense of the boundaries of the planet. They go on to indicate that ultimately the Earth has several thresholds which it must remain in in order to preserve the gentle conditions that the Earth has experienced in the past century. These thresholds include loss of biodiversity, climate change, a depleting ozone layer, world-wide freshwater and chemical pollution. Unfortunately, the planet has already passed two of these, including loss of biodiversity and climate change due to our damaging activities that cause environmental disparities. Until recently, the ecological crisis and its subsequent effects have been discussed mainly in the scientific disciplines as merely an environmental issue. It has also been made into an economic concern. However, it is now more than ever in the 21st century being debated and referred to as a subject for human rights. This essay seeks to examine the issue of the impact of the ecological crisis, its human rights implications, and how it has come to be considered the human rights concern of the century. The Ecological Crisis The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st has seen a remarkable increase in the number of environmental catastrophes that the Earth has experienced. These disasters have not been just limited to one eographic region but they have affected nearly every single part of the planet. Some have included climate change, which in turn has been affected by the greenhouse effect and gases ; the advent of peak oil; loss of biodiversity and therefore diminished quantities and quality of food supplies; plus deforestation, chemical pollution and oil spills. These in turn have had a knock-on effect on the way of living for man and caused such issues as rising sea levels, floods, reduced food resources, droughts, and polluted air and water supply. As mentioned, the Earth’s threshold for climate change and biodiversity loss has been passed and this has already been causing irreparable harm to the planet’s ecosystems and the environment. It is still possible, however, to stop such effects from permanent harm to the environment, which is why the ecological crisis has become such an important matter for discussion today. Climate Change â€Å"Of all the environmental issues that have emerged in the past decades, global climate change has been the most serious and most difficult to manage† (Dessler and Parson, 2006). Like with the above quote, it is thought by many scientists and scholars that climate change is and will be the biggest threat to the environment mainly because of its potential to bring about such brutal destruction. Oxfam International (2008) stated that some of the 23 richest countries in the world (comprising Canada, Australia and USA) where just fourteen percent of the entire world population inhabits, produced almost sixty percent of the planet’s carbon emissions since the 1800s. The Earth’s climate is changing. In fact, it has always been varying from time to time. However, the degree of change is now the big worry. The Great Warming (2006) defines climate change as an alteration in the â€Å"long-term climate† of a particular area. It is further stated that humans contribute to this climate change by discharging greenhouse gases and sprays up into the atmosphere while also modifying the land we live on. Dessler and Parson (2006) debate the forecasts for climate change in the 21st century are more or less unclear, nonetheless, this uncertainty can work either way in that the climate may increase or decrease. The prospect of such unknowns makes this question a lot graver. Many of the activities that individuals carry out on a daily basis has contributed significantly to the greenhouse effect, the depletion of the ozone layer, and therefore climate change. As The Great Warming (2006) put it, the inhabitants of the Earth are constantly burning fossil fuels for heating of houses, for production of electricity and to run machines and vehicles. All of these activities have been adding to the warming effect on the atmosphere. The UNDP (2007) report on fighting climate change established that since the start of the industrial age, the temperature of the Earth has risen by about 0. 7 degrees Celsius and this increase seems to be speeding up with time. The report went further in determining that if a threshold of 2oC is broken, we hazard the idea of greater irreparable damage to the environment. Magdoff and Foster (2011) quotes the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating that by the end of the century in 2100, the most probable temperature increase worldwide will be in the 2. to 4. 6oC range. This, we can see, is far higher than the previously mentioned threshold of 2oC, and as the authors mention, is a major cause for concern and panic. Such drastic climate change can ultimately lead to ice caps melting, sea levels rising, droughts, forced migration of peoples, a reduction in food produce, and danger to coastal regions. This can lead to reduced health and welfare of the population while also causing serious issues with atmospheric pollution. Other forms of the Ecological Crisis Climate change has not been the only crisis the environment has faced. There has also been widespread degradation with other human-driven activities. Goodhart (2009) explains that the ecosystem has been affected by severe exhaustion of its resources. This includes deforestation which has led to erosion and land slippage and thus pushed people out of their habitat. Oils spills have been a major source of concern, according to Goodhart, which has threatened the survival of certain oceanic species that are a vital source of food for man. The ecological crisis will affect the entire world population if nothing is done to stop the effects of all these contributory factors. This has led international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) to establish various agencies and protocols that will guide international actors in dealing with the crisis. These include the IPCC, as well as the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The UN has also held several conferences over the years to tackle the problems including the Earth Summit in Brazil and the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) . As will be seen in the next section, some of these mechanisms have begun placing more emphasis on and framing the environmental issues as human rights concerns. Relationship between the Ecological Crisis and Human Rights â€Å"As the world marks the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay points out that a wide range of universally recognized rights including food, life, water and adequate housing are under a direct threat as a result of climate change† (OHCHR, 2008a). The destruction of the environment and its consequent effects on humans is leading to grave human rights concerns. In its resolution on climate change, the UN Human Rights Council stated their concern for climate change posing a direct danger to communities in the world, further suggesting that this ecological crisis has consequences for the â€Å"full enjoyment of human rights† (HRC, 2008) . Framing of the issues in human rights terms has been a very useful tool for creating greater awareness of its impacts and ensuring that the subject reaches new actors and activists, ultimately influencing the process for the better. Human rights are now frequently referred to as â€Å"universal and indivisible†. For this reason, Hawkins (2010) suggests that every human being is â€Å"entitled to every basic right by virtue of their humanity†. As climate change is possibly the biggest ecological concern of late, many scholars refer to it the most when focusing on the human rights implications. However, there are still very deep human rights concerns for the other contributors to the crisis. Depledge (2007) mentioned that there are, at present, no organisations such as the UN that blatantly suggests a right to a healthy environment. Nevertheless, he proposes that the human right to health covered under the UDHR directly implies a link to the environment. This is because the way in which the environment is kept can and does affect the security of people. Therefore, we see truth in Commissioner Navi Pillay’s words in mentioning these rights. Hunter (2009,p. 7) also suggests that climate change can have an impact on the right to self-determination. One example of the effect of the crisis on this right is that of the Inuit people of Alaska who in 2005 submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights suggesting that their â€Å"way of life† was being hindered by climate change which in turn influences their continued existence and culture. Climate change, if continued on its current path will increasingly raise the Earth’s temperature. This will further affect the water sources, our food, and cause major disease outbreaks. These activities are bound to result in significant human rights violations under the various charters and treaties. Firstly, the right to health will see a drastic rise of malnutrition in children. There will also be a threat of major increases in droughts and flooding around the world (Oxfam, 2008). Another right that needs to be preserved during this process is the all-important right to life and security. Article 3 of the UDHR asks for the â€Å"right to life, liberty and security of person†. These rights are in serious danger of being breached from the issues of the ecological crisis. Goodhart (2009) maintains that the depletion of environmental resources like clean water and oil has â€Å"been a cause of violent conflict in several areas around the world† and this is of extreme distress because of the occurrence of, say, peak oil. Climate change can greatly affect the security of people around the world. As a result of the rising sea levels, the increased temperature and therefore the damage to land, inhabitants of the Earth will experience more flooding, droughts and fires, heat waves and higher occurrence of storms. All of these can ultimately lead to death and an increase in numbers. Another important right affected by this crisis has been the right to food as stipulated in Article 11(1) of the ICESCR . Current trends are not a good sign for people’s right to food under this treaty. Oxfam (2008) suggests that any further warming of the planet is bound to expose fifty million more people to hunger by the year 2020. Within another 30 years in 2050, that number could vastly increase to 132 million. These are extremely high numbers that would be detrimental to the survival of many regions and populations. The Oxfam report cites the case of Africa, where land for cultivation is being reduced by climate change causing the season for growing crop to decrease thereby producing less crop for food. The International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) categorically mentions that climate change creates violations of human rights due to the constant harm that we are inflicting on the environment (ICHRP, 2008). The most serious effects of the ecological crisis will usually and unfortunately be experienced by the people whose rights and protections are currently not being respected and so occurrences like climate change, tar sands, and pollution will have a greater impact on the more disregarded populations. This includes the poor and usually indigenous peoples around the world. As Havermann (2009) put it, the indigenous peoples around the world are some of those that are most susceptible to these crises while being the ones who have the smallest responsibility for them. For example, the oil and gas expansion by multinational corporations around the world is having severe effects on climate change and the environment, leading on to issues for human rights particularly with indigenous peoples. As Karliner (1991) noted, oil and its excavation has an overwhelmingly negative effect on the economic stability of these groups. Also a huge concern, as a result, is their health which tends to suffer from these activities. The problems faced by many countries with deforestation have also been exacerbating the situation for the realisation of human rights around the world. Many of the forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The boomerang effect is thus a reduction in the all-important biodiversity that the forests contain and that is necessary for the continued livelihood and survival of those dependent on it. This includes, according to ICHRP (2008), the over fifty million tribal inhabitants of forests around the globe who are constantly affected with their food safety harshly curtailed. If the present rates at which such deforestation and the previously mentioned rises of climate change, oil spills and pollution continue, it is thought that a majority of the rainforests on the Earth will have vanished even before the 21st century has ended. Concern of the Century? Many environmentalists and human rights defenders have framed the ecological crisis as one with a human rights dimension. This is because most see it now as a serious inhibitor to development, to the daily living of man and to fulfilling the rights that have been laid out in the various international instruments. The ecological crisis has seen a large number of environmental problems over the years and its effects are now being debated fiercely on the world stage. Some world leaders, scientists and the general population are all trying to engage in finding solutions to the problem while others still question and underestimate the gravity of the phenomenon. The issue has become a major concern, not just for the planet physically, but also in a human rights context because the ecological crisis single-handedly affects a range of different human rights as seen above. In many instances, its effects can breach more rights than some of the other current rights violators. In addition, while most abuses of human rights can generally be halted voluntarily, if these environmental problems are allowed to linger untreated then at some point in time the destruction of the environment would have become irreversible. This in turn would result in more human rights violations. As Hawkins (2010) argues, the resources of the planet are limited and so to continue with the existing trend will place humanity in peril. Also, the atmosphere cannot distinguish between the greenhouse gases that affect climate change by the region it comes from (UNDP, 2007). Climate change, for example, is non-discriminatory and unlike other rights violations being perpetrated around the world, it can affect just about anyone. This is why such a huge international human rights advocacy process has now been implemented. In a statement in 2007, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon referred to climate change as â€Å"the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time† which is â€Å"menacing the whole human family†. As the UNFCCC acknowledged in the framework, the universal reach of the effects of climate change requires the â€Å"widest possible co-operation from all countries† (UNFCCC, 1992). It is evident that the human rights implications of the ecological crisis is a great concern for many people especially in the recent efforts by NGOs to publicise the matter, while a number of measures have been put in place by international organisations such as the UN to tackle the problems – through summits, conferences and protocols like the Kyoto protocol. In 2008, a resolution was passed by the Organisation of American States (OAS) on human rights and climate change (ICHRP, 2008). The commitments set forth in the 1997 Kyoto protocol are soon to end in 2012. Neglecting to meet these obligations will cause us to reach even closer to further crisis. In December 2011, Canada officially pulled out of its commitments to the protocol (Carrington and Vaughan, 2011). The backlash and criticism from world leaders and actors was astounding and this showed the level that the ecological crisis and its implications for human life have reached in this century. Conclusion Going forward without confronting this global challenge that is the ecological crisis with the seriousness that it deserves will result in countless human rights violations around the globe. The climate change, deforestation, oil spills and rising sea levels will cause a massive increase in the destruction of habitats, reduced water supply, island and coastal regions vanishing, and greater health concerns. These in turn are destabilizing many peoples’ rights to food, health, security, life and livelihood. It is imperative that the principles and norms of human rights are continuously applied to these crises so as to halt the irreparable destruction of the environment and the future of humankind. As noted by the UNDP (2007), the 20th century saw leadership disasters resulting in two world wars in which masses of people suffered. In this the 21st century, the destructive nature of the ecological crisis has become the new and preventable disaster.

Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is said to be the single greatest epic poem of all time. The opening story of the character of Dante the Pilgrim is told in the first of the three divisions: The Inferno. The Inferno is a description of Dante’s journey down through Hell and of the several degrees of suffering and many mythical creatures that he encounters on the way. Throughout his travel Dante displays many different feelings and actions but the emotion that summarizes the entire poem is fear. While some of his character traits change as his mind matures and acknowledges the justice being carried out, from the very beginning until the final Canto, his fear does not subside. This does well to reinforce the symbolism of Dante as Everyman and serves to direct the reader to the moral purpose of Divine Comedy, because of the humility and dependence upon God that fear produces. In the first Canto, which serves as an introduction to the entire comedy, Dante encounters the three beasts which impede his progress out of the dark woods. Coming upon the She-Wolf he writes: "This last beast brought my spirit down so low / with fear that seized me at the sight of her, / lost all hope of going up the hill" (I.52-54). Dante is so shaken by the appearances of the three beasts that he rushes headlong into the dark woods he has just come out of. This is only the first obstacle Dante encounters, but it proves an insurmountable one. When Dante and Virgil reach the gate of Hell, Dante is overcome with fear upon reading the inscription above the gate and hearing the screams and lamentations of those inside. He reacts to the inscription by crying out, " ‘Master,’ I said, ‘these words I see are cruel.’ " (III.12). By this he shows his fear of the unknown because he does not yet know exactly what he will witness during his descent. One of Dante’s truest display of fear occurs upon reaching the vile City of Dis. When the "fallen angels" deny the travelers access through the city, Virgil, usually unflappable, even appears shaken up. Understandably, this does not help Dante’s nerves at all. He actually makes a side comment to the reader declaring the terror he felt after the angels had defied Virgil’s request saying: "And now, my reader, consider how I felt / when those foreboding words came to my ears! / I thought I’d never see our world again!" (VIII.

Motivation and Tourism

As it is a human right to have a holiday, this report discus the motivating reasons and the appeal factors why people choose their tourist destination. The report will start with definitions of tourism and motivation, followed buy a few theories of motivation, and ending with a conclusion. Theses theories are relating to the push of individual/s to embark on a holiday, and the pull of the tourist destination. Definitions †¢ According to the UK Tourism Society and cited in the BTEC National Travel and Tourism book, by Elise James, Joanne Thirlaway and Ursula Woodhouse. (2007, pg3) Their defection of tourism is as follows. â€Å" The temporary, short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work, and their activities during their stay at these destinations.† †¢ Motivation as defined in the in the book Tourism: Principles and Practices. By Cooper, Fletcher, Gilbert, Shepherd and Wanhill, 2nd edition. (1998, pg32) Is â€Å" Derives from the word ‘motivate’, which is to course a person to act in a certain way, or to stimulate interest†. Definitions of Tourism and Motivation There’re as many different types of holidays and tourists destinations, as there are people. Personality traits have a lot to account for in the decision making process, of where we choose to go on holiday. Mr Stanley Plog in 1974 (Holloway 6th ed, 2002) developed a theory, which classified the general US public into two desictive groups. †¢ Psycho-centric A tourist that is more concerned with himself or herself, more than often is anxious about the security of travelling. They enjoy a resort or group package style holiday. Would more than likely be a return visitor for the comfort of familiarity. Example of this would be a Packaged style holiday to Spain. Were the tourist has purchased the transport and accommodation as one product. †¢ Allocentric A tourist that seeks excitement, novelty, and mostly likes being out of his or hers comfort zone. They would have no qualms of travelling alone to or from a destination by them selves, or stay outside the resort or hotel environment. Examples of this would be a backpacker, staying at a hostel in Budapest. Not only is it a non-English speaking country, it is also out side of the European Union. Making it more exciting to the true allocentric. As this is only a theory, one cannot just place every body into two boxes. So of course in practice, holidaymakers fall somewhere in between these to extreme examples as mid-centric. Plog’s theories are also discusses in Tourism: Principles and Practices (Cooper et al, 1998 pg35) they suggest his theories are hard to apply inside the tourist industry. â€Å"Tourist will travel with different motivations on different occasions.† They also follow on to suggest, that out of these individuals that gravitate more towards the psycho-centric are of a lower incomes. This in turn would limit the style or type of holiday they would go on. There motivations wouldn't be different just the tourist destination. It would just mean that having a domestic holiday would be more appealing to save money. The family might opt for a low-key holiday like going camping in the Lake District, or to a Butlins seaside resort. Incomes are one of the major factors in deciding where to travel. As we have briefly discussed a budget holiday and Plog’s theories. He would suggest that on the other side of the scale tourists with more expendable funds would certainly have different destinations in mind. But with money comes affordability, witch fashion and trends are a by-product of. Just like keeping up with the latest cloths fashions, is the appeal of some destination. This would be the chase, and not wanting to stereotype here. But for or the young generation there will always be the seduction of the four S’s. This will most definitely appeal to most 18 to 35, which are looking to partake in an atmosphere that is more carefree. Escaping to destinations that are away from the judgement in their local environment. This trend will pull tourist to places like Ibiza, which offers sun, sea, sand and sex. But like all cloths they go out of fashion and tastes change. As Holloway says, â€Å"that all products, including tourism will experience a life cycle of growth, maturity, saturation and eventually decline†. Being young is just one place in the Cycle of Life. It is human nature to evolve, to grow in all areas of life and seek better things. Wells and Gubar (1966) (T:PP 2nded Cooper et al pg 41 1998) cauterised the life cycle of families in the USA, from bachelor to retired stage as seen in the graph. (Figure 3) What was appealing to a young person will certainly change when one has more obligations, to their employer and maybe their family. They theorize that as an individual moves through the life cycle there needs and wants as a tourist will change. The tourist needs are the psychological needs they are not the essential needs of survival. In explaining these need better Abraham Maslow (1966), came up with a hierarchy of needs. (See Figure 1) The graph shows that if more of the Basic and Safety needs are achieved. We’ll then move on to more Social, Esteem, and Self-actualisation needs. These needs are for well being, such as the need to relax, to have fun and to be in love. The need maybe is to escape their daily route, or to have sought better weather. These are like the push factors or the motivators, to take the time to have a holiday. Figure 4 shows a range of other motivators for overseas travels from the UK. As explained in Holloways book (Holloway 6th ed 2002) these Push Factors are the General Motivators that arise out of our individual perception, of what will satisfy our needs. He also talks about general motivators as a broad reason to travel, and is the start of the decision making process. Examples of this would be someone seeks change, maybe from urban environment. They mite looking at going away to the rural setting, perhaps a weekend in the Cotswolds, (See Figure 5) or vice versa. Holloway also follows to say that along with General there is a Specific motivation to travel. The consumer has, in some way got a perception of the destination in mind, will meet their specific needs. The destination in mind might have health befits to the tourist. The attraction to Bath spa might just be, to have a day of relaxation to rest the body in the warm water. The tourist enjoys Broadway musical, so a trip to London’s West end it could be (See Figure 6). Or there is a certain attraction that's pulling yourself or maybe your family. Like a trip to Disneyland, were the attraction is the destination. Places like these are very convenient, as the accommodation is nearby or on site of the attraction. May be it the mode of transport that has your attention, like a train trip on the Glacier Express? What ever the motivation there is a process to explain it, and it is lustrated in this simple flow cart. (See Figure 4) The chart briefly out lines the consumers needs, the attraction of the destination, then ending motivation. Conclusion Just start off by saying that yes it is a human right to travel, and have time off from work. But being a tourist to some people is a luxury they just can’t afford. There is always going to be two most important factors of be coming a tourist, that's time and money. If either one of these two things is lacking, it makes it very difficult to involve in any tourist activity. But in saying that one doesn’t need to travel far to become a tourist in ones own country. Looking back at plogs theory, It would suggest that one is more allocentric domestically, than international. The motivations in relation to travel is very diverse, the push to go on holiday is always going to exist. It’s the biggest industry in the world customer and consumers are only going to increase. The pull of the destination will change as we all move trough our lives. Our life choices, our attitudes, and the perceptions of other destinations will change. Through the media and other people infusions, will shape the type of holidays we choose. The appeal in going to a certain destinations is forever going to up to the individual. And just like the freedom of rest and leisure, we have a freedom of choice.

Research Proposal: An evaluation of risk management and corporate strategy in low budget airlines. A case study of EasyJet.

Abstract This research paper will be looking at the risk management and corporate strategy approaches taken by low budget airlines and, in particular, by EasyJet. As part of the background analysis, literature in this area will be drawn upon to identify background information that will shape the research aims and questions, as well as identifying the research methodology and timescales that are going to be applicable. Background Introduction In order to gain a background understanding, this section will look at the general strategy and corporate issues experienced by the low budget airlines, before then going on to examine the risk management and corporate strategy that is used, especially by the likes of EasyJet. Consideration will be given as to how this strategy can then be evaluated as, although delineating the actual way in which the strategy operates. Once this has been achieved there is the need to verify whether or not this strategy has bee successful and how exactly success should be defined in this context. During this research proposal one issue that needs to be delineated is why EasyJet is being looked at as a case study and why this is being done after the theoretical background has been looked at. It is contended here that choices of business strategy are theoretical and need to be understood generically before then looking at how this choice plays out in the ‘real world’ through the use of Ea syJet. Understanding the choice of strategy is just one stage of the proposal, with the main value being added by the ability to evaluate the strategy in the context of the industry and to look at ways in which the strategy could be improved or altered, in order to achieve sustainable success, in the future. For this reason, the background literature review and current understanding has been looked at here before setting out the structure for the research paper in more detail. . Literature Review 2.1The Concept of Budget Airline Strategies as Background Understanding  The UK airline industry has, as an industry, gathered considerable pace in recent years, with the number of passengers flying in the last decade increasing to a point whereby it is becoming part of day to day life, rather than an activity that is reserved for the wealthy, perhaps once a year for their annual holiday. According to the CAA Statistics there are approximately 126 million air journeys made a year from the UK This general change in the demographic of those relying on these airlines is such that it has fundamentally changed the budget airline industry. In particular, one of changes is theappearance of budget airlines, such as Ryanair and EasyJet, as well as the growth within the regional airports across the country, again supporting greater access for all. Prior to the growth of the low cost airline industry, commercial flying was something that was reserved for those in a much more financially stable situation, yet the marketing and branding of the budget industry has enc ouraged a much broader range of appeal. There is a question as to which way round this has occurred and as such this will need to be explored during the wider paper. The industry as a whole hit a particular difficulty in 2001, where the trade centre attacks meant that a variety of airlines no longer had the same appeal and a number of airlines went into liquidation (IAA, 2011)Despite this, there has been an increasing pressure on the airline industry from the low cost arena, with more and more people viewing airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair as a viable travel option, thus attracting a broad range of individuals who will now consider, particularly local and short haul travel, as a means of enjoying cheap holidays, on a regular basis (Gross and Schroeder, 2007) . The budget airlines operate with adifferent strategy from the more traditional commercial airlines in the industry, and are thus able to make cost savings that can then be passed on to the customer base. A considerable amount of literature such as that by Doganis in 2001 has been established to look at the ways in which the low cost airlines have set themselves apart and have changed the airline industry. One of the leading arguments that is presented as part of this background research is that of Porter’s Five Forces model, in 1981, provides a conceptal tool which suggests that a company will look at the five forces on the industry as a means of creating and establishing their own strategy. These five forces are : the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers, the threat of potential new entrants, the threat of substitute products and the rivalry within the industry. lThis strategic argument has also been presented by Brandenburger and Nalebuff 1995 t hat indicates game theory is used to support the success of the airline industry. ,This will be explored in considerably more detail in the research itself; however, it provides an important starting point for the discussion here and will form a key part of the ongoing analysis.Corporate Strategy employed by EasyJetEasyJet is being used as a case study in this scenario. Therefore, consideration will be given as to how the specific corporate strategy as indicated by Porter’s model, has worked within the company itself and how this can then be evaluated and the risks associated with the strategy managed, appropriately. As noted by Porter in 1996 (p.62), it was stated that: â€Å"A company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that can preserve. It must deliver greater value to customers or create comparable value at lower cost or do both†. It is this approach that is used as the fundamental strategy which has been established by EasyJet (Wright 1 987). Porter, as a result of his analysis, created three generic strategies, one of which is relevant here, namely that of cost leadership. In this case, the aim is to be the lowest cost supplier and to achieve profitability based on having a strong price cost margin (Dobson, Starkey and Richards, 2004). This is an extension of the understanding established initially by Porter in 1985, where he stated at p.13 â€Å"Low-cost producers often sell a standard, or no-frills, products and place considerable emphasis on reaping scale or absolute cost advantages from all sources†. Although the discussions here were aimed at those that generically follow these strategies, they are clearly very relevant to the way in which EasyJet has formulated itself. Moreover, for this type of cost leadership strategy, it is suggested that there is a need to be offering roughly the same product as the competitors, but to do so in a way that is cheaper, thus identifying the key element of the produ ct or service that simply must be provided and to remove the frills that are perceived to be unnecessary, in order to attract the appropriate market share. Within the airline industry, it could be argued that an actual airline seat which goes from A to B is a standard commodity and that a seat will be booked in order to allow an individual to travel from one place to another and that aside from this, no substantial differentiation is necessary for the majority of the public. Of course, there are those who might desire more leg room, better food, faster check in, etc., but on the whole, this is a standard commodity which lends itself to an idea that cost leadership can be achieved and is a approach potentially taken by budget airlines such as EasyJet. EasyJet, for example, has looked at the various ways in which it can save costs, such as the cost of landing at central airports, the cost of providing meals to everyone, the cost of check in staff at the airport, all of which has been eliminated as part of its strategy. For instance, by encouraging online check in and allowing all customers to book online and to manage their booking entirely online, this reduces the number of staff required within the airport. Furthermore, the airline typically utilises regional airports, as they charge less than central airports and this then allows the company to provide cheaper flights to the region. This will, of course, reduce the number of people who are willing to travel to that region, as some will place a premium on a direct flight to the centre of the city but, in many cases, an alternative airport within a few miles will be acceptable and is a great way of achieving a cheaper flight. This will also be the approach when providing the fligh t element of cheap package holidays.Concept of Risk Management within the Budget AirlinesBased on this strategy, there are clear needs to look at risk management as a means of maintaining the strategy. When following a cost leadership approach, there is the need to consider that competitors may simply innovate to copy and to be able to do the same, so that companies such as EasyJet need to ensure that they stay ahead of the game and are constantly looking towards improving their position and cost savings and therefore gathering greater market shares. Other risks are generic to the industry, as a whole, such as terrorism or global economic decline; however, the focus of this paper is on the way in which EasyJet deals with the risks that set it apart from the others and the way that this company uses its own strategy to manage the risks that may be present. For example, if there is operational pressure, or there are fewer people looking to travel, EasyJet can look towards the notion of providing greater technological efficiencies or offering its customers to groups of the market share that may improve its position. Risk management is therefore, in this case, about creating a level of dynamism that allows the company to remain ahead of the competition and to further its own competitive strategy, in this case, cost leadership. Generic Industry Background In order to understand the role of EasyJet it is necessary to briefly understand the generic industry situation. The actual notion of a low cost airline can be seen to have emanated in the 1970s, when Southwest Airlines established itself as a cut price airline providing a very basic but nevertheless acceptable service to American internal travellers. It aimed to appeal to those who were interested in price, rather than convenience, comfort or timeframe; it was often aimed at the student market and was referred to by many as the ‘Hippie’ Airline. From this point, several longer haul efforts emerged, but never fully gathered speed in comparison to the short haul equivalents, arguably due to their inability to differentiate themselves across the markets (Porter, 1980). That said, from the late 1990s through to the current day, several short haul no frills airlines have gained considerable success. Others have failed such as Zoom, in 2008, whic h suffered from problems associated with higher costs, most notably in the area of fuel. (Zoom, 2014) Despite certain differences pursued by the various carriers, on the whole, they pursued the approach of having uniform airplanes that reduced purchase and maintenance costs, as well as sticking to those airplanes that have minimal operations requirements and can therefore retain a low level of costs. Other operational benefits are gained through the use of requiring personnel to undertake multiple roles and to ensure that there are less people required to service customer needs, both on the ground and in the air. Whilst this may somewhat reduce the efficiency and the quality of service provided, on balance, it provides a basic service at a cheap price. Certain principles are seemingly consistent across the low cost airline industry, such as the use of secondary airports which are cheaper, the removal of non essential features, the imposition of charges for any added extras, e.g. additional baggage handling, so that individuals can simply pay more for what they actually require or wan t as added extras. The primary example of this is the removal of inflight meals as standard, thus allowing flyers to purchase what they wish, if indeed they wish to purchase food at all. Again, this reduces automatic costs and also offers opportunities for added revenue to be generated through the sale of snacks. These basic principles are common across the entire industry, although certain aspects have been more readily pursued by EasyJet and will form the focus of the main discussions.Research Aim and Research Question The overall research aim is to evaluate risk management and corporate strategy in low budget airlines using Easyjet as a case study.The research will analyse the working methods of the budget airline industry and to consider its overall and generic corporate strategy and positioning as an industry, as well as to look at individual examples within the industry, such as Easyjet. The research objectives are as follows: To gain an understanding of the ethos of the no frills airline industry, as a whole, considering strategies and approaches that are being accepted as the norm within the budget airline industry. A specific consideration of the risks facing low budget airlinesTo evaluate risk management and growth strategies across the industry and identify how these can then be mitigated in the long run. To evaluate the processes and strategies operating within EasyJet . By following this approach, the aim is to look at the industry, as a whole, but then to use the knowledge gained as a means of evaluating the current approach and looking to the future for both EasyJet and others within the same industry. Recognising this will enable a rounded and directed discussion for the management team of both EasyJet and other similar airlines.Research Methodology The research methodology for the paper is considered to be important for the purposes of identifying how the overall aim of evaluating the strategies and risk management available to low budget airlines and, in particular, EasyJet can be acheived. Firstly, it is considered to be necessary to undertake a deductive approach to the literature review, whereby the basic theory of the no frills airline is taken and then explored and observed. For example, there are accepted principles which are part of the no frills airline as a generic cost leadership strategy. Therefore, by taking the essence of the cost leadership strategy and then observing the industry in light of this, it is then possible to create a further theory as to the success of the industry and, more specifically, EasyJet. At this point, it is then necessary to take an inductive reasoning approach and to use observations as a means of developing a further theory of how these approaches can be evaluated and how these can then be better dealt with, in the future, for both EasyJet and the industry, as a whole. With this in mind, there is a shift in reasoning that needs to be clearly delineated in the structure of the research paper and will be looked at in these sections, below. Introduction and Industry Background – this will form the backbone of the deductive reasoning and will take the accepted theories of the no frills airline, with the strategy that is considered to be appropriate for this industry, most notably the cost differentiation, as noted in the introductory section above. Literature Review – this will need to transcend both aspects and will involve a detailed secondary analysis of existing understanding, including the need to look at general strategies that can be employed within the commercial arena. This will then need to be applied more rigorously to the case of the budget airline and how the generic strategies work within the budget airline industry. It will also look to identify specific areas of failure and to use a more deductive reasoning to establish a new theory of how the industry can now evolve. Case Study – these theories will then need to be tested by using a case study as a further form of secondary research, which is then capable of testing the theories raised and also developing them further, with specific examples in mind. A case study is seen to be the most appropriate means of achieving this, due to the need to take theories, test them and then potentially create new theories as to how this matter can be progressed. Analysis and Evaluation – This will then pull together the various aspects of the research, to create an overall evaluation and an ongoing theory that can be used including, recommendations for the future for EasyJet as to how it can use its own strengths to create a new strategy or approach, as well as being able to evaluate its existing approach. This research methodology, which relies entirely on secondary research, may be seen to be limited, due to the lack of primary research; however, it is felt to be appropriate in this case, due to the need to gather such a broad range of opinions, if primary research were to be relied upon. With this in mind and the specific thought that consumers are likely to have in relation to the industry, it was determined unhelpful to collate a large amount of primary research. Although there is a large amount of information available in the general domain, this is not in itself going to provide sufficient depth of understanding and therefore additional databases are going to be required, in order to add the necessary value to the discussion. Economic and financial journals may also prove useful in this regard, as they are readily available in the University library and will provide the background theoretical understanding. The starting points for the references and resources to be used are contained below; however, it is anticipated that this will be increased dramatically, over the course of the first two stages of the research and, in particular, during the literature review.. Key words will include, budget, strategy, airlines and EasyJetTimescale The overall duration of this research is to take place over one academic year, consisting of ten months. This is also a large deciding factor in the determination not to rely on primary research, at all. There would need to be a large amount of primary research gathered and this simply would not be possible with the time frame allocated if a suitable level of reliabilty were to be obtained. The following time frame is to be followed, with a degree of flexibility allowed in order to ensure that all aspects of the research are completed diligently. Month 1 – set out the research question, consider the available literature as well as the access to case study information and delineate any possible limitations that may arise in terms of information available. Months 1 – 2 – establish the introduction and industry background, looking solely at literature relating to the generic theories of business development, as well as the theory of the no frills airline. Months 3 – 4 – undertake case study analysis of EasyJet, which will require detailed information to be gathered from the company, from the commentary relating to the company and from any other source that could offer guidance as to how the company has been successful or, indeed, where the company has failed. Months 5 – 6 – analyse case study, in light of the literature review and evaluation structure set, going forward. A key component of this research is to evaluate the strategy being employed and to evaluate the way that the company may manage its risk. With this in mind, the evaluation process should be considered over a long period of time and with sufficient depth, revisiting issues, if required. Months 7 – 8 – pull together all the research and revisit any areas that seem lacking or where additional questions have been raised; most notably, ensuring that the aims and objectives are fully established and any gaps have been dealt with or, at the very least identified, so as to form part of the limitations and future research statements in the end report. Months 9 – 10 – review and present findings, undertake any other final areas of research that may be required and ensure that the findings of the research paper are presented fully. Any further areas of research will be identified at this stage and laid out for future use by others. Any limitations of the research will also be established.Resources RequiredThe primary research is not being undertaken due to the required timeframe. For the analysis itself, there is a need to have access to a variety of literature data bases, including the standard academic databases and industry information relevant to the airline industry. It has been identified that sources such as Euromonitor may provide a particularly useful insight into the industry itself, but are paid for databases. However, there are certain databases that may present industry information and are provided to the University which need to be looked at, in more detail. Specific databases that are appropriate include : Datastream EconLit JSTOR Datamonitor Conclusions and Next Steps In summary, therefore, the aim is to evaluate the strategies used by the no frills industry, with particular reference to EasyJet. In this context, the next step is to undertake a reasonable amount of background reading, to ascertain the areas that are then going to be pursued as part of the literature review. The main initial stage will be to look at the various aspects of the corporate strategy and to split the areas of reading and literature into sub headings. This will then be pursued when looking at the EasyJet case study; therefore, it is necessary to establish these strands of the argument and the support for this argument, from the outset. Establishing the main aims, strands of analysis and the way in which the findings will be presented will all be part of this initial fact finding and preparatory stage. References –  Brandenburger A.M. & Nalebuff B.J. (1995), â€Å"The Right Game: Use Game Theory to Shape Strategy†, Harvard Business Review, July-August pp 57 – 71 Calder, S. (2003), No Frills: The Truth Behind the Low-Cost Revolution in the Skies, UK: Virgin Books CAA Statistics (2006) http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airline_data/2006Annual/Table_0_1_6_All_Services_2006.pdf Doganis, R. (2001), The airlines business in the 21st century, London: Routledge Galbraith, C. & Schendel, D. (1983), â€Å"An Empirical Analysis or Strategy Types†, Strategic Management Journal, 4:2 153 – 173 Gross, S and Schroeder, A. (Eds.) (2007) Handbook of Low Cost Airlines – Strategies, Business Processes and Market Environment, Berlin. Hill, C.W.L. (1988), â€Å"Differentiation Versus Low Cost or Differentiation and Low Cost: A Contingency Framework†, Academy of Management Review 13:3 pp 401 – 412 IATA (2011) The Impact of September 11th http://www.iata.org/pressroom/documents/impact-9-11-aviation.pdf Miller, D. (1988), â€Å"Relating Porter’s Business Strategies to Environment and Structure: Analysis and Performance Implications†, Academy of Management Journal 31:2 pp 280 – 308 Mintzberg, H. (1978), â€Å"Patterns in Strategy Formation†, Management Studies 24:9 pp 934 – 948 Mintzberg, H., Quinn, J.B. & Ghoshal, S. (1995), The Strategy Process, UK: Prentice Hall Murray, A.I. (1988), â€Å"A Contingency View of Porter’s â€Å"Generic Strategies†Ã¢â‚¬ , Academy of Management Review 13:3 pp 390 – 400 Porter, M.E. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York: The Free Press Porter, M.E. (1980), Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors, New York: The Free Press Stabell, C.B. & Fjeldstad, O.D. (1998), â€Å"Configuring Value for Competitive Advantage: On Chains, Shops, and Networks†, Strategic Management Journal 19:5 pp 413 – 437 Treacy, M. & Wirsema, F. (1993) â€Å"Customer Intimacy & Other Value Disciplines’, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb pp 84 – 93 White, R.E. (1986), â€Å"Generic Business Strategies, Organizational Context and Performance: An Empirical Investigation†, Strategic Management Journal 7:3 pp 217 – 231 Wright, P. (1987), â€Å"A Refinement of Porter’s Strategies, Strategic Management Journal 8:1 pp 93 – 101 Zoom (2014) Zoom – Bankruptcy Filed in 2008 Retrieved from http://www.flyzoom.com/

12 Trucking Tips to Drive Safer This Winter

12 Trucking Tips to Drive Safer This Winter I don’t know about where you are, but here in New York, autumn has finally caught up to us. All the trees are racing to turn to yellow and red, and if this year’s anything like the last two, we’ve got some frigid temperature and blustery snowstorms to look forward to. Many drivers who find themselves in winter conditions forget some basics- they don’t change their driving skills or brush up on maneuvering and skid control. Make sure you’re up-to-date on the preventative safety skills that could save your life or someone else’s.If you’re still on the road this time of year, here are some important safety suggestions from the experts at Smart-Trucking.com.1. Slow DownThe speed limit may tell you the legal max, but it can’t read road conditions or understand delays in stop time the way you can. Don’t let your eagerness to finish a trip make you hurry when it’s not safe.2. Follow SafelyWhen possible, leave 1/4 mile bet ween you and the vehicle in front of you, and try to give space to the vehicles next to you, too. Remember that if you’re driving with a group, the mistake the front truck makes can impact everyone else.3. Get Out of the PackFor that reason alone, try not to drive in the packs traffic tends to organize itself into- your goal should be attaining the maximum distance around your vehicle.4. Don’t Fixate on Tail LightsIt can be tempting to focus on the lights of the car in front of you when visibility or weather conditions get overwhelming, but if you can see them you’re probably too close!5. Don’t Stop on the ShoulderOther cars and trucks in low visibility may not be able to figure out your truck has pulled over or even that it’s stopped, and they could slam into your rear axle before they knew what was happening. Try to get to a truck stop or weigh station- anywhere you can pull fully off the road.6. Don’t Try to Be a HeroEven if you pride you rself on always being on schedule or arriving before your deadlines, remember that pushing yourself when the weather is inclement is not worth risking your safety. Balance the pressure you feel coming from dispatches or service rules with concern for your life and others on the road.7. Don’t Jake BrakeBe especially aware of the risks of employing your jake brake and over-using your footbrake on icy and snowy roads. You may find yourself sliding and spinning out of control, especially when the trailer is empty.8. Pay Extra Attention to your Circle CheckMake sure all your systems are fully functional- you don’t want the defroster, the heater, the wipers, or the lights (particularly the brake and tail lights) to go down on you in the middle of a scary stretch of road. Make sure everything that has a level is full to capacity. If possible, have extras stored away in case you need to refill mid-drive.9. Stay Fueled UpFull fuel tanks mean extra weight on your drive tires, wh ich helps with traction and stability. Make sure your tires have enough pressure for winter driving, as well.10. Keep Your Lights CleanWhenever you can stop, make sure to clear off your head and tail lights, particularly if you’re equipped with LED lights. Make sure you’re visible, so other drivers can adjust if they need.11. Pack an Emergency KitYour kit should have necessities for servicing your truck, but also the basics to help you hunker down if necessary: a change of warm clothes, a bottle of water, hand-warmers, first aid kit, batteries, a flashlight, and flares. Also,  consider investing in portable chargers for any electronics you carry regularly.12. Get off the RoadWhen in doubt, use your common sense and best judgment about when it’s time to get off the road. It may make for a great war story to power through a terrible blizzard and make your delivery dates, but I guarantee people would rather remember the time you arrived a day late, alive and well , than the horrific accident that kept you from arriving at all. Know when to pull off the road. Remember that you’ll be the one ultimately held accountable for whether you drove or parked to wait it out.

Cell Biology and Biotechniques

The review of the literature by Assadi et al. (2016) highlights how biophysical technology has been efficiently utilized in addressing research questions and finding effective results in clinical investigation. This research study mainly utilized the method of flow cytometry and transfection technique apart from real time PCR and immunoflourescence microscopy to detect fatty acid metabolism-immune nexus (FAMIN) in Chrohn’s disease risk gene LACC1 (Laccase domain containing 1) encoded protein in human tissues. This method of fatty acid metabolism was decided because genetic variation in the LACC1 gene increased the risk of Chrohn’s disease. The main of this research was to elucidate the biological function of LACC1 gene and determine the characterization of the gene expression in human tissue and cells. The research question for the study was how characteristics expression of LACC1 gene can increase risk of Crohn’s disease (Assadi et al. 2016). The FAMIN protein encoded by the LACC1 gene control all the defense mechanism of human body and the research was important to gain additional insights into how FAMIN characterization and LACC1 gene expression may create risk of Crohn’s disease. The transfection technique was used by maintaining human cell line THP-1 in suitable medium and the cells were incubated wit phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to induce macrophage differentiation. For transfection experiment the HeLa cell line was transfected with empty vectors and LACC1 vector constructs. Western blotting was done on this cell and expression level was calculated. As transfection technique lead to unexpected morphologies and abnormalities in target cells, it helped in studying the expression of gene.   On the other hand, immunofluoroscence staining was used to calculate the number of peroxisomes and several antibodies were used both for immunofluorescence staining and western blot (Assadi et al. 2016).Hence, trans fection technique was applied in this research to study macrophage differentiation and gene expression of LACC1 gene. A research which considers the efficiency and cytotoxic effect of tranfection methodology lead to better results, whereas highly cytotoxic approaches lead to unwanted effects and unknown changes in gene expression which may affect the results (Goehring et al. 2014).   Flow cytometry is the biophysical technology done by means of laser and used to analyze the characteristics of particle in a fluid stream by passing through electronic detection device. .   Flow cytometry technique is widely used in the cell tracking, cell viability and infection studies and to conduct functional analysis in cell signaling gene expression studies (Givan 2013). In the research study by Assadi et al. (2016), flow cytometry of human blood derived cell and granulocytes and erythrocytes were isolated from the cell and stained using monoclonal antibodies. The FAMIN cells labeled with antibodies and data analyzed with flow cytometer and flow analysis software. This technique helped in the characterization of FAMIN expression in THP-1 cells. The result indicated the FAMIN expression was not detected in untreated cells, however PMA induced differentiation was seen during THP-1 (positive) cell lines. Hence the result of the study finally showed that LACC1 gene codes for macr ophage immune-metabolic function and polymorphic variation influences risk of Crohn’s disease (Assadi et al. 2016). Considering the clinical use of flow cytometry in research studies, the main advantage of flow cytometry is its ability to characterize immunophenotyping deviation in cells and detect diagnosis of hematopoietic disorders like leukemia. It has led to new methods for assessing hematologic malignancy and MRD. It is cost-effective and quick method for disease detection and diagnosis. However the limitation of the method is that it cannot easily detect sarcoma and carcinomas as they tend to stick (Woo et al. 2014). The main principle of fluorescence and fluorescence microscopic techniques was used to analyze therapeutic effectiveness in Crohn’s disease. In patients with Crohn’s disease, the antibody to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) binds to the membrane bound TNF and suppresses immune response in person. Hence, the researcher used fluorescent antibodies for TNF imaging studies. Despite using TNF therapy, patient show little improvement in their clinical symptoms and it also in creases the risk of side-effects like allergic reaction and skin disorders. The main limitation in treatment was that clinician cannot predict the response to anti-TNF therapy in patients. With this problem in treatment of patients with Crohn’s disease, the research question for the study was to see how fluorescence antibodies to TNF can help in studying response to anti-TNF therapy (Atreya et al. 2014).   Therefore, the use of different techniques like transfection, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry helped in studying variation in expression of Crohn’s disease risk gene and increased understanding of Crohn’s disease risk gene. Higher LACC1 expression was seen in spleen and lymph nodes in this research study. Hence application of this technique helped in gaining better understanding of LACC1 function in regulating immune-mediated function and diseases. These tools can be exploited in the future for several diagnostic studies. Assadi, G., Vesterlund, L., Bonfiglio, F., Mazzurana, L., Cordeddu, L., Schepis, D., Mjà ¶sberg, J., Ruhrmann, S., Fabbri, A., Vukojevic, V. and Percipalle, P., 2016. Functional Analyses of the Crohn’s Disease Risk Gene LACC1.  PloS one,  11(12), p.e0168276. Atreya, R., Neumann, H., Neufert, C., Waldner, M.J., Billmeier, U., Zopf, Y., Willma, M., App, C., Mà ¼nster, T., Kessler, H. and Maas, S., 2014. In vivo imaging using fluorescent antibodies to tumor necrosis factor predicts therapeutic response in Crohn's disease.  Nature medicine,  20(3), pp.313-318. Givan, A.L., 2013.  Flow cytometry: first principles. John Wiley & Sons. Goehring, A., Lee, C.H., Wang, K.H., Michel, J.C., Claxton, D.P., Baconguis, I., Althoff, T., Fischer, S., Garcia, K.C. and Gouaux, E., 2014. Screening and large-scale expression of membrane proteins in mammalian cells for structural studies.  Nature protocols,  9(11), pp.2574-2585. Woo, J., Baumann, A. and Arguello, V., 2014. Recent advancements of flow cytometry: new applications in hematology and oncology.  Expert review of molecular diagnostics,  14(1), pp.67-81.

Assignment 5-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 5-2 - Essay Example Mistakes are relatively low on cost and therefore, less serious. Creative or lateral thinking is an alternative perspective on the situation; and thus the problem and solution states can be interpreted differently from how most people see it. This leads to an alternate style of responding to the problem. A novel solution can often seem more interesting, and people are likely to become involved in the process with more enthusiasm; thereby leading to a greater chance for success. Which style of information processing should be used in a given situation or is more likely to succeed should be chosen carefully by the person seeking to solve a problem they face in the workplace. In the present scenario, vertical processing and problem solving techniques were used to resolve a reoccurring problem in the office. It was noted that attendance of employees dropped drastically when there was a particular type of sporting event involving major regions or the country. During the previous sport sea son, there was a distinct drop in the productivity of the set-up. When another season was due; this history became a major concern for the manager. It was decided that a few key employees should be involved in finding a solution to the problem of reduced productivity. Upon discussion, it was found that the younger employees are more likely to want to take a day of to watch sports. After this conversation, it was decided that certain key playing days should be announced half – day working on the promise that other day’s would not be affected. Accordingly, a notice was circulated amongst the staff so that they feel motivated enough to come for the rest of the days without taking an unannounced (impromptu) holiday. On understanding the process of using lateral thinking it was believed that there could be other alternatives to the solution to this problem. First of all the assumptions made when evaluating the problem were tested. The manager found that the assumption that all productivity dropped on these target days was untrue. Only certain members of the staff were implicated in this situation. The other assumption that distraction was due to the game was also challenged, since the rest of the staff was not interested in abstaining from coming to work, or working at the same level a s any other day. If a reasonable number of staff were not planning to watch sports, they could easily continue work. But it is rather unfair to give free time only to a few employees because they want to watch a sport. Thus, a more right question needs to be asked by the manager as to what options are there so that it is a win – win situation for all. A new and alternate approach to the situation is to tune the cafeteria television to the Sports channel, and allow the employees watch the game for its said time-period. This option, though unconventional, at least keeps the employees at work, and only those who wish to see them do view the sports. Also, in the even t that another employee needs them to be around when getting a task done; this work will not stagnate due to the unavailability of the employee in question. Although any screen which can be connected to the office can be used to relay the match to the employees; it makes logical sense to select the one in the cafeteria, as the noise and cheering will not trouble other employees who may not be interested in the game. The vertical process comes most naturally to most employees, since