Cyber crime and security affair in e-business Article

Cyber crime and security affair in e-business - Article Example This essay discusses that technology is essential part of business today. The internet has become a backbone and nervous system of business nowadays. Internet is already affecting our lives at home and offices to a great extent. While this dimension improves our lives it also creates enormous risks. Many individuals and businesses are still not aware of the risks posed by internet and the cyber space. The efficiency, complexity and speed of businesses today are attributed to technology and particularly E commerce. This enormous growth in E commerce provides a chance for internal and external fraud and exploitation. E commerce has become a driving force for world economy however it also poses a dangerous scenario once it is attacked or hacked. E commerce is vulnerable to cybercrime within seconds. Cyber criminals take advantage of loopholes in software and hardware architecture and make big organizations collapse in days. In a Globally networked environment, cybercrime can be initiate d from any location across the globe. With the growth in size and speed of organizations, a need arose to make the systems automated and less dependent on humans. According to McQuade Robert T Morris carried out first major cybercrime attack on November 2 1988 which resulted in slow down of thousands of computers. He noted that on June 20 2007, Department of defense was attacked by coordinated hackers, as a result it had to shut down 1500 computers. Assessment of human behavior in an automated world is becoming difficult. Organizations are dependent on outsourcing and do not completely control people who work for them. Organizations are very cautious about cyber attacks however appear helpless in front of expertise displayed by hackers. There is a greater risk to organizations from their own employees and business rivals in addition to hackers. Businesses are continuously improving their systems however there is still a lesser consideration towards privacy, access control and sharin g of data. According to Wada and Odulaga (2011) phishing has been a cause of direct loss amounting $1.2 billion in USA for banks and card industry in 2003 (Wada & Odulaga 2011, P 71). There is a need to create awareness amongst businesses, the lack of which is evident from growing number cyber attacks in year 2011. Today cyber risks are increasingly surrounding E commerce. It is evident that organizations are

First flight The wright brothers Essay Example for Free

First flight The wright brothers Essay People had always dreamed of flying, but before man could possibly make the â€Å"great leap forward† on the moon, its predecessors must first attempt to make the â€Å"great leap forward† to conquer the skies. In the year of 1903, the United States Army was trying to develop an airplane but failed to make a lift off the ground. Even the New York Times wrote that it would take 1million to 10 million years before anyone might be able to make a machine that would fly. Only eight days later, on the cold and windy 17th day of December morning in 1903, a â€Å"flying machine† took off and remained airborne for about 12 seconds covering a distance of just 120 feet. The two young men who made this flight possible were the Wright brothers whose feat summoned a new age in technology and human achievement. They will forever be remembered in history as the men responsible for making the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard recognized by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). Three years ago, December 2003 marked the 100th Anniversary of this groundbreaking achievement. Wilbur and Orville Wright were two small town businessmen who invented a technology that would define the 20th century. Theirs is a story that has inspired many generations of young and old alike, and much more on aspiring inventors. How the brothers succeeded, who had not even finished high school, is truly remarkable considering that there were so many who tried and failed, including many renowned scientists. However, despite their unique place and honor in our history today, their claim to this aviation â€Å"first† had been laden with controversy. There were various competing parties who had laid counter-claims. Do the Wright brothers have a secure right in their claim? Wilbur and Orville Wright were children born to Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner. Wilbur was born on 1867 in Indiana while Orville was born on 1871 in Ohio. Both never married. Other Wright siblings were Reuchlin, Lorin, Katherine, and twins Otis and Ida who died in infancy. Their knack for fixing and building mechanical things were influenced by their mother and even in their early years, the boys earned money by making home-made mechanical toys. However, the brother’s interest in flying objects was first developed way back to the time in 1878 when their father, who was a minister in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, brought the boys a toy â€Å"helicopter†. It was made of paper, bamboo and cork with a rubber band to twist its rotor, making it their first ‘flying toy’, based on an invention by Alphonse Penaud. Apparently, the boys got extremely fascinated that they played with it until it broke but pursued to build their own. They would later account this early experience with a toy that sparked their interest in flying. Wilbur later wrote of the lasting impression that this incident had brought upon them: â€Å"instead of falling to the floor, as we expected, it flew across the room till it struck the ceiling, where it fluttered awhile, and finally sank to the floor†¦lasted only a short time†¦but its memory was abiding† (T. Crouch. â€Å"The Bishop Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright†). Orville’s childhood was given to mischief and was even expelled once. Wilbur on the other hand, was athletic but an injury, although not severe, caused him to become withdrawn. He later dedicated himself on caring for his mother who was terminally ill with tuberculosis and to extensive reading in his father’s library. Although he did not pursue his studies at Yale, he was a determined and methodical industrial engineer, even braving to tackle projects such as machinery research and even church building (P. Jakab. â€Å"Visions of a Flying Machine†). Both brothers finished high school education, but did not receive their diplomas. Wilbur did not receive his diploma despite completing his high school education because of the family’s decision to move from Indiana to Dayton. Orville on the other hand, dropped out after his junior year and started a printing business. Later on, Wilbur joined and served as editor while Orville was the publisher of the West Side News. In 1892, the two opened a bicycle repair and sales shop and even manufactured their own brand. This enterprise funded their renewed interest in flight.

Economic Growth In The United States :: essays research papers fc

Economic Growth in the United States Economic growth can be defined as increases in per capita real GDP (gross domestic product) measured by its rate of change per year. Growth rates are very important because even a small change can make vast difference in the coming years. The knowledge of economic growth is also important because it can provide the means to allow us to gain valuable insights. According to Robert D. McTeer, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, two factors determine the rate of economic growth: productivity increases (more output for the same amount of inputs), and labor (the number of hours worked). Productivity in the United States, due to new innovations (that are coming together after years of investment), is growing to levels not seen since the 1960’s. For example: productivity growth has averaged 2.3 percent from 1996 to 1999, doubling the 1.1 percent average productivity growth from 1973 to 1995. At a rate of two percent from 1996 to 1999, labor has also increased, as unemployment fell and welfare recipients have gone to work. The economy has been growing at a rate of about 4.5 percent each year, due to this. However, the increase in the workforce , or hours worked, limits labor growth. Again, according to McTeer, in the long run, productivity growth is the key to rising living standards. On another note, there are many benefits that go along with the economic expansion we are experiencing. The current economic expansion has commonly been referred to by economists as "The 1990’s Economic Boom", because the current growth of the U.S. economy is the longest ever in peacetime. Economists observe that this expansion has benefited nearly every American. According to the reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than three out of every four jobs created from 1989 to 1995 were highly-paid professionals and managerial positions. The Council of Economic Advisers reported that in 1995 and 1996, more than half of new jobs created were in fields where the average wage ranked in the top third of all salaries. Another great benefit according to the Investor’s Business Daily January 19, 1999 publication, is that 1.67 million families left welfare rolls, and 1.74 million more single parents found jobs. Though this economic expansion has been the longest since World War II (according to the New York Times, October 18, 1998), growth during the 1990’s has been weaker than during any growth cycle since the end of the war. Economic Growth In The United States :: essays research papers fc Economic Growth in the United States Economic growth can be defined as increases in per capita real GDP (gross domestic product) measured by its rate of change per year. Growth rates are very important because even a small change can make vast difference in the coming years. The knowledge of economic growth is also important because it can provide the means to allow us to gain valuable insights. According to Robert D. McTeer, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, two factors determine the rate of economic growth: productivity increases (more output for the same amount of inputs), and labor (the number of hours worked). Productivity in the United States, due to new innovations (that are coming together after years of investment), is growing to levels not seen since the 1960’s. For example: productivity growth has averaged 2.3 percent from 1996 to 1999, doubling the 1.1 percent average productivity growth from 1973 to 1995. At a rate of two percent from 1996 to 1999, labor has also increased, as unemployment fell and welfare recipients have gone to work. The economy has been growing at a rate of about 4.5 percent each year, due to this. However, the increase in the workforce , or hours worked, limits labor growth. Again, according to McTeer, in the long run, productivity growth is the key to rising living standards. On another note, there are many benefits that go along with the economic expansion we are experiencing. The current economic expansion has commonly been referred to by economists as "The 1990’s Economic Boom", because the current growth of the U.S. economy is the longest ever in peacetime. Economists observe that this expansion has benefited nearly every American. According to the reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than three out of every four jobs created from 1989 to 1995 were highly-paid professionals and managerial positions. The Council of Economic Advisers reported that in 1995 and 1996, more than half of new jobs created were in fields where the average wage ranked in the top third of all salaries. Another great benefit according to the Investor’s Business Daily January 19, 1999 publication, is that 1.67 million families left welfare rolls, and 1.74 million more single parents found jobs. Though this economic expansion has been the longest since World War II (according to the New York Times, October 18, 1998), growth during the 1990’s has been weaker than during any growth cycle since the end of the war.

Ramases II - The Greatest of Egypts Pharaohs Essay -- Biography Biogr

Ramases II - The Greatest of Egypt's Pharaohs Rameses II, he was the third of his line in the Nineteenth Dynasty, son of Seti I, and grandson of Rameses I. He ruled for nearly seventy years in the middle of a Period known, as the New Kingdom when Egypt was at it’s most powerful. During His reign 1279-1213, Egypt enjoyed an era of prosperity and stability, not only internally, but externally as well. He is responsible for the building of more Monuments and famous structures than any other pharaoh, having many Structures and statues renamed as if he commissioned them himself. By the end of his unusually long sixty-six-year long reign, he was famous throughout the then known ancient world. Ramses I was chosen as heir to King Horemheb, the last king of the Eighteenth Dynasty after serving as general, vizier, Commander of the Army of the Ruler of Two Lands, High Priest of all the Gods and Hereditary Prince of the Entire Land. King Horemheb chose Ramses as his successor as he had no children of his own, he too was chosen by the previous pharaoh. Ramses I not only had a son, Seti, a soldier who was married to Tuya, also from a military family, but a grandson, also called Rameses as well. A strong military background was important and all of these factors probably helped in Horemheb’s decision. Having sons and grandsons ensured Rameses of having heirs to carry on the new dynasty. In 1295, BCE, Horemheb died, Rameses I first royal act, the overseeing of his secret burial rites in the Valley of the Kings. Rameses I took this time to pick out his own burial tomb and began preparations to be buried next to his friend Horemheb. Rameses I and his son Seti planned fabulous buildings, and had existing buildings and monuments redone wi... ...alley of the Golden Mummies. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2000) Menu, Bernadette Ramesses II Greatest of the Pharaohs (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1999) Thomas, Susanna Rameses II Pharaoh of the New Kingdom (New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 2003) Wallenfels, Ronald and Sasson, Jack M. The Ancient Near East (New York, Detroit, San Francisco, London, Boston, Woodbridge CT.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, The Gale Group 2000) World Book Encyclopedia Volume R (Chicago: Scott Fetzer Company 2003) McMahan, Ian Secrets of The Pharaohs (New York: Avon Books, Inc. 1998) Bunson, Margaret The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (New York: Facts of File, Inc. 1991) Johnson, Paul The Civilization of Ancient Egypt (New York: Harper Collins Publishers 1978,1998 and 1999) Tiano, Olivier Ramses II and Egypt (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc. 1995)

Initial Assessment Essay

The reasoning for using Initial Assessment in my curriculum area is because the majority of students have not completed a formal education or if having done so hold little or no qualifications. The majority of the courses start at entry level therefore no qualifications’ are require, but to offer students progression on to higher levels they need to be holding or be able to achieve a level 1 in communication and application of number. This is the minimum requirement to complete an apprenticeship programme and the vast majority wish to follow the vocational route to being a ‘qualified tradesman’. Procedures Before the day of enrolment students are fore warned at the interview stage what the awarding bodies’ requirement is to do a particular course. In the case of Construction Awards Alliance they have their own assessment criteria to try a match the suitability of the student to a particular trade. However because we deliver from entry to level 2 with three bodies to keep to the assessment process standard the college format is used( booklet produced by the learning centre, attached). Hillier. J (2005 p62) states â€Å"Great care must be used with such assessment activities. Many potential learners will feel highly by being threatened by being asked to undertake a diagnostic assessment. † In my opinion as long as students are made aware that this is not a formal test the majority do not mind taking the test, provided that the reasoning behind it is explained correctly. As a tutor it is important I remember the purpose of the test as Lambert. D and Lines. D (2000 p20) state â€Å"formative assessment is undertaken so that positive achievements of a pupil can be recognised and the appropriate next step planned†. Once all the information is collated this is entered into the course/ student profile booklet, this enables me or any other tutors to look at a particular student or group qualifications and progress as they are recorded for each achievement. Personally I think that the process works well when we complete the diagnostics on line as students can not see how others are doing. Most students feel more comfortable using this method as they do not feel as much pressure as they can wear head phones if required. The whole purpose works well because as a tutor working on entry level and to a certain degree on level 1, communication and application of number can be imbedded into the practical aspects of the course. The major weakness that I feel of the assessment process is that they are not curriculum specific; aspects of application of number are not relevant to the vocational subject. As I have experienced my self and some mature students the terminology of key words has changed until we have had them explained. When using the paper versions students that struggle to read or write often do not complete enough of the booklet, for the tutor to find the true level the students capable / working at. An important aspect that is often missed is the fact that to help students there is a requirement to have extra support in place if require for individuals. If there is no support is there a need for assessment? Yes but ensure all the support is provided and available as required in a timely manner.

Discover The Cuban Swimmer, a Play by Milcha Sanchez-Scott

Discover The Cuban Swimmer, a Play by Milcha Sanchez-Scott The Cuban Swimmer is a one-act family drama with spiritual and surrealistic overtones by the American playwright  Milcha  Sanchez-Scott. This experimental play can be a creative challenge to stage because of its unusual setting and bilingual script. But it also presents actors and directors with an opportunity to explore identity and relationships in modern California culture. Synopsis As the play begins, 19-year-old Margarita Suarez is swimming from Long Beach to Catalina Island. Her Cuban-American family follows along in a boat. Throughout the competition (the Wrigley Invitational Women’s Swim), her father coaches, her brother cracks jokes to hide his jealousy, her mother frets, and her grandmother yells at the news helicopters. All the while, Margarita pushes herself onward. She battles the currents, the oil slicks, the exhaustion, and the family’s constant distractions. Most of all, she battles herself. Theme Most of the dialogue within â€Å"The Cuban Swimmer† is written in English. Some of the lines, however, are delivered in Spanish. The grandmother, in particular, speaks mostly in her native tongue. The switching back and forth between the two languages exemplifies the two worlds which Margarita belongs to, the Latino and the American. As she struggles to win the competition, Margarita tries to fulfill the expectations of her father as well as the crass American media (the news anchormen and the television viewers). However, by the play’s end, when she drifts beneath the surface when her family and the newscasters believe that she has drowned, Margarita separates herself from all outside influences. She discovers who she is, and she saves her life (and wins the race) independently. By almost losing herself in the ocean, she discovers who she truly is. The themes of cultural identity, especially Latino culture in Southern California, are common in all of Sanchez-Scotts works. As she told an interviewer in 1989: My parents came to California to settle, and the Chicano culture there was so different to me, very, very different from Mexico or where I came from [in Colombia]. Yet there were similarities: we spoke the same language; we had the same skin color; we had the same interaction with culture. Staging  Challenges As mentioned in the overview, there are many complicated, almost cinematic elements within  Sanchez-Scott’s The Cuban Swimmer. The main character is â€Å"swimming† the entire time. How would you, as a director, portray this action on stage?Margarita’s family puts along on a boat. How would you convey this? With a set? Pantomime?Helicopters and news commentators â€Å"interfere† with the characters. In what ways could sound effects enhance or sully the play? The Playwright Milcha  Sanchez-Scott was born in Bali, Indonesia, in 1953, to a Colombian-Mexican father and an Indonesian-Chinese mother. Her father, a botanist, later took the family to Mexico and Great Britain before settling in San Diego when  Sanchez-Scott was 14. After attending the University of California-San Diego, where she majored in drama, Sanchez-Scott moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Frustrated by a dearth of roles for Hispanic and Chicano actors, she turned to playwriting, and in 1980 she published her first play, Latina. Sanchez-Scott followed the success of Latina with several other plays in the 1980s. The Cuban Swimmer was first performed in 1984 with another one-act play of hers, Dog Lady. Roosters followed in 1987 and Stone Wedding in 1988. In the 1990s,  Milcha  Sanchez-Scott largely withdrew from the public eye, and little is known of her in recent years. Sources Bouknight, Jon. Language as a Cure: An Interview with Milcha Sanchez-Scott. Latin American Theatre Review, Spring 1990.Mitgang, Herbert. Theater: Dog Lady and Swimmer. The New York Times, 10 May 1984.

Words for Winter Sports in Spanish

Words for Winter Sports in Spanish Most Spanish-speaking countries arent known for the winter sports, even though some of the worlds best skiing, even if less developed than elsewhere, can be found in some of them. As a result, many of the Spanish words for winter sports have been imported, so if youre ever skiing in the Andes of South America or in the Pyrenees of Spain, dont be surprised to hear statements or phrases like hacemos snowboard and el halfpipe. Such linguistic adaptations shouldnt be surprising. After all, English words such as ski and slalom come from Norwegian. Importing from other languages is one of the most common ways for a languages to grow, and Spanish is no exception. Pronunciation of imported words generally more or less follows that of the originating language with some variations. For example, the h of hockey may not be silent, and the word may end up sounding something like the English hokey. Here are the Spanish words for some of the most common winter and snow sports such as those you would find at the Winter Olympics: biathlon - biatlà ³n bobsleigh - bobsleigh cross-country skiing - esquà ­ de fondo, esquà ­ nà ³rdico curling - curling downhill skiing - esquà ­ alpino figure skating - patinaje artà ­stico (sobre hielo) (a skate is un patà ­n)hockey - hockey (sobre hielo) luge - luge short-track skating - patinaje en pista corta, patinaje short-track skeleton - skeleton, esquà ©leton skiing - esquiar (a ski is un esquà ­)ski jump - salto de esquà ­ slalom - eslalon snowboarding - snowboard, surfear en nieve, surf blanco (a snowboard is un snowboard, una plancha para nieve or una tabla para nieve)speed skating - patinaje de velà ³cidad (sobre hielo)

Gladiators essays

Gladiators essays Throughout history the gladiatorial games found great distinction and prestige from any other type of entertainment of its time. The first games were held in Rome in 264 BC by the two sons of Junius Brutus Pera, as a type of commemorative service in their fathers honour. After these first games word spread and interest rose exponentially. At the first games there was a total of three matches, by the time Julius Caesar was in power he had promised 320 matches for his daughter. At this point it was no longer a religious ceremony but rather had become a political event to show the elites power. These commemorative games were only to be held twice a year during the winter and summer equinox. In general, gladiators were condemned criminals, prisoners of war or slaves that were purchased for the purpose of combat. There were also professional gladiators who were men which participated of their own free will in the games. Due to the enthusiasm and skill that they possessed history shows that the spectators much preferred to witness the free men battling then the enslaved ones. Men became gladiators because they gained immediate status in society even though the gladiatorial oath forced them to act as slaves to their master and "to endure branding, chains, flogging, or death by the sword" (Petronius Satyricon, 117.5), therefore the professional gladiators were known for their loyalty, courage and discipline. The men were willing to face this, not only for their status but also to gain popularity and wealth. Young Roman boys would always associate hang around with them and try and learn the tricks of the trade. These men easily attracted many matrons, for the women enjoyed having affairs with such prestigious men. These professionals were trained in private or imperial schools known as ludi. Men became specialists in combat techniques that could capture their opponents rather then kill them quickly, because after all they were t...

Antibodies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Antibodies - Essay Example It is used in the manufacture of unsaturated polyester resins and is used as solvent for surfactants, paints and cleaning agents1. It is also used as antifreeze for de-icing aircrafts at airports as it lowers the freezing point of water. Recent applications include use as a humectant and a preservative. It is used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical preparations and also in electronic cigars2. The structure of 1,2-Propanediol comprises of three carbons with a stereogenic center at the central carbon3. It exists in two racemic forms: S and R as shown in figure 1 below. Figure 1: Chemical structure (S and R form) of 1,2-propanediol 3 1,2-Propanediol as well as 1,3-Propanediol can be manufactured though bioengineered microorganisms. By turning on and off some genes, it is possible to make the microorganism overproduce a specific metabolic product. As shown in figure 2, the intermediate metabolism of Escherichia coli can be shifted to produce 1,2 and 1,3-propanediol using enzymes such as aldose reductase from rat lens, E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase and Klebsiella pneumoniae glycerol dehydrogenase and 1,3-propanedioloxidoreductase4. There are various biochemical pathways through which 1,2-propanediol can be produced. Figure 2: Metabolic pathway engineering of E. ... It was shown that E. coli can grow on the L-fucose and L-rhamnose deoxy sugars as sole carbon and energy sources resulting in the production of propanediol. The first instance of metabolic engineering to produce 1,2-propanediol was when Altaras and Cameron metabolically bioengineered the 1,2-propanediol pathway in E. coli7. In 1999, they reported that E. coli that overexpressed methylglyoxal synthase gene produced 1,2-propanediol. Expression of methylglyoxal synthase or glycerol dehydrogenase led to anaerobic production of around 0.25 g of 1,2-propanediol per liter. The yield was found to be higher both the enzymes were coexpressed7. The development After their first report of the production of 1,2-propanediol from metabolically engineering E. coli, Altaras and Cameron again in 2000 published another report. This time they reported enhanced production of 1,2-propanediol8. They investigated three methods. First method involved the elimination of lactate byproduct. The second method in volved the construction of a complete pathway from dihydroxyacetone phosphate – an intermediate of the glycolytic cycle. The third method involved bioprocessing improvements through fed-batch fermentation using the best bioengineered strains. They were able to successfully produced a final yield of 0.19 g of 1,2-propanediol per gram of consumed glucose. Many later studies have investigated the production of 1,2-propanediol by metabolically engineered bacteria. Berrios-Rivera, San and Bennett studied the effects of various cofactor manipulations on the production of 1,2-propanediol9. They used sugars that were similar to glucose and that can be fed into glycolysis for pyruvate production. The sugars used had different oxidation

Tourism, Leisure and Event Management in the World of Soft Systems Term Paper

Tourism, Leisure and Event Management in the World of Soft Systems - Term Paper Example In the second phase you will work with collaborative group of colleagues to bring together your very different views and perspectives, and will need to enter a research cycle in which you shape and refine your mutual understandings, and select a client and project for investigation, supported and approved by your Tutor. You will undertake a ‘mini’ research project leading to the development of a presentation through which you enable your selected client or stakeholders to understand on their own terms ‘that which is obvious’, keeping in mind that the SSM process is about a process through which the client comes to understand for themselves ‘that which is obviouse’. When the client (or other stakeholders) view the work generated by the project, it should be clear to them ‘what needs to be done’. Whilst there is scope for creativity and imagination, the Overall Aim: To analyse, through Systems thinking, a real Hospitality, Tourism and Event environment, evaluate issues arising from the organization of systems and structures, and appreciate the complexities and interrelatedness of real human situations. This includes the development of appropriate tools and the presentation of findings in a way which recognizes the needs of the client, and through the broad application of systems thinking, and soft systems tools and methods. You should draw on learning from other courses, as appropriate, including MVS and OMTL. Task 1 Requirements: Preliminary Workbook (Individual) Weighting 30% For this first part of this study you will need to prepare the ground for assignment to your project group by conducting your own initial desk research enquiry in tandem with your final semester project. Following Soft Systems Methodology you will analyse your experience using the workbook provided (six diagrams), and including a written evaluation (one A4 sheet, 750 words) of issues relevant to the project based on business, location, an d/or online and social media analysis. The workbook may be competed manually or electronically. The grading for each section will reflect: Depth of insight/development, use of systems concepts and conventions, content Deadline TBC , 3:00 PM Student Name: ___________________________________________________ Student Score: / Student grade: / 10 Part A (40 Marks) 1a) Use a Rich Picture to represent the component parts and dynamics of the situation that you perceive as the basis of your final semester research paper. Your diagram must be appropriately labelled and follow the conventions for systems diagrams (20 Marks) 1b) Use any other formal diagram of your choice to represent the component parts and dynamics of the situation that you perceive as the basis of your final semester research paper. Your diagram must be appropriately labeled) and follow the conventions for systems diagrams (20 Marks) 2a) Complete the following grid for five possible (basic) root definitions for a ‘rele vant system’ from which you might ‘derive learning’ about your research context: (pass/fail) What is to be done by the system (P) By what means or approach the system is to do P (Q) The greater purpose to be achieved by the system (R) 1. Provide employment for local citizens

Just in Time for Starbucks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Just in Time for Starbucks - Case Study Example This paper seeks to analyze Starbucks Operations Management in the lights of broad and diverse academic resources. Recent research conducted in the market suggests that Starbucks has been unsuccessful in meeting expectations of consumers in the customer satisfaction domain. The organization needs to devise and implement a strategic plan in order to generate revenues as well as improving customer satisfaction. Market research suggests that Starbucks was considered to be the biggest coffeehouse in the United States as well as in other countries. It concentrated on younger, lower income, customers. At the same time, it is not meeting the demands of customers in the customer satisfaction domain (Thompson & Martin, 145). At Starbucks, the Senior Management is responsible for analyzing the outcomes of the market research so that it could understand the factors which led to customer dissatisfaction in order to devise plan to meet their demands and increase revenues and sales. In recent times, the demographics of conventional Starbucks have changed. Now days, younger, low income and less educated customers visit the coffee house. Research suggests that traditional customers in the past were considered to be white collar customers aged between twenty five and forty (Zeithaml, 50). Although several factors were identified which had made an impact on customer satisfaction, the speed of service and overall service have been acknowledged as the most important. The company has spent and invested huge amount of money of employee benefits in order to maintain speed of service. Competition Research suggests that Starbucks was ahead of its competitors in operations and profitability. In the United States, Starbucks have competed against several coffeehouse chains. Its competitors include Caribou Coffee, independent specialty coffee outlets, Dunkin Donuts, etc. Company Strategy and Objective The aim and objective of Starbucks is to establish itself as the most popular and famous coffee brand in the world by concentrating on expansion of retails and introducing new products. At the same time, it concentrates on creating a memorable experience around coffee consumption and to accomplish it, they have expanded and operated an experimental branding approach. Customer service was integral part of this approach. Context As mentioned earlier, Starbucks strives for innovation and keeps on investing on new products in order to generate sales and profits. The recent market research indicates that customer service was deemed as unsatisfactory because customers viewed Starbucks as a giant corporation which concentrates on making profits and expanding it self. This indicates that using customer snapshot scores were ineffective in determining the service performance (Hammonds, 245). Consequently, the senior management is worried and needs to devise a plan in order to address the issue of customer satisfaction. By investing more than forty million dollars on additional labor hours is uncertain and risky because this strategy would only concentrate on improvement of speed of service. Recommendations The company needs a wide ranging diverse and broad strategy, which concentrate on customer service. This strategy should concentrate on understanding the needs of the customers and improving their experience. With the improvement in customer satisfac

William James. Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

William James. Psychology - Essay Example He wanted to show that sometimes it is justifiable to hold beliefs that are not supported by sufficient evidence (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). It was tackled that it was not a matter of either choosing A or not A as long as you made a passionate decision. Everything do have an explanation, whether it is readily available or yet to be discovered. Whether a hypothesis that is being believed by a person is â€Å"alive† or â€Å"dead† that person still believes on something in his advocacy. The passion within that person will make him strive more to seek for answers and ideas to be tested as to whether or not what he believes in holds true or not. Most of the time, he seek more supporting ideas that will make his belief more justifiable to non-believers. What needs to be done is to follow the passion and let it decide. The passion that had been acquired reflects a universal acquired wisdom and learn ed lessons (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ).... m, â€Å"that truth exists, and that our minds can find it.† Though dogmatism has also its own ways of belief, an absolutist way and an empiricist way. The absolutist way is more on the philosophical side as it has everything going on its way. It is considered at times as fine in deal however at times is practically impossible to obtain. The empiricist way, on the other hand, is more scientific and should be adopted by people as it replaces subjective certainty with what continuous thinking confirms such entity. James admitted that he himself is an empiricist with regards to his theory on human knowledge (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). Often taken as synonymous in command, James separates one important aspect in knowing the truth and avoiding the error; avoiding the error at all cost means failing to adopt a hypothesis which may, in the long run, turn out to be true. When a new idea emerges, sometimes a person is very excited to finally know the truth. However, sometimes when such does not connive with a previous study, the latter would be avoided or sometimes considered as an error. Nowadays, this kind of hesitation makes a person in denial of the truth though it is presented unto him. That person tends to look for further answers to support his hypothesis. This way of thinking is a matter of yielding something that could be true rather than â€Å"dead†. (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). According to James, when a person is in doubt, â€Å"do not decide, but leave the question open.† At this point, when one does such action, he himself made a passionate decision just by being unsure. He entertains thoughts on proving the truthfulness of either A or not A. This

Ghadafi and Libya essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ghadafi and Libya - Essay Example The Egyptian conflict was the first example where the protestors of the country fought for justice and freedom and forced their leader, Hosni Mubarak to resign. These protests were followed in other countries where the citizens wished to revolutionize their countries and attain liberal governments that would fulfill their demands and recognize the importance of... the citizens of the country. The most prominent amongst these is the Libyan Conflict which began in the month of February in the year 2011. The conflict is still in progress and rebels have taken to the streets to force the step down of their leader Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi who has been in power since almost 42 years. Qaddafi has not given up and does not intend to give in to the demands of the people and has resorted to severe measures which include oppression and killings of the masses. The conflict has met with criticism from international countries and allies of Libya have also requested Qaddafi to step down and abide by the wants and wishes of the people (Libya — Protests and Revolt 2011). Libya is an Arab nation which is located on the map in North Africa. The country like many other Arab countries contains very high reservoirs of oil. The country has been under the rule of Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi from the year 1969 who has proved to be a very strict and harsh ruler for the country. Qaddafi has always been a ruler who has followed the policy of dictatorship and has tried to keep all the powers of authority in his hands. Qaddafi is an intelligent man who has used all his powers to keep the country divided so that there could be no united strong appraisal against his oppressions. He did not create any strong national organizations and at the same time, he also did not form a nationalized army so that no revolt to overthrow him could be very strong. He has been criticized on the international level owing to his oppressive acts which have resulted in the expulsion of Libya as a member fr om the United Nations Security Council. There was an internal unrest in the country but the actual conflict resulted due to the wave of revolution that started in the neighboring countries of Egypt and Tunisia and led to the freedom of these countries. It was followed by the Libyans who started their revolt against the government and initiated a mass protest demanding the resignation of their leader (Fahim et al 2011; Libya — Protests and Revolt 2011). The revolt against the government started in the city of Benghazi and spread across the country and rebels were seen to be operating in different cities of Libya against the four decade old rule. It was expected by many that Qaddafi would opt for resignation but these hopes vanished when he chose for fighting against the people of his own country. He used threatening and derogatory remarks against the rebels terming them as â€Å"cockroaches† in his speech and threatened to kill all of them. It seemed that the revolt wou ld not last long and the protesters would be crushed but international intervention and military assistance and strikes from the United States and United Kingdom in the month of March served to increase the revolt and the side of the rebels became stronger again. The NATO forces also came to the assistance of the rebels and assisted them to fight back the forces of Colonel

William James. Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

William James. Psychology - Essay Example He wanted to show that sometimes it is justifiable to hold beliefs that are not supported by sufficient evidence (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). It was tackled that it was not a matter of either choosing A or not A as long as you made a passionate decision. Everything do have an explanation, whether it is readily available or yet to be discovered. Whether a hypothesis that is being believed by a person is â€Å"alive† or â€Å"dead† that person still believes on something in his advocacy. The passion within that person will make him strive more to seek for answers and ideas to be tested as to whether or not what he believes in holds true or not. Most of the time, he seek more supporting ideas that will make his belief more justifiable to non-believers. What needs to be done is to follow the passion and let it decide. The passion that had been acquired reflects a universal acquired wisdom and learn ed lessons (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ).... m, â€Å"that truth exists, and that our minds can find it.† Though dogmatism has also its own ways of belief, an absolutist way and an empiricist way. The absolutist way is more on the philosophical side as it has everything going on its way. It is considered at times as fine in deal however at times is practically impossible to obtain. The empiricist way, on the other hand, is more scientific and should be adopted by people as it replaces subjective certainty with what continuous thinking confirms such entity. James admitted that he himself is an empiricist with regards to his theory on human knowledge (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). Often taken as synonymous in command, James separates one important aspect in knowing the truth and avoiding the error; avoiding the error at all cost means failing to adopt a hypothesis which may, in the long run, turn out to be true. When a new idea emerges, sometimes a person is very excited to finally know the truth. However, sometimes when such does not connive with a previous study, the latter would be avoided or sometimes considered as an error. Nowadays, this kind of hesitation makes a person in denial of the truth though it is presented unto him. That person tends to look for further answers to support his hypothesis. This way of thinking is a matter of yielding something that could be true rather than â€Å"dead†. (Cronk; James â€Å"The Will To Believe and Other Essays†; James â€Å"A History†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ). According to James, when a person is in doubt, â€Å"do not decide, but leave the question open.† At this point, when one does such action, he himself made a passionate decision just by being unsure. He entertains thoughts on proving the truthfulness of either A or not A. This

American Films in the 1970's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Films in the 1970's - Essay Example Their thematic and stylistic innovations represented a radical break from Hollywood's classic paradigms. The decade saw a revolutionary change in the outlook of film critism also. Films were now being perceived as personal art pieces rather than only commercial blockbusters. Films were no longer evaluated in terms of their stories, but as art works whose style and mise-en-scene were more important than their contents. The 70s witnessed the birth of some of the most inspiring and exhilirating films directed by the greatest of film makers of the era. Nashville a 1975 classic is arguably one of finest films of the century that can be regarded as one of the finest masterpieces of the film making wizard, Robert Atman. Written by Joan Tewkesbury and produced by Robert Atman himself, Nashville features Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue that depicts classic improvisation and film making brilliance. The 159 min overwhelming fantasy, deals beautifully with classical real country music, deftly touching gospel music businesses in Nashville Tennessee. The characters in te film, evolve from real country music figures that material on U.S presidential politics. The film craftilly weaves together multiple storylines that eventually coalesce in the final half-hour in a climactic sequence at the Parthenon in Nashville. The movie widely despised from the mainstream country-music community at the time of its release, with many artists believing it was ridiculing their talent and sincerity. Since then, however, the songs that were mostly composed by the film's actors themselves have achieved a certain popularity in alternative-country circles, well away from the world of the music establishment. Among its many musical sequences, the song "It Don't Worry Me" is the film's theme, heard sporadically throughout and then performed at the climax. The 70s also witnessed the emergence of class film makers such as John Cassavetes. His films such as A Woman under the Influence are hailed as masterpieces despite the fact that they are incorporated with superficiality, gasp, and an in-your-face self-indulgence kind of a feeling. They are also sometimes blamed to carry a blatant artificiality in them. A Woman Under the Influence is one of the most devastating films ever made and is arguably the masterpiece of John Cassavetes' lauded career. with a startling realism, the film depicts supremely the relationship between a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown and her blue collared worker husbend. It's a marriage unlike any other seen before on the American screen - Nick (Falk) and Mabel (Rowlands) love each other intensely but that's not enough to keep her from descending into madness. In this shockingly intimate drama, housewife Gena Rowlands suffers a nervous breakdown and Dixit Page 5 her blue-collar construction worker husband, Peter Falk, decides to have her committed.Despite a dramatic theme of insanity, the film doesn't make a melodrama out of Mabel's crazy moments. Instead, painfully long scenes are wittnessed o this family together and with their social circle (particularly his construction work

Key Account Team (KAT) Essay Example for Free

Key Account Team (KAT) Essay As a result of the recent meltdown in mortgage-backed securities market, CB’s changed its internal processes so as to react competitively and increase its market share. Two key changes occurred: the creation of a Key Account Team (KAT) and the restructuring of the division-wide performance management system, which would help determine a salesperson’s annual compensation. Although there are some disadvantages to the new system, Winston should recommend the KAT concept to other regional managers. The new system not only helps managers have a well-rounded understanding of its salespeople’s performance, it also helps the company to allocated appropriate resources to money-making accounts. Because the taxable securities group represented 60% of total sales in the office, CB’s created KAT, a group of 5 highly specialized salespeople, to fulfill the need for more product expertise in higher margin segments. The advantage of having KAT was that customers now had salespeople who offered in-depth, technical advice on specific issues. Furthermore, Kat along with the new evaluation system increased the frequency of communication between the New York and Boston offices. Lastly, the new structure allowed the best salesperson to be focused on the product needing the most help. On the other hand, others argued that this change made it more complicated to make large, multiproduct trades because more people needed to be involved. Another con was that salespeople felt too specialized, thus, limiting their career prospects. Nevertheless, the change had generated higher profit per dollar of sales in the Boston Office. Additionally, with the new compensation system, commissions were driven by sales volumes in areas of specialization and not from demand in within the client base. This meant that there was an even higher possibility for salespeople to generate more income. Thus, specialized salespeople were compensated for this so called limitation, meaning that their inclination to leave the firm could be swayed. Although there are some disadvantages to becoming more specialized, CB has to accommodate its clients and their needs in order to be competitive. Therefore, Winston should recommend its new structure to other regional managers because it’ll make the company the one stop for companies looking for specialization in riskier segments.

Competition And Market Power Economics Essay

Competition And Market Power Economics Essay For a long period of time, De Beers has been successfully raising consumer demand for diamonds. The company is famous for its monopolistic policies during the last century, when it used its leading position to control the international diamond market. De Beers had a number of methods to ensure its control in the market: thus, it joined some independent manufacturers to its single channel monopoly, it pushed the manufacturers who refused to join the cartel out of the market by overfilling the market with diamonds, it bought and stored the diamonds of other producers in order to regulate the prices (De Beers Company). Pure monopoly means the conditions in the market, when only one company produces and sells a product that has no substitutes. The market access is limited and the company has complete control over prices. Thus, in pure monopoly, the market is dominated by a big enterprise-monopolist fully controlling the prices. Establishment of extremely high prices is restrained by the risks of a fall or a lack of consumer demand. Monopolist assesses demand and sets the price at a level that ensures the greatest return on investment (Larue, Gervais Pouliot, 2008). Monopolies are also public utilities, the services of which are used by any business. The existence of natural monopolies is justified by the fact that they best meet the public interest. In rural areas, such monopolies can be companies supplying agricultural machinery, chemical fertilizer, seed and breeder farms, businesses that provide repair services. The main features of monopoly are as follows (Larue, Gervais Pouliot, 2008): There is only one firm in the market, which affects the prices, adjusting the proposal; There are no identical products in the market; Controlling the market of raw materials in the industry, the company-monopoly excludes the emergence of new producers. Thus, the market of pure monopoly is the market of one seller. Most frequently, these are the governmental organizations, with the state monopoly able to solve various problems through pricing policies: To set a price below the cost for socially important goods to maintain their standard of living; To set a price covering the costs or providing a good income; To set a high price to reduce consumption. Returning to De Beers Company, for the last decade it has been undergoing changes turning into a more reliable company. A number of factors led to the necessity for transformation in the De Beers model (De Beers Company). In 2004 the company was declared guilty according to the 1994 accusation that De Beers had merged with General Electric to control the price of industrial diamonds; the company paid $10 million to the United States Department of Justice. Contemporary diamond industry is noticeably differs from that of the last decade, as it is now a complicated and continuously developing geopolitical notion. Today, apart from De Beers, the most important players in the diamond business are the African producer countries (e.g., Botswana and Namibia), Rio Tinto, Lev Leviev, BHP Billiton, Alrosa, Harry Winston, etc (De Beers Company). 3. Monopolistic Competition Luxury Watch Industry: Go to http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/05/watches/source/1.htm (Retrieved May 17, 2010). This is an interesting article on luxury watches. Click on the slide show in the upper right window (check out the prices!). Are these three firms participating in a monopolistically competitive market? What characteristics of the good make the market monopolistically competitive? Explain. A recent study by the Luxury Institute has determined the watches that are considered by the wealthy consumers to be the best out of the top 17 ultra luxury watch producers: Franck Muller, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Breguet, though Rolex and Cartier were most famous brands. Nowadays, even not so well-known watchmakers take an equal part in monopolistic competition with the world leaders (Business Week, 2010). The market with monopolistic competition is characterized by the following features (Yomogida, 2010): The presence of multiple buyers and sellers (the market consists of a large number of independent companies and customers), the number of which doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t exceed the one present in pure competition. Low barriers for the entry into the industry. This does not mean that it is easy to start a monopolistically competitive firm; such difficulties as problems with registration, patents and licenses are still present. To survive in the market in the long run, monopolistically competitive firms need to produce diverse, differentiated products, which differ from that is offered by competing firms. Moreover, products may differ from one another by one or several properties (e.g. chemical composition of watches); Buyers and sellers are perfectly informed about market conditions; Predominantly non-price competition; advertising of products is very important for the development. Companies of this type have a negative slope of the demand curve. In monopolistic competition, the output is set at the level of profit maximization (marginal revenue equals marginal cost). However, when deciding on the establishment of prices for products, a monopolistic competitor acts like a monopolist: the price for the goods is set at the highest possible level, i.e. at the level of the demand curve for products. Just as at the market of perfect competition, in monopolistic competition the firm relies on the value of the average total costs, deciding whether to remain in the industry or leave the market. Thus, if the company continued to suffer losses, it means that the average total production costs exceed the established price per unit, and the firm will leave the market in the long run. It should be noted that, since the monopolistic competitor is dynamic in the decision-making, it cannot effectively allocate resources, which leads to inefficiency of such firms in the long run. It is practically impossible to have a positive profit at the market of monopolistic competition in the long term (Yomogida, 2010). 4. Oligopoly The OPEC Oil Cartel Go to www.opec.org (Retrieved May 17, 2010). What are the organizations stated goals, which countries are members, and when was it founded? Is it normal for them to be successful in keeping oil prices high, or have they faced difficulties in keeping the cartel united in the past? The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an international intergovernmental organization (also called a cartel), established by oil-producing powers and including 12 countries: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Nigeria, Ecuador and Angola. The aim of OPEC is to coordinate and develop a common policy with regard to oil production among members of the organization, maintaining stable oil prices, providing a stable supply of oil to consumers, and benefit from the investments in the oil industry (OPEC). OPEC members control about 2/3 of world oil reserves. Their share in the world oil makes 40%, or nearly the half of the world oil exports. At different periods of its history, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries controlled from 25% to 60% of oil production in industrial countries (Hansen Lindholt, 2008). At the same time, the cartel represents a very unstable structure, based on collusion in order to establish a monopoly price in the market, which can be unsatisfactory for some members of the cartel; this finally leads to the violation of the cartel agreement. At first glance, the similarity of the cartel and monopoly is obvious. But the cartel very rarely (in contrast to the monopoly), controls the entire market, because the policy has to deal with non-cartelized enterprises. In addition, the cartel members have quite a powerful temptation to cheat their partners, reducing prices or actively promoting their product, which creates the conditions for the capture of the market (Hansen Lindholt, 2008). Failure to fully and consistently use the cartel for the interaction of oligopolistic firms is forcing them to conduct secret economic policy in price changes and in the delineation of the spheres of influence. Such cooperation may manifest itself in the form of price rigidity or leadership in price formation, and through special organizations such as patent pools. The rigidity of prices is the oligopolistic practice, when, even with changes in costs or demand, an organization is not inclined to change prices, believing that if it has to raise the price, others will follow, which will lead to loss of market share. In this way, the cartel stays away from changing prices due to the fear to unleash the war of prices. Leadership in prices means the practice, when the formation of prices for the product is focused on the prices set by the leader often dominant in this industry. This demonstrates the kind of implicit collusion, although its presence is usually not proven (BÃÆ' ¶ckem, 2004). Patent pools represent an agreement on specialization and cooperation of production, and the consortium the union of firms to conduct joint scientific research and joint construction of large investment projects. Both of these organizations perform cartel functions and are the basis for the organization of conspiracy to divide the market. Thus, the oligopoly is characterized by three features: there are two or more competing firms in the industry, so that the industry is not monopolized (OPEC and Russia relation); demand curve has a falling character, so the industry does not have rules of free competition; at least one large organization operates in the industry, any action of which causes a reaction of competitors (OPEC oligopolistic practices), so that there is no monopolistic competition (BÃÆ' ¶ckem, 2004).

Technology Wave :: essays research papers

Technology sweeps the world everyday bringing more ease into our homes, office’s, vehicle’s, school’s, and worksites alike. With this new technology, jobs become easier, faster, and more efficient making life easier for busy parents and students. Along with the ease come laziness and a wave of other â€Å"problems.† I’ll explain these â€Å"problems† in more detail a little later. The controversy I see is â€Å" Is the lack of physical exercise worth the gain of ease?† Personally I believe its all in how you use technology. If you just abuse technology and never do any physical activities, than yes, it’s a bad thing. If you use technology to assist you than no, its being used properly, and can therefore be controlled. Like I have mentioned earlier if you just use and abuse technology and become dependent on it, than you cant survive without technology and then it becomes a bad way of life. An example of this is the typical busin essman. We’ve all seen him, right? Well most business men have PDA’s, cell phone’s, blackberry’s, Laptop’s Etc†¦ Right? Right. But how many of them have â€Å"physical copies of the information that is stored in them? Phone numbers, client’s names, document’s and countless other documents, papers and information. Some of these important documents are irreplaceable. Still these people walk around everyday without even a thought in their mind that their electronic device can be stolen, lost or broken and all the information will be lost! As scary as this though is, to most people it never crosses their mind, or maybe it did once or twice. Maybe 2-3 months ago they copied all their numbers down or backed up their files to external media but how much more information do they have now that could be lost? Chances are a good 25% of the information is not backed up somewhere. Just waiting for fate to match them up with the black hole of Number’s And Document’s. And once there lost you’ll never see them again unless you have them written down or saved somewhere else. That is one way technology causes laziness, instead of pulling out a umber book and writing the number down even when you get home after work you just shrug off and go â€Å"meh there safe† trust me there not I lost 125 important phone numbers one day when I lost my cell phone some of these were numbers to friends whom had moved to other states or countries and I no longer had there address or number so have to wait for them to contact me and hope they likewise didn’t lose there address’s and number’s.

Industrial Efficiency :: essays papers

Industrial Efficiency This article, in the Journal of Economic History, Asher explains the differences in efficiency between the American and British textile industries. This has been a highly debated topic with many economists weighing in. In Asher’s analysis, he uses a very empirical approach, rather then trying to explain differences in data with a sociological approach as other economists have. Asher begins by explaining the leading theory in manufacturing efficiency that Rothbarth and Habakkuk developed. Their main explanation for differences is the population disparities between the two countries. In England, there was a labor surplus, while in America, there was a labor scarcity. This scarcity forced American entrepreneurs to implement extremely efficient production methods. While this may be a plausible explanation, Asher maintains that it lacks rigorous formulation and testing. In response, Asher develops a model, using a production function with constant elasticity of substitution. Within the model, he tries to factor for bias in technical change. Tests were run to determine two different explanations: (a) labor-saving bias was used in America and capital-saving bias was used in Britain; or (b) there was labor-saving bias in both countries, but there was more technical progress in America. The test indicates that there is a labor saving bias in both countries. This was the expected outcome that follows the Rothbarth-Habakkuk theory. However, in an unexpected outcome, it appears that the test maintains a capital-saving bias in Britain, as well. This is a combination of the two anticipated outcomes and seems to be opposite of the Rothbarth-Habakkuk theory. This article highlights the technical changes examined in the reading in Chapter 17 of the W&R textbook. While the textbook concentrates on the mass production of goods such as steel, it was interesting to read about a good that individual members of society buy daily – textiles. I think it

Case Study : Barriers of Communication Essay

Barriers of communication are the complex of problems which appear during the conversation of people whose native language is different. Many years ago the problem did not exist, because people of different countries did not cooperate greatly and most people lived in the mono-linguistic communities. In the long run of time people all over the world started to travel, get education and work in other countries. Evidently, the importance of knowledge a foreign language is really great, because it solves many problems and opens wide opportunities. International business, world economics, scientific progress of the humanity and simple exchange of experience and knowledge is impossible without being good at foreign languages. Nevertheless, if one knows a foreign language, he will definitely have problems with it because of the linguistic barriers of communication. In spite of it, there are other forms of communication barriers and they do not depend on the mother tongue. There are physical barriers of communication which do not let people express their thoughts in a proper way. For example, there are disorders which influence people’s ability to speak and they have to communicate with the help of gestures. Then, deaf people also have problems with communication, because they do not hear anything and can read information from gestures. Then, there are professional barriers of communication. For example, every profession possesses a list of specific terms which are understandable only for the people of the same occupation. There are many types of barriers of communication which make the life of people complicated. Students who decide to research the problem of barriers of communication should investigate the problem in detail and understand what the kinds and the reasons of this phenomenon, what factors cause the existence of these barriers. If one wants to research a particular example of communication barriers, he will need to read a lot about the chosen case to find trustworthy information about it. One will need to read books and periodicals where the case is mentioned to be able to analyze it and draw the right conclusions. Students should present the cause and effect of the problem, offer good solutions to the problem occurred in the case under investigation. There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In many communications, the message may not be received exactly the way the sender intended and hence it is important that the communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly understood. The skills of Active Listening, Clarification and Reflection may help but the skilled communicator also needs to be aware of the barriers to effective communication. There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misundersta nding. Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message. Some common barriers to effective communication include: * The use of jargon. Over-complicated or unfamiliar terms. * Emotional barriers and taboos. * Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. * Differences in perception and viewpoint. * Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. * Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. * Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents. * Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. * Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. A skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers and try to reduce their impact by continually checking understanding and by offering appropriate feedback. Most people would agree that communication between two individuals should be simple. It’s important to remember that there are differences between talking and communicating. When you communicate, you are successful in getting your point across to the person you’re talking to. When we talk, we tend to erect barriers that hinder our ability to communicate. There are seven of these types of barriers to effective communication. 1. Physical barriers are easy to spot – doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication. While most agree that people need their own personal areas in the workplace, setting up an office to remove physical barriers is the first step towards opening communication. Many professionals who work in industries that thrive on collaborative communication, such as architecture, purposefully design their workspaces around an â€Å"open office† plan. This layout eschew s cubicles in favor of desks grouped around a central meeting space. While each individual has their own dedicated work space, there are no visible barriers to prevent collaboration with their co-workers. This encourages greater openness and frequently creates closer working bonds. 2. Perceptual barriers, in contrast, are internal. If you go into a situation thinking that the person you are talking to isn’t going to understand or be interested in what you have to say, you may end up subconsciously sabotaging your effort to make your point. You will employ language that is sarcastic, dismissive, or even obtuse, thereby alienating your conversational partner. Think of movie scenarios in which someone yells clipped phrases at a person they believe is deaf. The person yelling ends up looking ridiculous while failing to communicate anything of substance. 3. Emotional barriers can be tough to overcome, but are important to put aside to engage in conversations. We are often taught t o fear the words coming out of our own mouths, as in the phrase â€Å"anything you say can and will be used against you.† Overcoming this fear is difficult, but necessary. The trick is to have full confidence in what you are saying and your qualifications in saying it. People often pick up on insecurity. By believing in yourself and what you have to say, you will be able to communicate clearly without becoming overly involved in your emotions. 4. Cultural barriers are a result of living in an ever shrinking world. Different cultures, whether they be a societal culture of a race or simply the work culture of a company, can hinder developed communication if two different cultures clash. In these cases, it is important to find a common ground to work from. In work situations, identifying a problem and coming up with a highly efficient way to solve it can quickly topple any cultural or institutional barriers. Quite simply, people like results. 5. Language barriers seem pretty self-inherent, but there are often hidden language barriers that we aren’t always aware of. If you work in an industry that is heavy in jargon or technical language, care should be taken to avoid these words when speaking with someone from outside the industry. Without being patronizing, imagine explaining a situation in your industry to a child. How would you convey these concepts without relying on jargon? A clear, direct narrative is preferable to an incomprehensible slew of specialty terms. 6. Gender barriers have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a man to misconstrue the words of a woman, or vice versa. Men and women tend to form their thoughts differently, and this must be taken into account when communicating. This difference has to do with how the brain of each sex is formed during gestation. In general, men are better at spatial visualization and abstract concepts such as math, while women excel at language-based thinking and emotional identification. However, successful professionals in highly competitive fields tend to have similar thought processes regardless of their gender. 7. Interpersonal barriers are what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other and opening ourselves up, not just to be heard, but to hear others. Oddly enough, this can be the most difficult area to change. Some people spend their entire lives attempting to overcome a poor self-image or a series of deeply rooted prejudices about their place in the world. They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they have too many false perceptions blocking the way. Luckily, the cure for this is more communication. By engaging with others, we learn what our actual strengths and weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth our ideas in a clear, straightforward manner. Communication is not a one-way street. To have others open up to you, you must be open yourself. By overcoming these barriers to communication, you can ensure that the statement you are making is not just heard, but also understood, by the person you are speaking with. In this way, you can be confident that your point has been expressed. Case study writing requires accuracy, creativity and well-developed analytical skills. In order to cope with the assignment successfully, one will need a good example for writing. A free sample case study on physical barriers of communication will be a good source of data for every student, because experienced writers always research interesting questions and share their knowledge with young people. With the help of the Internet and free example case studies on barriers of business communication one will learn to compose properly-structured well-formatted papers of this type successfully. http://casestudyhub.com/case-study-on-barriers-of-communication/ – See more at: http://www.opin.ca/article/seven-barriers-communication#sthash.LMuGVzsq.dpuf Madaming problema ang nangyayari, pagdating sa pakikipagusap sa mga tao. Batay ka si sa nabasa namin, ang isa sa mga nagiging problema pagdating sa pakikipagkumunikasyon ay ang kakulangan sa kaalaman sa madaming lenggwahe. Sa panahon ngayun iba’t – ibang mga tao na ang ating nakakasalamuha o nakakausap sa ating paligid. Halimbawa, may isang ahente ng lupa ang nagaalok ng lupa sa isang dayuhang di naman sanay mag salita ng tagalog. Ngunit yun ahente di marunong magenglish. Paano sya nakakabenta ng lupa kung di nya makakausap ng maayos yun isang dayuhang may balak bumili ng lupa. Imbis na magkaroon sya ng cliyente, ay nawala pa dahil nahirapan itong makipagusap sakanya. Marami pa tayong makikitang problema. Isa pa dito kapag hirap umintindi ang kausap o may mahinang pandinig. Ang komunikasyon ang isa sa pinaka mahalagang katalinuhang pwede nating pag aralan. Sa pamamagitan kasi ng komunikasyon ay maipapakita o masasabi natin an gating nalalaman. Sa pamamagitan din nito ma ibabahagi natin ang ating nalalaman at ang ating nalalaman. Mas mabuti kung mas marami tayong nalalamang lengwahe o klase ng mga salita, dahil magagamit natin ito sa mga dadating na panahon o pagkailangan natin ito. At kapag nagpunta tayo sa iba’t – ibang bansa hindi na tayo mahihirapan pang kausapin sila. Pagdating naman sa business ang komunikasyon ang kailangan, dahil sa pamamagitan ng ating mga salita o sinasabi makukuha natin ang loob ng mga investors o mga mamimili. Sa pamamagitan ng komunikasyon makakausap natin ng maayos ang mga taong ating makakaharap. Sa ating bansa ang tagalog ang pangunahing lengwaheng ginagamit sa pakikipagusap. Pero sabi ng ilan ingles daw ang pangunahing lengwahe sa buong mundo. Sa aming nahanap may mga nakalagay doon na ilang klase ng problema sa komunikasyon. Sinabi doon na maraming klase ng problema. Solusyon Para maiwasan ang mga problema sa komunikasyon, dapat marunong tayo tumanggap ng pagkakamali. Maging mabuti tayong tagapakinig para hindi tayo mahirapan sa mga susunod na panahon. Intindihin natin ang posisyon ng aking kausap o tagapagsalita. Wag tayo masyadong mapagmataas matuto tayong making sa mga nagsasalita. Wag tayong matakot harapin ang mga problemang sumasagabal sa atin para makipagkomunikasyon. Reaksyon Maging bukas tayo sa lahat ng bagay. Maging maintindihin tayo. Mas okay kung babasahin natin ang mga bagay na ganyan, para malaman natin ang tama. Para na din sa aming mga future managers, dapat mas marunong kaming makinig para ganon din ang gawin samin ng aming mga kinakausap. Dapat naming matutunan ang mga bagay na nasabi sa taas, kasi dadating ang tamang panahon magagamit naming lahat iyun o mangyayari sa buhay naming yun. Makakaharap naming ang iba’t – ibang klase ng tao.

Nutraceuticals International Essay

1. â€Å"Beetroot juice ‘can beat blood pressure’. † Nutraceuticals International 13. 2 (Feb 2008). Summary/Critique Medications for hypertension can amount to a lot of money each year. This is the reason why many experts are trying to look at cheaper alternatives in producing medicines that could alleviate the upsurge of this dreaded disease. Cheaper medicines can come in a form of herbal remedies. In this report that appeared in a magazine Nurtaceuticals International (Feb.2008), it has been revealed that British researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine found a new way of vitally reducing the blood pressure of hypertension patients. By taking 500ml of beetroot juice each, they might have a chance of being cured of their hypertension. The group of researchers, led by Amrita Ahluwalia and Ben Benjamin, identified that it is the â€Å"ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice† that does the trick. The effect can also be seen when people are eating green, leafy vegetables that ultimately results in decreased blood pressure. Because of the antioxidant vitamin content of vegetable-rich diet people can be protected against heart disease. This article is very informative because readers can learn the importance of having good diet can help everyone have a healthier life. Also, this article could encourage more experts in trying to find alternative ways of helping people with hypertension. Full Text Article: â€Å"Beetroot juice ‘can beat blood pressure’. † Nutraceuticals International 13. 2 (Feb 2008). Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine in the UK have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published on-line on February 5 in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension, could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Lead by Amrita Ahluwalia, professor at the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine, and Ben Benjamin, professor at Peninsula Medical School, USA, the research reveals that it is the ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice – and similarly in green, leafy vegetables – which results ultimately in decreased blood pressure. Previously, the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets had been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content. Effective one hour post ingestion Prof Ahluwalia and her team found that, in healthy volunteers, blood pressure was reduced within just one hour of ingesting beetroot juice, with a peak drop occurring three-four hours after ingestion. Some degree of reduction continued to be observed until up to 24 hours after consumption. Researchers showed that the decrease in blood pressure was due to the chemical formation of nitrite from the dietary nitrate in the juice. The nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva by bacteria on the tongue into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed and, in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite. The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation, an effect that was absent in a second group of volunteers who refrained from swallowing their saliva during, and three hours following, beetroot ingestion. More than 25% of the world’s adult population are hypertensive, and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 29% by 2025. In addition, hypertension causes around 50% of coronary heart disease, and approximately 75% of strokes. In demonstrating that nitrate is likely to underlie the cardio-protective effect of a vegetable-rich diet, the research of Prof Ahluwalia and her colleagues highlights the potential of a natural, low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease – a condition that kills over 110,000 people in England alone every year. Prof Ahluwalia concluded: â€Å"our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure. † 2. Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension doubles female sexual dysfunction prevalence. † Family Practice News 36. 20 (Oct 15, 2006): 14. Summary Critique: We only know that hypertension affects the circulatory system of the human body. However, in this article by Mitchel Zoler (2006), it has been found that hypertensive women have double the risk of having sexual dysfunction than women with normal blood pressure. This proposition came after scientists have conducted a study of 417 women. As Dr. Michael Doumas reported in the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, â€Å"women with controlled hypertension had a significantly lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did women whose hypertension failed to reach goal levels during treatment† (Zoler, 2006). In this particular study, all women were tasked to complete a â€Å"19-question form that has been validated as a way to evaluate sexual function†. The questions dealt with several domains of female sexual function: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. The survey found out that among the women with hypertension, â€Å"42% had scores indicating sexual dysfunction†, which is far in statistically significant when compared with â€Å"19% among the normotensives†. Looking on how the researchers arrived at this conclusion can be doubtful because they merely based it on a survey, which can be a result of many other factors other than hypertension. Yet, this observation should not be taken complacently because hypertension is a common disease in the United States and its link to reproductive dysfunction in women should be established so that doctors will know how to alleviate the worsening problem of hypertension. Full Text Article: Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension doubles female sexual dysfunction prevalence. † Family Practice News 36. 20 (Oct 15, 2006): 14. NEW YORK — Women with hypertension were twice as likely to have sexual dysfunction as normotensive women were, in a study of 417 women. The results also showed that women with controlled hypertension had a significantly lower prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did women whose hypertension failed to reach goal levels during treatment, Dr. Michael Doumas reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hypertension. But a third finding was that women who were treated with antihypertensive drugs had a higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction than did untreated women. Dr.Doumas speculated that this was caused by the effects of certain antihypertensive drugs, such as diuretics and [beta]-blockers. Treatment with other drug types, the angiotensin-receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, appeared to reduce sexual dysfunction, he said. â€Å"We need to treat hypertension because of its effect on adverse cardiac outcomes. But there is a hint that we can lower blood pressure with some drugs and also have good effects on female sexual function,† said Dr. Doumas, a physician in the department of internal medicine at the Hospital of Alexandroupolis in Athens. The study enrolled 216 women with hypertension and 201 normotensive women. Their average age overall was about 48, and all were sexually active. The women completed a 19-question form that has been validated as a way to evaluate sexual function. The questions dealt with several domains of female sexual function: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Among the women with hypertension, 42% had scores indicating sexual dysfunction, compared with 19% among the normotensives, which was a statistically significant difference. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction increased significantly with the duration of hypertension. Among women who had been hypertensive for fewer than 3 years, 16% had a score indicating sexual dysfunction; the rate rose to 33% among women with hypertension for 3-6 years and 79% among women with hypertension for more than 6 years. Age also showed a significant interaction with prevalence. Among women aged 31-40 years, the prevalence of dysfunction was 21%; the rate rose to 38% among women aged 41-50 and to 57% among women who were older than 50 years. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 48% among women treated for hypertension, compared with 33% among the untreated hypertensives, a significant difference. The average age was 48 years in both groups. But the prevalence was lower still among the hypertensive women who had their pressure controlled by treatment. With control defined as a pressure of less than 140/90 mm Hg, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with controlled hypertension was 27%, significantly less than the 51% of women with uncontrolled hypertension who had dysfunction. It’s not yet known how antihypertensive drugs exert differing effects on sexual function. In general, drugs that cause vasodilation appear to improve sexual dysfunction, Dr. Doumas said. 3. â€Å"Liver linked to deadly disease. † USA Today (Magazine) 135. 2737 (Oct 2006): 10. The liver is important in the human body because it produces many enzymes that aid the digestion of our food intake. This is why it can be alarming to have liver disorders because it can affect our system from metabolizing food. For example, in the United States, many people consume an excessive amount of protein. The metabolism of excess protein, especially animal protein, can put a strain on the liver and kidneys in fats include dairy products, vegetable oils, and red meat. In this report from USA Today, it was found that liver disorders may trigger a deadly type of hypertension. As a physician from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center named Dan Rockey informed, this type of hypertension is called portal hypertension that â€Å"affects the blood flow into the portal vein, which feeds blood to the liver†. This report is alarming because the short-term mortality rate of having â€Å"portal hypertension is about 30%† (USA Today, October 2006). Dan Rockey and his colleagues are undergoing research to open new grounds for this disease and to find â€Å"possible clinical approaches†. Portal hypertension can trigger bleeding and development of fluid found in the abdomen. It is important to take more research on this type of hypertension because it can possibly become an epidemic if it is not treated. Also, we can take steps in taking care of our liver by reducing alcohol intake and eating healthy food. Full Text Article: â€Å"Liver linked to deadly disease. † USA Today (Magazine) 135. 2737 (Oct 2006): 10. Mechanisms causing a potentially deadly type of hypertension that result from liver damage have been identified by Don Rockey, a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Portal hypertension affects the blood flow into the portal vein, which feeds blood to the liver. Rockey identified the cellular activity that results in portal hypertension. He and his colleagues then took the research a step further, showing that, if the process can be interrupted, the hypertension subsides. â€Å"Portal hypertension is a deadly disease that complicates many forms of chronic liver injury,† he explains. â€Å"When this occurs, in its most severe form, the prognosis definitely becomes guarded,† often leading to the need for a liver transplant. The short-term mortality for patients with portal hypertension is about 30%. The latest research opens new ground and has implications for possible clinical approaches. â€Å"The end result of portal hypertension is bleeding and development of ascites [fluid in the abdomen]; so, if you could treat it early, you could prevent bleeding or the formation of ascites,† Rockey observes. Portal hypertension is similar to the widely known essential hypertension–which impairs blood flow to the heart systems–except it affects blood flow to the liver-related systems. The liver is an essential organ that washes the body’s blood of wastes and poisons. Cirrhosis of the liver occurs when the cells are damaged. Scarring often results, reducing blood flow and raising pressure on veins. The high pressure can cause veins to burst, resulting in internal bleeding and, potentially, death. Previous studies have shown that, at the cellular level, portal hypertension results from reduced production of needed nitric oxide, which regulates expansion of the blood vessels. Rockey’s research identifies how the nitric oxide production breaks down due to the effects of the protein GRK2. The protein attaches to another protein called AKT, interrupting the creation of nitric oxide. 4. Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension diagnosis often missed in children. † Family Practice News 35. 11 (June 1, 2005): 15. We might not know it but children can develop hypertension too. Since the late 1980s, the rate of pre-hypertension and hypertension among U. S. children and teenagers has continued to increase. However, according to Zoler (June 1, 2005), experts miss 85% of these cases. In this article, Dr. Charlene K. Mitchell informed that â€Å"the problem with diagnosing hypertension in kids is that there are too many threshold pressures for most physicians to keep straight†. The guidelines for diagnosing children with the condition are different than those for adults. The point at which children are considered to have hypertension is determined by age, gender, weight and height, and young patients usually are not diagnosed until they have higher-than-normal readings for at least three visits. American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines require that blood pressure be taken at every doctors visit, but some physicians do not then calculate whether it is too high, especially if the child is healthy otherwise. This is why Dr. Mitchell suggested the researchers should be â€Å"aggressive† in finding a solution not to miss the diagnosis of hypertension in children. The impact of missing the diagnosis of hypertension in kids can be tremendous because it is a â€Å"killer† disease. Doctors missing to identify it could not suggest medications and this can be life-threatening for the children. More serious research should be conducted to identify what method is appropriate in determining the occurrence of hypertension in children. Full Text Article: Zoler, Mitchel L. â€Å"Hypertension diagnosis often missed in children. † Family Practice News 35. 11 (June 1, 2005): 15. New Orleans — A diagnosis of hypertension was missed in 85% of children with high blood pressure in a study of 287 youngsters who were examined at two university-based, pediatric clinics. The problem with diagnosing hypertension in kids is that there are too many threshold pressures for most physicians to keep straight, Charlene K. Mitchell, M. D. , said at the annual meeting of the Southern Society for Pediatric Research. Because the threshold for diagnosing hypertension varies by age, height, and gender, there are a total of 420 different diastolic and systolic pressures that determine whether a particular child has high blood pressure, said Dr. Mitchell, a pediatrician and internist at the University of Louisville (Ky. ). The total is 420 because there are 15 different age-specific threshold pressures for children aged 3-17 years, 7 different height-specific threshold pressures between the 5th and 95th height percentiles, different thresholds for girls and boys, and different thresholds for diastolic and systolic pressure. The threshold criteria for borderline hypertension would add another 120 pressure thresholds for diagnosing hypertension. â€Å"The numbers are chopped up too much. It’s far too complex for easy management,† Dr. Mitchell said. â€Å"If physicians must always look on a table every time they check a blood pressure, we’ll continue to see underdiagnosis. † Her solution to the number surfeit is to cluster several ages with a single diagnostic pressure threshold. However, eventually she would like to have study results establish pressure thresholds for diagnosing hypertension that are empirically derived, rather than based on statistics. If the diagnostic criteria are simplified, physicians will be much more likely to identify hypertension in children much more often, Dr. Mitchell said. â€Å"We need to be much more aggressive about recognizing hypertension in children than we are now,† she added. Her study was designed to assess physician accuracy at identifying hypertension in children aged 3-17 years being seen for routine, well-child visits from July 31 to Aug. 15, 2003. Of the 287 children examined, 90 (31%) had hypertension by current standards, and 35 (12%) had borderline hypertension. But only 15% of those with hypertension were diagnosed by their examining physicians. The results also showed that physicians were more likely to diagnose hypertension in children with a higher body mass index (BMI). The children who were correctly diagnosed as hypertensive were, on average, in the 92nd percentile for BMI. Those who had unrecognized blood pressure elevations were, on average, in the 76th percentile for BMI. 5. Bradbury, Jane. â€Å"The chicken and egg in hypertension†, The Lancet 349. 9059 (April 19, 1997), p. 1151. It is important to know where essential hypertension will trigger from because it can aid doctors to foresee the development of this dreaded disease. To wit, there is an ongoing debate of whether essential hypertension occurs when there is a perceived micro vascular abnormality or is when doctors see higher levels of blood pressure. In this article, UK clinicians found that males â€Å"with a familial predisposition to high blood pressure, a reduced number of capillaries and impaired microvascular dilatation precede hypertension†. In the research conducted by Professor David Webb and his team from the University of Edinburgh, they utilized the â€Å"four-corners epidemiological model† in predicting the triggering point of hypertension. Their study in 1977 determined the measure of blood pressure from 1809 married couples. In 1985, 864 of the 16–24 year-old children that came from the previous couples â€Å"had their blood pressure measured† too. Then, the researchers classified â€Å"four groups of offspring† by â€Å"combinations of personal (high or low) and parental (high or low) blood pressure†. Through these extensive studies, they determined that â€Å"microvessel characteristics which might be responsible for increased vascular resistance in essential hypertension†. Mostly, it is the males â€Å"with high blood pressure whose parents also had high blood pressure had significantly impaired dermal vasodilatation compared with the other three groups†. Also, they researchers observed they had â€Å"significantly fewer capillaries in the finger during venous occlusion†. This article can be helpful in the research of determining hypertension before it develops into a full-blown disease. Full Text Article: Bradbury, Jane. â€Å"The chicken and egg in hypertension†, The Lancet 349. 9059 (April 19, 1997), 1151. What comes first in essential hypertension-microvascular abnormalities or a rise in blood pressure? UK clinicians report this week that in men with a familial predisposition to high blood pressure, a reduced number of capillaries and impaired microvascular dilatation precede hypertension. Prof David Webb (University of Edinburgh, UK) and his team used the â€Å"four-corners† epidemiological model to unravel cause and effect in hypertension. In 1977, blood pressure was measured in 1809 married couples. 864 16–24 year-old offspring from 603 of the families had their blood pressure measured in 1985. Four groups of offspring were defined by combinations of personal (high or low) and parental (high or low) blood pressure. Microvessel characteristics which might be responsible for increased vascular resistance in essential hypertension were measured in 1993–95 for 105 men drawn from the four populations (J Clin Invest 1997; 99: 1873–79). Men with high blood pressure whose parents also had high blood pressure had significantly impaired dermal vasodilatation compared with the other three groups. They also had significantly fewer capillaries in the finger during venous occlusion. Factors which are associated with high blood pressure in offspring whose parent had high blood pressure are more likely to be causal than those that are associated with high blood pressure in the offspring irrespective of parental blood pressure, write the authors. The results suggest that defective angiogenesis may be an etiological component of hypertension, either environmental or genetic, and are consistent with the higher incidence of adult hypertension in people with a low birth weight. These findings, says Webb, should focus attention on the importance of early life factors in the programming of hypertension. 6. McCarron, David A. â€Å"Diet and high blood pressure – the paradigm shift. † Science 281. 5379 (August 14, 1998): 933-934. Doctors and nutritionists always exhort people to make a change to healthier diets because it can aid all of us in preventing deleterious diseases. According to McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998), â€Å"humans are nearly unique in their natural propensity to develop elevated arterial pressure, a fact attributed to both genetic and environmental factors†. Many experts point an accusing finger on salt being the one that can contribute to the occurrence of hypertension. However, McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998) revealed that the â€Å"importance of salt in the pathogenesis of hypertension† is still being debated and â€Å"remains undetermined†. Experts began to accuse the extreme use of salt as the one that causes hypertension â€Å"when early studies indicated that salt intake increased blood pressure†. However, McCarron (Aug. 14, 1998) indicated that â€Å"many of these studies have since been discounted for design and methodologic flaws. But even where the methodology is sound, sodium intake cannot be linked to hypertension or higher population-wide blood pressure†. In more conclusive studies, there existed a â€Å"compelling evidence that adequate intake of minerals, rather than restriction of sodium, should be the focus of dietary recommendations for the general population†. This article is enlightening due to the fact that it debunks the myth of salt being the primary cause of developing hypertension. The author suggests that we should limit our mineral intake and not just salt alone, in order to live a healthy lifestyle. We should not manipulate our diet to our own detriment, but we should shift it to become health-conscious because we are already armed with the knowledge of what’s good for us. Full Text Article: McCarron, David A. â€Å"Diet and high blood pressure – the paradigm shift. † Science 281. n5379 (August 14, 1998): 933(2). Hypertension–a serious health problem for industrialized societies–contributes significantly to the risk of coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, and kidney failure. Among vertebrates, humans are nearly unique in their natural propensity to develop elevated arterial pressure, a fact attributed to both genetic and environmental factors. Only certain highly inbred strains of rodents and genetically engineered animals also spontaneously exhibit hypertension. Public policy has generally recommended that blood pressure can best be controlled by restriction of sodium chloride intake and with medication (1). Recent research has, however, emphasized the powerful role of total diet in the etiology and treatment of hypertension, suggesting that the focus of current public policy regarding nutrition and blood pressure is too narrow. Limitation of sodium chloride in food has historically been the dietary mantra of those who set nutritional policy for hypertension. Nevertheless, the importance of salt in the pathogenesis of hypertension has long been debated (2-4) and remains undetermined (5). The intense focus on sodium began when early studies indicated that salt intake increased blood pressure. These studies, many conducted decades ago, included epidemiologic surveys in primitive societies, clinical trials in patients with kidney disease, and animal investigations in which sodium intake levels cannot be realistically extrapolated to humans (6). Many of these studies have since been discounted for design and methodologic flaws. But even where the methodology is sound, sodium intake cannot be linked to hypertension or higher population-wide blood pressure (7). Two recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials–one examining the effects of sodium restriction (8) and the other of calcium supplementation on arterial pressure (9)–provide compelling evidence that adequate intake of minerals, rather than restriction of sodium, should be the focus of dietary recommendations for the general population. Assessing 56 trials of sodium restriction, Midgley et al. (8) concluded that individuals with normal blood pressure gained nothing from limiting sodium intake and that only older ([is greater than] 45 years) hypertensive people might benefit, a conclusion recently confirmed by other investigators (5). Midgley et al. also reported that the magnitudes of the blood pressure reductions were not consistently related to the amount of sodium intake, indicating that confounding factors were contributing to the changes in blood pressure. Indeed, in a meta-analysis of calcium supplementation trials, Bucher et al. (9) identified a small but consistent drop in blood pressure when normotensive and hypertensive persons consumed more calcium. They speculated that baseline calcium intake or increased biological need for minerals might be responsible for the blood pressure variability not otherwise accounted for in their analysis. These two reports presaged the outcomes of two large clinical trials from the NIH, published in 1997 (10, 11). The Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) II is the largest and longest study ever executed to test whether sodium restriction lowers arterial pressure and prevents the emergence of new hypertension cases (I0). No benefit was detected for the primary endpoint diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure decreased minimally (0. 7 mmHg), almost precisely the value that the Midgley (8) analysis projected. Furthermore, the TOHP II data demonstrated a dissociation between the extent of sodium restriction and the observed blood pressure reduction. The second large-scale study was the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (11). As would be predicted by Bucher et al. (9) in their meta-analysis of calcium studies, in persons whose intake of dairy products (and therefore calcium and other minerals) was well below currently recommended levels, blood pressure decreased significantly when the recommended amounts were included in their diets. In the DASH diet that was rich in dairy products, fruits, and vegetables and lower in fat (with sodium held constant), blood pressure decreased 5 to 6 mmHg in subjects with normal blood pressure; in those with mild hypertension, this blood pressure reduction was doubled, to 11 to 12 mmHg. Reductions of this magnitude have been observed previously only with antihypertensive medications. A second DASH diet, which included increased amounts of fruits and vegetables but did not include dairy products, produced more modest but still significant systolic blood pressure reductions, easily surpassing those observed with sodium restriction in TOHP II. DASH confirmed the meta-analyses as well as earlier indications from observational studies that dietary factors other than sodium markedly affected blood pressure (3, 12). For example, one of the earlier studies (12) identified inadequate calcium intake from dairy products as the dietary pattern most prevalent in individuals with untreated hypertension. Another study (3), in which nutrient intake was assessed from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I), confirmed this dietary pattern in hypertensive individuals and identified the relative absence of fruits and vegetables in the American diet as the second best predictor of elevated blood pressure. These studies suggested that where intake of other critical nutrients is adequate, sodium intake at levels typically consumed in most societies might actually be associated with lower blood pressure. They also concluded that the absence of specific nutrients (calcium, potassium, and magnesium), resulting from low consumption of dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, is associated with hypertension in Americans (3, 12). The TOHP II study adds to the substantial body of literature that challenges the public health emphasis on sodium restriction as the primary nutritional means of improving blood pressure. The issue is further complicated by concerns raised in several recent reports (5, 13, 14) that the long-term effect of sodium restriction on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality may be the opposite of what has always been assumed. The DASH study provides a clear rationale for focusing our public health strategy on adequate intake of low-fat dairy products and fruits and vegetables. The consistency of the accumulated data is evident when the blood pressure changes seen with the DASH diet (11) are superimposed on the blood pressure profile of Americans as a function of calcium intake from (3) (see the figure). According to these data (3, 11), if the intakes of calcium and other nutrients obtained through low-fat dairy products, fruits, and vegetables were increased to the amounts readily achieved in the DASH study, the percentage of Americans with moderately severe hypertension (160/100 to 179/109 mmHg) would be decreased by nearly half, from approximately 9% to 5%. For the millions more with borderline elevations, the benefits are likely to be at least as great. Whether hypertension is genetic or environmental in origin, control of dietary mineral intake has a place in its management and prevention. As a society, we will not achieve the dramatic reversal in hypertensive heart disease that DASH and other studies clearly show is possible until we direct our efforts to the nutritional factors and dietary patterns that are actually relevant to this condition. In addition, diets low in fat but high in calcium, fruits, and vegetables are not prevalent in the subgroups of society at greatest risk for hypertensive cardiac disease–the elderly and African Americans. An added plus: A diet low in fat but high in calcium, fruits, and vegetables is also consistent with reduction of two other major public health problems, osteoporosis and cancer (15, 16). The emphasis on sodium as the single dietary culprit is counterproductive to our significantly reducing cardiovascular risk for most of us (5) and diverts attention from the issues we need to address (17). â€Å"Food products† such as snacks and soft drinks added to our diets in recent years have supplanted nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and milk. This shift in dietary patterns, and simultaneous suboptimal nutrient intake, is also far more likely to contribute to the prevalence of hypertension than salt, which has always been a component of the human diet. Humans may be unique in our propensity to develop hypertension simply because we are the only species with the capacity to manipulate our diets to our own detriment. References (1.) â€Å"The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure,† Arch. Intern. Med. 157, 2413 (1997). (2. ) G. Kolata, Science 216, 38 (1982). (3. ) D. A. McCarron, C. D. Morris, H. J. Henry, J. L. Stanton, ibid. 224, 139Z (1984). (4. ) J. D. Swales, Br. Med. J. 297, 307 (1988). (5. ) N. A. Graudal, A. M. Gallee, P. Gaffed, JAMA 279, 1383 (1998). (6. ) M. Muntzel and T. Drueke, Am. J. Hypertens. 5, 1S (1992). (7. ) Intersalt Cooperative Research Group, Br. Med. J. 297, 319 (1988). (8. ) J. P. Midgley, A. G. Matthew, C. I. T. Greenwood, A. G. Logan, JAMA 275, 1590 (1996). (9. ) H. C. Bucher et al. , ibid. , p. 1016. (10. ) Trials of Hypertension Prevention Collaborative Research Group, Arch. Intern. Med. 157, 657 (1997). (11. ) L. J. Appel et al. , N. Engl. J. Med. 336, 1117 (1997). (12. ) D. A. McCarron, C. Morris, C. Cole, Science 217, 267 (198Z). (13. ) M. H. Alderman, S. Madhavan, H. Cohen, J. E. Seatey, J. H. Laragh, Hypertension 25, 1144 (1995). (14. ) H. H. Alderman, H. Cohen, S. Madhavan, Lancet 351, 781 (1998).