The General (1926) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The General (1926) - Research Paper Example The themes can range from the downright funny to the dead serious, to the everyday lives of people. This review would be focusing on a silent comedy film, acclaimed by many to be one of, if not the best silent comedy film ever produced in Hollywood cinema. The movie featured in this review is entitled â€Å"The General†, which was finished in 1926 and premiered the following year. The lead role was played by Buster Keaton, one of the most well-known silent comedy film actors of all time. The movie has an American Civil War theme, which is based on an actual historical event but mixed with comical elements, along with Keaton’s signature poker-face or deadpan face, which adds up to the amusement of viewers. Screenplay is by Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton, direction by both Bruckman and Keaton, and produced by Joseph Schenck and Keaton. The film narrates how a simpleton named Johnnie Gray (Keaton) was not enlisted in the army to fight for the Confederate Arm y of Tennessee, and was dumped by his sweetheart Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack) because she thinks Johnnie backed out of the enlistment. But an incident changed that, when a group of Union Spies hijacked Johnnie’s train, The General and taking along Annabelle along with it back to their headquarters. Risking life and limb, Johnnie did everything to get his beloved train and sweetheart back.

Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Evaluation - Essay Example Parents are overworked and stressed at levels unseen in recent times; they are working longer hours, sleeping less, and are faced with challenges their own parents did not face. This along with the greater numbers of single parent and dual income households means that the parents are stretched to their limits. The television is a convenient babysitter allowing these parents a minute or two to cook dinner, clean the house, and whatever other duties they need to complete daily. It is easy to tell a child to turn the television on, assured that they will sit there and be entertained. It requires a minimum of supervision, and ensures that there will be relative quiet while they are watching. I am guilty as are most mothers I know of allowing the television to help me with my children too often. I worry that if they play outside the serial killer lurking beneath the neighbor’s bushes may grab them. If they are in the house, as least I know they are safe. We have all heard too many stories of children that were left unsupervised for â€Å"just a minute† and were then gone. My mother has told me stories of when she was growing up, they were let loose all over the town to ride their bikes until dark as young as 7 or 8. Mothers in this day and time cannot comprehend allowing their children out of their site for long periods of time, let alone all day roaming over the entire town. We have to be more cautious because there are more predators now than ever before. So, if we don’t have the time to watch them outside, it is easiest to keep them safe inside in front of the T.V. . Television in small, monitored doses can be good for children. Certainly not all television is bad. Educational programming allows them to learn things they might not have had the opportunity to learn otherwise. It also shows them far away places so that the world seems a little smaller, and they experience more of it. However, the American Association of Pediatrics recommends no more

Symantecs ERP Turmoil Information Technology Essay

Symantecs ERP Turmoil Information Technology Essay A companys Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is like its central nervous system. If it is healthy, it provides the sensory input to management so they can understand what is happening with customers, suppliers, and employees. It helps management respond, by coordinating the companys resources to win customers, battle competitors, and reduce cost, just like muscles in a body. Enterprise resource planning implementations are never easy. In fact, its the equivalent of corporate open heart surgery. And often theres a financial hit if things dont go well. Yet, despite this critical role ERP systems play, most companies fail when in it comes to implementing or upgrading their ERP system. (Eaves, 2009) The horror stories of failed ERP projects are now the stuff of legend. According to one recent report, more than 40% of ERP implementations fail to achieve even half the planned business benefits. Some well known examples include Waste Management suing SAP for $500 million for a failed ERP implementation, Hershey Foods 19% drop in profits from a failed SAP implementation at Halloween time a few years ago, the complete bankruptcy of FoxMeyer Drug, a $5 billion pharmaceutical distributor over a failed $100 million ERP implementation (Eaves, 2010), and, finally Symantecs ERP turmoil, even though it didnt fail completely, but it was the main cause for losing many loyal customers and lower-than-expected earnings in the third quarter of 2007. Adapt to change is always difficult, and even more when a corporation tries to accomplish two difficult tasks in parallel such as a change in organizational structure as well as to adapt on the way the new company operates. This is the case of Symantec that attempting to complete both tasks got into a vicious circle. (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009) Symantecs ERP turmoil will be our case study discussion and I will highlight in detail the key issues and concepts in the chapter that are illustrated in this case study, find out the factors that were responsible for Symantecs difficulties in overhauling its ERP systems, demonstrate Symantecs adequacy in response to the problem, show the available options that could be done differently to prevent the implementation problems that arose at Symantec, and demonstrate customer loyalty based on historical relationship and switching costs. Key Issues and Concepts Lets first know exactly what the ERP system is and reveal the opportunities that attract many organizations toward adopting their IT systems to an ERP system and demonstrate the challenges associated with the implementation of such systems. An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is an integrated computer-based application used to manage internal and external resources, including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources. Its purpose is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. Built on a centralized database and normally utilizing a common computing platform, ERP systems consolidate all business operations into a uniform and enterprise-wide system environment. (Enterprise resource planning, 2010) Figure Enterprise Resource Planning Systems http://www.emanage.in/images/erp.jpg Source: http://www.emanage.in/ Opportunities Associated with ERP Implementation ERP systems connect the necessary software in order for accurate forecasting to be done. This allows inventory levels to be kept at maximum efficiency and the company to be more profitable. Integration among different functional areas to ensure proper communication, productivity and efficiency. Design engineering (how to best make the product). Order tracking, from acceptance through fulfillment. The revenue cycle, from invoice through cash receipt. Tracking the three-way match between purchase orders, inventory receipts, and costing. Managing inter-dependencies of complex processes. ERP systems centralize the data in one place. (Enterprise resource planning, 2010) Challenges Associated with ERP Implementation Customization of the ERP software is limited. Re-engineering of business processes to fit the industry standard prescribed by the ERP system may lead to a loss of competitive advantage. ERP systems can be very expensive. ERPs are often seen as too rigid and too difficult to adapt to the specific workflow and business process of some companies-this is cited as one of the main causes of their failure. Many of the integrated links need high accuracy in other applications to work effectively. Once a system is established, switching costs are very high for any partner. The blurring of company boundaries can cause problems in accountability, lines of responsibility, and employee morale. Resistance in sharing sensitive internal information between departments can reduce the effectiveness of the software. (Enterprise resource planning, 2010) Symantec Project Oasis Symantec Corporation started out with good intentions. Shortly after acquiring Veritas it began an ERP rollout that was designed to standardize and unify the Symantec and Veritas information systems. The goal was to create a single ERP system, within which all of the companys extensive network of resellers, integrators, distributors, and customers could place orders for over 250,000 different products Symantec offered in the same way. That follows the basic concept of enterprise systems which are based on a suite of integrated software modules and a common central database. When new information is entered by one process, the information is made immediately available to other business processes. (Laudon, 2010) Although companies can rewrite some of the software in ERP systems, the software is unusually complex and extensive customization may degrade system performance, compromising the information and process integration. If companies want to reap the maximum benefits from enterprise software, they must change the way they work to conform to the business processes in the software. Although Symantec and Veritas had each used Oracle E-Business Suite 11d prior to the merger, both used highly customized versions of the systems that made integration a daunting task (Laudon, 2010). An overhaul of the combined companys enterprise systems was needed to join together Symantec and Veritass data from key business processes. Enterpyrise systems help large companies enforce standard practices and data so that everyone does business the same way worldwide. Enterprise systems help firms respond rapidly to customer requests for information or products. Unfortunately, the two companies bungled the implementation of the enterprise system almost from the beginning. (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009) In my perspective, the pros associated with the implementation or upgrade to an ERP system outweigh its cons if done properly with a comprehensive plan stating the goals and the expected risks associated with it, implemented a step-by-step without compounding the implementation of the ERP system with the launch of multiple products, and without making too many customizations that lead to inefficient system and make it lose its competitiveness. So I believe that Symantec did not have an effective plan that took into consideration all the possible risks in despite of their knowledge to the risks associated with merging and upgrading two customized versions of an ERP system, they accompanied the upgrade with the launch of other products which made the case even more complicated. The following image shows the organizational change management methodology as it aligns with the ERP implementation road map http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/portal/prtroot/docs/webcontent/mimes/bpx/Business%20Process%20in%20Practice/OCM/ocm_roadmap.jpg Source: www.sdn.sap.com Responsible Factors for Symantecs Difficulties in Overhauling its ERP Systems Management: Most of the issues were due to the companys shortsightedness in implementing Project Oasis. The initial reaction to the launch of the new system was decidedly negative. Once customers reached a Symantec employee, they could spend up to 20 more minutes troubleshooting problems, and were often told that there was nothing that could be done. There was simply too much change occurring all at once for typical customers to handle. Partners were unhappy with Symantecs slow response to many of the problems (Laudon, 2010). Every project with such size should start with a realistic, specific, and a detailed plan that contains all project activities and their sequences in development, estimated budget, associated risks, estimated duration, and perhaps a list of personnel involved in the project implementation. The managements underestimate of the project size and the business processes involved is the most common mistake and fatal error that led many organizations to fail in its ERP implementation, and led sometimes to the demise of others. Despite all Symantecs plans and the involvement of many experts from its management side like its CIO who has a long experience in ERP systems as he worked as a CIO for many ERP vendors like Oracle and PeopleSoft, the management made a fatal error in preparing its users and more than 60,000 resellers, and distributors. The management did not assign its user to a proper training or let the people who will be in a direct contact with the new system on a daily basis and who are the main users of the system such as its personnel and partners to get involved in such a huge change in the system they used to work on and interact with. Organization: The Company was unprepared to meet the increased demand for customer support after the rollout. Symantec neglected to coordinate the development of its new ERP system with the launch of other products from different divisions within the company. The changes to the licensing system were not coordinated with the rest of the project. Customers were unhappy with changes to the stock-keeping unit product system (SKU system). Symantec had overlooked the needs of many customers while designing a technically sound but user-unfriendly ERP system (Laudon, 2010). Technology: Both companies used highly customized versions of Oracles E-Business Suite 11d prior to the merger. Users struggled to process the large amount of information provided to them and were overwhelmed by the increased number of steps, all of them new, required to place orders. Some smaller distributors and partners didnt update their systems to handle the new SKUs and were unable to submit purchase orders electronically. After the rollout, licensing became much more difficult for Symantecs customers and partners, forcing them to wait multiple weeks before receiving their licenses (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). Information systems are now required to respond to a wide range of potential users (both within and outside of an organization) with a diverse set of skills, functional specialization and IT competency. The days in which the IT or finance department exclusively specified and furnished information on behalf of end users have gone. Whether users are knowledge workers or occasional users of an information system, they need access to a system on a self-service basis so that they can retrieve information for themselves using the tools most appropriate to their role and capability. (Cognos 8 product, 2006) So implementing a new ERP system which will be used by most personnel within a company needs a proper and in depth training to all involved users at the right time and not at the system rollout. In my perspective, Symantecs management lacked a thorough assessment on the project needs in terms of training to its entire stakeholders such as vendors and customers, they were unprepared to meet the increased demand for customer support due to a new system implementation which always result in an increase demand to customer support, and they didnt pay enough attention to the complexity and size of ERP implementations which was obvious of accompanying the upgrade with changes to software licensing that was not coordinated with the rest of Project Oasis, and launching the update of multiple programs at the same time with the development of the new system. Was Symantecs response to the problem adequate? From the turmoil of Project Oasis rose Project Nero. The company initiated this follow-up project to recapture the loyalty of customers who were disenchanted by the changes brought about by Oasis. The project reached out to customers and fixed the problems with the information systems to improve response times and streamline operations (Laudon, 2010). The company began by adding over 150 new customer representatives to handle the increased volume of calls, reducing wait times and increasing customer satisfaction. Executives traveled the country to improve relations with angered customers and partners. The company introduced a master list of product releases readily available and standardized its communication methods between departments regarding new projects and change management (Laudon, 2010). Symantec used Net Promoter methodology to measure and increase customer loyalty. The results identified specific criticisms and customer problems and dramatically aided Symantec in correcting those problems. Project Nero helped the company weather the worst of the crisis. However, the company does not release the results of its Net Promoter surveys to the public so the extent to which it has repaired its reputation is unclear (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). So I believe that Symantec definitely took many critical steps to save its reputation and loyal customers around the globe, also I believe that the most critical steps beside introducing the programs listed above are that Symantecs executives traveled the country in order to satisfy and improve relations with angered customers and partners, and that CEO Thompson routinely calls to check up on the quality of customer service . (Laudon, 2010) Solutions Could Have Prevented Symantec Implementation Problems Even the most careful planning and well-designed systems can quickly go awry if customers are unable to make use of the new system. Enterprise applications involve complex pieces of software that are very expensive to purchase and implement. The total implementation cost of a large system, including software, database tools, consulting fees, personnel costs, training, and perhaps hardware costs, might amount to four to five times the initial purchase price for the software (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). Enterprise applications require not only deep-seated technological changes but also fundamental changes in the way a business operates. Business processes must be changed to work with the software. Employees must accept new job functions and responsibilities. Most implementation projects fail or experience enormous problems because executives, managers, and employees did not understand how much organizational change was required (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). Specific Symantec problems that perhaps could have been avoided: Communicate with employees better to counteract the negative attitude towards the project. Communicate with customers and distributors better about the upcoming changes. Make sure all of the systems that were changing were coordinated throughout the organization. Not change as many systems all at the same time. Even though stretching the implementation out over a longer period may have cost more money, perhaps it would have prevented some of the massive problems overall. In my perspective, the most critical factor in Symantecs ERP turmoil was the lack of a thorough communication with employees and customers who are the main users of the new system which I believe was a fatal error from the management side. Also other important factors were the lack of coordination among the different programs throughout the organization and the change in many systems all at the same time. So I think if Symantec management paid enough attention to the details and avoided the factors listed above, they were going to have a successful ERP implantation in terms of cost, time, and customers retention. What about If Youre the Customer? Historical Relationship Measuring customer loyalty is no passing fancy at Symantec. The executive leadership committee-which is chaired by Salem and includes division and department vice presidents, as well as CIO Thompson and Parrish-meets every two weeks to review loyalty metrics and identify what each unit manager is doing to improve their scores and efficiency. (Walsh, 2008) Technology may be the engine that drives business, but business is still conducted by people. Understanding the needs, desires and experience of the customer-whether that person is an internal user, a reseller partner or a consumer-is critical to any companys success and growth. (Walsh, 2008) So based on a strong historical relationship, many of Symantec customers and partners believe that Symantec always strived to achieve a high level in customer loyalty. This strong relationship between Symantec and its partners was the most critical factor that assisted Symantec to succeed in retaining most of its customers and go back on track despite the turmoil and difficulties faced by many customers during Symantecs ERP project. Switching Costs Another critical factor that most customers usually consider is that IT applications introduce switching costs that make it very costly to switch vendors. Companies become dependent on the vendor to upgrade its product and maintain the installation. Many of Symantecs partners and smaller distributors were reliant on Symantec and perhaps could not afford to switch vendors. That would mean they would have to switch all of their internal systems at great cost. (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). In my perspective, I will be reluctant to switch vendors if I was a customer because based on historical relationships I believe that Symantec is an outstanding corporation and always srtives to satisfy customers and customer satidfaction at Symantec is the first goal for achieving success. Also I may consider another factor, if the problems seem temporary, I will hang on, but if the problems seem insurmountable, I will desert the sinking ship. Conclusion ERP systems are the nervous system of any company, so doing an ERP implementation is like brain surgery: only to be attempted if there is a really good reason and not to soon be repeated. ERP implementation projects often fall victim to some of the same problems of any large, complex project. However, there are some repeatable problems that good planning early in a project can work to avoid and thats exactly what Symantec lacked in its ERP implementation. (Eaves, 2009) Even the most careful planning and well-designed systems can quickly go awry if customers are unable to make use of the new system. Enterprise applications involve complex pieces of software that are very expensive to purchase and implement. The total implementation cost of a large system, including software, database tools, consulting fees, personnel costs, training, and perhaps hardware costs, might amount to four to five times the initial purchase price for the software (Achieving Operational Excellence, 2009). If Symantec did better in communicating with employees, customers, and distributers about the coming changes, made sure all of the systems that were changing were coordinated throughout the organization, and did not change as many systems all at the same time, it could prevented the turmoil and difficulties it faced during the implementation of its ERP project. Eliminating confusion and improving the product ordering process wasnt enough. Symantec realized that it needed to recapture the hearts and minds of its customers and partners. Project Nero, the follow-up to Oasis, established several strategic objectives to improve everything from Symantecs change-management processes to continuously measuring customer loyalty. (Walsh, 2008) Customers are often reluctant to switch vendors based on historical relationships. If the problems seem temporary, the customers will hang on. If the problems seem insurmountable, some customers will desert the sinking ship. Companies who decide on a complete overhaul in their IT systems and start an ERP implementation should learn from the successes and failures of others and try to avoid known mistakes made by the other organizations through the ERP implementation practice. There are time-proven approaches that can enhance the success of the ERP implementation and each company shoul d examine each one of these approaches and study them carefully to increase its success level .

The Brain and The Origins Of Violence Essay -- Biology Essays Research

Is The Brain To Blame? Searching For The Origins Of Violence From the dawning of man, violence has always been one of the defining characteristics of humankind. Throughout all of history we see evidence of man's tendencies toward acting violently in response to his emotions - everything from anger, fear, to just plain enjoyment. But to where can we trace the true origin of violence, the place where it all begins? Does the root of violence stem from societal and cultural values or can we point the finger at a deeper cause, one with a neurobiological basis? Can we successfully predict the violent tendencies in individuals, and if so, how? And if there is a biological basis for violent behavior, where does that leave our society and our methods of control? These were the questions I sought to have answered. Before we can begin to answer these questions, however, we must first recognize that not all acts of violence are the same. Certainly the child that throws his toys across the room in anger does not compare to the serial rapist who takes pleasure in attacking women. However since we are primarily interested in tracing the roots of violent behavior, it would be most helpful to look back to the time when our thoughts and actions were only beginning to be shaped, when our minds were impressionable and constantly curious - our childhood. And so we will examine the three main categories of violence observed in childhood - community and school violence, media-related violence, and violence in the home (1) - so that we may begin to paint a picture of the environment in which the violent individual is born. It is no secret that violence in the schools and community has frighteningly been on the rise in America. In fact, from ... ... to no signs of violence at all. I have also learned that though we cannot as a just society judge people on the basis of what they may or may not do, we can use the various studies conducted to help in developing ways to control the violence that already exists. Perhaps in doing so, we can restructure our society to be one that is less violent, less threatening, and more fit for our future generations. WWW Sources 1)Violence and Childhood: How Persisting Fear Can Alter the Developing Child's Brain http://www.bcm.edu/cta/Vio_child.htm 2) Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the 'Cycle of Violence' http://www.bcm.edu/cta/incubated1.htm 3)Brain Study Sheds Light on Impulsive Violence , on the Science Daily website http://www.sciencedaily.com/ 4)Caution Urged for Brain Research on Violence http://hoinguoivietmi.20m.com/August.htm

Godspell Review Essay

Godspell truly captivates the heart and mind of the mere spectator because of its austerity, and its provincial meanings. The movie is not a message for our times, or a movie to focus on the movement of Jesus, or even quite a movie for the youth. In Fact, it is a sequence of stories and tunes, like the bible is, and it is conveyed with the straightforwardness that ingenuous stories demand: with zero illusions, no knowledgeable implements, and a lot of modest honesty. The qualities expressed through the movie would allow me to see the play in person. Though I was not able to attend a performance of the Godspell at my local high school; if I were given the chance again I would go to watch the play because the movie was truly captivating. The play and movie is a musical focused on the Gospel according to the Evangelist Matthew, â€Å"Godspell† is strangely mocking, wild, and loveable. The stage version originally produced in 1971 has been opened up into a movie by taking all of New York in a set. That is true, except for the scenes at the beginning and end, which display the city as a temple of mammon and a rat nest. Only the cast populates the movie; we do not see any other people, and the 10 kids dance, sing, and act out parables in improbable places as the World Trade Center and a tugboat. This is a new use for the city of New York, which looks remarkably spotless; even its vulgar skyscrapers edge toward magnificence when the infinitely long shots immerse them. Against this normality of steel and concrete, the characters come on like kids at a junior high reunion, clothed in comic book colors and bright tattered rags. Only two characters have names: Jesus, and a character who plays both John (who baptized Jesus in the bible) and Judas (who denied and betrayed Jesus). The other eight characters, which represent an on-the-spot assembly of disciples, are the cast who play themselves. What is nice about the cast is that they give the observer all new faces to watch. The characters don’t look like professional stage youths but this is a positive because the movie is livelier. â€Å"Godspell’s† cast is not only young but they are supposed to look like normal everyday people. For some crazy purpose the director, David Greene, has repelled from any enticement to make the movie visually extravagant. The movie characters, just like the stage characters, are given little emblems on their faces by Jesus. A little girl receives a little yellow flower and a boy acquires a tiny red star. It was necessary in the stage version to exaggerate this makeup to make it visible by making the emblems very large and crude, but the movie is an opposite an makes the emblems appear detailed and nice looking. It appeared to me that some people would not understand the meaning behind the odd tattoos and why they were unrelated to religious icons. In the 1970s tattoos were extremely popular, so why not add a part of the current culture to the play and movie. The director and producer used anything to brighten the culture and the upcoming world around them.

American Welfare System

American welfare system is a supervision agenda that offers funds, health care, food, shelter, and other things that citizens want so as to stay alive. People who can receive help from these welfare programs are kids, elders, the disabled, and others who are not capable to sustain their family unit on their contemporary earnings. The welfare system of America has set off from a well-meaning program intended to sustain inhabitants who are incapable to work and afford for their children, to a program that has grow to be prolific to abolishing the continuous dependence of the beneficiaries.The American wellbeing structure will: ? help more welfare heirs accomplish self-rule through labor ? look after children and fortify families ? allow states to inquire about new and original solutions to help welfare recipients get independence Collapse of the System It must be understand that the American welfare system, as we discern it, ought to be unchanging over an extended period of time; but r egrettably this system was ineffective to do so. American welfare system was failed to achieve its objectives and in providing relieve to ordinary people.Yet those who are â€Å"pro-welfare† are disgruntled with the mechanism in isolation. Several problems that contribute their part in the collapse of the U. S. welfare system: Administrative Overheads: The administrative expenses of all the different welfare programs are certainly soaring. It is costly to appraise cases, manage civil services, allocate benefits, watch recipients, arraign fraud, sue disagreements, and examine performance. Incomplete Coverage: Numerous people who are eligible for benefits fail to obtain them because they either do not apply or are shockingly rejected.Even now more people are really deprived, but do not suitable because they do not fall into an apposite class. Complexity: The management of welfare is very convoluted. There are a great many initiatives. The key programs diverge by state; local li beration varies by province. There are accurately thousands of special welfare programs in the United States, covering the land like a frayed collage coverlet. The technical regulations of the crucial programs are discouraging. AFDC is so multifaceted that officials turn to review sheets to determine donations.The parameters are too intricate to comprehend (Bernstein and Greenberg, pp. 11-13). Despite of the aforesaid dilemmas, there are further matters which were foundations for the breakdowns of the American welfare system are: ? Ineffective to keep people beyond the poverty line ? Discrepancy state regulation ? Unavailability of occupations for welfare recipients in the private zone ? Recipients have requirements that widen beyond income upholding ? Too little advantages Proposals for Improving the SystemIt is time for welfare system to implement policies that will construct swift and noticeable development. Programs should be formulated to cope with people cut off or on wellbein g. The trouble of a great number of brood being born into poverty must be condensed to lessen the number of people needing welfare. States powerless to locate jobs for welfare recipients in the private region must be compelled to produce community service jobs and the like to support the unwaged (Bernstein and Greenberg, p. 14).The American welfare system will get better if it executes the following proposals: Create universal access to health care, establish a universal maternal and child health program, update the conditions for eligibility, make plans for sub-populations, enlarge economic efficiency support the family, support the society, provide greater social alternative and alleviate greater idleness insurance. Work Cited Bernstein, J. and Greenberg, M. (2001), Reforming Welfare Reform, American Prospect, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 11-14.

Free Essays on Understanding The Rationale Behind Machiavellis The Prince

Understanding the Rationale Behind Machiavelli’s The Prince Machiavelli’s scientific and rational perspectives are blunt and harsh. His book The Prince is a look into the world of running a state and the basis for gaining respect as a leader. He writes that a state is only created if people cooperate and work to maintain it. Putting faith and trust in the people to really work and understand that everyone has to give to receive is similar to that of a utopian society yet different. Here Machiavelli explains that a state needs to take precedence over everything. This is the same idea for a utopian society. However, in a utopian society everyone is equal and gets no more than the next person. In a Machiavellian society the state is most important and everyone must work for it’s maintenance but everyone is not equal and certain leaders and people can excel further. Maintaining sovereignty should be the focus of a leader and the people of the state. If one does not work on sustaining the sovereignty of a state it will surely fall apart and be taken over. Further the leader would appear to be weak and cause the state to quickly boot him out of his position. Machiavelli believes strongly that a state should be founded on military power. â€Å"It is of such importance that military prowess not only keeps those who have been born rulers in power but also often enables men who have been born private citizens to come to power,† (Machiavelli). By this Machiavelli points out that someone who is already in the blood line to be a ruler needs to work to keep a strong militia, and for those that want to come to rule need to remember that military ability is key. He believes that the strength in militia will show how really strong a leader is. It will allow other leaders to recognize that you hold power over your own people and can conquer anyo ne that tries to ruin your respective state. â€Å"On the other hand, one sees that wh... Free Essays on Understanding The Rationale Behind Machiavelli's The Prince Free Essays on Understanding The Rationale Behind Machiavelli's The Prince Understanding the Rationale Behind Machiavelli’s The Prince Machiavelli’s scientific and rational perspectives are blunt and harsh. His book The Prince is a look into the world of running a state and the basis for gaining respect as a leader. He writes that a state is only created if people cooperate and work to maintain it. Putting faith and trust in the people to really work and understand that everyone has to give to receive is similar to that of a utopian society yet different. Here Machiavelli explains that a state needs to take precedence over everything. This is the same idea for a utopian society. However, in a utopian society everyone is equal and gets no more than the next person. In a Machiavellian society the state is most important and everyone must work for it’s maintenance but everyone is not equal and certain leaders and people can excel further. Maintaining sovereignty should be the focus of a leader and the people of the state. If one does not work on sustaining the sovereignty of a state it will surely fall apart and be taken over. Further the leader would appear to be weak and cause the state to quickly boot him out of his position. Machiavelli believes strongly that a state should be founded on military power. â€Å"It is of such importance that military prowess not only keeps those who have been born rulers in power but also often enables men who have been born private citizens to come to power,† (Machiavelli). By this Machiavelli points out that someone who is already in the blood line to be a ruler needs to work to keep a strong militia, and for those that want to come to rule need to remember that military ability is key. He believes that the strength in militia will show how really strong a leader is. It will allow other leaders to recognize that you hold power over your own people and can conquer anyo ne that tries to ruin your respective state. â€Å"On the other hand, one sees that wh...

Gregor Mendel Essays (549 words) - Biology, Genetics, Free Essays

Gregor Mendel Essays (549 words) - Biology, Genetics, Free Essays Gregor Mendel Gregor Mendel played a huge role in the underlying principles of genetic inheritance. Gregor was born, July 22 1822 in Heinzendorf, Austrian Silesia (now known as Hyncice, Czech Republic), with the name Johann Mendel. He changed his name to Gregor in 1843. He grew up in an Augustinian brotherhood and he learned agricultural training with basic education. He then went on to the Olmutz Philosophical Institute and later entered the Augustinian Monastery in 1843. After 3 years of theological studies, Mendel went to the University of Vienna, where 2 professors influenced him; the physicist Doppler and a botanist named Unger. Here he learned to study science through experimentation and aroused his interest in the causes of variation in plants. He returned to Brunn in 1854 where he was a teacher until 1868. Mendel died January 6 1884. In 1857, Mendel began breeding garden peas in the abbey garden to study inheritance, which lead to his law of Segregation and independent assortment. Mendel observed several characteristics of the garden peas which include: plant height (tallness/shortness), seed color (green/yellow), seed shape (smooth/wrinkled), seed-coat color (gray/white), pod shape (full/constricted), pod color (green/yellow), and flower distribution (along length/ at end of stem). Mendel keep careful records of his experiments and first reported his findings at a meeting of the Brunn Natural History Society. The results of Mendel's work were published in 1866 as Experiments with Plant Hybrids in the society's journal. Mendel's Law of Segregation stated that the members of a pair of homologous chromosomes segregate during meiosis and is distributed to different gametes. This hypothesis can be divided into four main ideas. The first idea is that alternative versions of genes account for variations in inherited characters. Different alleles will create different variations in inherited characters. The second idea is that for each character, an organism inherits two genes, one for each parent. So that means that a homologous loci may have matching alleles, as in the true-breeding plants of Mendel's P generation (parental). If the alleles differ, then there will be F hybrids. The third idea states that if the two alleles differ, the recessive allele will have no affect on the organism's appearance. So an F hybrid plant that has purple flowers, the dominant allele will be the purple-color allele and the recessive allele would be the white-color allele. The idea is that the two genes for each character segregate during gamete production. Independent assortment states that each member of a pair of homologous chromosome segregates during meiosis independently of the members of other pairs so that alleles carried on different chromosomes are different distributed randomly to the gametes. Mendel's work was not recognized right away as an important scientific breakthrough. In 1868 Mendel was promoted to abbot at the monastery and gave up his experiments. Aside from his fellow monks and his students his work was ignored. In fact the importance of Mendel's work was not discovered until 1900, sixteen years after his death. His work was discovered by three European scientists: Hugo De Vries, Carl Correns, and Erich Tschermak, working independently as they preformed their own similar experiments. They credited Gregor Mendel as the discoverer of the laws of heredity. In conclusion, Mendel's work was very important to the science community, and is to this day being studied. All his work was done without himself ever receiving credit while he was alive. His laws of heredity are still used today and he now has received credit as the discoverer of the laws of heredity.

Thomas Malthus on Population

Thomas Malthus on Population In 1798, a 32-year-old British economist anonymously published a lengthy pamphlet criticizing the views of the Utopians who believed that life could and would definitely improve for humans on earth. The hastily written text, An Essay on the Principle of Population as it Affects the Future Improvement of Society, with Remarks on the Speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and Other Writers, was published by Thomas Robert Malthus. Thomas Robert Malthus Born on February 14 or 17, 1766 in Surrey, England, Thomas Malthus was educated at home. His father was a Utopian and a friend of the philosopher David Hume. In 1784 he attended Jesus College and graduated in 1788; in 1791 Thomas Malthus earned his masters degree. Thomas Malthus argued that because of the natural human urge to reproduce human population increases geometrically (1, 2, 4, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, etc.). However, food supply, at most, can only increase arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.). Therefore, since food is an essential component to human life, population growth in any area or on the planet, if unchecked, would lead to starvation. However, Malthus also argued that there are preventative checks and positive checks on the  population that slow its growth and keep the population from rising exponentially for too long, but still, poverty is inescapable and will continue. Thomas Malthus example of population growth doubling was based on the preceding 25 years of the brand-new United States of America. Malthus felt that a young country with fertile soil like the U.S. would have one of the highest birth rates around. He liberally estimated an arithmetic increase in agricultural production of one acre at a time, acknowledging that he was overestimating but he gave agricultural development the benefit of the doubt. According to Thomas Malthus, preventative checks are those that affect the birth rate and include marrying at a later age (moral restraint), abstaining from procreation, birth control, and homosexuality. Malthus, a religious chap (he worked as a clergyman in the Church of England), considered birth control and homosexuality to be vices and inappropriate (but nonetheless practiced). Positive checks are those, according to Thomas Malthus, that increase the death rate. These include disease, war, disaster, and finally  when other checks dont reduce the population, famine. Malthus felt that the fear of famine or the development of famine was also a major impetus to reduce the birth rate. He indicates that potential parents are less likely to have children when they know that their children are likely to starve. Thomas Malthus also advocated welfare reform. Recent Poor Laws had provided a system of welfare that provided an increased amount of money depending on the number of children in a family. Malthus argued that this only encouraged the poor to give birth to more children as they would have no fear that increased numbers of offspring would make eating any more difficult. Increased numbers of poor workers would reduce labor costs and ultimately make the poor even poorer. He also stated that if the government or an agency were to provide a certain amount of money to every poor person, prices would simply rise and the value of money would change. As well, since population increases faster than production, the supply would essentially be stagnant or dropping so the demand would increase and so would price. Nonetheless, he suggested that capitalism was the only economic system that could function. The ideas that Thomas Malthus developed came before the industrial revolution and focuses on plants, animals, and grains as the key components of the diet. Therefore, for Malthus, available productive farmland was a limiting factor in population growth. With the industrial revolution and the increase in agricultural production, land has become a less important factor than it was during the 18th century. Thomas Malthus printed the second edition of his Principles of Population in 1803 and produced several additional editions until the sixth edition in 1826. Malthus was awarded the first professorship in Political Economy at the East India Companys College at Haileybury and was elected to the Royal Society in 1819. Hes often known today as the patron saint of demography and while some argue that his contributions to population studies were unremarkable, he did indeed cause population and demographics to become a topic of serious academic study. Thomas Malthus died ​in Somerset, England in 1834.

Project Schedule Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Schedule - Assignment Example Following are few types of dependencies that are used on Precedence Diagramming Method (Sanghera 2008):- Requirement Gathering Phase Task 1 and Task 2 must be finished before the Task 3 is started. Thus these tasks have a finish to start relationship. Similarly, Task 3 must be finished before Task 4 and Task 5, again indicating a finish to start relationship. Design Phase Task 4 and Task 5 must be finished before Task 6, indicating a finish to start relationship. Task 7 can start immediately after Task 5 has been finished. Thus it has a finish to start relationship with Task 5 and start to start relationship with Task 6. Development and Testing Phase Task 8 and Task 9 must be started after Task 7 is finished. Thus these have a finish to start relationship. Similarly, Task 10 can start when Task 7 has been finished. Also Task 10 precedes Task 12. All showing a finish to start relationship. Deployment and Testing Phase Task 14 must be started after completion of Task 18. Also Task 12 and Task 14 must be completed prior to starting the Task 15. Also Task 13 and Task 15 must be finished before Task 16 is started. Task 17 must start when Task 12 is finished and Task 8 must be finished before Task 18 is started. All the tasks indicate a finish to start relationship. Project Schedule is shown on the next page in form of Project Network Diagram. The red lines indicated the project critical path while blue lines show dependencies on non-critical paths. The total duration of the project is 192 days. Project Management Institute (2008) defines crashing in its PMBOK as a specific technique for project schedule compression performed, after analyzing and identifying the best compromise between project time and cost, to achieve schedule compression for greatest extent and least increment in cost. For example, if the project has a negative float i.e., estimated

Three Basic Functions That Hierarchical Systems Can Be Designed to Essay

Three Basic Functions That Hierarchical Systems Can Be Designed to Fulfil - Essay Example An organisation is often an entity that aims at commercialisation a solution to the members of the public. It is therefore a fabrication of the people who own control the production and those who are funding the business. These people are often the owners and shareholders of the business. They therefore have the power to get things done in the organisation.The owners of organisations have the power and authority to produce what the company was set up to produce. However, since they might not be capable of managing and running the day-to-day affairs of the organisation, they will need to get other people to do it for them. This is known as delegation. Delegation enables owners to grant authority to people who do their work for them. The people to whom power is delegated have to be accountable to the people who granted them that authority.Due to accountability, there is the need for communication between various people in the organisation so that each of them are in touch with updates on their requirements and expectations. As different delegates operate in a given entity, an organisational culture forms and there are relationships with stakeholders. This brings up the need for some structures to support the organisation and maintain consistency.Hierarchical Structure Weber identified three main things in the bureaucratical model (Walonic, 1993). First of all, an organisation must have a hierarchical structure because there is the need for division of labour.... First of all, an organisation must have a hierarchical structure because there is the need for division of labour. In other words, the people in authority needs to divide up work to specific tasks and functions which can be effectively discharged by people they can employ. This therefore means that work will be divided amongst different people who will be expected to discharge them within the tenets of the organisation. Division of labour automatically comes with the idea of specialisation. Specialisation boils down to the fact that each division of work will master its responsibilities and continue to perfect its operations and outputs as it operates. The concept of specialisation ensures that standards are set and people with the most appropriate qualifications and experience can be appointed to discharge the job. Secondly, Weber identifies that hierarchical structures exist in organisations to ensure that a formal set of rules can be instituted. This effectively means that importa nt rules and ideas can be made and observed by members of the organisation through a defined framework. This ensure stability of the organisation. This is because the problem of chaos and anarchy can be eliminated and different people in the organisation can get a standard to which they can operate. Secondly, the idea of formal rules in the hierarchical structure ensures that there is uniformity and people are aware of what to do and how to do it. Thirdly, the hierarchical structure ensures that leadership and behaviour of the people in the company is rational and legal in nature. In other words, the hierarchical structure ensures that the most efficient systems and justified methods and tools are utilised in an organisation. This therefore means that the

Applied communication ,on MOOCS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied communication ,on MOOCS - Essay Example In order to learn and earn a certification in a certain field, the MOOCs exempts the learners of many costs in terms of fare that they need to have so that they can get to centres of learning. This reduces the cost of services the students have to pay to access education because they do not have to pay for any movements to any place. This happens because the mode of provision of services, online delivery of services, enable the students to access the learning materials from any place in the world as far as there is availability of internet. Comparing the cost of the internet that a students pay for and that of the travel that they can pay on travelling to the college or renting an accommodation facility, the former is very low than the latter. This means that the cost of education through MOOCs for students (Bowen, 2013). When a person enrols in a course program in MOOCs, he or she does not have to concentrate on buying expensive reading materials. This is because through the online system of learning the students are able to access many online reading materials that a person needs so that he or she can achieve the goals of his or her course. This means that a student will not incur the cost of buying books from the market, which would increase the cost of education. The cost of buying stationeries is exempted because a student can make notes on the computer in which he or she uses therefore, avoid the cost books and pens. This means that this learning method is less costly as compared to other methods of learning where students have to have pens and other writing materials that cost them a lot of money (Archibald & Feldman, 2011). In delivery of services, the students do not have to go to classes, which would increase the demand for money by the institution that offers the learning and therefore, increase the cost. Also, there are few lecturers that

Personal Journey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Journey - Essay Example The time we are kids, we have our own choices and preferences about anything we come across without containment parts imposed by elders in the family or the peer group we live in. As Erikson says, at each stage, there must develop an ego capability for the further development of personality (Slee 2002, p.53). I remember the days which I was always free from entrustments of heavy burdens or ethical values to be added to my life unlike now. I had my schooling done in a comparatively small town with not many things to speak great bout those days. I can never say that I was at compromise with anything I longed for. I used to have good and fashionable clothes and lots of fun with very good friends. I must say, they should be the real gift of God. We had resourceful teachers to guide us through the high school education where the school was rated one of the top ten schools in the state. Since my physique was quite athletic, I was directed to join various training campaigns to get trained for competitive events at different levels. At times I was successful, but never did I have the feel that I would ever become a sports man. It may be the case because; I was much concerned about the humane elements of life. As an innate nature, I always liked to be of some help to people around me. Even today, I feel puzzled when I try to consolidate my present life with what I expected myself to be. It is for sure, my being a doctor was not an overnight affair. It took me several years of study and researches to become at lest what I am now. A clear – cut study of evolutions happened in me may get you the idea about how people change themselves through different ages. I would never like to accept that I have done something to change myself; therefore, I can say that life changes on its way with condition pertaining to stages of life. According to Erikson, â€Å"the adulthood stage focuses

Colorado Juvenile Court Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colorado Juvenile Court Law - Essay Example The juvenile justice system has been built incorporating the values of restorative justice as influenced by Judeo-Christian beliefs and traditional legal philosophies. However, the availability of handguns, drugs, and gangs has intensified the level of violence that erupts from the juvenile criminal element (Territo, Halsted, and Bromley, 2004, p.572). This paper will examine the laws of Colorado and evaluate the situations that invoke the application of the Colorado Discretionary Waiver provision as amended in 2007. It will make a determination as to the appropriateness of the law and the proportionality of its implementation. Juvenile offender and status offender laws vary by state, and Colorado has some significant differences in their approach to juvenile justice based on the Colorado Discretionary Waiver provision as amended in 2007. According to the provision, "The juvenile court may certify a child meeting age/offense criteria for trial as an adult in district court if, after investigation and a hearing, it finds that (1) there is probable cause to believe that the child committed an offense for which judicial waiver is authorized and (2) it would be contrary to the best interests of the juvenile or of the public to retain jurisdiction" (Griffin, 2008).

International business and policy assignment Essay

International business and policy assignment - Essay Example Shell’s multinational marketing strategy can be assessed using the framework proposed by Johny Johansson in his book Global Marketing, which is comprised of three roles: the foreign entry role; the local marketing abroad role; and the global management role. For a multinational company like Shell, which operates in a number of countries across the globe, the framework provides essential insights into analysing its operations. In order to analyse its strategy, it is crucial to first analyse the environment in which shell operates in, and see if the difference in performance is attributed to the strategy itself, or to the strategy’s inappropriateness in relation to its environment. What shapes the behavior of a business is the degree of uncertainty in its environment. In order to assess the degree of uncertainty, it is important for us to note the key dimensions that define an organization’s environment. As Stephen Robbins (2005, pp.443-444) illustrated in his book Organizational Behavior, there are three dimensions to the environment of any business, namely capacity, volatility and complexity. Using this framework, we try to assess the environment in which the company currently operates in. The environment plays a huge impact in crafting strategy and strategic management decisions an organization makes. The strategy depends on the dimensions of the environment where it operates in, as mentioned earlier, which depends on the overall objectives of an organization. This strategy should be supported by a different structure that would carry on the fulfillment of various responsibilities and tasks to achieve the organization’s objectives. However, in implementing a chosen strategy which requires restructuring within an organization, various strategic human resource management issues should be addressed. In the case of Shell, where the recommended strategies are to promote

Colorado Juvenile Court Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colorado Juvenile Court Law - Essay Example The juvenile justice system has been built incorporating the values of restorative justice as influenced by Judeo-Christian beliefs and traditional legal philosophies. However, the availability of handguns, drugs, and gangs has intensified the level of violence that erupts from the juvenile criminal element (Territo, Halsted, and Bromley, 2004, p.572). This paper will examine the laws of Colorado and evaluate the situations that invoke the application of the Colorado Discretionary Waiver provision as amended in 2007. It will make a determination as to the appropriateness of the law and the proportionality of its implementation. Juvenile offender and status offender laws vary by state, and Colorado has some significant differences in their approach to juvenile justice based on the Colorado Discretionary Waiver provision as amended in 2007. According to the provision, "The juvenile court may certify a child meeting age/offense criteria for trial as an adult in district court if, after investigation and a hearing, it finds that (1) there is probable cause to believe that the child committed an offense for which judicial waiver is authorized and (2) it would be contrary to the best interests of the juvenile or of the public to retain jurisdiction" (Griffin, 2008).

Transmission media Essay Example for Free

Transmission media Essay 1. What kind of transmission media would you recommend for each different building and department of the medical instrument company and why; I would use Cat 6 and the required appropriate connectors, using full-duplex transmission, for each building . It has a much higher throughput than Cat 5 and is more flexible than Cat 7 and less expensive than Fiber. 2. What type of media would you recommend using to connect the two buildings and why, and  I would recommend Multimode Fiber (MMF) to connect the two buildings because the distance is within the MMF limitation (due to attenuation) of a few miles and is cheaper than Single-mode Fiber (SMF). Also, fiber is capable of very high throughput and is very resistant to noise. 3. What kind of media should the company request from the its ISP for connecting the corporate WAN to the Internet? UTP is fine from the ISP. The company will just need to have the appropriate modems and connectors to ensure compatibility with the company’s network. If the connection to the ISP is analog we will need to convert it to digital for our network and back to analog when we reach outside the network. I would have the network configured as a MAN with each building having being a LAN. The sales departments desire to conduct video training sessions requires much greater throughput than the access of servrers in another department and the use of fiber will assist in this. The Fulfillment department will be setup with a WLAN (wireless local area network) to facilitate the use of scanners on forklifts interacting with inventory databases.

Ethylene glycol

Ethylene glycol Summary Ethylene Glycol is a much sought after organic compound belonging to the diols family. It is colourless, odourless and is miscible in water and most organic compounds. It was first synthesized by a French chemist, Charles Wurtz, in 1859. Even though it did not gain commercial importance at the time, during World War I, the Germans used ethylene glycol as a substitute for glycerol in explosives (ethy). During and following World War II, ethylene glycol was extensively used as an anti-freeze for engines and machinery in general. This led to an increase in production of ethylene glycol. By the early 1970s, demand for ethylene glycol rose dramatically as it used in the manufacture of polyester fibre, with a further rise in levels of consumption spurred on due to phasing out of glass bottles in favour of PET bottles. In the year 2007, there were 99 ethylene glycol plants globally and the total amount of ethylene glycol produced that year was estimated to be roughly 17.8 million tons (icis ). The demand for ethylene glycol, MEG in particular is expected to rise due higher demand from industries in China. In comparison to existing ethylene glycol plants, the plant design that is discussed in this report would be attractive to a producer of ethylene glycol on a small to medium scale, catering to a local market. The plant discussed in this report aims to produce 10,500 tonnes of MEG and 4,500 tonnes of DEG, and commercially viable amounts of TEG and TetEG every year. This plant will be in operation for 8000 hours per year. For this production target to be realised it is necessary to have a ethylene oxide flow rate of 1493.56 kg/h to be fed into the reactor. A crude ethylene glycol mixture is produced by the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide with excess water in a tubular type reactor operating at 1950C and a pressure of 21.44 bar. In the reactor all the ethylene oxide is converted into the four types of ethylene glycols, with the formation of MEG being the most favored. For every 1 mole of ethylene oxide in the feed stream there are 6 moles of water and 0.269 moles of recycled MEG. This ratio is strictly maintained so as to optimize ethylene glycol conversion to MEG, the most favored product and DEG, the second most favored product. The resulting mixture of water and glycols is then fed to a flash drum operating at atmospheric pressure, where almost one third of the water in the product stream is removed along with some MEG. The removed water and MEG is recycled and sent back to a holding vessel. After the flash drum the water-glycol mixture undergoes a series of distillation cycles so as to separate out the components of the ethylene glycol s and rid them of water. The first distillation column, T-01 operates 2000C and 1 atm. During this distillation process nearly 99% of all remaining water is removed and recycled. The highly concentrated ethylene glycol mixture is them pumped to a second distillation column, T-02 operating at 2350C and 0.8 atm, (vacuum). Here 99% of all MEG entering the column is removed and a significant amount of MEG is recycled. However most of the MEG is sent to storage at a rate of 1312.86 kg/h. The remaining mixture of glycols enter distillation column, T-03, where all DEG is removed and sent to storage at a rate of 562.50 kg/h. The fourth and final distillation column operating at 2600C and 0.8 bar removes nearly 99% of available TetEG. The remaining glycol mixture contains TetEG, is extracted using a tar sill. This process produces 2.58 kg/h of waste largely made up of TetEG. Since the reactions within the reactor produce a lot of heat, water is pumped into the reactor at a rate of 965.5373 k g/h, resulting in the formation of steam at a pressure of 6 bar. Due to the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide in water, some water is lost in the reaction and as well as in storage of the ethylene glycol products. To keep this process running at its optimum, a fresh water feed of 489.50 kg/h is added to the process. Literature Survey Even though Charles Wurtz had derived ethylene glycol by the hydrolysis of ethylene glycol diacetate in the year 1859, its commercial importance wasnt realized until during World War 1, during which the Germans had started an industrial process to produce ethylene glycol to substitute for glycerol in explosives. And only in 1930 did the production of ethylene glycol via industrial chemistry really take off, since it was used as anti-freeze for machinery. The demand for anti-freeze shot up markedly during and after World War 2. As more motor vehicles and machinery were built and sold during the years following World War 2, demand for ethylene glycol grew along with production. Between the late 1960s and earl 1970s there was a renewed and greater demand for ethylene glycol, due to the manufacture of polyesters fibers. From then onwards to the early 1990s production of ethylene glycol fluctuated. The demand for ethylene glycol would go on to increase throughout the 1990s and 2000s due t o the increase in the amount of plastic, especially PET bottles being manufactured. The increase in demand was further boosted by the rapid growth of Asian economies, namely India and China. China accounts for nearly a third of the global MEG demand. Global production of ethylene glycol in 2007 was estimated at 17.8m tones (PCI). According to the Merchant Research Consulting Ltd. rising demand from polyester fiber and PET resin markets means that one to two world-scale EG plants are needed every year. The cost of ethylene oxide feedstock is also expected to increase due to demand in the ethylene glycol sector as well as demand for other ethylene oxide derivatives. New plants are being built in the Middle East to produce low-cost feedstocks, which are expected to cater to the American and Asian markets. Presently, the commercial applications of ethylene glycol are numerous and range from the traditional use as an anti-freeze to more hi-tech uses such as the manufacture of capacitors. Some of the applications are polyester resins for fiber, PET containers, and film applications; all-weather automotive antifreeze and coolants, defrosting and deicing aircraft; heat-transfer solutions for coolants for gas compressors, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; water-based formulations such as adhesives, latex paints, and asphalt emulsions; manufacture of capacitors; and unsaturated polyester resins (ethy). MEG is the most widely sought after of the commercially available ethylene glycols, and in the year 2007 it accounted for 90% of all ethylene glycol produced (icis). In the year 2007, nearly 82% of all MEG produced was bought by companies in the polyester manufacturing business. The demand for polyester stems from the Asian region, China in particular, where it is used in the textile industry, and this has led to a 5-6% increase in production of MEG per year. Demand for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle resin has been growing strongly globally since the beverage business phasing out the use of glass bottles and replacing with the more durable PET bottles. Demand for MEG for the manufacture of anti-freeze was at 12%, and demand is expected to decrease slightly over the years largely due recycling and substitution by propylene glycol-based antifreeze. Apart from its use in the manufacture of polyurethanes, DEG is also used in the treatment of corks, glue, paper and cellophane. DEG along with TEG is used in the dehydration of natural gas, an area where demand for DEG and TEG is set to rise over the years. DEG and TEG have excellent hygroscopic properties and along with their low volatility are best suited for applications such as dehydration of natural gas and as a dehumidifier in air conditioning systems. According to research and industry analysts, PCI, there were 72 MEG producing companies in 2007 operating 99 plants spread across 31 countries. Of these, the top 10 producers account for close to 50% of global ethylene glycol capacity. The top producers were Dow and Nan Ya Plastics Corp with 1.75 million tons each while Jubail United Petrochemical Co was the third largest with 1.5 million tons. Other major producers include Shell, a South Korean company Honam, Equate, Reliance (India), Sabic (Saudi Arabia), ExxonMobil, Equistar, Old World Industries. Late last year prices of MEG were trading at $860-875/ton CFR, cost and freight included in Asian trade. By the beginning of the year with news that plants in Saudi Arabia will be shutting down for maintenance and increasing stockpiles in Chinese ports, led to a bullish rally during trade, sending the price of MEG to $970-980/ton. Towards the end of February, with the beginning of the Chinese New Year holidays, a period of relaxed trade, and with the Saudi Arabian plants coming back online, the price of MEG showed signs of returning to pre January levels (icis). However in the short to medium term prices of MEG are expected drop due to new more efficient plants being built which would result in slightly more MEG being produced that demand. Therefore this possibility of over abundant supply may drive MEG prices slightly lower than $860-875/ton (PCI). Ethylene glycol used to be manufactured by the hydrolysis of ethylene oxide (EO) which was produced via ethylene chlorohydrin but this method has been superseded by a direct oxidation route. The EO is first produced by the oxidation of ethylene in the presence of oxygen or air and a silver oxide catalyst. A crude ethylene glycol mixture is then produced by the hydrolysis of EO with water under pressure. The water-glycol mixture is fed to evaporators where the water is recovered and recycled. Fractional distillation under vacuum is used to separate the monoethylene glycol from the diethylene and triethylene glycols. Mitsubishi Chemical has developed a catalytic process that employs a phosphorous-based catalyst for converting ethylene oxide to monoethylene glycol (MEG) with little by-product formation. Shell has subsequently acquired exclusive rights to the Mitsubishi Chemical process and licenses a combined EO/MEG technology as an integrated Omega (only mono-ethylene glycol advanced) process package. The Omega process is claimed to have a MEG selectivity of over 99%, compared to 90% for conventional, non-catalytic processes. It is claimed to have lower capital costs due to the elimination of purification and handling equipment for by-products. Operating costs are also reduced as it uses much less water lowering utility and water treatment costs. The first plant to use the Omega process is Lotte Daesans 400,000 tonne/year unit at Daesan, Korea, started up in May 2008. Shell plans to use the process in a 750,000 tonne/year plant in Singapore, due for start-up in 2010. Researchers have looked at other EG processes such as the reaction of ethylene and carbon dioxide to give ethylene carbonate followed by hydrolysis, and the direct oxidation of ethylene to glycol acetate anhydride which can be hydrolysed to ethylene glycol and acetic acid.

One Scary Night :: essays research papers

The One Scary Night Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy that lived in a small town of Roughville. They were best friends. They did every thing together – sleep, eat, just everything. There were about 700 people in the Roughville. Most of which were hard workers in the town next to Roughville. This is was where all the businesses were located and most of the people worked there. So most of the times they were left alone with the caregiver. Jack and Katie usually got up around 9 o’clock to go and see what Katie was up to and they would got outside and play at the woods over by the end of town. One day during the summer they went on there usually route and went into the wood. Walking around having a good time they heard a weird noise and all of a sudden stop and shut up trying not to make a noise. After they stopped and listen to what they heard they heard a man talking sometime. But who every the other person was didn’t make a sound but some type of deep slow whisper but it wa s not English. Then they heard the noise start walking again but this time walking straight towards them. So they ran there fastest to their house and ran to their room and started talking about was happen. Jack’s caregivers LaKisha came into the room and ask what was going on coming in the house and running straight towards your room. â€Å" What is wrong,† said LaKisha. Then Jack and Katie started to tell what happen and LaKisha didn’t believe was they were saying and told them not to lie and not to go back in the woods ever again. So later that day Jack and Katie when back into the woods to look around to see if they could find any clues so they could show LaKisha. Walking around in the bushes Jack thought he saw something up ahead. He stopped and told Katie what was going on. She said that she saw it too. So they both walked up to what they saw and as they got closer and closer they saw that it was a old rusted and beat up house. So they went up to the house and looked around to see what was in the house. They couldn’t see any thing and it was getting dark outside and they started to leave and they would come back another time. One Scary Night :: essays research papers The One Scary Night Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy that lived in a small town of Roughville. They were best friends. They did every thing together – sleep, eat, just everything. There were about 700 people in the Roughville. Most of which were hard workers in the town next to Roughville. This is was where all the businesses were located and most of the people worked there. So most of the times they were left alone with the caregiver. Jack and Katie usually got up around 9 o’clock to go and see what Katie was up to and they would got outside and play at the woods over by the end of town. One day during the summer they went on there usually route and went into the wood. Walking around having a good time they heard a weird noise and all of a sudden stop and shut up trying not to make a noise. After they stopped and listen to what they heard they heard a man talking sometime. But who every the other person was didn’t make a sound but some type of deep slow whisper but it wa s not English. Then they heard the noise start walking again but this time walking straight towards them. So they ran there fastest to their house and ran to their room and started talking about was happen. Jack’s caregivers LaKisha came into the room and ask what was going on coming in the house and running straight towards your room. â€Å" What is wrong,† said LaKisha. Then Jack and Katie started to tell what happen and LaKisha didn’t believe was they were saying and told them not to lie and not to go back in the woods ever again. So later that day Jack and Katie when back into the woods to look around to see if they could find any clues so they could show LaKisha. Walking around in the bushes Jack thought he saw something up ahead. He stopped and told Katie what was going on. She said that she saw it too. So they both walked up to what they saw and as they got closer and closer they saw that it was a old rusted and beat up house. So they went up to the house and looked around to see what was in the house. They couldn’t see any thing and it was getting dark outside and they started to leave and they would come back another time.

Industrialization in America Essay -- American History, Transportatio

As America was rapidly industrializing, the products that were being mass-produced were in demand all over the nation. In order to get food, supplies and raw materials to the industrial centers that needed them, it was crucial that the speed of transportation was increased. Multiple types of transportation came forth in early 1800’s including roads, canals, steamboats and railroads which would all contribute to the industrialization of America. This time period would come to be known as the â€Å"Transportation Revolution† of America. (Ochoa 2). In 1815, farmers were struggling to keep up with the high cost of transportation of their goods. Near the end of the Transportation Revolution in 1850, transportation cuts had been cut by ninety-five percent and farmers were given much more opportunity to make a profit (Clark 1). Roadways started developing across America and played a major role in delivering raw materials to where they would be produced and then from that site to markets. However the financing of these roads quickly became an issue between the federal government and the states. In 1808, the federal government built the National Road, which was a major route that started in Virginia and extended from the Appalachian Mountains to Illinois. The National Road became the most significant road for Western settlers to travel on. Unlike most roads that were muddy and hard to drive on and muddy, the National Road was solid and made of gravel and stone. States generally built and financed their own roads around the older transportation routes and where the marketplaces were in the state. Roads gave new ways to transport goods and people across the nation, further supporting industrialization in America (Holtkamp 1). By 1807, advance... ... being sold (â€Å"McCormick, Cyrus [1800-1860]† 2). John Deere also made advancements in agricultural machinery. Deere made the first iron plow with a steel edge in America. The plow could slice many more miles of Midwestern prairies than was previously possible. In the mid 1840’s Deere sold 1,000 plows and in the next decade he sold 10,000 each year (â€Å"McCormick, Cyrus [1800-1860]† 1). Deere’s plow prompted the beginning of a new industrial empire of Deere’s agricultural equipment (Ochoa 3). The goods that were abundantly produced by the plow and reaper would feed the nation and therefore allow for population growth in America (â€Å"The Industrialization of Agriculture† 3). The machinery also made farming much more profitable for farmers because it had taken a lot of time and money to harvest the plants before the inventions were sold (â€Å"McCormick, Cyrus [1800-1860]† 1).

Coffee Shops Essay

Whenever I am in need to study or just want to find a place to hangout, what instantly springs to my mind is a coffee shop. There are many different coffee shops around me, but only one is my absolute favorite. My favorite coffee shop is Beca House. Beca House is a locally owned business and is only about twelve minutes from my house. It is the coziest little nook, where I usually spend my mornings before class eating breakfast and drinking my favorite espresso coffee drink. After all, coffee is the best way to wake up and get the body moving. As I walk into Beca House every morning, the strong bitter aroma of ground coffee beans drift through the air, soaking into my clothes as I make my way to the counter to place my order. The smell was circulating because the coffee bar is located near the left side of the shop. The first attraction for me was the baked goods. They are tidily placed in the transparent glass cabinet, lining up and waiting for me to eat them all. There were all different types of baked goods like muffins, streusels, cheesecakes, cookies, and biscotti’s. Up above near the ceiling of the bar, there were an assortment of coffee beans packed into brown bags. The barista takes my order, large campfire frappe, double espresso. On a cooler day, I order a hot vanilla cappuccino. The delicious smell of coffee generates from the espresso machines. There is also a blackboard on the counter near the menu with a quote written with chalk that will change from day to day. The barista hands me my custom beverage order, and I stroll back to the front of the coffee shop to find a place to get comfortable. All along the walls of the shop are strategically placed vintage paintings and inspirational quotes. Dim lights shine on the spaced out vintage furniture, making for a very soothing and quiet atmosphere. No two pieces of furniture are the same, big couches, small wooden chairs, dark colored pillows, and rustic end tables. I like admiring this type of environment: soothing and calming, yet still inviting. In comparison to most restaurants, coffee shops are by no means a noisy place. The sound of chatters and laughter blends together with the background music playing around the shop, and the volume is set at a medium tone. Coffee shops provide a comfortable, yet sociable gathering spot for people of all ages. I often find peers of my own studying for big tests, writing papers, or maybe just reading a new book and relaxing. The Beca House is my favorite part to my day. I cannot start without it. Even on days that I do not have class, I find myself getting my daily cup of coffee at the crack of dawn, just before work. Stopping at Beca House has become part of my daily routine, and I do not see it being cut out any time soon. I know I go there a lot when the barista’s know my order when I walk through the door. There’s something so perfect about it being just me, my thoughts, and my morning cup of coffee.

Paranoia, it must’ve been Essay

High school is the time in our lives to begin exploring options and figure out who we are as individuals, and where we want to go. It is a pathway that guides us to whatever our future holds, but it is also full of commotion, which would transform the slightest bit of misunderstanding into arguments and violence. I recall a classmate of mine transferring school due to a fallacious rumor of him stealing. There was no proof; just words from people who â€Å"claim† they believe it were him. Far too many bad things could happen in high school, and they could alter our experiences in negative ways. It wasn’t farfetched to say I was a victim of such calamity. My experience at my current secondary school started off full of excitement. I participated in many different activities and made a great deal of friends, which made me love high school. But there were many quarrels in school, which made life akin to the weather: unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unfair. The defining moment of my sophomore year was a simple misunderstanding that left a deep scar behind. It was a frosty morning, sending chills down my spine as I walked to school for basketball practice, become an ice cube along the way. When the coach dismissed us to my relief, someone’s phone was missing from the volleyball team which was next door. For privacy reasons I am going to give him the alias â€Å"Joe. † The news did not surprise me, but Joe’s friends wanted to search me, and he went through all my belongings. The shock of someone thinking that I took his phone hit me like a bullet. It left me numb and speechless. Feeling helpless like a mouse in a trap, I desperately needed someone to be on my side. The word â€Å"fair† kept on popping up in my mind, and it sparked an anger that had being building. I sought after the people who wanted to put the blame on me. I had no alibi of me not stealing the phone, but likewise they had no evidence of me stealing the phone either. While walking through the halls, I felt like the walls were following me, watching my every step. Everything was blurry. It felt like I have lost control of who I am. My ears overheard my name and gossip about me in the halls, and that was when I lost it. My mind erupted and broke open like a broken dam: every bit of emotion started flowing out. My eyes started to water but I tried my best to suppress the tears. The inevitable had happened: I became the new laughingstock of the school. News spread faster than wild fire in an ancient forest. With rumors flooding in excess, my reputation had taken a hit. I was branded â€Å"The Thief†. This incident impacted me in ways beyond I would ever imagine. I did not make one jump shot at the subsequent practice. People were cautious around me. They kept their phone out of my sight and tried to avoid me in the halls; it seemed like that even teachers seemed to treat me differently, although that must’ve been my imagination. I felt sick; I could not eat or sleep. Everything seemed to become more confounded. I had trouble looking people in the eye, and my heart raced every time someone mentioned the word â€Å"phone†. I would turn around to see whether they were talking about me. Paranoia, it must’ve been. I avoided the volleyball team at all costs, and I did not talk to my close friends. It was excruciating to restrain my demons me while wearing a poker face, hoping others cannot see the pain. The week of the incident simply did not go well. Fortunately, after what had seemed like an eternity of torture, Joe finally found his phone in his friends bag. However, he never apologized to me for blind accusation. I didn’t really care; The pain, and suffering was worth more than a simple â€Å"sorry†! But everything went back to regular routine and school became exciting once more. Looking back, I really couldn’t blame Joe: he lost an iPhone 4S, the newest and most expensive phone at the time. It would be hypocritical of me to say that I would not be infuriated if I had lost my iPhone. High school is a pathway which we all must take. The views and experiences may be different but the concept remains the same. In the eye of a student there are very many negative and few positives about high school. The main point is staying out of trouble’s way and avoiding it at all cost, because one simple misunderstanding could cause you years of pain. People may also blame you for things you haven’t done, but the truth is: life is easier when you have someone else to blame.

Extra Tax on Fast Food Essay

Nowadays people always are overweight or obese. A big reason of this is unhealthy food like a Big Mac, Hamburger etc. Too much of any of those can cause serious health problems which a lot of people of the world today suffer from. The real problem is why are people making these choices? It’s simple, unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food in many cases. Is it a good idea to introduce a fast food tax, or do unhealthy food observe to remain cheap and free of extra tax? To start things off, I will refer to this unhealthy food as â€Å"fast food†. One problem with fast foods is that they are low in satiation value. That is, people don’t tend to feel as full when they eat them, which can lead to overeating. Another problem is that unhealthy food tends to replace other, more nutritious foods. When people are snacking on chips and cookies, they are usually not loading up on fruits and vegetables. Already you can tell this is quite a problem, but it can be reduced to some degree if we raise the taxes on fast food. If the taxes are increased then people will be opted to buy healthier foods such as vegetables or other nutrient rich foods without added sugar or sodium. They will no longer be more expensive than the cheap, unhealthy, fast food. This in essence, will reduce the amount of unhealthy food that people will ingest. Another point is that the extra tax on fast food will saves lives. Heart disease is the second most common cause of death. Many lives could easily be saved. As well as saving lives, reducing obesity will also improve the quality of life. The argument against a extra tax on fast food is that those on low incomes are more likely to consume unhealthy foods, therefore this tax will increase inequality. However, if a tax on fast food saves lives, we should not avoid implementing it just because it is the poor who will mostly benefit. If we are really concerned about the impact on equality, the revenue from a fat tax can be targeted to the benefit of the poor. A increase in inequality need not occur from a fast food tax. Who is the government to tell people what to eat? If we want to eat salty and fatty foods then let us eat this. The whole point is people are still free to consume as much salty and fatty foods as they like. All in all it can be said that it is an unfair tax because fast food is bad for people who suffer obesity, shouldn’t mean that everyone who enjoys the quick, cheap service fast food offers. People who are in a hurry or people short on cash may find fast food an ideal service, but if it is taxed due to obesity, then it will also affect people who aren’t obese.

Jazz History-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jazz History-2 - Essay Example Finally, in the post-War era, jazz had become an art form and not simply an instrument of low/pop culture. However, bebop was too abstract and improvised for many not only in the 1950s but also today. Some forms of jazz still have popular appeal, despite the near 60 years that have passed since their recording. Cool jazz is one of few jazz movements that retain popular appeal even today; its enduring quality seems to be in the perfect mean it finds between the artfulness of bebop and the catchiness of pre-War Swing jazz. Cool jazz is said to have begun during the Second World War, during which predominantly white Californian jazz musicians migrated to New York City, where they integrated with bebop styles being played in the clubs such as Milton’s Playhouse. Many of these musicians were trained and educated in formal schools. The Californian styles tended to mediate the sharp edges of traditional bebop, and created a new fusion of approaches to arrangements in the jazz composition. Bringing back this emphasis on arrangements harkened back to the old days of Swing jazz (Giola 51), when big bands required knowledge of the song’s form across the different instrument sections. Although cool jazz did not reintroduce the concept of the big band to the mainstream, what it did do was reemphasize the need for consistent instrumentation across performances, and lessening the need for elaborate improvisations. But nailing down a definition of Cool jazz, and jazz in general, seems to be a futile practice. As Ted Giola writes, â€Å"Jazz writers learned long ago, for example, that it is almost impossible to come up with a good, succinct, widely accepted definition of jazz itself† (Giola 360). Coming up with definitions, that is, is a waste of time because art grows organically through changes in its shape and texture, independent of critics’ generalizations. Because it

Assignment on Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Assignment on Corporate Finance - Essay Example A merger can resemble a takeover but result in a new company name or combining the names of the original companies. (http://en.wikipedia.org) Shleifer and vishny (2003) proposed a market timing model of acquisition. They assumed that acquirers are overvalued, and the motive for acquisition is not to gain synergies, but to reserve some of their temporary overvaluation for long-run shareholder. Specifically, by acquiring less-overvalued target with overpriced stock (or less interestingly, undervalued target with cash) overvalued acquirers can cushion the fall for their shareholders by leaving them with more hard assets per share or, if the deals value proposition. This refers to the fact that the combined company can often reduce duplicate departments or operations, lowering the cost of the company relative to theoretically the same revenue stream thus, increasing profit. For example, a bank buying a stock broker could then sell its banking products to the stock's customers while the broker can sign up the banks customers for brokerage account. Or a manufacturer can acquire and sell complimentary products. This is the sign to smoothen the earning result of a company, which over the long-term smoothes a stock price of a company, giving conservative investors more confidence in investing in the company. However, this does not always deliver value to shareholders (http://en.wikipedia.org) From datamonitor analyses, UCB has an inorganic expansion into lucrative AIID and oncology market. The acquisition of the Biotechnology Company, Celltech offered UCB technology platforms and experience for the development of biological drugs. And the new regulations allows our company to create motive for us to merge and acquire, which is an opportunity for us to have a strong R & D pipeline and new expertise in the pharmaceutical sectors. So all of this would be achieved rapidly if acquisition decision is taken. Asset acquisition UCB is a multinational company, operating in more than one hundred and forty countries, also it is one of the largest pharmaceutical and chemical

Branding - Lexus Car Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Branding - Lexus Car Company - Essay Example Therefore, the re-branding process constitutes the development of a new ‘‘name, term, symbol, design or a combination of them’’ with an aim of reaching a new position in the stakeholders’ and competitors’ minds. Therefore, re-branding is measured by the level of changes in marketing aesthetics and brand position. Re-branding is either evolutionary where it involves minor, gradual and hardly perceptible changes in the aesthetics and positioning, or revolutionary where it involves major and identifiable changes in aesthetics and positioning that lead to fundamental re-definition of a company. This is a proposal on how to re-brand Lexus. Therefore, I shall examine the brand’s background and determine its position in the automobile industry. I shall then establish the reasons why the company would require to undergo a re-branding process. I shall then proceed with the formulation of the re-branding plan by taking advantage of underlying oppo rtunities and establish measures to counteract the challenges that might arise. The process shall culminate in the selection of an appropriate branding agency that will carry out the re-branding process. ... Although Lexus is fully owned by Toyota, it has developed its distinctive luxury image in the consumers’ minds. This image is entirely different from Toyota’s image that provide feisty and reliable cars and not flashy cars. In this case, Lexus was provided with its own brand values. The launch of a Japanese luxury car to compete with the likes of Cadillac, BMW and Mercedes Benz would have seemed preposterous some decades ago. However, the introduction of the Lexus LS 400 after the investment of colossal amounts and production of numerous prototypes broke this notion. Over the years, Lexus has evolved from an improbable outsider to a formidable force in the luxury automobiles industry. The competition among the leading luxury vehicle manufacturers has been heating up over the last few years. This race involves pushing sales, leading in profitability, admiration for its models and incorporating innovative technologies. Furthermore, to lead in this industry a company has t o offer better service and quality besides selling more units than the competitors. Although Europe has been experiencing an economic slump, the luxury automobile producers have been increasing their investments and production capacity. These efforts aim at increasing sales in growing markets such as the United States and China. This is because the luxury industry demands players to continuously raise the bar. Therefore, making counter-cyclical decisions, although not easy, can determine the level of progress that a company will achieve (Ciferri, 2013). Rationale for Re-branding The automobile industry is facing new challenges in controlling carbon dioxide emissions and in reducing fuel consumption. Manufacturers are focusing on developing ‘green’ concept vehicles that can be mass-produced.

Care Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Care Analysis - Essay Example He lives in a rented house with his mother. He has no siblings, and all his close relatives live over 150 miles away. The family relocated after the divorce of his parents. His father has a history of mental illness (type of illness unknown), and his mother has cited domestic violence being the major factor in their marriage breakdown. Joshua has not seen his father since December 2007. The separation/divorce was believed to have been very acrimonious . Hence the family relocating north by 150 miles. Joshua and his mother have no contact with the paternal family, and only limited contact with his mother’s family. Joshua’s mother used to be a manager of a day nursery. But since Joshua’s illness, she has had to give up work, and become his carer. They have currently been turned down for DLA (Disability Living Allowance), due to Joshua, occasionally being able to walk home from school (note that school is only 2 minutes walk away). This highlights the fluctuations in his condition, some days he is unable to move and others he can just about get by. Joshu’s mother is appealing against the decision. Currently they are struggling financially , and they are also isolated from their family, and their normal family activities have been dramatically affected. Currently he is on reduced timetable at school (timetable was negotiated with specialist nurse and senco and Joshua and mother). Whilst at school, he has the option of going into a quiet room, to get some rest. Initially this was the library but it was found that this still had too much stimulus around (eg, bright lights, and the disturbance from the hustle/bustle of students).People involved in his care are (specialist CFS/ME nurse, consultant,

The Nature of HIV and the Implications of its Evolutionary Origin on Research Paper

The Nature of HIV and the Implications of its Evolutionary Origin on Treatment - Research Paper Example The Vaccine Hypothesis The Nature of HIV and the Implications of Its Evolutionary Origin HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is the cause of one of the most lethal diseases known to infect humankind – AIDS. According to information from the National Institutes of Health, AIDS accounted for 1.8 million deaths worldwide in 2009 alone with 33.3 million already suffering from the disease and 2.6 million who were newly infected (â€Å"Quick Facts,† 2011). In the United States alone, 1 million people are currently living with AIDS and 21% of those infected remain unaware of their condition (â€Å"Quick Facts,† 2011). Furthermore, an alarming fact based on information from One.org states that around 4,900 people die from AIDS everyday and that 7,100 are infected at the same rate (â€Å"HIV/AIDS,† 2012). It is also very sad that those affected by HIV are mostly the youth aged 15 to 24 years old (â€Å"AIDS, Sex and Teens,† 2010). Based on the previously s tated statistics and information, there is every reason to worry about AIDS epidemic. Most of the responsibility of controlling the spread of the virus rests upon the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the governments of the world. Nevertheless, efforts to develop a cure for AIDS have proved to be fruitless. What is the main reason behind this and what is the missing link, that somehow makes medical experts and scientists keep losing the battle against AIDS and prevents them from developing a good treatment for it? An insight into the evolutionary origin of HIV provides answers to the questions about AIDS that have baffled everyone since the 1970s when the disease first broke out. Structure HIV usually infects the human host cell as an aggregate of virions or â€Å"roughly spherical particles† (Noble, n.d.). These particles, whose surfaces are studded with multiple spikes, are coated with a fatty material called the viral envelo pe, and it is this specific structure that facilitates entry of the virion into the cell (Noble, n.d.). HIV differs from other viruses in that its genes are made up of RNA, or ribonucleic acid, whereas other viruses have DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, in their genetic structure (Noble, 2010). The fact that it is RNA, and not DNA, that constitutes the main genetic material of HIV implies a relatively more complex process of replication compared to other viruses, as well as a natural tendency of HIV to engage in a rather continuous replication inside the host cell because of the â€Å"long terminal repeat† in RNA (Noble, n.d.). Another characteristic feature of HIV is its simplicity of structure, which accounts for it â€Å"rapid rate of evolutionary change† (Rambaut et al., 2004). The fact that HIV is structurally simple and that it evolves rapidly means that it can readily develop resistance against any treatment and that it immediately develops a new lineage of resist ant virions (Rambaut et al., 2004; â€Å"HIV: The Ultimate Evolver,† 2001). However, in order to fully understand how rapidly HIV evolves in the host cell, one needs to know how exactly the virus enters the cell. Process of Entry into The Cell According to CDC, HIV is transmitted through contact of mucous membrane, damaged tissue or blood with infected fluids, which can be any of the following: blood, semen, breast milk, vaginal secretions, body fluids that contain blood, as well as fluids that surround the brain, the spinal cord, bone joints and the unborn baby (â€Å"