Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Critical Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critical Summaries - Essay Example Mimics and gestures are also predetermined by culture. At the same time, some facial expressions are universal. Russell (1991) considers different points of view and recognizes limitations of his study. Provided literature review clearly explains different approaches to emotion categorization. Significance of culture and language in emotion cognition become clear when Russell (1991) supports them with examples and observations. This article becomes the point of departure for further research in sociocultural aspect of emotions. The article The Construction of Emotion in Interactions, Relationships, and Cultures by Boiger and Mesquita (2012) presents the main argument that emotions are constructed in the process of social interactions. Authors list three main contexts of interactions which can be moment-to-moment, ongoing relationships and sociocultural. Moment-to-moment interactions motivate emotional responses in people which become parts of ongoing relationships that exist in bigger sociocultural context. All these contexts define uniqueness and character of emotional response people express in the process of communication. Boiger and Mesquita (2012) oppose naturalist models which define emotions as universal, invariant and innate programs. Their line of reasoning relies on developmental psychology which studies emotion formation in infants and adults. For instance, infants develop their in the process of interaction with their caregivers. Being in relationships, people do not only express their emotions, but share them. As a result, their emotions adapt to the kind of relationships they have. Finally, sociocultural context often defines expected emotional responses in particular situations. Overall, Boiger and Mesquita (2012) back their argument referring to other relevant research with makes their article persuasive. They present enough facts and examples to apply their theory practically and show how it works.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Peter Skrynecki Belonging Paper Essay Example for Free

Peter Skrynecki Belonging Paper Essay For Peter Skrznecki it is like being part of two cultures but at the same time not able to belong and connect to either one. In Migrant Hostel Peter reflects the unpleasant memories, he remembers at 4 years old, when he and his parents emigrated to Australia from Poland. He uses language techniques such as similes to create a sense of uncertainty and not belonging, because similes are not as certain as metaphors. He uses motifs of birds and pigeons, which is seen in my visual representation. For example, Nationalities sought each other out instinctively like homing pigeons this emphasises the instinctive need to find someone or something familiar in a foreign place, to feel a sense of comfort and belonging. At times he felt unity with his family but this is juxtaposed with the sense of wondering of which culture he belongs to, Poland or Australia? This is represented visually in my collage, with images showing not belonging to groups and being an outcast, there is only one image in the corner representing unity and belonging. This is contrasted by all the other images portraying not belonging and alienation. Which relates to how Peter feels about being a man of two different cultures. In the poem Feliks Skrynecki, Peter describes his father with emotive language on how he tries and fit in to a new culture My gentle father, kept paces only with the Joneses (idiom is used.) But his father still has a strong connection to his culture through his garden, which Peter describes as he loved his garden, like an only child the garden is symbolic and represents his home land and culture. This relates to the film Kite runner, when Amirs father takes soil from Afghanistan and puts it in a case before he crosses the border, the soil becomes symbolic for the fathers culture and treasures it till his death bed. In both texts land is used as a symbol of connection that both fathers show to their culture and homeland. Which relates to my visual representation with an image of a man holding soil from the land. Choices are a large part of belonging to a culture. Peter chooses to be disconnected and he doesnt try and learn about his own culture, which makes him not belong culturally. For example in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki Peter says I forgot my first Polish word but his father repeated it so he would never forget it but Peter choose not to remember it. He also doesnt try to fit in with a new culture, he chooses to be the black sheep which creates a barrier to belong. In kite runner an important quote was this is the real Afghanistan you have always been a tourist in your own country. This shows when Amir lived in Afghanistan as a child his father always protected him and made all of his decisions, which caused him not to know who he really was and never experience the real Afghanistan. But when Amir went to America he starting making his own choices and found out who he was and felt like he belonged there. Both Amir and Peter shows how significant decisions and choices are, because it is your own personal choice to belong to a culture.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Information Management Issues :: Internet Web Computers Essays

Information Management Issues Too Much Information? The core problem of information management seems to be overload: determining the existence and location of resources in the chaotic repository that is the Internet, trying to learn the nuances of different software, retrieving far too many hits. However, some people question whether the problem really is overload. It may actually be the multiplicity of communication channels. Unlike earlier eras, new technologies are not replacing but adding to the host of media choices (Gilster 1997). The Web has simply removed natural barriers between people and information they would otherwise never see, and information now comes directly at us from multiple directions. Unfortunately, most traditional information management practices are too linear and specific: they were pipes developed for a stream, not an ocean (Alesandrini 1992). Perhaps the issue is not too much information, but information that is not usable or meaningful. To master information you must understand the relationship between data, information, and knowledge: data are raw facts and figures, information is data organized into a meaningful context, and knowledge is organized data (i.e., information) that have been understood and applied. A resource such as the Internet requires the user to build content from its vast resources (Gilster 1997). People may perceive overload because the information they receive does not fit into their current mental models for understanding the world. A constructivist approach - interpreting new information in terms of existing knowledge structures and revising those structures accordingly - can help move those "analog" models into the digital world (ibid.). I've Got to Keep Up! The twin demons of speed and quantity create an artificial sense of urgency: with e-mail, voice mail, fax, and the Web, continuous streams of data are possible 24 hours per day at work, at home, and during the commute between. The consensus of many sources is to forget about keeping up. Focus instead on what you really need to know and for what purpose, and understand that the question will evolve as you gather information. Ideal information is current, timely, and sufficient for the task at hand, not necessarily "complete" (Lively 1996). The goal of information seeking should be finding the answers to personally meaningful questions. It's All on the Web. One myth rapidly taking hold is that the World Wide Web is a one-stop source for all information needs and the secret to information management is in knowing how to navigate it. Information Management Issues :: Internet Web Computers Essays Information Management Issues Too Much Information? The core problem of information management seems to be overload: determining the existence and location of resources in the chaotic repository that is the Internet, trying to learn the nuances of different software, retrieving far too many hits. However, some people question whether the problem really is overload. It may actually be the multiplicity of communication channels. Unlike earlier eras, new technologies are not replacing but adding to the host of media choices (Gilster 1997). The Web has simply removed natural barriers between people and information they would otherwise never see, and information now comes directly at us from multiple directions. Unfortunately, most traditional information management practices are too linear and specific: they were pipes developed for a stream, not an ocean (Alesandrini 1992). Perhaps the issue is not too much information, but information that is not usable or meaningful. To master information you must understand the relationship between data, information, and knowledge: data are raw facts and figures, information is data organized into a meaningful context, and knowledge is organized data (i.e., information) that have been understood and applied. A resource such as the Internet requires the user to build content from its vast resources (Gilster 1997). People may perceive overload because the information they receive does not fit into their current mental models for understanding the world. A constructivist approach - interpreting new information in terms of existing knowledge structures and revising those structures accordingly - can help move those "analog" models into the digital world (ibid.). I've Got to Keep Up! The twin demons of speed and quantity create an artificial sense of urgency: with e-mail, voice mail, fax, and the Web, continuous streams of data are possible 24 hours per day at work, at home, and during the commute between. The consensus of many sources is to forget about keeping up. Focus instead on what you really need to know and for what purpose, and understand that the question will evolve as you gather information. Ideal information is current, timely, and sufficient for the task at hand, not necessarily "complete" (Lively 1996). The goal of information seeking should be finding the answers to personally meaningful questions. It's All on the Web. One myth rapidly taking hold is that the World Wide Web is a one-stop source for all information needs and the secret to information management is in knowing how to navigate it.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Online Gaming Essay

Online gaming is due today latest technology. The people can easy to access on this Online World because of the modern gadgets that invented by the new generation. We have now the internet cafà ©, personal computer and other gadgets that we can use any time in our life. We have known that today the problem of the students, parents, teachers that we need to solution is the problem in the addiction of the Online Gaming. As games become more visually enticing and the recession leaves people at home in front of computer screens, therapists are encountering more cases of people obsessed with being online. In extreme circumstances game players can, they warn, become detached from normal existence and forget to eat or sleep as they interact with screen characters such as wizards and monsters. Youngsters can also develop posture problems. The present study contributes to the argue on video game addiction by applying a unusual approach. It seeks to supply experimental, data-driven verification for the assumed subgroup of addicted online video gamers. Results provide a source for data-based scale confirmation and cut-off scores. Identification of this group will be conducted throughout a  combination of two indirect measures: game addiction severity and time spent on online gaming. Computer game addiction is a worrying aspect of the modern-day technologically able youth. Many children spend hours a day on computers, so much so that computers have become a primary source of entertainment for them , as well as a convenient baby-sitter for parents. Throughout this guide, the details of computer game addiction will be discussed, such as addiction signs, solutions to the problems and alternatives to computers for entertainment. The online gaming is the addictive hobby that can affect the performance of the students in the school. We say that if we play online games we feel â€Å"It feels so good even you want to quit playing the game. You just can’t stop because it’s very addictive ones you start there’s no turning back â€Å". Other people may play continuously that cause to forget they needs like food .And this may affect the social life and the behavior of the addictive gamer. Based on our own experience we play online games to entertain ourselves and kill our boredom. The other â€Å"techi† or the technology-inclined they spend several hours in playing instead doing more important things. Online role-playing games, the site adds, â€Å"encourages interaction amongst other people and development of groups, allowing people to flourish socially online, providing an escape for their struggling social life†; however the games could also ruin a â€Å"successful social lif e†. The most played games by boys was the DOTA (Defense Of The Ancient) and the LOL (League Of Legends).The girls most played games was help by the social media sites like Facebook one of them is the Candy Crush , Dragon City , Pet Society and Farmville and other Online games. These are the several reasons of the addiction to the online games. According to online gamer they start playing Online games when they are elementary and High School. And continuously playing online games until now. When a person is obsessed to online games, he/she wants and makes more time in playing online games. Statement of the Problem Our mission in making this research is to answer the main problem regarding the addiction of the teenager on online gaming. 1. What are the effects of social sites on the addiction in online gaming? 2. What are the things they skip when they are playing online games? 3. How many hours did they spend in playing online gaming? 4. What are the possible effects on the performance of the students when they play online games? 5. How to prevent the addiction of the online player? Hypothesis We hypothesize that: 1. Those addicted to computer games will have symptoms of addiction, such as tolerance, Emotional dependence, and withdrawal. 2. The computer addicted group will demonstrate an emotional attachment to computer Games. If they are having a bad day, they will be more likely to play more hours of Computer games. 3. The computer addicted and social player groups will be more likely to play MMORPGs. 4. Computer addicted group will have lower GPAs. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework The Significance of the Study Awareness is what we are trying to aim so that our study will be useful to students, parents, and teachers. Our study also aim to give an idea for the parents or the guardian of the children regarding to the addiction of the online games. We want to alarm those students that are addicted on online games to the harmful effects of online gaming to the health of the students but also to their performance in the school. We want to help and also contribute the knowledge for the readers regarding to the said topic. Scope and Limitations This study was conducted during the first semester of the school year 2014-2015 to identify the factors that affect the involvement to computer game addiction of the LWAD students and to determine how it would affect their study habits. Respondents of the study are limited to the High school  students of the School namely: Legacy of Wisdom Academy of Dasmarinas Inc. There are twenty randomly selected respondents of each of the High school students. We will do some survey to proven this research. Definition of Terms The following word are used in this chapter. It greatly contribute to your vocabulary and to our study. Addiction-an addiction do not have control over what they are doing, taking or using. Their addiction may reach a point at which it is harmful. Addictions do not only include physical things we consume, such as drugs or alcohol, but may include virtually anything, such abstract things as gambling to seemingly harmless products, such as chocolate – in other words, addiction may refer to a substance dependence (e.g. drug addiction) or behavioral addiction (e.g. gambling addiction).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Building Flexibility Into Contracts

The main rationale for building flexibility into an outsourcing contract is based on the premise that factors both internally and externally may change and thus impact the achievement of the desired objectives of the outsourcing. For example, the internal requirements of the sourcing organization may change during the outsourcing contract or another supplier in the supply market may achieve a technology breakthrough, which allows it to realize significant performance improvements.In the latter case, the establishment of a long-term contract with a competing supplier prevents the sourcing organization from accessing the superior capabilities of this supplier. Therefore, incorporating elements into a contract that create flexibility can ensure that the desired benefits are being achieved from outsourcing and in particular, ensure that the sourcing organization is not locked into a relationship with an uncompetitive supplier.Likewise, building flexibility into contracts aids organizatio ns in benefiting from the outsourcers’ cost improvements as they occurred, avoid lawsuits and save face in the future. Ways to Build Flexibility into Contracts McIvor (2005) related that flexibility can be achieved through either incomplete or incentive contracts. Incomplete contracting creates a situation in which parts of the contract can be renegotiated based upon changes in circumstances. It is mainly concerned with optimization over time, seeking to minimize the costs of adapting to the constantly changing conditions of the economic environment.There are a number of methods incorporating flexibility into a contract through incomplete contracting like price flexibility, renegotiation, contract length and early termination (Langfield-Smith, Smith and Stringer, 2000). Price flexibility allows prices to be renegotiated as circumstances change during the contract. Incorporating price flexibility means that all future contingencies do not have to be fully considered at the out set, as the buyer and supplier are aware that prices can be adjusted to reflect changes in circumstances.For example, changes in the requirements of the sourcing organization during the contract may necessitate an adjustment in prices. In renegotiation, mechanisms are incorporated into the contract that allow for renegotiation based upon changes in the business environment. The contract may include specific clauses under which renegotiation should occur including fixed calendar dates or changes in economic indices. Renegotiation often involves renegotiating more than price and can also focus on the terms of contract.The employment of shorter contracts can be employed to achieve flexibility. At the end of the contract period a new contract can be negotiated that reflects the current circumstances both internally and externally. Rather than have the five- to seven-year contracts of the last decade, contracts are now being broken into manageable timeframes which have short initial term s and options for extensions. Few organizations can predict their needs with any certainty over long lengths of time, thus it is prudent to have flexibility over the contract continuance.A clause may be incorporated into the contract that sets out the conditions under which the contract may be terminated. The omission of such a clause can result in considerable penalties in the event of the contract being terminated prematurely. Incentive contracting, on the other hand, involves incorporating mechanisms into the contract that allow the supplier to share any cost savings or profits generated through the outsourcing relationship (Dimitri, Piga and Spagnolo, 2006).Taking advantage of a contractor’s general objective to maximize profits by giving it the opportunity to earn a greater profit if it performs the contract efficiently lies at the core of incentive contracting. The essence of said contracting type is the effort by one individual or organization (the principal) to induce and reward certain behaviors by another (the agent). It has been the subject of considerable discussion in the economics literature, as incentive contracts are often employed to encourage performance improvements in the outsourcing arrangement in areas such as cost reduction and service levels (Bolton and Dewatripont, 2005).This type of contract stimulates the contractor to limit costs by leaving him a fraction of cost savings, but at the same time it reimburses him some money in case of cost overrun. The contract will include mechanisms that ensure the supplier shares any savings that are realized from performance improvements. Incentivization can create a more cooperative relationship between parties, overcoming the traditional adversarial approach to contracting.The purpose of the incentives is not just to motivate the contractor but to tie performance of all participants to the contract’s objectives. The proper use of an incentive contract aligns the priorities of contra ct participants who would otherwise have diverse motives. Potential Risks of Building in Too Much Flexibility Nowhere is the potential trade-off between control and flexibility more apparent than when it comes to designing the contract. As with anything that is too much, there are potential risks of building in too much flexibility into contracts.By having too much contract flexibility, short-term opportunistic behavior is more likely, which is why classical legal contracts remove flexibility by building in as much legally enforceable control as possible that protects both parties from such behavior. With respect to incomplete contracting, problems arise when any agreement is negotiated under conditions of incomplete or asymmetric information, risk and uncertainty. It has also been associated with certain organizational costs, as it needs to be revised or renegotiated as the future unfolds.John (2000) identifies three such types of costs: ex post costs of haggling over the terms of the revised contract upon renegotiation; those related to inefficient agreements caused by asymmetric information; and ex ante costs of not investing in relation-specific investments in fear of encountering ‘hold-up’ behavior upon contract renegotiation. Since it is impossible to write a complete contract that specifies what the agent is required to do in all contingencies, legal precedent is employed to determine obligations of the contracting parties that are not explicitly written into a contract.Familiar contractual forms have the advantage that there is a wealth of legal precedent concerning them. Thus, disputes are likely to be resolved speedily. More exotic contractual forms, for which there are few legal precedents, are more prone to costly and acrimonious legal disputes (Aghion and Bolton, 2002). Further, incomplete contracting discourages both relation-specific investments and value-enhancing agreements.When it comes to incentive contracting which operates on the theory of the carrot and the stick (there’s a financial carrot for a supplier for better than agreed-on quality, reliability, delivery or performance and a financial stick for worse than agreed-on levels of those parameters), the principle is attractive but the practice is another matter. Suppliers are reluctant to accept financial penalties, especially for reliability targets are not reached, and customers are reluctant to extend financial incentives to suppliers if agreed-on targets are not met.In incentive contracting, the risks' amount, probability, and impact are major factors influencing the design of the contract since the main purpose of this is transferring the risks. As well, there are several limitations to incentive contracting, as it depends on a purchaser with the ability to specify performance, the possibility of meaningful performance measures that can be identified, agreed upon and implemented, the existence of resources to oversee and monitor performance , and the practical ability to take action, including replacing the contractor, where performance is unsatisfactory.The front pages provide too-frequent illustration of the ways in which contract incentives designed by the best and most well-intentioned experts may yield unintended adverse consequences. Incentives can divert attention from other important goals, work too well on their own terms, or encourage distorted reporting. WORKS CITED 1. Aghion, P. & Bolton, P. (2002). On Partial Contracting. European Economic Review. 46, 745-753. 2. Bolton, P. & Dewatripont, M.(2005). Contract Theory. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 3. Dimitri, N. , Piga, G. & Spagnolo, G. (2006). The Handbook of Procurement. New York: Cambridge University Press. 4. Langfield-Smith, K. , Smith, D. & Stringer, C. (2000). Managing the Outsourcing Relationship. Australia: University of South Wales Press, Ltd. 5. McIvor, R. (2005). The Outsourcing Process: Strategies for Evaluation and Manag ement. New York: Cambridge University

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds

The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds The Bright Sides of Academic Intellectuals We Call Nerds The first thing that would pop-up in your head when somebody says â€Å"Nerd† is an image of a skinny, clumsy, old-fashioned  individual  wearing thick eyeglasses with no appeal. Well, this is actually the  other  side of the â€Å"Nerd† or â€Å"Geek† or â€Å"Bore† or whatever you call them but a Nerd is definitely not a â€Å"Dork† and smarter than a â€Å"cool† kid in school. Nerds are boring and that is because they are not normally interested in stuff most ordinary people do or like such as sports with too much physical exertion, fashionable clothing, parties, and so on. Nerds are more interested in scholarly endeavors like reading books, exploring the nature of things, solving math problems, play some nerdy sports or even more #NerdierSports, and other activities ordinary people don’t normally do. They are commonly unpopular in school but they are smart and do extremely well in academic subjects. In fact, nerds are popular for their strong academic orientation and achievements. A good example is Albert Einstein, an academic-oriented person with a nerdy face, hair, and achievements made him the most successful nerd in the world. Nerds Play Games and Sports It is common for nerds to play computer games such as World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and others but they do love and play sports designed for smart and socially independent people like golf, tennis, billiards, chess, and other more #NerdierSports. Tiger  Woods  is one of the highest paid athlete and the most successful â€Å"nerd† golfer in the world.   Some nerds even enjoy some real competitive games such as softball, basketball, and Ice Hockey. Successful and famous nerds are not only big sports fans but also owners of sports teams like technology billionaire Mark Cuban of Dallas Mavericks. Former Bill Gates business partner and fellow nerd Paul Allen is the owner of the Portland Trailblazers and two other sports teams.Woods is one of the highest paid athlete and the most  successful â€Å"nerd† golfer in the world. Some nerds even enjoy some real competitive games such as softball, basketball, and Ice Hockey. Want to know more? Go here: Perspiration Is Nothing without Inspiration Relieving Students School-Related Stress Developing Students Creativity Is Sports Competition Relevant to Academic Learning? Junk Food in School Nerds Are Successful in Later Life Nerds are generally socially hopeless people, but this does not make them clowns to play with. They are logical, inspired, and determined individuals who work harder and harder and therefore normally succeed later life. Since nerds’ social  life is limited, their tendency to focus more on their work provides them more opportunity to get a much better job. In fact, the richest people in the world are nerds and two of them were founders of Google. Nerds are often successful because they possess the qualities required to achieve their goals. For instance, nerds are academically proficient, hard workers, highly motivated; they do not waste time on parties, and likely to work in corporations built by more senior and highly successful nerds like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Jack Dorsey, and others. These famous and successful nerds are mostly academic intellectuals who in later life used their genius in building a technology-based enterprise. Some nerds are also quite successful in other fields such as Ben Stein, a millionaire, lawyer, actor, and a successful writer who writes articles and speeches for famous people.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Homologous and Analogous Structures Whats the Difference

Homologous and Analogous Structures What's the Difference SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you ever thought about how different kinds of animals have body parts that work in similar ways? Like bats and bees? Both creatures have wings - even though their bodies are structured very differently. The key to understanding these differences lies in knowing what homologous and analogous structures are. In this article, we'll talk about each type of structure and discuss the similarities and differences between them. What Are Homologous Structures? Homologous structures are similar structures in related organisms. The most important thing to remember about homologous structures is that they share common ancestry. In other words, only organisms that are somehow related to each other can have homologous structures. For example, a chimpanzee’s arm and a human’s arm are homologous structures. Both sets of arms have a similar structure and use and chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor. What Are Analogous Structures? Analogous structures are similar structures in unrelated organisms. These structures are similar because they do the same job, not because they share common ancestry. For example, dolphins and sharks both have fins, even though they aren’t related. Both species developed fins because of how (and where) they live. What’s the Difference Between Homologous and Analogous Structures? Homologous and analogous structures have several key differences. Let’s take a look at them: Homologous Structures Analogous Structures Shared ancestry Similar internal structure May look different externally No shared ancestry Similar function May look similar externally Homologous Structures Example A great example of homologous structures are the wings of a bat and the arms of a human. Bats and humans are both mammals, so they share a common ancestry. Both a bat’s wing and a human’s arm share a similar internal bone structure, even though they look very different externally. The wing and the arm also perform different functions - wings help bats fly, while arms help humans interact with their world in a very different way. Analogous Structures Example A great example of analogous structures are a bat’s wing and a bee’s wing. Bats and bees do not share common ancestry, so the structures cannot be homologous. Both bat wings and bee wings serve a common purpose - helping bats and bees fly! The structures look similar on the outside, too. However, their internal structures are very different - bat wings have a bony structure with muscles, while bee wings are membranous extensions. Homologous and Analogous Structures - Key Takeaways Many animals have body parts that look similar, even though they don’t share common functionality. Other animals have body parts that look totally different, but have a shared background. Here’s the difference between homologous and analogous structures: Homologous structures are structures that may look or function differently from related organisms. Analogous structures are structures that look and function similarly from unrelated organisms. What’s Next? Currently taking Biology and need help with other bio topics? Learn about photosynthesis, enzymes, cell theory, and what and how the cell membrane and endoplasmic reticulum work. Are youconsideringtaking the SAT subject testsin a subject like biology? Make sure you get the inside information onthe testbefore you make your decision. If you’re a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you might consider adding AP classes to your schedule. Here’s a complete list of AP courses and tests to help you choose classes that are perfect for you. Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered!Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

Sunday, October 20, 2019

APA Referencing †Citing Social Media Posts

APA Referencing – Citing Social Media Posts APA Referencing – Citing Social Media Posts With social media, information now spreads faster than ever. And you might even need to cite a social media post in an academic paper at some point. Its a strange new world were living in.(Photo Credit) But social media posts need to be cited when they appear in academic writing, so make sure you get it right! In this blogpost, we look at the rules for doing this with APA referencing. Citing a Social Media Post APA treats publicly available posts on platforms like Facebook or Twitter as websites. As such, if mentioning a Twitter account or Facebook page in passing, you need to provide a URL in parentheses within the text: Thousands of people use the Financial Times’ Twitter account (https://twitter.com/ftfinancenews) to get breaking news on the markets. If referring to a specific post or update on social media, however, you’ll need to give a full in-text citation with a named author and date of publication: In a post on Facebook, the former president referred to the Paris Climate Agreement as â€Å"a crucial step forward in the fight against climate change† (Obama, 2016). In such cases, social media posts cited in your work should be accompanied by an entry in the reference list at the end of your document. Reference List In the reference list, APA has specific requirement for social media posts. The general format is: Surname, Initial. [Screen name/given name]. (Year, Month Day). Title or excerpt [Platform]. Retrieved from URL This includes providing a screen name and the date that the post was made. Since many social media posts don’t have a title, an excerpt of up to 40 words can be used instead. For example, the reference for the Facebook post cited above would appear as: Obama, B. [Barack]. (2016, November 4). Today marks a crucial step forward in the fight against climate change, as the historic Paris Climate Agreement officially enters into force. Lets keep pushing for progress [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/posts/10154306132531749 Make sure that the URL provided is specifically for the post in question, not just the page or account from which it is taken. Citing a Personal Communication The rules for citing social media are a little different when the post isn’t publicly available (e.g., if it was a direct message). In this case, you treat the post as a personal communication. To do this, you should indicate that the information comes from a personal communication in parentheses as part of your citation, plus give a date for the message: Dr. Smith (personal communication, January 12, 2017) claimed that the study was promising but inconclusive. Since personal messages are not public, APA does not require you to include them in the reference list.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

King's Assignment # 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

King's Assignment # 4 - Essay Example A good citizen should feel a sense of security and satisfaction because of patrol. Non-criminal services should also be provided. Traffic control and serving as a means of finding solutions for community problems also contribute to the goals. The police patrol operation is considered to be proactive rather than reactive, the difference being that the police should be able to identify risks and formulate contingency plans rather than taking action after the risk has occurred. For this, awareness of what, how and by whom something happens in an assigned zone is required. The advanced technologies like wireless radio have made the patrol operations to be reactive. It is also important that the attention and response required out of the police in different situations are different. Some do not require immediate attention while in some cases the response times are critical. To address this issue, the DPR – Differential Police Response is used. This helped in cost reduction and performance improvement. The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment has found out that random patrols do not have any effect on the crime rates or the citizen satisfaction. As a result, the police have changed their tactics to classifying regions as ‘hot spots’ of crime. These areas can be identifies using analysis of recorded data from previous cases. This achieved the goal of making patrols proactive. The investigation part involves the detective work. The automated finger print identification system and DNA are major breakthroughs that help the police detectives in successfully identifying the culprit. The police detective may work in intelligence data gathering or as an undercover. Police behaviors may be analyzed from different perspectives. Psychological, sociological and organizational perspectives come under universalistic perspective. Particularistic perspective includes the human nature, the individual view about various formalities and so

The human body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

The human body - Essay Example Brain, nerves & spinal cord. Functions to provide strength and connections to move the arm or leg or to make the facial expressions. Muscles cover almost every bone of the body except fingers and teeth and skull. It also help in Maintaining posture & generate heat by shivering. Pumps blood to each part of the body. Takes oxygen from the lungs and transports it to the each part of the body and carry carbon dioxide that is released through respiration. Heart, veins and arteries. Skin has millions of sensory nerves that send information to the brain; the information regarding the environment, temperature, etc. If the brain senses that the temperature is a bit higher than the body temperature, brain sends signal to the sweat gland to open and cool the body. In some cases, the brain sends signal to the muscles connected to skin hair to contract or expand according to the environment or other condition. At 25 years the body functions seem to be efficiently functional. On the other hand considering the daily working of the 25 year person is moving door to door to distribute the leaflets and take part in the other programs as organized by the charity. The muscles (muscular system) in the body particularly the leg muscles require much oxygenated blood in order to work efficiently. The oxygenated blood is transported by the cardiovascular system and the heart pumps the blood as faster as the oxygen is required. Oxygen is supplied through the respiratory system. The respiratory system fills the blood with oxygen. It is common fact that the respiratory system and cardiovascular system synchronize in a proper manner. The rate of respiration increases as the demand for oxygen increases. On the other hand, as the muscular system uses more oxygen it produces more carbon-dioxide that is also released through respiratory process. All these functions are controlled by the brain that informs the heats to pump faster

Friday, October 18, 2019

Food Ads That Are Like Wolves in Sheeps Clothing Essay

Food Ads That Are Like Wolves in Sheeps Clothing - Essay Example Once they watch a commercial about a food product with their favourite cartoon character, that is the image that will stick to them and then they will ask their parents to buy it for them and argue that the commercial says it’s good for them. They become enamoured with the products that are like adorable sheep not knowing that it is only the disguise of the wolves inside just waiting to prey on these naà ¯ve consumers. The video entitled â€Å"We’re Not Buying It: Stop Junk Food Marketing To Kids† (Prevention Institute, 2011) exposes how vulnerable children are to the power of food advertising especially if it caters to their interests. The video asks how the food industry can even penetrate schools with the guise of supporting charity projects but are actually marketing strategies promoting their unhealthy food and beverage products. The video also revealed that most advertised food and beverage products have too much sugar, salt and fat in them but are packaged as healthy food in order to be sold. Since children are bombarded with thousands of such food ads every year, and even incorporated in movies and their favourite video games, then they consume much of this food and drinks in their unhealthy diets. Hence, 1 in 3 children is expected to be prone to Diabetes when they grow up like 40% of their diets come from added sugars and unhealthy fats (Prevention Institute, 2011). I can relate the message in the video with some theories from Sharma & Romas (2012) taken up in class. Health Belief Model discussed in class proposes that one’s health is determined by his personal beliefs or perceptions, and if children believe the message that advertisements convey, then they get sucked into unhealthy diets and lifestyles.

FIN CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FIN - Case Study Example Other nations have invested heavily in China due to their best known expertise on electrical gadgets including motors. With the china transition, the growth and efficiency was associated with the rapid increase of the factors China had without associating the ownership institutional factors while the World Bank was able to use financial institutions in developing its strategy. 2. The Chinese people lost their investments during the Second World War shuttering down their dreams of developing globalization. Shiseido organization was able to establish businesses in countries outside china by expanding them to Europe and North America. The market conditions affected the business which was different from their normal conditions. The introduction of the foreign firms also led to the loss in the market share of China. Shiseido was quite clever by the fact that they built Auples, women cosmetic brands that boosted Chinese women. It later led to the construction of a larger network that increased the Chinese stores. 3. In my opinion, the regulations focus on the variables that lead to financial crisis in all the cases are unemployment and inflation. Other causes can be indebtedness with the various liabilities that are both private and foreign. There is also a crisis of currency that affects the banking in both the cases that leads to the introduction of the banking regulations. Most of the emerging countries have a vulnerability to the crisis that is caused by large liabilities that overflows the capital in question. On the other hand, the rules and regulations can be advantageous by changing the banking system that will generate more income and reduce the inflation and employment problems. With the economic contagion, there should be an introduction of more job careers with stable terms and conditions. This will enable the economies to reduce inflation. The government body should come in and impose revenue

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Paper Essay

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Paper - Essay Example It has become the common practice for the international companies to invite foreign partners to work on the projects. For example, if IKEA plans to expand its operations to the Korean market, the top management might consider an option of cooperation with Korean sales representatives who have both the knowledge and skills to make the integration more successful. Such cooperation is not always successful, unfortunately. The major problem is caused by the lack of cultural understanding. The American company plans to start the new marketing campaign to be used both in United States and in Japan, one of the key target markets. Being aware of cultural differences and willing to avoid wrong perception or translation of the slogan, it was decided to invite the group of marketing specialists from Japan. Five Japanese specialists came to United States and joined the company's marketing team. It was the well-thought-of decision to invite them; however, the project initiator has not paid enough attention to a very important issue - intercultural communication in the workplace setting. So, what was the problem The American member of the team presented his proposal to the Japanese member. While explaining his ideas, the American points to the paragraph he considered the most important. The Japanese draws in his breath and says that this idea needs special attention. The American decides that his idea is considered favorably. The misunderstanding here is that the American spec ialist concluded that the meeting is successful while the Japanese specialist wanted to point out that there are serious difficulties. Miscommunication is the major source of discomfort and conflict at work. More women, ethnic minorities and foreigners are entering the workforce and, as the result, the workplace is getting increasingly multicultural. Communication is more than what is said, written or expressed. Representatives of the different cultures have different communication styles: it means how, when and why the information is said. Misunderstanding occurs when the communications style of one individual differs from communication style of another individual (Ting-Toomy 2001). The problem becomes more complex when the communication styles differ based on the cultural heritage and both parties lack the knowledge of these differences. Americans v Japanese Americans are more direct in communication and if there is the problem, they expect to hear it in forthright manner; while the Japanese specialists prefer indirect communication style: less assertive. Sayings like "special attention is needed" might indicate that there are serious problems. In addition, Japanese are more reluctant to say "No". For example, the indefinite answer in perceived as undesired to cooperate by American business people, while Japanese are willing to say "Yes" as the sign that they are listening. When is comes to making an agreement, Japanese are not likely to say unconditional "Yes" or "No". This small cultural peculiarity might lead to

Advantages and Disadvantages to Kraft Foods Case Study

Advantages and Disadvantages to Kraft Foods - Case Study Example Therefore, if Kraft Foods starts producing healthier products, it will establish positive relationships with different stakeholders. The move will also depict that the company is committed to corporate social responsibility (Lussier 2008, p. 223). On the other hand, the company is likely to lose some of its customers because the new versions of chocolate will have a different taste. Notably, the esteemed customers of the company have been consuming its products because of their unique taste. However, lowering the calorific value of the chocolate versions will alter the product taste. Many customers may not like the new taste. The company will also incur new costs in production. Worth noting is the fact that the company will need to source ingredients that will be used in the production of lower-calorie chocolates. In addition, the company will need to spend on advertising and promotion strategies in order to introduce the new versions into the market. In my opinion, the UK government is likely to introduce legislation that will require taxation of high-fat food products like chocolate. Since the government has experienced the financial burden resulting from medical costs associated with the high morbidity cases resulting from obesity, it is likely to take new measures. The government is also concerned about the health of children and adolescents who are more affected by high-fat food products such as chocolate bars. Therefore, there are higher chances that the government will intervene (Lussier 2008, p. 223). Denmark repealed its fat-tax law after the realization that it contributed to increased consumer prices for the high-fat products. The tax did not motivate companies to produce healthier products. On the contrary, the tax law increased consumer prices, and the consumers had to bear the financial burden.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Paper Essay

Intercultural Communication in the Workplace Paper - Essay Example It has become the common practice for the international companies to invite foreign partners to work on the projects. For example, if IKEA plans to expand its operations to the Korean market, the top management might consider an option of cooperation with Korean sales representatives who have both the knowledge and skills to make the integration more successful. Such cooperation is not always successful, unfortunately. The major problem is caused by the lack of cultural understanding. The American company plans to start the new marketing campaign to be used both in United States and in Japan, one of the key target markets. Being aware of cultural differences and willing to avoid wrong perception or translation of the slogan, it was decided to invite the group of marketing specialists from Japan. Five Japanese specialists came to United States and joined the company's marketing team. It was the well-thought-of decision to invite them; however, the project initiator has not paid enough attention to a very important issue - intercultural communication in the workplace setting. So, what was the problem The American member of the team presented his proposal to the Japanese member. While explaining his ideas, the American points to the paragraph he considered the most important. The Japanese draws in his breath and says that this idea needs special attention. The American decides that his idea is considered favorably. The misunderstanding here is that the American spec ialist concluded that the meeting is successful while the Japanese specialist wanted to point out that there are serious difficulties. Miscommunication is the major source of discomfort and conflict at work. More women, ethnic minorities and foreigners are entering the workforce and, as the result, the workplace is getting increasingly multicultural. Communication is more than what is said, written or expressed. Representatives of the different cultures have different communication styles: it means how, when and why the information is said. Misunderstanding occurs when the communications style of one individual differs from communication style of another individual (Ting-Toomy 2001). The problem becomes more complex when the communication styles differ based on the cultural heritage and both parties lack the knowledge of these differences. Americans v Japanese Americans are more direct in communication and if there is the problem, they expect to hear it in forthright manner; while the Japanese specialists prefer indirect communication style: less assertive. Sayings like "special attention is needed" might indicate that there are serious problems. In addition, Japanese are more reluctant to say "No". For example, the indefinite answer in perceived as undesired to cooperate by American business people, while Japanese are willing to say "Yes" as the sign that they are listening. When is comes to making an agreement, Japanese are not likely to say unconditional "Yes" or "No". This small cultural peculiarity might lead to

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

What Influences the Health of a Community Assignment

What Influences the Health of a Community - Assignment Example Education is considered as one of the top most factors that influences and has a great impact on the Pennsylvania community and its members respectively. The state spends over $14 billion on public health insurance each year. Education plays an important role in every individual’s lives. If people are educated, the number of crimes committed is very less and there is an improved public health as well. People with higher levels of education tend to live longer, healthier lives and depend less on government-funded health programs than people with less education. (Mitra, 2010) Researches and many studies have showed that education is very beneficial to a human’s life in several ways. Educated people and an educated community will have an organized lifestyle and healthy diets. They are less likely to smoke, be obese, or engage themselves in drinking. For instance, if there is any health issue to any individual in the Pennsylvania community, education will help them to have that awareness that they would know what is better for them. What measures to be taken to improve their health therefore education effects in a way that it seeks to spread awareness.

Monday, October 14, 2019

My Childhood Essay Example for Free

My Childhood Essay When I started pre-school, I found it difficult to speak English because I spoke Chinese at home. I was distracted and frightened when I attended school in our Los Angeles neighborhood, and crime was a constant concern for us. It worried my parents to see that I was losing interest in school, so they moved me to Chino Hills after I finished 7th grade to live with my sisters, hoping that the environment would be a better place for me. The different atmosphere I was in changed my perspective on education. The students in Chino Hills are very competitive in their academic pursuits which motivated me to try harder and work up to my potential. The realization that a different environment can make a huge difference brought much confidence to me; I began developing better judgment and making better decisions toward my education. As I approached high school, I was beginning to understand the importance of an education. Although my parents remarks about school were simply for me to behave, I knew they also wanted me to have a good educational opportunity. My first year as a freshman in high school was difficult for me; it became evident that I didnt know how to manage my time. As every con has a pro, I knew that time management was no exception. Mastering the art of time management can reap great rewards, and by ignoring it I found myself facing great disappointment with my grades. At the end of the day, I tried to reflect on my performance and soon realized I have accomplished little. In my sophomore year of high school, I began to manage my time more wisely and took my education more seriously, and realized that it did not take much to use time management in an efficient manner; but the rewards were fulfilling because my grades had greatly risen. My course work and grades became obvious to me that I still had trouble managing my time. I soon started to decompose my goals, making it possible to tackle them one step at a time and realized as I progressed, my time management bettered. During my junior year, Procrastination was the biggest barrier to time management I had to face. I found it difficult at times to start working; however, I realized not working was related to the fear of poor results than it is to the actual difficulty of the work. My junior year gave a spark to my life; it helped me create a target to aim for, which is to attend a top 4 year  University and pursue my dreams in the medical field.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy Essay -- Science Genetics Biology Pap

Cystic Fibrosis and Gene Therapy The average life span of a person with Cystic Fibrosis is 25-30 years of age. Although the more traditional treatments of this disease are adequate, is there something else that could be even better? Gene therapy is fast becoming one of the more studied aspects of genetics today. Let's take a look at some details of Cystic Fibrosis and gene therapy. Technical Aspects Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States today. CF is an autosomal recessive disease that occurs approximately one out of 3,300 live births (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1998). Autosomal means that the gene for CF is not carried on the sex chromosomes and males and females are both afflicted by this disease. Recessive inheritance is when both parents "carry" the abnormal gene in their DNA but they themselves do not show evidence of the disease. The mother and father have one normal gene and one abnormal gene and don't show signs of disease because the normal gene dominates the abnormal gene. To have CF, a child must inherit two abnormal genes, one from each parent. Remember that chromosomes are made up of DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is made up of genes, and genes are made up of building blocks called base pairs. The specific gene responsible for CF was identified in 1989 on human chromosome 7 (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). A mutatio n, or change in the genetic material, resulting in a substitution or loss of one of the base pairs causes the CF gene to be abnormal (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 1995). CF does not affect all people the same way. The basic problem for all patients however is an abnormality in glands, which produce mucus or sweat. The mucus produced by people... ...ctsabo.htm">http://www.cff.org/factsabo.htm Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "Gene Therapy". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.cff.org/genether.htm Genentech Incorporated, "Gene Therapy-An Overview". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.gene.com/AE/AB/IWT/Gene_Therapy_Overview.html McClean, Phillip. "Variation in Chromosome Structure". Obtained from the WWW 10/15/98: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/mcclean/plsc431/chromstruct/chrmo2.htm Pseudomonas Genome Project, "Cystic Fibrosis". Obtained from the WWW 10/31/98: http://www.pseudomonas.com/cystic_fibrosis.html Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "An Introduction to Cystic Fibrosis for Patients and Families" in Respiratory Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook". Health Reference Series, V. 6, 1995. Sect. 5.1, p. 240. WWWebster Dictionary. Obtained from the WWW 11/2/98: http://www.m-w.com/

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Evolution of Rock Music :: American America History

The Evolution of Rock Music In this essay, I'm going to introduce to the reader a topic not touched a lot because of its complexity and its avoidance by conservative adults. This topic is, of course, Rock Music. During one week, I looked for information in the library and at my house, and from the information I gathered and my one knowledge about the topic, I'm going to lead the reader to a better understanding of Rock n' Roll. I chose to do Rock music because I can identify myself with it. Rock music is very complex. In fact "It's stylistic scope is to broad to be encompassed by any single definition" ("Rock Music", Groliers, p.1). The nearest definition suggests a kind of music that represents and speaks for the teenage society. This music is characterized by using a heavy beat. In this essay, I'm going to divide Rock music into four sections: Rock of the 50's, of the 60's, of the 70's and of the 80's. Within these sections I'm also going to discuss several sub-topics such as famous composers and groups, and characteristics of the music. The first section of this essay is Rock n' Roll of the 1950's, when Rock n' Roll was born. It emerged from rhythm and blues, a music similar to jazz played by blacks. This kind of music started to attract white teenagers. Disc jockey Alan Freed was the one who introduced this music and later gave it the name of Rock n' Roll. Record companies distributed records played by whites but composed by blacks. Whites were frustrated because there weren't any white artists and they didn't want the blacks to be the stars until Bill Haley appeared with his "Rock Around the Clock". In this decade, Elvis Presley introduced a music that was sexual suggestive and outraged dull adults. In time he changed the style of the music by adopting a country and western style and became a national hero. By the end of this decade and the start of the next, Rock n' Roll started to decline because it was formula ridden and it was too sentimental. Teenage audiences transferred their allegiance to Folk music. In 1963 the renewal of Rock n' Roll came when The Beatles started to play. The Beatles, for some the best rock group ever, were from Liverpool, England. Through the 60's, The Beatles dominated the record industries and with their dominant instrumentation, which included: electric leads, rhythm, and bass guitar, drums and sometimes an electric organ, changed the name of Rock n' Roll to just Rock.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Muscular Dystrophy

This paper intends to define Muscular Dystrophy, enumerate some of the most common kinds, state its characteristics or symptoms, indicate the tests, treatment as well as its prognosis before finally reintroducing its complications and prevention. Muscular Dystrophy Defined â€Å"Muscular Dystrophy† is actually composed of thirty plus genetic diseases (National.., 2007). Otherwise known as â€Å"inherited myopathy†, â€Å"Muscular Dystrophy† includes the following inherited sickness or medical conditions: 1) Becker’s muscular dystrophy; 2) Duchenne muscular dystrophy; 3) Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; 4) Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy; 5) Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy; 6) Myotonic Dystrophy; and 7) Myotonia Congenita (Kantor, 2006).   Furthermore, Muscular Dystrophy’s characteristics include the following: 1) feeling weak; 2) losing control of skeletal muscles; as well as 3) affecting all ages (National.., 2007). Kinds of Muscular Dystrophy The kinds of Muscular Dystrophy are the following: 1) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy This kind occurs in approximately three out of three thousand five hundred boys (The.., 2007). It happens when the genes are unable to produce dystrophin which is responsible for the strength of the muscles (The.., 2007). This kind emerges at the age of 5 and by 12, the patient is expected to use a wheelchair (The.., 2007). First, their pelvic muscles are affected, and following that, his or her shoulders, back, arms, as well as, legs will be the next (The.., 2007). With this kind of Muscular Dystrophy, a person will only live for approximately twenty years (The.., 2007). 2) Becker Muscular Dystrophy This kind happens in one in every 30,000 boys and just like the first kins, it is also due to the absence of dystrophin (The.., 2007). However, it is milder than the first and that patients suffering from it may live without a wheelchair (The.., 2007). 3) Myotonic Dystrophy This is caused by a gene that should not be as large as it is (The.., 2007). It occurs before a person turns twenty years old (The.., 2007). Its major symptoms include the following: weakening & shrinking of the muscles (The.., 2007). 4) Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy This kind emerges in both genders (Limb.., 2006). The muscles in the back, pelvis, as well as, shoulders are usually affected in this kind (Limb.., 2006). 5) Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy With this kind, weakening of the muscles begin in the face, then the shoulder and back comes next, and finally the muscles located in the legs and pelvis may lose strength (Muscular.., 2006). Symptoms For Muscular Dystrophy, the symptoms are the following: First of all is weakness of the muscles which actually gets worse gradually (Kantor, 2006). This is very much noticeable especially if the patient suffering from it experiences recurrent and numerous falls (Kantor, 2006). In addition to that, the patient may be confronted with interrupted development of what is technically referred to as muscular motor skills (Kantor, 2006). Moreover, if the patient is already delayed in walking or if he or she experiences problems with walking then it is highly possible that he or she suffers from Muscular Dystrophy (Kantor, 2006). Furthermore, if the patient finds it difficult to utilize even just one of the muscle groups, then it is time to ask the doctor to check on the patient to confirm occurrence and emergence of Muscular Dystrophy (Kantor, 2006). Also, the patient who has Muscular Dystrophy will experience drooping of the eyelid (Kantor, 2006). Last but not least, the patient suffering from Muscular Dystrophy will exhibit drooling as well (Kantor, 2006). Secondly, there are types of Muscular Dystrophy wherein a patient may signify mental retardation (Kantor, 2006). Thirdly, Muscular Dystrophy patients also suffer from low muscle tone or that which is technically referred to as â€Å"hypotonia† (Kantor, 2006). Fourthly, a patient who is diagnosed to have Muscular Dystrophy exhibits joint contractures like clubfoot, clawhand, etc (Kantor, 2006). Last but not least, someone who has Muscular Dystrophy may also have a spine that’s curved which means that he or she also has scoliosis (Kantor, 2006). Tests For Muscular Dystrophy to be diagnosed as a medical condition suffered from by the patient, there are several tests that could be carried out and some of these are the following: First in the list is to have a physical examination including a look at the patient’s medical history (Kantor, 2006). The second one is to undergo muscle biopsy (Kantor, 2006). This will already confirm if the patient indeed suffers from Muscular Dystrophy (Kantor, 2006). The third is to perform what is technically referred to as Serum CPK (Kantor, 2006). The fourth is for the patient to be checked and tested through electromyography or EMG, for short (Kantor, 2006). Last but not least is for the patient to go through ECG or electrocardiography (Kantor, 2006). Other tests that the patient could go through to confirm Muscular Dystrophy include the following: 1) Aldolase; 2) AST; 3) Creatinine; 4) LDH; and 5) Myoglobin (Kantor, 2006). Treatment Unfortunately, experts have yet to discover ways on how to address this particular medical condition (Kantor, 2006). However, they presented techniques on how to manage the symptoms exhibited by the patients diagnosed to have Muscular Dystrophy (Kantor, 2006). Some of these are the following: First of all, physical therapy may be carried out to help sustain the strength of the muscles, as well as, in keeping the muscles functional (Kantor, 2006). Second is the utilization of braces and wheelchair (Kantor, 2006). This enables the patient to do some of the things on his or her own, for instance, moving around etc (Kantor, 2006). Third is for the patient to undergo spine or leg surgery (Kantor, 2006). This action may keep, if not improve the functions of the aforementioned parts of the body (Kantor, 2006). Fourth, some doctors prescribe corticosteroids to children so as to keep them walking (Kantor, 2006). Fifth, medical experts advice that patients suffering from Muscular Dystrophy should avoid complete inactivity since this will make the condition much worse (Kantor, 2006). They should try to move or be active as much as possible (Kantor, 2006). Prognosis Muscular Dystrophies worsen as time goes by — and this goes for all kinds (Kantor, 2006). However, how severe it is dwells on the kind of Muscular Dystrophy suffered from by the patient (Kantor, 2006). How fast it occurs also depends upon its kind and on the person suffering from it (Kantor, 2006). There are also some kinds of Muscular Dystrophy which have been proven as fatal (Kantor, 2006). Complications Muscular Dystrophy also has some complications and these are: 1) cardiomyopathy; decreased ability to take care of oneself; decreased mobility; failure of the respiratory system; joint contractures; mental disability; as well as, scoliosis (Kantor, 2006). Prevention Medical experts say that in cases where a family member from the previous generations had â€Å"Muscular Dystrophy†, the members from the current generation should seek for what is technically referred to as â€Å"genetic counseling† (Kantor, 2006). References Kantor, D. (2006). Muscular Dystrophy. Retrieved May 6, 2007 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001190.htm Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. (2006). Retrieved May 6, 2007 from http://www.emedicine.com/PMR/topic65.htm Muscular Dystrophy Association. (2006). Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Retrieved May 6, 2007 from http://www.mdausa.org/disease/fshd.html National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2007). Muscular Dystrophy. Retrieved May 6, 2007 from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/md/md.htm The Nemours Foundation. (2007). Muscular Dystrophy. Retrieved May 6, 2007 from http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/bones/muscular_dystrophy.html   

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Did Korea Succeeded in the Three Invasions from 108 B.C. to 1231 A.D.?

Korea is strategically located among its allies and enemies, and it is a sad fate that this nation not only invaded and slaughtered was even divided in two. Two brothers believeth in truth but view these principles differently. One belongs to the other, as if in the movie Predator when it was said that: â€Å"The enemy of your enemy is also your friend†. The ROK was formed in the North and The South became a Republic (Readings). In short, despite of the peace being enjoyed by its citizenry; â€Å"factions remained because of groups being formed such as, Communist vs. Industrialist, pro-China vs.pro-Soviet, Conservatives vs. Liberals due to cold war politics and internal divisions among themselves (Readings). †The decline of the Han dynasty (the rule of the Chinese) started the beginnings of three rival kingdoms, the Koguryo on the northeast of China, the Paekche on the southwest, and Shilla on the Southeast (Readings). Despite unification moves was attempted in its enti re history, the northern part or the Nangnang (Lolang) remained a socialist and the southern part democratic was an end result of the unification of Paekche and Shilla to which better known to the world today as Seoul.After the Hans the Mongols came, during those invasions the Koreans suffered so greatly that they even accounted this period with the Mongols to the Japanese period the Dark Age in their history. Koreans in the long history of factions among themselves retained its culture, language, and faith. However, these are the same people who have an open mind that was able to embrace other belief like the Catholic Religion and adjusted amicably with the modern culture.They are people who have survived so many wars, which turned its cities into devastation and poverty but were able to retain its own uniqueness despite of so many foreign invasions. The Koreans, in their own rights succeeded in their quest for their own beliefs and freedom not only because they were hard survivors but because they have been gifted with valiant men and women, from which is the offspring of a good stock their origins are made of.The success in nation building cannot be seen overnight, it has to passed through the test of time just like forging gold from a nuggets of other metals. This could have probably happened in the history of Korea which was clearly seen during the time of Yi Dynasty until the time of King Sae Jong thru the time of General Yi to Admiral Yi, and Yu Kwan-soon (Association). However, Koreans failure may not be seen in terms of its economic position today since it is regarded as one of the four dragons of the Southeast Asian economy but for the reason that they are divided in two.The division may be called providence probably for the reason that it is to create a balance of which some has already foreseen, that the north will be the pivotal point to which will determine the stability of East Asia and north Pacific Rim. The South however, have shown to the wor ld that it has recovered so fast, that it became a leader on economic recovery after a decade of crises that was undergone by the rest of other Asian region. Succeeding is not just to be seen in economic statistics and armaments, but more so on how its people as a country have survived.Though these two siblings may have separated, history or destiny may have reasons why it is so. Separately in each field both have succeeded, but only until they have ensured that another invasion would not follow and as for the moment, hoping they will no longer keep repeating their history. Since 1953, all hostilities ended (Readings). Hopefully that the ceasefire will truly be the end of all factions, and may these neighboring nations eventually learned that strength is not found in violence but on strong hearts that is willing to undergo reforms and forgiveness.

Gender Roles Edgar Allen Poe Essay

In the 1800s there was a widely accepted ideology of what characteristics made up a woman and a man. The man was supposed to be reasonable, rational, and unaffected by his emotions. Women, on the other hand, were the exact opposite: irrational and completely taken over by emotion. Poe did not necessarily reverse these roles in all of his works, but he definitely toyed with them, giving the majority of his characters the characteristics of both men and women of the time. In Poe’s â€Å"Annabel Lee† both the persona and his lover seem womanly, â€Å"But we loved with a love that was more than a love- I and my Annabel Lee† (lines 9-10). They are both overtaken by such an intense affection and love for one another that it is more than a love. This could mean that they worshipped or were even obsessed with each other. Such an immense passion was typically only seen in woman during this time. Also, the narrator blames the death of Annabel Lee on the angels, who were, â€Å"†¦not half so happy in Heaven† and â€Å"went envying her and me† (21-22). Angels do not get jealous. This statement shows the immaturity of the narrator who, as a man, should be sophisticated in all of his ways. Towards the end of the poem another womanly characteristic arises in him, irrationality. Even after the death of Annabel Lee their souls are inseparable. His inability to let go leads the narrator to venture out each night and sleep next to the woman he loves so dearly. In reality, no person of sound mind would ever choose to sleep next to a rotting corpse night after night. In â€Å"Ligeia† Poe did indeed flip the roles of men and women. Although Ligeia does have a â€Å"†¦placid cast of beauty† and a certain eloquence in her voice, these seem to be her only womanly characteristics (pg. 644). She is not very emotional; in fact she is even described in the first paragraph as having â€Å"adapted to deaden impressions of the outside world.† The only time she does show some sort of emotion is towards the end of her life, when she would â€Å"†¦pour out before me the overflowings of a heart whose more than passionate devotion amounted to idolatry† (648). Up until now the only feelings that were evident were those of the narrator. Poe also makes clear Ligeia’s obvious intellectual dominance over her husband in the following line, â€Å"I was sufficiently aware of her infinite supremacy to resign myself, with a childlike confidence, to her guidance through the chaotic world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 647). This line is very important when discussing gender roles because not only does the narrator admire Ligeia’s immeasurable intelligence, but he looks up to her for guidance through life and the acquisition of knowledge, which is the opposite of a stereotypical marriage during the nineteenth century. He also describes himself as childish which carries along with it the connotation of immaturity and naivety, characteristics typical of women according to the society Poe lived in. Although this paper only discusses two of Poe’s numerous literary works it is evident that his idea of what differentiates a woman from a man was skewed from that of society during the time period in which he lived. Women in Poe’s mind were sagacious, rational, and strong willed. Men, on the other hand, tended to be more womanly than the women, allowing themselves to be engulfed by their emotions and showing little to no rationality. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allan. â€Å"Annabel Lee.† The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th edition. Nina Baym, Robert S. Levine, Julia Reidhead, Carly Frasier Doria. Crawfordsville, IL: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2012. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. â€Å"Ligeia.† The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th edition. Nina Baym, Robert S. Levine, Julia Reidhead, Carly Frasier Doria. Crawfordsville, IL: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc, 2012. Print.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

The Accounting Function in Bank Audi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Accounting Function in Bank Audi - Essay Example This helps them to communicate effectively and it makes the employees feel they are on the page. This approach generated loyalty and challenged the employees to make the business a success. Each employee should be offered stock options and given a portion of the profits as an incentive to keep working toward higher customer satisfaction. Motivation and communication are additional ways the CEO could create happy employees. Challenging employees allows him or her to be creative and generate new ideas or product lines that will increase sales and or customer satisfaction. Listening to employees opinions is vital to success. The people who work the frontline of any business will have ideas on how to better the processes. Some companies used an approach uncommon to most CEO's; walking around the store to meet and greet the associates and customers. This approach allowed the consumers the opportunity to tell him how well he or she liked the store and offer suggestions for change. The asso ciates liked this approach because it made him an approachable CEO who was willing to listen to employees and customers. In this report, it is apparent that the company should use strategic planning in order to deal with the issues since it determines the overall direction and goals of the organization. Consequently, strategic planning influences numerous aspects of the organization, including what, In strategic planning, a) Products and services will be provided by the business and how those products and services will be designed b) Organizational design and roles are needed by the organization. c) Performance goals are established for positions throughout the business. d) Board committees should be developed (in the case of corporations. e) Resources are needed to reach those goals, and consequently, how much money is needed to procure those resources -- ultimately, the goals determine the content of various budgets ("Develop strategic plan" 2007). Competition from similar products, changing technology and increasing costs all play their part in putting pressure on firms to keep rethinking and expan ding. Mergers are more and more frequent and many businesses have expanded to become global organizations. But if growth is sometimes the only option it is also very often a risky one. Expansion demands investment of time, money and people and has to be carefully managed to bring the desired returns. Though there is a way to increase the odds of success: simple and effective communication in all directions. Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime brand names. Gap brand includes Gap, GapKids, babyGap and gapbody. The company also operates Gap Outlet and Banana Republic Factory Outlet stores. Our world headquarters offices are based in the San Francisco Bay Area and our product design offices are located primarily in New York City, San Francisco and London. We also have offices around the globe to support our store management, distribution and product manufacturing operations (Gap Inc) HistoryAt the heart of Gap's growth is the unique culture that has

Monday, October 7, 2019

A Risks Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Risks Analysis - Essay Example Raise the prices by 20% capital costs is significant due to purchase of machinery and losses in production opportunity time due to installation of the system, training of personnel and repairs in the working environment. In effect, payback period may be unsustainable. fluctuations in interest rates of the lending institution can affect business profitability; transportation costs and custom duties may result to higher sales price; competition with local products afforded with tax incentives and "patronize local products" edge can be unsustainable Option #5: Set up a joint venture with an overseas car manufacturer. An engine manufacturer in an unstable country in Southeast Asia has expressed interest in a joint venture to build all the engines for Suprema Cars. If they do this, Suprema would have to send out a team of engineers to the country to supervise production in the early stages. Transportation costs and custom duties may be too high; fluctuations in exchange rates are high in an unstable country; high Occupational Safety concerns for engineers sent to the country for supervision; quality of engines can be compromised significant capital investment for research and development; lost production opportunity time due to new system of production and training of personnel; competition with other cars with the same qualities maybe unsustainable From the details of the benefi

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Instruction and target andience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Instruction and target andience - Essay Example e the existing instructions and borrow a few ideas from that or aim to make more improvements in order to make the new instructions effective and more likely to be understood by the target audience. If the instructions are for the children for example, they have to be written in larger font size and made very legible, the language used must be very simple to understand, the steps in the instructions very few like five at most to avoid them forgetting as well as use different colors to write the instructions in order to keep them interested. The instructions can even contain graphics in order to be remembered easily. Still targeting the children as the audience, it must be remembered that headings of the instructions are very important and should be written in bold letters as â€Å"Headings not only help chunk information into easily digestible parts but also guide readers through a page and signal the relative importance of topics (Terryberry

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Personal essay for pharm cas Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal for pharm cas - Essay Example that my parents are not omniscient healers: the ability of their diagnostic and therapeutic skills to defeat disease is almost totally dependent on the tools at their disposal, and these tools are predominantly drugs. The miracle of medical science itself is undoubtedly founded on the preparation and accurate dispensation of drugs. It is pharmacy which is medical science’s fighting arm. My fascination with pharmacy dates back to this realization and has slowly, but surely, led me to a point in my life at which I am absolutely confident that pharmacy is the career path I want to follow. My choice of pharmacy as a career has been reinforced by my deep admiration for my aunt, who is a renowned pharmacist in Jordan, where I spent the major part of my childhood. Pharmacies in Jordan are run along the lines of traditional community pharmacies, in which the pharmacist plays a major role as counselor and friend to her customers. The pharmacist is urged to independently prescribe drugs for sundry aches and ailments, dispenses advice as well as drugs and strongly influences the customer’s choices. I spent some time assisting my aunt and was deeply impressed by the warmth of her personality, combined with her disciplined approach to the use of drugs. She has become my role model. My personal background has made me aware that impeccable educational qualifications are a prerequisite to any career. My family has also impressed on me the relevance of a work ethic which combines hard work with the efficient organization of time, but still retains some space for compassion. This has made me a dedicated student with a good academic record. At the same time, my love of interpersonal interaction has involved me in the community and student life of my school. I am particularly involved in the student government and tremendously enjoy my role as student instructor. I think that academic success is the result of hard work and also a passionate belief that the subject one has chosen

Friday, October 4, 2019

Research Methods in Clinical Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Methods in Clinical Sciences - Essay Example Depending on the requirements of the research, methodology can be given either qualitative or quantitative approach. Qualitative approach looks at why a certain trend is taking place (Minichiello, Aroni, Timewell, and Alexander, 1995). It explains reasons as to why a certain behavioural pattern is taking a certain shape, and the forces behind that particular trend. Quantitative research on the other hand looks at the magnitude of a specific phenomenon. It is a deductive process that estimates the quantities of the items involved in the study. It measures the extent to which the involved items in the research affect or are affected by other variables in the study. Most scientific research demands for both types of research methodologies as there may be the need to measure the extent to which the variables involved affect each other and the level of relevance for each (Mould, 1998). An investigation into decision making in health professional’s treating traumatically injured Jeh ovah’s Witnesses will demand for a qualitative approach to the investigation. This research involves explanation as to why a healthcare professional needs to take care of the patients’ interests in regard to their cultural and other beliefs. This may not be explained quantitatively as the data will be given a detailed explanation other than providing statistical overview. When a health professional is dealing with a patient, there are decisions that must be made, some of which may be against the beliefs of the patient. The main objective of this professional will be to ensure that the life of the patient is saved at all cost (Grbich, 1999). To have a full insight into the stages that are involved in this process of making decision during treatment, a qualitative method will be the most appropriate approach. French, Reynolds and Swain, (2001) assert that qualitative research into a topic provides a detailed knowledge into the subject matter, especially when it involves question of why a certain activity or action has taken place in a certain manner. 2.0 Annotated Bibliography Menezes MA., 2010. Life on the front line: exploring personal and professional Impacts on healthcare professionals working with fetal anomaly. Ph D Thesis, The University of Melbourne. Web. 9th January, 2012. In this article, the author explains that currently, health professionals are able to conduct both antenatal screening for pregnant women. This process may reveal certain anomalies in the foetus. In case such a professional detects such a case in a patient, then the professional must strive to rescue such a patient because such anomalies may be fatal if not treated in time. The concerned health professional must therefore make a quick decision on how to approach the issue in order to save the patients life. The main objective of the health expert is to save the life of the patient at all cost, irrespective of beliefs of either the health expert or the patient. Journal of Emergency Primary Healthcare: An International e-Journal of Prehospital Care Research, Education, Clinical Practice, Policy and Service Delivery. Web. 9th January, 2012. This article talks about the management of mass casualty events through adoption of grander scale. Most health experts are faced with very many cases of emergency that require urgent attention.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

The Cola Wars Essay Example for Free

The Cola Wars Essay There are two well known beverage companies, Coco-Cola and Pepsi. They have competed considerably and distributed the beverage market profit for several decades. In the open market, it is difficult to exactly tell which one is the winner within the perfect competition, since both companies use different style of promotion and product to expend their markets. The competitive environment of the carbonated soft drinks started about three decades ago. In the beginning of 1960 Coco Cola was dominating the market but this dominance was significantly challenged by Pepsi- Cola. This challenge by Pepsi was declared as Cola Wars. During this competitive war a variety of products were introduced from both sides. Lot of $ amount was spent on celebrity advertising and even coke changed its formula. The strategic changes occur due to Pepsis challenge to the dominance of Coca Cola. In spite of the fact that Pepsi Cola attacked on the dominance of Coca Cola in bottled soft drink, both Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola have benefited from this battle due to stimulated continuous growth of the industry. During this Cola war both the companies faced lot of problems which we shall discuss in the light of the case study on Cola wars. Brief History of Coca-Cola John Pemberton invented the original formula of Coca-Cola way back in 1885. By 1888, three versions of Coca-Cola were introduced. Candler incorporated the Coca-Cola and started its marketing. Coke achieved the status of national drink in USA. Coca cola bottles sale started in 1984 and in 1955 sale of cans was started. Chattanooga became the first site for Coca-Cola bottling company in 1899. In 1985 Coca-Cola attempted to introduce new formula. Most of the consumers liked the taste but so many ceased the purchasing because of certain reasons , therefore company switched back the new product and gave it the name of Classic Cola. In the 21st century coca cola history achieved another milestone and introduced Diet coke in 2005 and latter introduced Coca-Cola Zero. During this the company faced may ups and downs in the international market, particularly faced tough competition given by PepsiCo and the competition of both companies was give the name of Cola wars . Brief History of Pepsi-Co la Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola also started in the late 1800. In 1883 Caleb Bradham a pharmacist invented Brads Drink which was latter known as Pepsi-Cola. In 1904 the availability of Pepsi was in the six ounce bottles. The initial growth was not significant compared to Coke. In 1950 when Pepsi was near to bankruptcy, Alfred joined as CEO and a real challenge to coke started, Alfred made the goal to beat Coke. In 1963 the company introduced 16 ounce Cola. Pepsi-Cola competed, Coca-Cola through (sirpepsi.com) increased franchise bottling network after 1932 and expended its products range. Pepsi makes an advertising history when it introduced first advertising jingle broadcasted nationwide. The jingle Nickel, Nickel became a hit and was translated in 55 languages. In 1964 Pepsi Diet was introduced. Pepsi has increased its product range over the years and the range includes Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Aquafina and Starbucks etc. Pepsi has also taken over Gatorade from Quaker Oats in 2000, which is its part of diversification of business.(ezinearticles.com) Pepsi has competed Coke in many countries and gave Coke a tough time to retain its market share. Now Pepsi Cola stands No.2 in the soft drink market after Coca-Cola and in some of the countries it stands No.1. The Coca-Cola Companys Resources and Capabilities Coca-Colas differentiation and competitive advantage are mainly due to its numerous valuable resources and capabilities. Intangible Resources Coca-Colas greatest strengths reside in its intangible resources. It is mainly thanks to its reputation and brand equity, that it can differentiate itself from its competitors. In fact, in 2006, Coca-Cola was the worlds most valuable brand, worth $67.5 billion, according to research by Interbrand (Grant,2008, p. 134). Its name and products are well known and appreciated in nearly every single country in the world and its availability enables Coca-Cola to nearly always be at ones reach if desired or needed, just as it promises to do in its mission. It relies heavily on product innovation, marketing and developed distribution systems in its differentiation strategy. This has enabled it to be the market leader since many decades and to maintain this position, even catching PepsiCo up in the race for the 2nd most sold soft drink (Alani, 2011). It has gained great loyalty over the years, of consumers who would not drink anything else but Coca-Cola products. In fact, s ome have become so loyal that when Coca-Cola introduced New Coke with a new recipe, it was a tremendous failure, underlining that authenticity is more important to consumers (Greenwald, 2005). Human Capital The Coca-Cola Company has about 139,600 employees globally, working and living in over 100 different countries. As attracting and retaining talent all over the world is one of Coca-Colas most important goal, the company takes pride in its leadership and innovation programs, empowering its employees and wanting to create an inspirational workplace. Creativity and passion are some of the core values that are shared across the company worldwide. (The Coca-Cola Company, 2012). Tangible Assets The Coca-Cola Company can count on sound, substantial tangible assets that have even been growing in the past few years. Some figures include the firms cash level: $12.803 billion in 2011 (increased from $8.517 billion in 2010), total current assets: $25.497 billion in 2011 ($21.579 billion in 2010) and plant and equipment: $14.939 billion in 2011 (compared to $14.727 billion in 2010 and $9.561 billion in 2009). (Yahoo! Finance, 2012). All these figures show that Coca-Cola can count on vast tangible resources to finance its operations, acquisitions and other activities such as marketing and corporate social sustainability. Coca-Colas Capabilities Coca-Cola has great tangible and intangible resources. Its products, factories, bottling partners and financials are resources that enable Coca-Cola to ensure quality, flexibility and responsiveness. One can count on the firms consistency and worldwide presence and continuous supply. Also, the companys human capital and brand equity are other resources that create long-term value, loyalty and performance. These are really the firms core assets, on which it has built its sustainable competitive advantage. All these assets enable Coca-Cola to outperform its competitors consistently by being globally available, coherent, and innovative. Future Considerations The companys history, brand equity, people and partners are assets that are difficult to imitate while being extremely valuable. Also, Coca-Colas most traditional itself is not replicable, as its recipe has always been kept a secret and it has been able to appropriate its resources (through secrecy, increasing bargaining power and embeddedness). Its strategy and competitive advantage have been so sustainable mainly thanks to these resources and the durability of its product. Coca-Cola is constantly working on maintaining these advantages in order to remain the market leader. Its acquisitions (both up and downstream the value chain and horizontally, of diversified products) and its persistent marketing efforts prove the firm’s intention to remain on top of the industry and tackle all challenges early and innovatively. It takes many of the opportunities it sees, including entering the healthier products market (100 of the latest 800 products it introduced w ere low calorie or low sugar) and increasing its sustainability and corporate social responsibility efforts (consuming water in a more sustainable manner, helping causes all around the world, etc). The Coca-Cola Companys strategy and competitive advantage are extremely sustainable, although some threats do lie ahead. Increasing competition and lack of resources (or government regulations on these resources) are main issues that the firm will face. Competition from cheaper brands, from more local products, or from healthier, niche brands is really increasing and could decrease Coca-Cola’s market share considerably in the future. They will need to differentiate themselves even more and focus on their core competencies and assets, which are the most sustainable. The company’s new emphasis on environmental and social measures is a great start to increasing the preservation of the planets limited natural resources and increasing its brand equity and awareness. PepsiCos Resources and Capabilities Intangible Resources Similar to The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCos strategy is mainly based on establishing a differentiation advantage. Its strong intangible resources enable it to be a strong competitor. In fact, its brand equity and other intangibles such as its reputation, strategic relationships with suppliers, bottling partners and distribution centers result in customer loyalty. The performance- and family-oriented culture (especially visible amongst executives is another asset that leads to firms long-term success, as developed by Morris (2008). The overall awareness and availability of Pepsi products increase the value of this brand equity. Human Capital PepsiCo is a massive company in terms of its sheer size alone, with a workforce of nearly 300,000 employees. Performance is strongly rewarded and employees enjoy generous benefits. Communication and collaboration between teams and divisions are facilitated through general openness and support for the upper management and executives. Its workforce is well trained and selected for its motivation and skills. (PepsiCo, Values and Philosophy, 2012) In the light of its executives recent decision to reformulate Pepsis strategy and restructure the firm accordingly, the CEO announced in February 2012 that 8,700 employees would be laid off, spanning over a range of thirty countries, representing about three percent of its current workforce (Huffington Post, 2012). This should lead to reduced costs, increased efficiencies and larger investments in marketing and research and development. Tangible Resources One of the main differences between Pepsi and Coca-Cola is that PepsiCo is diversified and has a strong global presence in the convenience food industry too. This enables PepsiCo to have even larger global sales and outreach, with more economic stability and mitigation of risks as a result of all its product diversification. Even when carbonated soft drink sales started to drop a couple of years ago, PepsiCo still had strong revenues and performance in other sectors, such as its Frito-Lay snacks. PepsiCos tangible resources can be summarized with some figures. Its cash levels were $4.067 billion in 2011 ($3.943 billion in 2009), its total current assets were $72.882 billion in 2011 and $12.571 billion in 2009) and its plant and equipment amounted to $19.698 billion in 2011 (compared to $19.058 billion and $12.671 billion in 2010 and 2009 respectively). These are lower than Coca-Colas and PepsiCo assets were overall better in 2010 than in 2009 and 2011, maybe due to recent strong investments in Pepsi NEXT and other global acquisitions. (Morningstar, 2011). PepsiCos Capabilities Overall, PepsiCos diversified tangible resources, skilled and intensively trained workforce and strong brand equity lead to its financial control capability and exemplary strategic management of multiple businesses. These enable PepsiCo to successfully manage its large portfolio and stronger diversification which in turn leads to larger sales and revenue, but also economies of scale and synergies mainly in its research and development, distribution and marketing functions (Grant, 2008). Also, its culture and structure lead to responsiveness and innovation. PepsiCo is capable of ensuring the quality and constant availability of its products in thousands of locations across the world. Moreover, the fact that PepsiCo is involved in different businesses has also enabled it to build on its healthy new image in many areas which creates even more coherence and credibility, as it can combine owning more nutritious and healthy drinks now with the production and sales of low calorie and low fat snacks or meals. Future Considerations PepsiCo has been growing and innovating successfully for decades, despite the recent slower growth challenges it has faced. PepsiCos extremely large and diversified portfolio, sales in over 200 countries and its long-term efforts for employee empowerment and satisfaction and strategic relationships with partners are some of the main reasons why PepsiCos competitive advantage is sustainable. Its brand names and global presence are so significant that it would be tough to lose its advantage to competitors, new entrants or substitutes, especially as it is still extremely innovative and investing a lot in its future growth plans with its strong RD, new healthy products following or leading global trends and emphasis on doing good to the planet and its inhabitants and to its all its stakeholders as a whole (PepsiCo, 10-K Report, 2011). PepsiCos performance and future could be rather optimistic. PepsiCo is successfully taking advantage of its opportunities (sustainability and healthy product diversification) while responding to its threats (ensuring the sustainability of natural resources such as water and potato fields) through several of its new programs and adaptation to global consumers tastes and needs with innovation and speed-to-market (PepsiCo, Purpose, 2012). All these should be positive signs for the future, although not everything is as simple given PepsiCos recent challenges exhibited in its financial performance and shareholders dissatisfaction. Also, nothing guarantees that investments and innovation will pay off, with the launch of Pepsi NEXT that could be yet another failure in the industry. PepsiCo will have to prolong its efforts in its corporate social responsibility measures, in ensuring quality franchises (with its bottling partners mainly) and in developing and marketing successful new products, starting with Pepsi NEXT. It is thus refocusing its resources and capabilities on these new opportunities that Coca-Cola is also exploiting fully.