Books and e-books Essay

In time of technical progress e-books are getting more popular day by day, but still most of the people prefer hard copy of books and do not support new fashion wave. Book has always been the best present for any kind of occasion, it is something that does not have an expiration date and it will always be in fashion. However, you cannot give e-book as present, of course you can send my e-mail, but you cannot put your sign and it sort of loosing meaning as a present, because you cannot touch it. On the other hand prices for e-books are lower and you can get a variety of free e-books, so everyone can enjoy literature from all of the world, but you should have special gadget to read e-books, and it is additional expanses for reading. In contrast, printed books are sort of pricy, and you cannot buy as much books as you want, as a result you are not trying to read new authors whose creations had not become bestsellers. Spending money on books is good investing, because you can collect a library and after you can leave it for next generations, as I mentioned before book is the product that does not have an expiration date. Having your library in an electronic devise it is a risky business, by reason on viruses that attacking devises every day and deleting all information from them or you can just loose an e-reader with all your book collection. Also hard copy book does not need to be charged and you can read as much as you want and wherever you want, unlike e-book is charging from electricity.

Recruitment and Selection Essay

DISCRIMINATION,SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES IN THE SELECTION-RECRUITMENT INTERVIEW Employers always want to have an interview when they want to select new personal in their company. Ofcourse, they want to be sure about new personal about that he or she does suit in their position in the company. Accordingly, interviews are important for their company in that finding right person. Therefore, it is possible to say recruitment and selection forms a core part of the central activities underlying human resource management: namely, the aquisition, development and reward of workers. Essential aspect of the interview, the social interaction occuring between interviewer and interviewee. The thesis of this paper discussing the influences which effect state of affairs during the interview according to Robert Merton’s ‘Self-Fulfilling Prophecy’. Merton is describing self-fulfilling prophecy as a ‘false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come ‘true’. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error.’ We can say that, interviewer’s bias or stereotypes might effect their initial impression about employee, according to Merton’s theory. Giving a spesific example will make it clearer; if interviewer has some stereotypes about black people, when they have interview with one of interviewee who is black, they will behave them according to their bias. Regarding this, firstly pre-interview information on the interviewee will effect interviewer’s pre-interview evaluation of the interviewee’s qualifications; secondly, first step will effect interviewer’s perception of the interviewee’s performance in the interview, then second step will effect interviewer’s post-interview evaluation of the interviewee’s qualifications; finally it will effect interviewer’s last decision on the interviewee. Consequently, it is possible to say having some bias or stereotypes cause of discrimination during the  interviews. Several studies have provided indirect support of the proposition, although they do not constitute direct test of the effects of pre-interview decisions. For instance, interviewers appear to decide on whether to hire or reject applicants before the end of the interview. The findings, however, are somewhat mixed as to just how early they make their decisions. (Springbett, 1958) Springbett (1958) found that 88 percent of the post-interview evaluations of the applicants could be predicted succesfully from pre-interview evaluation of the candidates based on their applications. Huguenard, Sager, and Ferguson (1970) manipulated the interviewer’s pre-interview impressions by providing bogus feedback from personality tests that the interviewee was either warm or cold. Regardless of whether the interview was 10,20, or 30 minutes in length, the interviewers describe the interviewees with words that were consistent with pre-interview set. The sum up, the self-fulfilling prophecy can be used for examine the discrimination in pre-interview step and having stereotypes effects all steps druing the interview. The laws prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation and religion expressly outlaw discrimination in the process of recruitment and selection.(Daniels K., Macdonal L., 2005) Effective recruitment requires an objective, systematic and planned approach if unlawful discrimination is to be avoided. Also it is important to avoid discrimination during the recruitment process. This not only is a legal requirement, but also gives employers the best chance of getting the right person for the job. The review of articles say us, interviewer might behave to interviewee according to his or her ideas from pre-interview step, during the interview. With an example we can make it clearer, differences between amount of men employers and women employers might be result of discrimination on pre-interview step. If interviewer believe that women should take care of children at home, when interviewer has interview with a woman, he will behave to interviewee according to this idea. Interviewer might not recruit a woman for job because of concerns that she might want to start a family and she might want to have children. Also, according to self-fulfilling prophecy, when women experienced that situation more than once they might be convinced to stay at home and work in less-cost  jobs. REFERENCES Daniels, K., & Macdonal, L.Equality, Diversity and Discrimination, chapter 5 CIPD, 2005 Huguenard, J. M., &Sager, E. B., &Ferguson, L. W. Interview time, inerview set, and interview outcome. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1970. Merton, R., Social Theory and Social Structure. Glencoe, 3: pp. 193-210. The Free Press, 1957 Springbett, B. M. Factors affecting the final decision in the employment interview. Canadian Journal off Psychology, 1958

Health Care Solutions Case Study Answers Essay

1.Assess the current strategy of HCOS toward its most critical market (mid-sized physician office). The current strategy of HCOS towards mid-sized physician’s offices is to increase their market share and profits by expanding the operation to the point that HCOS is nearly everywhere that there are mid-sized physician’s offices. This â€Å"increased market share by expansion† approach has worked for the most part. They have expanded operations to cover almost all main cities in the United States and thereby acquired a considerable portion of the market share in the third- party (small to mid-sized) physician’s office management industry. The pillars of HCOS’s approach to acquiring and retaining clients are to deliver superior customer service along with a high quality of products and services. This was a good strategy in part. The expansion strategy has worked by enabling HCOS to gain more customers. However, HCOS has recently noticed slowed growth and the loss of new business at an increasing rate. Their competitors are winning contracts over them. Their client’s feedback is that their once superior levels of customer service (competitive edge) have declined. 2.Can you offer any suggestions on how HCOS can improve its relationships with existing customers and develop new business opportunities more effectively? It is clear that with the expansion of their operations, HCOS has lost the high level of customer service that they were delivering to their clients when they were smaller. A couple of theories need to be examined in further detail to come to an accurate conclusion that can be acted upon. As the physician’s offices have grown they have incrementally required more and more from HCOS’s sales people. It is possible that the current sales force is spread too thin to cater to the increased needs of priority customers along with those of the rest of the region including new contracts. If this is the case, one possible solution is to hire more sales people to cover the gaps. At this point, HCOS has a solid core of experienced salespeople (more expensive salary) they can deviate from the previous hiring model and hire good sales people that do not have a healthcare background (less expensive salary) which can be mentored by the existing sales force. Another theory that needs to be examined is whether or not the experienced sales force has simply become complacent making 80k per year on average and have reduced their attention to customer service and to acquiring new contracts. If this is the case, the sales people that have become complacent need to be put on notice by hiring new salespeople and possibly reassigning existing accounts to those who earn them based on merit, such as those who acquire the most new accounts within a year or those who receive the most accolades for excellent levels of customer service from their clients.

Pricing Tourism Services Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pricing Tourism Services - Case Study Example Then there is a set of dependent and independent variables. Price is a dependent variable with regard to demand and so is supply. Thus price plays a pivotal role in determining the equilibrium demand and supply. For instance the dependent variable of demand, viz. the availability of substitutes elsewhere such as those in Sydney influences this outcome. According to this outcome, the ACC must make a special effort to attract a variety of customers. The feasibility study provides just that information. The Adventure Climb Company's (ACC) supply curve is relatively inelastic perhaps because of the fact that supply doesn't respond to price changes and demand variations instantly (Gregory, 2007). In the first instance equilibrium demand for Brisbane Story Bridge climbs is determined by a number of factors such as the price of the product, consumers' incomes, the availability of substitutes, prices of those substitutes, the geographical proximity to the place where substitutes are available, the impact of weather patterns, interstate tax variabilities, supply constraints such as resource-mobility and consumers' preferences for variety. Equilibrium price is determined more or less by some of the same above factors in addition to the level of supply and the elasticity of supply. In other words the supply of Brisbane Story Bridge climbs is relatively inelastic (Rofail, 2002). Thi... S D P2P1 D S QuantityQ2 Q1 Q3This is illustrated by the above diagram. The market equilibrium is identical to the firm's equilibrium here. On the other hand the demand curve is rather elastic because consumers are able to respond to price with instantaneous effect. Thus the market equilibrium for the ACC is shown by the price, P1 where the quantity demanded and supplied is equal to Q1. This outcome would solve the problem of the ACC by identifying the consumer's willingness to pay P1 in Brisbane.Sydney and Brisbane are two separate regions and therefore the impact of selling walks across the Sydney Harbor Bridge on the business in Brisbane can be summarized as economically varied. For example when resources are separately managed to provide services in two different locations there can be quite strain on the scale of operations in each location. Assuming that the demand for walks in Sydney is constant or growing at a steady p0redictable pace, then the existing resources can be combined to pr oduce the best output. However, demand for walks in Sydney might be influenced by other external factors such as the existence of the Harbor as a place of extra attraction (www.igougo.com). Landmarks such as harbors with an international reputation are more likely to

Reading Responses to a Poem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading Responses to a Poem - Assignment Example The following paper is a response to "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Keats. It explains the elements in the poem that are interesting or engaging. There are four major elements that can be discovered in this poem. They make it interesting and captivating. These include a theme of love, imagery, points of view and tone. Use of imageries is very strong in the poem. The diction has a deep literal meaning that the whole poem paints a mental picture. In stanza 4, the poet writes, â€Å"I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful- a faery’s child,† which creates a mental picture of the extent of beauty of the lady (Enotes, 2011). This is mainly because of the use of a â€Å"faery’s child† which implies that the lady was very beautiful. This image portrayed is vital to an extent that the speaker is tricked into a trap by the lady. The tenth stanza has also an imagery which makes the poem interesting. This comes about as the ghosts of the lady’s past lovers caution the speaker of being duped, this last image is important since it connects the whole poem to the being state of the knight being alone. A theme of love used in this poem makes it quite captivating too (Melani, 2010). This is because love is a universal topic which the poet wisely chose since it connects with almost all of poem readers. In â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci†, Keats elegantly portrays love as being imperfect at times. This is because of the misfortunes that the knight encounters after he falls in love with a lady who is alleged to be performing tricks to her lovers’ disadvantage. Tone is conveniently used in this poem. The dreamlike tone in the poem brings out a surreal environment. The poet then shift to a loving tone with his attitude in the 5th stanza. This is when he gives the lady some flowers and goes for a walk with her. The tenth stanza changes the tone

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Management accounting - Essay Example Material L10 had a favorable usage variance because the materials used were of higher quality than standard, more effective use of material or there were errors in allocating material to jobs. On the other hand, material L17 had an adverse usage variance because of using defective material, excessive waste, or stricter quality control. The labour rate recorded a favorable variance due to use of workers at a rate of pay that was lower than the standard. Labour efficiency variance was adverse because maybe there was lost time in excess of standard allowed or output was lower than standard set due to lack of training and sub-standard materials. The adverse variable overhead expenditure could have been caused by increase in cost of services or excessive use of services. Variable overhead volume variance was adverse due to the production or the level of activity, labour hours, being less than the budgeted. On the other hand, the adverse fixed overhead expenditure could be caused by the same factors that led to an adverse variable overhead expenditure. This is because of the fact that both fixed and variable overheads were being allocated using the same basis, labour hours. In addition, the production or the level of activity being less than the budgeted can explain the adverse fixed overhead capacity. ABC involves identification of elements, causing the costs of a business’s major activities (Clinton, 2004). Overheads incurred are charged to units based on their cost drivers causing the overheads. The ideas behind ABC are: Both traditional absorption costing and activity base costing systems adopt the two-stage allocation process. However, in allocation of overheads ABC establishes separate pools for support activities such as dispatching (Gunther, 2005). As costs of activities are assigned directly to products through cost driver rates, reapportionment of services department costs is

World Trade Organization and tariffs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Trade Organization and tariffs - Assignment Example Tariffs also have been used in providing additional revenue for the government and to domestic producers at the expenses of foreign producers and customers (Alexander and Andenà ¦s, 38). This is used as one of the tools to shape policies of trade. Types of barriers imposed by Saudi Arabia for exports and importsThere are different trade barriers that are used in Saudi Arabia. The first strategy that has been used is tariffs. Saudi Arabia implies the GCC common external tariffs of five percent of most of the products used in the nation with limited number of expectation. Saudi Arabia implies twelve percent on the local products in some cases to protect the industries of the nations. Textile products are among the products that implies the 12 per cent import tariffs. Higher rates of the tariffs implies to smaller group. There is also implication of 15 per cent for other products such as aluminum and furniture. Majority of food products are subjected to five percent import duty. The le vel of imports duties ties to the level of local production of similar goods. Import prohibitions and licensing either is used in Saudi Arabia where the importation of certain articles is the prohibition of some goods or require approval from other appropriate authority. In the country, there is prohibition of goods such as pork products, used clothing, firearms, and automobiles (Alexander and Andenà ¦s, 33). Importation of some products requires special approval such as agricultural feeds, books, visual or audio media and religious materials.

Business Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Operations - Essay Example At the same time, it will concentrate on giving unique skincare diagnosis, facials, manicures, pedicures and other services, which are customized as compared to it competitors. Market segmentation is considered to the process in which customers are classified in accordance to their needs and objectives. It offers several advantages to an organization(Worthington, Britton & Rees, 2004). Firstly, it allows the company to concentrate on the main market. At the same time, it allows them to offer unique products and services. It assists the organization to emphasize and concentrate on its skills. Dove Spa will concentrate on targeting females of Streetly, between the ages of twenty and sixty. This segment has been selected because women between these ages are conscious about their looks and mostly take care of themselves. They used wide ranging beauty products. Dove Spa will give them skincare diagnosis, facials, manicures, pedicures and other services, which are customized. The competition is fierce in this industry and therefore, it is important that Dove Spa stands out unique as compared to its competitors. Marketing mix is considered to an important concept and it is the fundamental part of the marketing strategy. It concentrates on quality of services and products, which would be offered by the company. It concentrates on four essential components, which include price, product, position and promotion (Worthington, Britton & Rees, 2004). It concentrates on devising a marketing strategy, which would target every segment. The same strategy would be used for Dove Spa in order to advertise and promote it in effective way. It would assist the company to accomplish its aims and objectives. The main challenge for Dove Spa would be to develop an appropriate and strong business strategy in order to saturate itself in the market. Research suggests that the internal environment of the

Analysis and Evaluation of Scotch Whisky Industry Coursework

Analysis and Evaluation of Scotch Whisky Industry - Coursework Example Production of scotch whiskey has adversely been affected by declining revenues and slow growth for the past 5 years. This is attributable to declining per capita consumption of spirits, health and societal concerns about the misuse of alcohol and tough competition from its close substitutes. One of the major drivers of growth was the exports before the onset of the financial crisis, which slowed down the markets in US and Europe. Effects of global restructuring and cost-cutting measures on the Scotch whisky industry Diageo, as part of its restructuring plan reported that it would close down its Port Dundas grain whisky distillery and the Kilmarnock bottling plant. The latter is where the world’s most popular Scotch whisky, Johnnie Walker, had been bottled. This would cost about 710 jobs. Diageo also intend to expand its Leven plant and create about 400 jobs. A protest ensued from the stakeholders but the decision was ultimately undertaken by Diageo. Another whisky producer Why te & Mackay cut 85 jobs in Scotland. These signal decisions by producers to shift bottling overseas due to increased costs and the emerging economies, which have become important markets. Shifting production processes offshore will have an impact on production of other spirits in Scotland, which rely on the economies of scale by large-scale whisky distilling and bottling to remain operational. Analysis of Scotch whisky in terms of market segmentation . In 2008, Scotch whisky was overtaken by vodka as the highest selling spirit in the UK. However it is easily the most popular UK spirit exports with revenues of ?3.0 billion in 2009. Under the UK law, Scotch whisky must be produced in Scotland. It divided into 3 major types: single grain, single malt or blended. When blended, Scotch comprises 60 percent to 85 percent grain whisky. Its alcohol content ranges from 40 percent to 95 percent by volume. The Scotch whisky industry directly employs about 10,000 people at over 100 distilleries in Scotland. Famous Grouse and Bell’s are the top brands of blended Scotch whisky in the UK. Imported whiskies account for only 4.0 per cent of spirits sales. Included in this category are Irish whiskey, US and Canadian whiskey and Indian whisky. US-produced corn whiskey (bourbon) has demonstrated solid growth in the United Kingdom, particularly among younger drinkers. Markets for Scotch whisky industry Scotch whisky accounts for majority of the exports, followed by vodka and gin. By the year 2011-12, it is expected that exports will account for 88 percent of industry revenue. Scotch whisky’s major export markets are the US, France, Spain, Singapore and South Korea. India and China are becoming increasing important too. Business and production locations for Scotch whiskey There are four major producing regions in Scotland: the Highlands, the Lowlands, Islay and Campbeltown, Speyside is home to more than half of the distilleries in the UK. Scotland also accounts for mos t of the production of spirits other than whisky, including vodka, gin, rum and ready-to-drink beverages. Combining existing production facilities, bottling capacity and distribution channels with production of other spirits provides tremendous economies of scale for spirits producers. In the past two years, more than ?500 million has been spent on new infrastructure in the region. Key Success Factors of the Scotch whisky industry The most important Key Success Facto

Reflection Groups in Geometry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Reflection Groups in Geometry - Essay Example A reflection group is a distinct group produced by multiple reflections of a finite-dimensional (Euclidean) space. Weyl groups of simple Lie algebras and symmetry groups of regular polytypes are examples of finite reflection groups while infinite groups comprise the Weyl groups of infinite-dimensional Kac–Moody algebras and the triangle groups similar to ordinary tessellations of the hyperbolic plane and Euclidean plane. With regard to symmetry, discrete isometry groups of broad Riemannian manifolds that are formed by reflections are grouped into classes leading to hyperbolic reflection groups (corresponding to hyperbolic space), affine (corresponding to Euclidean space) and finite reflection groups (then-sphere). Coxeter groups are reflection groups that are finitely generated. Unlike reflection groups, Coxeter groups are abstract groups that have a certain structure generated by reflections. An investigation of the topology and geometry of reflection groups will help us comp rehend the theoretic properties of the group. The concept of reflection in a Euclidean space and the hypothesis of discrete groups of motions resulting from reflections has its origin in the study of space polyhedral and plane regular polygons that goes back to early mathematics. In the present day, reflection groups are common in many areas of mathematical research, and geometers encounter them as special convex polytopes or discrete groups of isometries of Riemannian spaces with even curvature. On the other hand, an algebraist encounters reflection groups in group theory, particularly in the representation theory, Coxeter groups and invariant theory. Other areas of mathematics where they may be encountered include the theory of arrangements of hyperplanes, a theory of combinations and permutation, a theory of modular forms and quadratic forms, low-dimensional topology, singularity theory, and the theory of hyperbolic real and complex manifolds (Yau 1986).  Ã‚  

Do nuclear weapons lead to peace or to war Essay

Do nuclear weapons lead to peace or to war - Essay Example Many of the states, which possess such weapons, only use them for deterrence purposes and this has created a situation where all the powers, which have nuclear weapons, are at a stalemate (Waltz 1990, P.731). The ownership of nuclear weapons has since its beginnings, been an extremely controversial issue in the world, with many of the countries, which do not possess them claiming that it, is unfair for those, which do to have such weapons. Others have taken matters into their own hands and, defying the countries that have such weapons; have chosen to go ahead with their own nuclear programs (Rubin, 2006). The ownership of nuclear weapons is considered a source of prestige for the countries, which possess them, and it is for this reason that many still hold on to their arsenals while others are aspiring to develop their own. Over the last two decades or so, there has developed a debate concerning whether the possession of nuclear weapons is a deterrence to war, and that it is the reas on why no major wars have taken place in recent history. Quite a number of people believe that the possession of nuclear weapons is one of the reasons why there has not been a third world war, since all of the most powerful states that would be involved in the war are armed with nuclear weapons. The lessons learnt from Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Roberts, 2012) seem to be extraordinarily fresh in the minds of those who make national policies and it is because of this that these weapons have come to be used, not for offensive purposes, but for peace. There is a belief that if a third world war were to take place, then it would be a nuclear war, and the devastation which such a war would cause would probably lead to the end of humanity as we know it. The horror of such an occurrence is something, which many people would not like to picture and because of this many states that possess nuclear weapons, keeps them under a tight leash (Donnelly, 2012). Even those states, which are considered most unstable, such as North Korea, do not use the weapons in their possession for any other purposes other than that of deterrence because of the recognition that to use them otherwise would be disastrous. One of the best cases that can be studied, when considering the possession of nuclear weapons as a means towards peace, is the Cold War. The Cold war came up because of the competition on a global scale of the world’s two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. There was a great fear in the United States of the Soviet Union’s ambition to spread the ideology of communism, which it followed, worldwide and this was not acceptable to the American government. In response, the American government chose to shore up those regimes which were allied to it all over the world not only financially but also militarily to ensure that they combated the potential communist forces and parties which were to come up against them (Mueller 2002, P.172). Moreover, the Soviet Union was very fearful of the American acquisition of nuclear weapons and this led to its rush to build up its own arsenal, causing a nuclear arms race between these two states. While this may have been the case, none of these states used their weapons against the other. It is quite possible that the Cold War will have resulted in a world war, which would have pitted the United States

Explain How Products Are Developed Essay Example for Free

Explain How Products Are Developed Essay 3.1.1 The product life cycle (PLC). The product life cycle is used for determining the lifespan of products and there are 4 sub stages of product: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. From 2007 until now, Honda Air Blade has become the most successful line of Honda’s motorbike as well as on market. Since it was born, Honda Air Blade has achieved sales of more than 2 million products. This year, from April to the end of September, Honda Air Blade reaches to 274,563 products. (Zing, 2014) This motorbike has brought more profits and impacted strongly on revenue of company. Honda has had the success with this product line. But in the modern world, to be able to compete with the competitors, Honda needs to improve quality, style of products and consider market prices as well as competitors to make a better product 3.1.2. Branding and brand leadership. a. Branding: A brand is much bigger than just the corporate logo. The brand attributes are formed from the efforts of corporation in the process of marketing communication activities and the character of business. Therefore, corporation needs to have an appropriate strategy to release a good PR campaign to make them more attractive than the competitors. Honda has slogan:† The power of dreams†, easily to remember and it has been very famous around the world. b. Brand leadership: The first appearance of Honda in Vietnam is in 1996, until now has been through 18 years and they have always been one of the forefront in their industry. (Honda, 2014) But now, Vietnam’s market has Yamaha, the biggest rival of Honda and the competition between both will continue for a long time in the future. Consequently, Honda has to use and combine an ingenious of design, advertising, marketing, and corporate culture. It will help create brand attributes in the minds of the people and that this will bring

Environmental Analysis Of Brazil Marketing Essay

Environmental Analysis Of Brazil Marketing Essay DAIM Co. is the company that has been operating successfully for the past 15 years providing and manufacturing computer and computer devices and considered as the market leader in the Malaysian market. Due to the high competition in the market, the manager of DAIM Co. intends to persuade companys BOD (Board of Directors) to penetrate Brazilian market. The main idea of the business is to sell computers and computer devices in Brazil. The main purpose of this assignment is to perform environmental analysis of Brazil, to identify possible opportunities and threats, and to analyze how the environmental factors in terms of political-legal, social, economic and technological environment can affect the international operation functions and decision-making of a business. Also, this research paper provides most appropriate market entry strategy. Selected Product: Computer and computer devices Executive Summary flag_of_brazil.png images.jpg Geography It is a country that situates in the South America, and continents largest nation. Borders almost all the countries on the continent except Chile and Ecuador and has exit to Atlantic Ocean that makes country easy to access by the sea. The surface area of the country is 8 547 000 square km. Brazil ranks as fifth largest country. The capital city is Brasilia, while the most important cities are Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Brazils climate is tropical due to the location of the country, with the south being temperate. (Appendix 1, Political Map of Brazil) Demography It is the most populous nation in the South America, and worlds 6 country according to population after China, India, USA, Indonesia and Russian Federation. The population of brazil is equal to 190,732,694 people as of August 2010, which is 2.76% of Worlds Population. And the birth rate is 22.65 births per 1,000 populations. Different ethnic groups can be described as follows: 55% are whites of European descent, 22% are mulattous of mixed European and African Descent, 11% blacks and 0.1% Native Americans. (http://www.ibge.gov.br/english/presidencia/noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=1766id_pagina=1 ) Economic Profile Brazil has best economy among all countries in Latin America. Since its independence September 7, 1822 the economy is rapidly developing. And the result by 2010 is: GDP (nominal exchange rate): $ 2.1 trillion. GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.194 trillion. (Appendix 2, GDP of Brazil) Annual real growth (2010): 7.5%. Natural resources: Iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, gemstones, oil, wood, and aluminum. Brazil has 14% of the worlds renewable fresh water. Agriculture (6% of GDP):  Productssoybeans, coffee, sugarcane, cocoa, rice, livestock, corn, oranges, cotton, wheat, and tobacco. Industry (28% of GDP):  Typessteel, commercial aircraft, chemicals, petrochemicals, footwear, machinery, motors, vehicles, auto parts, consumer durables, cement, and lumber. Exchange rate (March 3, 2011): U.S. $1 = 1.65 Brazilian reals. International Business Trade balance of Brazil as for 2011 is $20 billion surplus.  Exports: $202 billion.  Major markets of exports are: China 15%, USA 10%, Argentina 9%.  Imports: $182 billion.  Major suppliers are USA 15%, China 14%, and Argentina 8%. (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm) PESTLE Analysis PESTLE is a strategic management tool that provides useful framework to analyze the environmental pressures on Business (Goyal et al, 2009). Political: Brazil is a federal republic with 26 states and a federal district. The 1988 constitution grants broad powers to the federal government, made up of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Electing Lula da Silva in the 2002 as the president of Brazil has been described as a milestone, a starting point for secured democratic rule in the nation. This was an important in the establishment of economic norms and practices for the country; the more socialist models of state-run industry have been rejected, and significant international debt has been incurred to address the social ills facing the country. During the economic crisis in Latin America, the Brazilian economic situation becomes even more important; the growth of the Brazilian market has come to bear significantly on the worlds economy. After the election there have been significant improvements in the political environment, but political wrangling still exists, and a fragmented congress means economic risks still remain.  Issues surrounding policy implementation mean that expected future benefits from current policies are uncertain. Economic: Brazilian economy is the largest in the South America region; country has well developed agriculture, mining, manufacturing and service sector. From 2003, Brazil improved its macroeconomic situation, built foreign relations, reduced internal debt, kept inflation rate under control. Later during the financial crisis Brazilian economy had a solid performance and its strong and early recovery, including 2010 growth of 7.5%, have contributed to the countrys transition from a regional to a global power. Expected to continue to grow in the 4% to 5% range, the economy is the worlds eighth-largest and is expected to rise to fifth within the next several years. During the administration of former President Lula, surging exports, economic growth and social programs helped lift tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty. Social: The large and growing consumer market provides a strong basis for considering market entry.      It is unlikely that overall workforce availability will be an issue, given the option of using international labor if requirements cannot be met locally.  Ã‚   Labor costs are attractive but there are significant costs on top of basic wages and requirements for additional training. Technological: Brazil is a leader in science and technology in South America and in some fields a global leader, such as bio fuels, agricultural research, deep-sea oil production, and remote sensing. U.S. Government, private sector, and academic researchers have extensive ties with Brazilian counterparts, and the extent of bilateral scientific and technological cooperation is expanding. The Brazilian Government seeks to develop an environment that is more supportive of innovation, taking scientific advances from the laboratory to the marketplace. Legal: The Legal rules governing business activities in Brazil are basically laid down in federal legislation, but constitution allows Federal Government to legislate on certain matters related to business activities, such as tax, financial and economic issues, liability for environmental and consumer damages. Federal Governments power is limited to enacting basic rules on such issues, whereas States and Federal District have authority to legislate on a supplementary basis, in line with the general rules laid down in the federal legislation. Brazil offers big business opportunities for foreign investors, in light of its economic potential, its diversified economy and its huge domestic market, now considerably expanded as a result of several international trade agreements entered into with economic blocks and countries the World over. Environmental: According to the geographical location of Brazil, it is very easy accessible by the sea, this means the country has an exit to the Atlantic Ocean. The raw materials, equipment, and products can easily be delivered by the sea which is not costly comparing to transportation by air. Also, according to the geographical location of the country there is no natural disaster like earthquakes and tsunami, which may cause stoppage of the business. Due to the large size, the climate of Brazil is different, even though the most part of the country is within tropical zone. The climate of Brazil experiments two seasons: the rainy which is summer and dry season which is winter. There is no cold at all, so the climate is partly same as in Malaysia, and it is very suitable for doing business in this country. Market and Segment Analysis STP (Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning) is the essence of marketing. (Kotler, 1994, p. 93) Segmentation is the  process  of defining and subdividing a  market  into clearly identifiable  segments having similar  needs,  wants, or  demand  characteristics. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/market-segmentation.html) Demographic Segmentation refers to a wide study of the potential customers (Kotler, P., 2002). It consists of the variables such as: age, income, occupation and gender. The below diagram demonstrates the age segmentation: 13-25 years for Education and Entertainment 25-65 years for doing business. Segment.jpg The income level is an important part of segmentation, everyone can afford computers and computer devices, because nowadays there to many types of devices and they vary in pricing. It is available for all levels of users, occupation and gender. Geographic Segmentation is done by dividing people (markets) into different geographical locations. (Kotler Armstrong, 2002, p.252) Here, the main target will be main cities like capital Brasilia, and the most important cities in the country Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Targeting Strategy is the  selection  of  potential  customers  to whom a  business wishes to  sell  products  or  services. The targeting  strategy involves segmenting the market, choosing which  segments of the market are  appropriate, and determining the products that will be offered in each segment. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/targeting-strategy.html) Mostly computer devices will be selling to the big companies who need computers to operate their business and customers who uses computers that need devices to coordinate their busy schedules and communicate with colleagues, friends and family. Also, high schools, colleges and other educational institutions will be targeted in Brazil. Positioning Strategy   states  how the  firm  defines  its  business  or how a  brand  distinguishes itself, how the  customers  will benefit from its  features, and how these  benefits  or aspects will be communicated to the intended  audience. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/positioning-statement.html) We are positioning our computers and computer devices as the versatile, convenient, value-added devices for doing business, personal and professional use. The marketing strategy will focus on the convenience of doing business, entertainment with access to the internet. Mode of Entry to the Market The proposed way to enter Brazilian market is through Joint Venture strategy, which is defined as a contractual business undertaking between two or more parties. It is similar to a business partnership, with one key difference: a partnership generally involves an ongoing, long-term business relationship, whereas a joint venture is based on a single business transaction. Establishment of joint ventures is a common practice in Brazil. A major motivation for joint ventures is to pair foreign firms with Brazilian partners to compete in segments of the government procurement market or in other markets subject to government regulation, such as telecommunications, computers and capital goods. Formation of a joint venture can be accomplished through a variety of business entities. Entering a joint venture is a complex, and sometimes, time consuming process. As any type business structure, it holds a good opportunity for anyone to grow and make money fast; but just like any other business type; joint venture also holds threat to anyone who wants to enter. Porters 5 Forces Porters fives forces model  is a model which is using to analyze a particular environment of an industry in terms of Competitive rivalry, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threats of substitutes and threat of new entrants. Competitive rivalry: When entering to the market, the first thing you have to do is to analyze competitive rivalry in the country you going to set your business. If entry to an industry is easy then competitive rivalry will likely to be high. If it is easy for customers to move to substitute products for example from coke to water then again rivalry will be high. Generally competitive rivalry will be high if: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There is little differentiation between the products sold between customers. Actually, there is not so much difference between computer devices sold in different companies. This means the customers will look for those products which have better quality or long life cycle of the product, in other words durability. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competitors are approximately the same size of each other. Those companies who are operating as retailers only, will face a big trouble against big companies. The buyers prefer to work with best, well known companies who provide stability and confidence to them. Power of  suppliers Suppliers are also essential for the success of an  organization. Raw materials are needed to complete the finish product of the organization.  Suppliers  do have power. This power comes from:   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If they are the only  supplier  or one of few  suppliers  who  supply  that particular raw material. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If it costly for the  organization  to move from one  supplier  to another à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If there is no other substitute for their product. Power of buyers Buyers or customers can exert  influence  and control over an industry in certain circumstances. This happens when: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There is little differentiation over the product and substitutes can be found easily. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customers are sensitive to price. The pricing should not be high, it must suit their expectations. The overall life concerns in Brazil are low, this means we have to identify the prices in relation to the customers, are they able to buy our products. If the prices will be high, the customer will switch to another product or company which is not costly for them. Threat of Substitutes This is about the alternative products that customers can purchase over your product that offer the same benefit for the same or less price. Threat of substitute is high when the price of your PC is higher than your competitors price, or when competitors decide to cut the prices of their products. In this industry, we can say that there is high competition, so this can bring to losing customers because customers sometimes are willing to substitute and compare the products or companies itself. Threat of new entrant The threat of a new  organization  entering the industry is high when it is easy for an organization  to enter the industry. An  organization  will look at how loyal customers are to existing products, how quickly they can achieve economy of scales, would they have access to  suppliers, would  government legislation  prevent them or encourage them to enter the industry. Actually, there is high probability that other companies will enter the market and will compete with you in the market. Conclusion Doing business in Brazil may be very profitable to the international companies. All the factors that may affect the business are positively affecting the business. PC industry is developing on Brazil. And there are many drivers to start your own business in the Brazil. International companies have advantage over the local companies, as they are undervalued and in need of restructuring, capital and technology. There is creative and flexible labor force, which is not expensive comparing to other countries. Growth potential of consumer market is very high. Privatization in late stages, inflation is under control in the last 10 years. There is increasing globalization and international trade. Foreign investors are eligible for most available fiscal incentives. And established transportation networks such as railways, highways, ports make it easy to operate in Brazil.

Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther King Speech Comparison

Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther King Speech Comparison With reference to the two speakers Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther King, compare the way in which English may be used for rhetorical purposes in political and religious speeches. Collins Dictionary defines ‘rhetoric’ as ‘the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively’ and it is no surprise that such a skill is often in evidence with great politicians or religious leaders. The need to actively promote ones message in a good light, especially if it is a controversial decision that will be open to debate, is vital and can mean the difference between success and failure. Indoctrination or persuasion of the masses has, since the very dawn of primitive communication, set opinionated beings against each other and propelled those who are able to work effectively within the recognised techniques of rhetoric into the limelight of society. Indeed, historical figures from Gandhi to Hitler have used vocal stimulus to spread their message and influence the masses, and through various techniques, well constructed rhetorical speeches are effectively ‘audience management devices’ giving their listeners cues, reference po ints and the suggested positions of applause. Within this essay, I will be investigation Thatcher’s and King’s manipulation of such techniques.   Beginning with Margaret Thatcher’s speech to the Conservative Party Bournemouth conference in 1990, it is interesting to note how she begins her speech with an impassioned mention of a former colleague killed in Ireland. Building up to what will later become a key issue in her speech, she utilizes emotive language ‘Before he was murdered by the IRA, Ian taught us how a civilised community should respond to such an outrage’ insinuating the absolute guilt of the IRA and to set a tone of compassion within her rhetoric that must have softened the hearts of her audience and helped gain ‘their approval and support for her and their messages and sentiments.’ However, in Martin Luther Kings 1963 ‘I have a dream’ address to a great wave of protesting civil rights campaigners, the tone is somewhat different. Rather than speaking to a more contained group of political figures, he is responsible for enflaming the hearts of thousands of concerned individuals who may well however have come from all walks of life, and his opening rhetoric seems to reflect this. Rather than Thatcher’s heartfelt vote of sympathy for a colleague presumably known by most within the conference, Luther Kings audiences only common ground is their struggle and desire to take action, and he attempts to arrest the feeling of this need. ‘I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.’   Here, King is dealing in emotive absolutes, building up the importance of the event, and stirring he crowd into excitement and attentiveness, ready to take in the re st of his great speech. Indeed, religious and civil rights speakers, like Luther King, often depend rather more on verbal eloquence and spontaneous creativity than their political counterparts. In a setting that is less formal and subject to passions rather than cleverly crafted spin, little of these speeches may be scribed in advance and an old African tradition of ‘call and response’ has been noted by the linguistic researchers ‘Keith and Whittenberger Keith (1986.) Indeed, this is evident several times over in Kings speech, firstly as a call to all in the first line, and then again with open comments ‘Let us not wallow in the valley of despair’ and of course, the famous ‘I have a dream’ statement. Both of these lines, and more in the speech besides, showcase this ‘call and response’, while one notes that in Margaret Thatcher’s speech she appears to address and name check ‘Mr President’ when she addresses her audience, offering a more official line of diction. It is also evident that King, in the style of such old African or Pentecostal preachers, uses stark proverbs and a great deal of imagery within his words to ensure that his point is shown starkly to the many different sections of the community, both educated and not, that may be watching him perform. Using metaphor in describing his peoples struggle to being dealt an unfair deal in society, ‘In a sense weve come to our nations capital to cash a check,’ he constructs an entire paragraph around the paradigm of the need for money, a common problem everyone can relate too, and thus brilliantly engages his audience. Thatcher of course has the luxury of a fully engaged audience and prefers to allude to very real policy discussion, and witty asides that a fully educated audience of Conservative members can appreciate, once again proving that targeting ones audience is extremely important in the process of exploiting rhetoric. However, despite these subtle differences, it is noticeable that the arts and techniques of rhetoric, as studied and scribed by the researcher Atkinson, are commonly used in both King’s and Thatcher’s speeches. Obviously, despite being different types of rhetoric, quasi-religious/political and straight political, an underlying need to hold attention and elicit response is needed and so it is unsurprising that the ‘three part list’ is noticeable in both of these speeches. In Thatcher one such example is ‘Theyre quite short speeches. [laughter][fo 9] Monosyllables even. [laughter] Short monosyllables’ and within Kings address ‘We cannot walk alone; and as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.’ Both obviously important moments in the speeches, Thatcher’s to insinuate a sense of party unity and witty aside, while Kings insists unrepentant solidarity and progress, the use of this ‘three point list’, simply a point made via the use of three specific components, is vital in amplifying general ideas and stimulating audience response. Coupled with this, and often obvious within such triplets, is the use of repetition, and to some extent rhyme, that is produced in these speeches. King repeats ‘I have a dream’ at the beginning of eight sentences rising to a feverish crescendo of spoken word politics to amplify and continuously reinforce his message (see end of his speech) and Thatcher uses the device more sparsely to achieve similar results. ‘new jobs. Better jobs. Cleaner jobs.’ Such ‘rhyming’ words coupled with exciting imagery within them (King uses ‘sweltering’ and ‘Oasis’ to compare the contemporary situation and his future vision of the state of Mississippi) can excite an audience and also give them a cue to respond in applause or a ‘holler back’ situation, depending on the nature of the address itself. Of course, we must also remember that these speakers will have used intonation and gesticulation not available in the transcripts of these speeches, but these are also very important in the art of successful rhetoric. The use of contrasts, and occasional symmetrical contrasts are also evident in both of these speeches; both Thatcher and King drawing on failures of others to highlight the superiority of the speaker’s favoured position. ‘I seemed to hear a strange sound emanating from Blackpool. And I thought at first it was seagulls. [laughter] Then I remembered that Labour was holding its annual Conference there’ and ‘And so weve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.’ Although, of course, the tones of these voices are very different, Thatcher taking a ‘cheap shot’ at the Labour party while King is striving to keep his protest on the ‘high plane of dignity and discipline,’ they both contrast their message with failures of a rival institution or the system as a whole. Cynics could of course dismiss this element of rhetoric as merely a desperate attempt to cover up ones own lurking bad points with those of others, although if ski lfully done, it can help immensely to highlight these problems and bring down the audience perception of what could be seen as a rival problem. So, in conclusion and despite the differing social and political contexts of the situations, Thatcher’s and Kings speeches, although unsurprisingly differently constructed and clearly intended for different audiences, contain many similarities in the type of rhetorical devices they use to get their messages across. Thatcher’s arguably more familiar and amusing speech is certainly more frivolous and snide at times, while Kings ‘I have a dream’ seems more spontaneous and impassioned, but in terms of historical importance, this seems unsurprising. Indeed, even looking at a more modern speech, that of Tony Blair’s 2003 declaration of British war on Iraq, similar techniques can be witnessed. Repetition and rhyme, ‘not why does it matter? But why does it matter so much?’ within a rhetorical question in this case; the use of a three part list ‘What changed his mind? The threat of force. From December †¦What changed his mind? The thre at of force. And what makes him†¦? The imminence of force’; and even an element of media call and response is in evidence ‘And now the world has to learn the lesson all over again.’ Of course, unlike Thatcher, there is no political backstabbing at a rival party, the situation would be deemed to important to go along that route, but he does nevertheless compare the way Saddam Hussain ran Iraq to the way the world should, in his view, progress. Indeed, it seems the art of rhetoric is largely formalized in terms of techniques, but can be used skilfully to push any doctrine in a creative and personal manner by an individual. Bibliography http://www.stanford.edu/dept/english/courses/sites/lunsford/pages/defs.htm http://www.margaretthatcher.com/Speeches/displaydocument.asp?docid=108217doctype=1 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/Ihaveadream.htm http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,916789,00.html Collins English Dictionary (Collins: 2005) Janet Maybin (Editor), Neil Mercer (Editor) From Conversation to Canon (English Language: Past,Present Future) (Taylor Francis: 1996) 130

The Coming of Age Theme in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis C

Many have compared life to a journey over the course of which, one experiences many tumultuous changes and transitions. On this journey, the human body continually undergoes a developmental pattern of physical, mental, and social modifications. Even in the realm of literature, fictional characters inevitably follow this fate. In literature, the stage between childhood innocence and adulthood transforms characters, this is frequently referred to as "coming of age". Because all humans experience this transition, it establishes "coming of age" as a timeless universal literary theme. Among such "coming of age" novels is Lewis Carroll’s tale about a seven-year-old Victorian girl named Alice. In the novel, "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland", Alice falls into the curious world of Wonderland. Alice assuages and manages inter-conflicts, such as her identity. Through the confusion, experimentation, and uncertainties of the Wonderland between childhood and adulthood Alice realize s in her unconscious state that she is changing from simple child into a young woman. Although the novel is notorious for its satire and parodies, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland main theme is the transition between childhood and adulthood. Moreover, Alice’s adventures illustrate the perplexing struggle between child and adult mentalities as she explores the curious world of development know as Wonderland. From the beginning in the hallway of doors, Alice stands at an awkward disposition. The hallway contains dozens of doors that are all locked. Alice’s pre-adolescent stage parallels with her position in the hallway. Alice’s position in the hallway represents that she is at a stage stuck between being a child and a young woman. She posses a small golden key to ... ... 2007. 70-93. Print. Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. New York: The modern Library, 2002. Print Conchita, Charly Carlyle Ph.D. â€Å"Alice’s (& Lady Gaga’s) Sense of Self in Wonderland: A Psychoanalytic Formulation.† nymphobrainiac.wordpress. 5 March 2010. Web. May 2015. Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austin Ate and Charles Dickens knew .New York: Touch Stone. 1993. Print. Rooy, Lenny de. Lenny’s Alice in Wonderland site. Web. 1 May 2015. Vallone, Lynne. Notes. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. By Lewis Carroll. New York: The Modern Library Classics, 2002.245-252. Print. Walker, Stan. "An overview of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 4 May 2015.

Lysistrata :: essays research papers

Aristophanes play Lysistrata takes place during the Peloponnesian War and the women of Greece are tired of their men being at war. Greek women want to preserve the traditional way of life in their community. With this in mind, Lysistrata calls all the women of Greece together and devises a plan. She argues that if the women all participate in two activities, their men will end the war. Her proposals are that the women hold a sexual strike against the men. She urged the women to dress in sexy clothing but refuse sexual activity with the men. The second part of her proposal is that the women take over the acropolis. The old women are to do this first, while the younger women are having the strike. In order to accomplish this, the women challenge the masculine role model. They take on masculine characteristics and attitudes and defeat their men physically, mentally and above all strategically. By portraying the opposite sex, the men are better able to view themselves, leading them to think more about their role and importance in the community. Men are a vital part of a stable environment and have many responsibilities to their wives, family and society. The women make it clear to the men how they feel when they are abandoned, with no sex, no company and no support. This proves that neither side benefits from war; just that one side loses more than the other side. Fourth century B.C. Athenian women would get distressed when their men went to war. Most Athenian women married in their teens and never had to be on their own, and probably wouldn't know what to do if they did land on their own. The men leave for war and some do not return mostly because of death. This creates hardship for the widow who finds herself on her own, most likely with children, and no one to take care of them anymore. The widow has few prospects. If she is young and attractive enough with the right domestic skills she might be able to remarry. But her situation is not too promising. After all, why would you want a widow, when you could get a "fresh" wife to "break-in" the way you want and start a family from your own seed? At the time, women were property. They were something beautiful to own, look at, and kept around to fulfill sexual needs.

Critique on Distinctive Features

Andrew Ike B. Waga ENG 106 Dec. 14, 2011 2010-53632 Trubetzkoy, Jakobson or Chomsky, Whose Distinctive Features are truly â€Å"Distinct†? â€Å"Teacher, teacher, Help me, I have just been side swiped by a car! † These were the exact words that came out from the mouth of the school’s resident hooligan, Kevin, one afternoon after class.During those times, our school has been intensively campaigning for every student to speak English at least while on campus, in preparation for the coming PAASCU (Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges) visit, we were so prepped up that we were even speaking in English outside school â€Å"just in case the Assessors are just loitering around, observing† our teachers would say.So one afternoon, after finding not much to do, Kevin, decided he wanted to show his antics to us, saying that he is planning to pull off a prank on our school’s English Coordinator, and our class adviser as well, we had a carefu lly laid out plan, he would be rushing from the street towards our school gate while we convince our teacher to approach the gate as well, and then he shouted, the exact words on quotation, except that he pronounced swiped as /s? ?pd/. Our teacher, knowing Kevin’s reputation, was already sensing that she was a bait to a good laugh, calmly yet in an authoritarian manner said, â€Å"side swipe! s? aIp/ Next time, Kevin, try pronouncing the words well, so as not to lose your momentum, there’s always a next time! † with her signature smirk. I remembered this incident while reading about Natural classes, I am very sure that my teacher knew what Kevin meant, since all of us thought that Kevin’s pronunciation of that word was correct as far as we were concerned, until the jokes went back to Kevin. Growing up in a city that speaks Cebuano, it is inevitable for some English words to get that â€Å"bisaya† flavour, like the occasional /p/ becomes an /f/ or t he letter h is pronounced as /? ? / and many more, but nevertheless, besides deviating from what we know as a â€Å"standard† for American English, we pretty much understood each other despite the glitches. And so I thought, why was it necessary to dwell on the distinctive features of sounds when the main importance has been served, comprehension. But then, I had to understand that it is necessary so that I would know just how these sounds are related to be viewed as almost interchangeable, just how â€Å"similar† was similar? Hence, we go to the distinctive features of sounds.In dealing with Distinctive features, I focused first on the work of Trubetzkoy, most people would start with Jakobson before Trubetzkoy but I saw that it was Trubetzkoy who first saw Phonetics and Phonology as separate disciplines. He mentioned that form (contrast, system patterning) must be studied separately from substance (acoustics, articulation). Hence, there was a greater concentration on sounds first before they are seen as words. It was Trubetzkoy who introduced the idea of â€Å"oppositions† in Phonology which he mentioned in his primary work, GrundzUge der phonologie  (1939).Oppositions would refer to a pair or set of sounds sharing the same feature that is not shared with any other sounds. Here are some of Trubetzkoy’s Oppositions: a) Bilateral oppositions A bilateral opposition refers to a pair sounds that share a set of features which no other sound shares fully. For example, voiceless labial obstruents =  /p,f/. Note that obstruents are defined as having a degree of stricture greater than that of approximants (that is, stops and fricatives). b) Multilateral oppositions A group of more than 2 sounds which share common features.For example, labial obstruents,/p,b,f,v/, are both labial and obstruents, so they share two features. c) Privative (Binary) Oppositions One member of a pair of sounds possesses a mark, or feature, which the other lacks. Such features are also known as  binary  features which a sound either possesses or lacks. Voicing is such a feature. A sound is voiced or NOT voiced. The sound which possesses that feature is said to be  marked  (eg  [+voice]) whilst the sound lacking the feature is  unmarked  (eg. [-voice]). d) Gradual Oppositions The members of a class of sounds possess different degrees or gradations of a feature or property.For example, the three short front unrounded vowels in English  /? ,  e,  ? /  which are distinguished only by their height. In this system height would be a single feature with two or more degrees of height. As of present times, when Chomsky and Halle’s set of Distinctive features are accessible to us, this would seem very broad and general, hence, not really dwelling into more specific details. But this jumpstarted the notion that sounds share similar qualities and it is crucial for the development of his friend, Jakobson’s own Distinct ive Feature Theory.Jakobson is known as the first one to formalize the Distinctive Feature Theory. He followed the findings of Trubetzkoy as one of his basis for building up his set of distinctive features. Jakobson’s original formulation of the Distinctive Feature Theory aside from Trubetzkoy was based on the ff. Ideas: (1) All features are BINARY. Sounds are either [+voice] or [-voice] (2) A small set of features is able to differentiate between the phonemes of any single language. (3) Distinctive features may be defined in terms of articulatory or acoustic features.Here is a table showing Jakobson’s Distinctive Features: Though, the advantage of Jakobson’s set is that it also has an acoustic description, I do think that the articulatory description is sufficient enough, since after articulating the sound we hear the sound we produced ourselves and yet not at all times would people share the same acoustic descriptions to their produced sound, because we all ha ve our own ways of pronouncing sounds, hence, I think that the acoustic description should be left for the speaker to describe and not defined by Jakobson’s description.Jakobson’s idea was a good starting point for Chomsky and Halle’s own set of distinctive features. With Jakobson’s Distinctive features serving as a terminus a quo for Chomsky and Halle, they were able to refine Jakobson’s set of features. A great achievement done by this duo is that they were able to establish the idea of â€Å"Natural Classes†. The aim is to carefully choose distinctive features to form a natural class of phonemes. An advantage of this approach is seen in writing Phonological rules hence, we get to understand why we can still comprehend to some words though they are mispronounced.Another is that if we are to choose the features well, it should be possible to refer to natural classes of phonemes with a smaller number of features, therefore allowing a more re fined set of characteristics to describe the phonemes involved in a natural class. Chomsky and Halle also introduced the feature classifications such as the major class features, the manner features and the place features thus paving the way for a more organized description in giving characteristics of phonemes.Chomsky and Halle was able to answer the concerns of redundancy when giving features, which is found in Generative Phonology, a component of generative grammar that assigns the correct phonetic representations to  utterances  in such a way as to reflect a native speaker’s internalized grammar. Given the current situation, I would have to choose Chomsky and Halle’s Theory of Distinctive Features as the most functional, because it is able to give more specific descriptions as compared to Trubetzkoy and Jakobson.Since we have established that Chomsky and Halle’s set gives the most detailed, comprehensive and most organized distinctive features, it would be best to follow their findings. But It is also important to note that without the ideas of Trubetzkoy and Jakobson in the Distinctive Feature theory, Chomsky and Halle’s own theory would not be as it is today, not able to answer loopholes and deficiencies found in the previous studies. So for me, it is like a ladder, one has to go through the intial steps first before reaching your destination, because as what my teacher would have said, â€Å"so as not to lose your momentum. † Bibliography

Feasibility Study on Investment in Brazilian Paper and Pulp Industry

IMG-6 Global Business Environment Feasibility study for investment in the Brazilian Paper and Pulp Industry Report By: Ashish Jindal (063011) Avneesh Luthra (063012) Aayush Singhal (063013) Deepak Arora (063014) Feasibility study for investment in the Paper and Pulp industry in Brazil An overview of Brazil Brazil is the largest country in South America. It is the world’s fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population, with over 192 million people. It is the only Portugese-speaking country in South America. Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America.It is the world’s sixth largest economy at market exchange rates and seventh largest in terms of purchasing power parity, as per the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Brazil has a mixed economy with abundant natural resources. The Brazilian economy has been predicted to become one of the five largest in the world in the decades to come. It has large and developed agricultural, mi ning, manufacturing and service sectors, as well as a large labour pool. Brazil’s current GDP is estimated to be $2. 294 trillion and Per Capita GDP $11,769The Paper and Pulp Industry in Brazil Brazil is the largest producer of paper and pulp in South America. On the world stage, it is the 4th largest producer of pulp with a production of 13,315,000 tonnes and 9th largest producer of paper with 9,428,000 tonnes (2009). Brazil’s Pulp & Paper Production Source: Bracelpa Brazil is predominantly a tropical country. As a result, the soil and climate in most regions of Brazil are favourable to forest growth. The main geographical areas in the paper and pulp industry are the states of Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina.Furthermore, eucalyptus trees in Brazil have short growing cycles (approximately 7 years), compared to 10-12 years in Chile and 25 years in the United States. Thus, production of wood in Brazil requires less time and a smaller growing area when compared to Eu rope and North America, resulting in higher yields. Industry Overview- 222 companies spread in 539 municipalities, located in 18 states. – 2. 2 million hectares of planted area for industrial use. – 2. 9 million hectares of preserved forests- Total certified forest area: 2. 0 million hectares- Exports 2010: US$ 6. billion- Trade Balance 2010: US$ 4. 9 billion- Taxes: R$ 2. 2 billion- Investments: US$ 12 billion in the last 10 years- Jobs: 115 thousand direct jobs (industry 68 thousand, forests 47 thousand) and 575 thousand indirect jobs. | Source: Bracelpa, March 2011 Macro Environmental Analysis Political & Legal environment The Foreign Direct Investment regime in Brazil has been fairly liberal and foreign capital is viewed with sympathy by the large majority of political currents and parties, who see it as a source of employment and modernization of the economy.The 1990s saw a host of path-breaking liberalisation reforms in the Brazilian economy. Certain investment p olicies were formulated in the 90s to attract more FDI in to the country. The Central Bank of Brazil simplified the registration procedure for FDI inflows. This led to a decline in the administrative costs associated with the entry of FDI inflows into Brazil. A series of constitutional amendments were enacted within 1995 and 1996, which helped remove constitutional distinction among national companies and foreign companies.In 2002 Investe Brazil was set up to promote investments in Brazil. Despite a formally well functioning business environment, corruption and bribery are still serious obstacles to doing business in Brazil, especially in business dealings with the government. Multiple corruption scandals have emerged over the years, involving politicians and bureaucrats taking kickbacks from companies in exchange for awarding public contracts. The levels of bureaucracy and lack of transparency in rules make Brazil a difficult country to do business in. Economic EnvironmentThe paper and pulp industry is one of the mainstays of the Brazilian economy. The Brazilian paper and pulp sector is comprised of nearly 200 companies. Most companies in this sector are privately owned. Foreign-owned companies account for about 6% of the output. Therefore, there is great scope for foreign investors to enter into Pulp & Paper Industry in Brazil. Latin American Pulp and Paper Producers Composition in 2010 In recent years, there has been a marked increase in paper consumption in Brazil, which is an important indicator of the economic development of a country.Between 1997 and 2008, the average annual rate of paper consumption increased by approximately 3% per year, reaching 9 million tons in 2008, according to estimated figures from Bracelpa. Improvements in the purchasing power of Brazil's citizens have led to growth in the newsprint market (up to 18% in 2009). In the same year, 21% of paper and board and 33% of pulp production was exported. Brazil’s paper industry has p otential for growth in both the domestic and export markets. Domestic consumption has huge growth potential, because per capita consumption in Brazil is still low when compared with other developed nations.Consumption of paper and board in Brazil is close to 44 kg per capita. Furthermore, differences are enormous between the north and south-east parts of the country. In Western Europe, consumption of paper and board is 173 kg and in North-America 333 kg per capita. Social Environment Brazil has skilled labour in abundance. Minimum wages in Brazil are way lower in comparison to other nations. Brazilian legislation is, however, relatively inflexible and outdated in relation to labour costs, making things complicated. A continued shift towards a wealthier population has been apparent in Brazil since 2004.There has been significant growth in the populations’ real disposable income. Strong consumption (Household consumption above 60%, Government consumption close to 20%) has been supporting Brazil’s growth profile over the past two decades. Formal job creation increased from 1. 2 million jobs in 2009 to 2 million jobs in 2010. The cost of living in Brazil is approximately 30% lower than in the UK and Europe, and for those with a foreign income there is a guarantee of value for money. Technological ; Natural FactorsBrazil’s high technology and natural advantages in forestry make it one of the world’s lowest-cost producers of pulp, and in the last 20 years Brazil has become an important pulp exporter. Brazilian exports of high quality papers to Europe are growing in volume, and expected to increase in the near future. This growing market is truly attractive and one can grab the share in this market by setting up a new industrial venture in Brazil. However, this industry sector is very competitive for reasons like state-of-the-art mills, sound management and well-established plantation forestry technologies.Furthermore, availability of raw material is not a problem in Brazil as there is huge availability of good quality raw materials required for extracting and manufacturing pulp and paper. By analyzing the rotation and yield comparison of different pulp species in different countries, it is found that Brazil has the best rotation (years) and yield (m3/ha/year). This shorter maturing period also enables Brazilian producers to expedite the process of genetically improving the Eucalyptus species utilized Species| Country| Rotation (years)| Yield (m3/ha/year)| Eucalyptus| Brazil| 7| 44| Eucalyptus| South Africa| 8-10| 20|Eucalyptus| Chile| 10-12| 25| Pinus spp| Brazil| 15| 38| Pinus spp| Chile| 25| 22| Pinus spp| New Zealand| 25| 22| An association named ABTCP – Brazilian Paper and Pulp Technical Association – is currently one of the most important associations worldwide in its segment. It was established with the purpose of technically qualifying the paper manufacturers in Brazil, in order to raise basis f or a sustainable industry. In addition, technological development in the paper ; pulp industry has been supported by the research efforts of major producers and by financing from BNDES, the Brazilian Development Bank.Opportunities The paper and pulp sector in Brazil is fast becoming the third largest in the world. The financial crisis of 2009 affected the Brazilian pulp and paper industry greatly. Brazil ultimately postponed its investment programmes. However, with the economy showing signs of recovery and emerging market’s increase in demand, those programmes have resumed Over the next seven years, an estimated US$20 billion is going to be invested in the nation’s forest base and in the construction of new mills. 10 new plants are due to be built in Brazil by 2020. At this moment pulp production is at 13. million annual tonnes, by the end of 2017 this is expected to reach 20 million annual tonnes. Also, during the same period, planted forest areas are predicted to gro w by 25% and paper production will rise from 9. 3 million tonnes to 12. 5 million tonnes. This has all come about through the new global scenario in the pulp and paper sector. While the international financial crisis reduced global consumption, prices and raw material demand in traditional markets it also opened up opportunities to expand sales in growing markets, in particular China and India.Challenges The pulpwood market in Brazil has gone through major transformations. From a point where it had the lowest conifer fibre costs in the world, it now is close to the global average. Any rise in fibre costs is a concern for forestry companies as the key factor determining a company’s global cost competitive position remains its raw material base. Brazil also faces a strong challenge as businesses in Brazil have to deal with a number of problems, which includes bulky tax regulations, inefficient government bureaucracy, and corruption.Brazil has become less competitive in the last few years as a reason of this. Conclusion The Brazilian paper and pulp industry offers enormous potential to potential investors. The industry, with its advantage in terms of rotation, is expected to grow substantially in the coming few years with various investment programmes being in the phase of implementation. There is the challenge of a complex bureaucratic environment but the long term benefits outweigh the costs. FDI is thus recommended. Bibliography http://pulp-paperworld. om/ex1/item/768-abtcp. html http://www. forestry-invest. com/2010/brazil-becomes-world%E2%80%99s-3rd-largest-pulp-and-paper-producer/513 http://www. bracelpa. org. br/bra2/sites/default/files/estatisticas/booklet_eng. p df http://www. roundtownnews. com/rtn-features/rtn-money/item/36741-ten-reasons-to-invest-in-brazil. html ftp://ftp. fao. org/docrep/fao/009/j9425e/j9425e04. pdf http://riotimesonline. com/brazil-news/rio-business/brazil-among-most-expensive-for-business/# http://www. pulpandpapercanada. c om/news/the-case-for-brazil/1000225895/

Protein Characterization by Electrophoresis

EXPERIMENT NO. 15 PROTEIN CHARACTERIZATION BY ELECTROPHORESIS Abstract The molecular weights of protein extracts were assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Two sets of four protein samples, standard bovine serum albumin (BSA), invertase, egg albumin, and casein, were prepared; one set containing ? -mercaptoethanol (BME) while the other did not. These were then analyzed through SDS-PAGE with 12. 5% resolving gel, prepared using 2 M Tris-HCl at pH 8. 8 and stacking gel, prepared using 0. 0625 M Tris-HCl at pH 6. . Results showed multiple bands located on the upper half of the gel, which suggested heterogeneity of the mixture and that the samples were heavy molecules. Introduction Proteins are biological macromolecules composed of one or more polypeptides, which are polymers of amino acids. Structurally diverse, these molecules also serve a myriad of functions from enzymes, which are the biological catalysts of many physiological reactions, to components that maintain the structural integrity and organization of cells (Pratt and Cornelly, 2011). Because of this, it has been a constant effort among chemists to extract and isolate proteins to determine the mechanisms by which they act and produce the results of their reactions. Further knowledge of their biological action could translate into the discovery of many resources that could facilitate humans’ and other species’ daily lives. Electrophoresis is an analytical tool through which one can examine the movement of charged molecules in an electric field. Many modern electrophoretic techniques use a polymerized gel-like matrix as a support medium. The molecules’ migration is dependent on the applied electric field, the rigid, mazelike matrix of the gel support, and their size, shape, charge, and chemical composition. The movement of a charged molecule in an electric field is given by: v=Eq? f (1) where v is the velocity of the molecule, E is the electric field magnitude, q is the net charge of the molecule, and f is a frictional coefficient dependent on mass and shape of the molecule. Hence, it is observed that under a constant electric field magnitude, the movement is dependent on the charge-to-mass ratio of the molecule. Since each molecule is expected to have unique charges and sizes, their mobility under the electric field would also be different. Gels used in electrophoresis with different pore size may be produced by using different concentrations of cross-linking agents. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) allows enhanced resolution of sample components due to separation based on molecular sieving and electrophoretic mobility. Because of the presence of a continuous network of pores in the gel, large molecules do not move easily through the medium compared to smaller ones. Two types of gels are used: the resolving and stacking gels, each having different concentrations of acrylamide and of different pH and ionic strengths. The denaturants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a detergent, and ? -mercaptoethanol (BME), a reducing agent, are frequently used in PAGE. The action of these two denaturating agents cause the production of polypeptide chains of constant charge-to-mass ratios and uniform shapes due to the SDS molecules binding with the hydrophobic regions of the denatured polypeptide and masking the native charge of the protein by its negative charge. This restriction, coupled with the fact that mobility of the SDS-protein complexes are based on molecular size, forms the basis of the electrophoretic determination of purity and molecular weight (Boyer, 1993). This experiment will utilize SDS-PAGE to assess the molecular weights of the extracted proteins invertase, albumin, and casein, along with standard bovine serum albumin. The effect of the presence of ? -mercaptoethanol was also investigated. Methodology With the glass plates clean, the gel apparatus was first set up with the comb inserted between the glass plates. It was made sure of that the set-up would not leak by allowing a little amount of distilled water to enter it, which was discarded afterwards. A mark, one centimeter below the teeth of the comb, was placed on the glass plate. The resolving gel, at 12. 5% gel, was then prepared in an Erlenmeyer flask. Using a micropipette, 1450 ? L of 40% stock acrylamide, 775 ? L of 2% stock bisacrylamide, 875 ? L of 2 M Tris-HCl at pH 8. 8, and 1500 ? L of distilled water were measured and mixed in the Erlenmeyer flask. Afterwards, 47 ? L of 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 40 ? L of freshly prepared 10% ammonium persulfate (APS) were added to the mixture. Then, ten microliters (10 ? L) of tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) was added and, after mixing it by swirling not more than three times, the mixture was poured into the gel apparatus with the aid of a micropipette up to the mark. The gel was then overlaid with a small amount of isobutanol-water mixture before it would start to harden. After the gel has completely polymerized, the isobutanol mixture was removed from the apparatus. Two pairs of two resolving gels were prepared as one pair would be used for samples containing ? mercaptoethanol and another pair for those that do not contain the said chemical. The stacking gel was prepared by taking 265 ? L of 40% stock acrylamide, 140 ? L of 2% stock bisacrylamide, 350 ? L of 0. 625 M Tris-HCl at pH 6. 8, and 940 ? L of distilled water and mixing all four in an Erlenmeyer flask. Afterwards, 25 ? L of 10% SDS and 60 ? L of 10% APS were added to the one in the flask. Immediately before the solution was added, 5 ? L of TEMED was added to it and swirled not more than three times, similar to that done with the resolving gel. This mixture was then rapidly transferred by a micropipette over the resolving gel and, after placing the comb over it, left to harden. The samples were prepared by getting 100 ? L of the protein sample, 20 ? L of distilled water, and 80 ? L of loading buffer with ? -mercaptoethanol in plastic tubes for the electrophoresis of the samples containing ? -mercaptoethanol. For those samples not containing the latter reagent, 80 ? L of the loading buffer was added. The same procedure was done for 100 ? L of bovine serum albumin. These were then placed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes after which these were immediately immersed in an ice water bath for 3 minutes. The protein samples used were invertase, albumin, and casein. The loading buffer was prepared by mixing 2. 5 mL of 10% SDS, 2. 5 mL of 0. 625 M Tris-HCl at pH 6. 8, 2. 5 mL of 10% glycerol, and 5. 0 g of 0. 02% bromophenol blue, and diluting to 25 mL with distilled deionized water. Eight tubes were done all-in-all. The gel slabs were then placed in the gel chamber. The gel chambers were then filled with gel running buffer, making sure that the gel was completely immersed. This buffer was prepared by mixing 3. 0 g Tris base, 14. 4 g glycine and 1. 0 g SDS, and diluting to 1 L with distilled deionized water.. The set-up was then placed on a level surface. At this point, the comb was removed in one fluid motion to ensure that the wells would have straight edges. Ten microliters (10 ? L) of the samples with ? -mercaptoethanol was loaded into the wells using a micropipette. With the voltage set at 100 V and the protective electrode covering placed over the set-up, the gel was run until the dye reaches a level of 1 cm above the bottom of the gel slab. This was done again for those samples without the ? -mercaptoethanol. After the gels have been run, the gel slabs were transferred from the glass plates to a flat-bottom container where a small amount of staining solution was added until the slabs were completely immersed. This solution was prepared by mixing 50 mL of methanol, 10 mL of glacial acetic acid, and 0. 25 mg of Coomassie Brilliant Blue R250, and diluting to 100 mL with distilled deionized water. After that, the background staining was removed by several washings of destaining solution. This solution was prepared by mixing 25 mL of 95% ethanol and 5 mL of glacial acetic acid, and diluting to 100 mL with distilled deionized water. Results and Discussion Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) served as an effective tool in the characterization of protein standards and extracts because of the gel’s high resolving power for molecules up to 106 Da, accommodation of larger sized samples, an inert enough matrix with respect to the migrating entities, and physical stability of the matrix (Boyer, 1993). Polyacrylamide gels were prepared by the catalyzed and cross-linked polymerization of the acrylamide-bisacrylamide mixture. The polymerization reaction was facilitated by ammonium persulfate (APS), the polymerizing agent, due to its inherent instability and, hence, its tendency to decay and to give rise to molecules initiating these polymerization. Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) was introduced to catalyze the decay of APS. Figure 1 presents the general equation for the polymerization reaction of the acrylamide-bisacrylamide mixture (Encor Biotechnology, Inc. , 2011). Figure 1. The polymerization reaction of the Acrylamide-bisacrylamide in the presence of ammonium persulfate and TEMED as the polymerizing agent and the catalyst respectively (Thermo Scientific, Inc. , 2011) Polymerization proceeded with the opening of an acrylamide double bond, allowing it to react with another acrylamide to produce a linear polyacrylamide. Cross links were generated through the incorporation of bisacrylamide into the linear polyacrylamides. Since molecular oxygen would react with the free radical sulfate ions (SO42-) thereby inhibiting polymerization, degassing was necessary. Furthermore, the tendency of molecular oxygen to react with SO42- would also be the reason why it would be necessary for PAGE gels to be poured into tubes or between glass plates instead of horizontal apparatuses. However, the degassing step was not done due to the unavailability of a degassing chamber. Isobutanol was added on top of the gel to also prevent the entry and accumulation of O2 (Encor Biotechnology, Inc. , 2011). Gel pore size is inversely proportional to the concentration of acrylamide. Therefore, to generate a broad and efficient range of protein separation, a discontinuous gel system was formulated, having a low acrylamide content on top and a high acrylamide content at the bottom. The capability of Tris-HCl to facilitate the propagation of electric current through the matrix qualified it as an appropriate loading buffer. It allowed the proteins to be drawn by the current through the sieving matrix slab (Thermo Scientific, Inc. , 2011). The polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses set-up had three important features. First, a stacking gel was cast over a resolving gel. Second, the two gel layers had different ionic strengths and pH. Third, the stacking gel had a lower acrylamide concentration and a lower pH. These conditions allowed the protein molecules to first concentrate into a tight band before entering the resolving solution. In this experiment in particular, the charge of the protein was kept uniform all throughout using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a powerful detergent that would denature the protein and would leave it evenly negatively charged. Also, ? -mercaptoethanol was added to cleave the disulfide bonds, enforcing completely disrupted secondary, tertiary, and quarternary structures. Prior to the loading of the sample, the discontinuous gel system was immersed in a glycine-Tris buffer prepared at pH 8. 8. At this pH, the two form of glycine – its Zwitterion ion and glycinate – would exist in equilibrium. H3N+CH2COO- – H2NCH2COO- + H+(2) When the voltage was turned on, the entry of buffer ions (glycinate and H+) to the stacking gel (pH 6. 8) shifted the equilibrium to the left, increasing the concentration of glycine’s Zwitterion ion, which would have a zero net charge, and therefore, would be electrophoretically immobile. Since the protein molecules would still be anionic at pH 6. , they would replace the nonmobile glycine molecules in order to keep the current running. As such, the relative mobilities of the ions in the stacking gel would be Tris base > protein sample > glycinate. Furthermore, the thin band observed in the upper gel would actually pertain to the protein molecules sandwiched between the Tris-base and the glycinate ions . The resolving gel, on the other hand, had a pH of 8. 8. When the ionic front reached it, the equilibrium of glycine species shifted to the right. The increase in pH and decrease in pore size retarded the movement of proteins and rendered the glycinate ions greater mobility. The relative rates of movement then became Tris-base > glycinate ions > protein samples. From there, it was the mass of the protein molecules that governed their mobility and thus identified them (Boyer, 1993). For qualitative analysis of results, the Coomassie brilliant blue dye (R-250), being the most popular staining reagent for the electrophoresis of protein samples, was used. Its mechanism of binding to the basic and hydrophobic groups of proteins manifested in the dull, reddish-brown to intense blue color change of the solutions. The staining method was started with the water wash of the gel cast to remove the electrophoresis buffers from the matrix. The matrix was then washed with methanol followed by glacial acetic acid to prevent the diffusion of protein bands form the matrix. The treatment with the dye followed. Lastly, destaining measures were employed to get rid of excess dye from the background gel matrix. This would allow a clear visualization of the bands that had formed (Thermo Scientific, Inc. , 2011). Figures 2 and 3 are photographs of the two gels after incubation and subjection to the dye. Figure 2. Photograph of 1st gel Figure 3. Photograph of 2nd gel In figure 2, multiple bands existed. This could suggest that the samples had other components. These could come in the form of other proteins, contaminants, or other impurities. Nonetheless, any of these possibilities suggest one thing; the sample is not pure although there are occasional times when homogeneous samples result to multiple bands due to degradation during the electrophoresis procedure (Boyer, 1993). Also, the identity of the proteins could have been determined if there were standards or â€Å"markings† to compare these bands with. However, there were none. The only information that could be extracted from the photographs could be that the proteins in the samples were heavy that they were only located on the upper half of the gel. Conclusion The separation of biomolecules according to charge, size, and shape through electrophoresis could give significant information such as the purity, molecular weight, and, hence, the identity of the biomolecule. In this experiment, the multiple bands produced in the gel set-ups suggested that the samples were heterogeneous. Their location in the gel suggested that the proteins were relatively heavy ones. To gain more valuable information rom these data, it is recommended that a set of standard solutions be also run on the gel so that they could be used as references for the identification of the proteins in the samples. Also, the protein’s exact molecular size could be determined by preparing a calibration curve from a set of standard solutions of proteins, with of course, known concentration. The curve should be a plot of the logarithm of the molecular weight of the protein versus its mobility in the gel matrix. From this curve, the molecular weight of the protein in the sample solutions could be extrapolated. References 1. Boyer, Rodney. Modern Experimental Biochemistry. Third Edition. San Francisco, USA: Benjamin/Cummings, 1993. Scribd. Web. 29 November 2011. 2. Encor Biotechnology, Inc. â€Å"SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). † Encor Biotechnology, Inc. Protocols. Encor Biotechnology, Inc. , 2011. Web. 30 November 2011 < http://www. encorbio. com/protocols/SDS-PAGE. htm>. 3. Thermo Scientific, Inc. â€Å"SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). † Thermo Scientific, Inc. Protein Methods Library. Thermo Scientific, Inc. , 2011. Web. 30 November 2011 < http://www. piercenet. com/browse. cfm? fldID=21518847-2D72-475F-A5B9-B236EC5B641E >.

Airlines & low-priced transportation Essay

Airlines are now in the commodity business as the public demands low-priced transportation. It has moved from elite to a common form of transportation. Today the travelers are well informed about how to surf the web for bargains through numerous sites such as Sidestep, Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Cheap tickets. As a commodity, airlines cannot increase prices to increase profits, so they are only left with the choice to cut operating costs such as labor costs. Amid the competition, airlines have refocused their attention on the customers. The industry still heavily targets frequent flyers, as members can earn miles through traveling, car rentals, hotels, and credit card use. Since deregulation, airlines have had the same pricing opportunity as companies in other industries had and airline pricing thus, made pricing very complex for the normal customer. The fares and freight rates were set in accordance to the response from both the customer demand and the prices of competitors. Consequently, fares change much more frequently than they used to in the past and passengers sitting in the same section on the same flight often pay different prices for the same seats. The setting of fares is difficult to understand for some travelers but makes sense to the airlines keeping in mind that seat on a particular flight is of different value to different people. For the airlines, the chief objective in setting fares is to maximize the revenue from each flight, by offering the right mix of full-fare tickets and various discounted tickets. Discounting which is very low against weak demand for the flight and the plane leaving the ground with a large number of empty seats result in loss of revenue generating opportunities for that particular airline. While too much discounts can sell out a flight far in advance and prevent the airline from booking last minute passengers who are highly likely to be willing to pay higher fares which is also another revenue opportunity lost. Deregulation of the airline industry has largely been a success with better service and better pricing for the traveling public. The benefits of deregulation have not yet been fully realized but in an ideal world, deregulation should result in an open and competitive environment in which low-cost and new entrant airlines can compete on a level playing field with the larger carriers. Nevertheless, with major carriers controlling entrances at key points, a significant barrier to entry is formed that reduces competition and the number of new entrants into a market. With the number of airline mergers over the past years, larger carriers ended up with the majority of leased gates at certain airports, which became the carrier’s hubs. In some cases, these gates were not being fully utilized, but were withheld from competitive carriers trying to obtain space to run their operations. However, with the financial troubles currently being experienced by larger carriers, gates at larger airports are freeing up and the smaller, low-cost providers are moving in. Recommendations The airline industry has continued on the path towards globalization and consolidation, very much similar to other industries. The airline industry has achieved this by the mergers and cooperation among the airlines and breaking all barriers to restrict any airline from operating in a particular region. It has been predicted that by 2010 there will be an immense growth in the number of passengers and due to which the future will hold many challenges for the European airlines. Prosperous and achieving airlines will be only those which continue to undertake their costs and advance their products, in that way securing a strong presence in the world aviation markets. Thus, European Airlines should consider taking measures which will revolutionize its existence in the market: adoption of new trends, creating a blue-ocean strategy and partnering with other airlines to provide quality service.