MKTG 315 Pre-test Essay

1. President Obama’s health care plan requires all U.S. citizens to purchase a minimum amount of health insurance or be fined 2. Suppose that from January 2011 to January 2012, the inflation rate was 6 percent 3. Fill out the table according the demographic information for each group 4. Which of the following approaches to innovation is Google Inc. using when it allows researchers to devote 20 percent of their time to pursuing their own ideas and projects? Can be D. 5. Examine the advertisement below to determine who the target market is for the product. Then, select as many descriptors that fit the qualities of that target market. 6. The local Pro Hardware store has recently run a number of ads featuring women doing household repairs and holds monthly workshops for women on basic home repair techniques. It has evidently not been lost on Pro Hardware that: B. Personal traits tend to vary in the U.S by region 7. Today, many infants are exposed from birth to technology such as Smartphones, laptops, netbooks, and tablets. In fact, Fisher-Price and LeapFrog do research into how infants and young toddlers interact with screens and touchscreens. 8. Research that attempts to expand the frontiers of knowledge but is not aimed at a specific, pragmatic problem is called: Basic research 9. Which of the following is an example of demographic information? C. Single, 18-25 year olds 10. When a coal mining company lobbies Congress for changes in environmental laws and regulations that result in the construction of more coal-burning power plants, the company has engaged in: Post Test 1. Match the product with the ethnic group it most likely targets. African American A new urban clothing line directed at young adults, Hispanic American Clean and fruity scented room freshener in a colorful container Asian American Brand new electronic device charger that also acts as a keyboard for the nearest charging device, Any ethnicity A package of flank steak, 2. Sharon is 60 years old and expects to continue working through her sixties. She lost a significant portion of her retirement savings during the recession. Sharon is a: Baby boomer 3.Randy is a sales rep at Speedy Printing. When Danyka expresses an interest in purchasing a new, high-speed copy machine for her office, Randy tells her that Speedy Printing requires all users of its copy machines to purchase all their paper and toner from the company as well. Fortunately, Danyka is well-versed in business legislation and informs Randy that his company’s policy is in violation of the: Incorrect. Among other things, the Clayton Act prohibits tying contracts (which require the buyer of one product to also buy another item in the line). 4. Match the American value with the product that most addresses that value. Self-sufficiency A book on year round vegetable garden management., Upward mobility BMW offers an entry-level sedan for much less than its super-luxury models Work Ethic ., Debit card that rounds up to the nearest dollar and puts the rounded change into a savings account., Conformity . Walmart offers everyday low prices for everyone 5. Joseph has an idea for a startup that will offer a mobile device that will also function as a social media hub, music center, and digital wallet. His idea is to offer slick designs in brilliant colors that shoppers can either subscribe to monthly or pay as they go for data access. Select all of the target market factors Joseph needs to consider as he finalizes design and designs on promotion strategies. a. Ethnicity b. How social media use has changed the way people communicate c. Consumer Privacy d. Purchasing power e. Size of the population f. Age demographic g. State Laws h. Inflation Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Correct. Answer 4: Correct. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. Answer 7: Incorrect. Answer 8: Incorrect. 6. A local bank has developed a new line of credit with a lower interest rate and large lines of credit. Of the following, what considerations will the bank have to take into account before granting a line of credit to an applicant? a. Recession b. Consumer income c. Competition d. Inflation e. Ethnicity f. Purchasing Power Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Incorrect. Answer 4: Incorrect. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. 7. Why are Asian Americans sometimes called a â€Å"marketer’s dream†? 8. Component lifestyles: Incorrect. Component lifestyles encompass a much wider range of interests (and needs) than traditional lifestyles. Increased buying power has also contributed to the evolution of component lifestyles. d. have developed because consumers can choose from a growing number of goods and services. 9. From the following, choose all of the following are methods companies are using to stimulate innovation. a. Enlisting the web b. Increasing efficiency c. Talking to early adopters d. Using marketing research e. Building scenarios Answer 1: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 2: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 3: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 4: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 5: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepren eurs. 10. After learning that many of its customers were shopping at a nearby health-food store for grass-fed beef and organic milk, REF:-Price Grocers began stocking more organic items. REF:-Price Grocers adjusted its marketing strategy based on: Environment management Chapter 5: Pre-Test The Pilcher Company manufactures tents and other canvas goods in its two factories, located in Kentucky and West Virginia. Seven years ago, Pilcher began exporting its goods to several countries in Latin America, and sales have been very good. At least 25% of Pilcher’s revenue comes from its foreign sales. The Pilcher Company can probably best be characterized as a _____ multinational corporation. a. first-stage b. second-stage c. third-stage d. fourth-stage e. fifth-stage Mari is in Brazil for a vacation and has stumbled upon the most beautiful Brazilian cedar chest inlaid with Brauna wood veneers. She desperately wants the trunk, but isn’t sure how much it actually costs. The shopkeeper is asking her for 2500 reals (the Brazilian currency). Mari’s husband knows that the exchange rate to the U.S. dollar is about 0.5 USD for 1 real. Calculate the cost of the trunk in U.S. dollars. $ Select all of the following that are true about globalization. a. Globalization has cost millions of Americans their jobs, particularly those in the manufacturing and tech industries. b. Globalization encourages political as well as economic freedom. c. Job outsourcing has decreased with globalization. d. Globalization raises the living standards of people in countries that embrace it. e. U.S. white-collar jobs are immune to being outsourced because they require a native speaker of English. 4. Select the table with the rest of the G-20 Member countries. Australia Japan Brazil Germany Turkey India Russia United Kingdom (or England) Saudi Arabia United States [or USA] 5, Select the methods of entering the Global Marketplace to the appropriate level of risk on the spectrum. Exporting Licensing and Franchising Contract Manufacturing Joint Venture Direct Investment 6. In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan â€Å"Come alive with the Pepsi Generation† came out as â€Å"Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.† The managers at Pepsi evidently overlooked the importance of _____ factors in global marketing. a. demographic b. political c. technological d. cultural e. economic Incorrect. Language is a central part of culture and has created problems for many companies entering foreign markets. 7. Pillsbury advertisements on Indian television depict the familiar Doughboy pressing his palms together and bowing in the traditional Indian greeting. Pillsbury obviously understands the rewards of _____ marketing. a. sales b. guerilla c. regional d. global e. green 8. A Vietnamese textile factory sells its goods in the United States at a price 40% less than that charged in Vietnam. The textile factory may be engaging in: a. boycotting. b. price gouging. c. dumping. d. bouncing. e. countertrading 9. Campbell’s watercress and duck gizzard soup (which is popular in China) and Frito-Lay’s shrimp-flavored potato chip (sold in Thailand), are examples of: a. product standardization. b. promotion adaptation. c. product adaptation. d. competitive pricing. e. product invention. Incorrect. In the context of global marketing, product invention can be taken to mean either creating a new product for a market or drastically changing an existing product. Mercosur is the largest Latin American trade agreement, created in 1991 to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, peoples, and currency in South America. Select all of the following countries that are part of Mercosur. a. Venezuela b. Mexico c. Brazil d. Costa Rica e. Peru f. Uruguay Chapter 5: Post-test 1. Dynamo Industries spent $10 million on equipment in its new South Korean facilities last year, but only $3 million on labor. It is safe to say that Dynamo’s operations in South Korea a. are capital intensive. b. greatly increase employment in South Korea. c. are underfinanced. d. are labor intensive. e. have probably cost many South Koreans their jobs. 2. Match the company description with the stage of global business development. WRONG 3. The Camay soap you buy at your local grocery store is virtually the same as the Camay soap offered for sale in Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and Taiwan. Procter & Gamble has moved toward _____ with this product. a. contract manufacturing b. global marketing standardization c. product adaptation d. competitive advantage e. product myopia After class one day, your friend Miguel says that he can foresee a time in the not too distant future when the European Union (EU) will essentially become â€Å"the United States of Europe.† Based on what you’ve read in your textbook, you: a. agree, because the EU has purchasing power almost equal to that of the United States. b. disagree, because the political instability in Europe will never allow that to happen. c. agree, because the EU is already the largest economy in the world. d. disagree, because Europe’s diverse languages and national cultures will make it almost impossible for marketers to develop single European products for generic European consumers. e. agree, because over the past few years labor productivity in the EU has equaled or exceeded that of the United States. Fill in the blanks of the paragraph using the drop down menu to select the choice that best fits each blank. Wilmari’s build your own homemade cupcake business is booming. She has received inquiries from all over the world about retailing her â€Å"Foolproof Bakery Style Cupcake Baker† toaster oven and her wide range of cupcake mixes, fillings, and frosting, which are Production adaptation for a global market. Wilmari knows that she has to make sure her electronics work in foreign outlets and she’s been researching retailers, distributors, and even flavors that other countries my enjoy. Wilmari’s E-commerce distribution is helping her make her first steps towards having a global business. For now, however, Wilmari directs all the international inquiries to her website, where her customers can use Currency exchange to order sets or mixes, as well as see the cost of international shipping. Wilmari also has a Money back guarantee that she offers only domestic customers, just in case there are regulations in other countries. For now, the web is her easiest road into the global market, but Wilmari’s research and diligence should enable her to be one of the few small promotion adaptations located in the United States! 6. Right Wedding dress designers change white to red for Chinese customers. Culture, P&G offers single use sizes of deodorant in India for much less than full size deodorants in the U.S. Economic Factors, Google is sued by a doctor in France for libel when search results for his name brought up an old malpractice suit that he had served time for. Legal and Political Factors, Up-and-coming diamond retailer Hearts of Fire fights with larger companies for limited diamonds from Africa. Natural Resources 7. Langdon Farms sends milk to Yinkers, a Canadian cheese maker; in payment, Yinkers sends Langdon Farms cheddar and Swiss cheese, which Langdon Farms in turn markets in the United States. Langdon Farms and Yinkers are engaging in: a. price fixing. b. dumping. c. countertrading. d. a quota system. e. bribery 8. Select all of the following that are product adaptation. a. Offering ketchup sized packets of Pantene 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner in Bolivia for 5 cents. b. Campbell’s offering duck gizzard soup in China. c. Dunkin Donuts selling green tea donuts in Korea. d. H&M offering fringed burquas in Dubai. 9. Martin just gave a business presentation where he emphasized benefits to the bottom line, that his company would provide strong service support, and the product’s guarantee. Where is Martin giving his presentation? a. Sweden b. Germany c. Japan d. Hungary e. Peru Incorrect. These are all characteristics listed for giving successful business presentations in Germany. 10.Plast-eet, a Vermont manufacturer of plastic eating utensils, sells its products to Misha, who has an office in New York City. Plast-eet takes its money from Misha and goes away happy. Misha, in turn, sells the products to buyers in several African countries and keeps the revenues. Misha is most likely a(n): a. buyer for export. b. export broker. c. buyer for import. d. venture capitalist. e. export agent

Deception Point Page 60

â€Å"Ms. Tench?† the transparent voice on the line said. â€Å"William Pickering, here. To what do I owe this honor?† Tench could hear the television in the background-NASA commentary. She could already sense in his tone that he was still reeling from the press conference. â€Å"Do you have a minute, director?† â€Å"I expected you'd be busy celebrating. Quite a night for you. Looks like NASA and the President are back in the fight.† Tench heard stark amazement in his voice, combined with a tinge of acrimony-the latter no doubt on account of the man's legendary distaste for hearing breaking news at the same time as the rest of the world. â€Å"I apologize,† Tench said, trying to build an immediate bridge, â€Å"that the White House and NASA were forced to keep you unapprised.† â€Å"You are aware,† Pickering said, â€Å"that the NRO detected NASA activity up there a couple weeks ago and ran an inquiry.† Tench frowned. He's pissed. â€Å"Yes, I know. And yet-â€Å" â€Å"NASA told us it was nothing. They said they were running some kind of extreme environment training exercises. Testing equipment, that sort of thing.† Pickering paused. â€Å"We bought the lie.† â€Å"Let's not call it a lie,† Tench said. â€Å"More of a necessary misdirection. Considering the magnitude of the discovery, I trust you understand NASA's need to keep this quiet.† â€Å"From the public, perhaps.† Pouting was not in the repertoire of men like William Pickering, and Tench sensed this was as close as he would get. â€Å"I only have a minute,† Tench said, working to retain her dominant position, â€Å"but I thought I should call and warn you.† â€Å"Warn me?† Pickering waxed wry momentarily. â€Å"Has Zach Herney decided to appoint a new, NASA-friendly NRO director?† â€Å"Of course not. The President understands your criticisms of NASA are simply issues of security, and he is working to plug those holes. I'm actually calling about one of your employees.† She paused. â€Å"Rachel Sexton. Have you heard from her this evening?† â€Å"No. I sent her to the White House this morning at the President's request. You've obviously kept her busy. She has yet to check in.† Tench was relieved to have gotten to Pickering first. She took a drag on her cigarette and spoke as calmly as possible. â€Å"I suspect you may be getting a call from Ms. Sexton sometime soon.† â€Å"Good. I've been expecting one. I've got to tell you, when the President's press conference began, I was concerned Zach Herney might have convinced Ms. Sexton to participate publicly. I'm pleased to see he resisted.† â€Å"Zach Herney is a decent person,† Tench said, â€Å"which is more than I can say for Rachel Sexton.† There was a long pause on the line. â€Å"I hope I misunderstood that.† Tench sighed heavily. â€Å"No, sir, I'm afraid you did not. I'd prefer not to talk specifics on the phone, but Rachel Sexton, it seems, has decided she wants to undermine the credibility of this NASA announcement. I have no idea why, but after she reviewed and endorsed NASA's data earlier this afternoon, she has suddenly pulled an about-face and is spouting some of the most improbable allegations imaginable of NASA treachery and fraud.† Pickering sounded intense now. â€Å"Excuse me?† â€Å"Troubling, yes. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Ms. Sexton contacted me two minutes before the press conference and warned me to cancel the whole thing.† â€Å"On what grounds?† â€Å"Absurd ones, frankly. She said she'd found serious flaws in the data.† Pickering's long silence was more wary than Tench would have liked. â€Å"Flaws?† he finally said. â€Å"Ridiculous, really, after two full weeks of NASA experimentation and-â€Å" â€Å"I find it very hard to believe someone like Rachel Sexton would have told you to postpone the President's press conference unless she had a damn good reason.† Pickering sounded troubled. â€Å"Maybe you should have listened to her.† â€Å"Oh, please!† Tench blurted, coughing. â€Å"You saw the press conference. The meteorite data was confirmed and reconfirmed by countless specialists. Including civilians. Doesn't it seem suspicious to you that Rachel Sexton-the daughter of the only man whom this announcement hurts-is suddenly changing her tune?† â€Å"It seems suspicious, Ms. Tench, only because I happen to know that Ms. Sexton and her father are barely civil to one another. I cannot imagine why Rachel Sexton would, after years of service to the President, suddenly decide to switch camps and tell lies to support her father.† â€Å"Ambition, perhaps? I really don't know. Maybe the opportunity to be first daughter†¦ † Tench let it hang. Pickering's tone hardened instantly. â€Å"Thin ice, Ms. Tench. Very thin.† Tench scowled. What the hell did she expect? She was accusing a prominent member of Pickering's staff of treason against the President. The man was going to be defensive. â€Å"Put her on,† Pickering demanded. â€Å"I'd like to speak to Ms. Sexton myself.† â€Å"I'm afraid that's impossible,† Tench replied. â€Å"She's not at the White House.† â€Å"Where is she?† â€Å"The President sent her to Milne this morning to examine the data firsthand. She has yet to return.† Pickering sounded livid now. â€Å"I was never informed-â€Å" â€Å"I do not have time for hurt pride, director. I have simply called as a courtesy. I wanted to warn you that Rachel Sexton has decided to pursue her own agenda with respect to tonight's announcement. She will be looking for allies. If she contacts you, you would be wise to know that the White House is in possession of a video taken earlier today in which she endorsed this meteorite data in its entirety in front of the President, his cabinet, and his entire staff. If now, for whatever motives she might have, Rachel Sexton attempts to besmirch the good name of Zach Herney or of NASA, then I swear to you the White House will see to it she falls hard and far.† Tench waited a moment, to be sure her meaning had settled in. â€Å"I expect you to repay the courtesy of this call by informing me immediately if Rachel Sexton contacts you. She is attacking the President directly, and the White House intends to detain her for questioning before she does any serious damage. I will be w aiting for your call, director. That's all. Good night.† Marjorie Tench hung up, certain that William Pickering had never been talked to like that in his life. At least now he knew she was serious. On the top floor of the NRO, William Pickering stood at his window and stared into the Virginia night. The call from Marjorie Tench had been deeply troubling. He chewed at his lip as he tried to assemble the pieces in his mind. â€Å"Director?† his secretary said, knocking quietly. â€Å"You have another phone call.† â€Å"Not now,† Pickering said absently. â€Å"It's Rachel Sexton.† Pickering wheeled. Tench was apparently a fortune-teller. â€Å"Okay. Patch her through, right away.† â€Å"Actually, sir, it's an encrypted AV stream. Do you want to take it in the conference room?† An AV stream? â€Å"Where is she calling from?† The secretary told him. Pickering stared. Bewildered, he hurried down the hall toward the conference room. This was something he had to see. 70 The Charlotte's â€Å"dead room†-designed after a similar structure at Bell Laboratories-was what was formally known as an anechoic chamber. An acoustical clean room containing no parallel or reflective surfaces, it absorbed sound with 99.4 percent efficiency. Because of the acoustically conductive nature of metal and water, conversations onboard submarines were always vulnerable to interception by nearby eavesdroppers or parasitic suction mics attached to the outer hull. The dead room was, in effect, a tiny chamber inside the submarine from which absolutely no sound could escape. All conversations inside this insulated box were entirely secure.

Gay and Lesbian Should allowed to become foster parent and adoption Personal Statement

Gay and Lesbian Should allowed to become foster parent and adoption - Personal Statement Example This led to a practice of adoption among gay and lesbian people for a want to care and nurture a child. â€Å"Discussion and debate about adoption and foster care by gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) parents occurs frequently among policymakers, social service agencies, and social workers. The government report shows that an estimated 65,500 adopted children and 14,100 foster children living with gay and lesbian parents†(Gates,2007) The recent surveys have revealed that, considerable amount of homosexuals have adopted children and is leading a fairly good life. However, there are also arguments against the homosexuals adopting and raising children on their own. This could be mainly due to the image the homosexuals have in the society of being ill- mannered and degraded. They are a subject of taboo, and are looked upon as an alien due to their sexual orientation and way of living. Nevertheless, they too have the desire to fondle a child and be a caring parent. So it is very impo rtant to understand their emotional status and allot them the status of being a parent to bring harmony and happiness in their life. â€Å"A good foster home has two happy, contented adults with time enough to pay attention to a foster child†(Mc Nair,35) Work Cited Blatt, Susan Mc Nair. A guidebook for raising foster children. 1st. West Port: Bergin & Garvey, 2000. 35. Print. Gates, Gary.

How to Lead Effective Meetings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to Lead Effective Meetings - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  agenda is a list of items that need to be discussed by the participants in order to achieve the objectives of a meeting. Being a form of early warning system, agenda helps the participants of a meeting to be prepared on how to deal with the various topics that will be covered in the meeting. To achieve the goals of the meetings, it is fundamental for the participants to be well prepared before a meeting. Thus, the main role of agenda is to provide the participants with the information in order ensure they are prepared. An agenda works as a time table that is followed by the participants during a meeting.According to the paper findings  an agenda is structured into three major items. The first one is common items that include apologies for absence, minutes of last meeting and matters arising. The second part is specific items that include accounts, special reports and appointments. Thirdly, an agenda has concluding items that includes any other busine ss (AOB) and the date of next meeting. For a meeting to be successful in meeting its aims, all the three items of the agenda must be covered.  Prior to a meeting, Peytons General Supplies department managers ensures adequate preparation. Meeting preparation takes four major steps. First, the managers identify the reasons of holding the meeting. In this way, they ensure that the meetings have clear goals. Secondly, the managers identify who should attend the meeting.

Cross cultural management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cross cultural management - Term Paper Example During the spring festival, people living in far places travel back home in order to celebrate together with their relatives. The events taking place during this festival makes it period the busiest event in the Chinese calendar. Mostly, the festival falls during the first day of the first lunar month, which in most cases comes later than the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese history traces the origin of this festival back to the Shang Dynasty, an era when people used to sacrifice to the gods, and their ancestors at the end and the beginning of the year (Wei, 2011). To them, it was a way of thanksgiving to the gods. Although the event lasts for a long period, the first three days of the month are most important days. With the event becoming more important in the celebration of the Chinese heritage, the government now stipulates that people should have at least seven days off in its celebration (Pan & Tang, 2004). This shows how the event is important even at the national level. People celebrate many events during the spring festival. ... ry eve, which falls on the twenty third day of the twelfth month, people start preparing for the event called â€Å"Seeing the New year in.† the busiest people in the society at this time are store owners as people buy food to cook on the big occasion, new clothes, house decorations, among others (Pan & Tang, 2004). On the day of the New Year, people dress up early in the morning, and the first thing is extending greetings to their parents. The elder ones then give gifts to the children in form of money wrapped in red paper. Then the celebrations, which involve specially prepared and good food prepared in accordance to their culture (Wei, 2011). The lantern Festival The lantern festival, which falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in the Gregorian calendar falls between the February and March. The event, having begun in the Western Han Dynasty, over time has gained significance, until the present day China. Interestingly, just as the name suggests, the most impo rtant event that takes place during this festival is watching lanterns. History points out that during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished more in china than in any other part of the world. One of the Chinese emperors on hearing that Buddhist monks would watch sarira (remains of the cremated body of Buddha), on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month under the light of lanterns, he ordered the rest of the people to respect the Buddha on this day (Wei, 2011). With time however, the event became more popular among the Chinese people, thus maintaining its popularity in the Chinese society. People, during these celebrations prepare special food called yuanxiao or rice dumping, hence the common name, â€Å"yuanxiao festival† among the people. Additionally, people guess lantern riddles at night, while

Blakley and Johnson Revised Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Blakley and Johnson Revised - Essay Example It can be justifiably asserted therefore that a combination of digital technologies and internet usage enables millions of people in the world rapid access of various information than any historical library, allowing people to be an innovative and creators in their own perspective. The collaborative and shared platform brought about by digitization elicits different reactions. On one hand, proponents of the idea strongly suggest that it has transformed how people share and create information, creating a platform for product innovation and how people â€Å"own† and â€Å"copy† information. On the other hand however, Governments and technological companies view low restrictions placed on IP as a potential threat to cloud computing and mobile technologies. Blakley’s model of open copyrights provides enlightening information on IP rights from a business perspective. Her elaborate ideas of the phases of technology in determining the information to be copyright protect ed and subsequent elements in ownership from a fashion industry offers additional insights into technological innovations and the kind of ownership required in a digitized economy. (Blakely) At the same time, Johnson Steven’s â€Å"Where Good Ideas come from† examines the origin of innovative ideas from a historical perspective. In his analysis of the origin of great innovative ideas, Stephen starts his journey from London’s Coffee House â€Å"Liquid Networks† through Darwinian slow ideas of the revolution towards today’s highly technological creations brought about by the internet and the world wide web. (Johnson) The concept of ownership infers having control over any form of a thing, or an idea. Sharing on the other hand implies that other persons have access to the idea or object, and can even incorporate new ideas into the existing idea to come up with a modified version. Usually, the association between ownership and balancing is often achiev ed when a person has the ability to appreciate an object or an idea without having to ask who controls the idea or object. It therefore implies that both parties derive benefits from the shared item and non existence of role confusion while enjoying that idea or creation. The balance and concept of ownership are often easily understood when referring to tangible assets like objects and things as opposed to intangible issues like ideas. There exist various issues surrounding the sharing of information and innovation and pragmatic issues of copyrights. In essence, proponents of the open creation or low IP suggests that the success of an innovation depends whether an innovation is shared by the creator, and the achievement of equilibrium is largely dependent on voluntary sharing by the owner of the idea. While supporting this theory, Johana Blakely offers insightful information into the sharing of ownership ideas. She relates the success stories from the fashion industry where the sect or has recorded tremendous gains from sharing of fashion ideas. She further argues that the sharing platform as witnessed in the fashion industry enables all fashion designers to share and enable them to incorporate other people’s ideas into their creations. The fashion industry does not have any copyright law for these ideas. The success in this approach presents high gross sales in sectors that have low IP protection as

SOCIAL WORK IS PAPER TOPIC----Analysis of Assessment and Intervention Assignment

SOCIAL WORK IS PAPER TOPIC----Analysis of Assessment and Intervention Skills with Families(paper topic) - Assignment Example By evaluating the narration, the therapist connects these stories with the client’s life experiences and can recognize the links between different situations. In this narrative theoretical frame work, the therapist categorizes the experience into â€Å"dominant† stories and â€Å"alternative† stories (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.2). Structural frame work of family â€Å"indicates† the relationship and role of every individual in a family. The quality of a family depends on the â€Å"cohesive† attitude and â€Å"flexibility† of its members and the bonding among them (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.2, 4). A family structure includes certain â€Å"boundaries† which relating to the participation of members in family. In narrative therapy, the philosophy and approach is to focus on individual values of the client, within the family context. On the other the structural approach relies on the structure of the family rather than the individual traits of the client. The â€Å"alignment† features of family structure contains the same interests of the members and involvement of two family members to third member and the â€Å"power† of a family structure revolves around the head the family and his or her influence on the final output of a family activity (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.4). The structural theoretical frame work of family therapy regulates the involvement of every family member. The â€Å"explicit† and the â€Å"implicit â€Å"contract and the client centered approaches of the therapy differentiate it from narrative theoretical frame work of family therapy (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.4). In narrative frame work, the clients get a chance to â€Å"re-author† their stories , and through this re-telling the clients will come to know about themselves (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.1). The idea of reframing is a concept where the therapist asks same questions to two members of the same family. This is intended to derive different perspectives of an issue in hand so

The Future of Mass Media Programming Term Paper

The Future of Mass Media Programming - Term Paper Example The term paper "The Future of Mass Media Programming" analyzes the future of different types of mass media such as the broadcast and print medias. The paper discusses if their way of presenting the information will change due to the appearance of new technologies. The future of the mass media programming will comprise of a highly integrated single electronic system that will have the ability to output high-quality audio, video, and printed materials. In this case, everything will be obtained electronically, including newspapers, movies, videos. Everything is going digital, and in the future, it seems there will be more smart media devices, which will be controlled using voices. In ten years time, media landscape will be far much change whereby print and broadcast forms of media will be accessible via the internet. The Broadcast form of content will be replaced by streaming content. Many people will have large OLED screens connected to the internet. The large audience will be in a position to watch or view television at the same time globally. Printed physical materials such as books and newspapers will not be competent as compared to those that are accessible online. Eventually, publishing companies will have to collaborate with the internet to provide their information on time. So, the media companies will have to give the best quality of information since competition will be very high and profits will mainly depend on the value of information delivered and the number of the audience who find the information valuable. (Daud, 2008). Actually, there will be one main channel of information distribution, and it will only require one device that has access to the internet. Everything will be accessible in there, and this will force media companies to change their production strategies. Application of blogging will help the forms of media to persuade the audience to access information. All media companies and institutions will have to start a marketing strategy that will help in reaching a big audience. A global media policy m ust be established to protect media companies from hackers and a mode in which the companies will make a profit. Print media will have to make their products available online for easy access and selling. Bookstores will be having very few books on the shelves. The customer request for a book and it is printed and bind at that moment. However, it will be important to avail all books and other print resources in the internet, to ensure that there is easy access by the customers. Therefore, all publishing companies will have to provide all of their books online. Electronic books will be the best selling and maximize profits of the author and the publishing companies. Another strategy of availing the books to the readers is through the creation of audio books. Many people have a problem reading a book online because of different commitments, but they can listen to audio books while

Education Regulation Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education Regulation Law - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that not attending school leads to poor academic performance and lack of educational success, both contributing factors when discussing juvenile delinquency, an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on. Many factors exist as to why a juvenile will not or does not attend school. Perhaps a juvenile has failed to bond at school, has no friends or reliable relationships among his or her peers (Flores, 2003). A juvenile that does not have any friendships among their peers, or feels isolated and alone, will often choose not to go to school, and thus jeopardize their chances of educational success. In young children aged eight to eleven, poor academic performance has been related to serious later delinquency (Flores, 2003). Another contributing factor to failed bonding is the fact that not attending school leads to poor socialization, and thus the feeling of isolation deepens even more. Students who are chronic underachievers t end to be the most at-risk group for juvenile delinquency (Seigel & Welsh, 2010). In all of these situations, a juvenile will most likely choose not to attend school, instead of finding something else to do with their time. The actions that they choose could well lead them down the path of juvenile delinquency. Education has been widely promoted by all sources surrounding juveniles, from family to the media to the schools themselves (Seigel & Welsh, 2010). Most juveniles have been trained to accept the fact that education itself holds the keys to success, whether that success is measured in a better job, more money, or a better way of life (Seigel & Welsh, 2010). However, many juveniles may feel that they do not meet the acceptable standards for educational success, whether that success is measured in test scores, promotions, rewards, or other measures (Seigel & Welsh, 2010). In measuring themselves, often juveniles are their own worst critics, feeling that they will never be good a t anything; therefore school and education are a waste of time. They feel that this time could be better spent learning â€Å"life skills†, skills that all too often lead to a life of juvenile delinquency. No matter what the forces are behind a juvenile feeling as though education will not be of any use to them at all, it is clear that early intervention is necessary to determine who and where the most at-risk youth are. Oddly enough, the first intervention taking place in school may already be too late for some juveniles. It has been shown that parents have a vital role in the success of their offspring, and positive relationships between family members only serve to heighten the chances of educational success (Adedokun & Balschweid, 2008). If an early intervention takes place and identifies possible situations that may not be of benefit to a juvenile, measures can be taken such as family counseling and other assistance that may promote and save the educational career of a j uvenile and prevent them from starting any form of juvenile delinquency. Another important factor of note is the juvenile themselves. All juveniles do not learn the same way; just as adults do not all enjoy the same hobby or pastime. To expect every juvenile to learn the same way, by sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture, may be expecting too much.  

Fingerprinting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fingerprinting - Research Paper Example It is an excellent way of tying a suspect to a crime scene. There are different types of fingerprints found by investigators. Some are visible and some are latent. Visible prints are those taken from a suspect usually using ink. They are clear and whole. Latent prints are usually left accidentally and may only be partial. They may not be visible to the eye and may require dusting. Fingerprints in the past were largely classified by ridge formation. Loops, whorls, and arches on a fingerprint were also used to distinguish various prints from one another. Fingerprints are now generally photographed and kept in a digital database. This makes them much easier to access. New fingerprints can be scanned in. Fingerprints are still a useful form of evidence, but they are not as determinative as DNA. They are especially useful in showing where people have been and what they have done, while DNA (in some cases) may simply put a person at the scene of a crime. Fingerprints may be considered more

Gillette Essay Example for Free

Gillette Essay Case Analysis for Gillette: Product and Marketing Innovation 9/11/2012 Abstract Gillette is seeking means to retain dominance in market share they have lead for the last century. Along with sustaining market share Gillette has continued focus on expanding worldwide into less saturated markets. In this analysis multiple alternatives will be explored in order to make a recommendation on steps that would favor Gillette’s organization in meeting their aspirations. Situation Analysis Product quality and efficient marketing are the core value propositions that set the pace for Gillette’s success. With continued innovation in both product development and marketing strategies Gillette has been able to retain a commanding worldwide market share in a highly competitive, but mature, razor and blade market. Strong market share allowed Gillette to sustain profits even through economic droughts in recent years. On the flip side, Gillette’s innovation success also posed challenges. In order to maintain their market share, a dependency on continuous product improvement formed over time. Now Gillette will need to determine how to balance investment in research and development along with other areas of the organization. At times their own innovation of new product lines impacted their leading product lines in the market. During the 1990s Gillette found themselves cannibalizing their own successful products when trying to out due the competition. Even though internal competition shifted sales from one product line to another, Gillette’s sales were able to re-coop development costs. Expanding market share around the world also revealed challenges with varying religious and culture beliefs. Western influences have started to generate growth with European woman as younger generations watch American movies and television that depict women with sleek underarms and legs. Gillette’s latest innovation, the Fusion 5(+1) blade, was back in 2006. Since then Schick, Gillette’s leading competitor has not responded with their own break through. Gillette should be wondering what Schick might do next. Problem As the market Gillette has lead for so long became mature, their growth ultimately declined due to market saturation and increase competition. Fluctuations occurred only when newer, more innovative products were introduced. This put more pressure on development advancements and marketing tactics. Many analysts believe that Gillette and Schick, leaders in razors and blades, have reached the end of meaningful product innovation [1]. In 2006 when the Fusion 5(+1) blade was introduced, it exploded off the shelves. Gillette sold more than 4 billion Fusion razors with in the first two months. The Fusion’s initial success was quickly fleeting as sales reports showed that razors were outselling the cartridge refills. This was very concerning to Gillette as it is well-known that razor manufacturers earn most of their profits from refills, not the initial razor purchase. Critics also questioned why five blades were needed to get the best shave when Gillette had touted its three-bladed Mach3 as †the best a man can get. † â€Å"Consumer reports conclude that there were no additional performance benefits provided by the five-bladed Fusion, especially when compared to the Mach3† [1 pg391]. Economic recession also impacted sales as Gillette’s products went up in price due to a need to re-coop development costs. How can Gillette continue to maintain or grow market share in a mature market and keep future strategies aligned with customer wants? Alternatives Continue product line and marketing without major change. No additional research and development costs would need to be spent, which in return reduces the need to raise prices for maintaining their profit margin. However the risk looming would be competitor innovation impacting current market share. Schick may produce a new innovative product that would sway consumers from purchasing Gillette’s products. As stated in the case Gillette must find new ways to innovatively out-produce or out-market the competition. Investing in research and development to create new product line or enhance current products adds considerable expenses. Development costs will need to be re-cooped. This will keep competitors in check, but will be challenging to keep pricing competitive. Compliment current leading product lines that keep consumers happy. Promoting Christmas, Father’s day and Mother’s day gift grooming kits that meets more of the consumer’s needs will also introduce consumers to other product lines Gillette has to offer. Focus marketing potential growth opportunities globally by challenging resistance in product awareness and interests. As a Gillette razor consumer, I have encountered an inconvenience that I think can be solved and build customer loyalty. I’ve been using Mach 3 razors for over fifteen years, and when purchasing refills I have found it difficult to find blades that are compatible with the razor handle that I own. Thinking out of the box, what if Gillette were to make razor handles that are compatible with any of Gillette’s product line of refills? This would then provide consumers the freedom to purchase from a variety of Gillette’s product lines without having to spend extra money on a handle that works with the particular product refill. Owning a Gillette universal handle would also encourage customers to stay with Gillette refills as converting to another brand would cost more with the initial required handle purchase. Implementation From the case I would assume Gillette will continue to â€Å"innovatively out-produce or out-market the competition† [1]. I believe moving forward with developing a universal handle with Gillette refills would accomplish this. This would require investment into developing a new handle and rollout of the product. Here is an approximate timeline to complete.

Properties Of Soil Including Density And Porosity Environmental Sciences Essay

Properties Of Soil Including Density And Porosity Environmental Sciences Essay Experiments were undertaken to obtain the bulk density, particle density, and soil porosity of four soil samples. Bulk density, particle density, and soil porosity are all interrelated terms. Density is the relationship between the mass (m) and volume (V) of a substance. . Based on this relationship, an object or substance that has high mass in relation to its size (or volume) also has a high density (D). Soil bulk density (Db) is a measure of the mass of soil per unit volume (solids + pore space) and is usually reported on an oven-dry basis. The particles that make up a soil have a specific particle density (Dp), which is defined as the mass of solid particles in a unit volume. This can be expressed as, . The particle density of a soil is not affected by particle size or arrangement; rather it depends on the type of solid particles present in the soils. Unlike the measurement of particle density, the bulk density measurement accounts for the spaces between the soil particles (pore s pace) as well as the soil solids. Soils with a high proportion of pore space have lower mass per unit volume, and therefore have low bulk density. A bulk density greater than 1.6 g cm-3 may indicate soil compaction, which means these soils have a low proportion of pore space and, therefore, low porosity. The bulk density indirectly provides a measure of the soil porosity which is the ratio of the volume of soil pores to the total soil volume. Clayey soils generally have an abundance of very small pores that give them a higher total porosity compared to sands, which are dominated by larger, but fewer pores. MATERIALS: 1. Core soil samples 2. Balance (0.1 g precision) 3. Flat-bladed knife 4. Veneer calliper 5. Disturbed soil samples 6. 100 ml measuring cylinder 7. De-aired water METHOD: The bulk density of the soil was calculated after following a series of steps. Firstly, excess soil from each of the disturbed soil sample was removed using a flat-bladed knife, ensuring that the bottom of the sample was flat and even with the edges of the ring. Excess material or roots penetrating from the sample was cut using a scissors. The dimensions of the core were then measured using a veneer calliper and the dimensions obtained were plugged into the formula Volume= à Ã¢â€š ¬ * radius 2* height to calculate the volume of the core. This value was then used to obtain the bulk density of the soil (Db = ). Afterwards, approximately 50g of soil was weighed out in a weigh dish for each soil sample and the soil weight was recorded to the nearest 0.1 g. e 50 cm of water was then poured into a 100 ml graduated cylinder and the previously weighed soil was added into the water in small increments. Air bubbles were eliminated by stirring with a rod and the final volume of the soil water suspension was read and the value was recorded. This value was then used to calculate the particle density of each soil sample (Dp = ). Using the measured densities the percentage soil porosity was calculated via the formula, 100-( Db / Dp * 100). Data was recorded and presented in a tabular format. RESULTS: SOIL SAMPLE HEIGHT OF CORE (cm) DIAMETER OF CORE (cm) VOLUME OF CORE SAMPLER (cm3) 1 5.548 5.36 125.2 2 3.862 5.58 94.5 3 4.889 5.858 131.8 4 4.798 5.384 109.2 FIGURE 1: TABLE SHOWING THE HEIGHT, DIAMETER AND VOLUME OF THE CORE SAMPLER FOR EACH SOIL SAMPLE. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT VOLUME (cm3) 1 319.6g 69 2 276.6g 69 3 273.2g 71 4 343.6g 70 TABLE SHOWING THE WEIGHT AND VOLUME OF THE FOUR SOIL SAMPLES. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT OF FIELD MOIST SOIL SAMPLE (g) WITH CORE WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL SAMPLE (g) WITH CORE WEIGHT OF CORE (g) WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL SAMPLE (g) (WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL WITHOUT CORE WEIGHT) 1 356.7 319.5 188.5 131 2 277.4 276.6 105.1 171.5 3 390.1 273.2 145.8 127.4 4 245.6 343.6 104.5 239.1 FIGURE 1: TABLE SHOWING WEIGHT OF FIELD MOIST SOIL SAMPLE AND OVEN DRY SOIL SAMPLE. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT OF SOIL SAMPLE (g) INITIAL VOLUME OF WATER (cm3) FINAL VOLUME OF WATER (cm3) VOLUME OF THE SOIL PARTCLES (cm3) 1 50.00 50 69 19 2 50.00 50 69 19 3 50.00 50 71 21 4 50.00 50 70 20 FIGURE 4: TABLE SHOWING WEIGHT OF SOIL SAMPLE, INITIAL VOLUME OF WATER, FINAL VOLUME OF WATER AND VOLUME OF SOIL PARTICLES. SOIL SAMPLE BULK DENSITY (g/cm-3) PARTICLE DENSITY (g/cm-3) SOIL POROSITY (%) 1 1.9 6.9 72.5 2 2.49 9.03 72.4 3 1.8 6.1 70.5 4 3.42 12 71.5 FIGURE 2: TABLE SHOWING THE BULK DENSITY, PARTICLE DENSITY AND SOIL POROSITY OF EACH SOIL SAMPLE. To calculate how many grams of soil are in a hectare plow layer: Depth = 15cm =0.15m Hectare = 10,000m2 Volume of HPL = Area of Hectare * Depth of plow = 10,000 * 0.15 = 1500m3 Db = 1.4g/cm3 = 1kg = 1000g à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ´1400kg=1400 ÃÆ'-1,000 = 1,400,000g Therefore, there are 1,400,000g of soil in a hectare plow layer. DISCUSSION: Soil porosity and bulk density are interrelated terms. Soil bulk density (Db) is a measure of the mass of soil per unit volume while soil porosity is the ratio of the volume of soil pores to the total soil volume. Bulk density (Db) is closely related to the soil porosity through the following relationship:. The bulk density indirectly provides a measure of the soil porosity (amount of pore space). The value obtained from the measurement of soil bulk density can be used to calculate pore space. For soils with the same particle density, the lower the bulk density, the higher the percent pore space or total porosity. Soil porosity values range from 0 to 1. Soils with a high bulk density have low total porosity because empty pores do not have any mass. When the bulk density is zero, porosity equals 1, meaning there are no particles. If the bulk density is equal to the particle density, then there are no pores and porosity is zero. Soil porosity can be affected by changes occurring in the soil. The porosity of the soil decreases in compacted subsoils and increases in well- aggregated, high organic matter surface soils. The values range from as low as 25% to more than 60% respectively. Soil management can also alter soil porosity values such that, cultivated soils tend to have a lower total pore space as a result of a decrease in organic matter content and a consequent lowering of granulation, in comparison to uncultivated soils. Bulk density and porosity are also affected by changes in soil texture. Fine-textured soils including clay, clay loam and silt loams typically have lower bulk densities as compared to sandy soils, due to the presence of pores between and within the granules. As a result, these fine-textured soils containing a high proportion of pore spaces to solids tend to have low bulk densities. Sandy soils, on the other hand, though larger in particle size have larger yet fewer pore spaces, resulting in a higher bulk density. In terms of porosity, fine-textured soils are very porous. This is because of the large amount of micropores in fine-textures soils which allow water to be held. These micropores prevent the water from being drained away and therefore, result in high total porosity. In contrast, sandy soils have less total porosity due to the relative absence or lack of fine, within-ped pores. This allows water to be drained away easily through the macropores present in sandy soils. Addition ally, bulk density and porosity are affected by changes in the size class of the soil particles. Bulk density is lower in sandy soils or well-sorted sand where the particles are generally of one size class whereas a mixture of different size particles (well-graded sand) will cause a high bulk density. In well-graded sand the smaller particles partially fill in the spaces between the larger particles causing a reduction in the pore spaces and a resultant increase in bulk density. Soil porosity, on the other hand, is decreased in well-graded sand as compared to well-sorted sand. Another factor impacting bulk density and porosity is compaction. Soil compaction refers to the disruption and reduction of the large pores within the soil. It can be caused in a variety of ways such as, the practice of poor agricultural practices, use of machinery on soil, etc. Compaction increases the mass in a given volume, which increases the measured bulk density. Bulk density increases because both the micropores and macropores in a soil are significantly reduced after compaction has taken place. Therefore, with the removal of these empty pores, the mass of soil increases in a given volume. With regards to porosity, compaction reduces the total pore spaces and hence, the total porosity. In conclusion, bulk density and porosity are two interrelated soil properties which are altered by various factors including soil texture, compaction and soil structure. Calculations into the bulk density and porosity were carried out. Some limitations presented were the fact that bulk density and porosity values would differ from place to place due to certain factors, for example, the level of compaction in an area. However, these figures can be useful in determining the crop yield of a soil.

Factors Affecting General Motors

Factors Affecting General Motors Industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing and sale of motor vehicles are known as automotive industry. More than million of motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide in 2007. Figures show that in 2007, around 71.9 million new automobiles were sold worldwide in which 22.9 m sold in Europe, 21.4 m in Asia-Pacific, 19.4 m in USA and Canada, 4.4 m in Latin America, 2.4 m in the Middle East and 1.4 m in Africa. Though the markets in North America and Japan were inactive but in South America and Asia markets grew very strongly. Russia, Brazil and China were the one who showed rapid growth compare to others. In 2008, automotive industry were experiencing a combination of pricing pressures from raw material cost and changes in consumer buying habits due to rapid rise in the price of oil. G.M and other automotive industries were also facing external competition from the public transport sector, as consumers re-evaluate their private vehicle usage. U.S is the worlds largest consumer market for light vehicles, passenger cars and light trucks which are conquered by big three companies i.e. General Motors, Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler. But recently these three industries were started to lose their market share to other rivals within the industry. General Motors are facing huge competition by domestic company such as Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler and also by foreign companies such as Toyota Motors and Honda Motors who are able to produce car much cheaper cost than General Motors. In 2006, General Motors has been bankrupted and has been avoiding a filing for years. For years it has been using cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades- in the form of highly profitable car loans. And the reasons for its bankruptcy are because they were focusing mostly on their finance division rather than it vehicle design operation. GM cars were poorly designed and build, took long time to manufacture as compare to its toughest competitor Toyota who has better designed and high quality and cheaper. In past GM controlled half of North America vehicle market but presently it has only 19 percent control as GM has been ignoring competition due to which Toyota and other industry took over the market share. Since General Motors were focusing on making profit from finance they did not care about building better vehicles. It was managing in bubble as GM rewarded those employees who followed the old way of doing things and those who praises CEO wisdom and carry out his orders. PEST Analysis (P)olitical: Since 1960, there were more powerful and strict laws and Government intervention that has affected GM and other car industries. Mostly, all regulation was related to consumer increasing concern for environment and concern for the safer automobiles. (E)conomical: Automobile Industries plays an important role on every countries economy. As Automotive industry are major user of computer chips, aluminium, textiles, copper, steel, iron, lead, plastics, vinyl and rubber. Research and study had shown that for every autoworker there are seven other jobs created in other industry which include aluminium to lead to vinyl. (S)ociocultural: Todays people are mostly concern about their status and society judges on the basis of what type of car one drives. Manufacture takes advantage of this thought and target the market. Every one want attractive and nice car which other people admires. Consumers feel better when they driving nice and new car. (T)echnology: Internet had played a significant role in automotive industry. A study showed that about 60 % buyers referred to internet before making their purchase and out of that 60 percentage. 88 % buyer went to auto website before going and taking test drive. Strength and Weakness of General Motors. Strengths: Huge Market Share: Although General Motors market shares has dropped in United States but it still has very much competitive at 26 percent. On the other hand, it is increasing its share in Chinese market and world wide. They still believes that they have an opportunity to become automotive leader once again as it was before. Global Experience: Although General Motors share have decline recently but they have capability of becoming leader once again due to vast experience of almost 100 years. As GM current opportunity is to expand globally and it has got experience to do so. Variety of Brand names General Motors had been leaders in the past and reason for that is wide variety of quality brand names that differentiate it from other automotive manufacturer. Its current brands include GMC, GM Daewoo, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Holden, Buick, Cadillac, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GMAC Customer Finance Program Since, General Motors Acceptance Corporation establishment in 1919, it has proven to be GMs most reliable source of revenue. On Star Satellite technology Star Satellite technology was developed in1996 with a subscriber of more than 3 million and it is the standard of all GM vehicles. The benefit of this technology is that vehicle can be easily tracked at the time of emergency or theft. On the other hand, it allows the driver as well as passengers to communicate with On star personnel just in one click of button. Weaknesses: Behind on Alternative Energy Movement: This is one of the biggest weaknesses of General Motors. The alternative energy/hybrid technology has already taken place in the automotive industry and GM has been one step behind the competition in terms of alternative energy vehicles. As a result, GM faced lots of problem including loss of market shares and fall in company profit. Now days for any automotive company looking for success must be Hybrid friendly and fuel efficient. Poor Organizational Structure: This is the second and significant weaknesses of GM. Its organizational structure seems to be too vertically integrated. As a result, there is lack of communication between top level management and bottom level management and may have played a part in GM falling behind on the alternative energy movement. Stagnant Profitability: General Motors profit has been certainly falling and they are struggling with respect to the size of their company. General Motors profit margin was about 1.5 % and the ROE has dramatically decreasing by dropping to 10 % in 2004. At this situation shareholders are not happy and they are becoming less interested. Fully Based on US market: For any one who is concentrating on one particularr market cant be successful. This is what happened to GMs case, it fully dependent on the US market. It must take advantage of the opportunity to expand globally. Due to high competition, it is becoming too strong to focus on just one country. Over Dependent on General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Financing: The other important weakness of General Motors is that it is too dependent on its financing program. Although, it is accepted that it is a great strength for GM, however it will be a problem if it solely rely on financing and cant turn profits, in order to compete with Honda and Toyota who are rapidly growing. Poor Credit Status: GMs credit status is steadily declining same as everything else. It is losing credit in market and amongst the customer. Its current ratio is merely above 1 and its acid test is even lower. Poor strategies and lack of Foresight: Due to increase in oil prices, consumers began to turn away from SUVs, but still General Motors predicted much of its operating success on its ability to sell newly unpopular vehicles. While companies like Toyota, were concentrating on light vehicle and in improving efficiency where GM assumed sales would continue in future. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development is a system which differs from other systems of organizational change by putting stress/focusing on process rather than problems. In fact, change system focuses on identifying problems in an organization and then trying to alter the behaviour that creates the problem. OD is a methodology intended for use in complex situations to provide intervention strategy for change management. OD finds the behavioural interactions and the pattern that creates or sustain problem. In fact, OD does not change the behaviours, but they focus on creating a behaviourally healthy organization that will automatically solve and prevents the problems. OD generally considered long term effort that is of at least one to three years in most cases. In addition, it mostly focuses on combined management where manager and workers of different level communicate and unite to solve the problem. OD understands the fact that all organization is different and same solution cant put in every co mpany. The other feature of OD is that it gives importance to team work and small group. The important features of OD programs is the change agent, that is group or individual which makes OD process much easier. Almost all change agent are consultant from outside who are experienced in managing OD programs but sometimes companies may utilize its inside managers. The benefits of consultant from outside are that they provide a different outlook and have a less biased view of the organizations problems and needs. The disadvantage of outside change agents is that its lack an in depth of understanding of main issues mainly one specific organization.

Schizophrenia: A Possible Etiology? Essay -- Mental Illness Health Ess

Schizophrenia: A Possible Etiology? As for me, you must know I shouldn’t precisely have chosen madness if there had been any choice. What consoles me is that I am beginning to consider madness as an illness like any other, and that I accept it as such. -in a letter to his brother Theo According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 20% of the US population may suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in any given six month period (1991). Obviously the issue of mental health warrants close scrutiny, as such illness can translate into lost work days and lost dollars. From a health care perspective, many of those suffering can be relieved of their symptoms and return to normal life, so to speak. Schizophrenia, however represents one of the more disabling illnesses whose prognosis for the patient looks poor. Affecting nearly two million Americans, "schizophrenia" probably represents a grouping of many types of resembling illnesses (NIMH, 1991). Typically, the patient exhibits prodromal signs such as social isolation and withdrawal, role impairment, eccentric behavior, decreased affect, and disregard for personal hygiene. These then generally give way to intermittent psychotic episodes with intervening, sometimes long negative symptom periods. The so called positive symptoms of schizophrenia include disordered thinking and memory; the patient may display incoherent speech and rapid shifting to unrelated ideas. Delusions and false or bizarre beliefs, hallucinations, and perceptual difficulties also comprise the symptomology. Schizophrenic persons usually have an absence of feeling, a sense of remoteness and inappropriate reactions. Even more difficult to treat (Kandel) are the negative signs of poverty ... ...orks Cited: Kandel, Eric R. Disorders of Thought: Schizophrenia. pp. 854-868. Krieckhaus, E. E., Donahoe, John W., Morgan, Maria A. Paranoid Schizophrenia May be Caused by Dopamine Hyperactivity of CA1 Hippocampus. Biological Psychiatry. Vol. 31, 1992: pp. 560--570. Nasralleh, Henry A. Neurodevelopmental Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. Vol. 16, no 2, June, 1993: pp. 271-279. National Institute of Mental Health. Caring for People With Severe Mental Disorders: A National Plan of Research to Improve Services. DHHS Pub. No. (ADM)91-1762. Washington, D.C.: Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1991. Wright, Padraig, Gill, Michael, Murray, Robin M. Schizophrenia: Genetics and the Maternal Immune Response to Viral Infection. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsvchiatric Genetics, Vol. 48, 1993: pp. 40-46.

Subliminal Messages :: essays research papers

Subliminal Messages in Advertising: The Case For and Against Lisa Caswell Syracuse University Running Head: Subliminal Messages Subliminal messaging and subliminal perception are controversial topics in the field of psychology. Many studies have been conducted to determine if subliminal messaging does in fact work. Many people think that subliminal messages in the field of advertising are much more successful than subliminal messages for self-improvement, such as tapes sold to help the consumer lose weight, gain intelligence, or do something else to improve themselves simply by listening to a tape. Subliminal advertising can be defined as "embedding material in print, audio, or video messages so faintly that they are not consciously perceived." Rogers and Smith (1993) surveyed 400 households. When asked if they believed advertisers deliberately included subliminal messages, 61.5% responded 'yes'. A 72.2% 'yes' answer was obtained when asked if subliminal advertisements were effective. Based on these results, it can be concluded that consumers are aware of subliminal advertising, and believe it is effectively used by advertisers to influence their decisions. The term "sub-threshold effects," first popularized by Packard in 1957, preceded the popular notion of "subliminal advertising," whose originator is James Vicary. Subliminal advertising first came to the public's attention in 1957 when Jim Vicary conducted a subliminal advertising strategy of interspersing "drink Coca-Cola" and "eat popcorn" messages on a movie screen so quickly that they could not be seen consciously by the audience. His research initially reported increases in the sales of both Coca-Cola and popcorn as a result of the subliminal messages. Later, however, when he was challenged and could not replicate or even produce the results, Vicary admitted that the results of the initial study had been fabricated (Weir, 1984). Key (1989) has more recently claimed that hidden or embedded messages are widespread and effective. Key's theories have been widely discredited by scholars who have examined marketing applications scientifically (Moore, 1982). Although a few scholarly studies have reported certain limited effects of exposure to subliminal stimuli in laboratory settings (Greenwald, Klinger, and Liu, 1989), most academic researchers on the subject have reported findings which indicate no practical or predictable effect in an advertising setting (Dixon, 1971). The 1957 Vicary study has been largely disregarded in the scholarly community due to lack of scientific documentation of methodology and failure to replicate. However, scholarly findings and industry assertions may have had little or no effect on the average American, who has been exposed to popular articles and books promoting the notion that subliminal advertising is used and is effective. In addition, Americans have been exposed to advertisements claiming that self-help audio-tapes and videotapes containing subliminal materials can help the purchaser with weight loss, better relationships, an improved golf game, quitting smoking, and even birth control. Awareness of Subliminal Messaging by the Public

The Role of the Gods and Fate in Virgils The Aeneid Essay -- Aeneid V

The Role of the Gods and Fate in Virgil's The Aeneid Are the deeds of mortal characters in the Aeneid controlled by the gods or by fate? Aeneas must fulfill the will of the gods, while enduring the wrath of other gods, all the while being a worthy predecessor of Augustus and founder of the Roman people. Of course, the Trojan is successful because he gives himself up to these other obligations, while those who resist the will of the gods, Dido and Turnus, die sad deaths. Juno, the queen of gods, attempts to destroy Aeneas and his men in Book I of the Aeneid. The city of Carthage is Juno's favorite, and it has been prophesized that the race of the Trojans will one day destroy that city. This is too much for Juno to bear as another Trojan, Paris, has already scorned her. And so she calls on King Aeolus, the god of the winds, telling him to bring a great storm down upon Aeneas? fleet. Aeolus obeys and unleashes a fierce hurricane upon the battle-wearied Trojans. However, Neptune, the god of the sea, feels the storm over his dominion; he criticizes Aeolus for overstepping his bounds, and calms the waters just as Aeneas' fleet seems doomed. Seven ships are left, and they head for the nearest land in sight, the coast of Libya. Aeneas's mother, Venus sees the Trojans' poor state and pleads to Jupiter to end their suffering. Jupiter assures her that Aeneas will eventually find his promised home in Italy, and that two of his descendants, Romulus and Remus, w ill found the mightiest empire in the world. Then Jupiter sends a god down to the Phoenicians, the people of Carthage, to make sure they are welcoming to the Trojans. Juno hears that the Trojans are destined to found a city that will destroy her Carthage. That city is Rome, and ... ... and in an angry mob set fire to the fleet. The Trojan men see the smoke, rush up the beach and throw water on the ships, but the burning does not stop. Finally, Aeneas prays to Jupiter to save the fleet, and immediately a rainstorm comes, putting out the flames. The goddesses Juno and Venus continue their quarrel by further intervention in the journey of the Trojans. At this point it almost seems to be overdone: the gods are driving the plot, not the hero. Aeneas has been reduced to a reactionary role as the different factions on Olympus duke it out over his fate, and send either aid or abuse down to the Trojans. Incapable to stop the burning of his fleet, he pitifully begs Jupiter to either help or kill him, so disheartened is he at his arbitrary maltreatment by the gods. Works Cited: Gransden, Karl W. Virgil: The Aeneid. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990.

Analysis of Meno’s Question to Socrates

In Plato’s dialogue, Meno, Socrates is asked a paradoxical question about what virtue is by Meno. â€Å"How will you enquire, Socrates, into that which you do not know? What will you put forth as the subject of enquiry? And if you find what you want, how will you ever know that this is the thing which you did not know? † Socrates retorts that if you already know what you are searching for, then you do not have to search.Alternatively, if you do not know what you are looking for, the search is indeed futile. However, Socrates attempts to explain to Meno why it is that he will be able to find what virtue is by introducing the idea that knowledge is inherent in the individual as it is passed along through the soul. When Meno demands proof of this concept, Socrates provides an example of a slave boy using â€Å"inherent knowledge† to calculate the length of a square needed to double it’s own area.This experiment shows Meno that virtue, along with other knowled ge, can indeed be discovered through the inherent knowledge in one’s soul, and only has to be â€Å"remembered† to become of use. When Meno proposes his argument to Socrates that a search for what you do not know is impossible, he is reasoning that if one does not know what it is they are trying to find, one will never know if they have found it. Meno seeks to understand how an individual can find new knowledge if they have no clue how to find it or how to comprehend the discovery of it.Socrates acknowledges Meno’s argument and states that â€Å"man cannot enquire either about that which he knows, or about that which he does not know; for if he knows, he has no need to enquire; and if not, he cannot; for he does not know the very subject about which he is to enquire† (Meno, Plato). Meno believes that this proves his own argument, but Socrates proposes an alternate way to attain knowledge. Socrates speaks of â€Å"priests and priestesses† who  "say that the soul of man is immortal† (Meno, Plato).Also, he says the soul has kept all the knowledge from previous â€Å"lives† that it has had, and therefore knowledge is obtained through recollection instead of learning. Socrates attempts to prove his theory by providing an example with one of Meno’s slaves. His experiment is simple. Socrates calls over a slave boy and asks him about squares. The boy knows has some knowledge of the properties of squares including the fact that they have four equal sides, they can be divided in half, and the area is equal to the side multiplied by the other side.However, when Socrates asks the boy to determine the length of a side necessary to double the area of a 2Ãâ€"2 foot square, the boy mistakenly says 4 feet (which would yield a square 4 times too large). The slave proposes a length of three feet, but is wrong again. Here Socrates makes a note of the â€Å"torpedo’s touch† (Meno, Plato) or â€Å"aporiaâ⠂¬  (Aporia, Burbules), which means that the boy knows that he does not know.Socrates states that this state of mind is better than believing false knowledge, because one will know that there is knowledge to seek. Socrates maintains that throughout the experiment he was never teaching the slave, but only asking of his opinions. Therefore, the knowledge that the slave called upon must have already been inherent if he had not learned it before (since slaves had little education the boy was the perfect example for Socrates to demonstrate this â€Å"inborn knowledge. ) Socrates makes his argument clear: if the slave had no knowledge of what is was he was searching for (the length of the side), and the information was not taught to the boy, then the information must have already been inherent in the boy’s soul. Here is Socrates’ argument in Premise/Conclusion form: P: Slave isn’t taught. P: Slave has no prior knowledge. P: Immortal soul contains knowledge. C: Knowl edge must come from one’s immortal soul. P: You do not know what you are trying to find. P: You are not taught what you are trying to find.P: Your soul contains inherent knowledge. C: You can find what you are searching for through recollection of the knowledge â€Å"stored† in your soul. Socrates’ proofs are meant to enforce his views that knowledge such as virtue must be searched for, â€Å"that a man should enquire about that which he does not know† (Meno, Plato). Citations: Burbules, Nicholas C. â€Å"Aporias, Webs, and Passages: Doubt as an Opportunity to Learn. † Curriculum Inquiry 30. 2 (2000): n. pag. Aporia. 2000. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. . Plato, and R. S. Bluck. Meno. Cambridge [Eng. : University, 1961. N. pag. Print.

Learning-centered Organization

In today's learning-centered business environment, focus is gradually shifted from individual performance and competition to a more congenial relationship, towards being cooperative and building excellent performance through team effort and coordination. These seemingly group-oriented characteristics of the new business environment have become the thrust of MIT's Organizational Learning Center, which specializes on the creation and development of organizations to becoming â€Å"learning organizations. This program proposes a radical change using a simple approach: by shifting the members' perspectives from being individualistic to being collectivist. This proposal is simple in that a learning organization should adapt the values of coordination and cooperation-generally, collectivism-in order to induce this radical change in perspective. In Senge and Kofman's article, â€Å"Communities of Commitment,† they explicated the roots of the creation of and necessary requirements for a learning organization. In it, they also introduced the analytical model called the Galilean Model, which effectively explains and illustrates the core principles that every learning organization should be and have. This paper posits that the pursuit for a learning- centered organization, i. e. building ‘communities' through organization-based commitments, require a deviation from the norm of today's business organizations, which are primarily individualistic and competitive, to being collectivist and cooperative for the success, mainly, not of the individual, but of the organization or community. One of the important findings from Senge and Kofman's analysis was the use of the systems perspective in explaining the importance of collectivism, cooperation, and principles of the Galilean model. As explicated by the authors, the systems perspective allows organizations and its members to â€Å"†¦ move from the primacy of pieces to the primacy of the whole, from absolute truths to coherent interpretations, from self to community, from problem solving to creating. † This passage adequately described the differences between an individualist and collectivist character of organizations. In individualistic organizations, central in it is the individual, wherein the high-performing individual is determined through competition among other individuals/members. It is also centered in conducting decision-making processes through a more general manner, rather than taking into consideration a problem and solution's effects not only in the operations of the organization, but the members themselves. Since the individualist character of organization has prevailed for a long time since the introduction of modernism, this is a tradition that cannot be easily changed and replaced, especially with a contradicting character such as collectivism. This is a challenge particularly difficult among highly-individualistic societies, wherein individuals have high self-reliance and independence. Thus, the authors invoke a â€Å"truth† that must be accepted by each member of the organization, in order to recognize the importance of learning and cooperation: â€Å"[t]o learn, we need to acknowledge that there is something we don't know and to perform activities that we're not good at. But in most corporations, ignorance is a sign of weakness temporary incompetence is a character flaw. Thus, through learning, members learn to accept the reality that ignorance and temporary incompetence will always be present; it is the role of the learning organization to remedy this problem through the learning-centered management, or by adapting the systems perspective. Systems perspective is reflected in the Galilean model, which subsisted to the following principles and characterized as follows: (1) the primacy of the whole; (2) the community nature of the self; and (3) language as generative practice. In the first characteristic of the learning organization, giving primacy to the role of all members of the organization, brought out the importance of members working together to achieve a goal or objective. It is through working as a team or group that decision-making processes become more efficient and effective, since the problem is regarded by not only the perception and opinion of an individual, but other individuals as well, who may have a different way of looking at the problem and creating a solution to it. The second characteristic of the learning organization, according to the Galilean model, is that there should be a cultivation of an â€Å"us† rather than â€Å"me† attitude. That is, the individual should learn that a task, in order to be accomplished with the highest quality and time efficiency, cannot be accomplished by him/her alone; there must also be one or more individuals making sure that the task is completed with quality and efficiency. It is through this process of coordination that work is performed efficiently, and individuals learn about their capacities and limitations as members/employees of the organization. Lastly, communication and interaction among members is an imperative endeavor that must be pursued in a learning organization. ‘Keeping communication lines open' allows members to determine how tasks are accomplished, and should problems arise, they will be able to identify immediately at what point the problem occurred in the process of completing the task or activity at hand.

Biochem Ppt 56

| BARRY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES COURSE SYLLABUS SPRING 2013| COURSE NUMBER:BMS 528 SEC 01 COURSE NAME:BIOCHEMISTRY II TERM/YEAR:Spring 2013 (Jan. 9th, 2013 – May 3rd, 2013) LECTURE ROOM:Hollywood Rm 2 LECTURE SCHEDULE:Friday, 9:00 – 12:00 p. m. INSTRUCTOR NAME:Graham Shaw, Ph. D. Professor OFFICE ADDRESS: Wiegand 229 OFFICE TELEPHONE: 305-899-3264 EMAIL: [email  protected] barry. edu OFFICE HOURS:Tuesday, 12. 30 – 3 p. m. Thursday, 12. 30 – 3 p. m. All other times by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION:Biochemistry at Barry University is taught over two semesters, Biochemistry I in the Fall and Biochemistry II in the Spring. These courses have been designed so that when integrated they provide the necessary biochemical knowledge for those in the medical and health related professions. The structure, function and metabolism of biologically important molecules were reviewed in biochemistry I. Biochemistry II serves to build on this material whilst considering the application of biochemistry to disease etiology, diagnosis and treatment.Biochemistry II starts with a review of two areas crucial to normal, healthy cellular functioning. The structure and function of biological membranes, in particular the variety of cell signal transduction paradigms and the biochemistry of hormones. The structure, function and replication of the cell’s genetic material. This information is reviewed in a series of lectures on DNA, the genetic code, protein synthesis and aspects of molecular biology. The digestion and absorption of biomolecules is reviewed and the consequences of malfunction considered.A number of disease states are used to illustrate selected principles including the relationship between nutrition and disease; atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, obesity and diabetes. The application of clinical biochemistry techniques to disease diagnosis is described and the biochemistry of exercise and aging visited. ARTICULATION TO MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY: This course is offered by the College of Health Sciences, which is grounded in the liberal arts tradition and is a part of Barry University’s scholarly community, committed to the highest academic standards in graduate education.This Biochemistry course addresses both the university mission statement as well as the strategic plan adapted by the College of Health Sciences. This is accomplished by offering a high quality student-centered curriculum in an environment, that encourages Christian and ethical values and promotes intellectual growth and curiosity. Throughout the semester students will be encouraged to visit with faculty and demonstrate their critical thinking skills by offering opinions on current scientific theories and research reviews as they relate to Biochemistry.Case studies will be incorporated into lecture material and used to encourage student pursuit of knowledge and truth. Students in this course will develop an awareness of health issu es that impact those living within and outside of our community as they analyze nutrient deficiency diseases. The course will also stimulate awareness for the wellbeing of others as the prevalence and etiology of metabolic disorders is addressed. COURSE GOALS: At the end of this course, students should be able recall and apply biochemical principles to other courses throughout the curriculum, e. g. Pharmacology, Physiology. Students should be able to rationalize the significance of biochemistry in health and disease. COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of the course, the student will be able to: [1] Evaluate the structure and function of the plasma membrane. [2] Discriminate between the variety of signal transduction mechanisms. [3]Explain the principles of DNA transcription and translation and evaluate the mechanisms by which protein synthesis is regulated. [4]Discuss the digestion and absorption of biomolecules. [5]Summarize the principles of clinical biochemistry and organ function tes ts. 6]Appraise the importance of biochemistry to disease etiology and diagnosis. TEACHING METHODS: Each lecture will be presented using Powerpoint. Topical material not covered in the text may be addressed in class as appropriate, and is examinable. Where possible, time will be allowed for informal discussion of clinical scenarios and questions at the end of each class. Additional class materials, including case studies, and e-learning materials may also be posted to the Blackboard learning environment as the course progresses, and students are also responsible for this material.An atmosphere of mutual respect will be reflected in all teaching/learning experiences COURSE TEXTS: REQUIRED TEXT(S) Shaw, G. P. Biochemistry for Health Professionals. Third Edition, John Wiley. New York. 2011. EVALUATION CRITERIA: There will be three (3) quizzes and two (2) unit tests, a mid-term and a final. QUIZ I Jan 18th 10% QUIZ II: Feb 22nd 10% QUIZ III April 12th 10%MID-TERM TEST (Lecs 1 – 7)Mar 1st 35% FINAL EXAM (Lecs 8 – 14)May 3rd 35% TOTAL 100% DETERMINATION OF GRADE: Biochemistry II will be assessed by 3 quizzes, a mid-term examination and a final non-cumulative examination as indicated in the course schedule. Tests will be of one hour duration, and may contain material from class discussion, the Blackboard learning environment (including case studies) as well as the course text. Any questions you wish to challenge either from a quiz or a test, MUST BE IN WRITING and documented within 1 week of the key being posted.Tests and quizzes will not be returned and grades will not be rounded. GRADING SCALE: 100 – 90%A 89. 9 – 80%B 79. 9 – 70%C less than 70%F Grades will be posted on Blackboard. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY: Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. A student who is caught either giving or receiving information or assistance during a testing session, quiz or examination will automatically receive the F grade and 0% on either the quiz or examination. The same consequence will apply to any proven case of plagiarism or communicating material on an examination to students in another section of the course.Furthermore, that individual[s] will be referred to the Dean for appropriate disciplinary action. DISABILITY STATEMENT: Students with documented special learning needs may want to inform the instructor so that accommodations may be made, or contact Barry Office of Services for students with Disabilities (305) 899-3489. STUDENT BEHAVIOR: All Barry students are expected to behave according to accepted norms that ensure a climate wherein all can exercise their right to learn. Disruptive behavior is not acceptable in the classroom.Students engaging in such behavior may be asked to leave or may be removed from the class by security personnel. Actions such as violence, shouting, use of cell phones and/or beepers, using profanity, interrupting, and any other behavior that the instructor believes creates an unplea sant environment in the classroom will be grounds for withdrawal from the course, judicial proceedings and/or failure in the course. FOOD/BEVERAGES: Barry University has a policy of prohibiting eating and drinking within classroom space. PUNCTUALITY: Students are expected to be on time for class. If you arrive later than 10 inutes after class has started, there is a possibility that the door will be locked. COURSE-SPECIFIC POLICIES: Attendance: Students are expected to attend all lectures and to take all tests and quizzes at the regularly scheduled time. Students should have completed the assigned reading in advance of class, and be prepared to discuss this at class time. Only by participating in class can the student gain a complete understanding of the concepts presented in the course objectives, course text and recommended readings. Attire for all lectures and examinations should be professional. Academic Assistance:After the first exam those students receiving a grade below a C must make an appointment with Dr. Shaw within one week of grade posting, for academic counseling. Excused absences from exams: If any student is unable to attend an exam due to illness (or other circumstances) he/she should notify Dr Shaw prior to the examination (or shortly after) if at all possible. The student is responsible for submitting a physician's excuse. An excuse may be refused for chronic absentees. Once the absence has been excused, the student is also responsible for contacting the Dr Shaw to arrange a date and time to take the make-up exam.NOTE: FAILURE TO OBTAIN AN EXCUSE WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF 0% FOR THE EXAM. LACK OF PREPARATION IS NOT CONSIDERED A VALID EXCUSE FOR MISSING AN EXAM. CHALLENGE POLICY: Faculty will review all examinations in class with students, usually within 1 week of the grades being posted. This will not be a discussion session and any questions you wish to challenge either from a quiz or a test, MUST BE IN WRITING and documented within 1 week of the key being posted; verbal challenges will not be accepted at any time. In the case of a challenge the final authority for accuracy will be the course text.Tests and quizzes will not be returned though they may be viewed by students with faculty approval. Make-Up Exam Policy: Make-up exams can be of many types at the discretion of the instructor. Make-up exams will be given after (not before) the regularly scheduled exam. If more than one person misses an exam, the make- up exams will be given simultaneously. Videotape: Video and audiotape of Biochemistry classes is not permitted unless approved by faculty and the Office of Disability Services. Online lectures and e-learning materials will be available for review from the Blackboard website.COURSE SCHEDULE Lecture No. | Date Friday| TOPIC| READING(Shaw) Chapter| 1| 11th Jan| Membrane structure and functionCystic fibrosisG proteins, Signal transduction| 34 – 36| 2| 18thJan| Quiz I (Lecture 1 plus e-learning materials) (10 %)Deoxyribonucleic acidPreparation for DNA replicationDNA replication| 37 – 39| 3| 25th Jan| Mutations and DNA repairRNA and transcriptionThe genetic code| 40 – 42| 4| 1st Feb| Protein synthesisRegulation of protein synthesis in prokaryotesRegulation of protein synthesis in eukaryotes| 43 – 45| 5| 8th Feb| CancerInvestigating DNA| 46 – 47| | 15th Feb| Principles of nutritionCalcium and osteoporosis| 48| 7| 22nd Feb| Fed, fasting & starvingIntegration of metabolism Digestion of dietary fatQUIZ II Lecture 6 plus e-learning materials) (10%)| 49 – 51| 8| 1st Mar| MID-TERM EXAMINATION (35%) (Lectures 1 – 7)Obesity Lipoproteins| 52 – 53| SPRING BREAK MARCH 4th – 8th| 9| 15th Mar| Atherosclerosis and hypercholesterolemiaDigestion of carbohydratesDiabetes mellitusDiabetic complications| 54 – 57| 10| 22nd Mar| Protein digestion and absorptionIron metabolismHeme metabolism & Jaundice| 58 – 60| | 29th Mar| Easter No Class| | 1| 5th Apr| Collagen Growth factors and wound healingBlood clotting & Clot dissolutionBlood tests and clinical scenario| 61 – 64| 12| 12th Apr| Plasma proteinsOrgan function testsQUIZ III (Lecture 11 plus e-learning materials) (10%)| 65 – 66| 13| 19thApr| Enzyme diagnosticsAlcohol metabolism| 67 – 68| 14| 26th Apr| Exercise metabolismAging| 69 – 70| | May 3rd| FINAL EXAMINATION(Lectures 8 – 15) 35 %3:00 pm| | ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Subject to change in extenuating circumstances

How Important Is English in Business

May 2012 ARTICLE PREVIEW  To read the full article:  Sign in  or  Register  for free. HBR Subscribers  activate your free archive access  » http://hbr. org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english/ar/1 Global Business Speaks English by Tsedal Neeley Ready  or not,  English is now the global language of business. More and more multinational companies are mandating English as the common corporate language—Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing, to name a few—in an attempt to facilitate communication and performance across geographically diverse functions and business endeavors.Adopting a common mode of speech isn’t just a good idea; it’s a must, even for an American company with operations overseas, for instance, or a French company focused on domestic customers. Imagine that a group of salespeople from a company’s Paris headquarters get together for a meeting. Why would you care whether they all could speak English? Now consider that the same group goes on a sales call to a company also based in Paris, not realizing that the potential customer would be bringing in employees from other locations who didn’t speak French.This happened at one company I worked with. Sitting together in Paris, employees of those two French companies couldn’t close a deal because the people in the room couldn’t communicate. It was a shocking wake-up call, and the company soon adopted an English corporate language strategy. Similar concerns drove Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten—Japan’s largest online marketplace—to mandate in March 2010 that English would be the company’s official language of business.The company’s goal was to become the number one internet services company in the world, and Mikitani believed that the new policy—which would affect some 7,100 Japanese employees—was vital to ach ieving that end, especially as expansion plans were concentrated outside Japan. He also felt responsible for contributing to an expanded worldview for his country, a conservative island nation. The multibillion-dollar company—a cross between Amazon. com and eBay—was on a growth spree: It had acquired PriceMinister. com in France, Buy. com and FreeCause in the U.S. , Play. com in the UK, Tradoria in Germany, Kobo eBooks in Canada, and established joint ventures with major companies in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Brazil. Serious about the language change, Mikitani announced the plan to employees not in Japanese but in English. Overnight, the Japanese language cafeteria menus were replaced, as were elevator directories. And he stated that employees would have to demonstrate competence on an international English scoring system within two years—or risk demotion or even dismissal.The media instantly picked up the story, and corporate Japan reacted with fa scination and disdain. Honda’s CEO, Takanobu Ito, publicly asserted, â€Å"It’s stupid for a Japanese company to only use English in Japan when the workforce is mainly Japanese. † But Mikitani was confident that it was the right move, and the policy is bearing fruit. The English mandate has allowed Mikitani to create a remarkably diverse and powerful organization. Today, three out of six senior executives in his engineering organization aren’t Japanese; they don’t even speak Japanese.The company continues to aggressively seek the best talent from around the globe. Half of Rakuten’s Japanese employees now can adequately engage in internal communication in English, and 25% communicate in English with partners and coworkers in foreign subsidiaries on a regular basis. Adopting a global language policy is not easy, and companies invariably stumble along the way. It’s radical, and it’s almost certain to meet with staunch resistance f rom employees. Many may feel at a disadvantage if their English isn’t as good as others’, team dynamics and performance can suffer, and national pride can get in the way.But to survive and thrive in a global economy, companies must overcome language barriers—and English will almost always be the common ground, at least for now. The fastest-spreading language in human history, English is spoken at a useful level by some 1. 75 billion people worldwide—that’s one in every four of us. There are close to 385 million native speakers in countries like the U. S. and Australia, about a billion fluent speakers in formerly colonized nations such as India and Nigeria, and millions of people around the world who’ve studied it as a second language.An e stimated 565 million people use it on the internet. The benefits of â€Å"Englishnization,† as Mikitani calls it, are significant; however, relatively few companies have systematically implemented an English-language policy with sustained results. Through my research and work over the past decade with companies, I’ve developed an adoption framework to guide companies in their language efforts. There’s still a lot to learn, but success stories do exist. Adopters will find significant advantages. The Straight Dope http://www. straightdope. om/columns/read/757/whats-the-international-language-of-business-french-or-english A STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC FROM CECIL'S STOREHOUSE OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE What's the international language of business, French or English? August 4, 1989 Dear Cecil: Our high school French teacher always insisted learning French was important because it was going to become the international language of business. Now I hear English is mandatory in international aviation, and the Chinese students in Beijing spoke English to the international media. Was our French teacher shucking us? Merde! — Les Petites, South BostonCecil replies: Now, now. He/she p robably just didn't know any better. French teachers lead such empty lives as it is that no one has the heart to tell them the awful truth, which is that French is a language on the way down, not up. Once the language of diplomacy, French was used in the royal courts of Germany, Russia, and Italy during the 19th century. Fifty years ago Somerset Maugham called it â€Å"the common language of educated men† (women too, one presumes). But it's been in a state of decline since World War II, having long ago been supplanted by — you guessed it — English.English is the primary language of more than 400 million people and is the second language of hundreds of millions more. It's essential in science, technology, economics, and finance. It's the official language of airport control towers, might as well be the official language of computer software, and of course is vital to a perfect comprehension of MTV, Madonna, and other pillars of modern culture. French is the prima ry language of maybe 114 million, including such outposts of world commerce as Haiti, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso, and is essential chiefly to reading menus at Le Cirque.The French have been desperately attempting to reverse this trend. In addition to hosting international conferences of â€Å"Francophone† (French-speaking) nations, France as of 1986 was spending $750 million per year to support 20,000 French teachers in 155 countries. It also employs language police to guard against un-Gallic intrusions such as  le compact-disc. But all in vain. Not that French doesn't have its uses. Au contraire. It remains the language of international pretension  par excellence, having a certain  je ne sais quoithat appeals irresistibly to the  nouveaux riches.Also, let's face it,  je t'aimesounds infinitely classier than â€Å"luv ya, babe. † But French is more likely to come in handy in the intimate hours after the business meeting than during. —  Cecil Adams Is English the Language of Business? http://www. businesstrainingcollege. com/business/is-english-the-language-of-business. htm   Current figures show that there are  350 million native speakers of English, spreading into at least 100 territories. English  has become the main language in the UK, Australia, the USA and South Africa.And, even in those countries where  English  is not the official language, it has become the adopted first language of governments, education and international communications. On top of the 350 million  native speakers of English, there are roughly the same amount who use  English  as a  second language  and even some who use it as a  third language. As  English  has grown and spread around the globe it has been adopted as the  languageused when two parties from differing countries, who do not speak each others language, want to conduct business.And, with access to computers and the Internet growing daily, the number of  English speakers  an individual can potentially reach is phenomenal. It’s clear, from the facts laid out above, that  English  is not only important for  businessand your  career  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it is essential. And, this is especially true for those wanting to participate in  international business. Business Training  can help you improve your  English. Request a prospectus for ourBusiness English with Spoken English course. Tea Leaf: English is increasingly the international language of business By  Jeff Thredgold,  For the Deseret News http://www. deseretnews. om/article/700091766/English-is-increasingly-the-inter national-language-of-business. html? pg=all Published: Wednesday, Dec. 15 2010 10:12 p. m. MST SALT LAKE CITY — It's the year 2012. Your employer, a major global firm, announces that within two years all meetings and written communication within the company will be based on or conducted in Mandarin, the primary language of China. SALT LAKE CITY â €” It's the year 2012. Your employer, a major global firm, announces that within two years all meetings and written communication within the company will be based on or conducted in Mandarin, the primary language of China.Imagine our shock — our anger — our displeasure — at the need to suddenly learn an extremely difficult language, all in the name of keeping our job. Welcome to the global community in 2011! English has increasingly become the international language of business. More and more nations are demanding that their business executives become fluent in English. English learning courses are popular around the globe. While perhaps one quarter of the world's population can now converse to an extent in English, that share could rise to one-half by 2015, according tobusinessreviewusa. com. Japanese EnglishA number of major Japanese companies have already mandated that English is, or soon will be, the primary language of internal communications. Rakuten I nc. , Japan's largest online retailer, has mandated that English will be the â€Å"standard language† by March 2012. Major employers such as Nissan Motor, Sony, Fast Retailing, Sumida and Nippon Sheet Glass have made similar mandates, or have already implemented such a reality, according to The Wall Street Journal. By 2012, Rakuten employees will be required to speak and correspond with each other in English. The risk of dismissal from the company if English is not mastered is clear.While we might think of Japan, now the world's third-largest economy behind China, as a manufacturing haven, roughly 70 percent of that nation's GDP is now in services. If you are aiming at be a player in the global marketplace, you must  communicate in English. Ironically, it is fiercely independent Japan where English skills lag other nations. Among the 34 nations designated as â€Å"advanced economies† by the International Monetary Fund, Japan had the lowest scores during 2009 on the T est of English as a Foreign Language, a proficiency test given to foreign students who want to study within the U.S. , according to The Wall Street Journal. European English Meetings within the European Union are routinely held in English; written documents the same. It is simply a reality that a much larger share of senior politicians within the European Community speak English as a second language rather than French, German, Italian, etc. It has long held true that the aspiration of thousands of gifted students around the world is to study and graduate from a major American university. The combination of gaining a degree in business, or finance, or engineering, or chemistry, etc. from what most still consider the world's best, most up-to-date universities, combined with perfecting verbal and written skills in English, is a ticket to prosperity for those students who return home. Student English As one might expect, many nations around the globe have required their youth to routine ly study English in the primary grades for years. What might have once been seen as a way to expand the horizon of younger people, such English language skills now provide people across Asia, across Europe, across South America, across Africa, across the Middle East, etc. with a vital tool to succeed in life in coming years. Unfortunately, the rise of English places less need for Americans to study other languages than ever before. More schools do offer Chinese languages than before, but other language courses have been trimmed in many schools because of budget pressures. What do you call a person who speaks three languages? Multilingual. What do you call a person who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call a person who speaks one language? An American. Sad, but true. TradeThe U. S. trade deficit with the rest of the global community shrank in October to its lowest level in nine months, one more sign that the American economy is slowly picking up speed. The net difference between American exports and imports declined to $38. 7 billion in October, better than consensus expectations. The trade deficit was $44. 6 billion in September. U. S. exports to the world jumped 3. 2 percent to $158. 7 billion in October, the highest level since August 2008. Imports dipped 0. 5 percent to $197. billion. Perhaps contrary to common belief, the trade imbalance does not just measure the difference between â€Å"merchandise† or â€Å"goods† exported out of and imported into the U. S. It also includes a smaller component of â€Å"services,† including financial services, insurance, travel, professional services, etc. The U. S. typically runs a trade deficit in goods or merchandise and a surplus in services. A lofty goal The Obama administration has announced a goal to double U. S. exports to the world over the next five years.While this is a noble and desirable objective, you can take it to the bank that every other nation on the planet has identifie d a similar goal. The administration and the Federal Reserve have drawn criticism around the world that both institutions are following a â€Å"cheap dollar† policy to boost U. S. exports to the world. The theory is that a weaker U. S. dollar relative to other major currencies leads to lower global prices for American-made goods and services, while also making imports into the U. S. more expensive. As usual, the administration and the Federal Reserve each indicate support of a â€Å"strong dollar† policy.Chinese pressure China remains under enormous global political pressure to allow its currency to rise in value as a means of reducing its enormous trade surplus with the world. While the Chinese have allowed modest currency appreciation in recent years, many feel that their currency, the yuan (which does not float or trade openly in global foreign exchange markets), is still 20 percent to 40 percent undervalued. China, now the world's largest exporter, runs an enormous trade surplus with the U. S. Despite record American exports to China in October, the two nations ran a $226. billion trade surplus in favor of the Chinese during 2010's first 10 months, up more than 20 percent versus the same period a year ago. Additional U. S. and global political pressure on the Chinese to boost their currency's value will remain center stage for years to come. Jeff Thredgold is chief economist for Zions Bank and founder of Thredgold Economic Associates, a professional speaking and economic consulting firm. Visit  www. thredgold. com English as essential language of business By  Sun Joo Kim  | October 28, 2012, 8:58 PM PDT http://www. smartplanet. om/blog/bulletin/english-as-essential-language-of-business/4030 China may have the world’s second largest economy, but speaking Mandarin isn’t a required business skill yet. English, according to a study by  EF Education First, will remain the basic language of business. Dorie Clark for Forbes   outlines the study and writes that English will maintain and grow its dominance, moving from â€Å"a marker of the elite† in years past to â€Å"a basic skill needed for the entire workforce, in the same way that literacy has been transformed in the last two centuries from an elite privilege into a basic requirement for informed citizenship. (Indeed, the British Council reports that by 2020, two billion people will be studying English. ) The findings will be reassuring to native English speakers in the United States, of whom  only 10% speak a second language. However, speaking another language in addition to English (in the United States, I’d argue for Spanish) is vital to participating — and having a competitive edge — in business and finance on a global level. Read the entire study on the  EF website. Mandarin Chinese Most Useful Business Language After English By  John Lauerman  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  2011-08-30T19:34:57Z http://www. bloomberg. om/news/2 011-08-30/mandarin-chinese-most-useful-business-language-after-english-1-. html Mandarin,  China’s official tongue is also the top language worldwide for business other than English, according to Bloomberg Rankings. Mandarin, spoken by 845 million people, scored highest in a ranking of languages, excluding English, based on business usefulness. The ranking scored languages according to the number of speakers, number of countries where the language is official, along with those nations’ populations, financial power, educational and literacy rates, and related measures.French, spoken by 68 million people worldwide and the official language of 27 countries, was ranked second, followed by Arabic, which is spoken by 221 million people and is official in 23 nations. Mandarin is unlikely to supplant English soon as the primary language of business, said Leigh Hafrey, a senior lecturer in communications and ethics at the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s  S loan School of Management. â€Å"In much the same way that the dollar remains the preferred currency, English will remain the preferred language for the foreseeable future,† Hafrey said in a telephone interview.Mandarin speakers can gain an advantage in doing business in China, Hafrey said. â€Å"Speaking the language confers a huge advantage for anyone who wants to do business in a non-English-speaking country,† he said. â€Å"It gives you flexibility, knowledge that you need, and personal connections that can make a difference in the speed and effectiveness of your negotiations. † Spanish, the official language of 20 countries and spoken by 329 million people, came in fourth, the rankings showed. Spanish was the top foreign language studied in U. S. ollege classrooms in 2009, according to research from the  Modern Language Association  in  New York. Chinese tallied seventh by the number of U. S. students enrolled in classes that year, after Spanish, Fren ch, German, American Sign Language, Italian and Japanese, according to a December 2010  report  by the association. Arabic was eighth. English – The International Language of Business Better English-Better Future http://www. learn-english-online. co/News/April-2012/English–The-International-Language-of-Business. aspx Sunday 1 April 2012 9:41 AMThere are estimated to be over 360 million native English speakers across the globe. Whilst this compares to a massive 850 million native Mandarin speakers, a further billion people speak English as second or foreign language. With the dominance the British Empire at the turn of the 20th century and the emergence of the USA as a global superpower over the following two decades, English cemented its position as a global language. What is more, with the financial centers of London and New York located in English speaking countries, the language has become firmly established as the language of business across the world.There is talk of the USA declining as a global power and the rise of the China and other far eastern economies. So will English ever lose its place as the international language of business? Looking at the alternatives suggests that it probably will not. Mandarin is an extremely difficult language to grasp and English is already widely spoken as a second language in India and a lot of European countries. As a result, national and international companies in any country place particular emphasis on their employees being able to speak English.If you want to stand out from the crowd it is important to already have a firm grasp on the language when you turn up to job applications. On the other side of the coin, if you are a native English speaker but struggle with spelling or grammar your career prospects are drastically limited. It is, therefore, essential to learn English grammar to get on in your career. There is an emerging form of English, known as International English, that is somewhat sim pler and easier to understand than British or American English.The international form of English does not use colloquialisms and places less emphasis on the correct use of tense and other grammar. The trouble is it is often interpreted as poor English and will simple not suffice in many international companies. Failing to learn English grammar correctly will ultimately cost you in a large proportion of jobs. For native speakers, it is important, however, to be able to speak clearly and correctly. One of the things that make English such a fantastic language is its huge variety of accents and dialects.The downside to this is that non-native speakers or natives from different parts of the English speaking world can struggle to understand one another. It is imperative, therefore, to be able to soften your own accent and drop some of the dialect to ensure you are clearly understood at work. So if you want to improve your job prospects and take the next step in your career, learning to s peak or improving your English language skills is a great place to start. There are a number of quality courses available online as well as in night schools and colleges across the country that cater for all levels of English speakers.RELATED SITES: ALUMNI HOME CLUBS Learning to Speak the Language of Business Hiroshi Mikitani / Rakuten March 2012 http://www. alumni. hbs. edu/bulletin/2012/march/innovation-mikitani. html Mikitani Main article: Where Innovation Rules Case study: Englishnization at Rakuten From Pinterest to Kobo, how Japan's Rakuten is building a global internet giant  (Wired. co. uk) You might call  Hiroshi Mikitani  (MBA 1993) the Jeff Bezos of Japan. Both lead hugely successful Internet commerce companies with a commanding presence in their home markets. But to call Mikitani’s company, Rakuten, the Amazon. om of Japan would overlook fundamental differences for customers and merchants alike. â€Å"We created a real online marketplace where customers can interact with shop owners, and we empower our merchants to build relationships with their customers,† says Mikitani, Rakuten’s founder, chairman, and CEO. Amazon offers neither experience, he adds. Launched in 1997, Rakuten’s online shopping mall now hosts more than 37,000 merchants, and the company has expanded into other e-commerce businesses, including travel, banking, telecommunications, and credit card services.Not satisfied with dominating Japan’s e-commerce landscape, Mikitani believes the company’s future lies in taking its online expertise global. Since 2008, Rakuten has acquired or partnered with e-commerce firms in 10 countries—including Brazil, China, and the United States—and plans to add seven more this year. Success as a global player takes more than an aggressive acquisitions plan, says Mikitani. It requires that all 7,100 of the firm’s Japanese employees communicate in English, the global language of business.M ikitani announced the changeover, in English, in March 2010 and set a two-year deadline for everyone to demonstrate English proficiency or sacrifice chances for advancement. He dubbed the project â€Å"Englishnization,† which has attracted international media attention. The Japanese language, Mikitani reasons, poses a barrier to the firm’s global ambitions. â€Å"There was a huge language barrier between the Tokyo office and our subsidiaries outside Japan,† he observes in a 2011 HBS case study on Rakuten. One day the idea just struck me: ‘Why don’t we try communicating just in English? ’ It’s an entrepreneurial kind of thing: you come up with an idea one day, and suddenly you jump off the cliff with it. † As the proficiency deadline approaches in July, Mikitani says employees â€Å"are progressing better than expected. † He credits HBS assistant professor  Tsedal Neeley, who wrote the  Rakuten case study, with providin g advice for communicating more clearly why English proficiency is important for Rakuten’s future. This is not just a Japanese company issue,† Mikitani points out. â€Å"Other companies doing global business also have been segregated by language. If we succeed, we’ll be followed by others. † —RT Business English as International Language of Business Business English Training Courses,  English Language TrainingAdd comments http://languageblog. communicaid. com/english-language-training/business-english-as-international-language-of-business/ What are the reasons why so many professional people are currently attending  Business English courses?The answer to this question is simple. English is the language for doing International Business. As a consequence, companies need those employees who are in relation with foreign clients or suppliers to have the skills in English which enable them to do their work efficiently. Even if an employee has good kno wledge of the English language, he/she still needs to acquire the language to their professional area (logistics, human resources, etc. ) and therefore need to attend a Business English course.In this  post we will look at why English is in this position, what the implications of this are for the English language and Business English training courses and what future developments we can expect to witness. British colonialism spread the English language around the globe as it was administratively imposed on the non-English speakers in these colonies. English started to become increasingly influential on the world-scene at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. The Versailles Treaty of 1919 was drawn up not only in French (the diplomatic language of the time) but also in English.The US’s powerful political, military and economic position in the second half of the Twentieth Century meant that English became the main language of communication in such organisations as NATO and t he IMF. The following facts from the  British Council  website reveal the current widespread use of English: English is spoken as a first language by around 375 million and as a second language by around 375 million speakers. Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language. Due to the fact that  Business English  is so important, companies require increasing numbers of their employees to have knowledge of this language.This knowledge is no longer the preserve of people in positions of responsibility; technicians who have to phone for support in another country and receptionists who receive foreign delegations also need to be able to do certain parts of their jobs in English. Companies therefore allocate a proportion of their training budgets to business English courses. This more diverse demand has led to the development of training courses which specialise in exactly what the delegate needs to know in order to be able to function correctly at w ork.As Business is done in English between people who are not necessarily native speakers of the language, a simplified version of English is now emerging. This version is sometimes called ’standard’ or ‘international’ English. This new type of English for Business purposes is trimmed of all the non-essential grammatical structures and has a reduced common vocabulary. Phrasal verbs such as ‘go on ‘ and ’set up’ are not as important as ‘continue ‘ and ‘create’, for example, and knowledge of the difference between the present perfect and the past simple is no longer a priority in the training room.The primordial objective of the business person using international business English is to communicate efficiently and effectively. Native speakers with their fast delivery, colloquial expressions and unclear pronunciation are feared in the business place as they have become the most difficult people to understand. The result of this is that native speakers may have to start learning how to speak a more communication-friendly form of their own language – i. e. international English According to a recent  BBC article, US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades.This change shows that the situation that made English into the international Business language is going to change in the future. Will this mean that another language will replace English as the new language of international business communication? It is improbable as Chinese, for example, is such a difficult language to learn and does not have the same world-wide spread as English. Another emerging economy, India, already uses English substantially in everyday life. It is also true to say that International English is easier to learn than other forms of English such as British English or American English.The result is that this standardised international version of English will become more and more prevalent in international business and training courses will have to reflect this reality.  © Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010 Exforsys Inc Importance of English in International Business http://www. exforsys. com/career-center/english-vocabulary/importance-of-english -in-international-business. html Author : Exforsys Inc. Published on: 13th May 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  |  Ã‚  Ã‚  Last Updated on: 7th Feb 2011 Importance of English in  International BusinessWhile English is not the most widely spoken language in the world when you look at it in terms of the number of native speakers, it is the world's most prominent language. While a larger number of people speak Chinese, that language is largely confined to China. English on the other hand, is spoken around the world. It has been estimated that out of the roughly 6 billion people that are alive today about 350 million speak English. When you look at the importance of English for International  Business, you must lo ok at more than just the number of people who speak it. You must also look at what the language is used for.English is the ideal language for many governments around the world, and it is also prominent in business, education, world news, and communication. In addition to this, Western pop culture is also carried to foreign countries in the form of music or movies. If you wish to be successful in International business,  learning  English is incredibly important. In many places such as Asia, Africa, and  South America, the ability to learn English will determine who will increase their living standards, and who will remain in poverty. There are a number of powerful tools that have allowed more people to learn English than ever before.One of these tools is the Internet. The  Power  of the Internet in Spreading English Before the Internet, it was hard for you to learn English if you didn't attend a  college  or university. These were the only institutions where the langua ge was widely spoken. If you lived in a community so poor that it didn't have a college or university, your chances of ever learning English were remote. While many people still live in these circumstances today, the Internet has allowed the English language to spread around the word. Because the Internet was invented in the West, English was inherently built into it.Because Internet usage has expanded throughout the world, more people are being exposed to English. The advent of online universities has now made it possible for more people to learn English, people who may live in countries where access to standard education facilities is limited. While it may have been impossible for these people to learn English in the past, the Internet has opened up new  career  opportunities. These people are now able to learn English, and they can use their English skills to get better paying jobs at  home, or they can use them to find jobs overseas.In any event, the Internet has played a powerful role in allowing English to spread across the world, and the number of people learning it is likely to increase in the future. The Importance of English for Business Many companies have discovered early in the 21st century that they can cut their costs of production by sending their jobs overseas. The proper term for this is outsourcing, or offshoring. Some companies have also found that they can cut costs by bringing immigrants into the country on work visas. The employees will work for the  company  for a given period of time, and once their visa has expired, they can return home.For someone living in a country where English is not the native language, they will need to master this language if they wish to  travel to the United States  to find a high paying job. While many people in English speaking countries complain about the impact of outsourcing, it presents lucrative opportunities for people living in foreign countries. Learning how to speak English can allow you to travel to a Western country, work there for a few months, make more money than you would make at home, and then bring the money back home to your family.This is a practice that many people use, and it is factors such as outsourcing which have allowed them to do it. As you can see, learning how to speak English opened up a large number of doors, doors that would normally be closed. Ads Conclusion In many countries where English is not the native language, you are considered highly educated if you can speak the language properly. You will be presented with a number of career opportunities, and you will have the option of staying home to work, or you could travel abroad. When you learn how to speak English, the opportunities are limitless.It’s estimated that  up to 7,000 different languages  are spoken around the world. 90% of these languages are used by less than 100,000 people. Over a million people converse in 150-200 languages and 46 languages have just a single speaker! Languages are grouped into families that share a common ancestry. For example, English is related to German and Dutch, and they are all part of the  Indo-European family  of languages. These also include Romance languages, such as French, Spanish and Italian, which come from Latin. 2,200  of the world’s languages can be found in  Asia, while Europe has a mere 260.Nearly every language uses a similar grammatical structure, even though they may not be linked in vocabulary or origin. Communities which are usually isolated from each other because of mountainous geography may have developed multiple languages. Papua New Guinea  for instance, boasts no less than  832  different languages! http://www. bbc. co. uk/languages/guide/languages. shtml On the importance of English language education for students The Jakarta Post | Feature | Mon, October 29 2012, 12:22 PM http://www. thejakartapost. com/news/2012/10/29/on-importance-english-language-education-students . html Paper Edition | Page: 21The English-language curriculum in the national education system has been a bone of contention among parents and education experts for many years, with many lamenting its focus on grammar and structure at the expense of creating a fun learning experience for students. The Jakarta Post’s  Iman Mahditamatalked to the Education and Culture Ministry’s director general for secondary education,  Hamid Muhammad, about the importance of instilling students with excellent English communication skills and the significance of extracurricular activities such as the Youth Speak Fun Day in helping students to master the language.Below are excerpts of their conversation. Question: What is the significance of Youth Speak Fun Day (YSFD) for your directorate, given the bigger picture of the national education system? Answer: The secondary education directorate general has two main programs. The first is to ensure access to education for junior high sch ool graduates. Every year, there are 1. 2 million graduates who cannot be accommodated in senior high schools. We are working to solve this. We are currently creating a layout for a national 12-year compulsory education scheme. However, access to education alone is not enough.We also have to ensure the quality of education, which is our second program. It means nothing if we build more schools, but cannot develop students who are competent in their respective fields. In improving educational quality, the directorate general must be able to devise a scheme that will not only enhance the students’ intellectual ability, but also improve their character, as I believe that character is the basis of their future success. We have many smart kids who cannot do anything once they are out in the real world as they lack in communication skills. This is where extracurricular activities, such as the YSFD, can help.It can be a medium for students to do fun stuff, interact, communicate, and play with others. We have to develop these activities to prevent our kids from getting too bored with academic stuffs. In short, we really, really support YSFD. If children in various regions in Indonesia seem to be enthusiastic over the event, it’s because they really do love it -because it gives them a space to really show their talents and skills. Without undermining the significant role of Indonesian instruction, what are your hopes for such events as the YSFD in the campaign to learn English?In Indonesia, English is deemed as a foreign language instead of a second language. However, as our local communities are becoming more global, coupled with our country’s booming economy, learning and mastering English has become a must. So far, the local English curriculum is too focused on grammar and sentence structure at the expense of instilling excellent English communication skills, when, in fact, the latter was what we hope from our local schools. The YSFD can serve a s a place for our kids to self-actualize themselves in fun and challenging ways. I believe â€Å"fun and challenging† is the key.Some programs are just too challenging and too rigid that it can’t be fun. YSFD is different. I think that this is something good that needs to be spread to all regions in Indonesia. How do you think such activities as the YSFD can help stop students from the brawls that have broken out as of late? Brawls are a problem of metropolitan areas and large cities, many of which are lacking in facilities for teenagers to interact with each other in fun and positive ways. In the end, those kids are overflowing with energy, which they then release in negative, and sometimes destructive, behaviors.I sincerely hope that activities like YSFD can be held in large cities as a place for these kids to channel their energy in positive, productive, and competitive ways. I think the effect will be exceptionally tremendous. By having more activities, we can prev ent teenagers from forming gangs and involving themselves in negative activities. What is the role of partnerships with companies like The Jakarta Post Foundation and PT Chevron Indonesia for the directorate general in executing its programs? I sincerely thank both companies.At least, we have good news in promoting our students who have tremendous skills and talents, rather than telling the bad news of student brawls all the time, which is honestly exhausting. I truly welcome every company who wants to help us with our program. It will be beneficial for all, no doubt about that. There will always be those who see the country’s huge population and when they see what we’ve done, they’ll say that what we do won’t mean much. I don’t agree with that. At least, we’ve done something good. The thing that we do may only be on a small scale, but the ripple effect will be incredible.People will see that we’ve done something good and that the res ult on the kids is also good. The Education and Culture Ministry plans to streamline the national curriculum and erase English as a compulsory subject for elementary schools starting from next year. Will that affect the English curriculum for secondary education? I think not. The plan was not to entirely erase the English subject, but rather to make it as an optional school subject. Even now, when it is compulsory for students to learn English starting in the fourth grade, many elementary schools are not teaching the subject.There will be streamlining, but that does not mean that we will ban elementary schools that voluntarily wish to teach their students English from doing so. Elementary schools that have the capability to teach English well will be allowed to teach the language. We will keep providing attention to the teaching of English anywhere in this nation, but we don’t want to make the subject compulsory when most schools are incapable of carrying it out. It is better for the subject to be optional. The most important thing is that the schools don’t have too many core subjects, but we open more possibilities by giving them optional subjects.What plans and ideas do you have in mind for future campaigns of the use of English and prevention of student brawls? I think the most important is to change our English curriculum to focus on improving student communication skills. In fact, the current school-based curriculum [KTSP] has attempted to use that approach, but it fails because the teachers are so used to grammar and structure. It is impossible to tell our kids to learn to communicate in English when their teachers cannot do so. I believe that teachers of English at our schools must use English, instead of Indonesian, in class.That is what we are trying to reinforce in the new curriculum. Training for teachers, therefore, is a must. I think it’s a huge mistake if English teachers use Indonesian while in class. It’s fine in pri mary education levels. But in senior high schools, everyone must be brave enough to talk in English. I also encourage schools to have one day when everyone must speak English. In this aspect, the curriculum of Gontor Islamic Boarding School [in Ponorogo, East Java] is better than ours. They implemented a dual-language teaching system, using English and Arabic.Their graduates can speak English fluently because they use it every day. No one seems to protest that, whereas when we try to enforce our international standard project (RSBI) schools to use English, everyone protested. They say that enforcement ran against the spirit of nationalism. How can they be so narrow-minded? Mastering a foreign language does not mean your love for your country will fade away. Haji Agus Salim, a national hero, was widely known during his lifetime for having mastered more than five foreign languages. No one has ever questioned his nationalism.What is the importance of English in today's world? English L anguage Questions Best Answer http://EzineArticles. com/? expert=Raghu_Sundaram http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_the_importance_of_English_in_today's_world Frankly speaking, it is highly essential to know the language for communication. In general, the most popular language is English. In this  computer  age, English is the only language that any one can understand. So to say, it has become as an ideal language for expressing our feelings. First, we have to learn the language and then we have to gain fluency in the language.Unless we have the fluency in English language, it would not be possible to work with the computer. If you do not know English, then you would be in need of a translator to do the job. The first stage of learning this language would be very interesting. Once you are fluent with the alphabets, slowly you can learn many words. It would always be better to follow the method of reading first, then writing. You can use the picture books for this purpose. When y ou feel that you are familiar with the words, you can form sentences. This is the most interesting stage to learn.You just think of a sentence in your  mother  language, and try to write the same sentence in English. There could be some mistakes. But you should not bother about it. But, you have to write the same sentence using many different words till you are satisfied with your sentence. If you follow this way, very soon you can create sentences of your own. The next step is learning the grammar of the language. It is quite simple and very systematic compared with other languages. There are certain rules and regulations for each and every topic in grammar of this language.As long as you follow the rules and regulations, it would be a difficult task to make mistakes. You would gain that much guidance from the grammar. The presentation is the most important factor in communicating your feelings. So, naturally you must be sure while you are presenting. what you really wish to sa y. At any point, do not try to write or speak, beyond your capability. Even if it is a small and simple sentence, it would reach the receiver perfectly. This is our basic  idea. Slowly, you can improve the standard of your language by practice.If you know to form the sentences, it is more than enough to go deep into the subject. Though this only an article about the importance of the English Language, we have to learn some of the basic points in presenting the sentences. There are three different types of sentences: They are, 1. Statements. 2. Interrogative sentence. 3. Imperative sentence. 4. Exclamatory sentence. To begin with, you must know the difference between a phrase and a sentence. Phrase is a group of words, which gives meaning, but not complete meaning. A sentence is a group of words, which makes a complete sense. . Statement: The sentence starting with nouns or pronouns is known as statement. Example: Rome is a church city. 2. Interrogative sentence: There are two type s of interrogative sentences. a. â€Å"wh† type question. The sentences starting with the following fords are â€Å"wh† type question. What, When, Where, Who, How many, How long and etcetera. Example: Why did you come late? 2. What are you doing there? b. â€Å"yes or no† type question. For which sentences you get the reply either with yes or no they are called yes or no type question. Example: Is your father a doctor? The answer: No sir. 3.Imperative sentence: The sentence that gives command, request, and advice is known as Imperative sentence. Example: Walk on the pavement. 2. Eat regularly. 4. Exclamatory sentence: The sentence that expresses the sudden feelings or strong emotions is known as exclamatory sentence. Example: Alas! He is dead. 2. Oh! What a beautiful sight. When you are familiar with the above points, it would be very interesting to you to create many wonderful sentences. In general, the sentences are divided into three different kinds. They are ,   1. Simple sentence. 2. Compound sentence. 3. Complex sentence.Though it very essential to have knowledge in  handling  the above sentences, we have to study them separately. In this essay, we are talking about the importance of the language. Many people make mistakes even with the usage of articles. It is a pity that even scholars may make mistakes. So, you should not get dejected with your style of writing. There is a lot of difference between these two. 1. a few 2. few   When you want to say that you have friends, you have to say that,† I have a few friends. †Ã‚   When you want to say that you do not have friends, you have to say that, â€Å"I have few friends. This is the opposite meaning of the word, many. Apart from these, there are many points to be discussed later. When you feel that you are already strong on the above subjects, you can develop your knowledge for betterment of your knowledge. As long as you educate yourself, you will come across many new things. There is no end for learning. All the above points are used in the normal usage of English. The literature value of the English Language is entirely different and should be dealt separately. Article Source: http://EzineArticles. com/? expert=Raghu_Sundaram Importance of the English Language in today's world ttp://zeeshannaved. hubpages. com/hub/importanceofenglishlanguages This Hub was last updated on July 10, 2012 Language is the source of communication. Its the way through which we share our ideas and thoughts with others. There are uncountable languages in this world. Because every country has their own national language, then they have different local languages spoken and understood by their people in different regions. Let's talk about English. It is the language of England and has International Standard. Many people think English as American Language but it is not true.In fact, when Columbus discovered America, he saw the country in the Stone Age with high illitera cy rate. Those were the European and English people who brought education and knowledge even technology towards America. There are several factors that make us to learn English Language to go through in the current time. First of all, as I already mention, it has International Standard, that’s why everyone needs to learn English in order to get in touch on International Level. If we see Educational field, we will find much of the syllabus is written in English. Children are taught and encouraged to learn English on starting levels.And accordingly, as they promote to the next levels they study almost all the subjects in English. We see the Internet and finds more than 90% of websites written and created in English. And even when you see some sites in other languages, they also give you the option to translate in English. All the research and studies you find will be written and typed in English. All the information regarding each and everything contains English Language. There is another factor that make English very important in this world is it is the easiest language of the world to learn.Many people think that it is very difficult and confusing. But I suggest them to start and learn only for a week and they will feel easy with English. With good understanding and communication in English, we can travel around the globe. We get assistance and help in English in every part of world. You can test it by on line travel. Better you visit some offices, companies, governmental organizations, and other departments, and you will see the importance of English as they hire the professional staff after getting know that whether the people they are hiring are good at English or not.This is the company's will that their staff is not even well educated but also good English speaker, writer and Reader. Those who are still unaware about the importance of English. They should start learning English as a time will come when everything would be understood, spoken and wri tten in English. Better watch some media and get the scope of English. 15 KASIM 2008 CUMARTESI http://toeflgencligi. blogspot. com/2008/11/importance-of-english. html IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH: