Learnings in Operations Management from Henry Ford, Sloan and Toyota Essay

The success of Henry Ford till 1925s Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. He didn’t even invent the assembly line. But more than any other single individual, he was responsible for transforming the automobile from an invention of unknown utility into an innovation that profoundly shaped the 20th century and continues to affect our lives today. Model T (A car for everyman) In simple terms, the Model T changed the world. It was a powerful car with a possible speed of 45 mph. It could run 25 miles on a gallon of gasoline. It carried a 20-horsepower, side-valve four-cylinder engine and two-speed planetary transmission on a 100-inch wheelbase. It was Henry Ford’s foresight which saw the potential market of automobiles. In his opinion transportation was a basic need of human and if affordable anyone would be willing to buy it. It was with this vision of delivering automobiles to everyman that Ford started to experiment with different production methodologies to lower the cost of production. Influence of Frederick Taylor on Henry Ford Frederick Taylor was a contemporary of Henry Ford. His theory of scientific management had a big impact on Henry Ford. According to Henry Ford, the assembly line was based on three simple principles: â€Å"the planned, orderly, and continuous progression of the commodity through the shop; the delivery of work instead of leaving it to the workman’s initiative to find it; an analysis of operations into their constituent parts.† A scientific approach to these principles, the next logical step in the organization of work, had already been enunciated by Frederick Taylor in what is now called as scientific management. Henry Ford used the techniques specified by Frederick Taylor in increasing the efficiency of his process. Taylor’s scientific management consisted of four principles: 1. Replace rule-of-thumb work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks. 2. Scientifically select, train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. 3. Provide â€Å"Detailed instruction and supervision of each worker in the performance of that worker’s discrete task†. 4. Divide work nearly equally between managers and workers, so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks. Learnings from Henry Ford and Model T Assembly Line/Mass production In 1913 Henry Ford started production of Ford Model T in a sliding assembly line. Though assembly line was used previously used in different industry but it was mostly for products which had small number of parts. Model T on the other hand had many more components. Sliding assembly line of Henry Ford was inspired by overhead trolleys used to dress up beef. Henry Ford thought that the same technique can be used for automobile too. A breakthrough came in April 1913. A production engineer in the flywheel magneto assembly area tried a new way to put this component’s parts together. The operation was divided into 29 separate steps. Workers placed only one part in the assembly before pushing the flywheel down the line to the next employee. Previously, it had taken one employee about 20 minutes to assemble a flywheel magneto. Divided among 29 men, the job took 13 minutes. It was eventually trimmed to five minutes. This approach was applied gradually to the construction of the engine and other parts. According to Henry Ford: The principles of assembly are these: (1) Place the tools and the men in the sequence of the operation so that each component part shall travel the least possible distance while in the process of finishing. (2) Use work slides or some other form of carrier so that when a workman completes his operation, he drops the part always in the same place—which place must always be the most convenient place to his hand—and if possible  have gravity carry the part to the next workman for his own. (3) Use sliding assembling lines by which the parts to be assembled are delivered at convenient distances. Advantages of assembly Line : In his autobiography Henry Ford (1922) mentions several benefits of the assembly line including: Workers do no heavy lifting. No stooping or bending over. No special training required. There are jobs that almost anyone can do. Provided employment to immigrants. The gains in productivity allowed Ford to increase worker pay from $1.50 per day to $5.00 per day once employees reached three years of service on the assembly line. Ford continued on to reduce the hourly work week while continuously lowering the Model T price. Interchangeable/Standard Parts Centre to the concept of assembly line was the concept of interchangeable parts. Interchangeable parts meant that all the cars had same components at same place. This saved time which could have been wasted in sorting and identification of different parts. Henry Ford made sure that all components were standardised in the production of Model T. But it was not only parts which were standardised, Henry Ford also standardised all the processes. Following Frederick Taylor’s â€Å"One right way  to do the task†, Henry Ford devised the best possible way for a process. These were usually devised by detailed study of every task, time measurements and dividing tasks into small, controllable and reproducible steps. Labour policies Ford astonished the world in 1914 by offering a $5 per day wage ($120 today), which more than doubled the rate of most of his workers. The move proved extremely profitable; instead of constant turnover of employees, the best mechanics in Detroit flocked to Ford, bringing their human capital and expertise, raising productivity, and lowering training costs. Ford announced his $5-per-day program on January 5, 1914, raising the minimum daily pay from $2.34 to $5 for qualifying workers. It also set a new, reduced workweek. Ford’s policy proved, however, that paying people more would enable Ford workers to afford the cars they were producing and be good for the economy. Ford explained the policy as profit-sharing rather than wages. Franchising Ford pioneered the franchise system that would be applied to other industries, such as MacDonald’s and many other franchise giants. He put a Ford plant in every country that was on good terms with the U.S. and started the trend toward global corporations. Ford mapped out the whole system, from standardizing the car to franchising dealerships to creating a global network, and he did it all with no precedents to learn from. Just in Time (Henry Ford’s Contribution) Ernest Kanzler worked with Henry Ford in reducing the inventory costs at Fordson tractor plant. Kanzler noticed that during the Great War, excessive supplies were brought into the Fordson Tractor Plant prior to production. He found that these excess supplies tied up valuable plant space and millions of dollars. To remedy this, Kanzler reorganized inventory schedules so that raw materials and pans were bought only when needed and that the freight cars used for  delivery of these pans were used immediately to transport finished Fordson tractors to dealers. The success of General Motors post  1927 (Sloan) Mr. Sloan was elected President of General Motors in 1923, succeeding Pierre S. du Pont, who said of him on that occasion: â€Å"The greater part of the successful development of the Corporation’s operations and the building of a strong manufacturing and sales organization is due to Mr. Sloan. His election to the presidency is a natural and well-merited recognition of his untiring and able efforts and successful achievement.† Mr. Sloan had developed by then his system of disciplined, professional management that provided for decentralized operations with coordinated centralized policy control. Applying it to General Motors, he set the corporation on its course of industrial leadership. The next 23 years, with Mr. Sloan as Chief Executive Officer, were years of enormous expansion for General Motors and of a steady increase in its share of the automobile market. Changing with times While Henry Ford’s success with Model T was based on providing a mean of transport to everyone, Sloan realized that by 1925s just getting a mean of transport was not important. People were now more conscious about the looks and features of car too. He changed the organisation and production system at General Motors to keep up with these changes and provide an advantage over Ford who were still producing only one model at a time. Learnings from Alfred Sloan and General Motors Annual Model Change/Planned obsolescence To maintain unit sales, General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan Jr. suggested annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new replacement each year, an idea borrowed from the bicycle industry. In his autobiography, â€Å"My Years with General Motors,† he penned this thought  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The changes in the new model should be so novel and attractive as to create demand . . . and a certain amount of dissatisfaction with past models as compared with the new one.† Decentralisation in Organisational structure Alfred Sloan split General Motors into divisions, and each division was run as a company within a company. Sloan said the company was  Ã¢â‚¬Å"coordinated in policy and decentralised in administration†. He supervised the decentralisation of the organisation into divisional operating units, placing in charge of each an executive with total authority for his own activity. In order to give coherence to the decentralised organisation, Sloan deliberately maintained a degree of central control. Decentralisation he saw as analogous to free enterprise, and centralisation to regimentation. He believed that elements of both were necessary to successful business. At the same time as dividing the company into separate units, he developed a system which enabled the units to support each other, therefore establishing a much stronger organisation as a whole. Price Segmentation Sloan realized that he can’t compete with Ford in price wars. Instead what he did was to have a model in every price segment. This way they can take some chunk of Ford’s low price range with Chevrolet cars while giving multiple options to users at higher ends. His theory was to provide â€Å"A car for every purse and purpose†. This proved very successful in the long run and have become a must do thing for big businesses in all kind of industries. Financing A company was founded in 1919 by General Motors Corporation as the General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) to be a provider of financing to automotive customers. This proved very beneficial in the long run as Ford had no such system and it negated the effect of low prices provided by Ford to some extent. Inventory  control and production control Sloan devised a system where inputs from retailers and individual organisation was used to decide the production plans for future. He asked every office to give three estimates- pessimistic, realistic and optimistic. These reviews were used to forecast and plan the future production. Also, it was used to decide how much inventory needed to be kept. Fact Based planning and Decision Planning Sloan always put an emphasis on fact based decision making. Even when working under his predecessors Durant and du Pont, he always went to them with changes in system based on data. Something which du Pont readily accepted and was important in selection of Sloan as next President of General Motors. The success of Toyota in the 70s and 80s The history of Toyota started in 1933 with the company being a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works devoted to the production of  automobiles under the direction of the founder’s son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Kiichiro Toyoda had travelled to Europe and the United States in 1929 to investigate automobile production and had begun researching gasoline-powered engines in 1930. Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was encouraged to develop automobile production by the Japanese  government, which needed domestic vehicle production, due to the war with China. Need for innovation After WWII, Levels of demand in the Post War economy of Japan were low and the focus of mass production on lowest cost per item via economies of scale therefore had little application. Kiichiro Toyoda again visited many automobile companies in US and Europe. He found that production strategies haven’t changed much in last 20 years. He asked Taiichi Ohno to devise a system as cost efficient as Ford for the Japanese economy. Taiichi Ohno took his own tour of different facilities in US. Having visited and seen supermarkets in the USA, Taiichi Ohno recognised the scheduling of work should not be driven by sales or production targets but by actual sales. Given the financial situation during this period, over-production had to be  avoided and thus the notion of Pull (build to order rather than target driven Push) came to underpin production scheduling. The working of Toyota production system has been very well documented in Jeffrey Liker’s book â€Å"The Toyota Way†. Some tools from Toyota production System Jidoka It may be described as â€Å"intelligent automation† or â€Å"automation with a human touch.† This type of automation implements some supervisory functions rather than production functions. At Toyota this usually means that if an abnormal situation arises the machine stops and the worker will stop the production line. It is a quality control process that applies the following four principles: 1. Detect the abnormality. 2. Stop. 3. Fix or correct the immediate condition. 4. Investigate the root cause and install a countermeasure. Kanban (Just In Time) Kanban cards are a key component of kanban and signal the need to move materials within a manufacturing or production facility or move materials from an outside supplier in to the production facility. The kanban card is, in effect, a message that signals that there is a depletion of product, parts, or inventory that, when received, the kanban will trigger the replenishment of that product, part, or inventory. Consumption therefore drives demand for more production, and demand for more product is signaled by the kanban card. Kanban cards therefore help create a demand-driven system. Kaizen Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work (â€Å"muri†), and teaches  people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes. In all, the process suggests a humanized approach to workers and to increasing productivity: â€Å"The idea is to nurture the company’s human resources as much as it is to praise and encourage participation in kaizen activities.† Successful implementation requires â€Å"the participation of workers in the improvement.† People at all levels of an organization participate in kaizen, from the CEO down to janitorial staff, as well as external stakeholders when applicable. The format for kaizen can be individual, suggestion system, small group, or large group. 5 Whys The 5 Whys is an iterative question-asking technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem.The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem. (The â€Å"5† in the name derives from an empirical observation on the number of iterations typically required to resolve the problem.) 5S There are five primary 5S phases: They can be translated from the Japanese as Sort, Systematize, Shine, Standardize and Self-Discipline. Sort: Remove unnecessary items and dispose of them properly Systematize: Arrange all necessary items in order so they can be easily picked for use Shine: Prevent machinery and equipment deterioration Standardize: Maintain everything in order and according to its standard Self-Discipline: To keep in working order Ohno Circle Taiichi Ohno was well known for walking onto the shop floor and drawing a circle on the ground. He would then go and stand in the circle and observe, think and analyse. Learn what was actually going on. From this study he would then have enough knowledge to improve the process. Three types of waste Muda: any activity in your process that does not add value. MUDA is not creating value for the customer. Mura: Any variation leading to unbalanced situations. In short: UNEVENNESS, inconsistent, irregular. Muri: Any activity asking unreasonable stress or effort from personnel, material or equipment. In short: OVERBURDEN Andon Andon is a manufacturing term referring to a system to notify management, maintenance, and other workers of a quality or process problem. The alert can be activated manually by a worker using a pullcord or button, or may be activated automatically by the production equipment itself. The system may include a means to stop production so the issue can be corrected. Learning from Toyota Production System The Toyota Way A brief summary of points given in Toyota Way: Section I: Long-Term Philosophy Principle 1. Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals. Section II: The Right Process Will Produce the Right Results Principle 2. Create a continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface. Principle 3. Use â€Å"pull† systems to avoid overproduction. Principle 4. Level out the workload (heijunka). (Work like the tortoise, not the hare.) Principle 5. Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time. Principle 6. Standardized tasks and processes are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment. Principle 7. Use visual control so no problems are hidden. Principle 8. Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes. Section III: Add Value to the Organization by Developing Your People Principle 9. Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others. Principle 10. Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company’s philosophy. Principle 11. Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve. Section IV: Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Organizational Learning Principle 12. Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu). Principle 13. Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly (nemawashi). Principle 14. Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen). References http://corporate.ford.com/our-company/heritage/heritage-newsdetail/672-model-t http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_line http://www.sloan.org/about-the-foundation/who-was-alfred-psloan-jr/ http://corporate.ford.com/our-company/heritage/historic-sitesnews-detail/663-highland-park http://www.thehenryford.org/EXHIBITS/HF/ http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/08/henryford.asp http://www.vectorstudy.com/management-gurus/frederick-taylor http://www.shmula.com/fords-contribution-to-just-in-time/371/ http://www.willamette.edu/~fthompso/MgmtCon/Scientific_Manage ment.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence http://inspiredeconomist.com/2012/09/20/the-greatest-inventionplanned-obsolescence/ http://www.mbsportal.bl.uk/taster/subjareas/busmanhist/mgmtthin kers/sloan.aspx http://www.economist.com/node/14298890 http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/anil.kashyap/research/papers/gene ralmotors.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ford http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_P._Sloan The Toyota Way – Jeffrey Liker My Years with General Motors – Alfred Sloan

Jekyll And Hyde †what view of human nature does stevenson present in jekyll and hyde? Essay

In 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’. It was a story about how a respectable, upper class man turned into a beast with no morals or dignity. It seemed that Stevenson wanted to show how good & evil could easily clash, much to Victorian society’s disgust. In the novel, he used many techniques and different situations to argue with society. He tried to prove human nature, and how everyone has two sides to him or her. It was around this time that Darwin had presented his theory of evolution to the world, and it is in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde’ that Stevenson presents his argument. Growing up in the Victorian era, Stevenson had a very strict, biased upbringing. He was born into a Presbyterian way of life, and was taught the values of the belief by his families nurse; this meant that he was taught to believe the bible and nothing that contradicts it. He was also taught to respect the rich, and frown upon the poor. This often came natural to Victorian society, there was either an upper class or a lower class, and nobody would dare say that these two could clash, as reputation was everything. Often people repressed their true feelings, because they wanted to protect their status in society, Stevenson didn’t like this. Charles Darwin presented his theory of evolution that men evolved from apes. This was known as ‘The Origin of the Species’. The Victorian people hated this as it went against their image and their religious beliefs, as they believed we came from God and that we didn’t evolve from apes. So, when Stevenson portrayed Hyde as a ‘troglodytic’ being, and Jekyll as a kind respected man, it obviously showed the view of the Victorian people. Stevenson always placed Hyde in the dark, crime-filled side of London, and Jekyll in the busy, vibrant side of London. So once again he associated the lower class with crime and dirt, and the upper class with being innocent and care giving. For example, Utterson quotes in Jekyll’s house † the plate was of silver, the napery elegant, a good picture hung upon the walls.† Yet, when Hyde is outside, London is described as † district of some city in a nightmare.† The division of personality in man fascinated Stevenson, he believed you could be good & evil, that man had two sides to him. In Jekyll & Hyde, Jekyll is portrayed as good, the novel shows this by stating â€Å"a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty every mark a capacity of kindness†. This shows that Jekyll is a kind, giving man. Whereas, Hyde is portrayed as a strange, brutal man, this is shown by the quote â€Å"he gave a strong feeling of deformity† this shows that he wasn’t normal, and wasn’t quite man, something lower down the process of evolution, the Victorian people would have panicked at the idea of this, that evolution was suddenly turning backwards. So, Stevenson was obviously trying to present that a man can have two very different sides, that it was human nature. In the novel, he gives more than one example, of someone or something having an alter ego. For example, the narrator of the novel, Utterson, is immediately said to have two sides, for example in chapter one, he is said to be â€Å"lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable†. This quote shows that he has two sides to him, he is grumpy-looking and boring, yet he also gives the sense of being lovable, and caring. He is also a repressed character throughout the novel, much like Victorian society; it is as if Stevenson has channelled society through Utterson. Stevenson also tries to play with the idea that Enfield is his alter ego. It seems in the novel that although they have nothing in common, they are stuck together. Every Sunday, without fail, they go for a routine walk together. Once again he uses two characters or personalities to give his view on human nature. Throughout the novel, there are minor characters that Stevenson also used to give his view and everyone else’s view, on human nature, and the statutory division of society. For example, Hyde is firstly presented in the novel by the quote † with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot.† Here he is once again relating to Hyde and the lower class to being careless and heartless. By using the word ‘ape-like’ it is also insinuating that Hyde has gone right back to the start of evolution. Secondly, at the scene of Hyde’s first crime, the doctor states † there is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable.† This quote refers that more than one person in society detests Hyde, this shows a direct relationship with Darwin’s theory, and how that everyone in society hated the idea of human nature having two sides to it. Although, when Utterson goes to visit Hyde, the maid shows an interest in what he has done. It seems Stevenson is trying to show that although society had to repress their feelings, they secretly did have a sly interest in the wonder and concept of human nature. In Conclusion, Stevenson showed a lot about his thoughts and his view on human nature, and how society viewed it in a negative, demeaning way. He also showed how although the Victorian people put on an act of disgust, although they secretly showed an interest.

Questions and Answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questions and Answers - Assignment Example The misuse of hard liquor is itself a social harm, with additional economic costs as well as increased health consequences in the long-term (Mathurin & Deltenre, 2009). For parents sending their teenagers off to college, the survey results are but a sobering reminder that not all activities in college are caged in slide rules and long hours at the library. Noteworthy, such negative publicity informs public opinion, whether true or falls, on the type of policies operationalized in such institutions. The study deviates a little from the survey rankings and so seeks to determine whether there is any relationship/connection between a student’s gender and binge drinking in such institutions of higher learning. To get the answers sought after, the study will sample opinions of students on whether such negative partying has any relationship with one’s gender. The study will utilize a sample size of 100 students, with each selected using simple random sampling

Contemporary Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Contemporary Cinema - Essay Example New roles are now defined with a working mother, a father and a child. The mother is no longer just a stay at home mom but she is now an equal bread winner (Coontz, 2000). Even though family roles have shifted considerably, the theme of childhood and family has remained fairly prevalent in movies over the years. What we see on screens is either what was, or what is in terms of family roles and behavior. Even the best of fiction needs a base on which to build upon. As Gillis (1996) observed, family life is the new form of entertainment in the modern world. All parts of family pervade the movie scene and it would seem that the modern script writer is always on the lookout for new stories to base a new movie on. It’s no longer debatable that the themes of family and childhood permeate contemporary film today. However, what is often not considered is just how much these themes permeate contemporary cinema. Inflation, urban sprawl and population increase in the early 1990s is what likely pushed stay at home moms to the market place (Dryden, 1999). This paradigm shift was also translated into film as seen in the introduction of working mothers as opposed to the stay at home mothers. The working class women betrayed the traditional loyalty to their husbands since they were no longer the sole bread winners. These women started to compete with their men on various family issues. Men felt a bruise on their egos and reacted with violence, as seen in The Burning Bed (1984). This marked the origin of domestic violence in cinemas. Marriages started to break up and children had to be raised by their step fathers and step mothers. These children were shown to lack proper guidance from their half parents and adopted bad behaviors and became violent as well. In 1996, the US government did a survey on the characteristics of the modern day family and the findings were grave. The research concluded that there had been serious anti-family downward

Critically discuss crowdfunding as a source of funding for technology Essay

Critically discuss crowdfunding as a source of funding for technology ventures - Essay Example The European commission is presently dedicated towards releasing the potential of crowdfunding in the European Union, with the aim of enhancing the longer-term funding of enterprises and encouraging innovation (EOS Gallup Europe, 2005). Technology ventures have been on the rise lately, particularly due to high public technology interest; these ventures rely on scientific and technological advancement, selection as well as development of new products, assets or their attributes (Berger & Udell, 1998:1). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a vast proportion of all the new jobs creations, with start-up companies introducing new ideas or processes of production that revolutionize ways of doing things. In the European Union, SMEs are considered to be non-subsidiary, autonomous businesses that employ fewer than 250 employees while in the US, SMEs entails firms with less than 500 workers. SMEs have gained increased attention in the previous years, as a result of their massive growth that has been attributed to the increased access to financing (Berggren, Olofsson, Silver, 2000). According to Grant Thornton, a guest speaker from Les Ross, SMEs get most of their funding from banks; given that SMEs account for the greatest number of businesses and jobs in the European Union (Kira, 2013), the commission projects that crowdfunding has the capacity to promote economic growth and job creation. This paper critically discusses crowdfunding as a potentially alternative source of funding for technology ventures, with particular attention given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The global crowdfunding industry has experienced massive growth over the years, especially with the rapid growth of internet resources (Deakins & Freel 2012, p.9). By 2013, this industry had been estimated to be worth over $5.1 billion. The concept

Public Policy essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Policy - Essay Example of Afro Americans especially in America where slavery was rife were denied the right to equality and they suffered a heavy deal under oppressive systems that existed during those years. In a protracted struggle to fight slavery in America, various movements were established and among them was the â€Å"Civil Rights Movement† which referred to an extended period of American history in which African Americans struggled to become free of the tyranny of slavery where they also fought for equal opportunity and the protection of the civil rights guaranteed through the United States Constitution (Lovino 2008). Though the civil rights were guaranteed by the constitution, Afro Americans who were still under slavery unfortunately were still struggling to realise their rights. The movements for rights became rife around the late 1960s, a period which witnessed the passing of many laws supporting civil rights by the Congress and there was a shift in the ideology of Americans and racial politics in America (Boyer, 2001). Thus, according to the historical background of the fight for civil rights outlined above, a broad definition can be implied to sum up what civil rights are for the purpose of easier understanding. According to Cornel University Law School (2009), â€Å"a civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. There are quite a number of examples of civil rights and they include the following: freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places.† On the other hand, Bodenhamer J. D. & Ely J.W. (1993) posit to the effect that discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or infringed on the basis of racial inequality caused by class structures. It can be noted that various statutes have been enacted to prevent discrimination in different countries as well as promote other civil rights

In the Lake of the Woods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

In the Lake of the Woods - Essay Example In the hypotheses chapters O’Brian has presented quotes from real books and reports (The My Lai court martials, histories, psychological books political biographies) and fictional sources (characters in the novel). As I see, the main aspect of the novel that grabs the readers and doesn’t let them go without completing it is its POV (Point of view). Usually authors use ‘one’ point of view as a tool to convey the mood and outlook they want to portray through their writing. However, a writer can even use first, second and third point of views together to diversify his storyline, which is what O’Brian has done in the discoursed novel. The element that gives this novel the feel of a first person narrative, despite of the fact that it is written in the third person is the ‘footnotes’. These are the footnotes that are included in the chapters and in which the narrator identifies himself and discusses his reasons for writing the story. Also he tells the problems he has encountered while writing it as the narrator has selected and organized the evidences to reveal thematic links between individual pieces of evidence, the main narrative, and his theories. Conseque ntly, the unique blend of two different points of views is the essential of â€Å"In the Lake of the

MBA - Economics - MicroEconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MBA - Economics - MicroEconomics - Essay Example They are characterized by a lack of economic competition for the good or service that they provide and lack of viable substitutes. Results would show that under the Perfect Competition scenario, attaining profit maximization equilibrium at the given equations for cost and pricing would result to a loss for the company. The output may be high and the price low as compared to the Monopoly scenario but the overall effect is that the company does not gain from the venture. It is not surprising that it turned out that the firm will profit more from the monopoly situation because consumers do not have any alternative. Monopolies are expected to produce less and set it a higher price because there is no substitute available on the market. Consumers need the product and so they will buy in at whatever price is set thereby resulting to a decline in social welfare. The lack of competition results to less concern for efficiency and innovation. Products would experience little or no improvement. Since there are no available substitutes the consumer is forced to use the product which further leads to decrease in consumer welfare. Nonetheless, there is a concept which states that the loss of efficiency of firms can raise a potential competitor's value enough to overcome market entry barriers or provide incentive for research and new alternatives. The government may even step in and break the monopoly. According to the theory of contestable markets, monopolies can be forced to behave as if there were competition because of the risk of losing their monopoly to new entrants especially when barriers to market entry are low. It might also be because of the availability in the longer term of substitutes in other markets. This is seldom the case however.Under the perfect competition, we were able to determine that the firm would be making a loss. Does it follow then we should stop production The answer lies on considerations of different total costs levels and whether the firm is operating in the short run or in the long run. Why do even question whether it should continue or not Common sense would tell us that if we are not gaining anything from a venture then we should withdraw from it. However, production entails fixed costs which the firm should account for whether they manufacture or not. It may turn out that continuing production would be enough to cover the fixed costs. When the firm is geared for short run perspectives but is registering losses, it is advisable that it should still continue production provided that the Total costs (TC) is greater than total revenue (TR) and that total revenue is equal to total variable cost (TVC). If it fails to achieve one of these conditions, then it would be advisable to shut down so that they will only pay for the fixed costs. Even if the firm stops producing, it will have to continue to meet the level of fixed costs. Since whether the firm produces or not, it will have to pay fixed costs, it is better for it to continue production in an attempt to decrease total costs and increase total revenue, thus making profits. In the long run scenario, the condition to continue producing requires the price P to be higher than the Average Total Cost. If P is equal to ATC, the firm is indifferent between shutting down and continuing to produce. This case is different from the short run shut down case because in long run there's no longer a fixed cost because everything

Environment, Culture, Ethnicity and Health Essay - 2

Environment, Culture, Ethnicity and Health - Essay Example At that time, the community was organized and incorporated and its first priest was Fr. Michael Sarris. In 1916, a home had been purchased and converted into the first Greek Orthodox Church of Jacksonville. The "godfather", so to speak, of the church was Rev. Parthenios Kolonis from Patmos, Greece, and had been granted the name of St. John the Divine of the parish.(Originally named The Church of the Revelation of St. John the Divine (Theodoratus, 1971). On April 17, 1919, the community purchased a larger church facility in the downtown area from the Christian Science Congregation. This building, for the next 39 years would see innumerable weddings, baptisms, funerals, and visits, by many high ranking clergymen. As far as can be determined, the consecration of this church was in the early to mid-1920s by the late Archbishop Alexander (Theodoratus, 1971). In many ways, the history of this parish reflects a process-- a process of the establishment and assimilation of Greek Orthodoxy within the American context. From the 1920s until today, through the struggles to build, to finance, and to educate, the parish finds itself at a new point of impact. Though the foundations are now firm, their greatest mission, that of preserving and furthering the Orthodox faith and their heritage as good Americans lies in the future (Theodoratus, 1971). They are now upgrading with emphasis on the importance of the Greek Orthodox religion by promoting educational, cultural, social and athletic activities. In large part, this decrease has resulted from the desire of parents to provide adequately for their children and to have them educated so they can achieve professional status. The method of limiting pregnancies has changed from control of gestation to control of conception (Papadopoulos, 1998). In Greece, abortions were not legal but were commonly performed by physicians. In the United States, a wide variety of birth

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

International Relations - Essay Example Realism theory focuses on the continuing tendency for arising disputes between two countries or states, whereas, the liberalism theory helps to identify the various ways to diminish the conflicting tendencies. The radical theory traditionally describes how the entire system of maintaining relations between countries should be altered. In other words, the realists believe that the critical force among countries is to preserve the struggle for power by improving its military security and fiscal welfare in comparison to other countries. Furthermore, the competition between countries is observed as ‘zero-sum game’ in which a country’s gain is a loss for the other country (Dumbaugh 2009). Thesis Statement The paper will discuss the international relations shared between the United States and China for exporting Chinese Tires to the US. Moreover, the paper will focus mainly on the realist and liberal theories for evaluating and better understanding of the relations betw een the two countries. Furthermore, it has been observed that the US government has issued new tariff rules for the US firms in importing tire products from China, which have discouraged many buyers from importing. The issue has bothered many large tire manufacturer companies of China, such as Giti tires which are expecting huge losses (Dumbaugh 2009). Thus, with regard to the challenging policy imposed by the US government, relationship between the two countries will be evaluated. The current situation has instigated a comprehensive list of mutual and polygonal issues that have developed recently (Dumbaugh 2009). Expansive Detail of the Event Hufbauer & Lowry’s findings state that the entire cost to American consumers due to the increased prices which are the affects of imposing hire tariffs to the Chinese tires, was approximately US$1.1 billion in 2011. This has led to job cuts rather than employments which saved nearly US $ 900,000 in the same year. Therefore, the addition al costs that the US citizens had to pay in buying the tires made them reduce the amount spent on other retail products, thereby affecting employment in the retail sector as well. Furthermore, the tire protectionism affected the US economy with more than 2,531 job cuts which were due to the increased losses in the retail sector (Hufbauer and Lowry 2012). The recent updates state that the Chinese government greatly opposed to the decision taken by US President Barack Obama about the tariffs imposed on the tire imports from China. In this regard, this case would be brought under the judgment of World Trade Organization (WTO) as concluded by the Asian country’s Ministry of Commerce. The ministry further said that by imposing higher import duties the US government violated the rules implemented by WTO which was a breach in commitments made by the US at the Group of 20 summits. Thus, it can be stated that the decision to register the case in WTO will affect the international relat ions between the two countries, thereby leading to a chain reaction towards trade protectionism (Bloomberg L.P. 2009). The decision to increase the import duties on tires was followed by a complaint from the United Steelworkers union which is one of the biggest US trading partners. The complaint was to discourage imports from China and encourage using tires produced in own country. Moreover, the steelworkers union that represented more than 15,000 employees working at the 13 tire plants in the US supported the decision as their job cuts were being frequent due to the shutdown of the factories which were being affected by the cheap imports (Bloomberg L.P. 2009). Arguments Realist Theory According to Donnelly (2000), realism is considered as an advancement

Change and Culture Essay Example for Free

Change and Culture Essay To adjust to greater competition and pressures of obtaining increased organizational efficiency and cost containment, many organizations have begun to examine strategies related to restructuring and downsizing to maintain organizational viability. These processes have included mergers and acquisitions, and redefining occupational roles of workers within the organization. Consequently, successful management of the structural change process can be daunting and overwhelming if not handled in an organized and thoughtful process. Those who are responsible for the process must recognize the barrier that may be hindrances to conception and implementation of the change process These barriers include: (a) lack of concise and coordinated planning/goals, (b) resistance to change within the organizational workforce, (c) failure to consistently evaluate the progress of the proposed change within context of the entire system, and adjust methodology as necessary. Thus, in order to achieve a balance between achieving organizational goals and addressing the uncertainty that may occur in the workforce, organizational leaders are tasked with the responsibilities of finding creative means to facilitate the mandated objectives while at the same time finding vehicles to maintain adequate levels of employee satisfaction and productivity in order to facilitate the ability to service their respective consumer base. It is the purpose of this paper to re-examine the fictional organization created in the week number four Culture Case Study I, and determine the means to facilitate a redesign in workforce brought on by a mandated reduction in work force. This paper will examine the concept of the universal worker as part of the proposed redesign, with further evaluation of the communications and organizational process that will have to be implemented in order to facilitate successful achievement of administrative goals and employee adoption of their new roles. Case Study In an attempt to achieve increased cost containment, six months after the merger of Charles Drew and Florence Nightingale Hospitals, the managerial hierarchy has proposed a significant reduction in workforce. Subsequently, a decision was made that the best way to facilitate continued safe patient care was to redesign the patient care delivery workforce. As recommended by the administration, the initial proposal for redesign was that of the universal worker. As understood, the paradigm of the universal worker would allow remaining employees to be cross trained in different job duties; thus, allowing more flexibility in staffing and personnel assignments (web. Answers. com, 2011). Through examination and implementation of the concepts of the universal worker, along with consideration of other strategies, the thought is that assigning additional duties to remaining personnel would allow continued adequate delivery of many support services. Past experiences in attempt to implement this type of change has proven to be met with resistance by personnel, and difficult to implement when introduced at other organizations; nevertheless, the administration has charged the mid-level management team with successful achievement of the proposed redesign in order to meet organizational objectives. The Change Process When beginning the process of job redesign within this organization, it will be important for those who are responsible for implementation of the change to understand the overall mission and goals of the organization and the global ramification of the change within the institution. It will be important to understand that a change in one area can have either a positive or negative impact on other areas within the organization (Leadership and Motivational Training, 2012). Thus, in viewing the potential upheaval that a reduction in workforce can create, and the subsequent potential for feelings of job insecurity that may be experienced by the remaining workforce, it will be important to allay these fears and allow enhanced empowerment of employees being affected by this process. This can be facilitated through inclusion of employees in the redesign process (i. e. implementation of work teams) and establishment of clear channels of communication within the system. Managing this process of job redesign and change can be successfully implemented through the initiation of a defined process to guide the change and an assigned change leadership team (Resnick, 2012). Through this process not only will the affected employees be allowed to have input to the process that will affect the their individual stake in the organization, they will also have the opportunity to implement substantial and lasting change for the overall system and the culture of then organization. As described by Peter Senge in his postulates regarding organizational culture, this inclusion, empowerment and open communication among those in leadership and front-line employees will work to facilitate what he described as the learning organization and systems thinking (Smith, 2001). Inclusion of work teams into the change process, and the subsequent implementation of the cross training of employees into various departmental roles, the concept of the universal worker among the care provision staff will allow the reshaping of the organization into one that has the flexibility to adapt to the rapid change that may be incurred, and foster an atmosphere of collegiality – where people are continually learning to see the whole together (Smith, 2001). Measuring Processes and Expectations Post Redesign  Once the redesign process has been completed it will be very important to implement measures to review the process of performance and if the predetermined goals of the change are being met. Since employees will potentially be relied on to increase performance and acquire additional employment duties, it will be important to examine how the implementation of change will impact employee satisfaction. It can be said that if an organization can meet the need for a satisfying work environment, then the employee will have a greater propensity to be more motivated and productive. As a consequence the satisfaction will have a greater correlation to improved outcomes and patient satisfaction. Examination of outcomes can be achieved through the â€Å"utilization of the creation of a balanced scoreboard-or dashboard- of the key internal and external measures that provide a comprehensive view of the organizations performance, with as much insight as possible regarding the implication of the change for the future† (Resnick, 2012). Examples of these tools could include utilization of employee satisfaction surveys, provision of strategically placed employee eedback boxes to solicit employee input to parameters for ongoing improvement, and implementation of employee councils to examine how to best meet the needs for improving overall workplace satisfaction and employee morale. With completion of the tools for review of performance, the organization will have a balanced understanding as to how the implementation of the job redesign has impacted organizational goals and desired outcomes -i. e. decreased attrition rates of employees, decreased sick leave utilized, increased patient safety and patient satisfaction scores – (Ugboro, 2006) . Creation of a Learning Organization As the paradigm begins to change in the organization, and implementation of change becomes manifest within the organization, it will be important to foster structures that will provide for a cohesive and well-rounded workforce. As a result, it will be important that all employees have a thorough understanding of what is meant by a learning organization, and how this concept will be imperative e to the ongoing success of current and future change. As described by Peter Senge, the learning organization can be viewed as a structural environment in which the employee is empowered to create the outcomes that they truly desire. In this type of environment, the employee is allowed the room of creativity to redefine not only themselves within their organizational role, but also the organization itself. This paradigm shift differs from the previous downstream constricted organizational structures in that it moves the process for acquiring new organizational traits and skills from learning a means of survival to one that embraces learning that enhances the capacity to create and innovate (Smith, 2001). As such, this paradigm allows progress of the employee to have a greater role in obtaining self-actualization through growth of objectively understanding how change and the end-results of proposed change will affect the organization and the system as a whole. Additionally, it changes the view of management from one of overseer, to one of fostering learning opportunities and helping employees develop systemic understanding (Smith, 2001). In relation to the mandated job restructuring that will take place within this merged organization this change will be facilitated through the creation of interdisciplinary teams of care providers that will comprise the teams that will be responsible for the redesign of the care delivery model. In context of the proposed reduction of staff, it can be assumed that the employees affected by the ensuing change will be instrumental in facilitating this change if allowed to be part of the redesign of priorities and duties. Consequently, with each group bringing their individual and collective spheres of knowledge, there will facilitation of the exchange of ideas, expansion of personal mastery, enhancement of mental models, and a building of a shared vision. All of which are characteristic of the described learning organization. In this case, enactment of the concept to the universal worker will require cross training of employees into potentially new areas of responsibility, or areas in which personal mastery has not been achieved. As such, training can be perceived by employees as a measure of the organizations commitment to them. Subsequently, training is one of the most powerful vehicles for an organization to create change. As stated by Resnick (2012), â€Å"First, it builds alignment to the desired change. Second, it provides individuals with the knowledge and skills to implement the change. Third, it creates the opportunity for cross-functional communication in the implementation of company-wide initiatives†. As this process evolves, management can ensure that continual educational opportunities exist for employees to grow technically and professionally in their respective duties. As these opportunities are allowed, evaluation of individual mastery should be evaluated and opportunities for individual employees to become mentors or resources for fellow employees should be encouraged. By facilitation of this process of collaborative self-management, satisfaction within the process will be enhanced and peer-to-peer sharing can take place. This will allow greater cohesiveness among the teams and a greater sense of inclusion among all team members. As stated by Smith (2001), â€Å"when teams learn together, not only can there be good results for the organization, members will grow more rapidly than could have occurred otherwise†. Measurement of Individual Satisfaction Measurement of individual employee satisfaction can be facilitated through many means. Standard traditional measurement tools could include employee surveys, employee feedback solicitation, and input gained during annual performance reviews. Although these means may allow the management team to gain greater insight to employee satisfaction with change, they are primarily founded in anecdotal response, and may be difficult of quantify. Thus, alternative measurements of satisfaction can be employed. These include monitoring of employee retention rates, review of utilization unscheduled employee leave, and patient provided satisfaction surveys. As indicated by Plowman (2009), â€Å"many studies suggest that the cost of turnover is on-and-a-half times an employee’s salary, when considering recruitment, selection, and training costs. Therefore, to monetarily measure the impacts of reduced turnover, one can calculate the expected cost of replacing employees who chose not to leave as a result of increased employee satisfaction†. Furthermore, enhanced patient satisfaction and outcomes may have a direct correlation to enhanced satisfaction in that increased individual productivity may be a sign of an employee who has taken ownership of his or her role in relation to change. Conclusion In today’s environment of organizational change, and redefining of traditional job functions and roles, it is imperative to create new paradigms within the organizational structure. Along with the changing responsibilities for employees, management must provide the means to promote atmospheres of renewed learning and assist the empowerment of employees in actualizing the larger systemic needs of the organization, and their role in the facilitation of making lasting change. Successful implementation of these concepts, along with meeting the needs for maintaining employee fulfillment and satisfaction will be essential for the economic longevity of all business organizations that provide essential services to the public.

Case study: Eating Disorder

Case study: Eating Disorder Psychopathology refers to maladaptive behavior/s that causes distress to an individual and is brought about by a psychological disorder (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004). A number of factors contribute to the development of psychopathology: collectively referred to as the vulnerability-stress model (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004). This model breaks the stressors down into three categories: biological causes, social causes and psychological causes (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004). There are four dominant psychological theories of psychopathology that govern treatment: Psychodynamic Theories, Behavioral Theories, Cognitive Theories and Humanistic and Existential Theories (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2008). Eating disorders are classified as a form of psychopathology. Bulimia Nervosa, in particular, is an eating disorder characterized by bingeing episodes; followed by extreme actions that serve to induce immediate weight loss, such as purging (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2008). Chassler (1998) states that bulimic nervosa sufferers turn to food as a way of alleviating their negative emotions. Food provides a form of distraction from their problems and comfort; this leads to bingeing episodes (Chassler, 1998). The purging occurs as a way of ensuring that they do not gain weight after their bingeing episodes (Chassler, 1998). Individuals that suffer from bulimia nervosa tend to have been highly preoccupied with their shape and weight prior to developing the disorder. (Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf Jantschek, 2007). Individuals developing this disorder tend to be highly dissatisfied with their bodies and many adolescent girls with low self-esteem tend to believe that all of their failures stem from the way that they look (Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf Jantschek, 2007). These bulimic individuals follow cultural and societal norms that promise greater self-esteem to those who are slimmer (Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf Jantschek, 2007). Interestingly, Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf and Jantschek (2007) discovered that bulimic women evaluated their own bodies in a skewed manner; however, they found no such disturbances in their cognition related to other womens bodies or to what they assumed men might find attractive. It is also believed that those suffering from bulimia nervosa are mainly motivated by the desire to fulfill the expectations that men have about womens bodies (Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf Jantschek, 2007). Lacey and Evans (as cited in Anestis et al., 2009) were the first researchers to divide bulimic nervosa patients into two distinct subgroups: multi-impulsive versus uni-impulsive. The multi-impulsive subgroup exhibits impulsive behaviors that include not only binging and purging but also one of the following behaviors: substance abuse, stealing, sexual promiscuity or self-injury. However, Harnden-Fischer and Westen (2001) have found that separating bulimics into subgroups runs the risk of confining a range of complicated personality factors into a single category. These factors seem to be, characterized by emotional dysregulation, intense and labile affect, interpersonal desperation and impulsive efforts to escape distress and seek gratification. (Harnden-Fischer Westen, 2001, p. 558). Herzog, Keller, Sacks, Yeh, and Lavoril (as cited in Blinder, Cumella Sanathara, 2006) found that 60% of those individuals with bulimic nervosa, who participated in their study, also had a co morbid Axis I diagnosis. Blinder, Chaitin and Goldstein (as cited in Blinder, Cumella Sanathara, 2006) discovered that co morbidity with other Axis I disorders generally resulted in a poorer prognosis for bulimic nervosa patients. Blinder, Cumella and Sanathara (2006) found that the disorders that are most co morbid with bulimia nervosa are mood disorders, substance abuse (mostly alcohol abuse) disorders and anxiety disorders. Bryant-Waugh and Lask (as cited in Blinder, Cumella Sanathara, 2006) highlighted another factor that is thought to contribute to a poor prognosis: the development of bulimia nervosa at an early age. Another factor that is believed to contribute to the possible development of bulimia nervosa is that of family dynamics. Humphrey and Strober (1987) found that those individuals with parents who have a history of alcohol abuse and obesity, which are ill disposed towards said individual, show them no affection and give them minimal attention, are more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. Humphrey and Strober (1987) suggest that bulimic individuals did not learn good coping mechanisms because of being overwhelmed by their family environment; coupled with the pressure to be slim, leads to bingeing and purging behavior. The bingeing episodes may also act as a substitute for the nurturance that they never had (Humphrey and Strober, 1987). Arikian et al. (2008) also found that a family history of the father abusing alcohol, and the mother suffering from severe depression, resulted in a poorer prognosis for the bulimic individual. This essay will focus on a particular subject, namely, Molly. The article will investigate Mollys case and proffer possible solutions. Biographical Information THE CASE OF 5 Molly is nineteen years old and a second year tertiary student. She arrived to the session wearing tight jeans and a white sweater with coffee stains on one of her sleeves. Her scarf was out of place. Her hair was untidy and messy and her eyes were sunken with dark rings around them. There were no problems with her making eye contact although she displayed no emotions throughout the interview. She appeared to be very tired as evidenced by the repeated yawning and rubbing of her eyes. This led to the smudging of her mascara. Mollys aunt was worried about her and insisted that she see a psychologist at U.C.T.s Psychology Clinic. She was not doing her university work and was also having trouble sleeping. She had been caught bingeing and purging, which was a long-term problem, and was currently in a considerable amount of mental pain. She was also extremely suicidal. History of the Presenting Problem Molly was first exposed to trauma at a young age. Her parents were arguing loudly every night and Molly took it upon herself to stop them by banging with a toy on her door. This strategy worked for many years and led to Molly believing that she was the one who was responsible for keeping the peace between her parents. Molly was embarrassed to bring her primary school friends home as her father had an obvious alcohol dependency issue and was obese. Humphrey and Strober (1987) state that family discord; parental obesity and substance abuse are often seen to be some of the contributing factors to bulimia nervosa. During her primary school years, her fathers extreme negative reaction to her bad report cards flying into a rage and forbidding her to have supper -left Molly feeling unloved, unwanted and rejected. Both her parents would often drink heavily, until they passed out, and so were not there for Molly when she needed parental guidance and support. Added to this was the comparison that was always made between Molly and her younger brother, Luke. Luke was praised as much as Molly was berated; leading to a deep-seated pain and a sense of never being good enough. This level of family neglect all contributed to Mollys eventual development of bulimia (Humphrey and Strober, 1987). Molly attempted suicide in an effort to punish her parents, and herself, for the way in which they treated her. This demonstrates a tendency to rush into behaviors that lessen the negative affect that Molly feels, and Anestis et al. (cited in Anestis et al., 2009) discovered this tendency to be a predictor of bulimia. Molly went to live with her mother after her parents divorced. Her mother suffered from depression and this is seen to be a contributor to Mollys bulimia as Arikian, Keel, Miller, Thuras, Mitchell and Crow (2008) state that severe maternal depression could lead to a poorer prognosis. Molly gained weight once she entered puberty and this led to the other children taunting her, at school, about her weight. She blamed her weight as the main source of her torment: a strong predictor for bulimia (Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf Jantschek, 2007). Her friends were the ones who first exposed her to bulimic behavior. Even though she claims that many people engage in bulimic behavior, she nevertheless states the need to purge in secret. Molly lost weight due to the bingeing and purging and this behavior was reinforced by her friends telling her how good she looked and by boys starting to take an interest in her. Molly started having sex with multiple partners, beginning at age 13. This behavior has continued into her university years. This can be seen not only as an expression of impulsivity but also as a form of reassurance seeking, two behaviors often associated with bulimics (Anestis et al., 2009). Diagnosis The DSM-IV can be used to assist in diagnosing Molly. Axis I refer to clinical disorders: Molly suffers from bulimia nervosa. This is her primary diagnosis. Co morbidly, she also suffers from substance abuse and depression. Axis II refers to either personality disorders or mental retardation. Molly does not appear to have any personality disorders, even though she does display some features of a borderline personality disorder. As it is stated in Nolen-Hoeksema (2004), her impulsive behaviors, like sexual promiscuity and alcohol abuse, are all symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. However, she is not subject to the continuous vacillation between the extremes of only idealizing or only despising individuals, as described by Nolen-Hoeksema (2004). Nolen-Hoeksema (2004) states that a Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by angry outbursts, due to an unstable mood, and alternates between feelings of low self-worth and feelings of grandiosity. However, in Mollys case, h er angry outbursts are brought about due to a lack of sleep and not due to unstable mood, though she does suffer from that with respect to depression; it seems that she always feels herself to be of low self-worth. Axis III refers to general medical conditions. Molly does not have any general medical conditions. Axis IV refers to psychosocial and environmental problems. Molly comes from a broken home and has poor relationships with both her parents. They have neglected her, been hostile and highly critical of her, since her days in primary school. Therefore, Mollys social support comes from, mainly, her aunt who suggested that she visit a psychologist. Molly had weight problems at school that led to her being taunted and extremely unhappy. Her friends at the time, in high school, introduced her to bingeing and purging behavior. Molly began to get attention from boys and reacted to this by being sexually active from a young age. This behavior continued into her university years. Molly is not doing her university work and says that she needed to take some time off from university. She is under added pressure as her primary caregivers were arguing over how Mollys third year at university was to be financed. Her bingeing and purging episodes escalated dramatically following her visit to her pare nts and stepparent. Axis V refers to the Global Assessment of Functioning. A score of 20 characterizes Molly. Her symptoms are very serious as they can lead to her death or, at the very least, multiple physical problems. She is high in suicidal ideation, and this should be taken seriously and not ignored, and cannot continue with her studies at the present time. Her interpersonal relationships with men are marked by risky sexual behavior and her relationship with her parents serves to exacerbate her bulimic symptoms. She also seems to have no friends. The primary diagnosis is one of bulimia nervosa. There are many factors that point to this diagnosis and that fulfill the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Molly binges on junk food, such as chips and ice cream throughout the day, which is followed by purging. She was also eating in secret thus pointing to a lack of control over her behavior. This behavior started when Molly was thirteen so it has definitely been going on at least twice a week and for longer than three months. Molly was haunted by being overweight at school and attributed all of her problems to her weight, as evidenced by peoples praise of her thinness and by boys starting to take an interest in her. Thus, her preoccupation with her weight is significant. Molly also has two co morbid diagnoses: depression and substance abuse. Her symptoms of depression include emotional symptoms such as waves of mental anguishà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which occurred more often, lasted longer, and grew in intensity and flat affect. Her physiological and behavioral symptoms of depression include serious sleep problems and feelings of fatigue as she yawned frequently and rubbed her eyes repeatedly. Her cognitive symptoms of depression include suicidal thoughts and a sense of hopelessness and worthlessness: she says, I thought to myself, nobody cares whether I live or die, so why bother with hospitals? She has major depression as her symptoms have lasted for around two weeks and they interfere with her functioning. Mollys second co morbid disorder is substance abuse. She drinks heavily on the weekends and often gets drunk. She continues to consume alcohol despite having periods where she blacks out and wakes up in bed with someone she has no recollection of even meeting. This is said to have happened frequently. These are hazardous behaviors, as Molly could be assaulted by or contract a sexual disease from any one of these men. The differential diagnoses in this case are substance abuse and depression. Depression is a differential diagnosis as Molly meets the diagnostic criteria of depression but this was ruled out, as the primary diagnosis, despite Mollys initial suicide attempt, as Mollys depressive symptoms appeared after her bulimia nervosa developed and can be seen as one of the symptoms thereof. As Blinder, Cumella and Sanathara (2006) state, Perhaps prolonged illness and chronicity in EDs initiate adverse relational experiences, nutritional causality, and affective blunting that predispose longer-term ED patients to depressive symptoms. Molly also could have been given a primary diagnosis of substance abuse but, once again, this behavior occurred long after the bulimia nervosa began and could be seen to be another symptom thereof. As Hildebrandt and Sysko (2009) state, A significant percentage of treatment-seeking individuals with BN are also diagnosed with a co-morbid disorder, with approximately 20 to 80% classified with a lifetime major depressive disorderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and Among individuals with eating disorders, patients with BNà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ report a higher prevalence of alcohol or drug problems. Case Formulation There are a number of psychological theories that underpin Mollys case but, perhaps, the most fitting theory is that of the psychoanalytic theory, a subset of psychodynamic theory (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2008). Freud developed psychoanalysis and this theory is largely based on the idea that all behavior stems from unconscious processes. As stated in Nolen-Hoeksema (2004), Freud termed the phenomenon of when a persons defense mechanisms are no longer useful as they are harmful to that individual, the neurotic paradox. One could say that Molly suffers from the neurotic paradox: she has unresolved, and angry, feelings towards her parents and sublimates these feelings by bingeing and purging. Nolen-Hoeksema (2004) mentions Freuds notion of repression: memories or feelings that an individual cannot or does not want to face and so, these memories or feelings, are banished from said individuals consciousness. One could also say that Mollys bingeing and purging stem from her repressing her angry fe elings towards her father, turning them inwards and making use of maladaptive strategies to cope. Many of Mollys problems stem from her family upbringing and the relationship that she has with her primary caregivers, her parents; as will be demonstrated below. Sugarman and Kurash (as cited in Chassler, 1998) state that the bingeing episodes are a way of reconnecting to the mother and the purging occurs out of a fear of being swallowed-up by the mother. This theory points to Molly expressing her anger and disappointment at her mother for not being there to show her the love and support that she needed and so, in this way, Molly is trying to fulfill her need for maternal love in other ways. As Woodall (as cited in Chassler, 1998, p. 403) has pointed out, the bulimic nervosa sufferer uses food as a, reliable transitional object as a way to undo the mothers frightening unreliability. Bowlby (as cited in Chassler, 1998) first established the concept of attachment: a theorizing of the way in which humans are driven to form attachments to certain others. A healthy and nurturing attachment to a primary caregiver leads to a well-adjusted child (Chassler, 1998). However, disturbances in this attachment lead to all kinds of psychological problems developing (Chassler, 1998). As a child, Molly was exposed to her parents hostile feelings towards one another: expressed in their fighting matches. This can be seen to be a disruption in the positive attachment that should have developed between Molly and her parents (Chassler, 1998). Twice in her life, she felt as though she were responsible for her parents behaviors: (1) as a child when she would knock on the door in an attempt to get her parents to stop fighting and (2) when living with her depressed mother, now divorced, and feeling responsible for her mothers emotional wellbeing. As Humphrey (as cited in Chassler, 1998, p . 406) states families of bulimic nervosa sufferers tend to be, higher in conflict, chaos, detachment, neglect, dependency and contradictory communications than normal families. Igoin-Apfelbaum (as cited in Chassler, 1998) found that there are a higher percentage of broken homes among his bulimic nervosa participants than among his control participants. This hostile environment became unbearable for Molly during her primary school years. Her fathers emotional abuse led to Molly feeling worthless and, perhaps, seeing as he attacked her intellectual ability, she felt that she could succeed in another way by controlling her weight and being attractive. Molly may have a genetic predisposition to developing depression as her mother suffers from depression (Blinder, Cumella Sanathara, 2006). Mollys parents both abused alcohol and her father is described as being obese; these are two factors that are linked to the development of bulimia (Humphrey Strober, 1987). Being in direct contact with her fathers obesity may have contributed to Mollys obsession with being thin. Lilenfeld et al. (as cited in Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009) found that individuals with bulimia nervosa with a co morbid disorder of substance abuse mostly have relatives who themselves have a substance abuse problem. Treatment Keel et al.(as cited in Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009) posits that alcohol abuse and eating disorders stem from different etiologies that mutually bear influence upon one another. O Malley et al. (as cited in Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009) found, in his study, that successfully treating the substance abuse disorder did not completely eradicate the bulimic syndrome Therefore, Molly, who has co morbid alcohol abuse and bulimia nervosa, may require an integrated cognitive behavioral therapy treatment that addresses both disorders (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). There are specific modules that Hildebrandt and Sysko (2009) highlight as being the most significant targets that their integrated cognitive behavioral therapy should attempt to heal. Addressing motivation to change is key as adherence to recovery is necessary, in order to prevent relapse (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). Addressing interpersonal relationships, making use of techniques gleaned from psychotherapy, is crucial as interpersonal conflict often serves to exacerbate the bulimic and substance abuse behavior (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). Addressing reward sensitivity can be done in the form of cue exposure, which has been shown to be successful for both substance abuse and bulimic behavior (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). However, cue exposure may not be appropriate for outpatient therapy as it could lead to alcohol consumption after the session (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). Addressing impulsive behaviors is a necessary part of the treatment and dialectical behavior therapy has been found t o be effective in treating the bulimia nervosa sufferers impulsive behaviors (Hildebrandt Sysko, 2009). For as Hildebrandt and Sysko (2009, p. 95) have stated, The DBT model for BN conceptualizes binge eating and purging as a means of controlling emotions, and emotion dysregulation is therefore considered to be primary problem with ongoing bulimic behaviors. Conclusion: Gender Bias Benninghoven, Raykowski, Solzbacher, Kunzendorf and Jantschek (2007) found bulimic women, whose perceptions of the body shape and size of women that men find attractive, did not differ significantly from that of men. However, they also state that cultural norms indicate that adolescent girls hope to attain self-confidence by achieving a level of thinness. Therefore, women feel that they have to attain a particular level of thinness in order to be desired by the opposite sex. This places women under tremendous pressure. The media contributes to this pressure by displaying images of women who have attained this ideal thereby intimating that it is within every womans power to achieve similar results. Men are under more pressure to be successful in monetary terms as this can snare a mate, whereas women are under more pressure to be physically appealing in order to attract men. This is evident in Mollys case as she states that boys began being interested in her once she had lost her weigh t. Therefore, it is apparent that bulimia nervosa would have a greater propensity in women than it would in men.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë | Analysis

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontà « | Analysis Emily Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s novel of passion and cruelty, published in 1847, was the only novel she ever wrote and one of which many, including her sister Charlotte, disapproved, regarding it as fundamentally immoral, especially in the creation of the central character, the brutal Heathcliff. However, viewed at a distance of some 150 years, the novel can be seen for what it truly is, a work of flawed genius which continues to attract strongly despite its age. Emily set what was to be her sole novel in and around her beloved moors creating, in Cathy, a character as wilful as herself. However the reader acquainted but not familiar with the narrative, is often surprised by how little actual description of the natural environment is extant within its pages though ‘metaphors drawn from nature provide much of the books descriptive language’. Simply expressed, it is the author’s own vicarious resonance with the land, expressed via her frequent use of what Ruskin termed ‘pathetic fallacy’ that gives the intensity of the connective between the central protagonists and the land in which they are imbedded, even beyond life itself. The plot concerns the family of the Earnshaws, owners of the eponymous ‘Wuthering Heights’, where the surly urchin, Heathcliff, is brought by the father of the household who has found him abandoned in Liverpool, and who describes him ‘as dark almost as if it came from the devil’ for ‘when Mr. Earnshaw first brings the child home, the child is an â€Å"it† not a â€Å"he†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢.   From the first, he is Cathy, the daughter’s favourite, as he is her father’s, and the thorn in the flesh of the heir, Hindley. Both boys, indeed, loathe each other with a passion partly born of ‘sibling rivalry’, even though they are not blood relatives (at least such is not openly stated even if critics have inferred more than an act of philanthropy in Mr. Earnshaw’s rescuing the boy and his wife’s attendant animosity). When Earnshaw dies, Hindley wastes no time in correcting the usurpation from which he believes he h as suffered by consigning Heathcliff to the level of a servant. Meanwhile, Cathy and Heathcliff have formed a bond which nothing will ever break, even Cathy’s marriage to the wealthy Edgar Linton. The tale is told by means of an extremely complex narrative structure, wherein part is related by the ‘outsider’, Lockwood, a tenant at the former home of the Linton’s, now owned by Heathcliff, and the intimate history of the family is told by the faithful servant, Nelly Dean. This technique, involving many time-shifts, allows the author to achieve the personal imperative of an ‘insider’, Nelly, with the abstract curiosity, perhaps similar to that of the reader, supplied by Lockwood, the ‘intruder’. Though effective, Emily’s inexperience as a writer is shown in the often ragged structure of the novel which frequently obscures rather than illuminates the series of challenges which the novel sets up. Given Emily’s background as the daughter of a parson, it is perhaps surprising that one of the greatest challenges that the novel establishes is the provocative rendering of religious sensibility. A scene which demonstrates this clearly is when Cathy reveals her ‘dream’ to Nelly, prior to declaring the nature of her feelings for Heathcliff, wherein she states her ideas about the after life: ‘[†¦] heaven did not seem to be my home, and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights, where I woke sobbing for joy.’ The idea that the girl’s literal ‘spiritual home’ is not Heaven but the moors is, it appears, very close to how Emily felt herself when away from them on earth and her wilfulness in literally willing herself to death, as Cathy does, also invites the supposition that they were in fact very similar. Moreover, after Cathy declares ‘I am Heathcliff’, the reader realises that this is not a mere love story but two halves of one soul, the parting of which, as Cathy herself declares,   ‘impracticable’. Cathy does marry Linton, however, after Heathcliff has run away believing that she does not love him having heard her say merely that ‘it would degrade her to marry him’   and returns after an unexplained absence, having prospered sufficiently to accomplish the ruin of Hindley and the purchase of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Indeed, he comes to own all the property, via various schemes, and even marries Edgar’s sister, Isabella, from overwhelming spite. The one thing he can never control, however, is his love for Cathy and when she dies, he pines for her for the rest of his life, until they are united as ghosts. As Lockwood observes, ‘Together they would brave Satan and all his legions’. Oddly, the intruder Lockwood has come to see the appropriateness of this as the reader does and this forms one of the novels many ‘closures’ which are perceptible by its end, even to the obtuse. Though most adaptations of the novel centre upon the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff, in fact over half of the novel is concerned with the repetition of familial tensions via their children: Catherine, the daughter of the elder Cathy and Edgar, the orphaned son of Hindley whom despite his abuse of him forms a strong attachment to Heathcliff and eventually the younger Catherine, and Linton, the sickly, peevish son of Heathcliff and Isabella, whom Heathcliff contrives to marry to Catherine simply to gain her property. Through this complex repetition, Emily works out the frustrations and hatreds across generations to achieve a kind of fulfilment and completion by the novel’s conclusion. The fact that Charlotte completely failed to understand Emily’s genius, or perhaps was merely envious of it, is perhaps indicative of the disparity between their gifts. The enduring romance of Wuthering Heights, which continues to appeal across the generations, is the antithesis o f control and therefore the ultimate realisation of Emily’s poetic and timeless soul. Bibliography: Bald, M.A., Women-Writers of the Nineteenth Century, (Russell Russell, New York, 1963). Bloom, H, ed., Emily Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Wuthering Heights, (Chelsea House Publishers, New York, 1987). Brontà «, E.., Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey and Poems, (Thomas Nelson Sons, London, 1907). Davis, P., The Victorians, (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002). Hinkley, L., Charlotte and Emily, (Hastings House, New York, 1945). King, J., Tragedy in the Victorian Novel, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1978). Lamonica, D, We Are Three Sisters: Self and Family in the Writing of the Brontà «s, (University of Missouri Press, Columbia, MO, 2003). Thormahlen, M, The Brontà «s and Religion, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999). Genetically Inherited Diseases: Gaucher’s Disease Genetically Inherited Diseases: Gaucher’s Disease Nikita Mountford 1. What is a genetically inherited disease? Genetic disorders are typically inherited (passed down) in either a dominant or recessive way. We each have two copies of every gene on our 22 numbered chromosomes. When a disorder is dominant, the disease can occur when there are DNA mistakes in only one of the two gene copies. This means that if a parent has the DNA change, there is a 50-50 chance that it will be passed on to each child. When a disorder is recessive, there must be mistakes in both copies of the gene for the disorder to occur. This means that both parents must carry at least one copy of the specific gene change in order to produce a diseased child. 2. Example of genetically inherited disease? Gaucher’s disease is an example of a genetically inherited disease. ‘Gaucher disease occurs in 1 in 50,000 to 100,000 people in the broad population’ (ii) and occurs more commonly in people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage than anyone else. ‘This disease affects 1 in 500 to 1,000 people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage’ (ii) the reason it affects people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage is because of ‘founder effect is where a gene mutation is observed in high frequency in a specific population due to the presence of that gene mutation in a single ancestor or small number of ancestors. When the group of ancestors mates primarily within their own ancestral group over many generations, the frequency of the gene mutation remains high’ (iii). Gaucher’s disease may appear any time from childhood to adulthood. 3.1 How is it inherited? Mutations in GBA gene cause the disease with each pregnancy; each carrier has a 50% chance of passing on the defective gene. If both parents are carriers, there is a 25% chance their child will inherit two defective copies and will develop Type 1 Gaucher’s Disease. ‘A carrier is a person who has a change in one copy of a gene. The carrier does not have the genetic disease related to the abnormal gene. A carrier can pass this abnormal gene to a child.’(i) (http://www.childrensgaucher.org/about-ga) 3.2 Genotype and phenotype A genotype is the genetic make-up of an individual organism. Gaucher’s Disease is located on chromosome 1, that prevents the production of an enzyme, glucocerebrosidase. â€Å"Cytogenetic Location: 1q21 (the long (q) arm of chromosome 1, position 21) base pairs 153,470,866 to 153,481,111.† http://wiki.ggc.edu/wiki/Gaucher_Disease https://www.google.co.za/search?q=people 1 3.3. Who is at risk? ‘Gaucher disease occurs in 1 in 50,000 to 100,000 people in the broad population’ (ii) and occurs more commonly in people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage than anyone else. ‘This disease affects 1 in 500 to 1,000 people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage’ (ii) the reason it affects people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage is because of ‘founder effect is where a gene mutation is observed in high frequency in a specific population due to the presence of that gene mutation in a single ancestor or small number of ancestors. When the group of ancestors mates primarily within their own ancestral group over many generations, the frequency of the gene mutation remains high’ (iii). Gaucher’s disease may appear any time from childhood to adulthood. People who are at higher risk Gaucher’s disease are people from Ashkenazi Jewish Descent and there is more chance of it occurring in mothers conceiving over the age of 40. 4. A. Description of disease Gaucher’s disease is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder, which means the disorder happens on a non-sex chromosome, affecting the metabolism, when a type of lipid called glucocerebroside is not properly broken down. The body does not produce the enzyme called glucocerebrosidase that breaks down and recycle glucocerebroside. This leads to the lipid to build up in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and nervous system. http://www.childrensgaucher.org/about-ga 1 4. B Types of the disease 4.1 Type 1 Type 1 is the most common and progressive, genetic disorder that generally has symptoms relating to their bones. There are also a lowered number of red blood cells and an enlarged liver and spleen. It is different to the other two types as it usually does not affect the brain or spinal cord. 4.2 Type 2 and 3 Both are known as neuropathic forms because they are characterized by problems that affect the nervous system. Type two is usually life threatening 5. Treatment in past In the past there has been no way to treat the disease but rather treat the symptoms such as blood transfusions, surgery for bones and joints and removing the spleen. 6. A.1 Enzyme replacement therapy. This approach replaces the deficient enzyme with artificial enzymes. These replacement enzymes are administered in an outpatient procedure through a vein typically in high doses at two-week intervals. Treatment is very effective in people with type 1 Gauchers disease and. enzyme replacement therapy can help reduce the enlargement of the liver and spleen, help to resolve blood abnormalities and improve bone density. Often people experience an allergic or hypersensitivity reaction to enzyme treatment. ’ERT has a remarkable effect on hepatosplenomegaly, with an average overall decrease of 25% in liver and spleen volume after 6 months of therapy. In most patients with anemia, haemoglobin levels rise by 1.5 g/dL during the first 4-6 months of therapy. An additional increase of 1 g/dL is observed in the subsequent 9-18 months in patients with persistent anemia. The platelet count responds more slowly, doubling on average over 1 year’. (iv) 6. A.2 Bone marrow transplantation. This is a surgical procedure that has been used for severe cases of Gauchers disease. In this method, blood-forming cells that have been damaged by Gauchers are removed and replaced, which can reverse many of Gauchers signs and symptoms. It is a high-risk operation. 6. A3 Medication. There is oral medication called miglustat (Zavesca) Disadvantages are diarrhoea and weight loss as common side effects. 6. A.4 Substrate reduction therapy SRT lessen the amount of making and build-up of waste material, inside cells. This means that even though patients are deficient in an enzyme that breaks down waste, with SRT, the enzyme they do have is better able to stop waste from collecting inside cells. SRT is used for Type 1 Gaucher patients for whom Enzyme Replacement Therapy is not an option. 6.2 karyotyping and gene mapping Karyotyping is a test to examine chromosomes, which can help recognize genetic problems as the cause of a disease. This test can count the number of chromosomes and look for structural changes in chromosomes. This is done by isolating and staining chromosomes then examined. Gene maps are used to help scientists find genes, usually those involved in human diseases. Scientists study many families affected by a disease, and then tracing the inheritance of the disease and of specific genome landmarks through several generations. Landmarks that tend to be inherited along with the disease are likely to be located close to the disease gene and become markers for the gene in question. Once they have identified a few such markers, scientists know the approximate location of the disease gene. Next, they look for genes in that part of the genome and study the genes one by one to learn which one is involved in the disease. They might look for a gene that has a different sequence in people with the disease than it does in healthy people. Or they might look for a gene with a function that could be related to the disease. 7. Ethics of genome mapping The Human Genome Project holds is attempting to compile physical and genetic maps of the human genome. A genome is the entire DNA in an organism. It may help a lot of people understand where they came from and find out which gene is causing problems. This is done by isolating and staining chromosomes then examined. But it may lead to parents attempting to determine which character children will inherit. It may also possibly lead to a large number of abortions Parents will be informed as to whether their son or daughter will have any serious genetic disorder, and as a result, the parents may opt to abort the foetus. It may restrict the human gene pool and interface with natural selection and loss of diversity among the human population. Also health or life insurance policies may be deemed to an individual on the basis of his genetic information and charge higher rates because they are prone to cancer or another disease. Businesses could discriminate against certain people based on their genes which could damage a person’s physiological health. A person might find out about their genetic make-up and find out they are prone to a disease which in turn makes them give up on life. Although there are negatives, I do think genome mapping is going to benefit society 8. Genetic make-up in the future my personal view I feel that one day we will be able to overcome our genetic make-up completely. While this may benefit people with genetic diseases it may be used in a negative way such as someone trying to create a perfect race. There are rapid advancements of science and technology people with problem genes such as Gaucher’s disease and cystic fibrous can soon be able to have normal genes. There is plenty research being done for future cures such as the Infectious Disease Research Institute. By replacing enzymes and recombinant DNA, which will be explained further on, this is the first step in being able to conquer our genetic make-up. Genes code for proteins, and proteins are made up of enzymes. When a gene is mutated and doesn’t produce the gene product this can mean an enzyme is missing or not working correctly. One way to treat people with genetic diseases where the gene doesn’t produce the enzyme needed is enzyme replacement therapy. Enzyme replacements must be taken for the rest of a patient’s life. Occasionally people experience an allergic or hypersensitivity reaction to enzyme treatment which is a disadvantage. Another process which could help with changing our genetic make-up is recombinant DNA technology which revolves around the activity of DNA in the making of protein. By doing this scientists can change the nature of the DNA and of the gene make-up of an organism. Other methods being researched for genetic diseases cures such as gene therapy which is an experimental stage which uses genes to treat or prevent diseases. Researchers are testing many different approaches to gene therapy such as replacing a mutated gene with a healthy version of the gene and introducing a new gene into the body to help fight the disease. Gene therapy is only being tested on diseases that that have no other cures such as cystic fibrous and Gaucher’s disease. RNA interface (RNAi) is also in an experimental stage. What happens is that is now possible to selectively silence the activity of a single gene. The combination of stem cell technology and gene therapy is also in experimental phase. What happens is scientists take skin cells from a person with a disease such as a metabolic liver disease, fix the mutation by erasing the incorrect DNA letter and inserting the correct one. Then turn the skin cells into liver cells by stem cell therapy. All of this research happening makes me hopeful that soon we will be able to help those with diseases. 9 Evaluation The reason I chose Gaucher’s disease was because I was planning to do Charcot-Marie tooth disease and there were too many sub groups and on the web page there was a link to Gaucher’s disease. I chose it mainly because I was interested on how it affects the body and in school we have learned about the lymphatic system so I could understand. I could have been possibly influenced to think that the cure for the diseases will be out soon by the information I have found out about the research being done currently. I didn’t know actually how much is being done and this could have persuaded me to think me to more positively. In conclusion I do believe we will be able to conquer our genetic make-up soon. Technology and science are rapidly becoming more and more advanced. We can already make enzymes work better and researching how to silence a gene that was causing damage. There is hope for people with defective genes as there is treatments and medications to help relieve pain and soon to eliminate all defective genes. 10. References http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/resources/whats_a_genome/Chp3_1.shtml#chp3#4 http://gaucherwest.com/gaucher/gaucher-disease.html http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/science-scope/stem-cell-breakthrough-could-bring-cure-for-genetic-diseases/ http://www.cliffsnotes.com/sciences/biology/microbiology/dna-and-gene-expression/recombinant-dna-and-biotechnology http://www.preservearticles.com/2012032027922/what-is-the-human-genome-project-and-what-are-its-advantage-and-disadvantages.html http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/revision:human_genome_project#Disadvantages http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/health/hgenome.html http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/gaucher-disease http://genome.cshlp.org/content/7/10/950.full http://www.genome.gov/25521505 http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/944157-treatment http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1682271 http://www.cerezyme.com/patients/gaucher_disease.aspx http://www.genome.gov/25521505#al-5 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gauchers-disease/basics/treatment/con-20031396 http://geneticmap.net/ethics.php http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v9n2/outstrips.html http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/otto.html http://jmg.bmj.com/content/42/6/e37.full http://www.gauchercare.com/en/patient/treatment.aspx http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003921.htm In references http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/genetics-carrier-identification http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/gaucher-disease http://genetics.emory.edu/clinical/?assetID=581 http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/944157-treatment Coffee Bean Tea Leaf: Marketing Mix Coffee Bean Tea Leaf: Marketing Mix The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf, a very popular organization around the world. It is started in 1963 and created by Herbert B. Hyman and Mona. Herbert B. Hyman is the founder of gourmet coffee in California. Today, Coffee Bean is one of the world largest privately-owned, family-run coffee and tea companies. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has by far expanded their branches over 750 locations in 22 countries. The aims of Coffee Bean to their product can describe by two word, excellence and quality. From very beginning, The Coffee Bean effected their customer thinking with the idea to the Coffee Bean is a high standard of their product and image. This makes them the endurance and popularity today. More over The Coffee Bean is successful company because they have discovered the formula for a successful coffee and tea company. About Coffee Bean The mission of The Coffee Bean is To create a spirit within our company that inspires our Team Members to provide our customers with a Total Quality Experience: Quality of Product, Service and Environment. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Companys slogan: Simply the Best. They believe in these basic facts can lead them through their daily lives at The Coffee Bean are being friendly with each other, respect each others value, opinion and individual diversity, ownership, teamwork and honesty. (Coffee Bean, 2011) Product Coffee Bean Donut Our company has produced a new product, which can perfectly match our main product. We have promoted donut as our secondary product. Coffee is usually been ordered during tea time or when someone is free or having a rest. Therefore it needs something to fulfill the customers relaxing needs while enjoying their favorite coffee. Coffee Bean Donut will be an ideal product specially made for this. When the customer is drinking coffee, they also can fill up their stomach or killing their free time by having donut as their dessert. Size of the donut we provide normally is in size of a man fist. More important, it is mix with many healthy ingredients which makes tastier and healthier than other normal donut. The ingredients for the donut have flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg, canola oil, lemon juice, plain yogurt and vanilla extract. In order to make the customers been able to choose the flavor they want depend on their moods and needs, we provide more than 20 flavors suc h as Chococinno, Iceberg, Kiwi Blitz, Snowy, White Forest, Merry Cherry and others for the customers to choose to fulfill their demands. Target Audience Nowadays our living standard has become higher than before. Compared than quality that people used to consider it as priority, now everyone has more concern on the appearance of the product. Among the age group, teenager group is the best target which can be easily attracted by the appearance of the product. Thus donut used to be a product which mostly preferred by the teenagers because it is one of the foods which accompany most of us since we were still young. Mostly teenager like to hang up with friend or might meet with someone at outside, Coffee Bean is one of the best choices for those who came earlier. Coffee Bean have their shop at most of the shopping complex and it have also provide free Wi-Fi and with a nice environment. While waiting for their friends, they can have order the coffee and the donuts to enjoy the free time. Coffee has been known as one of the favorite drinks for the adults. Majority of the adults has taken coffee as their favorite, not to mention that there are some heavy consumers as well, especially the businessmen. Many businessmen drink coffee as it can help them in releasing tension or finding inspiration as most of them are working under stressful environment in their daily life. Donut can make them more enjoyable while enjoying their hi-tea hour or finding inspiration, thus giving them energy back to work with refreshed mind too. Donut is the best attachment to the coffee in order to make the businessmen having their best enjoyment. Family group is also one of the target customers for Coffee Bean donut. It is because coffee is preferred by most of the adult while donut is a favorite by most of the children. It would be a nice place for the families to have a wonderful gathering time with their family. While the parents are having their coffee, their children will order donuts that they like, and having variety of flavors for them to choose so that they would not get bored with the limited selections. The attractive patterns of the donuts and wonderful atmosphere in the shop will definitely make a good image to both the parents and their children and it makes them having their next family gathering here again. Marketing Communication Mix Tools Advertising In order to outstanding the knowledge of the new donuts feature, advertising plays an important role as one of the marketing communication mix tools to acknowledge all the consumers about this latest secondary product. With the advertising tool the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf would be able to inform and persuade the entire related market about the launching of new unique donuts. These donuts with different flavors can be advertised with different product images to attract different levels of targeting consumers. The Product Advertising would be a good option to advertise the new donuts as this option promotes benefits of specific goods and services. Within Product Advertising the best method to advertise the donuts is the Pioneering option which defines as stimulating the primary demand for a new product that offers consumers in-depth information about the benefits of the product class. The company could hire different advertising agencies or even a suitable well-known celebrity as the spokesperson of the new donuts products and command the related advertising department in order to advertise the donuts information including planning, creating, producing the advertising, performing research, and selecting media. For advertising, there are six major types of media which include the newspaper, magazines, radio, and television, outdoor media and the internet and World Wide Web. The Coffee Bean Donuts are normally attracted by those younger generations. With this, we can decide what type of media we should use for the advertising. Based on the target customer, the television and the internet and World Wide Web are the best and effective media type use to advertising this new product. Sales Promotion: In communication mix tool, sales promotion are defined as activities that motivates consumers or member of the distribution channel to purchase a good or service immediately, either by lowering the price or by adding the value. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf can promote the new features of donuts in several ways of sales promotion. Sales promotion can be done by launching a promotion like Buy 1 Free 1 featuring purchasing an ice-blended drink and a free choice flavor of donut will be offered, or even a 40%-50% enjoy of discount if a particular amount of donuts have been purchased. These are effective ways in fulfilling the missions of sales promotion by increasing trial purchases, consumer inventories, repeat purchases, and most importantly raising the awareness of consumers about the donuts product. Furthermore, providing free gifts to loyal customers and consumers who supported the new secondary donut products are important. This method can motivates them a lot in helping the company to pull customers by sharing their product experiences and knowledge to the others. Giving coupons and rebates away is a must as this type of sales promotion can not only attract more consumers to visit the companys retail stores and franchises, it also able to acknowledge them that they get to enjoy many offers and promotions if they purchase the donuts. Effectiveness of Marketing Mix Tools By using such effective marketing mix tools as their methods in promoting and increasing their sales, Coffee Bean Tea Leaf is hard to beat out by other marketers and stand at the top rank of the coffee manufacturer industry. Advertising Pioneering advertising method is one of the most effective methods in promoting a new product. By using this advertising method, the new products brief information and customers benefits gained from the product will implant into their mind and distribute the information to different groups in a shorter time and wider area. Besides, hiring celebrity as the new product promoter can also attract those who idolize them and convince them to buy the product. Nowadays the mass media make an imaginable influence to the public. By using this as a method to promote new product, for example, hiring a celebrity, will attract more audience to the new products because of the posters or the images of the celebrity on the product. And taking advantage on the audience madness phenomenon on the celebrity, it will definitely raise the awareness thus increase the sales of the product. Although these advertising method is in heavy usage during the new production promotion period and it involves expensive and sustained advertising expenses, but with the well-known company image and the qualified quality of the coffee drinks, Coffee Bean Tea Leaf is able to spend on those heavy advertising expenses and make it out with a greater interest and profit. Sale Promotion Sales promotion is another marketing tool used by Coffee Bean Tea Leaf in the new product introduction period. For example, one of the basic tactics used in the sales promotion is either giving a lower price or add up the value. With the lower price as promoting method, it can easily trigger customers curiosity and attracting the customers come and have a try on the new product. In one hand, using low price method, compared with the normal prices for the usual products in Coffee Bean Tea Leaf, it is not only affordable for most of the customers and the quantity of the products they purchase will increase as well. While in other hand, by adding up the values of the product, those customers with rational thinking or having a budget in their mind will come and purchase the products. By using these promoting methods, the promotion product information and news will be spread by the customers from one to another, and this bring Coffee Bean Tea Leaf more customers to purchase their produ cts and make them aware of the company brand and the products. Free gifts for the loyal customers will make them having concern on the products and company. Coupons and rebates give away method can make sure that the customers will come to make a purchase thus it can share with their friends and families. By making chain sales from one to another, customers concern will be rise and more customers coming to purchase the product lead to greater sales. Conclusion The type of communication tools that The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf use for the new product is the advertising and sales promotion. As a result it is much more effective than by using the other two ways of communication tools which is personal selling and public relation. As the company which their product is food and drinks, the better way for it to promote the new product is using the advertising and sales promotion because it is faster and easy for them. More prefer to choose the way to let customer go to the place to purchase the product than take out the product to outside and promote it to public. By advertising and sale promotion, the new product will fast spread to everyone and attract them to buy it.