Short Duration Of Action Potentials Essay - 1299 Words

Rational Systemically, the patient,CJ is stable, his arm is very painful, to the crew, CJ’s injury is not life threatening however the pain is real and precautions need to be taken to stabilise the limb and to minimise nerve or soft tissue damage. Adequate pain relief is required. Nitrous Oxide,( commonly referred to as Entanox) provides analgesic properties suitable for fast and effective pain relief . Pharmacodynamics Administration of N2O is painless, with a rapid onset and a short duration of action. The onset is approximately 1 to 5 minutes and the recovery time is 3 to 5minutes once the gas has been with-drawn.( Pasaron R., Burnweit C. ,Zerpa J., Malvezzi L.,Knight C., Shapiro T., Ramos-Irizarry C., Velis E.) Inhaled N2O gas molecules are absorbed into the blood stream from the lungs. As noted by Oglesbee, it provides sedation stabilizing the neurons in the brain to prevent action potentials. N2O has low solubility in blood and is transported in solution without binding to proteins. It diffuses rapidly across the alveolar– arterial membrane and is excreted unchanged, mainly through the lungs. ( S C Faddy, S R Garlick) Nitrous oxide may increase pulse rate and have depressant effects on respiration.( BOC New Zealand data sheet.) Refer to Figure three in Appendices for PharmacodynamicShow MoreRelatedAction Potentials And Its Effects On The Body1608 Words   |  7 Pagesof nerve fibers. In previous experiments, action potentials were observed. Action potentials are an all or nothing response and do not deteriorate as it travels down the length of the nerve. Action potentials are directed by voltage-gate pumps. One type of action potential is a compound action potential (CAP). CAP is an artificial response of a nerve when all the axons are simultaneously electrical stimulated. It is known that individual action potentials are voltage-dependent therefore it elicitsRead MoreA Biphasic Compound Action Potential1653 Words   |  7 Pagesbiphasic compound action potential, both the positive and negative recording electrodes were used, with the negative recording electrode at position ‘D’ and the positive recording electrode at position ‘E’ (refer to Figure 1). The extracellular bipolar re cording takes the difference between what the negative electrode picked up and what the positive electrode picked up. The first, positive deflection of the CAP was caused by the extracellular negative charge of the action potential recorded by theRead MoreThe Maturity Gap of the Banks Assets and Liabilities919 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is the duration gap of the bank of its assets and liability, that falls within the maturity of 5 years and 10 years? (Please assume current market yield is flat at 6.5%) (8 marks) For the bank’s assets reflected on the balance sheet, if the current market yields are flat at 6.5%, the largest impact of the yield effects the 5-year T-note in terms of duration. Duration drastically falls for this security compared to the 5-year personal loan that is repriced yearly in which the duration is positiveRead MoreZopiclone Is A Drug First Developed By Rhone Poulenc Rore1452 Words   |  6 Pagesincreasing the conductance of chloride ions and hyperpolarizing the neuron, the frequency of action potentials is reduced. This causes an inhibition of brain activity, causing zopiclone to have hypnotic, sedative, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant effects (4). Zopiclone acts much in the same way as benzodiazepines when used to treat insomnia, but was believed to have less adverse effects, and less potential for developing tolerance and addiction. As a result, it was first marketed as a betterRead MoreSuboxone Therapy1568 Words   |  7 PagesCurrently there are many pros and cons for therapists choosing this type of treatment. In order for the patient to agree to the right form of therapy, it is important that all the side effects and potential dangers be fully understood beyond just the potential benefits to Suboxone. Some of the potential downsides to this treatment could cause ongoing damage for the patient in the future. In October of 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Suboxone for the treatment inRead MoreHow Diabetes Affects The Body1610 Words   |  7 Pagesmellitus (DM). The different types of insulin vary with respect to onset and duration of action. Short-, intermediate-, and long-acting insulin are available. Rapid-acting insulin is used whenever a rapid onset and short duration are appropriate (eg, before meals or when the blood glucose level exceeds target and a correction dose is needed). Rapid-acting insulin are associated with less hypoglycemia than regular insulin. Short-acting insulin is less commonly used than the rapid-acting insulin in patientsRead MoreThese impacts are possible to predict using some tools, being Modelling and Spatial the most800 Words   |  4 Pagesstripping, grading, trenching and backfilling, can cause effects on the soil capability and terrain stability through alteration of the morphological and physical properties, changing the soil erodibility, that is the characteristic based on the potential for soil detachment by runoff and raindrop impact. The changes of the soil physical properties together with the steep terrain, located on the base of the Coast Mountains, and the regular earthquakes caused by the Juan de Fuca plate boundary, increaseRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Therapy ( Cbt )1417 Words   |  6 Pages(p.408-09). CBT focuses on the premise that thoughts trigger an emotional response, which in turn triggers a behavior. It states that all behaviors are internally derived from our thoughts instead of being externally triggered. CBT is short term in duration and can provide rapid emotional progress since it is solution focused, often using concrete homework assignments to be able to assist clients in refocusing their current paradigm into something more constructive and positive in nature. WithinRead MoreThose Who Are Interested In Understanding Investment Opportunities1646 Words   |  7 Pagesone of the most risky funds available, but offer the highest returns. Bond funds, which consist of limited duration l oans with a fixed interest rate, use collections of bonds for a moderately safe investment. Money market funds offer the lowest financial returns on investments, but they are the most secure way to invest. Investments with higher risks generally correlate to higher potential returns, but it is always possible that even a low risk investment strategy could lose money. Stock FundsRead MoreThe Respiratory System Is An Organ System Responsible For Gas Exchange1230 Words   |  5 Pagesrespiratory system is an organ system responsible for gas exchange; one of the main structures of this system being the airways. Many people suffer from obstructive airway diseases, most commonly from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Asthma. Short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) are a type of bronchodilator that have been successfully used for decades to treat acute airway obstruction. The two most commonly used SABA bronchodilators that treat acute obstructive airways are albuterol and levalbuterol

Battering is a Momentary Loss of Temper Free Essays

Battering is a form of domestic violence, which involves physical actions aimed at instilling pain, harm the body or to propagate a feeling of intimidation to a partner so that one can get and maintain full control over the victim (Prakashan, 2001). Battering as an abusive behavior has a long trailing history in the global society and its awareness, legislation and perception varies from one country to the other. Several myths have been conceived with a purpose of explaining the main causes of battering. We will write a custom essay sample on Battering is a Momentary Loss of Temper or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is in this interest therefore that this paper is written. It seeks to refute the proposed myth that battering is a momentarily loss of temper. Reliable information from the American Medical Association has shown that domestic violence is not an instantaneous thing but a process, which is cultivated by various factors and in most cases over a certain period of time (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2009). The same point is underscored by the Surgeon General of the United States report. True to the word, victims of battering have been subjected to this traumatizing experience over time. Momentarily loss of temper is, in my opinion dictates for occasional incidences of this abusive behavior, which is undoubtedly inhumane. The fact that battering is aimed at gaining and maintaining control over their partners as well as revenging or punishment for betrayals or mistakes done by the victim need to be appreciated right at the beginning of this discussion otherwise the rest of its content might not make the intended impact to the reader (Baskerville, 2006). Based on this fact and judging by the principles of reason one can see the possibility of a long and well planed battering incidence. For instance, unfaithfulness is a major drawback to the family but many a times, one of the partners may fail to have enough evidence on the same and therefore he or she has no ground for divorce (Prakashan, 2001). The problem becomes worse if their intimacy overcomes their desire to separate. This can amount to a feeling of betrayal, unhappiness and aggressiveness which as human beings, can accumulate to uncontrollable levels resulting to battering. Various studies have it that most women are more venerable to battering than men. This is evident in the physical strength of men as compared to women (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2009). To avoid being branded a feminist, the author of this paper finds it necessary to mention that men are also victims of domestic violence mostly in forms of verbal and emotional abuse. As a matter of fact, physical abuse like battering is the highest order of family violence beyond which severe injuries or even death can occur (Buzawa, Buzawa, 2003). Domestic violence starts in the least form like altering abusive words. If the problem is left unsolved, it propagates and instills emotional instabilities like depression, keeping victims isolated from friends and family members. Still if this is left unattended, it will accumulate to levels which can amount to physical violence which is battering for this matter. In conclusion therefore, the above discussion dismisses the proposed myth that Battering is a momentary loss of temper. It underscores the fact that battering is a form of domestic violence which results from unattended simple forms of domestic violence like verbal and emotional abuse. It is indeed an inhuman act, but it is very common and hence it is the responsibility of any couples to address their differences in a more human manner. Simple forms of domestic violence should not be left unresolved otherwise they can amount to battering. References Baskerville, S. (2006). Family Violence in America: The Truth about Domestic Violence and Children Abuse. Retrieved August 11, 2010, from http://www. acfc. org/site/DocServer/familyviolence. pdf? docID=641 Buzawa, C. , Buzawa, E. (2003). Domestic Violence: The Criminal Justice Response. California: sage Publications National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2009). Domestic Violence Facts. Retrieved August 11, 2010, from http://www. ncadv. org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National). pdf Prakashan, P. (2001). Battered Women: A Study of Domestic Violence. Michigan: The University of Michigan. How to cite Battering is a Momentary Loss of Temper, Papers

National Health Service Analysis of Variance

Question: Discuss about the National Health Service for Analysis of Variance. Answer: Introduction There is a concern expressed that the general dental practitioners are more willing to work for NHS (National Health Service) after qualification however, later they choose private practice after gaining professional experience. To verify this concern, data regarding how many years the dentists have been practicing since qualification was collected for three sample groups of dentists: 1st: The Dentists working in National Health Service only, 2nd: The Dentists working in private practice only and 3rd: the Dentists working in National Health Service and Private practice. Thus Null hypothesis H0: The mean of the different groups will be equal Alternative Hypothesis H1: The mean of the different groups will not be equal The data collected is given below NHS only Private only NHS and Private 12 15 5 27 26 16 1 38 38 26 7 24 4 33 4 6 25 42 18 12 13 23 42 22 3 31 2 10 22 28 2 16 32 3 37 37 1 The scatter plot diagram of the above data is given below where 1 is the sample of dentists working in NHS only, 2 is the sample of dentists working in private practice only and 3 is the sample of dentists working in NHS and private practice. Each group has a sample of 12 dentists and the number of years they have practiced since qualification is noted. The each sample group is plotted on the x axis while the number of years they have practiced since qualification is on the y axis. 2 To find the one way analysis of variance We know for the calculation of one way ANOVA, we need to calculate for each group mean and (X - X0)^2, where X is the sample data and X0 is the mean of the sample. Thus, calculating the values for each group we have, NHS only Private only NHS and Private Data (X - X0)^2 Data (X - X0)^2 Data (X - X0)^2 12 0.56 15 106.78 5 286.17 27 248.06 26 0.44 16 35.01 1 105.06 38 160.44 38 258.67 26 217.56 7 336.11 24 4.34 4 52.56 33 58.78 4 321.01 6 27.56 25 0.11 42 403.34 18 45.56 12 177.78 13 79.51 23 138.06 42 277.78 22 0.01 3 68.06 31 32.11 2 396.67 10 1.56 22 11.11 28 37.01 2 85.56 16 87.11 32 101.67 3 68.06 37 136.11 37 227.51 Mean 11.25 25.33333 21.91667 (X - X0)^2 1058.25 1384.667 2150.917 We need to calculate mean and (X - X0) ^2 for overall data as well. Overall data (X - X0)^2 12 56.25 27 56.25 1 342.25 26 42.25 4 240.25 6 182.25 18 2.25 23 12.25 3 272.25 10 90.25 2 306.25 3 272.25 15 20.25 26 42.25 38 342.25 7 156.25 33 182.25 25 30.25 12 56.25 42 506.25 31 132.25 22 6.25 16 12.25 37 306.25 5 210.25 16 12.25 38 342.25 24 20.25 4 240.25 42 506.25 13 42.25 22 6.25 2 306.25 28 72.25 32 156.25 37 306.25 Mean = 19.5 (X - X0)^2 = 5889 Thus summarizing the overall data we have NHS only Private only NHS and Private Overall Mean 11.25 25.33333 21.91667 19.5 n 12 12 12 36 Sum X 135 304 263 702 (X-X0)^2 1058.25 1384.667 2150.917 5889 Thus difference within the group = 1058.25 + 1384.67 + 2150.91 = 4593.83 And the difference between the groups = 5889 4593.83 = 1295.17 The degree of freedom df for between group = 3 -1 = 2, the degree of freedom df for within groups = (12 -1) + (12 -1) + (12 -1) = 33. Thus, total degree of freedom = 33 + 2 =35 Mean is calculated by dividing sum of squares by df. (Laerd Statistics , 2013) F = mean between groups/ mean within groups Sum of squares df Mean F Between Group 1295.17 2 647.59 4.65 Within Group 4593.83 33 139.21 Total 5889 35 From F table for 95% confidence level we have, F critical = 3.284 F F critical. Thus we reject the null hypothesis. Thus we can say that there exist significant differences in the mean of the three groups. (Roberts, 2008) c) From the analysis done above we can conclude that the mean of the three samples which are 1st: The Dentists working in National Health Service only, 2nd: The Dentists working in private practice only and 3rd: the Dentists working in National Health Service and Private practice are significantly different i.e. the number of years practiced by the dentist in the three samples is different and we can say that number of years of practice by dentists in National Health Service and private are different. (Laerd Statistics , 2013) d) There is a significant difference among the mean of the number of years of practice by dentists in National Health Service and private. By looking at the mean values of the number of years of practice by dentists, it can be said that the number of years of practice by dentists in private is more than the number of years of practice by dentists in NHS as the mean value of the sample for private only is more than two times the mean vale for NHS only. Thus we can conclude that the dentist choose private practice after gaining professional experience. References Penny, H 2006, Analysis of Variance, viewed 17 August 2016, https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~wpenny/publications/spm-book/anova.pdf Roberts, M 2008, Analysis of Variance, Routledge. Laerd Statistics 2013, One-way ANOVA, viewed 17 August 2016, https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/one-way-anova-statistical-guide.php The Pennsylvania State University 2016, Five Step Hypothesis Testing Procedure, viewed 17 August 2016, https://onlinecourses.science.psu.edu/stat200/node/67

Steinbeck and the Era of the Dust Bowl free essay sample

A paper which shows how John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath and the article Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture by Elaine S. Apthorp, depict Californias Dust Bowl era. The paper shows how the era of the Dust Bowl was an era of mass migration as thousands moved from the region where drought and other factors had ruined the farmland to California, believed to be the land of milk and honey and opportunity. The paper explores how the Dust Bowl and the mass migration it fostered are well illustrated in the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and both the novel and the era it depicts are further illuminated by the article Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture by Elaine S. Apthorp. The paper further shows how the novel and the article complement one another and contribute to our understanding of the era and of the way Steinbeck shaped that era into an artistic statement in his novel. We will write a custom essay sample on Steinbeck and the Era of the Dust Bowl or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The didactic chapters referred to by Apthorp are the interchapters where Steinbeck performs the analytical task of reporting on the state of America during the Depression, the plight of the people, and other information included with a journalistic eye for what is most telling. In these interchapters, Steinbeck seems to step back from the story to examine the larger picture, but in truth, the author never forgets the reality faced by his characters. For instance, the different members of the family have characteristics which add to their problems and which also reflect larger forces at the same time. Grandpa Joad, for instance, is senile, and this symbolizes the vulnerability of the entire family.

Free Essays on The Ninety Nines

The Aviation world, as with numerous other aspects of the world, has many various â€Å"firsts†. For example the first to fly and airplane: Orville Wright. The first Jet flight: Robert Stanley. The first to fly Mach 1: Charles â€Å"Chuck† Yeager. Leonardo Da Vinci (coincidently the first aviation enthusiast) said it best when he stated that, â€Å"Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first known.† Unfortunately the birth of aviation did not come at a time when it was appropriate for a woman to fly a plane (therefore never knowing flight), so in turn most of the very significant â€Å"firsts† had already been claimed by men. When the first woman got to â€Å"know† a plane it was not something that she â€Å"hated† but â€Å"loved†. But something that she and many other pilots would come to know and have an immense amount of love and devotion for, despite sabotage, ridicule, hard work, and all while maintaining the composure and duties of a lady. Leading to one firsts that could only be claimed by women: The first club, support group, and educational organization for women all in one: The Ninety-Nines. Throughout history the Ninety-Nines play a lead role in the encouragement, recruitment, and support of women in aviation. Many of the firsts and the accomplishments that were made, and that are still being made today by women, were or are members of the Ninety-Nines. From the first women’s air derbies, to the Amelia Earhart scholarship of today, the Ninety-Nines has been through the thick and the thin, from the start to right now. Women’s desire to wander the skies goes back long before the days of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The first recorded flight for women was in 1784. Elisabeth Thible was the first woman to fly a hot air balloon. It was not until 1798, nearly a decade and a half later, when hot air balloons were deemed airworthy and safe enough for a woman to make her first balloon solo. Jeanne Labrosse was the first wom... Free Essays on The Ninety Nines Free Essays on The Ninety Nines The Aviation world, as with numerous other aspects of the world, has many various â€Å"firsts†. For example the first to fly and airplane: Orville Wright. The first Jet flight: Robert Stanley. The first to fly Mach 1: Charles â€Å"Chuck† Yeager. Leonardo Da Vinci (coincidently the first aviation enthusiast) said it best when he stated that, â€Å"Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first known.† Unfortunately the birth of aviation did not come at a time when it was appropriate for a woman to fly a plane (therefore never knowing flight), so in turn most of the very significant â€Å"firsts† had already been claimed by men. When the first woman got to â€Å"know† a plane it was not something that she â€Å"hated† but â€Å"loved†. But something that she and many other pilots would come to know and have an immense amount of love and devotion for, despite sabotage, ridicule, hard work, and all while maintaining the composure and duties of a lady. Leading to one firsts that could only be claimed by women: The first club, support group, and educational organization for women all in one: The Ninety-Nines. Throughout history the Ninety-Nines play a lead role in the encouragement, recruitment, and support of women in aviation. Many of the firsts and the accomplishments that were made, and that are still being made today by women, were or are members of the Ninety-Nines. From the first women’s air derbies, to the Amelia Earhart scholarship of today, the Ninety-Nines has been through the thick and the thin, from the start to right now. Women’s desire to wander the skies goes back long before the days of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The first recorded flight for women was in 1784. Elisabeth Thible was the first woman to fly a hot air balloon. It was not until 1798, nearly a decade and a half later, when hot air balloons were deemed airworthy and safe enough for a woman to make her first balloon solo. Jeanne Labrosse was the first wom...

Endothermic Reactions Demonstration

Endothermic Reactions Demonstration An endothermic process or reaction absorbs energy in the form of heat (endergonic processes or reactions absorb energy, not necessarily as heat). Examples of endothermic processes include the melting of ice and the depressurization of a pressurized can. In both processes, heat is absorbed from the environment. You could record the temperature change using a thermometer or by feeling the reaction with your hand. The reaction between citric acid and baking soda is a highly safe example of an endothermic reaction, commonly used as a chemistry demonstration. Demonstration Do you want a colder reaction? Solid barium hydroxide reacted with solid ammonium thiocyanate produces barium thiocyanate, ammonia gas, and liquid water. This reaction gets down to -20Â °C or -30Â °C, which is more than cold enough to freeze water. Its also cold enough to give you frostbite, so be careful! The reaction proceeds according to the following equation: Ba(OH)2.8H2O (s) 2 NH4SCN (s) Ba(SCN)2 (s) 10 H2O (l) 2 NH3 (g) Materials 32g barium hydroxide octahydrate17g ammonium thiocyanate (or could use ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride)125-ml flaskStirring rod Instructions Pour the barium hydroxide and ammonium thiocyanate into the flask.Stir the mixture.The odor of ammonia should become evident within about 30 seconds. If you hold a piece of dampened litmus paper over the reaction you can watch a color change showing that the gas produced by the reaction is basic.Liquid will be produced, which will freeze into slush as the reaction proceeds.If you set the flask on a damp block of wood or piece of cardboard while performing the reaction you can freeze the bottom of the flask to the wood or paper. You can touch the outside of the flask, but dont hold it in your hand while performing the reaction.After the demonstration is completed, the contents of the flask can be washed down the drain with water. Do not drink the contents of the flask. Avoid skin contact. If you get any solution on your skin, rinse it off with water.

Management Info Systems Individual Work wk11 Essay

Management Info Systems Individual Work wk11 - Essay Example DSS are basically correlation or collaborative computerized systems with a motive to help the organization or companies use and arrange/organize large amount information in form of images or text files or any other format and communication techniques, data or statistics or different type of models to complete the process of decision making. Now by using DSS, this results in rapid decisions, more efficient and effective ones, makes more strong communication and interaction with in organization, satisfies and give more strong arguments and evidence to strengthen the decision and take less time with providing many different views to the case (Power 2015; Decision Support Systems 2015). Whereas some consequences of DSS might be there like to much dependence or automated or computerized system , minimize the manual work that reduces the skills of workers and can easily make computer responsible for any mistake and no one on the responsibility. Various decision support systems include EISs, GSSs and GISs. Executive information system (EIS) is specially designed system to make decisions at executive levels. It makes easy way to for the organization to achieve their targets and make efficient decisions at executive level. It’s very hard to have an eye on every function or activity of your organization and on the other hand you cannot ignore it as well. So EIS supports you in this way to get information so you take the decision at CEO level and not only at top level but you can also get support from EIS at other management levels too. EIS helps to design and support the activities involved at senior level like goal marking, strategy making, make shift plans and c rises management. EIS has some prominent advantages as it’s very easy for the top hierarchy as not a very professional computer skilled knowledge is required.Information and data is better and easy to understand.EIS makes quick decisions and helps the executives in efficient

Marketing Plan for HIV drug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Plan for HIV drug - Essay Example Promotional aspect of marketing mix is usually considered to be marketing communication. It is all about conveying a common message across different media channels so as to ensure that it reaches target audience. Marketing communication is a strategic approach adopted by a company in order to reach target audience. In this study a product would be outlined which is losing significance in modern world. HIV or AIDS is regarded as a global problem. In its early years it was an incurable disease but in present scenario it is a health problem which can be effectively addressed. The percentage of death rate is considerably falling due to introduction of various treatment and retroviral drugs. However the problem is linked with lack of awareness program about HIV drug. Young people often do not remember about these drugs or are not determined to consume HIV drugs. Through this study a marketing campaign will be designed that could influence target segment to purchase HIV drug and prevent su ch diseases from spreading. HIV is a global issue that has contributed towards death percentage rise. Modern treatments had been introduced by government and healthcare agencies to prevent this disease. There are new drugs being introduced which can eradicate this kind of disease from its roots. HIV drugs are being developed at a faster rate and it is inclined towards saving lives of HIV victims. There are few issues associated with marketing of HIV drug. Firstly it has been observed that individuals are less likely to accept their disease. This in turn restricts drug makers or health care agencies to efficiently reach out to target audience. Death rate due to HIV aids have been decreasing over the years and negligence has been main cause for this issue. On the other hand, individuals who agree to purchase this drug at times are not able to afford such high priced drugs. Affordability is a major area of concern for HIV victims. There are individuals affected by HIV

Brand Promotion of Nestle Essay Example for Free

Brand Promotion of Nestle Essay Nestle has a wide market for infant food in India. Nestle India enjoys a monopolistic position in baby foods Nestle has about 80% of market share in the baby cereal segment alone – which is a promising segment in future. Some of the Infant foods of nestle includes: Lactogen, Cerelac, Good Start, NAN, Nido etc. And all the infant foods except Nido come in different and innovative tastes according to the stages and growth of the children. Sauces and Ketchups: Nestle India introduced versatile types of sauces and ketchups according to the taste buds of Indian consumers under the brand name â€Å"Maggi†. There are numerous varieties of sauces which range from usual Tomato sauces, tangy ones, sour ones, continental ones, to the recent tamarind sauce which is yet to be introduced in some of the localities in India. Breakfast cereals: Nestle International has already taken up the breakfast segments of the International consumers. There is no doubt that Nestle India would also take up the Indian markets in its hands by the wide range of breakfast cereals. Some of the cereals include Nesquik which is targeted towards the kids, Cheerios towards Adults and Cookie Crisp for all age groups. Milk and dairy products: Milk: The largest segment of nestle is Milk and Dairy products. Nestle India focused and involved closely in this sector for the last 3 decades, also in the process of developing strong relationship with more than 85,000 farmers country wide. As a result Nestle has the best quality milk in India. Dairy products: Nestle is known for its dairy products especially, â€Å"Milkmaid† which has an unbeatable taste and other dairy products of nestle includes fresh and natural curd, light curd, and fruit flavored curd Famous chocolates of nestle includes Nestle Milk Chocolate, Nestle Milky bar, Nestle Munch, Nestle Kitkat, Nestle Bar One, and Polo. All these chocolates come in different flavors. Instant Food and Cooking Aids: Noodles: Nestle India’s Instant noodles â€Å"Maggi† is preferred by 80% of the consumers around the nation and the brand Maggi provides lots of attractive and tasty noodle variety targeting the kids and the adults especially office going people. Maggi is the largest and the most loved brand of Nestle India presently Maggi comes in 9 different and innovative flavors. Cooking Aids: An Indian Masala powder for cooking for enhancing the taste of the food we cook. â€Å"Maggi Bhuna Masala† is the magical powder which increases the taste of Indian food. Bottled water: Nestle has launched its packaged drinking water â€Å"Pure Life† which is an upcoming water brand o nestle sure to hit the markets of India. Nestle India – Market Leader: Nestle India is the market leader of Infant food, Instant coffee, and Milk Maid, the greatest market leader in Instant noodles â€Å"Maggi’. Case Studies of Nestle India: Social Impact of Nestle Global: Water saving initiatives held in India: Nestle India conducted a water saving campaign in Moga, Punjab where the brand has the largest milk districts. The campaign was about the water scarce and how scarce in water affects the production of milk. Happy Day in New Papua Guinea: Joining hands with the ministry of health in New Papua Guinea, Nestle conducted a Personal hygiene program initiating the nutritive values and health ailments faced due to the nutrition deficiency. Awareness campaign in North Africa – Nido: Nestle in North Africa conducted an awareness program regarding their launch of Nido in the markets of North Africa. Focusing on feeding mothers and infants. Nestle also conducts various awareness programs in different regions instructing the importance of water and the benefits of the purity and innovation of Nestle’s Water. Products of Nestle in India: (Pictorial Representation) Infant Formula: Sauces and Ketchups:

Priesthood :: essays research papers

Priesthood The position of priesthood in the church has been evident since the earliest existence of the church. Jewish priests first were established in the seventh century BC performing religious ceremonies. They were even more established around 950 BC due to the establishment of the Temple in Jerusalem. The major role of the traditional Jewish priest was to perform sacrificial rituals. According to the Bible, the Temple was built as a place for God to live with the people. It was the holiest building that existed, and needed to be kept holy by the priests. Their role of the priests was to perform animal sacrifices to God as an offering. The priests performed these sacrifices as specialists on behalf of a community or congregation in order to restore the holiness of the community and of the Temple. It was believed that if there was sin among the people then God would not come and be with them. After the Temple was destroyed during the war with Rome, these animal sacrifices were stopped, and there were no more active Jewish priests. The religious leadership in the synagogue was led by the rabbis. In the Protestant religion there exists a "priesthood of all believers"("Priesthood", 529). This meant that each member in the community serves as his or her own priest, with direct access to communication with God. Protestants believe that the role of the priest is an "officiating mediary"("Priesthood", 529), rather than a one who performs ritual sacrifices. This stems from the Protestant belief that Jesus Christ served as "the ultimate" sacrifice, and therefore there is no use in animal sacrifices. Protestants also do not call their religious leaders "priests" because the name itself implies that he is of a higher level than his fellow man or that he has more access to God than others. There exists two different forms of priesthood: hereditary and vocational priests. A hereditary priest is a limited position in that it can only be held by a person who a direct descendent of the tribe of Levi. This tribe is one of the original 12 tribes of Israel as set forth in Genesis 49. There exists among this tribe one High Priests who head of the other priests. He is the only priest who was allowed to view the holy Ark of the Covenant during the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem. These hereditary priests, unlike most priests in today's society, were allowed to marry in order to carry on the line of priesthood. The vocational priests are those which have been "called" to the ministry by God himself.

Qualitative Research or Quantitative Research Essay

Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have their specific qualities which make them useful to a researcher, however in the course of this short essay I will explain why, for several reasons, qualitative research is better. As both methods operate within different assumptions, it is important to stem criticism for each method’s respective theoretical base in order to adequately judge them. In the course of this essay I will highlight each method’s theoretical assumptions and then I will assess each method by pointing out their positive and negative factors. The underlying assumption behind qualitative research is that the entire subject needs to be examined in order to understand the phenomenon. Quantitative research however, places importance in collecting and analyzing data from parts of a trend and in so doing, can miss important aspects which could lead to a complete understanding of the whole phenomenon. ‘There’s no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0†²(Fred Kerlinger: 1999)Unlike quantitative research, there is no overarching framework for how qualitative research should be conducted; rather each type of qualitative research is guided by the particular philosophical stances that are taken in relation by the research to each phenomenon (Miles & Huberman: 1994, p. 40) This enables qualitative research to be more involved with the subject at hand whereas quantitative research has the same rules which it applies to every subject matter, thus making it easier to overlook important evidence. As the researcher using qualitative methods becomes entirely immersed in the data collection phase of the project, he himself actually becoming the data collection tool as opposed to the questionnaires and equipment used by quantitative researchers, it allows him to gain a better understanding of the subject matter as a whole and observe the subject in its own environment:Human behaviour is significantly influenced by the setting in which it occurs; thus one must study that behaviour in situations. The physical setting  ¬e.g., schedules, space, pay, and rewards  ¬and the internalized notions of norms, traditions, roles, and values are crucial contextual variables. Research must be conducted in the setting where all  the contextual variables are operating. (Marshall & Rossman: 1980)Quantitative research disregards these valuable contextual variables as most of the work is done in a laboratory with the researcher using the principles of impartiality and an objective portrayal of the subject. In conclusion, qualitative research is better than quantitative research because it places emphasis upon the subject itself by studying it in an in-depth manner and becoming involved with it on a personal level. Quantitative research keeps a level of impartiality with the subject matter thus making it neglect important contextual factors crucial to the research itself. 1.Using British Election Study data for example, why is it problematic to do quantitative research on ethnic minorities?It is problematic to do quantitative research on ethnic minorities because the standard deviation is so small, thus the observations are spread out over a very small sample which would not accurately represent the entire ethnic group. There is such a small valid percent that subjects would need to be targeted as they are unlikely to be caught during random sampling. 2.Providing either hypothetical and/or published examples, how accurate is it to label content analysis as a quantitative method?It is quite accurate to label content analysis as a quantitative method for several reasons. The comparisons of their theoretical patterns are numerous and therefore it has more in common with quantitative than qualitative methods. In the course of this short essay I will explain why it is accurate to label content analysis as a quantitative method by using an example of research employing content analysis and pointing out the similarities between the two. Content analysis has been described as:’Any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages’ (Holsti: 1969 p. 14)Compare this with a definition of quantitative research:’The aim is to classify features, count them, and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed. It is objective – seeks precise measurement & analysis of target concepts.’ (Miles  & Huberman: 1994, p. 40)Both of these definitions contain the term objective, which shows that both of the methods share the core aspect of non-interference with subjects:’Content analysis is often referred to as an unobtrusive method'(Bryman: 2008, p. 289)This key concept lies at the heart of both content analysis and quantitative research methods, it is an obvious similarity. In Shephard’s study of the dynamics between the party, candidates and constituencies he used content analysis on party leaflets to spot recurring trends. His method (content analysis) bears a striking resemblance to quantitative research, for example both methods begin with hypotheses and theories, Shephard choosing to ask whether emphasis in leaflets matches the profile of the constituents. He then made two hypotheses stating that -the higher the unemployment rate the higher the emphasis on jobs and job creation and the higher the home ownership, the higher the emphasis on interest rates and mortgages. Quantitative research methods also start off with hypotheses and theories; therefore it is clear to see that content analysis could be labelled quantitative due to this fact. Furthermore, both methods of research have a high level of transparency because they are both highly structured and systematic in their approach. Shephard stated that to conduct his analysis ‘objectively and systematically’ (two quantitative features) that he had to identify his sample, sample period, text/images and what words and images to count. This shows that both content analysis and quantitative research share ‘epistemologically grounded beliefs about what constitutes acceptable knowledge’ (Bryman: 2008, p. 155)In conclusion, it is accurate to label content analysis as a quantitative method due to the fact that it shares many features in common with quantitative research. These include, maintaining objectivity during the study, transparency and a systematic approach to research. These features indicate that content analysis is grounded in the same theoretical processes and philosophy as quantitative research. 3.Providing examples of focus group research from the literature, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups. Focus groups are a highly useful method of data collection but they have many advantages and disadvantages. I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups in this essay and also consider real-life examples of focus group research to illustrate this. Focus groups can provide an insight into the way in which people organize and interpret knowledge as well as how people construe information. This is especially useful in the study of audience reception- how audiences receive different kinds of television and radio programmes, etc. Such a study was conducted by Morley in 1980 into how Nationwide, a popular television programme at the time, was received by specific groups of people. He noticed that different groups had different interpretations of the programmes which they had watched, which indicated that the meaning of the programme was based in the way it was watched and interpreted not in the programme itself. (Bryman: 2008, 475) This provides more information that a simple interview because the interviewee has the choice to respond to fellow participants and argue with them, leading the researcher to gain a greater insight into why they hold such beliefs and how strongly they feel about them. Another advantage of focus groups is that they can provide a more open environment to respond to questions by the way in which they are selected prior to the event. For example, Kitzinger notes in her research on HIV that any attempts at discussions about risks for gay men were blocked out by strong homophobic clamouring amongst homophobic men. (Kitzinger: 1994b in Bloor, et al: 2001, p. 20) Therefore focus groups consisting of specific groups such as male prostitutes, retirement club members, etc, provided a more relaxed environment in which views could be openly discussed without fear of being criticised for one’s beliefs. In addition to this, organising groups consisting of only HIV positive people meant that disclosure of a potentially stigmatising status could be overcome. (Bloor: 2001 p. 23)However focus groups also have their disadvantages, the most prominent one being the role of the researcher within the discussion- the way in which the focus group is designed, the pa rticipants selected to take part, where the meeting takes place, how the questions are worded and delivered and who the instigator is may affect the responses which are obtained. This raises  the question over the validity of the results as the researcher has less control over a focus group than he would over a one on one interview with respondents possibly talking amongst themselves on irrelevant issues, or the simple fact that they may get bored or have personality issues with other members of the group. (Walvis: 2003 p. 405)Another disadvantage of focus groups is the tendency of researchers to (either consciously or subconsciously) pick groups so that they align with pre-determined beliefs about a subject. One famous example of this was when Coca-Cola launched ‘New Coke’ in 1985 despite the fact that the focus groups had made it explicit that they would not like to see the traditional coke removed from the shelves. (Pendergast: 1993 and Greising: 1998) The taste-tests however had proved positive, but they had not been asked the vital question about how they would feel if traditional coke was removed from the shelves, this positive response was more in line with how the CEO of Coca-Cola felt about the product and it was launched based on the back of poorly conducted focus groups. The subsequent product was a massive failure and lost Coca-Cola a large share of the market; it was obvious that Coca-Cola had spent too much time and money on the plan to dismiss it on the results from focus group research at the last minute. One final disadvantage of focus groups is their limited spread of views; Morgan (1998) suggests that the average size of a group should be around six to ten people. This clearly cannot be representative of the population as a whole- Stephen Fisher and Robert Andersen (2005) state that in order to have a representative sample for one million people you would need, with a margin of error of 5%, 384 participants. Bibliography †¢Bloor, M. et al. (2001) Focus Groups in Social Research (London: Sage). †¢Bryman, A. (2008) Social Research Methods (2nd Ed.) (Oxford: Oxford University Press). †¢Greising, D. (1998) I’d Like the World to Buy a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Robert Goizueta (New York: Wiley)†¢Holsti, O.R (1969) Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley)†¢Kerlinger, F. Foundations of Behavioural Research (Nova York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1965)†¢Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. (1980). Designing qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. †¢Miles & Huberman (1994, p. 40). Qualitative Data Analysis†¢Pendergast, M. (1993) For God, Country and Coca-Cola: The Unauthorised history of the World’s Most Popular Soft Drink (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson)†¢Shephard, M. (2007) ‘Multiple Audiences, Multiple Messages? An Exploration of the Dynamics between the Party, the Candidates and the Various Constituencies’, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties†¢Walvis, T.H (2003), â€Å"Avoiding advertising research disaster: Advertising and the uncertainty principle†, Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 10, No. 6

United States Imperialism

Imperialism is defined as the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political control over other nations; the notion of a globally stretching â€Å"American Empire† with such connotations was first made popular after the Spanish-American War of 1898 with the US annexation of the Philippines. Although previous US expansionism shares many similarities with this â€Å"new† age of expansionism, they also diverged from one another in several key ways. This new stage of American expansionism took place through the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century and was quite analogous to the original or traditional type expansionism conducted by the US throughout its history proceeding this time period in several aspects. The first of which was the strong belief that expanding was a destined duty supported by God. When the US first gained its independence in 1776 span most of the east coast with the exception of Florida and extended only minimally into the mainland continent, but by the late 1800s the nation stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific adding new states and territory and expanding across the entire continent. This relatively quick and vast expansion was a result of the idea known as Manifest Destiny, coined by columnist John O’Sullivan in 1845. The idea basically articulated that belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic Seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. As a result of such a belief the US government did everything within its power to make this growth possible. This ranged from the buying of and making deals for territories from other foreign powers, like the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, to the taking of California and parts of New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico after the US Victory in the Mexican American War. This type of belief that imperialism was a necessary duty held true for the new age. This was not exclusive to the US and was widely accepted throughout most of the colonizing European powers as well. People at the time believed that God had made the â€Å"white race†; in the US special emphasis was put on the Anglo Saxon race, superior to all others as evidenced by their grander civilizations, numbers, wealth, and Christian beliefs. They saw these advantages as evidence that God wanted them to spread over the world imposing their rule on other races and lesser civilizations of the globe when inevitably the world’s supply of unoccupied land was depleted. This was especially the view of missionary minded Americans such as Reverend Josiah Strong, who called for Christian missions spanning the entire globe; their ideas stemmed from the Social Gospel (Document B). The Social Gospel involved the use of Christian ideals to help cope with the problems of the time, many of which were caused by rapid industrialization. This entitled way of thinking again helped inspire the United States to expand as well as convincing its people that such an expansion was rightful and meant to be, and again they did so because of these ideas and quite successfully so. The next ways in which the old and new ages were alike was in the treatment of the native peoples of the regions that the United States expanded into. During both time periods US policy toward the people already residing in any area newly acquired was biased and insensitive with little to no regard of the for the good or desires of the natives. During early American expansion the victims of such actions were almost exclusively Native Americans. As Americans pushed west they came into contact with a myriad of different tribes inhabiting different parts of the North American continent. The US government and these Indian tribes began to clash with each other quickly and soon what is widely seen as an unofficial extermination campaign began. This campaign carried on for decades until the US had spread a completely across the continent fighting and weakening individual tribes until they submitted to US dominance. Even after this Native Americans were still treated unfairly, having to contend with horrific US anti-Indian legislation. For Instance the Indian Removal Act, which took away Indian land and forced onto plots of land mandated for them do reside in, known as reservations. The most famous of which was the trial of tears, during which the Cherokee people were forced to march the one thousand mile distance from Georgia to Oklahoma under horrible conditions resulting in the deaths of 4,000 Cherokees. Another injustice toward the Indian peoples was their excluded from US citizenships and the rights and protections that come with it until 1924 with the passage of the Snyder Act. The treatment of those in the territories and colonies of the United States during this time during the late 1800s and early 1900s in that they again like the Native Americans were subject to harsh military action. This occurred shortly after Spain sold the Philippines to the United States for 20 million dollars. The Filipino people were under the mistaken assumption that after the withdrawal of Spain they would receive their independence, so as the US began to institute its rule in the colony Filipinos revolt under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo. The US government responded not by granting the Philippines its independence but instead by engaging in an armed conflict called by the American Anti-imperialist League, founded by Mark Twain in 1898, a â€Å"war of criminal aggression†. Although the US eventually won out due to far superior military might the process of doing so many Filipinos were slaughter putting Filipino blood on American hands (Document D). Inhabitants of the new age US imperial holdings were just as their Native American counterparts of the past denied rights and privileges and citizens. It was decided during this period that Congress would be granted jurisdiction over US foreign colonies and territories and control over the civil rights and statuses of those in them. This resulted from the Supreme Court case Downes vs. Bidwell, where a Puerto Rican exporter sued over the fact that he had to pay an import duties on his goods arguing that he was not technically importing them seeing as how Puerto Rico was a US territory. As Congress never saw fit to make grant such inhabitants of the â€Å"US Empire† they were not given rights under or protected by the Constitution as US citizens were (Document H). This lack of rights for natives in these lands opened the door to abuses and despotism from the United States government as well as other entities for instance big business, trying to serve their own needs and desires at any cost. The similarities between both states of US expansionism are represented both in its attitude toward its own expansion and in its handling of the existing populaces in the areas acquired. The more recent imperial period beginning in the late 1800s was also in numerous key facets a departure from previous US policies and preceding expansionism. To begin there was a major difference in venue between the two periods. During the early era US expansion was limited to the North American continent only spreading out and making larger the already existing American nation to the surrounding area. This mostly consisted of westward extension toward the Pacific Ocean, and the settling largely wooded country side that was quite relatively scarcely populated with only a number of Native American Indian tribes. However the latter era was a more global form of expansion. Instead of having growth limited to the continent and immediate area the US began to obtain colonies and territories thousands of miles away in other parts of the world such as the Philippines, the only official colony, Puerto Rico, and Guam. According to the father of the modern US navy, Admiral Alfred T. Mahan the US had to start looking outward to distant territorial options due to the increasing need for raw materials and other growing production needs, an expansionistic desire form the American public, and the geographic position of the nation between the Atlantic and Pacific (Document C). The perceived need to keep up with the growing colonial possessions and therefore wealth and power of the European nations was also a driving force behind this colonizing outward look. The US had fallen behind in this arena as shown in works like Thomas Nast’s â€Å"The World Plunderers†, which shows the dominant European nations of Germany, England, and Russia taking land off different regions of the globe. The US is not however represented here among these powerful colonizing nations, serving to show how far behind the US was in that way and how it did not play as large or powerful role as these other countries (Document A). These new colonial territories were not made up of under populated wilderness ready for settlement, but instead were populated and held developed native societies with their own customs that the US government had to deal with. This type of new era colonial style interaction is exemplified in events like the Filipino revolt against their American rulers for independence. Not only did US expansion change becoming more global, but US diplomatic expansionism foreign policy changed as well. During the initial time of expansionism the US foreign policy was focused on expansion through the gaining of land. While during the later time the US was still fixated on the attainment of land gains they began to also focus on expansion through the expansion of American influence throughout the world. During this time the US became somewhat less isolationist and introverted and looked to expand trade with other nations and sway over other nations rather than real â€Å"colonial† control. The goal of the United States was according to Senator Albert J Beveridge in the 1900 to use its colonial possession of the Philippines to control the Pacific Ocean, which he believed to be â€Å"the ocean of the commerce of the future†. This control over the Pacific would supposedly allow the US unrestricted trade with Asia, making it â€Å"the power that rules the world† (Document E). This idea in practice resulted in the institution of the open door policy. This policy nvolved the forceful persuasion of China by the United States to engage in trading with the US and other European powers. To keep from fighting between these powers separate â€Å"spheres of influence† were set up for each colonial power in which they could trade and conduct business as they pleased. This policy worked well making the US arguably the largest and most important foreign power in the region as shown by the political cartoon â€Å"American Diplomacy† (Document G). The United States also opened up Japan to trade with the Commodore Perry’s expedition to the nation in 1853. These types of influence foreign diplomacy were not only employed by the US in the Pacific but in the Latin America as well with particular regard to Central America. This was known as the Roosevelt Corollary, President Roosevelt’s interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine that required the US to interfere in the affairs of countries affected by wrongdoing and or impotence of the Western Hemisphere not for land but for the â€Å"welfare† of such countries (Document F). The Platt Amendment helped to support and legitimized the Corollary by guarantying US participation in Cuban dealings, both foreign and domestic and appeared to be at the time quite a success. The practice of dollar diplomacy took US influence over the Latin American to a new level by using both political and military authority to safeguard US citizens’ investments in the regions. This was used when President Taft sent US marines into Nicaragua in 1912 in order to keep safe American business interests. Such policies served to expand American control through increase in indirect influence instead of an increase in land and colonization. The variances between the old and new ways of expansion manifest themselves primarily in the change from continental territory gains to globally and the shift from a singular expansion attention on land to a attention on influence based expansion. United States expansionism has undergone changes throughout the years and at the same time stayed constant in many respects. Expansionism from the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century was a continuation of past expansionism in that the religious and superiority driven attitude toward expansionism and the treatment of those already occupying the colonized areas remained the same. However it was a departure from previous expansionism because of its more global connotations and its focus on diplomatic influence as opposed to land. It is evident that regardless of their specific differences the old era of US expansion and the new era are their own distinct entities.

Getting Out of Reach essays

Getting Out of Reach essays Prescription drug prices are rising much faster than the rate of general consumer inflation. The most heavily affected are those who can least afford it, like older Americans living on fixed incomes, and the working poor with inadequate or no health insurance. The rise in drug prices is causing the public to ask why. The reasons include the immense research costs, consumer advertising and the growth of managed care. The continue rise in prescription drugs costs has touched off intense public debate on how best people can get some relief. Some politicians and consumer groups have pushed for some form of price controls. Drug companies oppose price regulations. They contend it would restrain innovation in an industry that invests billions of dollars annually on research. Joe Madera, a retired man in his late 60s living in Pomona, CA, pays more than $250 a month out of pocket for prescription drugs to maintain his diabetes under control. Medicare covers his doctor bills and any hospital visits, but the federal health program does not cover prescription. While this mans household income is fixed, the cost of his medication just keeps going up. Most Americans do not feel the increase in drug prices directly because they purchase prescription medicines through their employee health plans or their HMOs, where they do not pay the full price, often making only a $10 or $20 co-payments. The rise in drug prices does hit this group indirectly. Many health insures have blamed higher drug cost as the reason behind hikes in medical premiums or restriction of benefits. One reason why retail prices are going up is hat the new generation of drugs is expensive to produce. The cost of research and developments are high. Creating a complex, genetically engineered drug versus producing a conventional drug is like the difference between manufacturing a Ford Escort car and designing a fine German Mercedes-Benz. Indeed, the ...

Art Of Portraiture

Art Of Portraiture Essay The three works that I chose that are art of portraiture are Head of a King, Mask of an Lyoba, and Mother Goddess. The first two portraits are West African Art from two different tribes, Ife, who created the Head of a King and Benin, whom created the Mask of an Lyoba. The Mother Goddess is an Aztec piece. These groups of people are from different cultures, time periods, and share different religious beliefs. The similarity of the groups is the symbolic meaning the portraitures brought to its people. The first work is the Head of a King. This Ife creation altered the perception that scholars had of the tribe. It was known that the Ife tribes did not do portraits because of the spirits that could harm the subjects. The sculptures that were discovered all seemed to resemble rulers, so the conclusion was that the institution of kingship and the need to revere royal ancestors were strong enough to overcome concerns. Also the figures were naturalistic. The proportions of the few knownful figures are characteristically African.. The heads may have been taken from life models, but seem more like idealized images. An example is of the proportions of the head of the sculpture. These proportions probably reflect a belief in the heads importance as the abode of the spirit, and the focus of the individual identity. Life is the sacred city of the Yoruba people, were naturalistic sculpture began. The Benin tribe arose after the Ife, and was greatly influenced by their art. Their portraits were also naturalistic, but as they grew more knowledgeable in art, they drew away from the naturalistic works of the Ife people into stylized works of their own. The Mask of an Lyoba is a beautiful ornamental mask of royalty. This works shows that the people no longer use the naturalistic approach, but a bold, more idealized, representation of its people. The art of Benin is a royal art, only the oba could commission the works. This work was commissioned in ivory, but most of the works were commissioned in brass. The Benin transition from naturalistic to stylize is better explained in the brass heads. It ranges from small, thinly cast, and naturalistic to large, thickly cast, and highly stylized. The conclusion of scholars is that in their Early Period, their heads were small and naturalistic from the Ife influence. Heads then grew increasingly stylized during the Middle Period. Then in the Late Period, the heads were very large and heavy, with angular stylized features and an elaborate beaded crown. In Mexico there was also portraitures. Specifically in the Aztec Empire were the Mother Goddess was created. This was a strong and powerful empire that was divided in classes. The religion was based on a complex pantheon that combined the Aztec deities with more ancient ones that had long been worshiped in Central Mexico. According to the Aztec belief, the gods created the current universe at the ancient city of Teothhuacan. Which is similar to the Ife belief that Gods came down and created the people. The culture and purpose of the people is then to worship and honor their gods forever. This was done by sacrifice and in their art. We are aware of the religion and the beliefs of the Aztec people because of their art. The gods were represented in statues and paintings that were narratives to teach their people and show respect to the gods. The Mother Goddess was a broad shouldered figure with clawed hands and feet has a skirt of twisted snakes. A pair of serpents, symbols of gushing blood, rise from her neck to form her head. Their eyes are her eyes; their fangs, her tusks. The writhing serpents of her skirt also form her body. Around her stump of a neck hangs a necklace of sacrificial offerings- hands, heart, and a dangling skull. READ: Art and humanities test 1 EssayDespite the surface intricacy, the sculptures simple, bold, and blocky forms create a single visual whole. This dramatic impact was also heightened by the color. This portraiture is very symbolic. Unlike the previous two works it is not of the rulers or the people at the time, it is of a god. But much like the first two works it is also idealized. This is what their mother god that guides them should look like. The Ife people created works that were spiritual and revealing their groups identity. The Benin people, once understanding art created stylized works that also expressed their identity, far more than anything naturalistic did. All three works represents the people and what is important to them. For the Aztec people it was their gods, and representing them in a dramatic and powerful way to teach their people. While the Ife people believed that the gods created them in likeness to themselves, so the portraits were also of their people in the ideal form that the gods wanted. The Benin culture were fascinated by art, and wanted to show respect to their rulers by their representation of them.

Reflection writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection writing assignment - Essay Example It comes from within us. We concentrate on planning and thinking how to transform our complex thoughts into an organized written text. Sometimes, I would find myself staring at a blank paper for hours because I do not know how to start the topic I am working. Worse, when I get to start writing, I would it difficult to end the topic. Also, I would sometimes be confused in grammatical rules especially when I construct complex sentences. Moreover, I need guidance in using the right punctuations for longer sentences. However, amidst all these difficulties I encountered in writing, I have remained patient in re-writing and editing my drafts to come up with a presentable essay. Writing an outline also helps me in organizing my thoughts and ideas. Most of all, I try to read a lot in order to learn more from the different writing styles of authors. I believe that practice is the only way that I could master the

Core Assessment Social Inequality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Core Assessment Social Inequality - Term Paper Example In the above context, Mayer quotes Arthur Stinchcombe (1987) about demographic explanations and emphasizes the importance of historical changes. However, there is no dispute that the society in which one is born is the basic reason for the inequality an individual faces in his lifetime. The next aspect is regarding demographical differences that decide the formations in society. In addition to that the internal temporal ordering of individuals guided by race, class, social status, age and gender also play an important role in deciding the social inequality. Regarding life course and social inequality it is important to consider the institutional configurations in a society. In the above context it is important to observe the personality development and social conditions that affect social inequality and its affect on course of life. Hence, one can understand that the close link between psychological and socio-psychological, social and historical perspectives need focus while analyzin g and discussing the affect of social inequality in an individual's life. The affect of social inequality in making one gaining advantage or disadvantage due to the allocation of power due to the different aspects mentioned above is important in the analysis of this paper (Karl Ulrich Mayer, 2008). The social class and family structure are interconnected as the last fifty years witnessed the changes in household and family structure. ... is context Annemette Sorenson, (2008) quotes Lestaeghe (1995) about profound changes in economic foundations of marriage and gender relations that pave the way for inequality between contemporary individuals. As a family members share resources intra-generationally as well as across the generations, the influence of family on the members is decides their behavior in the society and the inequality in life course. In this context, the class position can be estimated by the position of male head of the household and when the single parent families began to rise, the family head definition itself has been changed. However, when married women's employment has been common, the financial status of the family decided the status and class of an individual. In the above mentioned situation, the social mobility of women decided the class of children in society. However, the experiences of children state that the class position also depends on designation and financial status of parents. However , in the above context, if the parents take divorce, the resultant life affects the class of the child and it is a major challenge to face social inequality thus arises. After that the economic and social conditions arise from the point of fact that the family being and economic and social unit. Hence, class boundaries decide the economic and social status of an individual. However, if the family's class position depends on designation of husband and wife, the social mobility decides the classification. Hence, social mobility as well as the designations of working husband and wife and the financial status irrespective of work status of women decides the class of a person in the society. Though the social mobility due to women empowerment decides the class of a family, the class of family

SONY VAIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

SONY VAIO - Essay Example Moreover, marketing serves as a contact between the firms and customers for the fulfillment of needs of both the parties. Therefore, it needs to be customer-focused in order for the business to be profitable and productive. This paper will be concentrating on assessing the changing needs and wants of customers, the brand-building efforts of the companies and how different companies use the marketing mix to create value for their customers. The term 'Marketing' is a very wide concept including several different sub-concepts in it. It is defined as the process whereby companies identify, analyze and fulfill the needs and wants of customers, involve in value-creation process and focus on building profitable relations with customers in order to get value from them in return (Kotler, Armstrong 2006). In short, marketing is your strategy for allocating resources (time and money) in order to achieve your objectives (a fair profit for supplying a good product or service). (Ed Zimmer 1992) The two important basic concepts in marketing are named as needs and wants, which are the elements of human psychology. It is extremely important to meet the needs and wants of customers to drive sales, which is the basis of most businesses. Needs are necessary for the human survival and one cannot go further in life if deprived from what one needs. While, wants are the extended form of human needs which are backed up by one's culture, personality and social status. In present marketing environment, the needs and wants of customers are constantly changing and shifting. The consciousness about raising living standards, increase in disposable income, changing trends and fashions have moved the consumers' preferences from being traditional towards being modern and advanced. Also, though some customers know what they want, some simply don't know. And some may have an idea of what they want without that necessarily corresponding with what they need. It, therefore, depends on the marketing team to draw the needs and wants out of them in order to devise a plan and accomplish goals. (Tim Millett) Product from consumer's perspective In today's era of increasing marketing management efforts and spread of advanced media, consumers have attached great expectations to the products they consume. The basic objective of a product for the consumers is to satisfy their needs and to be of value for them i.e. a product should be able to deliver the benefits to the customers equal to the costs they have paid for it. The product benefits the customers at three levels: Core Product refers to the basic product and its benefits that consumers are seeking. Actual Product includes the product's outward features like brand name, design,

Examining Quality Control and Operation Management in Dell

Examining Quality Control and Operation Management in Dell Dell is one of the most successful and profitable computer corporations in history. It has been known for its innovative customer service and product custom configuration. As it continues to grow, it is faced with the challenge of how to maintain its customer relationships and inventory management, while continuing to meet the demands and requirements of its customers. This paper will examine how Dell implements enterprise-wide computing software, which profiles and targets its customers, as well as streamlines the flow of its products throughout the supply chain. Dells collaboration with other computer software companies has allowed it to become a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) and supply-chain management (SCM). These initiatives have resulted in net revenues of between $30 and $60 million over the last five years. Supply Chain Management is becoming more and more important for the success of todays business world. Dell has realized this trend from its very first step and has become one of the most successful PC companies in the world by putting emphasis on its supply chain, concentrating on its its build-to-order and direct sales strategies. Dell is still figting with quality control management problem. . The quality problem relates to low and high end servers, laptops, and desktop models. The regular check up by company indicate a high increase in the number of machines that need to be serviced by Dell in the field soon after the delivery, and also machines returned to Dell for replacement/repair. Introduction Dell Inc. is a multinational information technology corporation that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. The headquarters of dell are in Round Rock, Texas, United States.Dell has employed more than 90,500 people all over the world according to the survey in the current year[update]. Dell grew during the 1980s and 1990s and became the largest seller of PCs but this was not for a long time. At the end of 2009, it held the first position in computer sales, the company sold personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, and computer peripherals. Dell also sells HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and other electronics built by other manufacturers. As of April 2010, Dell topped in computer sales leaving behind HP and Acer. In 2006, Fortune magazine ranked Dell as the 25th-largest company in the Fortune 500 list, 8th on its annual Top 20 list of the most-admired companies in the United States. In 2007, Dell ranked 34th durinf first few months an during last quarter it was ranked 8th on the equivalent lists for the year. In 2006 one of the top magazines identified Dell as one of 38 high-performance companies in the SP 500 that had consistently out-performed the market over the previous 15 years. On January 31, 2007, Kevin B. Rollins, CEO of the company since 2004, resigned as both CEO and as a director, and Michael Dell resumed his former role as CEO. Investors and many shareholders said that rollins due to poor performance of the company resigned his job. The company announced fourth time in same year that the company was fail to reach what the analyst estimated and the results were not upto the mark. In February 2007, Dell became the subject of formal investigations by the U.S. SEC and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The company has not formally filed financial reports for either the third or fourth fiscal quarter of 2006, and several class-action lawsuits arrised based on there recent performance report. Dell Inc due to lack of financial disclosure was in a bad side but would normally subject the company to de-listing from the nasdaq and luckily exchange gave a waiver to dell to exchange was done on normal basis and rate. On March 1, 2007, downfall kept the company showing a quarterly report of gross sales of $14.4 billion, down 5% year-over-year, and net income of $687 million,down 33%.NASDAQ extended the companys deadline for filing financial statements to May 4. The computer industry includes computer software, computer hardware, as well as the production of computer components, assembly, logistics distribution, sales, marketing, and the provision of information technology services. Dell is in the business of manufacturing computers and servers. Its competitors are Hewlett Packard/Compaq, IBM, Apple, and Gateway(depending upon the country competitors may vary eg-gateway is not officialy available in india) The new trend in the computer industry is to become a virtual corporation and Dell is leading the way. According to Dedrick and Kraemer (2006), Dell is aiming to combine the cost advantages of horizontal specialization with close coordination of vertical integration. In the early 1990s, Dell shifted to new strategies and tried to distribute its products through retail outlets, later realizing how unprofitable this approach was. It decided to focus on improving customer service and support by allowing customers to place and custom configure orders directly. This resulted in a unique strategy-customization. Nearly one out of five standards-based computer systems sold in the world today is a Dell. Dell has one simple concept: to sell computer systems directly to customers. Dells customers are global wide and range from individuals, small businesses, large businesses, and institutional organizations, such as schools and hospitals. The mission statement for Dell is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience (htttp:\www.dell.com). Since Dell is a global wide company, its direct approach is relevant across product lines, regions and customer segments (http://www.dell.com). Michael Dell started Dell in 1984, he had limited cash and purchased most of the supplies needed to build his first computers after the sales were made. Well-established computer manufacturers like IBM had a lock on the computer market, where customers preferred to purchase products from retail outlets. This new idea of building-to-order and ordering over the phone was a major risk. The first obstacle was to create a need on part of the customer to desire the purchase of a customized computer. The second hurdle was having customers call a toll free number to order the product. Dell had to find a way to overcome these obstacles and then provide a service that would build a reputation for superior business to consumer efficiency. OPERATION MANAGEMENT Every business is managed through three major functions: finance, marketing, and operations management. Operations management (OM) is the business function that plans, organizes, coordinates, and controls the resources needed to produce a companys goods and services. Operations management is a management function. It involves managing people, equipment, technology, information, and many other resources. The role of operations management is to convert or transform a companys inputs into the finished goods or services. Inputs include human resources (such as workers and managers), facilities and processes (such as buildings and equipment), as well as materials, technology, and information. Proper management of the operations function has led to success for many companies. For example, in 1994 Dell Inc. was a second-tier computer maker that managed its operations similar to others in the industry. Then Dell implemented a new business model that completely changed the role of its operations function. Dell developed new and innovative ways of managing the operations function that have become one of the examples in todays world. These changes enabled Dell to provide rapid product delivery of customized products to customers at a lower cost, and thus become an industry leader. With historical development there are different concepts in operation management eg. total quality management supply chain management and inventry control management. Total Quality Management As customers demand never ending higher quality in their products and services, companies have been forced to focus on improving quality in order to remain in the business. Total quality management (TQM) is a philosophy, promulgated by quality gurus such as W. Edwards Deming, that passionately seeks to improve product quality by removing causes of product defects and making quality that speaks by itself.With TQM everyone in the company is responsible for quality. TQM was practiced by some companies in the 1970s and became a major part of the company in the 1990s. This is an area of operations management that no competitive company has been able to ignore. The importance of this movement is demonstrated by the number of companies joining the ranks of those achieving ISO 9000 certification. ISO 9000 is a set of quality standards developed for global manufacturers by the International Organizationfor Standardization (ISO) to control trade into the then-emerging European Economic Community (EEC). Today many companies require their suppliers to meet these standards as a condition for obtaining contracts. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management (SCM) involves managing the flow of materials and information from suppliers and buyers of raw materials all the way to the final customer. The objective is to have everyone in the chain work together to reduce cost and improve quality and service delivery. Supply chain management requires a team approach, with functions such as marketing, purchasing, operations, and engineering all working together. This approach has been shown to resulted in satisfyeing more customers, meaning that everyone in the chain profits. SCM has become possible with the development of information technology (IT) tools that enable joint planning and scheduling. The technologies allow supply chain execution and design collaboration, which enables companies to respond better and faster to changing market needs. Numerous companies, including Dell Computer, Wal-Mart, and Baxter Healthcare, have achieved world-class status by effectively managing their supply chains. In details we will talk about the strategy and management of dell here. Dell competetive advantages Dells Direct Business Model Commitment to Open Standards Order Velocity/Build to Order Supply Chain Optimisation Continuous Process Improvement Inventory control The term inventory means the value or amount of materials or resource on hand. It includes raw material, work-in-process, finished goods stores spares. Inventory Control is the process by which inventory is measured and regulated according to predetermined decisions such as economic lot size for order or production, safety stock, minimum level, maximum level, order level etc. Traditionally, the focus on inventory management has always been about not running out of finished goods. Manufacturers would always have more and more excessive amounts of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods with regard not for holding costs but only for protecting against a stock-out. If demand was higher than expected or a supplier missed a shipment, inventory would bail the manager out. As long as outbound shipments were satisfied, so were the operations managers. But there was a problem in this policy because holding costs and other practices were difficult to nagae due to low technology and managers ignore these. Holding costs can be defined as the annual costs that are incurred by holding onto inventory.The dollar amount for holding costs typically ranges between 20-40% of annual average inventories. For example, if a firm has average inventories of $1000, the firm would have an annual holding cost at least $200. Common factors that attract holding costs include opportunity costs, increased rent required for the space of the inventory, higher premiums to insure the inventoryand cost of absolute goods. Opportunity costs are the highest cost. For example, if a firm has an average inventory level resulting in $100 million worth of goods, the firm effectively has $100 million tied up in inventory. Assuming these funds are not being loaned to the firm (which immediately results in interest expenses), then these are funds that should be used in other investments. Objectives of Inventory Control To meet future demand due to variation in forecast figures and actual figures. To cover demand due to seasonal or cyclic variations. To meet the customer requirement timely, effectively, efficiently, smoothly and satisfactorily. To smoothen the production process. To provide help for intermediate several products on the same facility. To gain economy of production or purchase in lots. To reduce loss due to changes in prices of inventory items. To meet the time lag for transportation of goods. To meet the technological constraints of production/process. To balance various costs of inventory such as order cost or set up cost and inventory carrying cost To balance the stock out cost/opportunity cost due to loss of sales against the costs of inventory. To minimize losses due damage,robbing etc. To stabilize employment,resources and machine and human efforts. Benefits of Inventory Control Ensures an adequate supply of materials Minimizes inventory costs Facilitates purchasing economies Eliminates duplication during ordering Better utilization of available stocks Provides a check against the loss of materials Facilitates cost accounting activities Enables management in cost comparison Locates disposes inactive and expired store items Basis for financial statements which is reliable. Inventory control Dell Using todays technology, manufacturers and retailers are achieving inventory turns that are as important as the supply chains that produce them. Take for example Dell. Dell has achieved a system that at times leaves them with average inventories for long enough to last only three days. Instead of incurring holding costs, Dell doesnt order until the demand is in place. The system Dell has achieved is referred to as a Just In Time (JIT) system. JIT is designed to keep inventories as low as possible by producing only what is needed and when it is needed. The technology involved allows customers to place an order on Dells website and receive their computer within days and maximum of 1 month. Dells website is connected to their electronic data interchange (EDI) system which allows suppliers to see what parts Dell requires as soon as the customer orders the computer. The suppliers, who make multiple shipments to Dell daily, supply Dell with the parts they need when, and only when, they require them. Although the software is costly, for Dell, and some many other firms, the result is savings that give competitive advantage. However, JIT is an extremely difficult system to set up that requires years of practice and extremely cooperative suppliers to perfect. For many firms, this is not an option. In particular, this system is not designed for products that have a very large backorder cost. Backorder costs are the costs associated with failing to meet demand. Maybe the product is a commodity and the cost is nothing more than lost revenue, but maybe the backorder results in bad word of mouth that drives the cost even higher than the lost revenue. It is important for a firm to determine the approximate costs tied to backorders. When this is achieved, managers can compare holding costs to backorders in order to help determine what optimal inventory levels are. Unfortunately, backorder costs and holding costs arent the only variables involved with optimal inventory levels. Other costs such as ordering costs (costs associated with ordering. Includes paperwork, inventory counts, etc.) , supplier lead times (how long it takes between ordering and receiving materials), and supply lead time and demand variations are also important variables that cant be ignored. All of these variables can make optimal inventory levels very difficult for managers to determine. Today, software bus iness solutions help to both ease the workload and drive down costs (in particular, ordering costs). Dells Inventory Turnover Data   Year     Ã‚     Inventory Turnover     Ã‚     Ã‚     Weeks Inventory 1992     Ã‚     4.79     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚   10.856 1993     Ã‚     5.16     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚   10.078 1994     Ã‚     9.4     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚      5.532 1995     Ã‚     9.8     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚      5.306 1996     Ã‚     24.2     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚   2.149 1997     Ã‚     41.7     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚   1.247 1998     Ã‚     52.40     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚      0.992 1999     Ã‚     52.40     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚      0.992 2000     Ã‚     51.4     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚   1.012 2001     Ã‚     63.50     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     0.819   Key point to notice here is that Dell was carrying over 10 weeks worth of inventory in 1993. By 2001, Dell was carrying less than 1 weeks worth of inventory. This essentially means that inventory used to sit around for 11 weeks and now it sits around for less than 1 week. So what does this mean for Dell? computers lose 1 percent of their value per week. This isnt like the canned food industry where managers can let their supplies sit around for months before anyone comes and orders. Computers arent canned goods, and as Kevin Rollins of Dell says-.they are rot,the longer a computer sits around, the less it is worth.   Due to depreciation alone, in 1993 Dell was losing roughly 10% per computer because the computers were all ready to be sold but there was no order coming. In 2001, Dell was losing less than a percent. Based on holding costs alone, Dell reduced costs by nearly 9%.   Since 2001, Dell has continueed to lower inventory. Looking at their latest annual reports, days inventory has dropped by approximately a day.   Benefits of low inventory: Supply chain management A supply chain consists of all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling a customer request. In other words, a supply chain (SC) includes all organizations that collaborate in order to produce and deliver a finished product to the final customer. An example of a simple, direct SC would be the one which contains one supplier, a distributor of the materials, the bakery and a customer. Supply chains can be different in size, how complex the relation is inbetween the members and distribution of physical presence. In the following figure two different types of channel relations can be seen: direct, where the SC consists of one supplier and one customer of an organisation, and extended, where apart from the above, a suppliers supplier, a customers customer, etc. are included. In general, supply chains are dynamic, and involve the flow of information, products and funds between different stages. Supply chain management has the objective to have the right products in the right quantities at the right time at minimum cost, a situation that would guarantee optimal service levels for the customer and optimal performance for the organizations as a whole and separately. So, SCM involves the management of flows between and among members of the supply chain in order to maximize total supply chain profitability, hence maximize the total value generated throughout the SC. while recognizing the existence and importance of the others an organization needs first to decide about its supply chain strategy and then decide and take required actions that will fulfill the customer demand. Dells Supply Chain Strategies The direct model refers to the fact that Dell does not use the retails channel, but sells its PCs directly to customers through its website, Dell.com, as Figure shows. This way the intermediary steps that may add time and cost are eliminated, and Dell is directly linked to its customers.this strategy look very simple but its very hard to adopt and manage such a policy,a very high qualified and experienced staff is required. Fig 1 fig 2 Indirect Distribution channel for PC industry Direct ditribution channel for PC industry(figure 1 as shown by dell) When Dell was a smaller company than it is now, before the development of powerful, industry-standard servers of the type that Dell manufactures, the Dell IT group ran its SCM database applications on large, expensive, proprietary servers based on the UNIX ® OS. However, as the company grew, servers lacking the necessary capacity had to be replaced with even larger, more powerful servers. And because the servers were not upto the mark and efficient, updating a single server often required shutting down entire systems. The increased performance of industry-standard DelPowerEdge servers, however, has enabled Dell IT to create cost-effective, highly scalable systems using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) 10g. In fact, Dell sells directly to all its customers, from home-PC users to the worlds largest corporations. This way it creates a direct relationship with each individual customer, which turns out to be a great source of competitive advantage. As Michael Dell has stated, this direct relationship creates valuable information about the customer, thus Dell knows who the end users are, what they have bought from Dell and what their preferences are, a fact that allows Dell to offer add-on products and services, and stay, in general, closer to the customer. Quality control Recent data points indicate that on top of mounting corporate governance and sluggish growth issues, but dell may also be facing a problem of quality control. The quality problem relates to low end servers, laptops, and desktops, not the high-end server models. Channel checks indicate a noticeable increase in the number of machines that need to be serviced by Dell in the field shortly after delivery, and also units returned to Dell for replacement/repair. For the most part, Dell outsources assembly to offshore partners in Taiwan and China. It is not clear yet if the issues are caused by sloppy manufacturing or design flaws. We suspect the former, and will continue to check field data. In addition, Dell is struggling through early adoption of the Microsoft Vista operating system, and users may not be able to differentiate whether the problems they are having with new laptops stem from poor build quality, design issues, instability in the operating system or incompatibility in application components with Vista. Quality issues with Dell laptops are nothing new we routinely saw evidence of that last year. The rise of problems with low end servers and desktops is troubling and our checks indicate that it is costing Dell money and starting the downfall of its brand. The timing of this quality lapse could not be worse for management, considering the recent announcements about errors in accounting and financial controls. An executive of a system builder that often competes with Dell said he finds the company has been much less cost-competitive since Michael Dell has returned to the CEO position at the company, and that the PC maker is representing a certain amount of confusion in competing for business throughout this quarter. Cost issues and turmoil appear to be piling on to Dells quality issues from last year, when the company recalled 4.2 million notebook batteries due to fire hazards. For its part, though, Dell has said it has found its response to customers with quality or technical problems has improved. SWOT Analysis of Dell Computer Strengths Dells Direct Model approach of enables the company to offer direct relationships with customers such as corporate and institutional customers. Their strategic method also provides other forms of products and services such as internet and telephone purchasing, customized computer systems; phone and online technical support and next-day, on-site product service. This extensive range of products and services is definitely one of Dells strengths. Dell Computers award-winning customer service, industry-leading growth and consistently strong financial performance differentiate the company from competitors for the following reasons: Price for Performance Dell represents a very efficient procurement, manufacturing and distribution process allowing it to offer customers powerful and customized systems at competitive prices. Customization Each Dell system is built to order to meet each customers specifications.this is the only company till now which has been efficient in applyeing this strategy through the world.Under developed countries like india where people are not much in contact with internet,they are also aware of the companyz system of online oredering and customizing and almost 90 percent of the people are satisfied by this. Reliability, Service and Support Dells direct customer allows it to provide the most efficient customer service before and after the sale.the industry of computer is such that only a technical help person can fix the system and when dell provides with such a service of online omitting errors and toll free registering complaint and on the spot servicing ,this gives a customer a plus point then other companies. Latest Technology Dell is able to introduce the latest relevant technology compared to companies using the indirect distribution channels. Dell turns over inventory for an average of every six days, keeping inventory costs low. The companys application of the Internet to other parts of the business including procurement, customer support and relationship management is growing at a rate of 30 percent. The companys Web site received at least 25 million visits at more than 50 country-specific sites.the latest technology also carries effective attractions like customizing the outer looks like different variants of colours,the girls have different choice and boys have different.the company also earns more through this because the more you customize,the more a customer has to pay for it.now adays dell is also providing to make its own design on the outer screen . Weaknesses Dells biggest weakness is attracting the college student segment of the market. Dells sales revenue from educational institutions such as colleges only accounts for a mearly 5% of the total. Dells focus on the corporate and government institutional customers somehow affected its ability to form relationships with educational institutions. Since many students purchase their PCs through their schools, Dell is obviously not popular among the college market yet. Dell is not available in retail outlets, customers cannot go to retailers because Dell does not use distribution channels. Customers just cant buy Dell as simply as other brands because each product is custom-built according to their specifications and this might take days to finish.most of the times it happens that customer is unaware of the specifications of the the materials to be installed so according to him customizing the pc is a big headache and customer will go for simple buying. Dell weakness lies in their time of delivery also.normally 15 to 20 days are followed after the order have been placed.people requiring a urgent pc or youth exited about a new laptop or pc doesnt want to wait for these many days.it happens with us most of the times,whne we are in a mood to buy something we want that thing to be delivered as soon as possible.this is alos a major weakness of dell. Opportunities Computers according to customer demand and requirement and becoming more and more popular and also a necessity today. Customers are getting more and more educated about computers. The first time users may avoid dell but a second time usr will always prefer dell because now he or she is more known to the product,more aware about what he requires and also keen to use more and high performance technology. Desktops are now out of fashion and people are going for laptops because it is easy to carry and easy portable device.this is a major segment where company can focus and attain a reputed position. The internet is also playin a major role in dell sales and orders because dell is not available through outlets and now days people are more aware of the internet and its use.dell laptops and pc can be ordered with vast varieties of variants of each and every product where as in case of retail outlets the variety available is not so much. Threats This is such a industry or market where thousands of new products are launched each month because the it industry has well established and each and every technical person has an ability to develop a hardware or software.we can see each day a new and very innovative products are launched related to computer industry.dell has to keep an eye on new products that are alays being launched and also try to make new products so that company can maintain its reputation of an innovative company. The company also faces a big problem of producing product that are high in quality and low in price.when such a situation comes a company has to make every effort to make maximum sales and profit. One more problem or threat is price between companies are decreasing day by day and there is almost an equal price for the same product in two comapnies. Dells Direct selling attracts customers because it saves cost. Other companies are alsooffering computers at low costs, this could hurt the dell customer base and customers can shift to other pc companies. With almost identical prices, price difference is no longer an issue for a customer. They might choose other brands instead of waiting for Dells customized computers. The next threat is decrearing rate of computer industry and unluckily dell has the maximum share in this industry,suppose if the demand decreases the the competition will become more hard and company would have to work more harder and harder to maintain its position in the market Technology is advancing day by day.if on the one side its an opportunity for the industry,on the other side its also a threat for the industry because the computer industry is such an industry where an new technology or product doesnt need a much high investment and large firms face competiton when small companies introduce new and efficient products at much smaller price Technology dictates that the most up-to-date and fastest products are always the most popular. Dell has to always keep up with technological advancements to be able to compete. Porters five force model for dell- Threat of new entrants-moderate. Reasons- The capital required for investment is low for new companies. Differentiation in products is also low but brand name can be considered as an entry barrier. The economies of scale is also low. The government or legal barriers are also low or alomot nill(depending upon country to country) . Rivalry-high Reasons- There is a price war due to low margin. The continuing decrease in profit. High concentration of the market. Threat of substitutes-low Reasons- If we look at the survey evry 4 th person ahs a