Pollution in New York

Alberto A. Ortiz Bio 112 May 13, 2010 Pollution is all around us, everywhere we go, every day we experience some sort of pollution. Babies in the womb are more vulnerable than their mothers to DNA harm from air pollution, in spite of the additional protection that the placenta is thought to supply in removing toxins. In a study of babies and their mothers in New York City, scientists found that babies had accumulated a relatively high amount of mutations, and they connected the mutations to vehicle emissions. The babies also had more toxins from secondhand smoke than their mothers, who didn’t even smoke. This information is listed in Environmental Health Perspectives. For many years, scientists have believed that a fetus may be more susceptible to toxins than an adult. Yet, new research among a handful of large studies has analyzed the genetic effects of pollution. It is not known what the health effects of this DNA damage, if any, are for newborns. Exposure to these types of pollutants and tobacco smoke has been linked to increased risk for cancer in adults. This finding raises concern about fetal susceptibility and underscores the importance of reducing air pollution,† says Frederica Perera, who led the study at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health in New York City. The study included 265 pairs of nonsmoking African-American and Latina mothers and newborns in New York City. The researchers collected cord blood samples from the babies at the time of delivery and blood samples from the mothers a day after giving birth. Mothers and newborns had the same level of DNA damage from air pollutants, but the researchers estimate that the fetus is exposed to a ten-fold lower dose of pollutants than the mother because the placenta serves as a filter. Thus, fetuses appear to be particularly susceptible to environmental toxins and may not be able to clear them from their bodies or repair damaged DNA. The finding that newborns had higher levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their blood than did their mothers reinforces he concern that babies are more affected by secondhand smoke. The scientists were able to measure the level of DNA damage from air pollutants in mothers and newborns by analyzing stretches of mutated DNA, called biomarkers, that have been associated with exposure to diesel emissions and other air pollutants. In a previous study of Caucasian women and their newborns in Krakow, Poland, Perera and her colleagues found similar prenatal susceptibility to air pollution. Because New York City has much lower levels of pollution than Krakow, they wanted to see if the same damage occurred. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has put forward legislation, which will provide the first comprehensive overhaul of the New York City Noise Code in over 30 years. Noise is the number one complaint to the City’s 311 citizen service hotline, currently averaging nearly 1,000 calls a day. The proposal provides a flexible environment to keep New York’s businesses thriving while addressing the number one quality of life complaint in New York. Mayor Bloomberg said that his new proposal, which was announced in June 2004, was the first overhaul of the Noise Code in over 30 years and would maintain the City’s vibrancy by balancing the need for construction, development and an exciting nightlife with New Yorker's well deserved right to peace and quiet. â€Å"Building on the success of our enforcement initiative, Operation Silent Night, we are proposing a comprehensive revision to the noise code that will make New York quieter and more livable without stifling growth,† the Mayor added. The new Noise Code will remove outdated code sections and replace them with ones that use the latest acoustic technology and will provide for flexible and reasonable enforcement. The new code provides updated and sensible means of limiting noise from construction sites located near residential neighborhoods. By establishing uniform best management practices for all work sites, using greater discretion in granting permits for night and weekend work and mandating ‘noise management plans’ that include portable sound barriers, noise jackets for jackhammers at all construction sites the code will decrease noise pollution. Neighbors apply special lotions after showering because their skin burns. Tests show that their tap water contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system. â€Å"How can we get digital cable and Internet in our homes, but not clean water? † said Mrs. Hall-Massey, a senior accountant at one of the state’s largest banks. She and her husband, Charles, do not live in some remote corner of Appalachia. Charleston, the state capital, is less than 17 miles from her home. â€Å"How is this still happening today? † she asked. When Mrs. Hall-Massey and 264 neighbors sued nine nearby coal companies, accusing them of putting dangerous waste into local water supplies, their lawyer did not have to look far for evidence. As required by state law, some of the companies had disclosed in reports to regulators that they were pumping into the ground illegal concentrations of chemicals — the same pollutants that flowed from residents’ taps. But state regulators never fined or punished those companies for breaking those pollution laws. The vast majority of those polluters have escaped punishment. State officials have repeatedly ignored obvious illegal dumping, and the Environmental Protection Agency, which can prosecute polluters when states fail to act, has often declined to intervene. Because it is difficult to determine what causes diseases like cancer, it is impossible to know how many illnesses are the results of water pollution, or contaminants’ role in the health problems of specific individuals. But concerns over these toxins are great enough that Congress and the E. P. A. regulate more than 100 pollutants through the Clean Water Act and strictly limit 91 chemicals or contaminants in tap water through the Safe Drinking Water Act. Research shows that an estimated one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails to meet a federal health benchmark in other ways. Those exposures include carcinogens in the tap water of major American cities and unsafe chemicals in drinking-water wells. Wells, which are not typically regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, are more likely to contain contaminants than municipal water systems. Because most of today’s water pollution has no scent or taste, many people who consume dangerous chemicals do not realize it, even after they become sick, researchers say. The broadest definition of thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature. Thermal pollution is usually associated with increases of water temperatures in a stream, lake, or ocean due to the discharge of heated water from industrial processes, such as the generation of electricity. Increases in ambient water temperature also occur in streams where shading vegetation along the banks is removed or where sediments have made the water more turbid. Both of these effects allow more energy from the sun to be absorbed by the water and thereby increase its temperature. There are also situations in which the effects of colder-than-normal water temperatures may be observed. For example, the discharge of cold bottom water from deep-water reservoirs behind large dams has changed the downstream biological communities in systems such as the Colorado River. http://www. controllingpollution. com/pollution/thermal-pollution/ http://www. nydailynews. com/topics/Noise+Pollution http://www. dec. ny. gov/chemical/281. html http://www. nytimes. com/2009/12/17/us/17water. html

Creating Shared Value: Lessening the Tension Between Society and the Economy by Utilizing Corporate Social Responsibility to Its Full Potential

Creating Shared Value: Lessening the Tension between Society and the Economy by Utilizing Corporate Social Responsibility to its full Potential PA 311 Introduction to Civic Engagement INTRODUCTION Commerce is an essential part of humanity. Without commerce man would most likely still be in an animalistic state relying on the hunter-gatherer life style. With business and trade, come economic prosperity and a higher standard of living. However, business can also create situations that are unjust and not equitable for all humans.On the same token, society can create environments in which a business cannot successfully operate. A tension between economy and society has existed since the beginning of modern human culture. Throughout history cultures have tried to lessen the tension with mixed results. Communism attempted to eradicate the problem by eradicating the profit motive but in the end, it was unsuccessful. Socialist theorists failed to understand that business is part of human nat ure and if wielded correctly can benefit not only the business, but the society as well.In modern times the attempt to lessen the tension between the two has taken the form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). While it has many benefits it also leaves the profit motive out of the equation by only focusing on the needs of society and not of business. In its current state, CSR is not a sustainable form of philanthropy and will ultimately fail. A newer version of CSR, Creating Shared Value takes into account, not only society’s needs but the businesses’ as well. By operating within this model we can create a self-sustainable equilibrium in which both business and society as a whole, prosper.Only by uniting the two, and focusing on the commonalties, not the differences, can we create a situation in which the tension between economics and society are tempered. This paper will show how the modern era attempted to lessen the tension between the two by the creation of CSR . It will show the history of the program and ultimately its failings. Later, it will focus on the new concept of Creating Shared Value and how it can benefit society and lessen the tension between economics and society. Origins of Corporate Social ResponsibilityBenjamin W. Heineman, a senior vice president for law and public affairs at General Electric, defines CSR as. 1. Strong, sustained economic performance. 2. Rigorous compliance with financial and legal rules. 3. Ethical and other citizenship action, beyond formal requirements, which advance a corporation’s reputation and long-term health (Olowski, p. 6). These concepts were not the norm in business forty years ago. Most people believed that corporation’s sole responsibility was to conduct business and be profitable.However, the role of business in society began to be seriously questioned during the cultural revolution of the 1960s. With the possible exception of the depression of the 30s corporations were held i n high esteem in America. From the early beginnings of US business to the 1960s people assumed that business existed solely to serve the economic needs of the country. Businesses produce goods and services and employ citizens thus providing them economic security. Employed Americans can then buy more goods and services producing more commerce and business which leads to more employment (Wilson, 2000, p. 3).This role is very important in a society because if it is done correctly, it will eventually raise the standard of living for most of its citizens. This idea that corporations were merely agents of economics was not seriously challenged until the 1960’s (Wilson, 2000, p. 6). During the turbulent 60s there were many societal changes that led to the birth of Corporate Social Responsibility and a heighted sense of conflict between society and business. Affluence doubled in the decade of the sixties allowing more young adults to attend college. Citizens of the US became more fi nancially stable and better educated (Wilson, 2000, p. ). With this social growth came more expectations from corporations in regards to safety, quality, and environmental considerations. They also had increased consumer buying power giving them the freedom to choose which products and from which firms they would purchase. At the same time confidence in our institutions were begging to wane in part due to the war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement (Ackerman, 1979, p. 4). Corporations, which were run mostly by an older generation, were quick to dismiss the changing tides as â€Å"a few radical kids on campus† (Wilson, 2000, p. 8).However, as pressure mounted on American corporations, many politicians took the mantle and conducted congressional hearings to investigate corporate scandals. Starting in the late 60’s corporations’ general mentality began to change as they felt the impact on their corporate image and their bottom line (Wilson, 2000, p. 10). Thoug h there had always been tension between the public and business, not until the 60’s was there such a strong public backlash to corporate scandals. Starting with boycotts of the Civil Rights Movement and the agricultural sector, businesses began to change their attitudes towards the public.This was exacerbated with the scandal of Nestle, who, for decades, sold infant formula as a substitute for breast milk in many developing nations with devastating effects on infant development (Richter, 2001, p. 50). Also during the Vietnam War, Dow Chemical, the major producer of napalm and Agent Orange saw their public image devastated. The two chemicals that they sold to the US government compounded the pain and suffering of the Vietnamese people and many in the US began to protest and boycott their products. Later in the 20th century Nike was found to have unfair working conditions in many of its factories in developing nations.This scandal, like that of Nestle and many others, had a det rimental effect on the company’s reputation and ultimately their profits. US corporations knew they had to react to stay competitive in the changing world. American firms changed from being reactionary to social and political scandals to being pro-active. In an attempt to restore their image with the public they started to invest in what is now known as Corporate Social Responsibility. Problems with Corporate Social Responsibility Porter and Kramer in their work Strategy and Society (Harvard Business Review, 2006, p. ), remark that there are four main arguments for Corporate Social Responsibility: moral obligation, sustainability, license to operate, and reputation. However, most companies CSR approaches were created and implanted to bolster their reputations. Not that this is particularly unfounded because in this market economy many companies live or die by their reputations. Their CSR policies can produce some societal benefits. However, many focus on â€Å"short term def ensive reactions†¦ with minimal value to society and no strategic benefit for the business† (Porter, Kremer, 2006 p. ). Porter and Kremer (2006) also state that all four of these rationales share the same weakness; â€Å"they focus on the tension between business and society rather than on their interdependence. They mostly focus on issues that are unrelated to their business practice and set up philanthropic programs designed to bolster their corporate image† (p 4). For example Ford, which up until recently, were having monetary difficulties, donated a large portion of money to help develop an environmentally friendly high tech football stadium for the Detroit Lions.The idea was well intentioned but keeping the money and investing in many of their Midwest plants could have kept them from shutting down, thus preserving jobs and stock holder equity (Olowski, p. 12). The major criticism of CSR is that it is a shield against corporation’s wrong doings. One migh t argue that they are trying to buy the public’s support by investing in projects that will gain them notoriety. Though CSR in this state may be well intentioned, giving money away frivolously does little to assist the business and in most cases does little for society.This is unfortunate, because corporations possess vast resources and have the potential to create a lasting impact. Companies have a symbiotic relationship with the communities in which they live and do business. An unhealthy community is not a good environment for firms and likewise an unhealthy company does not benefit the community. A company that seeks profits at the expense of its people will be unsuccessful. However the reverse is also true; citizens who attempt to drive out successful businesses will only end up hurting their communities.Only by recognizing the linkage between the two will the tension between society and business be tempered. As Wilson states in his book, The New Rules of Corporate Condu ct (2000, p. 16); â€Å"But the scene (CSR) is ever in motion. There is no point of stability and equilibrium. Where we are now is not a settled end point but a springboard to the future. † The new concept of Creating Shared Value attempts to restore the balance and equilibrium between society and business. Creating Shared Value Porter and Kramer wrote in their study, Strategy and Society (2006, P. ) that â€Å"no business can solve all of life’s ills. † Companies, historically, have used CSR to focus on issues not related to their business model and have gotten mixed results both from society and their bottom line. This is not a sustainable business model because it does not create wealth potential. Many CRS initiatives have been disregarded by firms due to lack of share holder interest and monetary problems. Instead, Porter and Kramer argue that a more sustainable system should benefit both parties.Firms, wanting to engage in CSR, should focus on a single issu e that creates shared value between the business and society. By focusing on social issues directly related to the business they can create a greater impact that is measurable and sustainable. In essence, Creating Shared Value is about benefiting the society and the company. When the two come together to create shared value both benefit tremendously and the tension is lessened. A good example of the concept of Creating Shared Value comes from an unlikely source; Nestle.Although they partook in some unforgivable business practices, they possess some redeeming qualities. In the 1960’s Nestle built a dairy in the northern Indian province of Moga. This was an extremely poverty stricken area where farmers lacked refrigeration and veterinary care for their cows. Nestle built refrigerated collection points in each town and sent its trucks to come and collect milk from each farmer. Nestle also provided veterinary care and information to the farmers not only for their benefit but to e nsure that the milk they were receiving was of high quality.The relationship between the farmers of Moga and Nestle continued to grow and benefited both tremendously. When Nestle opened its first dairy, they had only 180 farmers who sold milk. As of when this study was produced there are now over 75,000 (Porter, Kramer, 2006 p. 11). Now Moga has a significantly higher standard of living in comparison with other provinces of India. Nestle benefited by entering into a new market and gaining a competitive advantage without having to pay middlemen for their milk. This is a good example of how shared value can benefit both the society and the business.CONCLUSION Throughout human history many have attempted to resolve the conflict between economics and society. Even in the early stages of the United States our founding fathers recognized that a strong economy would foster an even stronger society. As Henton, Melville and Walesh state in their book The Civically Engaged Reader (2004, P. 91 ); â€Å"Adams and Madison reconciled these extremes with their pragmatic view that civic government and free markets could channel self-interest toward public good. The modern commercial society developed from a market economy based on shared principals. During the modern era, many companies attempted to diminish the tension between their business and the surrounding society with the creation of Corporate Social Responsibility. They figured that if they invested in social programs their image would not be negatively affected. Ultimately, CSR was a failure because it did not recognize the link between society and business. Instead, it focused solely on preserving the companies’ reputation without realizing the potential business opportunities that the commonalities could create.Creating Shared Value attempts to fix the failings of CSR by concentrating on the linkage between society and business and creating opportunities that benefit both parties. As Porter and Kramer state in Strategy and Society (2006, P 13); Efforts to find shared value in operating practices and in the social dimensions of competitive context have the potential not only to foster economic and social development but to change the way companies and society think about each other.Only by realizing that society and economics engage in a symbiotic relationship will we be able to extinguish the tension between the two. Works Cited Olowski, Lew J. Corporate Social Responsibility: It’s History, Ethical Justification, And Abuses in the Business World. Retrieved from http://www. rockhurst. edu/news/events/images/projecti/olowski. pdf Porter, M. E. , Kramer, M. R. (2006) Strategy and Society. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://www. salesforcefoundation. org/files/HBR-CompetiveAdvAndCSR. pdf Henton, D. , Melville J. , Walesh K. 2004). Civic Revolutionaries. San Francisco, CA: Jossey – Bass. Wilson, I. (2000). The New Rules of Corporate Conduct: Rewriting the Social Ch arter. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Davis, L. E. , Hughes, J. R. , McDougall, D. M. (1969). American Economic History: The Development of a National Economy. Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. Richter, J. (2001). Holding Corporations Accountable. New York, NY: Zed Books Ltd. Ackerman, R. W. , Bauer, R. A. (1979). Corporate Social Responsiveness: The Modern Dilemma. Reston, VA: Reston Publishing Company, Inc.

Strategic Management in Non Profit Making Organization

Introduction Strategic Management is the process by which managers make the choice of a set of strategies that will enable it to achieve better performance. The context of strategic management can be defined as the societal role of the organization, environmental, technological and human resource factors. With changes in a context, a unique set of managerial constraints arise (Stevens & McGowan, 1983). Context influences the nature of managerial behavior: the actions of a manager in arriving at a decision regarding how to deal with a given context.The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organization's leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organization's environment, size of the organization and expertise of planners. The not-for-profit sector is extremely diverse in terms of the organizations it encompasses and the work it undertakes. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the creation and consolidation of non-pr ofit organizations of various sizes, with diverse objectives and different scopes of action.More often than not, these organizations are managed by individuals who are dedicated or committed to the company's goals but have not had the opportunity to undergo specific training for this purpose. There are diverse types of non-profit organizations globally e. g. hospitals, social, cultural and political organizations. Most of the NGOs startups will usually come up with a strategy formulation paper which will consist of the vision, goals and objectives, implementation strategies and the budgets. This is because most of them are funded through grants and donations which will normally require a well done funds mobilization proposal. Related essay: â€Å"Support Positive Risk Taking For Individuals†However, most of them are less likely to engage in procedural strategic management implementation as a formal exercise. Also, these organizations are less likely to exhibit the features of a sound strategic plan as follows: †¢ Whereas one of the features of strategic planning is the long term nature of these plans, most of the non-profit organizations tend to be managed more on a short-term operational basis rather than in a strategic sense. †¢ Secondly strategy formulation takes into account the customers and competitor behavior.For nonprofit organizations, the influence of their clients or customers is often limited. These organizations will normally decide what is best for their clientele/customers and implement. †¢ Whereas strategic management is dynamic and continuous, most NPO aren’t very receptive to changes. They are comfortable in their current positions and transformation is quite an uphill task for them. Most of them thrive on tradeoffs between efficiency/productivity vis a vis processes. They are mostly driven by their social and community focus and appeal more to the conscience. This in turn stifles innovation and productivity and may hamper the decision making process. However, this will also be determined by the leadership style of the leader. . Requirements for strategic planning in non-profit corporate strategies Non profit organizations, just as for business organizations, can and should be designed to bring success and avoid failure. This can be done by capitalizing on the strongest capabilities of the non-profit organization in question, and exploiting the greatest opportunities, while reducing risk associated with organizational weaknesses, and environmental threats.This shared understanding of the overall strategic situation of the organization gives a sound basis for strategic decision making. The primary requirement for an overall non-profit or ganization set of strategies is that they should be developed to cover two main dimensions, bringing success and avoiding failure when things go wrong. †¢ Non-profit strategies must give the organization a very good chance of hitting the target for satisfactory performance and even exceeding it. †¢ At the same time, strategic planning nonprofit style must not expose the particular rganization to such risks that its performance might fall below to that considered to be failure. Additionally strategic planning in non profit must have a set of strategies that meet these requirements- †¢ Make full use of all the organization's most impressive strengths. †¢ Correct or neutralize all major weaknesses. It must not be based on these weaknesses. †¢ Either eliminate or reduce the impact of all the major threats. †¢ Exploit any highly rated opportunity for enhancing non-profit performance. Be strictly practical and relevant to the precise strategic situation of th e particular non-profit organization, and hopefully be †¢ Imaginative in the sense of being able to engage staff in implementation, and stand out among similar non-profit organizations in some way, and not be a pale imitation of what everyone else is doing, so as to strengthen the community standing of the organization and its non-profit mission. The following are some of the strategic contexts for non-profit organizations. (i) Governorship The not-for-profit organizations are not governed by organic law (constitutions).Top management teams are empowered by the corporate charter to engage in strategy implementation. A direct link between strategy formulation and implementation and the active involvement of all relevant parties throughout the process is deemed to be essential to effective private sector policy making. (ii) Openness to External Environment Not-for-profit organizations even though open to the external environment, the chief executives or board directors may ignore contributions into policy formulation and implementation processes from the various stakeholders.Failure to consider such contributions does not necessarily put their careers into risk, neither the legitimacy nor the credibility of the organization. (iii)Clearly defined goals Not-for-profit organizations generally operate within the framework of a limited number of relatively stable goals such as growth, profitability or market share. As (Peters & Waterman, 1982) noted, the top managements of more effective organizations appear to focus their attention on a limited set of clearly defined objectives. (iv) Cultural orientation Strategy formulation is largely affected by culture in non-profit organizations.Informal processes are used; for example an outstanding performer awarded a bonus in a not-for-profit organization is received well and does not attract bickering from other staff. (v) Human Resource Strategies In non-profit organizations, the personnel system is not based on merit. Employment, reward and advancement are done haphazardly thus creating a dependency relationship between the junior and senior staff. (vi) Separation of functional authority Not-for-profit organizations do not have a separation of functional authority like in the public sector.The organizations may be run by the directors who have founded them. The directors make day to day decisions and could even head departments in the organization. (vii) Marketing Strategies for non profit organization †¢ Website platform. †¢ Social media †¢ Brand enthusiasm †¢ Newsletters †¢ Creative Viral Programs †¢ Monitring. REFERENCES Peters, T. J. , & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In Search of Excellence. New York: Harper & Row. Stevens, J. M. , & McGowan, J. R. (1983). Managerial Strategies in Municipal government Organizations. Academy of Management Journal.

Death of a Salesman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Death of a Salesman - Essay Example Even from a cursory reading of the play, it is obvious that there is a battle going on inside Willy that deals with reality and fiction and even though Willy pretends to believe in the fiction it is reality which wins at the end. The play can be studied as a search for happiness which Willy is unable to find simply because his focus on making friends and his false belief in himself has led him to be a failure in life. The son, who Willy thinks will follow his footsteps, ends up taking his own path since his lack of faith in him is evident from the events of the play. In his mind, Willy believes himself to be successful and extremely popular as a salesman who has friends across the region and is well respected by others. This would have been true had he been a good performer in business and had made the money which would have given him the success he needed to be happy. In reality, he was nothing more than an average performer and had no more than one or two friends. He expected hundreds of people to be present at his funeral but a grad total of five showed up in a reality (Wikipedia, 2006). Of course, the death of a salesman or even a successful salesman is hardly expected to get news coverage even in this day and age. However, as we have seen on television, the media does cover the funerals of the rich and famous with thousands in attendance (Ross, 2007). Clearly, his imagined supremacy put him at a disadvantage since he was not really supreme in the real world. Willy failed at the American dream not because the dream is flawed, but because Willy could not work hard enough to get to the get rich part of the equation. As opposed to those people who do find happiness by working hard, getting rich and making a life for themselves, Willy lived a life of lies. He believed that his friend Charley and his son would not be successful since they did not have a ‘preset’ personality

Tourism, leisure, culture, society, polities Essay

Tourism, leisure, culture, society, polities - Essay Example However, it should be noted that tourism bears hazardous effect on the environment and cultural authenticity due to a mass flow of people irrespective of the local traditions and rites to be taken care of. First and foremost, tourism is a result of consumerism. It deals with a set of services people have at their disposal for a particular amount of money. There is a pitfall for everyone thinking of solely positive effect of tourism worldwide. Hence, capitalist preferences drive many tourists to consume more than ever before compared to their own locations. In its turn, the financial issue is one of the most significant drives in choices made by tourists (Haan, 2008). That is to say, tourism and consumerism are close in their practical meaning with landscape as the main medium of attraction for tourists (Aitchison, MacLeod, & Shaw, 2001). Hence, it is indicative of many people to be troublemakers instead of normal tourists, as they intrude into the milieu of the cultural and ethnical diversity taken care of by locals with no excuse at all. As long as they are driven by the idea of their right for letting loose in accordance with money they spent for such a pleasure, they feel like they have already covered all expenses. Besides, there is a clear distinction between tourism and travelling. Andrews (2011) admits in his study that tourism does more harm to the environment than travelling, as the former touches upon invasion, pollution, and narrow-mindedness while the latter is characterized by discovery, understanding, intelligence, adventures, and broad-mindedness. By and large, tourism is a mark of a person’s identity looking at the places one visits and the services one prefers most of all with an idea of possible cultural merge in mind (Weiermair & Mathies, 2004). It is all about the financial substantiality of individuals. Thus, as long as a tourist pays for a tour along with providing a definite

Electron Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Electron - Essay Example In this case, the government took responsibility of oversight, first through the ministry of finance (Thai 12). The ministry possesses the overall responsibility for procurement systems in the public sector, including the responsibility for monitoring the policy’s implementation, particularly regarding public expenditure and facilitation of a proper understanding of the governing documentation service-wide. In discharging its responsibilities, the finance ministry carries out routine investigation of operations or activities of various departments and institutions, as well as maintains a reporting system that contains information relating to contract awards and the governing documentation. Additionally, the government monitored and, when necessary, investigated at its discretion the awards and the implementation of all government contracts to ensure that they are impartially awarded (Thai 12). The government also ensures that the contract was awarded on a basis of merit and that its awarding or termination does not involve irregularity or impropriety. It further ensures that the contract’s implementation conforms to the conditions and terms set out. The contracting officer is charged with advising the awarding of the contract and, where applicable, a variation of government contracts. He also has access to records, books, property and stores belonging to the government. This is true for all premises and property where a government contract is either being executed or in the process of execution. If the contract had been awarded via a sealed bid process, the answer would have been different. This is because the process would have been more competitive and, consequently, the best bid would have won. Sealed bidding is fairer since the providers are not given a chance to appear more efficient or smarter than their competition. This could have happened during the tendering

Research Jupiter's moon Europa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research Jupiter's moon Europa - Essay Example Scientists believe, therefore, that Europa may possibly have the necessary qualities to support life, although so far there has been no way of investigating this in order to obtain any certainty one way or the other. If life were to be present on Europa, it would most likely be a fairly basic form, similar to the organisms found near volcanic vents in the seas of earth. Proof of this would, nevertheless, be a big shock to most inhabitants on earth. It would prove that the Earth is not unique, nor the center of the universe, and that life is likely to be abundant , and this might shake some firmly held religious beliefs about the role of mankind. Ideally we should protect any non-terrestrial life from contamination, because living cells could conceivably survive a journey in space (Greenberg, 2010, p. 334), but in practice this may be difficult if invasive methods are used to study any new life form. We certainly should not treat it as a threat to human life, since it would be one of the greatest discoveries ever made. Some precautions regarding introducing any new life form to the earth’s environment would, however, be sensible, just in case of any unforeseen effects on earth’s living creatures. Clark, K., Boldt, J, Greeley, R., Hand, K., Jun, I., Lock, R., Pappalardo, R., Van Houten, T. and Yan, T. â€Å"Return to Europa: Overview of the Jupiter Europa orbiter mission.† Journal of Advances in Space Research 48 (4), (2008), pp.

Why Evolution Is True Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Why Evolution Is True - Term Paper Example Most religions believe in a common concept of creation by a Supernatural Being. A commonly accepted account of this theory is found in the Bible, which is inscribed that God created the earth and all its content in five days and by words and on the sixth day He created man from mud. Despite the shortage of evidence to support this claim, the theory was, and it still is widely accepted by people. According to Coyne 2009, â€Å"if we came across a watch lying on the ground, he said, we would certainly recognize it as the work of a watchmaker. Likewise, the existence of a well adapted organism and their intricate features surely implies a conscious, celestial designer- God (p. 17). A different theory that got publicity was the theory of spontaneous generation; this theory suggests that living organisms rise suddenly and spontaneously from no-living matter (Lennox, 1982). For example, crocodiles were believed to originate from logs of wood in the water. This theory was widely accepted in ancient Greek and Egypt. The theory was supported by many famously known scientists and philosophers including Aristotle, Descartes and Galileo. However, this theory was disapproved in the 19th century by Louis Pasteur, who through several experiments, proved that life had to originate from other living organisms. Another theory explaining the origin of life is the theory of Panspermia. This theory proposes that living organisms like bacteria exists throughout the entire universe and that through meteoroids, asteroids and other heavenly bodies; they travel randomly until they find planets with ideal conditions for growth. Earth was one of the planets with these conditions and when heavenly bodies carrying living organism collided, life began. Some forms of the panspermia hypothesis suggest that life commenced elsewhere in the universe and arrived here on earth through comets, meteorites or planetary collision (Andrulis, 2011).   

Unit 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Unit 9 - Assignment Example There is a basic difference between management accounting and financial accounting. While the former provides necessary information to the management so that they can make right decisions for the company, the latter provides financial data to the shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders so that they can get information about past and present conditions of the company. Management accounting provides information about future trend of the company as managers need this information to make long term decisions while financial accounting provides factual data to shareholders and creditors so that they assess the performance of the company as their funds are in stake. One major purpose of management accounting is to provide cost information about products and services. Costs are classified into five broad groups – behavior, traceability, controllability, relevance, and function. Behavior costs can be fixed, variable or mixed. Fixed costs do not change with increase in the volume of production like rent, variable costs can increase with increase in the volume of production like wages and cost of raw materials, and mixed costs are combination of both fixed and variable costs. Traceability costs can be direct costs that are incurred specifically for production like wages of factory workers, and indirect costs that cannot be specified as specific cost of production like salaries of office employees. Controllability costs can be controllable like wages of workers since number of labors can be reduced with proper management, and uncontrollable costs like house rent has to be paid irrespective of the volume of production. Costs of relevance can be sunk, out-of-pocket, and opportunity costs. Sunk costs are those expenses that have been made and cannot be recovered like costs incurred in installing a machinery which turns out to be unproductive.

Introduction to Digital Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Introduction to Digital Marketing - Essay Example All corporations in one way or the other ensure the use of digital marketing techniques in their firm for creating awareness amongst the target market. The primary reasons that it is the best option for creating awareness amongst the customers are that it is cost-effective provides the opportunity of reaching the customers globally and marketing activities can be easily personalized to meet the demands of the customers (Jae et al., 2008). It has even allowed the organizations to build effective relationships with the customers by developing a marketing mix compatible for online consumers. Social Media nowadays, Internet has become a vital part of everyone’s life and people are using it to run errands, contact friends, read the e-mails, gather information about various things and conduct various other activities online. From the Internet, everyone is expecting to have instant access to valuable and accurate information quickly. According to Zarella (2010), if a consumer is unab le to find information about a firm online, then it will be harmful to the firm as it will lose a potential customer for its business. With the rapid development of communication and information technologies, various new communication channels have emerged that are presenting a variety of alternatives to the firms for building long-lasting relationships with the customers. According to Harline, Mirrokni, and Sundararajan (2008), the majority of the organizations are becoming multiple channel operators which implies that they are extending their availability from single channel i.e. their websites to social networking sites i.e. social media.   This report stresses that in order to maintain the competitive edge in the market, it is vital for every organization to understand the changing dynamics of its target audience. In the last few years, the digital marketing has become an integral part of the marketing strategy and the marketing plan that does not incorporate it has difficulty in achieving its targeted goals. The organizations that do not cater the area of digital marketing tend to lose a huge chunk of potential target customers for their business. Since the customers are looking for information about the company’s products and services online, it is vital for the organization to enhance its presence on various platforms on the Internet and develop a well-thought and strategically designed social media marketing strategy that will help it in influencing both existing and potential customers. This paper makes a conclusion that as social media will keep on evolving in the future, it is mandatory for the organization to monitor the developments happening in this area and ensure that it is present on all online platforms so that it is instant access by the customers. It can be observed that at a gradual pace new social networking sites are emerging and organizations need to ensure that they have their online presence on all the social websites. With the help of an effective social media strategy, many organizations have been able to successfully expand into other areas and even develop long-lasting relationships with customers so that they remain loyal to the brand and the company.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 13

Marketing - Essay Example FedEx provides services, however, they have logos on all the things that are used in couriering the goods from one place to another. This helps consumers identify the service and develop brand loyalty. Services also have a catchy slogan just like any other branded goods for instance American Airline’s â€Å"We know why you fly. Were American Airlines†. Just like goods, services are also advertised on TV, billboards and magazines etc. We see the advertisements of DHL everywhere. It is challenging however, as the features and the functions of the services are conveyed to the consumer just like in the promotion of goods. Branded services also have a brand personality just like a branded good. The consumers have a relationship with the brand for example banks like Abn Amro and Standard Chartered have an image in the minds of the consumers which the brands deliver to the consumer. This image and trust has been branded in the consciousness of the consumer. The aim of branding services just like that of branding goods is to build a connection with the consumers thus initiating customer loyalty. Consultancies have brands and logos to differentiate themselves from the crowd and to enable their clients to recognize them and to be loyal to their brand of service. Buyer behavior greatly varies when buying a good from buying services. Customer perception of a product serves to differentiate the product from the competition. This perception thus has to be created in a way so that the consumer thinks of the brand positively. This becomes a lot more complex in a service as every consumer has an individual interaction with the staff and thus the perceptions greatly vary. For example, Pringles will have similar experience for many consumers but the service of a consultant may be good for one but bad for the other. It is a lot more difficult and challenging to market a service as services are perishable and they cannot be stored, used later, exchanged or returned

Nature versus nurture Essay Example for Free

Nature versus nurture Essay Every person in this world has their own distinctive personality and behavior. People may wonder why an individual may act the way they do. Thus psychologists had put this into a study of whether an individual’s behaviors are caused by hereditary or the environment. This study is known as the nature-nurture debate. This essay will discuss the difference between nature vs nurture, which one applies to me, and how it influenced me in my life. This controversial debate has existed since 1869, when the phrase Nature Versus Nurture was coined by the English polymath, Francis Galton. Throughout different time periods, this controversy continued with two contrasting scientists leading the debate. During the Greek Classical period, Plato, who favored nature meaning the genetic influence on the individual’s behavior that relies mostly on traits that you inherit. While Aristotle, who favored nurture meaning the effect the environment has on that individual which relies mostly on time spent improving a skill set, for example influence of parents or friends. The purpose of the nature-nurture debate is to explain the effect of genetic influence and the environment on the development of human trait and behavior. As far as nature goes there are many traits that I have inherited naturally through genetics from my mom and dad. From my dad I can tell I have inherited his height as well as his eating habits. I can tell that my work ethic has been inherited from my dad because he is a very hard worker and can never sit still, I also strive to achieve my personal best. My dad is also a very controlling and demanding person in which I see myself doing also. While from my mom I have inherited her good looks, sensitivity, and concerned for other people’s feelings. I have also inherited my mom’s super mathematical skills and my dad’s artistic abilities. I can also tell that I have inherited a good sense of wellbeing from my mom. Alongside that came nurture that are behaviors that I have developed from the environment I grew up in. I have learned to respect all people from being influenced at school and in the home. I have also learned to be responsible of things such as going to school or work on a daily basis, and doing the right thing. I learned that if I am not responsible and do not do my work, then I must pay the consequences. I have also learned from experiences that if I do what I am supposed to do, I may be rewarded greatly for it. I have been influenced to do something that will benefit myself and be rewarded for good things done. My environment has influenced me in many ways to act upon certain things automatically. Things like looking both ways before crossing the street, or other things that appear to be common sense are learned from nurture. When I say which one of these phrases â€Å"nature vs nurture† has more influence on me in my life, I would have to say nurture, because my past experiences is what made me the woman I am today. In most instances, the aspect of nurture tends to apply to children who live with their parents. The way I was brought up affected me now that I am an adult. This is because nurture is a product of a person’s childhood upbringing. There tends to be various external influences relating to nurture that affected my behavioral as a person. These include environmental factors such as the parental upbringing, the peer groups, the socioeconomic status, and other factors in the outside world.

Endosymbiotic Theory of Eukaryotic Cell Development

Endosymbiotic Theory of Eukaryotic Cell Development Abstract The defining feature of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles and a true nucleus. The endosymbiotic theory is based upon the idea that eukaryotic cells evolved in steps beginning with the stable incorporation of chemo-organotrophic and phototrophic symbionts from the domain bacteria. This essay reviewed the evidence that supports this theory. After investigating the molecular, physiological and morphological evidence, it is almost certain that chloroplasts and mitochondria are from the domain bacteria, and that many of the genes required for the survival of these organelles are contained within the nuclear DNA of the eukaryotic cell rather than the organelles own independent DNA. It is for this reason that I believe that endosymbiosis was the process whereby eukaryotes began to form and evolve. It was found that the genome of a protozoan, Reclinomonas, contained all the protein-coding found in sequenced mitochondrial genomes, providing support for the specul ative process of endosymbiotic gene transfer. The hydrogen hypothesis seems to be the most likely scenario for the formation of eukaryotes, which explains the need for compartmentalisation with increasing host genome size to improve efficiency of function throughout the cell, and the chimeric nature of eukaryotes. Introduction Based upon data collected from slow decaying radioactive isotopes, Earth is thought to have formed approximately 4.55 billion years ago. From this time of origin, a continual process of geological and physical change has occurred, which created conditions leading to the origin of life about 4 billion years ago. Life is thought to have undergone the process of evolution, defined as DNA sequence change and the inheritance of that change, often under the selective pressures of a changing environment. (1) Microfossil evidence suggests that unicellular eukaryotes arose on Earth approximately 2 billion years ago, after the development of an oxic environment and the invention of respiratory metabolism in cyanobacteria. This timing infers that the availability of oxygen was a large influence on the biological evolution that led to the emergence of Eukarya. (1) The defining characteristic of eukaryotes is the presence of a well-defined nucleus within each cell. (2) Typical eukaryotic cells contain a membrane bound nucleus and organelles enclosed by an outer plasma membrane; these organelles are organised into compartmentalised structures which have their own function(s) within the cell, often working together with other organelles to complete vital biological processes. This compartmentation in cells is essential in organisms as it allows differing compositions of nutrients to exist inside each compartment as opposed to outside, creating perfect conditions for biochemical reactions to occur.(3) The differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes are shown in Table 1: Mitochondria are membrane-bound organelles found in the cytoplasm of most eukaryotic cells and are most concentrated in cells associated with active processes, such as muscle cells which constantly require energy for muscle contraction. The two surrounding membranes that encompass a mitochondrion differ in function and composition, creating distinct compartments within the organelle. The outer membrane is regular in appearance and composed of proteins and lipids, in roughly equal measure, whilst the outer membrane contains porin proteins rendering it more permeable. The inner membrane is only freely permeable to oxygen, water and carbon dioxide; it contains many infoldings, or cristae, that protrude into the central matrix space, significantly increasing the surface area and giving it an irregular shape. As can be seen in Figure 1, mitochondria contain ribosomes and have their own genetic material, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), separate from the nuclear DNA. (4) Mitochondria are the principle sites of ATP production- in a process known as oxidative phosphorylation. Products of the Krebs cycle, NADH + H+ and FADH2, are carried forward to the electron transport chain (ETC) and are oxidised to NAD+ and FAD, releasing hydrogen atoms. These hydrogen atoms split to produce protons and electrons, and the electrons are passed down the ETC between electron carriers, losing energy at each level. This energy is utilised by pumping the protons into the intermembranal space causing an electrochemical gradient between the intermembranal space and the mitochondrial matrix. The protons diffuse down the electrochemical gradient through specific channels on the stalked particles of the cristae, where ATPsynthase located at the stalked particles, supplies electrical potential energy to convert ADP and inorganic phosphate to ATP. In mammalian cells, enzymes in the inner mitochondrial membrane and central matrix space carry out the terminal stages of glucose and fatty acid oxidation in the process of ATP synthesis. Mitochondria also play an important role in the regulation of ionised calcium concentration within cells, largely due to their ability to accumulate substantial amounts of calcium. (3)(5) Chloroplasts are membrane-bound organelles found within photosynthetic eukaryotes. Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane, the outer membrane being regular in appearance whilst the inner membrane contains infoldings to form an interconnected system of disc-shaped sacs named thylakoids. These are often arranged in to stacks called grana. Enclosed within the inner membrane of the chloroplast is a fluid-filled region called the stroma, containing water and the enzymes necessary for the light-independent reactions (the Calvin cycle) in photosynthesis. The thylakoid membrane is the site of the light dependent reactions in photosynthesis, and contains photosynthetic pigments (such as chlorophyll and carotenoids) and electron transport chains. Chloroplasts, like mitochondria, contain ribosomes and their own independent DNA (ctDNA), which is central to the theory of endosymbiosis. The structure of a typical chloroplast is shown by Figure 2: Radiant energy is trapped by photosynthetic pigments and used to excite electrons in order to produce ATP by photophosphorylation. The light dependent reactions occur in the thylakoid membrane (Photosystem II or P680) and ultimately, these reactions produce the ATP and NADPH required for photosynthesis to continue in the stroma (where Photosystem I or P700 is located). A series of light independent reactions occur within the stroma producing carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using ATP and NADPH. The most supported hypothesis (put forward by Lynn Margulis) for the origin of the eukaryotic cell is that of endosymbiosis which is suitably named as symbiosis occurs when two different species benefit from living and working together. When one organism actually lives inside the other its called endosymbiosis.'(6) The endosymbiosis hypothesis states that the modern, or organelle-containing eukaryotic cell evolved in steps through the stable incorporation of chemo-organotrophic and phototrophic symbionts from the domain Bacteria. In other words, chloroplasts and mitochondria of modern-day eukaryotes arose from the stable incorporation into a second type of cell of a chemoorganotrophic bacterium, which underwent facultative aerobic respiration, and a cyanobacterium, which carried out oxygenic photosynthesis. The beneficial association between the engulfed prokaryote and eukaryote would have given the eukaryote an advantage over neighbouring cells, and the theory is that the prokaryote and eukaryote lost the ability to live independently. (1) Oxygen was an important factor in endosymbiosis and in the rise of the eukaryotic cell through its production in photosynthesis by the ancestor of the chloroplast and its consumption in energy-producing metabolic processes by the ancestor of the mitochondrion. It is worth noting that eukaryotes underwent rapid evolution, most probably due to their ability to exploit sunlight for energy and the greater yields of energy released by aerobic respiration. Support for the endosymbiosis hypothesis can be found in the physiology and metabolism of mitochondria and chloroplasts, as well as the structure and sequence of their genomes.(1) Similarities between modern-day chloroplasts, mitochondria, and prokaryotes relative to eukaryotes are shown in table 2: Molecular Evidence When Margulis proposed the endosymbiotic theory, she predicted that if the organelles really were prokaryotic symbionts, they would contain their own independent DNA. This was proven to be the case in the 1980s for mitochondria and chloroplasts.(7)Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was found to have a proportionally higher ratio of guanine-cytosine base pairs than in eukaryotic nuclear DNA, as found in bacteria. These findings are significant as they strongly suggest that mitochondria and chloroplasts are of prokaryotic origin and nature, supporting the possibility that the eukaryotic cell evolved from the stable incorporation of symbionts from the domain Bacteria. Another striking similarity between mitochondria and bacteria is that they both contain 70S ribosomes and contain a comparable order of genes encoding ribosomal proteins a shown in Figure 4: It is only fair that the molecular problems associated with the endosymbiosis hypothesis that have been put forward are considered. Firstly, mitochondria and chloroplasts can only arise from pre-existing mitochondria and chloroplasts, having lost many essential genes needed for survival. It has been suggested that this is because of the large timespan that the mitochondria/chloroplasts have co-existed. During this time, systems and genes that were no longer needed were either simply deleted or transferred into the host genome. Hence, mitochondria and chloroplasts have lost the ability to live independently over time. This supports the endosymbiotic theory as it provides a reason as to why the ancestors of the chloroplasts and mitochondria were able to survive independently whilst chloroplast and mitochondria are unable to do so now. The study of mitochondrial genomes so far has suggested that mitochondrial genomes actually encode less than 70 of the proteins that mitochondria need to function; most being encoded by the nuclear genome and targeted to mitochondria using protein import machinery that is specific to this organelle.(7) It has been found that the genome of Reclinomonas contains all the protein-coding genes found in all the sequenced mitochondrial genomes: (8) The importance of Figure 5 is that it shows that the mitochondrial genome no longer contains many of the protein-coding genes, and hence, mitochondria are no longer able to live independently. The mitochondrial endosymbiont is believed to have belonged to the proteobacteria since several genes and proteins still encoded by the mitochondrial genome branch in molecular trees among homologues from this group. Interestingly, mitochondrial proteins such as the 60- and 70-kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp60, Hsp70), also branch amongst proteobacterial homologues, but the genes are encoded by the host nuclear genome.(9) This can be explained by a theory called endosymbiotic gene transfer which states that during the course of mitochondrial genome reduction, genes were transferred from the endosymbionts genome to the hosts chromosomes, but the encoded proteins were reimported into the organelle where they originally functioned. (7) This theory is central to the endosymbiotic theory, as it explain s the inability of chloroplasts and mitochondria to live independently even though these organelles are believed to have originated from the domain Bacteria. It is also believed that this gene transfer has provided an essential way in which mitochondrial or chloroplast activity can be regulated. The studies of protists raise  the possibility that mitochondria originated at essentially  the same time as the nuclear component of the eukaryotic cell  rather than in a separate, subsequent event. (10) T This would fit in with the hydrogen hypothesis as described later. A further problem to consider is the extent to which genes were transferred to the cell nucleus. Why did some genes remain in the cytoplasmic organelles? This question has been addressed by the Co-location for  Redox  Regulation (CoRR) hypothesis, which states that the location of  genetic information  in  cytoplasmic  organelles  permits regulation of its expression by the reduction-oxidation  (redox) state of its  gene products. Therefore, evolution by natural selection would have favoured mitochondrial or chloroplast cells that had deleted or transferred some genes to the host genome but had kept those that were still beneficial in the regulation of the organelles activity. (11) Physiological Evidence Evidence for the endosymbiosis theory can be found in the physiology of mitochondria and chloroplasts. For example, both mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own protein-synthesising machinery which closely resembles that of Bacteria rather than that of Eukaryotes. Ribosome function in mitochondria and chloroplasts are inhibited by the same antibiotics that inhibit ribosome function in free-living bacteria. Hence, it is no surprise that both these organelles contain 70S ribosomes typical of prokaryotic cells, and show 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences, a characteristic of certain Bacteria such as Escherichia coli.(1) For example, human mitochondrial ribosomes can be affected by chloramphenicol (an antibiotic used to inhibit protein synthesis), further evidence that mitochondria are likely to be of bacterial origin. Chloramphenicol is a relatively simple molecule containing a nitrobenzene ring responsible for some of the toxicity problems associated with the drug: Chloramphenicol inhibits protein synthesis due to its high affinity for the large (50S) ribosomal subunit, which when bound to chloramphenicol, blocks the action of peptidyl transferase, preventing peptide bond synthesis. It has also been discovered that chloramphenicol prevents the maturation of the 30S ribosomal subunits, decreasing the number of competent subunits and significantly decreasing the proportion of mitochondrial ribonucleoprotein present as monomers. (12) Also, the antibiotic rifampicin which inhibits the RNA polymerase of Bacteria has been found to inhibit the RNA polymerase within bacteria. Proteins of chloroplast or mitochondrion origin, like bacteria, always use N-formylmethionine as their initiating amino acid of their transcript.(13) Mitochondria replicate, like bacteria, only by the process of binary fission inferring that mitochondria did indeed originate from prokaryotes. The completion of the genome sequence of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis, has provided e vidence for the origin of chloroplast translocation apparatus. Just as the endosymbiosis theory predicts, analysis of this sequence showed that three key translocation components within chloroplasts, Toc75, Tic22 and Tic20, evolved from existing proteins within the cyanobacterial genome.(14)Mitochondria and chloroplasts have remarkably similar mechanisms by which ATP is produced. These ATP-generating pathways often include electron transport chains and proton pumps, similar to that found in prokaryotic energy production mechanisms. One of the most recent problems with the endosymbiosis theory is found within the physiology of mitochondria. Mounting evidence suggests that key components of the mitochondrial transcription and replication apparatus are derived from the T-odd lineage of  bacteriophage  rather than from an ÃŽÂ ±-Proteobacterium, as the endosymbiont hypothesis would predict.'(15) It has been discovered that three of the essential elements of the replication and transcription apparatus; the RNA polymerase, the replicative primase-helicase and the DNA polymerase do not resemble those of eubacteria as predicted by the symbiosis theory, but instead appears to resemble proteins encoded by T-odd bacteriophages. However, this does not disprove the theory of endosymbiosis as it is conceivable that numerous mitochondrial genes were acquired together from an ancestor of T-odd phage early in the formation of the eukaryotic cell, at the time when the mitochondrial symbiont was incorporated. (15) Morphological Evidence Another characteristic that further supports the hypothesis is that mitochondria and chloroplasts contain small amounts of DNA that is different from that of the cell nucleus which is arranged in a covalently closed, circular structure, with no associated histones, typical of Bacteria. Mitochondria are surrounded by two membranes, separated by the inter-membranal space and each with a different composition. Mitochondrial membranes more closely resemble membranes found in Gram-negative bacteria in terms of lipid composition than eukaryotic membranes. (16) The inner-membrane infoldings in the mitochondria lends more credibility to the endosymbiosis theory as the cristae are adaptations that increase the surface area of oxidative enzymes, evolutionary analogues to the mesosomal membranes of many prokaryotes (16)Further evidence that mitochondria and chloroplasts are of a prokaryotic origin is the lack of cholesterol in their membranes. This is significant because it is an essential stru ctural component in many eukaryotic membranes, mainly in mammalian cell membrane, but it almost completely absent amongst prokaryotes. Another problem is that recent genetic analysis of small eukaryotes that lack many characteristics that are associated with eukaryotic cells, most importantly mitochondria, show that they all still retain genes involved in the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins. In 1983, the taxon Archezoa was proposed to unite this group of odd eukaryotes, and the belief was that these cells had diverged from other eukaryotes before these characteristics evolved and hence represented primitive eukaryotic lineages. Before the recent genetic breakthrough that shows that these eukaryotes contain genes involved in mitochondrial protein synthesis, molecular work supported their primitive status, as they consistently fell deep into the branches of eukaryotic trees. This recent genetic analysis implies that all these eukaryotes once had mitochondria, suggesting that they evolved after the mitochondrial symbiosis. There is also the question of how the eukaryotic cell arose, including the nature and propert ies of the cell that acquired mitochondria and later chloroplasts, and how the nuclear membrane was formed which touches upon the compatmentalisation within cells and its importance in the functioning of the eukaryotic cell. (7) Formation of the eukaryotic cell There have been two hypotheses put forward to explain how the eukaryotic cell arose. One states that eukaryotes started as a nucleus-bearing lineage that later acquired the bacterial ancestor of the mitochondrion and the cyanobacterial ancestor of the chloroplast by the process of endosymbiosis. This nucleated line then diverged into the lineages giving rise to animals and plants. It is thought that the nucleus arose spontaneously in an early cell. One possible cause for the spontaneous formation of the nucleus is that it arose in response to the increasing genome size of early eukaryotes. (1) The second hypothesis, also known as the hydrogen hypothesis, states that the bacterial ancestor of the mitochondrion was taken up by a member of the Archaea via endosymbiosis, and from this association, the nucleus later emerged, followed by a later acquisition of the cyanobacterial ancestor of the chloroplast. The main difference between these two hypotheses is the position of the mitochondrion relative to the formation of the nucleus in time and hence on the universal phylogenetic tree. The hydrogen hypothesis put forward by William F. Martin and Miklos Muller in 1998, proposes that the eukaryotic cell arose from a symbiotic association of an anaerobic, hydrogen dependent, autotrophic archaebacterium (the host) with a hydrogen producing, oxygen consuming eubacterium (the symbiont), which released molecular hydrogen as a waste product of anaerobic heterotrophic metabolism. (17) The dependence of the host upon the molecular hydrogen as an energy source, produced as a waste product b y the symbiont is thought to be what lead to the association. In this scenario, the nucleus arose following the formation of this stable association between these two kinds of cells, and genes involved in lipid synthesis were transferred from the symbiont to the host chromosome. This may have lead to the synthesis of bacterial (symbiont) lipids by the host, eventually leading to the creation of an internal membrane system, the endoplasmic reticulum and the early stages of a eukaryotic nucleus. As the size of the host genome increased with time, changes were made to maximise the efficiency of replication and gene expression via the process of evolution. Hence, over time, this kind of cell compartmentalised and sequestered the genetic coding information within a protected membrane away from the cytoplasm. The formation of a mitochondrion-containing nucleated cell line was complete, which then later acquired chloroplasts by endosymbiosis. The hydrogen hypothesis has explains the observ ation that eukaryotes are of chimeric nature, containing attributes of both Bacteria and Archaea. (1) Conclusions In summary, molecular, physiological and morphological evidence can be found to support the endosymbiosis theory put forward by Lynn Margulis. Most compelling of which is the numerous similarities between organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria with prokaryotes, coupled with the inability of the organelles to live independently despite having their own independent DNA due to most of the genes required for the survival of the organelle being stored in the nuclear DNA of the host. The importance of this should not be underestimated, as it does all but prove that the ancestors of mitochondria and chloroplasts were of a prokaryotic origin and thus were once able to live independently. Therefore, this does lend credibility to the endosymbiosis theory as the symbionts that were allegedly incorporated were likely to have been from the domain bacteria, and that something must have occurred which stopped the symbionts being able to live independently, an event which many scientists n ow believe to be the process of endosymbiotic gene transfer. The hydrogen hypothesis appears to be the likely scenario for how the eukaryotic cell evolved, as it explains the formation of the nucleus as being a response to the growing size of the nuclear genome of the host, which would have maximised efficiency of gene expression. Endosymbiosis also explains why the eukaryotic cell appears to be of a chimeric nature; containing attributes of Archaea (e.g. similar transcription and translation apparatus) and Bacteria (e.g. contain same type of lipids).

Environmental Analysis Of Ryanair

Environmental Analysis Of Ryanair In spite of lots of controversies, in august 2006 Air Transport World Magazine announced that Ryanair was the most profitable airline in the world on the basis of its operating and net profit margins (case study). The purpose of this report is to undertake an environmental analysis of European airline industry with implications to Rynair. On the bases of environmental analysis Ryanairs success and its sustainability in European budget airline industry is critically assessed. An environmental analysis is undertaken on the European airline industry with implication to Ryanair using tools such as PESTEL analysis, Porter five forces, SWOT analysis and Strategic group analysis. Pestel analysis is one of the important tools to analyse environmental factors influencing organisations strategy. PESTEL stands for political, economic, social, technology, environmental and legal. It is important for organisation to analyse how these factors are changing and how they are likely to change in the future (Johnson et. al, 2009). PESTEL analysis is used to analysis macro-environment in which Ryanair operates and to identify key-drivers of change. Government policies can influence to a large extend on airline industry. After the terrorist attract in 2001 UK authorities imposed serve security measures at all airports. As a result of this Ryanair suffered a loss of 1.9 million Euros on reduced bookings. Airport and handling charges was increased by 21% in 2006, which could put more pressure on budget airline like Ryanair. In 2005 EU regulations came into effect, which forced the airline to refund fares to passengers in case of delays, cancellations or denied boarding. Economic climate plays a vital role in influencing airline industry. During time of recession people refer to reduce their expenses which could reflect on number of people travelling in a flight, they may use any other alternative transport. The main economic factors that concerns airline industry is increase in fuel price, which forced some of the airlines to include fuel surcharges into airfares. Ryanair guaranteed its customers that it will not add fuel surcharges into their tickets. Current fluctuation in exchange rate is another issue in airline industry. The fuel price was always quoted in US dollars therefore there is always a risk in converting, as Ryanair deals with Euros. Ryanair had not hedged early, so it was paying $70 per barrel of oil up to October 2009 while other airlines were paying $50 to $60 per barrel of oil. Social: Social factors include social life style, demographic, perceptions which could also influence airline industry. It is expected that by 2012 there will be more old people in European countries; this will be the key to all airlines to come up with something special for them. Ryanair charged up to  £18 for using wheelchair and check in baggage and advertising standards rebuked the airline for misleading advertisement complaint, all these could create a negative impact on customers. Technological: With new technological improvement flying has became a new experience for passengers. New flights, online boarding, in flight entertainment system are some of the technological advancement in airline industry. In 2001 Ryanair launched its website which facilitates car hotel rentals, rail services and travel insurance, all at low prices. The airline website was largest travel website in Europe and fifth most recognised brand on Google, offering huge potential in E-commerce and advertising revenues. Ryanair brought new Boeing 737-800 aircraft which is more environmentally-friendly, reducing fuel consumption by 2%. Environmental: The airline industry is been accused by various social groups for emissions of carbon. Aviation represents 2.6% of carbon emissions in the EU, Oxford university study predicted that carbon from aviation would accelerate. Therefore airline industry was asked to play environmental taxes which could put more pressure on all airlines. Ryanair protested against this taxation arguing aviation contributes only small proportion of carbon emissions. Legal: Ryanair filed two cases against UK government: one for claim to compensate the carrier for lost flights and bookings; another was for increase in insurance costs for all commercial airlines. The carrier was sued by Swedens prime minister and a former foreign minister for placing their photos in one of companys advertising campaign without getting their permission. Porters Five Forces The five forces model was introduced by Porter, which helps to identify the sources of competition in an industry or sector. Although initially used with business in mind, it is of value to most organisations (Johnson and Scholes, 2002). Porters five forces model is used to analyse the level of competition existing in airline industry. Competitive Rivalry: The low-cost airline market is very competitive compared to other markets. The concept of low cost can be easily copied by rivals, which leads to high competition in the industry. Two major low-cost airlines (EasyJet and Ryanair) have always avoided direct competition by serving different routes. There is high level of competition for Ryanair and other established airlines in getting landing permissions and departure slots. Bargaining Power of Customers: Customers who prefer low-cost airline are often price sensitive and tend to switch over to another airline. Now days all airlines are online which has made customers relatively easier and cheaper for them to more to another airline. Moreover they try to maintain some sort of loyalty towards the airline in which they frequently fly. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The major cost for all airline industry is fuel prices, which is constantly increasing. There is no alternative to aviation fuel therefore oil companies has high bargaining power. Boeing supplies plans to Ryanair, if they have to switch to another supplier it will cost them high since they have to retrain its pilots. Bigger airports like Heathrow has a high bargaining power than smaller airports, thus it will be difficult for Ryanair to operate from these airports. Threat of New Entrants: The low-cost model can be easily adopted by others and can enter into the market. There are also some barriers for the new entrants like requires huge capital investment, availability of slots and price war existing in routes where other low-cost airlines operates. The new entrants have to get prior authorisations which are not easily these days and need to setup strong base in order to survive in the competition. Substitutes: Not all people prefer to travel by flights. Especially during time of recession most people avoid flights and travel by other cheap alternatives like travel by sea or by trains or by ferries or by cars. There are some people who may be aerophobia (Fear of flying), these people try to avoid flying and choose other alternative. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis summarises the key issues from the business environment and the strategic capability of an organisation that are most likely to impact on strategy development. It aims at identifying the extent to which the current strengths and weakness are relevant in dealing with threats in the environment (Johnson and Scholes, 2002). It is very useful tool in environmental analysis, which helps to find out strengths, weakness and opportunities threats of Ryanair. Strengths and weakness are concerned in detail to analyse current position of the company, complete SWOT analysis can be found in Appendix 3. Strengths: Ryanairs CEO Michael OLeary is one of the main strength to the airline as he often comes up with new ideas and was credited with single-handedly transforming European air transport. Ryanair always operates from small airports thus reducing their costs on airport charges and gaining suitable departure SLOTS. In 2000, Ryanair launched its website www.Ryanair.com, which facilitated car and hotel rentals, rail services and travel insurance and all at low prices (Box and Byus, 2007). The airline uses Boeing 737-800 which is more environmental friendly and also reduces fuel consumption by 2%. Weakness: Ryanair is always criticised for charging for wheelchair and check-in luggage which could leaves a negative image on the customers. The staffs and crew members are not well trained therefore not customer friendly. Ryanair always avoided bigger airports and concentred on small regional airports, which could be a drawback for the company for future expansion. Other important concern for Ryanair is its relationship with authorities, the airline often involved in some kind of crash with them. Strategic Group Analysis Strategic groups are organisations within an industry with similar strategic characteristics, following similar strategies or competing on similar bases. There are many different characteristics that distinguish between strategic groups but these are classified into two major categories: scope of organisations activities and resource commitment (Johnson et. al., 2008). The main competitors to Ryanair are EasyJet and Aer Lingus. Strategic group analysis (Appendix 5) is used to understand the competition, strategic opportunities and mobility barriers of Ryanair in low cost airline industry. Strategic Groups in Low-cost industry In Europe there are three main airlines providing low-cost flights to destinations namely Ryanair, EasyJet, Aer Lingus. Ryanair is dominant low-cost producer and has a gross cash of more than 1.8bn Euros. EasyJets majority of passengers are UK based, but becoming pan-European player. Aer Lingus is another low-cost airline operating from Dublin serving more than 70 destinations across Europe and US. Figure 1 in appendix 5 shows the positioning of these airlines on bases of passengers capacity and their market share in industry. Ryanair and EasyJet have 56% of market share in low-cost industry. Strategic Space in Industry Strategic group maps help us to identify the most attractive strategic spaces within an industry. A strategic group map is only the first stage of the analysis; strategic spaces need to be tested carefully (Johnson et. al., 2008). In low-cost airline industry, for instance the airlines can serve long haul routes which could help them in expansion. They can also consider moving into other low-cost segments like trains and offer its passengers new attractive products and services (figure 2 in appendix 5). Mobility Barriers Moving across the map to gain competitive advantage is costless but it often involves difficult decisions and rare resources. Mobility barriers are the obstacles to movement from one strategic group to another (Johnson et. al., 2008). Similarly in the low-cost airline industry (figure 3 in appendix 5) it will be difficult for airlines to move to another strategic group. The lack of experience in long haul routes, increasing fuel prices, high competition from big airlines like British airways and other regional airlines are some of the barriers which could put more pressure on airlines to move to another strategic group. RYANAIRS SUCCESS When Ryanair was started in 1990, everyone where anxious to see its performance in an industry where there was a monopoly created by giants like British Airways and Lufthansa. In response to this, the airline became one of the successful low-cost airlines operating from 127 destinations around the world (Case study). There have been many ups and downs for Ryanair since its launch but it continues to be successful in its operation. The success of an airline depends on how and what it offers to its customers. In case on Ryanair, it always tried to offer its passengers low-cost airfares at all times. The airline often comes up with new ideas which make them to reduce its airfares. These new ideas differentiate it from other traditional airlines. One of the main differentiate is its website, the companys site is largest travel website which was recording 50000 bookings per week (Box and Byus, 2007). The website also provides additional facilities to its customers like car, hotel rental, rail services and travel insurance, all at low prices. The airline offers customers online check-in which enables them to save its costs on printing tickets and other additional costs. The use of internet also makes it easy and quicker for customers to check-in. LIMITATIONS OF MODELS USED PESTEL Analysis The environment is constantly changing therefore PESTEL analysis should be done on regular basis and information needs to be accurate (Campbell et. al, 2002). PESTEL analysis is very expensive in terms of cost and time The effectiveness of this model depends on the level of prediction made on future. No one can predict the future. The speed of changes makes it difficult for managers to anticipate developments that may affect the organisation in future. Porters Five Forces Porters five force model assumes that all companies try to achieve competitive advantage over others in the industry This model assumes that goal of competitive advantage is to dominate suppliers and buyers (Campbell et. al, 2002). Internal environment is not taken into account It is difficult to use this model in complex industries with multiple interrelations. SWOT Analysis It is not critically analysed The data used in the analysis may be based on assumptions. Lacks detailed structure. It usage rarely amounts to much more than a poorly structured, very general list of factors regarded by the proposing individual as important components of the organisations strategic situation (David, 1997). Value Chain The concept of value chain disaggregates a company into activity or the discrete functions or processes that represent the elemental building blocks of competitive advantage (Porter, 1998). There is risk of losing control of proprietary knowledge, skills, capability, or competence as these are disseminated to supply chain members (Morden, 2007). It can be applied only to manufacturing companies not to service industries. Strategic Group Analysis Difficult to group companies based on their strategy. Strategic groups are relatively unstable.

Teen Pregnancy Essay example -- Teenage Pregnancy

There is a lot of teen mothers growing up in this world wondering, what if I would have stayed in school? W hat could I have become? Would it have made my life easier if I had thought first? There is many causes for teen pregnancy. They lead to the need for the desire of love by another person. One might have a poor home life and would want something like their peers have. A teen may have a low self-esteem and simply be looking for acceptance. However, many teens that have a wonderful family and are very confidante arnt looking for the few minutes of pleasure. As several teens use the excuse that sex feels better without a condom pregnancy is likely to occur just because of that simple saying. Having a child comes with a lot of responsibility. Teens don’t think of the consequences of their actions. Children take up a lot of time, which also means, no more school. The teen should first understand that all their free time is lost, that she will have to find some way to live for herself and the child, and that any future plans are now not what she was planning. It all comes down to the education of the teen. The more they know about sex and it’s consequences at a young age the less likely they are to go out and be irresponsible about it. Teenagers that learn about different types of protection and how they work is some times one of the best ways for them to think befor they act. Every year one million teenage girls become pregnant in the United States. Teen pregnancy is a major problem in the United States. There are more teenage pregnancies in the United States than all other countries. in this day and age the rate of teenagers who become pregnant has increased. I am not one of them, but having a few fr... ...l regret your choice. The precents of teenagers getting pregnate without being married , I agree on. Teens are usualy left alone rasing their baby by their selfs. that’s why condoms and other helpful things exsicist. If having a relation ship between the opposite sex if the only cure for you problems think twice! Teens like me should be more muter. Besides wondering of into a world that carrys out to a risk in your life. Do some research, think befor you act and is that what you realy want. Just to please the opposite sex by actualy letting them in you, should have to be a second thought. You should amidiatly say no if the opposite sex isn’t married with you in anyway. Being a pregnate teen is alot of responsibility. All in all many teens please their opposite sex by the wrong way. So always researching on what you realy plan on doing is a risk in you own life.

Lung Cancer Essays -- A Level Essays

Lung Cancer Lung cancer is the number one killer of cancers of both men and women here in the United States. It accounts for 28% of the death rates due to cancer. In 1999, it is estimated that 1,221,800 new cases of cancer are expected to occur and out of these 171,600 are to be cases of lung cancer. (Meyer 1990) If lung cancer is the number one killer in the United States, one must wonder how it affects other countries around the world. One will find that the United States does not even have the worse statistics of death from lung cancer. Scotland, England, and Finland are the top three, then is the United States in the middle and below us are: Canada, Australia, El Salvador, and Syrian Arab countries. Lung cancer is more commonly found in developed countries, because years ago, the upper class smoked cigarettes or cigars. The nicotine addiction had lasted through the years and spread to middle and lower class; but in Third World countries, they did not have to worry about this factor. They did not have the extra money to spend on killing themselves; they were just worried about surviving and so this addiction never started. (Meyer 1990) Here in the United States lung cancer is not found in one specific region. Highly polluted areas have more of a risk of housing those with lung cancer because they contain diesel and fossil fuels, which is known to attribute to lung cancer. Mining Caves, can also be a founding place for cancer because they contain radon, another agent in causing lung cancer. It has also been proven that those who work with asbestos have a greater risk of developing lung cancer. And of course anyone who smokes is at a higher risk of lung cancer than non-smokers are. (... ...re also needs to be more clinical research on lung cancer. Without research, we are never going to find a cure or other ways to treat this disease. Another way to close this gap is for insurance companies not to have the right to deny insurance to applicants due to past or present history. That is discrimination and I do not feel that the government is watching this very closely. So in order for a person to receive proper treatment, the government has to make sure that the insurance agencies are not discriminating. Lung cancer takes a substantial number of lives every year. The lives that it takes belong to families and friends. We can help in making lung cancer more public ourselves. We can get involved with cancer research and volunteer or time. We cannot just leave it up to the government and clinical researchers; it is up to us too!

Chinese and Australian Consumer Behaviour

These advantages can be gained through understanding what needs the Chinese place the cost Importance on In regards to the hierarchy and what type of brand personality can be created to most effectively target the Chinese market. Introduction: Cross Culture Analysis A cross-cultural study is a beneficial tool undertaken to effectively understand the foreign countries involved In exchanging goods Internationally. Marketers evidently desire to efficiently export large measures of goods and services to various developed countries.If the complex procedure of understanding the major alterations between China's and Australia's consumer behavior is effectively established; a result of costive outlooks and increased brand recognition will be identified. According to the Australian Embassy, ‘China is Australia's largest trading partner' thus allowing a beneficial exposure for further acknowledgment and marketing opportunities for an Australian exporter. China may be classified as a â₠¬Ëœcollectivist culture' (Horn, Merritt, Sun 2004).Collectivist cultures are defined by their ability to malignant strong connections within their groups and in order to belong, individuals are strongly influenced by other peers or family members to follow similarities within one society (Horn, Merritt, Sun 2004). They display a high need for social recognition and status and consume goods to communicate a symbolic expression of their status and prestige (Clans, Gambler, 2003). For example, the Chinese drink wine on special occasions to belong, but also to stress their status and prestige (Lulu, Murphy, 2007).As an exporting opportunity Australian marketers can capitalist on this by emphasizing their wine products to be a sign of prestige to target the Chinese collectivist culture. Australia on the other hand is viewed to have deferent cultural beliefs; the nation is ‘defined as a strongly individualistic culture'. This means individuals within Australia desire to express thei r unique traits with a minimum influence by others (Lee, Askance 2000) which Is In opposition to the Chinese.As an Individualistic culture, Australia has a greater tendency to be self-enhancing than collectivist cultures, and associates achievement with the individual rather than the group (which is typical of the Chinese culture) (Nevis 1983). Although these two countries have strong dissimilarities, marketers must take into account Australia's and China's similarities in consumer behavior, as there might be potential for an Australian exporter to succeed. Although In order to satisfactorily establish exporting analysis between the countries consumer behavior characteristics.The various differences in culture and personality must be used adequately to capture the target audience. Moscow Hierarchy of Needs and Consumer Behavior Mascots Hierarchy of Human Needs is a classification of five basic human needs ranking in order of most important to least important. The first is physiologi cal, which includes the need for food and water, followed by safety and security need (protection, stability), social needs (friendship and belonging), ego needs (status, restive) and self actualization (self-fulfillment) as the final need (Bedlam et al. 2010).This hierarchy can be applied to goods and services in determining what level of needs they satisfy and help marketers segment the on a needs basis. Most people in society express these needs, though in slightly different ways. Most needs could be classified under this hierarchy which makes it useful for marketers when segmenting (Bedlam et al. 2010). The theory of the hierarchy states that once lower levels needs â€Å"are satisfied, again new (and still ‘higher') needs emerge†¦ † To be fulfilled (Moscow, 943 p. 375). Which means that it is only once lower needs are satisfied, do higher needs emerge to be fulfilled (Bedlam et al. 010). For consumers this means that they will only buy products to fulfill high er needs once their lower needs have been satisfied. For marketers this becomes important when positioning on a needs basis as the demographics of the country may not allow those people to fulfill their higher social needs if their basic physiological needs aren't being met. Or it may mean that only a small percentage of the population would be marketable to if they hold most f the wealth of the country. Importantly if marketers design a product to meet the perceived needs of consumers, consumers are more likely to choose that product over competitors.In this way the needs hierarchy can be used as a basis on which to build the benefits the product can offer to the consumer, through fulfilling a need, making it more likely they will consume that product over competitors. Marketers can also bring about the arousal of needs through advertising, and the product they are trying to sell can become the consumer's goal specific product (Bedlam et al. 2010). This is ultimately the aim of the product. Therefore an understanding of Mascots hierarchy is important when segmenting the market.It can allow marketers to position to a segment on a needs basis and even create the arousal of need, of which the product can become a product specific goal. The Effect of Culture on Mascots Hierarchy of Needs As was described earlier, in the previous section, Mascots Hierarchy of Needs identifies the five basic levels of human needs. While generally accepted because it reflects the needs of most people in an individualistic society, it cannot be applied to all cultures. This is because despite the fact that most people express primary or physiological needs, acquired needs are leant in response to ones culture (Bedlam et al. 010). The Chinese and Australians will therefore place their needs with differing important to marketers when considering which needs basis to segment on. According to Nevis (1983), Mascots Hierarchy of needs is a reflection of an individualistic culture such as A ustralia and America, and therefore can't be applied to the Collectivist Chinese culture. Nevis (1983) proposes the Chinese culture subverts the traditional model by placing belongingness as the first basic need, allowed by physiological, safety needs and self-actualization in service of society at the top.This new hierarchy reflects the collectivist traits of the Chinese culture; high family and group orientation (Cyanic, Gambler, 2003), the expression of self as part of a group (brother, father, son, husband but never as ‘self') and gaining meaning through interaction with society. Belonging is therefore the basis of the Chinese society (Nevis 1983). For marketers this means positioning products in relation to the products acceptance by the targeted consumers social and family groups.This is an important approach to take regardless of what needs basis is segmented, as Chinese consumers will look to their social groups for guidance when buying a product rather than the offers and benefits presented to them before purchasing (Ability, Frank, Anemia, Achievement 2011). This is reflected in the pup commercial targeted at the Chinese consumer (See appendix 1). While the drink is targeting a psychological need in Mascots Hierarchy, a large part of the ad focuses on the acceptance of the drink by the family, which is reflecting the importance of family orientation to the Chinese nonuser and their need for belongingness.While the Chinese have self- actualization at the top like individualistic cultures, they differ to Australia, in that they fulfill this need through their success as being part of a group as opposed to being recognized individually (Cyanic, Gambler, 2003). This is echoed in their low individualism score of 20. Australia on the other hand has an individualism score of 90 and is reflected in its beliefs that an achieved goal is the result of the individual. Chinese culture also has a high degree of face, which is evident in the subverted Hierarc hy.Consumption in China has a strong social association because of its high degree of â€Å"face†; whereby Chinese consumers fulfill their needs through â€Å"placing more emphasis on publicly visible possessions†¦ † (ABA, Us, Chou, 2003, p. 737). This socio-cultural characteristic reflects the need for belongingness and acceptance by social and family groups. Furthermore, high face also means Chinese consumers are more likely to buy luxury products as a symbol of social status, and prestige of the family, rather than an expression of self as is common in individualistic societies such as Australia (Cyanic, Gambler, 2003).High face suggests a larger social need and indicates reference group influence is much larger in collectivist cultures than individualistic cultures, and this supports the subverted Hierarchy model with belongingness as the first need for the Chinese Collectivist culture (ABA, et al. 2003). The implications of this for marketers when exporting m eans centering products on their acceptance by the target market reference groups when segmenting on a needs basis.Positioning to the Chinese on product benefits is less important as they are more likely to look to the group when buying a product than the benefits it provides Cyanic, Gambler, 2003). Overall for marketers, understanding how culture affects the Hierarchy of needs is detrimental when positioning as not all cultures place the same emphasis on the same needs. â€Å"Brand personality is an association of a brand whereby it is imbued with human-like personality traits† (Bedlam et al. 2010 p. 108). Human personality traits are developed on the basis of an individuals behaviors, characteristics, beliefs, and demographic characteristics.However, brand personality traits are formed and influence by the consumers interaction with the brand, the culture from which the consumer comes long with the way that the marketers attempt to portray the brand in the eyes of its consu mers (Luau, Papua 2001). For marketers, the aim of creating a brand personality is to create an identity to which consumers can respond emotionally positively towards, and to extend themselves through the brand (Bedlam et al. 2010). If the brand closely reflects the personality of the consumer, they are more likely to respond positively towards that brand and buy from it (Wee, 2003).By extension, brand personality can be seen as a reflection of the cultures in which the brand is surrounded by (Gerhardt, Houston 2001). For example, the Chinese place emphasis on harmony and relationships (Nevis 1983) and this in tern is reflected in the brand personalities aimed at the Chinese. When Audio marketed their brand to China in a TV commercial (See Appendix 2) the car isn't shown until the very end of the ad, until after several happy relationships have been shown. The aim was to try and make a connection between the car and the relationships it allows people to have, creating a brand image of relationships and connectedness.Chinese brand personalities, which keep in consistency with heir cultural collectivist traits, tend to portray belongingness and the brand as an avenue to express their acceptance by society and group members (Luau, Papua 2001). Whereas in the Individualistic culture of Australia, brand image is much more likely to take on an individualistic approach as Australian consumers are more likely to â€Å"purchase brands they deem suitable for themselves†¦ † (Lam, Lee, 2005 p. 165). As a result Australian brand images take on a self-centered approach that stress sophistication and express the persons personality rather than acceptance by the group.Consumers in individualistic cultures are also less likely to switch brands (Lam, Lee 2005). This could be due to personality being relatively stable (Bedlam et al. 2010), so Australians are expected to keep expressing themselves through the same brand that matches their personality. Yet fashion and status are constantly changing within groups, so collectivist consumers (such as the Chinese) are more likely to switch brands to belong to the changing influences of their peer groups. (Luau, Papua 2001).For marketers this means creating a brand personality for collectivist cultures hat are primarily fashionable and seen as acceptable by the consumers peer groups, while in individualistic cultures the brand personality must align with the personality of the consumer to be received positively. This idea of brand personality influenced by culture is vital for marketers to position their product in the eyes of consumers. If a consumer associates a product in a different light to the way the marketers are promoting it, it can have detrimental effects towards the longevity of the good.Subsequently, the opposite can happen, whereby the consumers take a greater liking o the good, and increasing the marketability of the product. Global branding brings forth an exposure to an increasingly c ulturally-diverse audience. In order for Australian marketers to understand the distinctly unique dimensions of brand personality in the Chinese market, it is vital to consider the socio-cultural characteristics that underpin Chinese consumer behavior and preferences. Chant, Saunders, Taylor and SHCOON (2003 p. ) note that â€Å"consumers seek brands with congruent personalities (to their own), and use brands' personality to define their sense of self†. Furthermore, these unique needs of consumers and owe they identify, relate, and associate themselves to brand personalities; alongside the inextricably linked pressures of economic, lifestyle and cultural conditions, must be considered collectively in order for marketers to successfully market their firm's offerings (Bedlam et al. 2010). Hefted (2001) puts forth that the dimensions of China's cultural differences are shown by a high degree of long-term orientation and collectivism.Unlike individualistic societies such as Austr alia, collectivist cultures support and adhere to standards and consumption decisions on a group axis (family, extended family, network of friends and community); in effect, providing the framework within which Chinese individuals and households function. Confucianism, the dominant philosophical influence in China, is an ideology that reiterates this collective nature, as well as the importance of these interpersonal relationships and interactions, the notion of â€Å"face†, and the concept of hierarchy.In addition, education level, sex, age and standard of living all influence how foreign brands are perceived in the Chinese market (Chin (3)). A recent study conducted by Chug and Sung (201 1), identified a six dimensional framework of brand rationalities present in China. They consisted of ‘Competence, Excitement, and Sophistication' (Chug, Sung, 2001 p. L); notions matching with those found in individualistic societies like Australia, and culture-specific dimensions su ch as ‘Traditionalism, Joyfulness, and Trendiest'.Through this research, Chug and Sung (2011) demonstrate that through establishing a Chinese brand personality structure marketers are able to identify the coexistence of both Chinese traditionalism and the implementations of Western modernization on cultural values in modern China. This means that in the past three decades, the Chinese market has increasingly opened p to the West, in a way that does not conflict with deeply rooted cultural norms.This notion is reflected in the consumer behavior of today's â€Å"young middle-class aspiring Chinese consumers; whom are increasingly becoming the most affluent consumer class in china† (Powel, 2011 p. 40). Powel (2011) proposes â€Å"Mr.. And Mrs.. Middle Class† are increasingly extending their brand preferences as a result of breaking down the barriers between cultures. However, cultural transitions are not intended to comply with Confucianism, rather, the role of bran d personality becomes an avenue to express wealth, success, youth and the â€Å"modernity of institution†¦ (Chin (3) p. 8). It is through these cultural characteristics and ties with economic and social factors, that perceptions towards brand personality exists among consumers from a society that is more culturally conditioned. In order to maximize exporting opportunities, adaptation is a necessity. Successful brands have philosophy; a shift from the traditional marketing concept to the more appropriate conceptualization of societal marketing (Bedlam et al. 2010).Unlike Australians whom project high levels of uniqueness and individuality in their consumption patterns, Chinese consumers rely on the importance of social interaction in making consumer based decisions. â€Å"It is assumed that the recommendations and comments from others play a very important role in the choice of brand† (Chin (3) p. 7). This notion is reflected in the Chinese commercial for milk (See Appen dix 3) where it can be seen that the reciprocity of and importance of trust-based interpersonal relationships is highlighted.Set in a time in Chinese history where many could not afford to drink milk every day, the positioning of brother and sister, over the course of time, provides depiction of milk as a commodity of value of which one should be grateful to have. Years later when the young boy grows up, he realizes that his sister was only pretending to dislike milk so that she could give it to him. As a result, he vows to provide milk for the well-being of his future family.This ad highlights the need for marketers to show the Chinese consumers that the brand is a part of their relationships with others in order for the brand to be received positively. This is because, as the ad depicts, belonging and relationships is central to the Chinese. The societal marketing concept takes into account the importance of adopting a long-term outlook, that â€Å"all companies would be better i n a stronger, healthier society and that companies that incorporate ethical behavior and social responsibility in their business dealings will attract and maintain loyal customer support over the long term† (Bedlam et al. 010, p. 17). It is through adopting accordingly to these sensitive cultural subtleties that provides an opportunity for brands to tailor their marketing mix strategies to realize the best and most effective ways that meets their needs as ell as adequately adopting brand elements (images, advertising etc. ) that appeal to, relate and reflecting the consumer preferences of the Chinese market. Conclusion Overall it is detrimental for marketers to understand how Mascots Hierarchy and Brand Personality differs between Australia and China.Without an understanding of how Mascots Hierarchy is subverted by different cultures, marketers would miss the opportunity to position based on what different cultures base as their most intrinsic need. Without an understanding of culture and how it affects brand personality, arresters may not integrate a brand to be adopted positively by a different culture. In order for marketers to export successfully, they need to adapt their marketing approaches to take into account these differences caused by the different cultures, therefore an understanding of both these concepts and how they are affected by culture is vitally important.