Physiology research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physiology - Research Paper Example The researchers selected 128 children of patients with autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease as study participants, as they were at risk of carrying the mutation. The autosomal-dominant nature of the disease in these cases was determined by family pedigrees. The mutations known in these pedigrees included presenilin 1, presenilin 2, and amyloid precursor protein. The expected age of symptom onset for the participants was set as the age at which the parent was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. They studied several physiologic mechanisms occurring in these patients. First, they carried out clinical assessments of cognitive change using questionnaire-based scales, giving them a cognition score. This characterized the participants as normal cognitive function, very mild impairment, or mild impairment. Brain imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was done to screen for any pre-existing brain disease. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning was done to determine any regions of fibrillar amyloid deposition, and decreased metabolism. They also analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for concentrations of tau, and beta-amyloid. They found that 50% of the asymptomatic study participants were carriers of the mutation for Alzheimer’s. The carriers had lower cognitive scores and at an earlier age, compared to non-carriers of the mutation. The carriers also developed bilateral hippocampal atrophy, seen on MRI, 15 years before expected symptom onset. Through PE scanning, they detected a selective decrease in the metabolism of the precuneus region of the brain in carriers, 10 years before expected symptom onset. Mutation carriers also had significant amyloid deposition in the precuneus region at 15 years before symptom onset, while non-carriers did not have any amyloid deposition there. Levels of CSF tau protein and plasma amyloid were elevated in the carriers 15 years before symptom onset,

Freedom in Human Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Freedom in Human Life - Essay Example Human life is characterized by the pursuit of freedom. Children want to have freedom from school so that they can play all day. Teenagers want to be free from their parents. Adults want financial freedom so that they can be free from want so that they can pursue their passions.  In order to have freedom, people must respect others rights to have freedom. As people pursue freedom, it is necessary to take the rights of other people into consideration. In addition, changes in our lives have significant effects on our ability to enjoy our freedom. For example, adults find themselves with new restrictions that they did not have in their youth. They have to work to pay their bills and have to consider their children making decisions.  Different cultures have their own unique approaches to freedom. The West believes that the individual should have the freedom to think, express their thoughts and do what they want as long as it does not undermine the rights of others. Most Muslim countri es place significant limitations on the freedoms of their citizens. Furthermore, the culture of a society affects the ability to exercise freedom. For example, although people are free to love whoever they want in most cultures the relationship between members of the same gender is frowned upon. As a result, some societies are more preferable than others. The beauty of the American Dream is borne out of the belief that people are free to pursue their desires.  Marketers have redefined the concept of freedom. They have made people believe that freedom means the power to buy things or to have a certain lifestyle. This has led to the rise of consumerism, a culture that values the acquisition of things. This culture has led to the loss of freedom because people are held captive by what the advertisers and corporations want the society to value. People presently focus on the pursuit of financial freedom. This is the ability to do what someone wants without having to worry about money. However, this state is difficult to attain and most people do not ach ieve the state.

Computer games and violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer games and violence - Essay Example dition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, research conclusions have been stated which prove that the violence depicted in computer games have a definite negative effect on social attitudes of the child. The experiment included research scientists from the Universities of California, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. A hundred male undergraduates, from varying socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds were chosen to participate. They were divided into two groups; each group playing a computer game, one more violent than the other. The results were surprising: Before and after playing the game, both groups filled out a questionnaire that tested their attitudes towards violent acts and their attitude towards risky pastimes - alcohol and marijuana use, and unprotected sex. Their blood pressure was measured during play. Men who played Grand Theft Auto had greater increases in blood pressure, more negative moods, more uncooperative behaviour, more conflict in their social interaction with others, and more permissive attitudes toward using alcohol and marijuana, compared to those who played The Simpsons. The more violent game, Grand Theft Auto included involvement with the mafia, bludgeoning the villain with a baseball bat, drug dealing and so on as part of its game’s plot; while, The Simpsons required the player to deliver Lisa Simpson’s homework to the Principal on time (ABC Health and Wellbeing, 2006). Long-term exposure to violence may lead to desensitizing the child or player to real pain. Battering or killing people becomes commonplace. If this idea is reinforced with rewards, the child may end up desiring this harmful kind of violence. The popular idea that playing violent games actually helps the child to vent their aggression is wrong. They only lead to skewed perceptions of Right and Wrong. How has the depiction of violence in computer games changed over the years? The first game to seriously bring up concerns was Legend of Zelda in 1987. The

Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Responsibility - Essay Example The supermarkets serve as the liaison between the manufacturers and consumers. The questions pertaining to corporate social responsibility are applicable to both the manufacturers and dispensers (or the supermarkets). The rest of this essay will ponder the question of how successful supermarkets in the UK have been in providing a sufficient range of products while also taking into consideration the long term consequences on people and environment. One of the issues related to corporate social responsibility is 'green consumption', meaning a consumption pattern that is ecologically sustainable. This translates into finding the right balance between "agricultural production and consumers, particularly the new food economy and the growth in sales of organic produce" (Gilg, Barr & Ford, 2005). Research conducted to understand the relation between citizen attitudes and responsible consumption reveals an interesting finding. In spite of most people in Britain saying that they are concerned about the environment and its health is of great importance to them, their consumption patterns remain unsustainable. ... If lack of creating awareness among consumers is a failure on part of the supermarkets, being direct contributors to environmental pollution is another criticism against supermarkets. Given that 74 percent of the retail sector in the UK is garnered by large supermarket stores, the amount of environmentally hazardous material such as plastic that they use for packaging and carry-bag needs is huge. But, some section of the sector has risen to the challenge and has erected strict rules related to plastic bags. As Lucy Neville-Rolfe states, "It is really to be welcomed that Tesco, Marks & Spencer, and some of the others, have taken sustainability seriously, and are trying to do more. But, if we want localism, variety of supply and smaller distribution chains, we want the big four supermarkets to grow less and we want more genuine choice in the high street. For instance, I read in the Guardian today about 300,000 carrier bags being fished out of the Thames on the Isle of Dogs. Why don't the leading supermarkets across UK do what the town of Modbury in Devon has done and say, "We are not going to give free carrier bags any more"'" (New Statesman, 8 Oct. 2007) Moreover, research also suggests that consumers are not entirely happy with the range of products being offered them. A common complaint among consumers is the lack of real meaningful variety among the merchandise on offer. This standardization of commodities is a phenomenon that is closely related to the 'lack of human touch' that has come to define the supermarket experience. But not all is negative about how supermarkets are perceived by the general public in the UK. With more supermarket chains in the UK taking social responsibility seriously, their endeavours in this direction have contributed to a

'Does Country Matter' - Summary and Critque Essay

'Does Country Matter' - Summary and Critque - Essay Example a) The question is, how much does country difference actually explain the variations in achievements of foreign affiliates To answer this, the elements they defined were as follows: Country effects, Industry effects, Multinational Corporation (MNC) effects, Affiliates effects and the Years observed, analyzing these to see how they all contributed to the average return or business success achieved by the foreign affiliates. They hypothesized that country had an important role to play and had not been explored fully in earlier research. b) Methodology The study is described as unique by the researchers because it uses performance of foreign affiliates as the primary unit of analysis, the country effects variables contained in it, and non-U.S. data, only Japanese MNCs. Data was taken from the Trend Survey of Overseas Business Activities (Trend Survey), annually conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The companies used were: either subsidiary (MNC has 10% capital invested),sub-subsidiary (MNC has 50% invested) or where a sub-subsidiary has 50% capital invested in the foreign affiliate company. 12,000 total, over 6 years were examined, using 616 c) Results and conclusions suggest that country effects are almost as great as industry effects, implying that the host country has great impact when determining performance, wi

Mercedes Benz of U.S.A “The Best or Nothing”- Mercedes Benz Essay Example for Free

Mercedes Benz of U.S.A â€Å"The Best or Nothing†- Mercedes Benz Essay Mercedes Benz is one of the most recognizable names in the world. If you mention car, luxury, dependable, performance and â€Å"The Best or Nothing†, the first name it comes on your mind is Mercedes Benz. History of Mercedes Benz is the greatest out there, but I am going to focus on the Mercedes Benz USA, also known as MBUSA. MBUSA is a division responsible for distribution and marketing of Mercedes Benz products in the U. S. The headquarters of MBUSA are in Montvale, New Jersey. There are two dealership locations of MBUSA in northeast Ohio, one in Willoughby and the other one in Bedford. Also included in their division are Maybach, Smart and Sprinter. Although founded in 1965, MBUSA started importing Mercedes Benz in 1952, and the iconic car that started it all was 300SL Gullwing. It was founded under Max Hoffman; the current CEO of MBUSA is Steve Cannon. Other key personnel at MBUSA are Harald Henn CFO and VP, Inigo Mazquiaran GM of Corporate Finance and Joachim Schmidt Executive Vice President of Sales Marketing for Mercedes-Benz. Over the following years, MBUSA grew into a nationwide organization, now employing over 1500 people. The company also has 356 associated dealerships that employ 21,500 people themselves. MBUSA operates in the Car Dealership industry, in the distribution and marketing division of car sales industry to be more specific. With 305,072 passenger vehicles sold in the U. S. in 2012. SWOT Analysis Strengths: 1. Mercedes Benz has a strong brand value and global leader in premium cars 2. Leader in innovation i. e. 1st to introduce diesel engines, fuel injection and anti-locking brakes Weaknesses: 1. High maintenance cost of Mercedes Benz car 2. High prices compared to competition Opportunities: 1. Developing hybrid cars and fuel efficient cars for the future 2. Fast growing luxury automobile market increased income Threats: 1. Ever increasing fuel prices 2. Intense competition from global automobile brands

Strategic Planning Essay

Strategic Planning Essay Introduction: Planning is the most important thing for all organization. A successful plan means a successful mission to goal of a business or organization. It doesnt matter the organization big or small. Plan will bring you to face the challenges and opportunities. This will enable to deliver more effectively to meet the needs of target people and strengthen the organization. Planning is the first step towards sustainable funding. Planning should be creative process, simple and straightforward that brings demonstrable benefits. The process of making systematic decisions about proposed future outcomes, the process includes evaluating an organization and the environment in which it operates, establishing long-term goals, and mapping a plan to achieve the goals that have been identified. Strategic planning assumes and incorporates the likelihood of a changing environment that will require adjustments in the identified goals and the process of achieving them. Strategic planning process: Environmental Scanning Developing the environmental scanning structure. The environmental scanning process. Searching for information resources Selecting information resources to scan. Identifying criteria by which to scan. Determining special actions to take on the scanning results Scanning for the institution. Evaluating the process. Key stages of strategic planning process: There are several key stages of strategic planning process: Develop Vision and Mission Business and operation analysis Develop and select strategic option Establish strategic objective Strategy execution plan. Establish resource allocation Execution summary â€Å"Strategy can be seen as an on going ‘positioning process for an organization and strategic planning can be seen as a separate activity reviewed at periodic well- defined intervals†. Strategy involves achieving a competitive advantage for an organization in meeting the needs of customers and fulfilling the expectations of stakeholders. â€Å"An organization with an ‘active strategy will have a ‘plan on which to base its decisions. This plan may be in the form of a written document, or it may be a way of approaching matters as they arise†. Example: In the case of Marks Spencer in the late 1990s, its surveys showed that customer satisfaction did fall over a period of months, but there were a combination of factors causing problems, including a general recession in High Street shops in 1998. Other possible problems for MS that were out limited TV advertising, its supply lines were relatively expensive, and it had difficulties with its product range and with the presentation of its clothes. Although the company recorded profits of over  £1 billion in 1997 and 1998, there was a 23 per cent drop in profits in November 1998. The CEO left the company in 1999 and there were further changes in senior management in the following two years. Major credit cards became accepted, product ranges were altered, product presentation was reviewed and a TV advertising campaign was undertaken under the slogan ‘Exclusively for everyone. (Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60) Task 2: Involvement of stakeholders in the strategic planning process. Stakeholders are involved in the effects of strategic management because the actions and the development of the organization will result in change in their circumstances in one way or another. Stakeholders can be described as individuals and groups who are affected by the activities. It can be argued that the most important stakeholders are those who have the most to lose from the organizations actions. It is also important for an organization to be able to assess the power of these groups to influence events and the attitudes of the most powerful groups individuals. Stakeholders include a range of people involved with a company: The shareholders- who own the company and receive dividends. Financial bodies such a banks- who fund organizations in one way or another, and receive added value through interest or by other means. The employee- who receive some of the added value through their pay. The management- who receive added value through their pay and other benefits. The government- which receives part of the added value in the form of taxes. The customers- who consume the results of the value added to a commodity or service through the value chain. The mission and the objectives of an organization have to be developed taking into account the interests of the organizations stakeholders. Stakeholders Expectations Shareholders Financial return Creditors Interest, Creditworthiness, Prompt payment Suppliers Payment, long-term orders Employees Pay, stability, job satisfaction Managers Pay, benefits, power and control Customers Supply of goods and services, quality Government Taxes, employment, economic growth Strategic Management In terms of strategic management the major issue is to identify the relative power of the various stakeholders so that it is clear which of them is the most important to satisfy. On the one hand, it can be said that form any organization the customer comes first, second and third because comes without the customer the purpose of the organization will not exit, on the other hand, there may be other stakeholders who if not satisfied have the power to bring the organization to an end. For an example, Creditors have the power to close an organization if they are not paid, and employees can bring a company to its knees by withdrawing their labour. Every organization has to decide which are its most influential stakeholders and balance out their interests. Task 3: SWOT analysis of an organization: SWOT is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis is an important tool for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment. Once key strategic issues have been indentified, they feed into business objectives, particularly marketing objectives. The key distinction: Internal and External Issues. Internal Issues: Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors. For example, an strength could be specialist marketing expertise. A weakness could be the lack of a new product. External Factors: Opportunities and Threats are external factors. For example, an opportunity could be a developing distribution channel such as the internet, or changing consumer lifestyles that potentially increase demand for a companys product. A threat could be a new competitor in an important existing market or a technological change that makes existing products potentially obsolete. (S)trengths: Diversifying away from areas of major threat to more promising opportunities. Focusing on modifying weaknesses in spots of significant opportunities. Taking defensive measures in areas of threat where you are weak. (W)eaknesses: Make mind up which weaknesses need to be addressed as a priority. Other weaknesses have got to be accepted and respected until time and resources let find a solution. Some weaknesses can be developed into strengths or opportunities. For instance, it might be feasible to turn a shortage of production capacity into increased value for your product. (T)hreats: Build successful relationships with suppliers and customer. Cultivate good employee relations. Ensure clear and reasonable contracts with suppliers, customers and employees. Procure insurance against evident debacles. Make realistic contingency plans to deal with potential. Establish the right types of service contracts for key personnel. Invest in legal protection for intellectual property. Task 4: The differences between balance scorecard, scenario planning, cost benefit analysis and sensitivity analysis. Balance scorecard: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. Kaplan and Norton describe the innovation of the balanced scorecard as follows: The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation. Examples: Department Areas Finance Return on Investment Cash Flow Return on Capital Employed Financial Results (Quarterly/Yearly) Internal Business Processes Number of activities per function Duplicate activities across functions Process alignment (is the right process in the right department) Process bottlenecks Process automation Learning and Growth Is there the correct expertise for the job Employee turnover Job satisfaction Training opportunities Customer Delivery performance to customer Quality performance for customer Customer satisfaction rate Customer percentage of market Customer retention rat Scenario Planning: Scenario planning where choices can be screened by matching them to possible scenarios. This is a ‘what if? approach based on possible changes in the organizations environment. This leads to the formation of contingency plans in order to meet the requirements of each of these possible scenarios. For this approach to be useful, the strategic manager has to recognize the onset of the elements of a particular scenario so that the appropriate contingency plan can be introduced. Tim Hannagan, Mastering Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60 Scenario planning or scenario thinking is a strategic planning tool used to make flexible long-term plans. It is a method for learning about the future by understanding the nature and impact of the most uncertain and important driving forces affecting our world. â€Å"Change has considerable psychological impact of the human mind. To the fearful, change is threatening because it means that things may get worse to the hopeful, change is encouraging because things may get better. To confident, change is inspiring because the challenge exists to make thing better â€Å"King Whitney, Jr.† Cost benefits analysis: A cost benefit analysis finds, quantifies, and adds all the positive factors. These are the benefits. Then it identifies, quantifies, and subtracts all the negatives, the costs. The difference between the two indicates whether the planned action is advisable. The real trick to doing a cost benefit analysis well is making sure you include all the costs and all the benefits and property quantify them. Example of a Cost Benefit As the Production Manager, proposing the purchase of a $ 1 million stamping machine to increase output. Before present the proposal to the Vice President, know the need some facts to support suggestion, decide to run the numbers and do a cost benefit analysis. Itemize the benefits. With the new machine, it can be produced 100 more units per hour. The three workers currently doing the stamping by hand can be replaced. The units will be higher quality because they will be more uniform and be convinced these outweigh the costs. There is a cost to purchase the machine and it will consume some electricity. Any other costs would be insignificant. Calculate the selling price of the 100 additional units per hour multiplied by the number of production hours per month. Add to that two percent for the units that arent rejected because of the quality of the machine output. Also add the monthly salaries of the three workers. Thats a pretty good total benefit. Then calculate the monthly cost of the machine, by dividing the purchase price by 12 months per year and divide that by the 10 years the machine should last. The manufacturers specs tell what the power consumption of the machine is and get power cost numbers from accounting then figure the cost of electricity to run the machine and add the purchase cost to get a total cost figure. Now subtract total cost figure from total benefit value and analysis shows a healthy profit. Sensitivity analysis: Sensitivity analysis is a method for testing the degree of sensitivity of a system or models variables by applying incremental changes. The system can be physical or notional and represent the whole project or major element the analysis determines which variables are the most significant having the most impact on results and so helps the selection of the optimal settings or best solution. A technique used to determine how different values of an independent variable will impact a particular dependent variable under a given set of assumptions. This technique is used within specific boundaries that will depend on one or more input variables, such as the effect that changes in interest rates will have on a bonds price. Sensitivity analysis is a way to predict the outcome of a decision if a situation turns out to be different compared to the key prediction(s). Example: An analyst might create a financial model that will value a companys equity (the dependent variable) given the amount of earnings per share (an independent variable) the company reports at the end of the year and the companys price-to-earnings multiple (another independent variable) at that time. The analyst can create a table of predicted price-to-earnings multiples and a corresponding value of the companys equity based on different values for each of the independent variables. Conclusion: Strategy can be seen as an on going positioning process for an organization and strategic planning can be seen as a separate activity reviewed at periodic well defined intervals. References: http://www.yourdictionary.com/business/strategic-planning horizon.unc.edu/projects/seminars/futuresresearch/stages.html http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Steps-Effective-Strategic-Planning-Processid=588763 Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60 Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 50, 51 Kaplan and Norton http://www.businessballs.com/balanced_scorecard.htm Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60) http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning King Whitney, Jr. http://management.about.com/cs/money/a/CostBenefit.htm http://www.maxwideman.com/issacons1/iac1112b/tsld002.htm http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sensitivityanalysis.asp