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Monday, September 30, 2019

Organizational Culture of Virgin Group Essay

1. Describe the culture of Virgin group by seven dimension of organization culture. Organizational culture has been described as the shared values, principles, traditions, and ways of doing things that influence the way organizational members act. Actually, it can divided seven dimension of organizational culture which are attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, stability and innovation and risk taking, and now I will use these seven dimensions to describe the culture of virgin. The first dimension used in this culture of virgin is attention to detail. It is the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail. It is such a culture gives a competitive advantage to companies by helping them differentiate themselves from others. Like this article, the virgin airline has a lot of competitors like 747airline. They provide heterogeneous products and the virgin airline put their selling point to their services that their crews are smiling, cheerful and pleased to help, let the passengers wanting to fly with them again. Also, the virgin America sweeps the travel awards for service and quality. Although their planes are new, with great interiors and entertainment, the great service of its crews is what wins so many plaudits. Furthermore, they employ a general manager in the Caribbean. He tried to change the way things were done, discouraged the staff from drinking their guests that reducing the staff morale. As he didn’t get the degree on attention to detail, then he was being replacement. The second dimension in this culture is people orientation. It is the degree to which management decisions take into account the effects on people in the organization. It emphases on individual rights and expectation of treating people with respect and dignity. In this article, when the author was running Virgin Records, a member of the talent-scouting team was stealing and selling boxes of records to local secondhand shops. But he didn’t fire the staff and just gave him a severe warning and a second chance. He expected the staff to learn from his mistake and get back to doing his job. As the experience of the author that he fell foul of the customs and excise people as trying to bring records into the UK. He was given a fine, a second chance and have tried to make the most of it ever since. This has made him much more accepting and forgiving of people’s mistakes. Also, the virgin airline treats their staff as family units and makes them feel that their company is their second home. They will hold parties in the weekend, make sure all the staff can participate the parties and help them build the relationship between staff and manager. That is how the virgin airline treating their staff. The third dimension in this culture is team orientation. It is a degree to which work is organized around teams rather than individuals. It is collaborative and emphases on cooperation among employees. In this article, the writer mentioned about how to be a good leader to lead people well. He said that a good leader must know the team, its strengths and weakness; socializing and listen to the team is the key of being a good leader. A good leader can led their teammate well, can motivate the staff morale and build the relationship between the team. He also said that a bad leader can destroy a business very quickly. As they employed a general manager in Caribbean who tried to change the way things were done. The manager discouraged the staff from drinking with guests that decreased the staff morale and broke the trust of management. So they replace the manager and restore the staff morale and the sense of management’s trust which had been broken. The fourth dimension in this culture is innovation and risk taking. It is the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risk. Through this article, Brett Godfrey showed his business plan to the author, which outlining the start-up of a low-cost carrier in Australia to take on Qantas and Ansett in their domestic market. He has expanded Blue and its sister airline to the United States, New Zealand, Thailand and South Africa. The company give them brand support and the space to go build the new business themselves like Virgin Active. Also, Matthew Bucknall and Frank Reed had bought out some innovative idea like the idea of a family-friendly health and fitness club in 1999. These planning and ideas are innovative, but at the same time they need to take the risk on running the ideas and planning. In this article, we can find out four dimension of organizational culture. A top company must have strong organizational culture that employees are more loyal than weak organizational culture, creates a stronger employee commitment to the organization, and the strong organizational culture is associated with high organizational performance. Also, if the value of the culture is clear and widely accepted, employees can know what they are supposed to do and what expected to them, so they can act quickly to take care of problem. 2. How culture affect the manager? A culture usually reflects the vision of organization founder. They will articulate the vision of what they want the organization to be. The small size of most new organizations makes it easier to instill the vision with all organizational members. Also, organizational practices are also one of the impacts on culture. They can find out the information about the organization and determine the most suitable for organization through practices. The top management behavior has a major impact on culture too, that the action of top management can lead to undesirable outcomes. Organizational culture can divide into four types. They are open systems, human relation, internal process and rational goal. A culture will predominately affect the manger in four ways, which are controlling, leading, organizing and planning. In the leading of the management, the mangers are able to use democratic leadership style that allows employees participate in decision-making progress, but not only individuals in the open systems and human relation culture. Through these two types of culture, the mangers require visionary leadership, responsive behavior and also tend to be participative, considerate and supportive. Also, the mangers in rational goal culture are also able to use democratic leadership style and tend to be directive, goal oriented and functional. On the other hand, the mangers in the internal process culture will be more likely to use autocratic leadership style that they are tend to be conservative and caution. In the planning of the management, they will more likely to take the risk of the plan in open systems culture in the large extent, which this culture is emphasis on creativity and innovation that the employee will have some innovative idea when planning. In rational goal and human relation culture, the manger will take risk on planning in the small extent. But in the internal process culture, the manger are not willing to take the risk on planning, which their company are conservative and cautious. In the human relation and open system culture, they will likely develop the plan by team, but the mangers will likely develop the plan by individual in the rest of the cultures. In the controlling of managers, the control system will be more flexible in human relation and open systems culture, which likely allow employees to control their own action. But in the rest of the cultures, the control system will be inflexible that the managers need their employees follow their rules and procedures. In the open system culture, the manager may able to take the risk to produce the product if exceeding the budget. On the other hand, the manager in internal process culture will prefer cutting the cost or will not produce the product rather than taking the risk to release the product into the market. In the organizing of the mangers, their employees can have more autonomy in their jobs in the human relation and open system culture, but less autonomy of employees in the rest of the cultures. Through the rational goal and internal process culture, they will be able done their task by individual rather than team. On the other hand, in human relation and open system, they will prefer to finish the task by team compare to individual and their manager will be likely being decentralization, that increase the decision-making authority of employees, but the rest of culture not. A culture will affect the mangers what they can or cannot do and how they manage. A good manger should know the culture of their companies deeply, that can help them to know what to do and not do and identify their role on managing a team or company.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Satying in one place

Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better Job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving In search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion People are coming from varying communities with different backgrounds. Some of them prefer to stay and live In one country as long as they have a shelter, a decent lob, and good friends.However, others may prefer to move around looking for a better life and good living onditions. As far as I concerned, I give more advantage for the late opinion for some First of all, people who adopt traveling in their life are more likely to be reasons. successful and reach their ultimate goals. That is to say, if anyone dreamed to be distinguished, he/she should acquire wide information in his/her major. A biology field is one example that is required a biologist to have a clear vision and abundant i nformation about hormones, creatures, fossils, and so on In order to get a tremendous success.Therefore, moving from one place to another is a great way for im/ her to have a huge background and being exposed to different concepts and Another reason Is that these people who are familiar with moving perspectives. and changing their llvlng place acquire certain, unique characteristics that differs them from other people. Because these who have the tendency to live In more than one country are open minded, flexible, adaptable, and even cosmopolitan people. In my country for example which has one of the toughest regulations and tribal traditions is receiving more and more foreigners who are interested in living here for a while.When people asked them about their reasons, they might say to break the monotonous routine of their lives, maybe to be exposed with different cultures, or even to better off their financial means. In fact, changing the living place is a merit to enhance and devel op someone's personality. To sum up, † east or west home is best † is one way to convince ourselves to live In one place whether it's good for us or not. In contrary with ambitious people who believe In chasing their fortune whenever It goes. In my point of view, changing the residence Is good as long as we get the advantages and benefits from each experience we have.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Marketing Management and Market Orientation Essay

People are exposed to marketing in almost everything and they can see the results of marketing in the advertisements on television, internet, and so on and in the abundance of many products. So marketing can be define as an area that has been evolved over time and its process is a set of activities that includes understand, deliver, create and communicate about a product or service to customers, clients. According to The Chartered Institute of Marketing marketing is â€Å"The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably† (The Chartered Institute of Marketing). Among the management functions like organizing, financing and producing, marketing is recognized as a vital function by many companies. In the opinion of Prf. Rustom S. Davar Marketing Management is the discovering of the consumers’ needs, converting them into the products or service to the ultimate consumer, so that needs of specific categories or gr oups of the customers could be so satisfied that by the most favorable utilization of the resources, the could derive the maximum benefits (Mundra, 2010). Physical and psychological factors are the main focus in the Marketing Management, also motivate, coordinate, control and direct are one of the principal resposibility to achieve marketing management goals. ï  ¶Define the Market Orientation Naver and Slater (1990) define Market Orientation as â€Å"the culture† that most effectively and efficiently creates the necessary behaviours for the creation of superior value for buyers. They measure the extent of market orientation through the behaviours that are the manifestations of those values. These authors define three basic components as: customer orientation, competition orientation and inter-functional coordination (Naver, 1995). Market Orientation is the business motivation within a company, because it is focus on identify and provide the needs and wants of a target customer, this includes develop new products or improve on exist products. The purpose of marketing orientation is to create superior buyer value that is the reason why all the decisions are based on information about the customers needs or wants instead of think what is good for the business. ï  ¶Reflect on the Market Orientation and Management of an organisation you are aware of. Louis Vuitton has established in the market place with its own identity â€Å"LV† a brand recognized as one of the most luxurious and more exclusive brand in the fashion industry. Its marketing strategy is to provide their customers with the most luxurious products with a unique quality, which may the customers, choose between buying a Louis Vuitton or nothing. The way that LVMH (Louis Vuitton – Moà «t Hennessy) Group manages its market orientation and management makes the company enjoys a distinctive position in the competitive landscape. Louis Vuitton products are set by 18 principles such as Principle of Ostentation, Principle of Prohibiting Unfavorable Comparisons Designed to Support Other Brands, etcetera (Nagasawa, 2008). As well, has no policy of make rebate in their products in order to keep a higher perception of its products. All its products have a purpose and it is t o make the customers feel part of a social reference group, a social status that is why many of its models campaign are famous celebrities in order to make customers feel part of that group. To keep the luxury and exclusivity of the brand they work with famous designers such as Marc Jacobs, Stephen Sprouse, to create limited editions that are offered to the upper class. Some of this collaboration has completely forgotten the famous pattern LV that was the case of Kasuma a Japanese designer who is famous for its repetitive dots. Louis Vuitton creates a high loyalty with their customers by offering products with the maximum quality creating an endless desire in LV products. Also providing lifetime guarantee for its products. LV keep working with the technology by continuous work on improvement of quality also create a mobile apps so their customer can enjoy the experience by distance. They don’t have limit on how much they would invest in pleasing their customers from adequate their stores to please their customer to designs everything to keep customers and getting more.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Gillette Company Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gillette Company Case Study - Essay Example Quick ratio-Inventories are the least liquid of assets and face significant risks like they may be damaged or lost among others. They are hence reduced in calculating quick ratio. A higher quick ratio is also preferred. Cash Ratio- shows the percentage of current liabilities covered by cash and cash equivalents. This ratio measures the company’s ability to repay current liabilities using cash. A higher ratio is also recommended. A ratio of 1 and above is recommended since it indicates the ease to pay current liabilities using cash and cash equivalents, companies, however, opt to use available cash for other profit generating activities and hence the ratio is ideally less than 1. Gillette’s cash ratio is 0.19 which falls far below the recommended rate. This may show that the firm does not keep its revenues in cash, and this may hinder its ability to repay its current liabilities in the short term. These liquidity measures indicate that Gillette is not able to meet its current obligations with ease. That means that the firm has to sell some of its fixed assets in order to reduce chances of insolvency. There is therefore need for improvement by the management. The debt ratio is less than one indicating that the firm has more assets than debt. The rate is, however, higher than 0.5 which is the recommended level. This is a good indication since it implies less leverage and hence fewer financial risks but management should work on increasing the level of assets and reducing liabilities. Return on equity- this is a ratio of net income to total shareholder’s equity. It indicates the amount of profit the company makes for its owners. A high ratio is preferred by investors since they are assured of high returns on their investments. Inventory turnover- this is the ratio, of the cost of goods sold to inventories, showing the number of times the company restocked its inventory. A higher ratio indicates high sales as a result of fast movement of the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Final reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Final reflection - Essay Example The paper will rely on knowledge gained throughout the semester on child-language development to appropriately advice these parents. How Children Develop Speech and Language Skills Human communication is an acquired skill gained over time. Human communication can be compared to technology in that both have a basic structure of function, but change over time as the needs of a society change. While human communication development is procedural, the amount of time it takes should not result in a child taking too long to understand comprehensively their first language. Children start developing their language skills immediately they get born. However, at the very early stage of their life, these developments can hardly be noticed (Bochner & Jane 122). As a child grows, their parents should keenly observe how their development in language is fairing. Parents must be in a position to realize any cases of abnormality in their children’s language development. This should help them add ress the problem as early as possible. At the age of six months, a child should have started showing signs that indicate that they are indeed learning how to communicate. They should be able to turn to sources of sound upon hearing them. They should further respond in shock to sudden, loud noises. Children in this age start making cries for different needs watches people's face as they walk and start to imitate coughs and other sounds (Bochner & Jane 123). These are the first signs that a child is learning their communication skills. Although the skills can hardly be noticed by most parents as signs of language development, they help a child to start having a memory on how to respond to different situations. This includes when they are in shock, hungry or in pain. At the age of nine months, a child should manage to respond to their name and anything else that rings around them, for example, a telephone. At this age, a child understands when they get told ‘no’. They can also get what they want through gestures and starts playing social games with those around them. A child gets to enjoy when people are around her and starts to babble or repeat sounds. Communication skills at this age can be identified. It is, however, worth noting that some children may take a slightly longer period than this. The period should not extend one year since they were born. At the age of one year, a child can follow simple one-step instructions like ‘sit down’. When someone near them points to something, a child gets to look for it. A child at this age uses three or more than three words in their communication but will mostly use gestures. A child also combines many sounds as though talking (Pressley & Christine

Occupational stress in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Occupational stress in Nursing - Essay Example It is important to note that nursing is one of the crucial subjects of the occupational stress studies. A large number of studies have been conducted to understand and bring to knowledge the reasons resulting in the causation of stress and the factors that can help lower the possibility of presence of these stress inducers. The present paper considers the contribution of some recently published papers to the growing body of knowledge on the subject of stress at work place. The paper examines the complex issue of stress from different important facets and presents a constructive criticism of the research done on the topic in view. We shall focus our attention to the recently published important scientific studies that have contributed to the understanding of occupational stress in nursing. Our objective is to analyze the studies as per their level of relevance and objectivity of application to the subject. One such important study was performed by Stordeur and experts (2001). They worked to characterize the presence of stress based on the severity of its induction. Thus, the severity of stress induction has been ranked as the amount of workload, disharmony with other colleagues (nurses, physicians), lack of completeness in knowledge and thus possible blurring of the tasks required to be performed or goal expected to be achieved. A ranking was also given to the head nurse who is responsible to closely monitor the performance of the staff members to locate the spot of deficiency in service provision and thereby plan and implement corrective measures for better and more competent performance. However, in additio n to the identification of the sources of stress inducers, it is also important to distinguish between the factors that are probably responsible to results in emotional exhaustion and job disengagement. It should be noted that this important feature was not included in the studies and research performed by Stondeur and his colleagues. Demerouti (2000) made an address to this feature in his article. The published paper adds to the knowledge the facts not presented by Stordeur' in his article on occupational stress. Sirkka Billeter-Koponen Hfa (2005) and colleagues in a qualitative interview studied about nurses' experiences of long-term stress, burnout, and patient-nurse relations. The objective behind this study was to obtain an in-depth knowledge about the mechanism of long-lasting stress and burnout induction in the nurses. The focus of research was held on professionalism and patient-nurse relations. In order to analyze the open interviews, the Grounded Theory methodology was used. The participants selected for the study were 10 nurses belonging to the age group of 36 to 61 years. The nurses were holding their professional status in different care

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Food Quality and Safty Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Food Quality and Safty - Case Study Example Manufactures should embrace certain systems that ensure the integrity of the food in terms of health and quality. In order to do this they need to follow certain safety and quality assurance systems, which have been developed to safeguard the food quality. Some of them are obligatory while others are voluntary the obligatory ones are known as safety assurance systems. The difference between mandatory and voluntary systems is based on good Hygiene practices GHP as well as good manufacturing practices GMP (Sikora and Stranda 2005, p.85). Good hygiene practices systems will ensure the firms production process adheres to the highest standards of cleanness and food such as meat would never be exposed to contaminants or foreign particles such as plaster since it would be thoroughly examined before being released into the market. The law does not require the other quality management systems although desirable to consumers and society such as having quality assurance control points, which are put in place strategically with the view of eliminating hazard (Sikora and Stranda 2005, p.85). Quality control points allow the manufactures to check the products in stages, for instance, in bread production; the manufactures can check the dough after it has been through the oven for soot burnt parts. If this were to be done at every stage of production, the hazards would be considerably reduced as well as the margin for error in the final product. Hazard analysis and critical control points(HACCP) is considered to be the most important method of controlling safety hazards in food and drugs, its effectiveness is enhanced by the fact that, instead of inspecting the finished product, HACCP identifies the physical, chemical, and allergic hazards in the food during the production process, as such it is considered a preventive method. It can be applied in any

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Automatic Speech Recognition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Automatic Speech Recognition - Research Paper Example The creation of ASR system had an aim to provide people with a machine that can translate each word spoken by them in real time. The system still has enough to incorporate and advance more. There still is a gap between expectations from ASR systems and their performance. The ASR systems are meant to recognize the speech of human beings without being interrupted from the speaker’s accent, choice of words, noise or other features. Commercially available ASR systems need a lesser amount of speaker training and have the capability to recognize the continuous speech vocabulary with higher efficiency along with a broader range of vocabularies being captured. Commercial companies are often found to claim that ASR systems provide 98 to 99 percent accuracy provided that they are working under optimal conditions. Optimal conditions are when the users have speech habits which are in line with the training data, when the users have proper speaker adaptation and when the process is carried out in a noise-free environment. It can be explained from this information that recognition rates for heavily accented people may be lower than others. Although there still is a room for improvement in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems, there are a number of application areas which benefit from its use. Telecommunications is one of the major application areas as speech recognition software acts as an interface that directly transfers data through a communication system into the information system. Today, inquiry systems, dialing assistance and telephony interpretations are some of the examples where ASR systems are used. Office automation is another area that benefits from the use of ASR. The crucial application areas of ASR include ASR in CAD applications and providing input using direct command in computers. Medical applications also make use of this technology for

Monday, September 23, 2019

People of Lubbock and Recycling Behavior Research Paper - 1

People of Lubbock and Recycling Behavior - Research Paper Example This research paper describes the effective waste management strategies that can be aplied to the people of Lubbock town, United Kingdom. The researcher analyzes human behaviour of the town residents and discusses strategies that can increase the effective waste management in the community. In order to increase recycling rates amongst the residents of Lubbock, the researcher believes a holistic approach, integrating Azjen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour and Barr et al’s Environmental Conceptual Framework is necessary in order to provide a better understanding of environmental actions. The literature presented in this research paper indicates that unit based pricing and variable rate systems are the most effective economic means to reduce municipal waste disposal and increase recycling rates. However, a range of non-economic factors have also been shown to motivate people to recycle, in which effective recycling strategies must be highly convenient for people to use and ac cess. However, Reschovskey and Stone also acknowledge that’s people’s intrinsic and extrinsic attitudes and values towards the environment affect recycling rates. People who express altruistic tendencies and greater environmentally positive attitudes tend to recycle more frequently. To conclude, the researcher states that these findings indicate that policy makers also need to raise people’s environmental awareness in order for them to develop an eco-centric perspective and values towards sustainable waste management issues.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Internet Is Most Influential Invention in American History Essay Example for Free

Internet Is Most Influential Invention in American History Essay The United States of America who has been ruling the power in technology, communication and in every other field with advance from its history and giving birth to new generation invention which human mind can’t â€Å"even think off from early dreams of global information networks to the dominance of the World Wide Web, networked computers have changed the way Americans interact with the world†. (Inventing the Internet Age Science and Technology CBC Archives) In the history of America, the Information Technology in such Internet has been the best power as its kind in the communication, new inventions, science, business and specially for the students who are in the field of science and technology they have been getting help from the internet and they have proved to be the best and always had the Country name on the top. The Internet is a worldwide network of thousands of computers and computers network working together for the upliftment of the human in information and communication technology. It has been a great invention by the human mind and a great achievement in information technology. â€Å"In the history of America in 1956 we found this conference and concept which gave birth to the field of AI as a vibrant area of interdisciplinary research, and provided an intellectual environment to all successive computer research and development efforts†. This new field made the human mind thinks to create Internet which works more professionally from its own parts. In the history of Defense of United States the first research and development was made by Paul Baran’s who started his work at (RAND). RAND was founded in Santa Monica, California who started working after the Second World War and started operational research skills developed by US military to manage them. The first wide area computer network was established by the United States Air Force in 1959 which was used to recognize and respond after a nuclear attack and with the new inventions in the US Defense the system got more organized and developed. (Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference) Later in 1960s the Internet has grown from a single experimental network serving a dozen sites in the United States to a network of networks linking millions of computers worldwide. There were many scientist and great inventors who worked hard that allowed the Internet to develop. â€Å"At that time there was collaboration and conflict among remarkable scientists, including government and military agencies, computer scientists, graduate students, telecommunications companies, standards organizations, and network users†. (Networks: Syllabus of Readings for Complex Adaptive systems) In the history of 1964, the Norbert Wiener won the US National Medal of Science. In the same year Norbert published one of his last book called God and Golem† which included certain points where cybernetics impinges on religion which latter had a dominant influences on later generation of scientists and made tons of scientists to research into the potential to extend human capabilities. â€Å"Norbert change the way everyone thought about computer technology and that influencing several later developers of the internet which includes J. C. R Licklider†. (Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference) In the same year Marshall McLuhan’s made a new theory which is still remembered by the name of â€Å"Global Village† to make every one think about the social effects and the world-shattering effects that has made the changed around the world. He tried to change the concept about the media, technology and communication. McLuhan highlighted this theory of his named with global village from his observation and researchers that the electronic (media) was swiftly integrating the globe. If we go pass by the history of internet which is now been very common source of information and communication to every single human on this universe. Sir Bill Gates, who is the Chairman of Microsoft company has invented a programming language basic for the first microcomputer in the history in 1973, after that in the same year Internet and Transmission Control Protocols were initially developed by the great American Scientist Vinton Cerf, who worked for the United States department of Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which was directed by American Engineer Robert Kahn. At first, by the help of Advance Research Project Agency who linked several universities and research laboratories in the United States. After 16 years of development and researches world wide web was developed by the great English computer scientist Timothy Berners-Lee who worked under European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the design of the internet was done in 1973 and published in 1974 the hard work resulting the internet in 1983, a number of demonstration were made by the great scientists of different universities. Moreover from the (ARPANET) which grew in 1970’s Leonard Kleinrocks and his mates worked over the design and performance of packet switched network latter UCLA Netwatch Program performed similar functions Kleinrocks and his team did for ARPANET but the great achievement of Kleinrocks was that he connected SDS Sigma 7 Computer to an interface massage processors which became the first node on ARPANET and the first computer ever on internet in early September 1969. After that in early 1996 the internet interconnected more than 25 million computers in more than 180 countries all over the world. With the interconnection of computer networks and different machines to communicate directly through internet had made the United States rule over everything from the last era. Not just the interconnection but the global interconnection of the United States government who deals around the world so easily with the modern technology, interconnection in the education which has made the best universities all over the world and is making the best scientists, doctors, engineers and with the business network which is available in the public around the world with one click..

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Inflammatory Mediators Of Asthma Health Essay

Inflammatory Mediators Of Asthma Health Essay Once IgE binds to mast cells (or activated eosinophils), an amplification system operates since the cells not only release the spasmogens and other mediators specified but also can stimulate ÃŽ ² cells to produce more IgE. Furthermore, the production of IL-5, IL-4 IL-13 and IL-9 amplifies the Th2-mediated events. It is believed that asthma symptoms are manifested because of Th2 mediated immune response. Pulmonary allergic inflammation in mice lead to decrease in pulmonary IL-5 concentration, specific IgE, IgG1, and eosinophil and T cell recruitment in wild type mice in the absence of T cells. T cells are important in IL-4 dependent IgG1, IgE and Th2 cell mediated lung inflammation, further more there is evidence that CD4+T cells have a role in asthma process. For example, in murine model external protein induced T cells increases IL-5 production and produces airway eosinophilia. (Larche et al. 2003) Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory airway disorder that involves the activation of the inflammatory and structural cells. These released inflammatory mediators cause typical pathophysiological changes of asthma (Peter et al., 2003). There are several lines of evidence that may implicate a mediator in asthma. Firstly, it may mimic features of clinical asthma. Secondly, the mediator may be produced in asthmatic patients. Thus, mediators or their metabolites may be detected in plasma (e.g. histamine), urine (e.g. LTE4), or more likely, the airways in biopsies, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, induced sputum or exhaled air. 1.8.3.1. Histamine Histamine was the first mediator implicated in the pathophysiological changes of asthma (Barnes et al., 1998). Histamine is one of the important mediator of allergy, inflammation and bronchoconstriction. Histamine is synthesized and released by mast cells in the airway wall and by circulating and infiltrating basophils. Antigen-induced histamine secretion is initiated by the bridging of the adjacent IgE receptors on the mast cell surface. Histamine receptors are among the thousands of members of the 7-transmembrane-spanning family of receptors that couple ligand binding to intracellular reactions through interactions with another large family of guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding heterotrimeric proteins. H1-receptors mediate a host of intracellular events most readily characterized by changes in free cytosolic calcium levels. Histamine show different response in mammalian tissue depends upon presence of receptor on that tissue Kulkarni, (1976). 1.8.3.2. Adenosine Adenosine can act as an autocoid cause bronchoconstriction in asthmatics and increase immunologically induced mediator release from mast cells of human lung (Cushley et al., 1984; Peachell et al., 1988). Mast cells also release adenosine in response to IgE cross-linking and other stimuli for mast cell activation. 1.8.3.3. Lipid-Derived Mediators Leukotrienes Leukotrienes are potent lipid mediators produced by arachidonic acid metabolism in cell or nuclear membrane. Several types of airway inflammatory cells, like eosinophils, macrophages, mast cells, neutrophils, and epithelial cells, can synthesize LTs in response to a variety of stimuli. Leukotrienes are important inflammatory mediators involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. All the Cys-LTs are potent constrictors of bronchial smooth muscle. On a molar basis, LTD4 is 1000 times more active than histamine and constrict bronchioles (Dahlen et al., 1980). Cys-LTs, acting on Cys-LT1 receptors produce bronchospasm, airway hyper-responsiveness, proliferation of airway smooth muscle, excess production of mucus and mucosal edema and eosinophilia in the airways, and other features in asthma (Sundeep et al., 2001; Peter, 1998). Platelet Activating Factor (PAF) PAF is ether-linked phospholipid. The synthesis of PAF occurs in inflammatory cells, including platelet, neutrophils, basophils, macrophages and eosinophils. PAF induces airway smooth muscle contraction by releasing other mediators. PAF-induced bronchoconstriction is not inhibited by H1 receptor antagonist Ketotifen. However, PAF-induced bronchoconstriction can be inhibited by LT antagonists, because of involvement of LTD4 in this response. PAF stimulate chemotaxis and adhesion of eosinophils and neutrophils in-vitro (Peter et al., 2003). Prostanoids Prostanoids include prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxane (Tx), which are generated from arachidonic acid, usually by the action of COX. In general PGF2 and PGD2 contract and PGE relax tracheal muscle. Asthmatic individuals are particularly sensitive to PGF2ÃŽ ±, which may cause intense bronchospasm. Although both PGE1 and PGE2 can produce bronchodilatation when given to such patients by aerosol, bronchoconstriction sometime is observed. Tx analogue U 46619 is a potent constrictor in asthmatic patients, and this effect is mediated in part via acetylcholine release. Prostanoids stimulate airway mucus secretion in various animal species. It inhibits the release of mediators from mast cells, monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophil inflammatory cells (Peter et al., 2003). 1.8.3.4. Cytokines Cytokines are small protein mediators that play an integral role in the coordination and persistence of inflammation in asthma. Many inflammatory cells macrophages, mast cells, eosinophils and lymphocytes) are capable of synthesizing and releasing these proteins. Th2 lymphocytes produce a panel of cytokines, including IL-5, IL-4, IL-13 and IL-9 (Barnes et al., 1998). 1.8.3.4.1. Interleukin-4 IL-4 is critical for the synthesis of IgE by B-cells and for eosinophils recruitment. IL-4 is also involved in Th2 cell differentiation. IL-4 is a key factor in the development of allergic inflammation, and they may also play a major role in exacerbating asthmatic symptoms (Adcock and Caramori, 2003). Figure 11. Role of CD4+Th2cells and Various cytokines in asthma pathogenesis. 1.8.3.4.2. Interleukin-5 It play important role in allergic asthma. IL-5 promote the maturation of eosinophils from bone marrow processor, prolongs their survival by inhibition of apoptosis, activates mature eosinophil recruitment to tissue via synergistic effect with chemoattractants such as eotaxin and promote eosinophil adhesion of vascular endothelium.IL-5 can also promote basophils to release exaggerated amounts of histamine and leukotrienes, mediators that contribute to allergic bronchospasm and congestion in asthma (Fred et al., 2000). 1.8.3.4.3. Interleukin-9 Its major actions include maturation of eosinophils, airway inflammation, airway hyper-responsiveness and mucus over production (Adcock and Caramori, 2003). 1.8.3.4.4. Interleukin-13 IL-13 is critical for the synthesis of IgE by B-cells. Activates eosinophils, monocyte. IL-13 is a key factor in the development of allergic inflammation and they may also play a major role in exacerbating asthmatic symptoms (Barnes et al., 1998). 1.8.3.5. Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) GM-CSF is one of the colony-stimulating factor that acts to regulate the growth, proliferation and maturation of hematopoietic cells.GM-CSF can enhance the release of superoxide anions, also induce eosinophil apoptosis and activation, induces release of LTs, endothelial cell migration (Barnes et al., 1998). 1.8.3.6. Reactive Oxygen Species in Asthma Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by various enzymatic reactions and chemical processes or they can directly be inhaled. ROS are essential in many physiological reactions and are important for the killing of invading microorganisms. However, when airway cells and tissues are exposed to oxidative stress elicited by environmental pollutants, infections, inflammatory reactions or decreased levels of anti- oxidants, enhanced levels of ROS can have a variety of deleterious effects within the airways thereby inducing several pathophysiological conditions. It has been shown that ROS can damage DNA, lipids, proteins and carbohydrates leading to impaired cellular functions and enhanced inflammatory reactions. ROS are known to play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of various airway disorders such as adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cystic fibrosis, idiopathic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and asthma (Gillissen and Nowak, 1998; Repine et al., 1997).

Friday, September 20, 2019

Finishing Techniques for Leather

Finishing Techniques for Leather Summery These papers make a brief clarification of some of the finishing technique which is to applied to two finishing procedure and clarification for full grain aniline leather finish and a full grain pigmented leather finish the material to be used in it and whey to apply such material for such both finishing type . also an observation on the needs for the finish for the leather . also a describe for the difference between the pigment and the dyes from their origin and behavior and other points of study for them . and after that an investigation about the organic and the inorganic pigment and the difference between them . plus a brief explanation about the comparison between cationic and ionic dyestuffs. more a study about two formulation for shoe upper finish for aniline and pigmented full grain leather plus study for the material to be applied for them . then end with product understanding from stahl mentioning their use and needs in the finish formulation and monitoring their behavior. Introduction Finishing The term finishing is applied in the leather industries to help enhance the properties and the appearance of the final piece of the leather its gives the leather more enhanced color and remove defaults that could be caused through the leather operation or a nature defect. The piece of leather is enhanced by treating it with dyestuff solutions, pigments, preparations, top coating then it enters he mechanical treatment in terms of plating. The basic rule in the leather finishing is the fewer blemishes on the raw hide The less finish has to be applied. The more grain layers is damaged layer is damaged, the more coats the leather required to replace The natural grain. Also the purpose of finishing is to provide different types of leather with special characteristics satisfy the requirement markets, The processes of finishing the leather give the leather upgrading of the following characteristics such as Color , brightness , matting , feel , softness , print pattern , water resistance and more . Part 1 Dyes and pigments Both dyes and pigments are powerful colorants material used to color other substances Pigments Pigments are the special type of dyeing material for wet processing technology. Pigment can also be define as a water insoluble coloring material and a coloring substance that makes the color of the product look different because of its absorption of certain wavelengths . dyes Dyes are substances found naturally and also made synthetically too . Dyes have the ability to change the color of the leather and material which they are applied. In earlier times, most of the dyes were obtained from plant sources , roots ,wood , stem bark and plants leaves . also in the 19th century synthetic dyes were produced and since then many of synthetic dyes have been produced . Special needs for the dyes in the surface coating where a high level of transparency is required, Dyes vs pigments Organic and inorganic pigments . The difference between organic pigments and inorganic pigment are based upon some principle factors. Such as Molecular structure of the pigments Carbon chains or carbon rings are always presented in the molecules of the organic pigments. But in the molecules of the inorganic pigments , the cations of metal are found in an array from the non-metalic anions . which with this arrangement does not allow these pigment to dissolve in the solvent . Source of pigments the main source of organic pigment are plants and plant products. The inorganic pigment are manufactured from topical cosmetic and dirt . Inorganic pigment are non-ferrous metal oxides , or some metal insoluble metal salts . Main difference between inorganic pigment and organic pigment Cationic and ionic dyes . Anionic dyes have a negative charge and attached to cationic surfaces, Cationic dyes have a positive charge and attached to anionic surfaces, The cationic dyes react with anionic sites on the surface of the substrate, the cationic produce a bright shades. The solubility of these dyes is very good in water in the presence of glacial acetic acid . Both anionic and cationic dyes have poor levelling properties . Part 2 One can ask the question. Why are there so many different types of leather ? simple answer is its all down to cost . The tanner should have the experience to sort and select the leather after the chrome tanning to forward each type leather batch selected and sorted to its category end use type product . The tanner forward the sorted chrome leather batches to the retanning and dying process. Such sorting is done according to the hide size, grain condition, surface grades , extra†¦ When it comes to finish the leather. The tanner already sort the leather in previous states So he knows what is he going to do with such sorted leather to apply the required finish to it . Almost all types of hides and skins can be finished . The final uses of the different leather leads to the type of the finishing to be applied . Type of the finish the tanner choose depend on the appearance he want sell his leather with it . Among of the types of finishing types of leather is. a – Aniline finish ( full grain aniline leather finish ) Aniline leather is the most natural looking leather with the unique surface characteristics of the hide remaining visible . To get such aniline leather you need to apply what’s called â€Å" aniline finish â€Å" Leather with an aniline finish is colored with dyestuffs only which means no opaque finish ie transparent finish so that the original grain surface can be seen through. Another transparent top coat can be applied to give bright finish and water repellent surface . Aniline finished leather has excellent tooling , polishing , and redyeing properties . B – Pigment leather finish ( full grain pigmented leather finish ) Such pigmented finish contains no aniline dyestuffs . the dyestuffs are all replaced with an opaque inorganic pigment , such mixture is bound together using a small amount of casein and a use of a binder ( mostely is thermoplastics type ) to form a continuous film , resulting in a more level finish and better coverage of the finish skin . The presence of such small amount of casein contained in the finish ensures the leather does not become sticky . After the leather is finally coated with a matt or bright water based lacquer emulsion to enable sealing the finish to give certain amount of resistance to wet , dry rubbing . Full grain aniline finish vs full grain pigmented finish

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Genetic Engineering: The Tremendous Benefits Outweigh the Risks Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wouldn't it be great to improve health care, improve agriculture, and improve our quality of life? Genetic engineering is already accomplishing those things, and has the potential to accomplish much more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Genetic engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, is a fairly new science where the genes of an organism are modified to change the features of an organism or group of organisms. Genes are found in the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of an organism, and each gene controls a specific trait of an organism. Scientists have discovered what many of these genes control, both in plants and animals. Scientists then can modify these genes to benefit the organism. For example, if a person has a gene that codes for a certain disease, scientists can insert healthy copies of that gene to heal the patient. Genetic engineering is the hottest new field in medical research (Elmer-Dewitt). Although there have been some questions about whether genetic engineering is ethical or safe, there are too many benefits to ignore it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of the many uses of genetic engineering, agricultural use is one of the most beneficial. Scientists can modify plants to grow in adverse environments, places where there are often droughts and floods. Researchers are working on plants that can survive frost ("Advocates . . ."). Other plants are being genetically altered to fight certain diseases. A good example of this is the tomato. If a tomato is given a fungal-fighting microbe, it can resist the gray mold called botrytis (Dyson).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biotechnology is also making plants more nutritious by increasing protein and vitamin content. Animals are even genetically engineered to produce meats that contain less fat. Scientists are even working to take t... ... and Leone, Bruno, series editors. San Diego: Greenhaven press, 1996. Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. "The Genetic Revolution" Time. January 17, 1994. pp. 46-53   "Food Biotechnology: Federal Regulations and Labeling." [On-Line]. Available: http://ificinfo.health.org/brochure/bioregs.htm "Genetic Engineering." The 1998 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Inc. 1997. "Genetic Engineering." The New Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia. Volume 8. Connecticut: H.S. Stuttman, Inc. 1989. p. 1104. Loveard, Keith and Tet Sieu, Choong, "Magic Genes." [On-Line]. Available: http://www.pathfinder.com/asiaweek/97/0905/cs1.html The Economist, from the editors. "Genetic Research Will Improve the Quality of Health Care" in Genetic Engineering: Opposing Viewpoints, Bender, David and Leone, Bruno, series editors. San Diego: Greenhaven press, 1996.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Bilingual Education Essay -- essays research papers fc

Bilingual Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education is very important. There use to be a time when you didn’t have to go to school. When it was only important for men to have an education. Times have really changed. Now it is crucial for everyone in our society to have an education. Survival is the main reason: a cohesive society is another. Our schools today need to keep Bilingual education as a tool for teaching: not only for the sake of our society but also for the sense of our culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bilingual education in our schools is crucial: but still there is talk about banning the use of foreign language in the instruction of our young children. We have to work to change that kind of attitude. We have to proceed from the assumption that bilingual Marquez 2 education is a sound educational proposition for all children and that it addresses the needs of all the constituencies of education. Now more than ever the words of Thomas Jefferson ring with special meaning: in 1977, in a letter to his nephew, Jefferson said: â€Å"Bestow great attention on Spanish and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America will render that language a valuable acquisition. The ancient history of that part of America, too, is written in that language†. (qt. in A Relook ’66). Hispanic leaders should plan an initiative to help Hispanic youths do better in school. It's a coming-together as a community to deal with a very pressing issue. The organizations should be composed of public officials, Marquez3 students, educators, administrators, and business people and should try to determine the biggest problems facing Latino students in their community. These groups need to work together to develop a statewide agenda. Hispanic students, according to some studies, lag behind other students in classroom performance; have the highest dropout rate of any ethnic group in the country; and, according to federal data, are less likely to pursue higher learning(Tucson ’66). We as a society, need to have a school system that prepares our students for higher education if that is their choice. Society needs to work together to change the educational process for Latino students. Consider these numbers, which we drew from As A Relook at Tucson ’66 states† Minority groups are being shortchanged by more than 20... ...important factors that influence student outcomes. There is much more work left to do by the schools if we are to enable LEP students to achieve at high academic levels. Improvement would have to focus on teachers, teaching, academic content and standards, Marquez14 accountability, school-wide leadership, program integration, parent involvement-and effective use of the native language to assure high level and meaningful learning for all students from the time they enter school. Proposition 227 removes an important tool -- use of the native language -- from the hands of educators it would only serve to make even more difficult the challenges of school improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A society with no education cannot compete in the modern world. We as a society need to fight to keep Bilingual education as a teaching tool in the schooling system. Marquez15 Works cited A relook at Tucson ’66 and beyond. Washington D.C. 1973. Leibowitz, Arnold. A bilingual education act: a legislative analysis. Virginia, 1980. The world book encyclopedia. (E vol. 6) Chicago: World Atlas Krashen, S. Under attack: The case against Bilingual Education. Culver City CA: 1996

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Perhaps Othello Essay

Perhaps Othello cannot be regarded as the greatest of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, but many readers and viewers have found it incredibly exciting, logical, and most intense of all of Shakespeare’s plays. When performed, Othello is implacable in its drive toward tragedy, drawing spectators into the greatly shocking play of a husband quickly pushed to murder his blameless wife. Moreover, the Afro-American warrior Othello – the only black character in Shakespeare – becomes a husband of a white woman. Thus, the tragedy also touches on important issues that have become pressing in present period: racial prejudice and attraction to the â€Å"Other† (Othello Study Guide). Othello also allows readers to consider such important human issues as the nature of sexual jealousy and the difficulty of feeling certain about anything or anyone in this world. This paper is designed, first, to draw attention to these relevant issues in the play. Second, it will attempt to analyze these issues by exploring their many contexts so that it is possible to present various ways of understanding Othello from theoretical perspectives. Othello Shakespeare’s chief source for Othello was a story found in Giraldi Cinthio Hecatommithi, a collection of interesting tales where the major topic is marriage (Othello Study Guide). If one compares Italian story with Shakespeare’s, he or she can see English playwright’s incredible skills in transforming an ordinary story into logical and effective drama. Shakespeare modifies some parts of the story to emphasize dramatic plot and make character presentation much sharper. Further, he makes significant changes in the text, inserting and removing some parts, to dignify his protagonist and turn a melodramatic story into excellent tragedy. Othello is not created on such a huge scale as Shakespeare’s other famous tragedies. The play has neither the superhuman and magical dimensions of Hamlet and Macbeth, where the readers meet Ghost and Witches, nor King Lear’s unceasing feeling of doubt and uncertainty regarding â€Å"Nature† and the gods. Nevertheless, Othello is the only one of the four tragedies to present the reader with two separate countries as locations: civilized world of Renaissance Venice and the island of Cyprus. A. C. Bradley (1962) describes Othello as the most â€Å"masterly† of Shakespeare’s tragedies in its construction (144). Bradley stresses the fact that Shakespeare uses virtually no delaying tactics to slow down the action in the play, as, for example, in Hamlet where the hero delays his revenge, and no subplot to develop complicating consequences, as the reader finds in King Lear. Acts from 2 to 5, taking place in Cyprus, form a persistent sequence without significant interruptions. Further, however, there are some variations in pace – the slower tempo of the willow scene in acts 4 and 3, where Desdemona and Emilia take stock of the situation. In this regard, Ned B. Allen (1968) arrives at a conclusion that the instances of long time, for the most part in acts 3 and 4, are the result of Shakespeare’s sticking to Giraldi Cinthio’s slow-paced tale more densely there than the playwright does in acts 1 and 2 (13-29). Arguing that â€Å"double time† is a skilful device to heighten the credibility of the action, Ridley expresses admiration for Shakespeare’s â€Å"astonishing skill† in placing close together allusions to long time with a strong impression of a thirty-three-hour time span on Cyprus (lxx). It is, Ridley believes, a literary technique of lulling the reader into thinking that more time has passed than the action declares. In this manner, the reader does not question why, logically, Othello would be killing his wife for her supposed unfaithfulness the very night after he has brought to completion their marriage. Interestingly, among Shakespeare’s tragedies, Othello may be regarded as the least connected with social or political developments and transformations. The play does not appear to have been written on the topic of a specific historical event or social movement in the beginning of 1600s. Othello is a domestic tragedy. Thus, it exposes power plays inside relations between representatives of patriarchal society – in particular, in father-daughter and husband-wife relationships. But not like King Lear, that constantly expresses uncertainty about received â€Å"authority† as the king’s status is depreciated, Othello does not deal with the wider political branches of this social power. Nor does Othello take into consideration faults in state power that the reader can observe in Shakespeare’s history plays and Coriolanus. Although Othello is of aristocratic birth, he is not the real or possible leader of his realm (while Lear, Macbeth, and Hamlet are all kings), upon whose decisions and thoughts depend the whole state and its people. At the same time, however, Othello is concerned with important cultural and social issues. Precisely, Othello’s exact color has been much considered with references to racist issues (Shakespearean Criticism). What is important is that Othello is a black warrior, in all likelihood from North Africa, and now dwelling in a white European society. The issue of racial difference is deeply embedded in the tragedy and is very well obvious in performance. How would the character have been considered by the Jacobean public, and how is he understood this day? Does Othello make effort to incorporate or refuse to accept racist stereotypes of that time? How much does Desdemona, a white upper-class representative, breaks the moral rules of her society by making decision to marry a black warrior, and finally does Othello give approval to or reject her open and bold resistance to authority and power? Taking into consideration these questions, one can analyze ways in which Othello contributes to the discussion on two groups – black African men and white women – that were often made seem unimportant in the beginning of seventeenth century. Even though it cannot be equated with present day racial discrimination issues, color prejudice appears to have developed in England under Queen Elizabeth and King James. Black was associated with evil, Africans’ dark skins was considered to belong to the devil. Taking into account the racial prejudices of the time, it is unusual that Shakespeare decides to make his tragic hero an Afro-American and his villain the white Iago. Critic John Salway, for example, considers that Shakespeare introduces the general preconceptions regarding Africans by means of the racist discourse of Iago and Brabantio – Iago glibly utters slander about Othello as â€Å"lusty Moor† and â€Å"devil†, while Brabantio, who â€Å"lov’d† Othello as a warrior, ascribes responsibility to him for winning his daughter’s love through â€Å"damned† witchcraft (30). John Salway considers that the playwright does so only to explode these prejudices in the course of the play. In this respect, Othello’s mistake is a natural human weakness rather than a fault coming from his race. John Salway also acknowledges the long-established medieval tradition, literary and decorative, that connected the black man with lower rank in society and damnation. The author argues, at the same time, that a countercurrent of religious discourse and art, for example, the special importance given to inner holiness over outward appearance and the description of Balthazar, one of the Magi bearing gifts for the infant Christ, as a black man, provided Shakespeare with an opportunity to develop Othello as a â€Å"great Christian gentleman† (45). Salway finds no prove in the tragedy that the character is really savage, since he gains his nobility again after his tragic loss of faith in Desdemona (55-56). Martin Orkin (1987), a South African scholar keenly aware of how Shakespeare’s Othello gives occasion for racist responses, is in basic agreement with Salway’s statements. He believes that Shakespeare works â€Å"consciously against the color prejudice that can be seen in â€Å"the language of Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio† and denies such prejudices giving emphasis to the â€Å"limitations† of â€Å"human judgment† in general as the real cause of Othello’s tragedy (170-181). All this is right from the one side: Shakespeare creates his characterization of â€Å"valiant Othello† far beyond that of the traditional stereotype. On the other side, however, there are situations in the play when Othello’s actions do generate the sinful barbarian image. This is specifically the case in act 4, where the character loses his mind in a frantic mania of jealousy (â€Å"savage madness† is how Iago gives account of it), promises to â€Å"chop† Desdemona into â€Å"messes† after overhearing the dialogue that takes place between Iago and Cassio. Moreover, Othello behaves immorally by making a physical attack on Desdemona in public. Does Shakespeare try to demonstrate color prejudice by making Othello returning again and again to the traditional image of ‘black savage’? One resistance against attack on Othello’s behavior in the play is to claim that it is a victory of Iago’s hard-hearted intrigue with him, combined with the Moor’s dramatic readiness to consider as true the negative, oversimplified stereotype of himself. It seems that Othello’s humiliating performance is almost destined to cause the audience to become unfriendly, both Jacobean and present. By the concluding part of the play, Othello is divided between the individual characteristics he has attempted to maintain as an honorary white in Venice – where the Senate has allowed him military services and even more, in contrast to Brabantio, forgave his relationship with a white woman – and his strong inner sense of himself as an African â€Å"Other†. In being fatally overwhelmed by jealousy and murdering his wife, Othello eventually describes himself as more related by blood to the ignoble Judean and the malicious Muslim Turk than to the civilized and noble Christian. Some readers and viewers may feel that Othello compensates his rank as an inspiring tragic hero in the culmination, while others may dissent in opinion. And while it is right to claim that Othello does not give approval to the deeply felt prejudices of an Iago, how does the audience feel about Emilia’s racist comments in the final part of the play? Emilia becomes the center of tragic attention when she reveals Othello’s dreadful mistake and dismantles any â€Å"just grounds† for his believing that Desdemona committed sexual intercourse with other man. Preoccupied with her frank truth-telling, the spectators are encouraged to become accomplices of her views even though they are full of racial intense dislike. Emilia refers to Othello as the â€Å"blacker devil† describing his behavior as â€Å"ignorant as dirt† and feels sorry that Desdemona was â€Å"too fond of her most filthy bargain†. These examples demonstrate the difficulty of reaching an exact decision where the play stands regarding Othello’s blackness and racial prejudice. Because of the fact that the balance of dramatic sympathies shifts from episode to episode, readers are likely to agree with Emilia’s angry release of prejudice while rejecting Iago’s coldly malicious racism, in spite of the close relationship he has established with the reader. In this regard, one can compare Othello with Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Just as The Merchant of Venice may at the same time destroy anti-Semitic prejudice (in Shylock’s probing speech â€Å"Hath not a Jew eyes? † and support it (with Shylock’s absurdly incongruous behavior and wish that his daughter â€Å"were hears’d at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin! †), it can be stated that Othello stimulates discourse regarding the racist stereotypes of the sixteenth-century life even though it supports them to some extent. It should be observed, however, that to be totally free of racism and any discrimination, the playwright would have to invent a new language with no words containing a hidden implication, no unfair treatment of a color character, and no connection in the play between blackness and evil, whiteness and good. Expressing the same idea but differently, Othello cannot go beyond the language and traditions of its culture. According to Juliet Dusinberre (1976), if black-skinned men were considered as the â€Å"Other† in the sixteenth-century Europe, then women could be also called as a painful Other in patriarchal communities. The Reformation in England is at times thought as a period when attitudes and views toward female roles, at least inside marriage relations, were becoming more liberal and humanistic (Dusinberre 3-5). Puritans encouraged an equal marriage partnership, in contrast to the accepted without question subordination of wife to her husband, and valued married chastity above celibacy. However, it can be supposed that this elevation of the married relationships might have served as a method to contain women’s uncontrollable desire rather than to encourage a real self-dependence for them. It is easy to see that Desdemona is committed to the ideal of married chastity, but she is also a woman who tries to rebel. Obviously, her courageous rejection of her father’s wishes (and, globally, those of the Venetian upper class) so that it is possible to marry a black warrior and her honest desire to follow the â€Å"rites† for which she married Othello create behavior not conforming to accepted rules and standards in Venetia. The woman has stepped beyond the permitted boundaries of her race – â€Å"Against all rules of nature,† as Brabantio describes this – and the modesty that most people expect of female gender. Shakespeare, in spite of her faults, presents the rebellious and disobedient Desdemona as a character deserving admiration. Her powerful and effective language in explaining why she chose Othello despite her father’s unwillingness, her brave strong passion for the Moor, and her spirited and powerful (even though unreasonable) defense of Cassio are all probable to win the sympathies and admiration of the readers. Desdemona’s boldness, as well as Othello’s initial approval and praise of it (he describes her as his â€Å"fair warrior† when he comes to Cyprus), all say about a marriage with mutual love and respect for each other. When living in Cyprus, however, Desdemona becomes more isolated and open to temptation and persuasion. Once Othello incorporates Iago’s views, interpreting the meaning of Desdemona’s behavior as unfaithful and indiscriminate actions, the woman has no means of opposing her husband’s violent desire to control her life. It would seem, taking into consideration these issues, that there are contradictory messages present throughout the play about what behavior is right for women. The uncontrollable female who calls into question her place in the male-dominated community is given some capacity for independent action but ironically is then punished, primarily because Othello misinterprets her actions, but also, the drama may suggest, because of her desires going beyond acceptable boundaries of taste and convention of the time. Like with the issue of racism regarding Othello’s personality, Emilia’s role emphasizes the contradictory treatment of women in the tragedy. Her passionate defense of wives in act 4 produces the double sexual standard by which relationships between men and women are determined: And have not we affections? Desires for sport? and frailty? as men have? Then let them use us well; else let them know, The ills we do, their ills instruct us so. Since Emilia expresses a convinced belief that women are men’s equals in desire and have the full right to live and act like their husbands, her declaration is potentially ungrounded in its denial of gender qualities that work only to the advantage of men. At the same time, however, the meaning of the speech, as well as what the reader knows of Emilia so far, tends to decrease the power of the statement. Emilia has the similar gender of Desdemona but not social position. As a result, Shakespeare’s readers might make little of the sense of her statements, justifying them as fitting for serving women but not actual for upper-class women. Interestingly, Emilia has surrendered to her husband’s â€Å"fantasy† herself. She subordinated herself to his fanciful idea and thus affirmed the opposite of her philosophy of independence — by presenting him the gift. Conclusion Regarded by many scholars as one of Shakespeare greatest tragedies, together with Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear, Othello has a traditional tragic plot, tracing the hero’s fall from splendor and combining together human qualities of nobility with actins and decisions that lead to unavoidable suffering and loss. Othello is, at the same time, one of Shakespeare’s most emotionally touching works. The driving power with which the extremely effective but destructive series of events develops creates an exciting sense of chaotic violent and confused movement that captivates both readers and viewers almost as much as it drives the characters. Shakespeare’s character development and his incorporation of difficult issues in the play produced an incredibly complex play that considers a number of important moral and social questions. Works Cited Allen, Ned B. â€Å"The Two Parts of Othello†, ShS, 2, 1968, in Honigmann, E. A. J. Othello. Cengage Learning EMEA, 2001. Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Macmillan, 1962. Dusinberre, J. Shakespeare and the Nature of Women. London and Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1976. Orkin, M. Othello and the Plain Face of Racism, SQ, 38. 2, 1987. Othello Study Guide. Available from: http://www. shakespearefest. org/Othello%20Study%20Guide. htm Othello. Shakespearean Criticism. Available from: http://www. enotes. com/shakespearean-criticism/othello-vol-68 Salway, J. â€Å"Veritable Negroes and Circumcised Dogs: Racial Disturbances in Shakespeare†, in Lesley Aers and Nigel Wheale (eds. ), Shakespeare in the Changing Curriculum (London and New York: Routledge, 1991). Shakespeare, W. â€Å"Othello, the Moore of Venice†. Shakespeare Homepage. Available from: http://shakespeare. mit. edu/othello/full. html

Monday, September 16, 2019

Taylor Swift and Feminism

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the goal of feminism to be empowered to do whatever you want? To establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment? To control your own life and make it into a success in a male dominated society? Taylor Swift Isn't hurting feminism, the only thing being detrimental to fearfulness Is your own backwards ass Interpretation of feminism. I'd you hadn't notice I have miserable luck with relationships. Actually luck isn't Even a factor, thieve all been miserable failures.So what's got me in a huff now? See I met this girl at a friends birthday party and we hit it off beautifully. Others thought we were really cut together and we Just clicked. For probably the first time I actually experienced someone who was legitimately interested in me even if It was Just a tiny sliver of interest. So she asked my friend about me and suddenly she has no interest In me. Why? Because I'm only 22. What the tuck. That has to be the stupidest reason I've enc ountered.What the bloody hell does my age have to do with anything? There is absolutely no reason age should make any difference unless its something dramatic like I was still in high school. Age is of no importance or an indication of anything, anyone can grow old all you have to do is live long enough. I was born at a very early age are you going to hold that against me? Jokes aside, its backward ass thinking like this that makes me shake my head in confusion at people. This excuse has been used twice before and I had to laugh at one use of It.One girl put forward that I was to old for her, which is funny because he still lives at home with her mom, her room basically resembles a 10 year olds with a bunch of Sailor Moon crap and she has no education or ambitions. I on the other hand have an education, am self-supportive (mostly) and have a job that gives Age isn't a factor anyone can control if you like a person you like a person end of story. It'd be like me refusing to date any girls who's name is Amy. My reasoning is backwards and stupid and its a factor that the other party can't control. It's not like one of us is underage or there's like a fifty year age difference.Yet when I told some of my friends they defended this girl saying she was right. â€Å"Sorry but she's right, it's weird for a girl to be the older person in a relationship. † Oh that's logical, way to stand up for your gender. I have no use for pathetic outdated thinking, and anyone that subscribes to this limited world view needs to rethink what it means to have freedom of choice. Makes me cringe that I have a better grasp of this than most, or that I'm the one who doesn't get things because I don't see rules in he same narrow world view that is considered the norm.You can't date someone younger than you? Or some stupid preconceived notion prevents your brain from choosing on your own. Hopefully someday more people will be able to unlock their mind forgo manacles and think for thems elves but until then I have to wonder why anyone thinks this is something. Maybe I am being ostracize and demanding a bit but I stand by this. If you meet someone and hit it off shouldn't that be what you look for in a relationship? Or some sort of statistic.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Case Analysis Nike the Sweatshop Debate

CASE ANALYSIS NIKE THE SWEATSHOP DEBATE Summary of the Facts Nike was established in 1972 by former University of Oregon track star Phil Knight. †¦ Nike has $10 billion in annual revenues and sells its products in 140 countries. †¦ Nike has been dogged for more than a decade by repeated accusations that its products are made in sweatshops where workers, many of them children, slave away in hazardous conditions for less than subsistence wages. †¦ Many reporters, TV shows, companies and organizations have repeatedly exposed negative comments towards Nike. For example, a â€Å"48 Hours† news report aired on October 17, 1996 regarding a Nike factory in Vietnam, which was visited by reporter Roberta Baskin. The reporter discovered that Nike hired millions of workers who are literate, disciplined, and desperate for jobs at wages lower than minimum wage. Another example of the criticism against Nike came from a newsletter published by Global Exchange. The newsletter uncovered that the majority of Nike shoes were made in Indonesia and China, countries with governments that prohibit independent unions and set the minimum wage at rock bottom. †¦ In September 1997, Global Exchange published a report on working conditions at four Nike and Reebok subcontractors in southern China. †¦ In November 1997, the organization obtained and then leaked a confidential report by Ernst & Young of an audit that Nike had commissioned of a factory in Vietnam owned by a Nike subcontractor. †¦ Nike formulated a number of strategies and tactics to deal with the problems of working conditions and pay in subcontractors. †¦ In early 1997, Nike also began to commission independent organizations such as Ernst & Young to audit the factories of its subcontractors. Finally, on May 12, 1998 Nike founder Phil Knight spelled out a series of initiatives designed to improve working conditions for the 500,000 people that make products for Nike through subcontractors. †¦ Even though Nike has admitted there have been problems in some overseas factories and has attempted to do things to rectify the problems, the company continues to be a target of protests and a symbol of dissent. Statement of the Problem On the May 12, 2001, Nike’s CEO Phil Knight made six commitments to improving the working conditions in Nike’s international All Nike shoe factories will meet the U.? actories. The six commitments were: The minimum age for Nike factory workers will be raised to 18 for footwear?†¦ Nike will include non-government? factories and 16 for apparel factories. organizations in its factory monitoring, with summaries of that monitoring Nike will expand its worker education program, making? released to the public. free high school equivale ncy courses available to all workers in Nike footwear Nike will expand its micro-enterprise loan program to benefit four? factories. housand families in Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Thailand. †¦ Nike has yet to hold up to these commitments they made to its workers and customers. Nike continues to be criticized by human rights organizations and the media because they have ignored demands that labor and human rights groups have requested. †¦ Causes of the Problem Nike has treated sweatshop allegations as an issue of public relations rather than human rights. †¦ Nike has not released documentation to date of their reports from the working conditions in the factories. .

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Defining and Experiencing the Humanities Essay

I am currently having trouble defining humanities in my own words after reading week one’s overview. Unfortunately after reading this week’s readings and watching the assigned videos, I am still unclear as to what humanities really is. The week one overview while well written was merely a string of questions and what ifs, that honestly left me with even more questions than I started with. Is this an art appreciation class, a literature class, maybe history? Could it possibly be all these things and more? I am still not sure but I am very certain I look forward to finding out. My selection of a cultural event that I have attended (and participated in) is the War for Empire event at Ft. Dobbs in Statesville, NC. This event is the largest event at Ft. Dobbs each year. During this event there are several encampments that showcase different aspects of life on the North Carolina frontier during the mid-18th century. There are Cherokee and Catawba encampments that demonstrate music, dance, and other forms of art such as finger weaving. The native interpreters also discuss clothing, food, and social norms associated with their people. There are also many Anglo (European) encampments which demonstrate things such as period cooking, beer crafting, tailoring, and furniture and once there was even a cobbler (awesome). Other sights to be seen are weapons and tactics demonstrations, the clothing and equipment used by the common soldiers, laborers and farmers of the North Carolina frontier during the Seven Years War.

Friday, September 13, 2019

HR Roles and Responsibilities Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

HR Roles and Responsibilities Paper - Essay Example HRM has since been ascribed an essential role in achieving the goals of organizations. Its rise had important implications on the recognition of workers. The competencies of employees have been given more notice in recruitment and selection as well as in training and development (Van Marrewijk & Timmers, 2003). Its strategic position as a sounding board for top management and facilitator and change agent in the restructuring and transformation processes of the company is equally balanced with its role as an important partner for employees. â€Å"Thus, the HRM function positions itself in two ways: as the architect of new organizational structures and work systems, and as coach in management development processes and companion of employees in turnaround processes† (Van Marrewijk & Timmers:174) Movement from traditional personnel management towards HRM is caused by factors such as â€Å"increased level of competition, less availability of trained workforce, less committed workforce, rapidly changing technology, increased level of downsizing and restructuring of organizations† (Budhwar:143). Further, the increased importance and interest in HRM may be enhanced by the introduction of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Investors in People (IIP) standards, increased pressure on training and enterprise councils (TEC) and the â€Å"welfare to work† projects. The ever-increasing functions of HRM have given birth to two practices – integration and devolvement. Brewster and Larsen (1992) define integration as â€Å"the degree to which HRM issues are considered as part of the formulation of the business strategy† and devolvement as â€Å"the degree to which HRM practices involve and give responsibility to line managers rather than personnel specialists.† (411-412). This paper will focus on the practice of devolvement. Unloading

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Critically discuss this statement with reference to decided cases and Essay

Critically discuss this statement with reference to decided cases and academic opinion - Essay Example Such liability is not directly applicable, as the liability of Community institutions and the liability of the Member States are not always comparable.4 An instance of this is to be found in the Brasserie decision. In Brasserie, the ECJ extended the right of individuals to claim such damages, from any organ of the Member State whose act or omission had resulted in the damage.5 This makes it reasonable to presume that the liability case law, with regard to Member States, is relevant to damages claims for breach of EC law public procurement rules.6 Such course of action is with regard to contracting authorities that are public bodies. However, the term State tends to be vague, even within the realm of Member State liability. There is considerable disagreement as to whether the definition of State aid, provided in the ruling in Foster,7 as being emergent from the State should be acknowledged. All the same, the case law makes it very clear that the term State, in the context of liability cases, has a wider connotation and includes in its ambit, the decentralized bodies and authorities. 8 Hence, there is substantial common ground between a contracting authority and State entity under liability, despite these concepts being incongruent to each other. This contention is restricted to the intersection, wherein the contracting authority is in reality a State body. The public procurement law requires an action for liability to be brought against the contracting authority. However, it is up to the internal system of the national law to identify the State instance against which the action for liability is to be made. 9 This discretion accorded to the national law, while identifying State liability issues, results in grave injustice to the individual. This is because an aggrieved person has the right of direct effect only against a State and its emanations. Moreover, in this case, the ECJ ruled that the liability arising from the damage undergone by individuals, on account of a breach of Community law, was analogous to the liability of the Community under similar circumstances. This holds good, as long as there is no specific justification for the breach of the Community law. 10 This principle was echoed in the decision in Bergaderm.11 Furthermore, in the Brasserie case, 12 the conditions resulting in the liability of a Member State were described. These are; first infringement of rules of the Community that are aimed at providing individual rights; second, the existence of a breach of sufficient gravity; and third, a causal relationship between the breach and the damage sustained.13 This ruling however, failed to address all the issues involved. For instance, the issue of seriousness of the breach of Community law was left unresolved. Moreover, the ECJ had differentiated between areas of sparse and wide discretion, during its attempt to determine whether there were grounds for State liability, as well as the precise nature of these conditions. 14 Mor eover, the breach of Community law by a Member State, which caused damage to an individual, placed that Member State under an obligation to make good the loss. This principle was enunciated in the Francovich decision by the ECJ. 15 In addition, in the Francovich case, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

System design requirements document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

System design requirements document - Essay Example These checks up results are the one used by the doctor as part of making decision on the patient sickness. All these information provided by the different clinical providers is input into the system. 2. Senior leadership- They are involved in providing cash to purchase a new system in the clinic. They are also involved in making decisions whether to change the workflow of the system. These activities make them to be consulted anytime a change is to be made to the system. 3. Medical records staff- This is the person charged with the responsibility of registering patients into the clinic. The staff has also a role of maintaining the medical records. The medical records may include drug supply and releases which is an important aspect to the clinic. Maintaining the drug supply will ensure the doctors do not prescribe a non existing drug. The medical records staff can carry these activities by feeding the data in the system to help in calculations. 4. Administrators/ clinical managers- T hese group have a role of seeing the smooth running of the clinic every day. They also ensure quality improvement in delivery of services leading to the need of including them in requirement collection. 2. Workflow This the procedure followed in a clinic before a patient receives treatment. The workflow starts when a patient visits the clinic to the time they leave. 1. Patient walks into the clinic 2. a. If new patient collection of registration details which includes name, contact information and medical history. b. If an old patient retrieval of the medical record is done by the clerk. 3. Patient moves to the waiting room. 4. The clerk forwards the patient’s medical file to the doctor on duty. 5. Patient proceeds to the check up room 6. Check up on blood pressure, temperature and weight is carried on the patient. 7. The patient proceeds to the doctor’s office with the written form on check up results. 8. The doctor enquires on the reason of the visit. This will estab lish the sickness of the patient. 9. Doctor prescribes medication and billing to the patient. 10. The patient proceeds to the cashier’s desk and pays for the medication. 11. Collection of medication takes place at the pharmacies desk and advice on the way to take it. 12. The patient checks out of the clinic. 3. Improvements to the workflow The main factor affecting the clinical workflow was overbooking by patients. The system should eliminate this by ensuring that the numbers of patients who visit the clinic per day do not exceed the needed number. This can be done by establishing a procedure where patients books appointments long before seeing the doctor. This ensures patients scheduled for a day do not exceed the maximum number a doctor can handle. Another improvement required is to eliminate the delay by patients at the registration desk. The study showed patients spent a lot of time giving information at the reception desk. The main solution would be to reduce the amount of data collected on a specific patient. The contact information would just include the phone number leaving the rest of the things like physical address, zip code and city. This would reduce the amount of time taken to attend to each patient. Improvement on information passing from the different offices was also required. Automation is supposed to allow once a clerk logs a patient visit the doctor can access the patient’s files online. The manual tracing of files can also be eliminated

Is outsourcing work to other countries a good thing or a bad thing Essay

Is outsourcing work to other countries a good thing or a bad thing - Essay Example This essay discusses that in an increasingly globalized world, the physical boundaries for international and even domestic firms are vanishing fast. The interconnected nature of the world has made it possible for the firms to continuously look for better ways of conducting their business. Outsourcing is also considered one such step towards achieving efficiency and reducing costs. Outsourcing is not a recent phenomenon as firms at international and national level often engaged themselves in such activities since long. Some of the reasons for outsourcing include reducing the overall cost of business as well as regaining or developing the competitive advantage by outsourcing those activities which do not fall under the core competencies of the firms. International firms also take advantage of this as they can achieve the economies of scale at relatively rapid rate as well as get the benefit of cost advantage over their competitors. It is however, important to understand that due to out sourcing of the jobs and functions, resources from one country move to another country. It has been politically debated that due to outsourcing, jobs have been relocated to other countries and as such domestic jobs are being relocated to other countries. There is a widespread debate that as a result of outsourcing the overall number of jobs available is reducing as well as they also create skill shortages. The relocation to new jobs therefore not only results into getting low paid jobs but also significantly reduce the overall quality of life of the workers. One of the key reasons as to why I have chosen this topic is the overall magnitude and volume of outsourcing work to other countries. US is probably the largest country which has outsourced many activities to countries which can offer American firms a distinctive competitive advantage. Above all, this topic can also affect the way future dynamics for the employment will shape and might help in determining my own future once I st ep into the practical field. This paper will therefore discuss whether outsourcing work to other countries is a good or bad thing. Competitive Nature of the Business Before discussing different arguments and issues, it is important to discuss and outline the theoretical background of the phenomenon of outsourcing. It is argued that the business in current times is changing very fast and the overall dynamics of doing business have rapidly changed. The way firms compete with each other therefore requires that the management of the firm becomes more pro-active in approach and design and develop strategies which can offer it a consistent and sustainable competitive advantage. There can be different reasons for such increase in capital however, globalization and the resulting opening of the markets for international firms has become one of the key reasons as to why the international and domestic firms have increasingly open to new ideas and strategies. Globalization has also allowed the firms to move beyond their traditional physical boundaries and access the markets which are either more profitable or cost effective. (Schniederjans, Schniederjans, & Schniederjans, 2005). Such nature of markets therefore has made them more competitive. Outsourcing It is important to understand that in order to decide whether a firm should outsource or not should consider its overall goals and objectives of the firm. A critical evolution of the firm’s overall objectives and goals therefore require that the firm must decide in its best interest before going for outsourcing. It is also critical that a firm must get a clear and well-defined insight about its core and non-core competencies because outsourcing of non-core activities of the firm is more dominating. It is important therefore that in order to successfully outsource, the correct identification of the core competencies of the firm is essential and failure to do so may result into spending of firm’s resources on things which can significantly impact the firm. Outsourcing is defined as â€Å"

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

3M Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

3M Company Analysis - Research Paper Example It is a multinational corporation headquartered in Minnesota, United States. It was founded by five businessmen in the year 1902. The company had an annual sale of $ 29.6 billion in the year 2012. It employs more than 84000 employees all throughout the world. The company produces more than 55000 products which include adhesives, laminates, abrasives, dental products, fire protection, medical products, electronic materials, car care products, electronic circuits, optical films etc. The company operates in 65 countries. Its products are available in approximately 196 countries through retailers and distributors. Many products are also available online and can be purchased directly by ordering on the company’s website. 3M’s Brand and its message to the customers Brand is the term, name, symbol, design or some other feature which helps in the identification of a company’s products or services. Branding is a strategy adopted by the companies for differentiating their products from the competitors through a distinctive symbol. The brand is the most valuable and useful asset of a company. 3M is a new appearance for the Best Global brands in the year 2010 mostly because of a series of vast acquisitions which have provided the company a new and innovative brand identity system (3M, â€Å"3M Makes Interbrand’s List of Best Global Brands 2013†). This new brand identity has helped the company in unifying its diversified business. It has boosted the brand awareness of the company. Defining as well as strengthening of the 3M brand lying within the fragmented market area and increasing portfolio of global acquisitions has been very challenging. The goal of the company from the perspective of strengthening its position and brand in the market lies in two steps (3M, â€Å"Reinvigorating the Brand, Driving Growth†). The first step is by making the company an industry leader and the second step is by communicating to the customers about t he company’s ability to become end to end security provider. The brand identity system of the company have been enhanced recently for delivering the brand essence in more appropriate manner and positioning the brand and its value propositions throughout the world (3M, â€Å"Brand Identity in Action†). This new brand identity strategy has helped the company in differentiating 3M from its competitors and communicating a consistent and strong message to the key audiences. Logo and slogan Logo and slogan are the key elements of the brand positioning strategy. An effective brand positioning strategy always includes a visual identity i.e. logo and a tagline or a positioning statement i.e. the slogan. 3M’s logo is unique and communicates an appealing identity to the targeted audiences. The 3M Red Logo of the company is vertically as well as horizontally centred and covers almost 1/3rd of the total width of the screen. The background of the logo is white for enabling ma ximum readability (â€Å"3M Logo Animation and Soundmark†). The company has launched an animated video of the company’s logo where a sound mark is also available so that it can be used in pertinent applications (for example- online spots, television spots, videos etc.). 3M’s slogan is a short and impressive catch phrase, motto or tagline which has helped in identifying its products in advertisements. The business slogan which is most associated with the company is ‘Innovation’. The mission statement of the company is to be committed in active contribution to a