Data Communications Essay

Repairs by Return is a successful company and offers a repair service for various electrical appliances including washing machines, dishwashers etc. The business is expanding, meaning taking on additional engineers who might need on-the-job training. The aim of our group is to advise the owner of Repairs by Return on the new technology and research on how well the technology can make the company more efficient and the communication between the staff and owner better. We will also recommend an appropriate solution. ` MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES Mobile tools and technologies have the capacity facilitate communication, keep employees informed in real-time and reduce hours once spent bound to a desk. However, along with the liberating aspects of an increasingly versatile workplace, mobility presents challenges for today’s workers. Below are short descriptions of mobile technologies currently available. SMS Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most digital mobile phones that allows the sending of short messages, also known as text messages, or more commonly as SMS, texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones. Messages must be no longer than 160 alpha-numeric characters and contain no images or graphics. Picture Messaging Picture Messaging is a service, which allows users to send and receive messages that combine pictures with text and sounds from their phones. WAP Wireless Application Protocol is an open international standard for applications that use wireless communication allowing users to access information instantly via handheld wireless device e.g. internet access from a mobile phone, smart phones, two way radios etc. MMS Multimedia Message Service is the evolution of SMS. With MMS, a mobile device is no longer restricted to text-only messages. It can send and receive multimedia messages such as graphics, sound files, video clips or any combination of the above, within certain size limits. GPRS General Packet Radio Service is a protocol for passing data over a mobile phone network. With GPRS connection, the phone is â€Å"always on† and can transfer data immediately, and at higher speeds. 3G 3G is the generic term for third generation mobile phone technologies. It offers high speed connections enabling video conference and other applications which require broadband connectivity to the Internet. PDA Personal Digital Assistants are handheld devices that combine computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking features. Originally designed as personal organisers but have now become much more versatile over the years. FEASIBILITY STUDY The feasibility study is aimed at viewing the ideas given to us by the owner and assessing whether they will help the company communicate effectively. We will also look at the limitations of the ideas. * Apprentice engineers asking for help silently to senior engineers GPRS allows instant connectivity (as long as there is radio coverage), meaning information can be sent/received immediately. Engineers can take picture(s) of the problem they cannot fix, write a little note with it, send it as an MMS to senior engineers, and receive an immediate reply without the customers realising. The problem with this will be that the engineer on the other side might be with a client and therefore, will not be able to reply immediately. Another problem could be that the reply received from the engineer may be inaccurate and unclear. Drawback of GPRS is the limited bandwidth and is particularly suited for sending and receiving small bursts of data. So when engineers do send pictures, the size of the message and picture will be limited. * Web access to manuals and diagrams GPRS also aims to deliver remote access type applications via a mobile network for businesses including data uploads and synchronisation, document sharing and collaboration, email and web browsing. Ideally, a wide variety of information can be delivered via a mobile device, overcoming the 160 character limitations of SMS. It is usually impossible to directly port a desktop application to a wireless to a handheld device; therefore, directly access most websites using a handheld device is difficult. Another problem the engineers might face is that typing on a cell phone’s tiny keys can be difficult and time consuming and the size of the screen is limited too. This could be a problem when an engineer is trying to download diagrams, as there will be problems with its clarity. * FAQs facility stored on mobiles One of the drawbacks on using GPRS is that it has slow data transfer rates. Although rates of 115 kbs (or more) have been quoted, the realistic speeds are 20 to 30 kbs can be expected. Applications can be used in a shared environment, and data sharing is made easier – effectively like being connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). An important functionality of PDAs is the possibility of synchronising data with a contact database, such as MS Outlook hosted on corporate servers or a personal computer. The synchronised data ensures that the PDA has an accurate list of contacts, appointments and email. Critical to shared data access, synchronisation allows multiple clients to access, edit, and remove data records that a particular group of users may regularly use. As well as that, data input is a lot quicker on a personal computer. Therefore, transferring data to a PDA via the computer is a lot quicker than having to manually input it all on the handheld device. POTENTIAL USEFULNESS OF COMBINED MOBILE PHONES/PDAS, IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS BUSINESS We will now discuss the benefits of mobilisation to the business. * PDA from for capturing progress made A form can be created for the use on the PDA which will enable the engineers to capture progress while they are with clients, which could then be distributed over the network, noting the problems that they could not fix or if any additional parts are required. Each time the engineer collects heir PDA, it is pre-loaded with week’s progress form. Once the form is completed, the engineer can synchronise it when they get back to the office or using GPRS whilst out with the clients. The data can then be fed into a progress database, collecting the data from all the engineers. This will enable you to generate a project progress report automatically. The potential usefulness with mobile phones and PDA There are various other ways the business can use the technology to help their staff. As the workers are apprentices, they can use the technology by using i.e. the intranet to access the help guide. This is a good idea as the staff can learn while on duty and in their free time. It is also a good cost saver as they will not need to pay for a teacher and a class room, and it is also less time consuming. The PDA or some mobiles phones have a satellite navigation system built in to help the staff if they are travelling to any location which they have difficulty finding. It will give them clear directions and pinpoint the location to save time. RECOMMENDATIONS Having considered the ideas that have been brought forward by you, the technology would help to build a better relationship with the staff and also improved customer service. Before purchasing new technology, Repairs by Return will need to invest in training the staff to use the hand held device. We recommend using a mobile phone called the Treo 650 Smart phone; this is a combined technology of some of the features of a PDA and also most of the features of a mobile phone. Of the three ideas, we think that the best idea would be having a server or the intranet to access the manuals and diagrams from the mobile phone. This will give the staff the knowledge to solve any problems and also gives some secrecy as the customer will not realise that the engineer is asking for help. The idea of using the mobile phone to contact other experienced engineers is a good idea but may distract the other staff that may also be with a customer. The idea of having a FAQ database maybe a bad idea as the staff may not always find the most accurate answers to there questions. The database will have answers of the problems that have arose in the past but may not have new problems, this will mean that the information would have to be updated frequently so that it is up to date. The information will have to be stored so will take up the hard drive space which the staff may need to use for other information. This will mean that the business would need to purchase higher mega byte memory cards. This is an additional cost for the business. The intranet would be a good idea as the all the information is there; you do not need to store the information as it is on the intranet saving memory space. Although the information maybe hard to find as the staff would need to go through the manual to find what they are looking for. The technology of the smart phone will help the staff as the phone has the features of browser to search for any words or phrases on the web to located information much faster and have less time consumed looking through the whole manual. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS USED 1) Panko. R., Business Data Communications and Networking, Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition (2000) WEBSITES USED 1) http://www.voiceanddata.com.au/feature_article/item_022003a.asp 2) http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo650/web.epl 3) http://web.ukonline.co.uk/p.boughton/wap.htm 4) http://www.my-xda.com/xda2_closer.html 5) http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews90293.html GROUP LOG Group Names * 21 February 2006 ALLOCATION OF GROUPS 1) Manik Maih 2) Bijal Pandit 3) Ime Udoh All members exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses. We allocated tasks and said that we should research on mobile phones and PDA. Time allocated for research only Manik Miah 7 days Bijal Pandit 7 days Ime Udoh 7 days * 28 February 2006 All the group members conducted sufficient research needed to write the report, within the time given. There were plenty of books and internet print outs. All members looked and read through the research found and divided into files. We divided 3 ideas between us. Manik idea 1 Bijal idea 2 Ime idea 3 We then allocated the tasks of the report and the internet website. Bijal Part 1 and 2 Manik Part 3 and 4 Ime website, contents page, group log We met up every 3 days to check the progress of the report and to help any group members that are having difficulties. * 7 March 2006 All group members attended, and arrived on time. At this stage majority of the work was completed. Each member rotated the work around to ensure there were no more mistakes. We all contributed equally and suggested that the work was fine and additional work that needs to be done should. * 13 March 2006 The group had finished off all there tasks and got together to check over all the work. We then edited the website. Once the final touches were made, we printed out the work. GROUP AGREEMENT 4BIM504 Data Communications We, the undersigned members of this group, undertake to be bound by the following agreement: 1. to attend all group meetings on time, except when agreed by other group members in advance, or where a documented excuse is provided 2. to be well prepared for each meeting, ensuring that all relevant material is adequately researched and presented 3. to be actively involved in the work of the group, by contributing to the best of our abilities 4. to participate in the editing and preparation of the final report We agree that if a group member breaches these undertakings, then the group has the right to recommend a reduced mark for the individual concerned of up to 30% below the group grade. In this eventuality the group would submit reasons in writing to the seminar leader. We accept that the seminar tutor may require further information before making any penalty mark adjustments. We accept that the seminar tutor’s decision is final in these matters.

SWOT and 4 P’s analysis

Fort Jesus is a company incorporated to manage and run Fort Jesus tourist attraction facility in a tourist attraction centre. The company has been in business for over years and it attracts customers from al over the world. The target market of the customers includes historians, holiday makers and other people who want to learn about slave trade and Arab-Portugal war. The company has much strength and weaknesses which make the company exist.   Fort Jesus at the time of incorporation was a viable concept in an industry that was growing in all sectors. The target customers want an actively engaged in exploration, learning, discovering, entertaining, and holiday making. Fort Jesus has an advantage as the only company with a vision of exploring history about the Arab and the Portugal war in the coastal towns of Africa. The industry they operate in ha very few competitors and growth has been observed in every company that is operating to the industry. The company has cashed in since it is infancy on the expanding and high growth of market to accumulate huge financial resources that enables them to collect traditional artifacts from various parts of the continent and other continents. The company offers services such as traditional dances including the Brazil samba dance, the Mijikenda dance, the Hindu dance and the Chinese acrobatics. This has assisted the company to move to greater heights in terms of market share. They have also contracted international media companies like CNN to market them as the best museum to visit to get what you cannot get somewhere else. Fort Jesus objectives are to consider what works and what does not work. Through this, they have carried out research about various museums and attractions to museum and discover that the best concept is to bring majority of collections from various parts of the world. The company has employed the best human resources in marketing and customer care who receives customers and markets the services of the company to various groups in various parts of the world. The company also has participated in various trade fairs, marketing, tourism attraction centers including the Chinese 2008 Olympic trade fair which was to market some tourist attraction centers in China. The services of Fort Jesus are well priced to attract customers of various categories. However, the market of the company is segmented into foreign and locals. The company is well positioned in an area that attracts tourists of all walks of life. It is also nearer to a university that specializes in Art and Museum education. It is at the center of an international airport and the second deepest port in the world. The road networks of the area where the museum is situated is well maintained thus any visitor thus any visitor will have no problem of accessing the facility. The company’s biggest challenge is competition from other facilities from similar companies operating in various parts of the world who are also collecting traditional artifacts from various parts of the world to create a niche of products. The growth in the industry is encouraging although there is a pattern that protects some of the artifacts from being accessed. REFERENCES Armstrong G. & Kotler P. (2007). Consumer Markets: Influences on consumer behavior, Principles of Marketing. ICMR Case Studies and Management Resources. (2007). Consumer Behavior. Retrieved January 20, 2008 from http://www.icmrindia.org/courseware/Consumer%20Behavior/CBC03.htlm      Kotler, P. (2005) Principles of Marketing. New York.Melbourne Press Schaik J.L., (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J.L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd Winer, R.S. (2007). Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.                                          

One Team One Dream

One Team One Dream! Lights shinning all around you, like you're on stage at a concert. With the light gleaming on your face and announcers recognizing everybody as if they were at a boxing match. Even before we start the game fans and parents are screaming their lungs out already. Seeing the determination on our opponents faces while shaking their hands going down the line got our team pumped up for the start of the game. Every team member giving everything they have to come out on top and win that trophy. Nervously waiting on the court for the referee to blow his whistle.Jump ball! Who has it? Game on. Our high school team was ranked number one in the district. All of us girls on the team have been playing together since kindergarten. We were so close and knew each other like the back of our hands. knowing every play by heart and where every person would be on the court, we had confidence in each other and throwing a no-look pass was easy. We were like a huge family which made us ve ry successful on the court. Our team had won four district games and twenty league games. Leaving one district game left to take us to the District championship.Our last game was played against our biggest opponents in high school going back and fourth with us taking either victory or tears. Both teams were competing for the front page of that daily newspaper. To the people of the community, we were famous. Down by ten or more at the half we realized we needed to kick it into gear. Fourth quarter came around and we pulled ahead in the last final minutes and won a great victory! We were heading to state. Tears of joy ran down our faces. Everyone frantically ran across the basketball court like a stampede of Merkle 2 lephants escaping a lion's grasp. State was one of the biggest tournaments for basketball. Every team from the district, about 30 teams, were in the state championship. The last time our school made it to state for any sport was back in 2002. Our school was so proud of us , and even the staff. Our principal got our team a shuttle to take to the games and the school provided us with ten dollars each day for food. State was only three days but free money is always good! Our amazing family and friends were so supportive of our team. They made us tons of signs and provided us with lots of candy.One of our teammate's mom's made us all key chains that had our names on them along with our team motto: â€Å"One Team One Dream†. Our coach was so proud of our success this season. He also surprised us with one of the best gifts of all. Coach Rob went out of his way to get us new warm-up jerseys with our last names and our numbers on them. It was so exciting we all ran and jumped on him as he fell to the ground laughing hysterically. For the last couple practices we had before the state games we all wore our warm-ups to practice. We all loved them that much!Getting ready in the locker room we were all getting in the zone, and listening to gangster music t o get us pumped up. Game day was finally here, we were all waiting for this day for so long. Walking out of the locker room one by one the teams were looking at us while fans of the other teams glared at us. As we were warming up on the court we blocked them out of our heads. The first game we played was a breeze and we beat them by a great number of points. They were good sports and all wished us good luck in our next games. The second game was not quite a breeze, we ended up winning by a whopping 5 points.That amazing win got us to the final game in the state championship. Jumping up with parallelism, tearing up with joy, and taking pictures for the newspaper we all felt famous. Although we could not get ahead of ourselves because we still had one more game to go! All sitting in the locker room listening to coach talk our hands sweaty and locked, and our legs bouncing from anxiety. Walking on that court we saw fans packed from topped to bottom of the Merkle 3 bleachers all squishe d together. Jump ball? We lost the tip, now on defense, they scored the first two points.Another 2 points then 3. Our whole team was freaking out. We had to call a timeout. Our coach stood up and said one thing to us, â€Å"One team One dream†. We all knew exactly what that meant and couldn’t help but smile. Game on after screaming WHOO! . We got back on that court and took over that whole first half, baskets one right after another. I started dribbling down the court taking the opposing girl one on one across half court. I passed it to my teammate Ashlee, she dribbled it into the key where she was facing the basket and then dishes it off to Jamie our post.Who then skips the ball to the opposite side where I was standing behind the three point line. I got the ball and took my shot. As it sank through the net, I felt great because that shot got us ahead by three points right at half time! Second half comes around and we lose our heads, we all just let go. None of us wer e in it to win it. None of our shots were dropping and the other team was just dominating the game. Final buzzer rang we ended up losing 56-48. We did not drop our heads we all just got together in a circle and cried a bit, raised our heads and hands to the fans.While also bowing our heads to God and thanking him for giving us this amazing journey to state basketball. Everyone stood and clapped, even the winning team came and gave us hugs. We may have lost that state championship game but we gave it our all. Even though we were sad, we were happy at the same time. We had made it so far and accomplished so much. We had a huge section in the paper on us. It talked about our accomplishments and how we grew as a family. Even the paper recognized us as â€Å"One Team One Dream†

(Biochip Microfluidic Vortex Chamber) and (Biochip with Integrated Essay

(Biochip Microfluidic Vortex Chamber) and (Biochip with Integrated Vertical Emitting Light Source) - Essay Example The â€Å"optical imaging technology† (Bachman, 1986) was the best materials system of its time for fabricating â€Å"photodiode arrays† (Bachman, 1986) that were used in NASA’s satellite system. Bachman considered this to be just the beginning of experimentation with microgravity for the production of semiconductors. He articulated the need for further advances in physics to improve the photoconductive properties of the detectors in order to improve the quality of the satelites Twenty years later Bachman’s optical imaging device is being applied to identify diseases, as well as, analize the chemical and biological properties of different cystals and alloys in vortex chambers. The photoconductive device described in the study offers a cost effective method of fabricating biochips when coupled with simulation software known as Comsol software.Industries outside of quasi-government agencies such as NASA are utilizing microgravity technology. The budgets of these industries are not limitless, and therefore are in need of a feasible way of applying the quantum leap in semiconductor quality that is due to the microgravity science, without incurring the considerable costs that would keep them out of the field of biotechnology. The model described in this study offers theoretical outcomes when describing modified conditions calculated in simulation software as well as the actual observed events that occur within the various chambers of the photoconductive device. The properties that were observed utilizing simulated fluidic vortex chamber device are fluid flow, concentration and diffusion, and electrical conductivity. The conditions that were modified were velocity of fluid flow, locations of fluid concentration, and length of time the fluid would be concentrated at various locations. The results that the changing conditions as described in the â€Å"incompressible Navier-Stoke equation†.

Small & Medium Sized Enterprises in an International Environment Essay - 1

Small & Medium Sized Enterprises in an International Environment - Essay Example With improvement in data and globalization of markets, communication technologies, also other auxiliary happenings, more SMEs to take part dynamically in worldwide markets than ever before (Craig and Douglas, 1996 and Bell, 1995). In numerous countries, such companies are actually the going by force behind an important percentage of future economic prosperity and export growth (Gupta, 1989; Economist, 1993). In common, small enterprises are essential. SMEs comprise over 95 percent of companies supply about 50 percent of the total worth supplemented over the world and, counting on the country, develop 60 percent to 90 percent of all fresh jobs (OECD, 1997, the United Nations, 1993). While they are not historic been affiliated with worldwide enterprise, based on empirical investigations of tendencies in 18 developed countries, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) documented that SMEs now account for around a quarter of exports in the majority industrialized countries (OECD, 1997). ... Pioneering international startups are now an important part of the development of nationwide exports in numerous countries (eg, Economist, 1993; Verity, 1994; Luostarinen et al, 1994). In latest years, many tendencies discovered out what to export and other worldwide engagement powerfully viable alternative for SME businesses. Smaller companies are furthermore leveraged by the forces of globalization, encompassing a breakdown of investment and trade barriers, and far-reaching undertakings of big transnational corporations. Increased cross-national competition places force on SMEs to internationalize. This, connected with expanding possibilities for the realization of overseas markets and the opportunity to earnings from a boost in the dimensions and scope of their undertakings, has conceived numerous incentives for little firms to internationalization (Oviatt and McDougall, 1995). Czechoslovak SMEs In the early on 20th century, the Czech Republic was the most industrially evolved par t of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, vying commercially and technologically the most sophisticated nations in Europe. The new population has a powerful tradition of accomplished craftsmen in the construct of mechanism and other industrialists and entrepreneurs a large know-how in exporting these goods. Revenues were high, and well-developed finances organized to close the economic and financial ties with remainder of Europe. In the interwar years, the significance of the developed part in the finances of Czechoslovakia is certainly growing. Back in 1921, 33.8 percent of the employed populations were occupied in developed occupations. Estimates display

Role of Labor in Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role of Labor in Texas - Essay Example Labor is not only composed of the citizen of a certain city or country. Labor is a mobile factor of production, which migrates from one place to another for better opportunities, adding to the productive capacity of their new society. However, there is also a downside to the migration of labor. While they may satisfy the labor needs of their new place and may also improve the quality and quantity of labor and products (by increasing competition for the existing labor), their migration may aggravate housing, sanitation, and health problems. Their presence may also give rise to tensions and riots between the locals and migrants. Agriculture is one of sectors of US economy that is highly dependent on migrant labor. This is because the native-born Americans are not attracted to this sector due to its seasonal nature and physical requirements. One of states, where this phenomenon is most evident is Texas. Migrant labor controls the agricultural sector in Texas. They fulfill the fruit and vegetable requirements of the country. Because of the latest fears about in-land safety, the American government has tightened its immigration policies. However, this may have dire consequences for agricultural sector. ... America will have to import what it previously produced, if the migrant labor is send back or the cut down. Thus, the migrant labor play an important role in American agricultural sector and their absence will be felt greatly by society, agriculture and U.S. economy. (Stallman) Cultural Imperialism: Cultural imperialism is the process of promoting and injecting culture of one country into another. This usually happens with one powerful nation injecting its culture into a less powerful nation. Dominating another country's, influencing its people, language and media for political and economic gains. United States of America has been the Super Power since the fall of Soviet Union. It is, at present, the largest economy and the biggest military power in the world. Through the chants of " globalization", it has been injecting its ideas into the less-developing countries; to promote its interests and prevent them from growing economically, militarily, culturally etc. This has been done through media, multinationals, Internet and lately in the name of " war on terrorism." Though there has been a number of organizations that are working to promote the culture and languages of less developing countries, however they have not be very effective. Secondly, one of most prominent feature of these organizations is to promote better understanding between United States and the developing countries. Thus, in a way they have been reinforcing the very phenomenon they are fighting against-Western Imperialism. By targeting "Islam", promoting it as "a terrorist's religion", by attacking Iraq and Afghanistan, by capturing endless innocent Muslims for being "Jihadis", America and the West has been trying to culturally, politically, economically and militarily suppress the

Death penalty for specifically identified egregious crimes Essay

Death penalty for specifically identified egregious crimes - Essay Example Retreat From the Death Penalty†, it was revealed that more criminal justice practitioners and scholars have expressed increasing opposing arguments in terms of the effectiveness of capital punishment in servicing the paramount purpose for its imposition: deterrence and retribution. As emphasized, â€Å"a distinguished committee of scholars convened by the National Research Council found that there is no useful evidence to determine if the death penalty deters serious crimes† (America’s Retreat From the Death Penalty par. 2). The result was an apparent decline in the number of executions, from a high of 98 executions in 1999 up to only 43 executions in 2012 (Facts About Death Penalty). There are still a reported number of 33 states which were noted to concur on capital punishment; and only 17 were identified as non-death penalty states (Facts About Death Penalty). At the rate that the number of executions have apparently been manifested to be on a declining trend, only confirms that the national consensus against its continued implementation has been openly relayed. One strongly believes that capital punishment is not the most effective means for crime deterrence; since it only perpetuates a system of revenge through taking the life of the perpetuator. The preservation of life has been regarded as paramount to human values and beliefs and thus, killing and taking another person’s life, to replace one that was unjustly lost, does not justify the wrong that has been done.

Mobile device policy in healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mobile device policy in healthcare - Essay Example The PHI usually contains detailed information of patients including social security codes, identification details, residential, email and physical addresses, vehicle identifiers, certificates and license numbers, and biometric identifiers (HIPPA, 2015). It is because of containing such information that PHI deserves treatment and handling with highest possible security to protect privacy. Clinical practitioners in the outpatient surgery center have the on-work privileges to use PHI. Practitioners will use mobile devices to access the PHI of patients only when within the surgery center. No person will carry the mobile device out of the premises of the surgery center. Every practitioner shall bear full responsibilities in case of physical damage of the mobile devices with PHI. The PHI of every patient has unique security preferences, and clinical practitioners should consult patients where access of critical information has restrictions. No practitioner shall plug any foreign device except chargers into the PHI mobile devices. After every use, clinical practitioners should ensure to log out the PHI accounts accessed. 4. The devices shall have a central management point with internal networking limited within the surgery center. Exchange of information can only happen via the central management point (American Bar Association, 2015). HealthIT. Gov. (2014). Your Mobile Device and Health Information Privacy and Security. Retrieved March 4, 2015 from:

Fragile X Syndrome and Its Impact on Children's Language Essay

Fragile X Syndrome and Its Impact on Children's Language - Essay Example The condition, also called Martin-Bell syndrome, is statistically moderate to severe in boys and normally manifests a mild form of impairment in girls. From 15% to 20% of those with Fragile X syndrome (FXS) exhibit autistic-type behavior such as "poor eye contact, hand flapping, and poor sensory skills" (Edelson, 1995, para. 2). Males with fragile X syndrome may exhibit autistic-like behaviors, but it is not a major cause of autism. About 15 percent of persons with fragile X syndrome may meet diagnostic criteria at some point in their lives. The figure above shows the most common fragile X mutation- an expansion of extra DNA within a specific component of the FMR1 gene. In the premutation, the expansion is relatively small, however, in the full mutation the expansion is quite large and is usually accompanied by abnormal methylation. The presence of abnormal methylation leads to decreased production or absence of the FMR1 gene's protein product, called FMRP. The specific function of FMRP in the human brain is currently under study; current evidence suggests it may be involved in the regulation of proteins produced by other genes. Certain physical characteristics can be seen in an individual with fragile X syndrome. ... Other recognizable features are high-arched palate, strabismus (lazy eye), and, sometimes, mild heart valve abnormalities. Blood tests to determine levels of fragile X mental retardation protein can be done to diagnose the condition and several treatments can be undertaken as well as use of mild medications and therapy for speech, language and sensory improvement. Genetic counseling is recommended (Edelson, 1995). In 1991, the fragile X gene (FMR1) was characterized and found to contain a tandemly repeated sequence, and the larger the size of this permutation in a woman, the more risk that full mutation can occur in her offspring (Fragile X: Diagnostic, para. 3). The genotype can be determined more accurately with DNA testing. Full mutation occurs with one in 3,600 males and one in 4,000-6,000 females (Smith, 2006). Various degrees of mutation, however, occur in one in 1,200 males and one in 2,500 females, and testing should be considered in the following cases: Individuals of either sex with mental retardation, developmental delay, or autism, especially if they have (a) any physical or behavioral characteristics of fragile X syndrome, (b) a family history of fragile X syndrome, or (c) male or female relatives with undiagnosed mental retardation. Individuals seeking reproductive counseling who have (a) a family history of fragile X syndrome or (b) a family history of undiagnosed mental retardation. Fetuses of known carrier mothers. Patients who have a cytogenetic fragile X test result that is discordant with their phenotype. These include patients who have a strong clinical indication (including risk of being a carrier) and who have had a negative or ambiguous test result, and patients with an

Critically analyse inclusion policy and practice designed to widen Essay

Critically analyse inclusion policy and practice designed to widen participation for dyslexic learners - Essay Example This has unfortunately resulted in their academic underachievement. However when the needs of these dyslexic students are identified, it is possible to have teaching mechanisms that should result to appropriate learning outcomes. These special needs should be reflected in the school curriculum, whereby the strengths of dyslexic students are enhanced (Riddell, Tinklin and Wilson, 2005). There have been a few improvements in the education system as stakeholders look for ways of ensuring that the education offered at the primary and secondary level is all-inclusive. The inclusion policy is one of the steps that the academic community is embracing in order to ensue that the needs of dyslexic students are all met. Inclusion in this case refers to the approach of offering education to students who have some form or the other of special academic needs. Inclusion policy Inclusion in education is a never ending process. In most cases inclusion policies in the academic world are designed to wi den participation for students with special learning needs, including those with dyslexia. In this learning approach, dyslexic and other disabled students spend much of their time in the midst of non-disabled students (Booth, Nes and Stromstad, 2003). In some classroom situations, dyslexic students are given more teacher-to-pupil time so that they can fully understand all the concepts that other have already understood. This means that dyslexic students are offered special attention so that they can fully understand what the others have learnt in class. Teachers, who have dyslexic students in their classes, normally encourage the other students to support those students that have dyslexic problems. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 states clearly that everyone is entitled to equal treatment, and this applies to dyslexic students as well (Mackay, 2006). By encouraging equal academic development of dyslexic students, educators are giving this group of people a chance to enjoy the same opportunities that are available to other students. Education legislation requires that the school curriculum be designed to aim at the provision of opportunities for all students to learn and also to achieve. This means that the curriculum’s main goal should be to provide a holistic and inclusive education so that everyone can gain from the learning process. All students should be able to access equal opportunities, experiences and responsibilities through the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom. Inclusicive policy and practice for students who suffer from dyslexia should involve the effort of not only the teachers, but also the students’ parents. Dyslexic students can cope better with their situations when they know that they have their parents’ support (Reid, 2006). Success and Impact of Inclusive Learning Inclusive learning enables educators to meet their teaching objectives fully. They are able to how different learners, including those with dyslexia, learn differently. This gives the teachers a chance to know the needs of different students. They can then use this information to design learning methods that they can use effectively for every one of their students so that not one of them underachieves in their academic work. Inclusive learning has made it possible for dyslexic students to be at par with their fellow students. This is because inclusive learning gives the dyslexic student

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS-case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS-case study - Essay Example Cultural dimensions like Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Masculinity (MAS), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long-Term Orientation (LTO) etc can affect international business negotiation process. Most of the societies are unequal because of the variations in power possessed by them and the different perceptions about the long term and short term goals. Some societies do things collectively whereas other societies do it individually. Moreover, some societies treat males and females differently whereas some others treat them equally. The ability of some cultures or societies in avoiding uncertainty is more than other societies. Moreover, political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal factors can also affect the cross cultural business negotiation process. The international negotiators should possess adequate knowledge about all these factors in order to conduct the negotiation process in an effective manner. They should do their homework pr operly before going for the negotiation process. Terms of Reference Business negotiation is a complex task which requires lot of preparations and planning. Cross cultural business negotiations are even harder because of the high percentage of uncertainty and ambiguity in such negotiations. Most of the organizations will seek the guidance of business consultants before actively participating in international business negotiations. I am working as an international business consultant and recently one of the biggest American firms approached me in order to seek my advice for expanding their business to the Chinese territory. My client was interested in joint venture business strategy for entering into the Chinese territory. They already short listed few Chinese companies as their future partners and asked me to submit a report about how to negotiate with them. My client asked me to give more emphasize on the cultural aspects of international business negotiations since America and Chin a have entirely different cultures. This report is prepared for my American client in order to make them aware of the role of culture in international business negotiations. Overview of the situation Both China and America have extremely diverse population. America is under a democratic regime whereas China is under an autocratic or communist regime. In other words, China and America are extremely different nations as far as politics; culture, social setups, economy, legal frameworks, etc are concerned. Language, environment, social organizations, level of knowledge and authority possessed by the people, verbal and nonverbal communication means, temporal conceptions etc are entirely different in these two countries. In my opinion, my client should have better ideas about all these things in order to conduct successful business negotiations with their Chinese counterparts. An international negotiator should possess intelligence, creativity etc and he should have flexibility and diplo macy in his approaches. He should also possess skills such as problem solving, negotiations etc. He should also possess knowledge about different legal structures, governmental policies, possibilities of natural and manmade disasters. He should be hardworking and should do the

The Double Entry System Essay Example for Free

The Double Entry System Essay According to the double entry accounting system, a business transaction affects at least two accounts and the debit and credit amounts recorded for the affected accounts must be balanced. These transactions will be recorded in the appropriate books of accounts. Business entities develop a chart of accounts, a list of account titles with their corresponding account codes that the business will use in recording and posting in the books of accounts and in reporting in the financial statements. Double Entry System was invented for the first time by Lucas Pacioli’ of Italy in the year 1494 in Venice but it was developed in England. This system is based on the truth that every business transaction involves two .parties— (1) Receiver and (2) Giver. There can not be any business transaction by only one party. If one part is giver of any thing, there must be one more party-receiver. If one part is seller; there must be the other party purchases. Receiver of the transaction is debtor and the giver is the creditor. Thus the transactions take place between two parties, according to Double Entry System every transaction is recorded twice. One party is the debtor and the other party is giver. Receiver is the debtor and giver is the creditor. Accuracy of accounts. The greatest advantage of Double Entry System is that arithmetical accuracy of accounts can be checked easily. Since every transaction is recorded twice, a Trial Balance can be prepared and it can be known whether each transaction has been correctly recorded twice or not. By applying. Double Entry Principle every transaction is recorded twice. Trial Balance can easily be prepared and with the help of Trial Balance Trading and Profit and Loss can be easily prepared to ascertain the gross profit or gross loss or net profit or net loss of the business. Knowledge of Financial Position. Financial position of the business can be known easily. By preparing Balance Sheet one can know what assets are possessed by the business and what liabilities are due by the business. Chances of fraud meager. By applying Double Entry Principles chances of committing fraud is very much minimized. If fraud is committed, it can be easilychecked by verification and auditing of accounts. †¢Comparison of Expenses— Comparison of expenses of the current year with the previous can easily be made. The system of double-entry bookkeeping does have the capa ¬bility of making a positive contribution towards economic growth. Although the ability of double-entry to reveal the success or failure of a business enterprise for a specific period of lime was not valued by the early merchants, double-entrys capacity to accumulate data on individual performing activities, combined with its ability to bring order to the affairs and accounts of these merchants, rationalized the economic activities of the early English merchants

J Js Fish and Chips Business Plan

J Js Fish and Chips Business Plan 1.0 Vision To become one of the fastest take away fish and chips restaurants providing customers with the most fresh, tasty and high quality products. 1.1 Mission Statement J Js Fish and Chips will be an inspiring restaurant with a great atmosphere, with a fresh and high quality sea food selection and superior service. We are dedicated to employee welfare and training. The employees of J Js fish and chips restaurant will be treated fairly and with respect as they are part of the success of the business. J Js Fish and chips will be an inexpensive experience for all our customers that will inspire customers to return in the future. The fish and chip restaurant will provide customers with a reasonably priced yet at the same time high quality food range. 1.2 Business core values When making decisions consider how will it impact on the lives of your customers and stake holders. Commitment in having high quality products and services at all times and maintaining consistency Being efficient in your productivity example reducing wastage Inspiring and motivating employees to do their best and implementing a reward system as an incentive. Encourage creativity and new ideas and celebrating small success to achieve big in the future Encouraging respect for each other and increasing teamwork and growth Implement the awareness of healthy eating 1.3 Distinctive Competencies Fast, fresh and high quality seafood that will have a wide range of selections in terms of different seafood types. Highly experienced manager in hospitality industry providing quality products and services Specialising only with seafood Supporting and endorsing healthy choices Quick and reliable service in attending to customer orders in an efficient and effective manner Providing a healthy alternative for your customers 1.4 Competitive strategy and goals: 1.5 Broad business strategies Existing and serving in the current market and expand in the next five years. Prevent misleading conduct and behaviour Proactive and more friendly staff Increase market share Satisfying customer needs 1.6 Broad business objectives 1. Having a revenue 30% higher than Cost of Goods Sold and a profit of at least 15-20% by 2013 2. remaining consistent in proving high quality products and services by focusing and improving strategy. 3. Create and maintain good customer relationship by always keeping customers satisfied through reducing waiting time on food orders. 4. Expanding and promoting J Js Fish and chips by implementing continuous improvements 5. Expanding your advertising and marketing thus sales by 10% each year continually for the first 5 years. 1.7 Description of idea/product The product range that will be offered will mainly consist of fish and chips. It is recommended that you offer at least 5 different types of seafood to satisfy different customer needs, regardless of the seafood type the customer chooses it will come with a serving of hot chips. The fish and chips will be 100% fresh as they are ordered daily and cooked as requested. The meals will be offered at different portions depending on the needs of the customer. As a part of the meal customers will be offered a range of sauces to accompany their meals these include; tartae sauce, chilli, barbeque sauce and tomato sauce. All products are 100% fresh and are supplied by local certified suppliers. The business main focus is customer satisfaction by providing fresh and tasty fish and chips with a reasonable price. 1.8Competitive advantage: Providing fresh, healthy and tasty products as it is ordered on a daily basis Offering a wide variety of healthy options example salad or grilled fish Price competitiveness compared to market industry Prime location as it is in the centre of Fairfield Providing quality service by putting customers needs first Providing highly competent employees by providing them with training on a regular basis Providing an aesthetically pleasing environment (Please refer to operations appendix) 1.9 Your main competitors After undertaking extensive primary and secondary research it was concluded that your main competitors were in the proximity of Fairfield shopping centre. (Please refer to group appendix 4.3). The products offered by your competitors are fairly different in comparison to what J Js Fish and chips will be offering however pricing strategy is very similar except that J Js fish and chips is portionally lower compared to the competitive prices. (Please refer to group appendix 4.1 and 4.2) 2.0 Economic, social, political, legal and technological environment 2.1 Legal Structure and Ownership We recommend that you operate as a sole trader, when identifying which business structure would best suit your situation, when considering which legal structure you should use the following where measured and reflected Advantage Start-up costs Control of business operations Disadvantage Unlimited liability Death of owner may result in ceasing the business 2.2 Barriers to entry A barrier to entry is where a new business is restricted in entering the industry due increase in competition. Competitors will reduce profitability for the existing entities as a result of gaining market share. The barriers to entry for the hospitality industry are lower compared to other industries (D.Bowie and F.Buttle 2004). Some of the barriers to entry are: the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, Capital requirement, (Please refer to group appendix 5.1) 2.3Licences, permits, standards and compliance As rules and regulations develop and expand they will continue to influence the hospitality industry. The standards which your business needs to comply with is the NSW Food Act 2003, which includes ensuring food is safe for sale which is suitable for human utilization, to prevent misleading conduct and to guarantee that application of the Food Standards code. As your business is in the field of the hospitality industry you will be required by the Food Act 2003 to inform and advise the authorities of your food handling activities. If you fail to meet this requirement then a heavy penalty will be enforced. Another important and very crucial Act that needs to be implemented and followed is the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000. This Act is important as it ensures the safety and health of working conditions for the employees and employers; this is done by providing research, education and training in the area of occupational health and safety. (Refer to management) 2.4 Market and industry, size of market, trends, the target market, and consumer behaviour The following trends were found for the hospitality industry for 2003-2004 and 2006-2007. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ According to Australian Bauera of Statistics (ABS) in Australia by the end of 2004 there were 15,083 cafe and restaurant businesses operating. Which included 13286 restaurant and cafes and 1796 catering businesses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There were 1.1 million places available for new restaurant and cafe (ABS 2007). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ By the end of June 2007 the numbers of restaurant and cafe businesses in Australia were 13987. Thus in 3 years period there was a decrease of 7.2% in restaurant and cafe businesses (ABS 2007). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In the period of 2003-2004 total income generated by cafe and restaurant businesses were $10129.6m which is on average of $671600 per business in comparison to 2007 statistics of income generated by restaurant and cafe $693700 per business (ABS 2007). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Most of the cafes and restaurants were small businesses and about 63% having less than ten employees during 2003-2004 (ABS 2007). 2.5 Market There is a global increase in demand of fish and chips restaurants, such as rapid according to Yum 2010 increase in sales at its Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants in china (Yum 2010). U.S same restaurants the sales were up by 1%. McDonalds corporation is also planned to have more than 2000 stores by 2013 in mainland China (Appendix 12.5). As mentioned above the global demand for the fish and chips restaurants are increasing however in Australia there has been 0.6% declined in trend growth in restaurant and cafes as consumers are cut back on discretionary spending and there has been an increase in sales of food in retail sector by 1.8% as consumers are looking for ways to save, thus instate of going to restaurants or cafes they just buy food from retail stores and saves (Isobel Drake 2009). In June 2007 there were 145546 people were employed my restaurants and cafes where as in the year of 2003-2004 there were 15000 employed by restaurants and cafes. There has been a decrease (ABS 2007). Also as mentioned above there has been 7.2% declined in restaurant and cafe businesses in 2007 (Appendix 12.5). 2.6Target Market According to the primary research that was undertaken we came to the conclusion that the main target market for your business would be school and university students between the ages of 11-24, in saying this another age group which you would base your marketing at is business people. We came to this conclusion that students would be highly likely to purchase fish and chips as it is a cheaper alternative and it is something quick to eat. As for business people, the research that was undertaken concluded that 45% of business people would purchase lunch on a daily basis. Also the surveys brought back a result that majority of the business people enjoyed eating fish and chips in comparison to other junk foods, in particular in the area where your business will be operating as there are numerous businesses operating there We undertook primary research and came to the conclusion that families are another market which you should target. Families tend to want to go out together and have a nice lunch or dinner that is not too expensive and to be provided with good customer service and quality food, all of which your business can provide. Therefore we recommend that your target market should be students, business people, and families, we recommend that as you expand your business later on that you will also expand your target market. (Please refer to group Appendix 3.1) 3.0Market Strategy 3.1 Price Price is the final figure that you will be charging your customers for the services provided. It is recommended that the price you charge your customers is a reasonable amount, because if you are overcharging them, they are inclined to go to your competitors. By providing a reasonable price to customers it will give you the opportunity to generate an attractive margin of revenue while at the same time providing value to customers. Thus the price of the products and services that the business will provide will be based on expenses which include variable and fixed expenses and industry average price. (Please refer to appendix 6 for meal prices). Another pricing strategy that you may want to consider in future is implementing regular discounts to encourage customers to return J Js Fish and chips on a systematic basis. It is an imperative to (http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/article70824.html). 3.2 Promotion Promotion is one of the most important and crucial aspects of the business, it involves transferring all your ideas to your target market. It is important that your customers are informed about the products and services you will offer therefore it is extremely important that you select the correct advertising mechanisms. Based on the research which was undertaken the most efficient and effective advertising mechanisms include Pamphlets Newspaper Website Internet social websites such as Face book These advertising mechanisms are recommended to be used as they are affordable and easy to implement. (Please refer to appendix for advantages operations) (http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/article70824.html). 3.3 Place Your business will operate in the suburban area of Fairfield, the location of your business can affect the amount of sales generated. Because if you choose to locate your business where the target market is minimal then it is going to be difficult to be able to sell your product and services. The amount of people passing your business is important it is crucial to consider the surroundings near the location of your business. 3.4 Product The product range is mainly fish and chips. There are four types of seafood which comes with chips. So the consumers can choose any types of fish they like and it comes with chips. The fish are 100% fresh as they are ordered daily and fried as it is order. Also chips are 100% fresh and they are also fried as they are ordered. The fish and chips dish come into vary sizes. They are small meals and large fish and chips meals. There are also 3 types of sauce ranging: tomato sauce, chilli sauce and barbecue sauce. There is also the option of buying the chips by itself, which comes in small, medium and large size. All products are 100% fresh and are supplied by local certified suppliers. The business main focus is customer satisfaction by providing fresh and tasty fish and chips with a reasonable price. 3.5 Process Processing refers to the way the business is set up from where the customer orders all the way through to customer delivery. The business system should be set up in a way that has high efficiency and minimum waiting time. Having poorly designed processes can make it difficult for employees to perform well. Procedures need to be put into place to deal with activities such as Customer complaints Serving customers Answering phone calls Being productive and helpful with customers Training employees to use equipment By implementing these processes it will make it easier to function around the working environment. It is important to implement a procedure where you will provide customers with a quick, efficient and effective service as it is highly likely that they dont want their time being wasted waiting. (For customer waiting time please refer to operations) The business should have a system where frontline and staff on the background can do their job in the most efficient way and be able to communicate effectively (refer to operation). 3.6 People: J Js Fish and chips will not be able to operate efficiently and effectively without good employees. Employees will need to provide good service to customers hence employees will need to be able to interact with customers. Your employees are the first who will interact with the customers and therefore it is extremely important that the employees have the skills and knowledge on how to deliver accommodating and supportive customer service. Hence training staff members to be compassionate and respectful when performing their job is an imperative, as it will ensure the success of your business. If you are providing high quality food and high quality customer service it will have a positive effect on your business. A way to improve and to generate pleasant working environment is by encouraging team work between employees and providing incentives to motivate employees to interact within business activities. It is recommended that your business will have at least 4 employees including yourself, hence facilitating the business to manage any amendments that may occur example an employee is ill and cant attend to work. The most significant areas staff may require training will be Using new machinery Communication skills Selling techniques Using new materials and equipment Customer service Using the Point of sale system (POS) (Refer to management section for staff training) 3.7 Physical evidence The way your product and service appears in the market has a big impact on success of the business. People form an opinion about the business from what they observe in the first minute of interaction. The physical appearance of things such as staff presentation, image of the restaurant, presentation of the food and the environment will all impact on the success of the business. As these aspects allow customers to perceive the way your business operates and the quality that your business will offer. J Js Staff members will all wear a certain and unique T-Shirt that will consist of the business logo on the right hand side. This will help to identify the employees of J Js Fish and chips as they will be neatly presented and will uphold a high level of professionalism. Group Appendix: Primary Research Appendix 1: Maximum price willing to pay for certain products: 1.1 The Maximum price Customers willing to spend on hot chips Responses Received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price $ $3.75 $2.50 $1.50 $6.00 $2.80 $7.00 $3.40 $3.60 $4.25 $4.00 $5.00 $4.50 $5.50 $4.00 $3.00 $3.50 $3.65 $3.90 $2.95 $4.00 $5.90 $3.65 $4.95 $2.50 $3.90 $99.70 $3.99 1.23 $3.70 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for hot chips was $3.99, the standard deviation of 1.23 and a median of $3.70. Therefore it is recommended that you base your pricing of the hot chips on this information. We advise you to consider the following prices for your servings of hot chips, so that you are catering for all your customer needs. Small: $2.50 Medium: $3.70 Large: $6.00 1.2 The Maximum price customers are willing to spend on a meal of prawns and chips Responses Received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price $ $8.00 $8.50 $7.90 $6.00 $7.50 $6.50 $7.00 $8.00 $8.00 $4.50 $5.00 $5.50 $6.50 $7.50 $9.00 $6.50 $6.50 $7.00 $7.50 $7.00 $6.50 $6.00 $7.90 $8.00 $6.50 $174.80 $6.99 1.09 7.00 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for a meal of Prawns and chips is $6.99, the standard deviation of 1.09 and a median 7.00, therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information provided by the customers. 1.3 The Maximum price Customers willing to spend on scallops and chips Responses Received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price $ $8.00 $9.00 $10.50 $11.00 $6.00 $6.5.0 $7.9.0 $7.5.0 $6.00 $9.50 $9.00 $6.00 $12.00 $11.00 $10.00 $7.00 $8.50 $8.00 $9.00 $6.50 $10.50 $8.00 $8.50 $7.50 $7.90 $211.30 $8.45 1.70 8.25 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for a meal of scallops and chips is $8.45, the standard deviation 1.70 and a median 8.25, therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $7.00-8.50. 1.4 The maximum price customers willing to spend on Scallops 3 piece meal Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $5.00 $4.50 $3.00 $6.00 $3.50 $4.00 $3.00 $3.50 $4.00 $5.50 $5.00 $3.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.60 $3.70 $4.00 $4.50 $5.00 $5.50 $6.00 $3.00 $3.50 $2.00 $3.00 $99.30 $3.97 1.10 3.65 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for 3 pieces of scallops was $3.97 the standard deviation 1.10 and a median 3.65, therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $3.00-4.00. 1.5 The maximum price customers willing to spend on grilled fish and chips Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $6.50 $7.50 $8.90 $9.00 $5.00 $7.90 $8.00 $8.80 $8.50 $7.90 $9.00 $5.90 $6.95 $7.35 $8.50 $7.30 $8.10 $9.35 $5.95 $6.95 $8.90 $8.10 $9.00 $5.10 $189.45 $7.58 1.35 5.45 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for grilled fish and chips was $7.58 the standard deviation 1.35 and a median 5.45, therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $5.40-6.50. 1.6 The maximum price customers willing to spend on Calamari and chips Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $4.50 $3.00 $5.00 $6.80 $8.00 $4.80 $5.20 $3.90 $7.50 $6.50 $6.00 $7.00 $8.00 $8.50 $4.80 $3.80 $7.20 $8.20 $5.00 $4.90 $6.40 $5.60 $4.95 $6.20 $9.10 $150.85 $6.50 1.47 5.00 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for Calamari and chips was $6.50 the standard deviation 1.47 and a median 5.00, therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $6.50-7.60. 1.7 The maximum price customers willing to spend on Calamari and chips Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $4.00 $7.00 $6.00 $8.00 $6.50 $9.25 $4.50 $8.00 $6.00 $6.00 $4.00 $7.50 $7.00 $6.50 $8.15 $6.75 $9.00 $8.00 $6.90 $7.00 $6.50 $6.00 $5.50 $7.00 $6.50 $167.55 6.70 1.34 6.00 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for fish and chips was $6.70 the standard deviation 1.34 and a median 6.00 therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $5.95-6.95. 1.8 The maximum price customers willing to spend on Garden salad Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $3.50 $4.00 $6.00 $6.50 $4.00 $4.50 $3.50 $3.00 $5.00 $5.50 $3.50 $3.00 $2.00 $7.50 $5.00 $4.00 $3.00 $3.50 $3.90 $3.80 $3.60 $4.00 $4.50 $3.50 $3.50 $103.80 $4.15 1.21 4.00 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for salad was $4.15 the standard deviation 1.21 and a median 4.00 therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $3.00-4.50 1.9 The Maximum price customers willing to spend on fish and salad Response received 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Total Average Cost Standard Deviation Median Price$ $6.50 $5.00 $7.50 $9.00 $4.50 $6.00 $5.00 $8.50 $5.70 $5.95 $8.50 $6.00 $5.00 $5.50 $6.50 $6.50 $9.00 $4.00 $650 $5.00 $5.50 $3.00 $6.50 $3.50 $6.00 $147.15 $5.89 1.50 6.50 After analysing the market the average price a customer was willing to pay for fish and salad was $5.89 the standard deviation 1.50 and a median 6.50 therefore it is recommended that you base your price on this information. Roughly it is recommended to charge your customers between $5.50-6.65. Appendix 2: Primary Research 2.1 Our findings indicate that 65% (29 out of the 45 people surveyed) of your target markets prefer to purchase medium sized hot chips over small or large size. The next choice indicated that 25% (11 people) preferred small size and 10% (5 people) preferred the larger size. 2.2 Our survey results displayed that 70%that out of the 45 participants 70% preferred to drink some sort of a soft drink when eating their meals compared to 30% of participants preferred water with their meals. 2.3 Our findings advocate that 67% of the people that contributed with the survey prefer fish as there most favourite type of seafood followed by scallops and calamari at 15% each, with 3% of the participants didnt like seafood at all. 2.4 Our survey results indicate that 55%, 25 of the people who undertook the survey where not healthy conscious compared to the 45%, 20 of the people surveyed who were health conscious and would prefer a more healthy menu. 2.5 Our findings indicate that 68% of participants were more concerned with the taste of the product and that taste was a major factor that influenced their decisions whilst the other 32% were concerned with the health side of things and that health was the deciding factor for them 2.6 From the people that were surveyed a result came back that 50% of the people would eat fish and chips at least once or twice a week, followed by 25% of people who rarely ate fish and chips, and another 15% who ate fish and chips at least 3-4 times a week with the remaining 10% never eating seafood. 2.7 Our findings advocate that from the participants surveyed that the majority at 60% ate some sort of seafood at least once or twice a week, followed by 11% who occasionally consumed some sort of seafood, another 10% ate seafood on a daily basis which left 9% of people who either ate seafood sometimes or rarely. This meant that there was a remaining 1% that never ate seafood. From this survey it is clearly evident that your business will need to provide a wide range of seafood products. 2.8 The survey results concluded that 85% of the individuals who participated would be happy for a new fish and chips shop to open in the heart of Fairfield which

The Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Biology Essay

The Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Biology Essay Autoimmunity is a disorder in which an organism loses its ability to recognize the self and non-self antigen, which would further lead to immune response against its own cells and tissues. Diseases that results from such abnormal immune responses are termed as autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an autoimmune disorder in which endogenous antibodies are directed against the red blood cells and upregulated leading to erythrocyte death. This review article focuses on the types of AIHA based on the classification of the antibodies and the temperature at which they are active i.e warm AIHA, cold AIHA and mixed AIHA , based on the age of its occurance i.e adult or pediatric AIHA, causes, diagnostic techniques, diseases which may cause AIHA as a secondary disorder, treatment and its aftereffects, current and future prospectives of its studies. Abbreviations: AIHA Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, WAIHA Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, CAIHA Cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia, RBCs Red blood cells, DAT Direct antiglobin test. INTRODUCTION: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a disorder in which the auto-antibodies are directed against the persons own red blood cells (1). It is a relatively uncommon but not a rare disorder. It has an estimated incidence of 1 to 3 cases per 100,000 population per year (1). There are three types of AIHA based on the temperature of activity of the autoantibodies i.e warm AIHA, cold AIHA and mixed type AIHA of which warm AIHA has the most common occurance (more than 70%) followed by cold AIHA (about 20%) and mixed type has least occurance (2). Further AIHA is classified on the basis of age of the patient suffering from the disorder i.e pediatric AIHA and adult AIHA. Pediatric AIHA is from the age group of 1 to 16 (or 18) years and mostly has no underlying causes (2). Adult AIHA is from 18 years and above and is mostly associated with some underlying primary diseases. Sometimes AIHA is caused due to administration of some drugs and is called drug induced AIHA. AIHA may also be of secondary or idiopathic type. The further description of the different types of AIHA is explained below. TYPES OF AIHA: Based on the temperature at which the auto-antibodies are active: Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA) It the most common type of AIHA. Warm auto-antibodies are usually IgG. It is called warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia because the antibodies have their peak activity at 370C. IgG effectively binds to the FC receptor of phagocytic cells. Hence the destruction of RBCs takes place mostly by phagocytosis. IgG may or may not fix complement. Hemolysis of RBCs also takes place in spleen. WAIHA may be idiopathic i.e when there is no primary infection causing the disorder or secondary to lymphoproliferative diseases, autoimmune diseases, viral infections, immune deficiency etc (1)(2)(3)(6). Cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia (CAIHA) Cold auto-antibodies are usually IgM antibodies. Rarely IgG or IgA antibodies can act as cold auto-antibodies. It is so called because the antibodies have their peak activity at temperature ranging from 0-40 C (1)(2)(3)(6). IgM antibodies are potent classical complement pathway activators. Hence causes complement mediated lysis of RBCs. Paraxysmal cold hemoglobinurea a form of CAIHA, is caused by cold active IgG hemolysin. It was usually associated with some underlying diseases like syphilis, measles, mumps or other viral diseases (1)(2)(6). Mixed autoimmune hemolytic anemia Both warm auto-antibodies and cold auto-antibodies are present the blood. It is more fatal than the WAIHA and CAIHA. Detection and diagnosis is also more difficult than the earlier types (1)(2)(3)(4)(6). Based on the age of the patient suffering from the disorder AIHA is classified as: Pediatric AIHA Affects the age group of 1-16 years, with a higher incidence of occurance in the first four years of life (1). It may spontaneously resolve on its own. It shows a good response to the steroid treatment. It has a severe onset and less morbity rate. Males are more prone to pediatric AIHA (2). Adult AIHA Affects the age group of 18 years and above. It is more often associated with the underlying lymphoproliferative, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Treatment is steroid therapy or spleenectomy. Has higher morbity rate compared to adult AIHA because of the difficulty or inability in treating the underlying disease (2). Based on the cause of its occurance, following are the types of AIHA: Secondary AIHA It is mainly caused due to some underlying diseases like bacterial, fungal or viral infections. The primary underlying diseases that may cause secondary AIHA are Sjogrens syndrome (10), lymphoproliferative and autoimmune diseases (2).Treatment of the secondary AIHA would also include the treatment of the underlying primary disease, for its complete remission (1). Idiopathic AIHA Has no particular underlying causes like infections or primary diseases for its occurance. Mortality rate is comparatively less than that of secondary AIHA (1). Drug induced AIHA Cause of occurance are drug molecules that binds to the surface of the RBC membrane, acts as non-self antigens, thus inducing the autoantibodies against the RBCs and further leads to hemolysis (2). Examples of the drugs that cause drug induced hemolytic anemia are Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, L-dopa, Procainamide (6). CAUSES In majority of the cases AIHA is caused due to some primary underlying diseases like lymphoproliferative, autoimmune and infectious diseases (2). For example, after the M.suis infection in pigs, warm IgG autoantibodies are directed against the RBCs and destroys it. In this case actin was the active component that played a vital role in inducing an autoimmune response. Actin acted as a target protein for the autoreactive antibody during the acute phase of the M.suis infection. The autoreactive antibody production is induced by a misguided upregulation of the naturally occurring B cells specific for self antigens, appearance of previously cryptic antigens, occurance of altered self antigens, tolerance to self antigens due to molecular mimicry. The autoimmune epitopes (in this case actin) on the RBCs may be due to contact with the proteolytic enzymes. Cytoskeleton of the RBCs gets modified by the attachment and invasion of the infectious agent. Also the infectious agent causes damage to the RBCs making the hidden cytoskeletal proteins of the RBCs accessible for the circulating antibodies. Due to all the above mentioned reasons the antibodies recognizes them as non-self and elicit an immune response (3). There are several other causes which may lead to AIHA other than due to a primary infections. For example higher incidence of occurance of AIHA after allogenic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation in adult patients. Further studies proved that the chances of development of AIHA is more in patients with HSCT from unrelated donors and also that they develop chronic extensive graft versus host disease (GVDH). In such cases it was observed that AIHA was never the primary cause of death, rather it was due to infection of GVDH (5). In some rare cases, liver transplantation or solid organ transplantation leads to the development of AIHA (11)(14)(15). DIAGNOSIS: The destruction or removal of red blood cells from the circulation before their normal life span of 120 days is called Hemolysis. Hemolysis manifests itself as acute or chronic anemia, reticulocytosis or jaundice. Intravascular hemolysis refers to the destruction of red blood cells in the blood with the release of contents into plasma. This is then followed by direct membrane degradation and cell destruction caused by mechanical trauma from a damaged endothelium, complement fixation and activation on the cell surface. On the other hand, extravascular hemolysis refers to the removal and destruction of red blood cells with membrane alterations by the macrophages of the spleen and liver. The hemolysis can be categorized broadly into the following types: HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA HEREDITARY (6) ACQUIRED (6) ( Due to infections (6) Microangiopathic (6) Autoimmune (6) Autoimmune (6) Alloimmune (6) Drug induced (2) (6) Paroxysmal (1)(2)(6) Mixed (1)(2)(3) (4)(6) Cold (1)(2) (3)(6) Warm (1)(2) (3)(6) Immune complex or Auto-antibody (6) Drug absorption (hapten induced) (6) Delayed transfusion reaction (6) Acute transfusion reaction (6) Flow chart 2: Broad classification of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Since all the above said categories of hemolytic anemias have many similar symptoms and expressions, efficient diagnostic techniques should be developed to detect the correct category of hemolytic anemia for its appropriate treatment. DIAGNOSTIC TESTING Basic diagnosis for hemolysis on the basis of laboratory and peripheral smear findings: Hematologic tests Reticulocytosis which is the normal response of the bone marrow to the peripheral loss of blood cells is an important characteristic laboratory feature of hemolysis. Checking for the presence of reticulocytosis can be used for diagnosis of hemolysis. Review of the peripheral blood smear with an assessment for pathognomic red blood cell morphologies (spherocytes or schistocytes) along with examination of WBCs and platelets is very important for the evaluation of any anemia (6). Chemistry tests Increased unconjugated bilirubin, increased lactate dehydrogenase, and decreased haptoglobin levels are characteristic feature of the distruction of RBCs and thus can be used for diagnosis of hemolysis (6). c) In addition to the above tests, urinary tests are also be performed (6) After diagnosis of the basic hemolysis, its etiology is determined by performing further diagnostic tests. This review article focuses on the diagnostic techniques specific for AIHA. Microspherocyte on a peripheral smear and positive direct antiglobin test (DAT) is a characteristic feature of AIHA (1). The direct antiglobin test ,is also known as direct Coombs test (8). It demonstrates the presence of antibodies or complement on the surface of red blood cells which is the hallmark of autoimmune hemolysis (8). In this technique, the patients red blood cells are mixed with rabbit or mouse antibodies against human IgG or C3. The test would give a positive result if an agglutination reaction between the patients antibody or complement coated red blood cells by anti-IgG or C3 is observed. RBC agglutination with anti-IgG serum indicates warm AIHA and RBC agglutination with anti-C3 indicates the cold AIHA. However further efficient and very specific diagnostic techniques should be developed to distinguish mixed AIHA and paraxysomal cold hemoglobinuria from the other types. Also the present diagnostic techniques many a times failed to give an errorless distinction between these two types of AIHA (4). The three types of drug induced anemia based on their mechanism of their mechanism of action can be detected by a positive DAT and its type can be identified by the intravascular or extra-vascular hemolysis that it produces (6). TREATMENT: Treatment mainly depends upon the type of AIHA i.e warm antibody type, cold antibody type, mixed antibody type or paraxysomal cold hemoglobinuria and also on the secondary or the idiopathic forms. The following are the treatment options for AIHA. However each treatment stratergies has its own advantages and disadvavtages. Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia i) CORTICOSTEROIDS The initial therapeutic agent used for treatment of WAIHA patients are the corticosteroids. There is a rapid onset of response. This therapy is usually maintained for 1-3 weeks, however sudden ceasation of therapy may result in prompt relapse of hemolysis. The adverse effects of long term use of corticosteroids as a therapeutic agent would include pulmonary aspergellosis, central nervous system hemorrhage (2), osteoporosis, avascular necrosis, susceptibility to infection, abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism and growth suppression in children (7).The gluocorticoids may inhibit antimicrobial activity of macrophages thus showing side effects when treated with it (2). In cases of pediatric anemia, prednisolone along with folic acid supplementation was used for therapy which showed a positive response in 81% of the patients (8). ii) SPLENECTOMY Splenectomy is mainly considered in patients who donot respond to the corticosteroid therapy. The main advantage of splenectomy is that it has a potential for a complete and long term remission. The adverse effect of spelectomy would include overwhelming postspelectomy infection (OPSI) which may result in serious morbity or mortality in a small percentage of patients after spelectomy (2)(7)(8). iii) IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUGS This is the third therapeutic option after both corticosteroid therapy and spelectomy. Examples of the immuno-suppressive drugs would include azathioprine, cyclosporine (8), rituximab (9)(11) etc. iv) DANAZOLE It is an attenuated androgen with good responses and comparatively lesser side effects (2)(7). v) INTRAVENOUS IMMUNOGLOBIN In patients who doesnot respond to the corticosteroids, it is used as a second line therapy. However, intravenous immunotherapy is expensive (2)(7). vi) PLASMA EXCHANGE Used for acute reversal of severe hemolysis along with other therapeutic agents. Cold antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia The simplest and the possible way for reducing the severity of CAIHA is avoidance of cold. Plasma exchange showed a temporary benefit in a small percentage of patients. Any other therapeutic options involved more potential risks than probable benefits. Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria In most of the cases hemolysis terminates spontaneously and hence only supportive care is required. Sometimes transfusion of RBCs and corticosteroid therapy may have a positive impact on the treatment. Atmost care should be taken in case of secondary autoimmune hemolytic anemia i.e the underlying diseases like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, systemic lupus erytromatous, lymphomas etc should be treated for complete remission from AIHA (7).Combinational therapy was used in some cases of AIHA as secondary infection. Example, a case in which AIHA was found in association with Plasmodium vivax infection was treated with chloroquine and primaquine (for P.vivax infection), prednisolone and transfusion of least incompatible RBCs (for AIHA) (12). CONLUSION This review article gives a very short explanation about autoimmunity as a disorder. It mainly focused on auto-immune hemolytic anemia which is a subset of autoimmunity. The types of AIHA, causes, diagnosis and possible treatment stratergies were discussed. The future area of research under this topic is in finding out more efficient and specific diagnostic techniques to detect mixed and paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria and treatment options with maximum results and minimum side-effects. Drugs like Bortizomib (13), Alemtuzumab (humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD52 antigen) etc are still under research for the treatment of hemolytic anemia (16).

The Contemporary Relevance of Albert Camus Essay -- Albert Camus Essay

The Contemporary Relevance of Albert Camus ABSTRACT: After 350 years of continual social transformations under the push of industrialization, capitalism, world-wide social revolutions, and the development of modern science, what reasonably remains of the traditional faith in divine transcendence and providential design except a deep-felt, almost 'ontological' yearning for transcendence? Torn between outmoded religious traditions and an ascendant secular world, the contemporary celebration of individuality only makes more poignant the need for precisely that religious consolation that public life increasingly denies. People must now confront the meaning of their lives without the assured aid of transcendent purpose and direction. The resulting sense of absence profoundly marks the contemporary world. Confronted with the theoretical problems posed by the absence of absolute values, and the historical problems posed by contemporary social movements, Camus dramatized the urgency of developing guides to humane conduct in a world w ithout transcendence. He continued to believe that only when the dignity of the worker and the respect for intelligence are accorded their rightful place can human existence hope to realize its highest ideals, and our life find the collective meaning and purpose that alone can truly sustain us in the face of an infinite and indifferent universe. Celebrating individuality, our age invites us to express our feelings and realize our goals. It promotes happiness, while seeking to accommodate traditional moral values. But the focus on personal existence only makes the realization of death's inevitability more threatening. Torn between an outmoded religious tradition and a secular world on the ascendency, o... ...was no longer to be a matter of status and deference, but of function and quality of performance. And decisions were to be made by the involved collective, respecting the dignity and legitimate interests of all participants. While not despising the arts of "high culture" — though always quite uncomfortable with their mores — the renaissance always meant for Camus the qualitative transformation of daily life, the creation of dialogic communities at work and at home that gave voice and sustenance to the struggles for dignity of ordinary people. He continued to believe that only when the dignity of the worker and the respect for intelligence are accorded their rightful place can human existence hope to realize its highest ideals, and our life find the collective meaning and purpose that alone can truly sustain us in the face of an infinite and indifferent universe.

Low Self Esteem Essay -- essays research papers

Languages, colors, cultures and also the way one behaves may differ from one nation to another. Yet, each and every one of us living on the surface of this planet have several things in common. One of these similarities is that we all have a way of regarding our own self. It is believed that a large amount of individuals feel very good about themselves. Nevertheless, from time to time even the best of us get a dose of negative emotions. Very heartbreaking stories about self dislike were told by many depressed teenagers and older people. What are the causes of this kind of low self esteem and how can one person get solutions to outcome them? Self Esteem is defined as confidence in your own merit as an individual#. Such concepts as self-esteem and self-image have been regarded by some social psychologists as useful, while others have regarded them as unnecessary. There is a considerable amount of research on such topics but it would be very difficult to find the exact definition because volumes have been written about self esteem. Definitions given in self esteem literature run a yard long. But after cutting through all the scientific words, the question of self-esteem really centers down to something quite simple: How do a person feels about his/herself? If the person feels good about him/herself, they have a high self-esteem. If they feel bad about him/herself, they have a low self esteem. Since low self esteem is a worst problem than the higher one, let’s examine it to find some solution by investigating a number of low self esteem causes and personal cases. Individuals with truly high self esteem feel good about themselves and continue believing in themselves regardless of what others think of them. Some people feel good about themselves only as long as others support them and approve them. The moment another person criticizes them, or withdraws her or his support from them, they not only feel bad about themselves, they may even hate themselves. That would be the first step into low self-esteem. When a person acts like that, li... ...they often approach suicide more determinedly than the young and carry it out with a terrible efficiency. "Not only is suicide significantly more prevalent among older persons, but the suicidal act itself reflects important differences between old and young," notes Dr. Hendin, in his book Suicide in America. "In particular, the ratio of attempted to actual suicides shifts quite markedly among older persons. Among the population as a whole, the ratio of attempted suicides to actual suicides has been estimated to be 10 to 1; among the young (15-24), it has been estimated to be 100 to 1; and among those over 55, it has been estimated to be 1 to 1." Self dislike, depression loneliness and suicide have a very great role in one person’s self esteem. Although the above statistics made it seem to be impossible to overcome these feelings, the research hopefully gave us all the possible ways that we can be victorious and set ourselves free from this psychological slavery.

Commodifying Children Through Cartoon

2. Abstract Cartoons are the most frequent, popular and easily accessible source of entertainment to children. Because in today‘s world cartoon industry is one of the most successful and bustling industries in the global market various multinational corporate companies using cartoon in order to attract and influence children to buy their commodity. The present study on ? Commodifying Children through Cartoon: An Anthropological Research on Bangladeshi Children living in Urban Area? ims to find out how various corporate and international company using cartoon to immerse young children with commodity and into popular culture and what kind of effects children show as they begin to associate themselves with more materialistic possessions. For gaining in-depth understanding of the situation several anthropological methods such as observation, informal interviews, Participatory Urban Appraisal, Focus Group Discussion, Questionnaire Survey will be carried out for this study and also S econdary data will be used to support the research study.From this study researcher is expecting to find out that there is a relationship between cartoon endorsement and children impulse buying. It means when a children sees a cartoon endorsed products he/she insists to buy the product. Key words: Cartoon, Children, Commodity, Impulse buying, Corporate Company, Popular culture, Globalization. 3. Introduction: In Today‘s World Consumerism is fundamental to society. The marketing industry is integral to the economy and includes countless businesses and corporations that compete vigorously to survive and increase profits.Therefore they must use marketing strategies that will convince people to buy their products. Over the years, marketing strategies have developed into complicated psychologically targeted persuasive techniques for persuading, manipulating, and altering consumer perceptions. Furthermore, as corporations have advanced their understanding of marketing, they have als o begun to follow people‘s social trends and focus their attention on audiences that wield the most power and money. Over the years, this focus has turned toward children. Marketers now see children as potential and ucrative consumers who can be influenced through media to desire certain products and to either buy or persuade their parents to purchase for them. Because most of the children watch cartoon in their leisure time big corporate company are now using cartoon to sell their product. Over the last several years, child-directed advertising has grown exponentially. These increases indicate that corporations believe in their marketing strategies and therefore continue to invest in them to increase their profits. And for good reason: consumers respond.Children spend on average twenty hours in front of TV in a week and see hundreds of advertisement related to child product. In effect, previous researches have shown that when children reach first grade, they have received an average of 50 new toys a year and can recognize approximately 30 name brands. By age six, girls begin immersing themselves into popular culture, while boys already show interest in masculine commercials and violent video games. This immersion of young children into popular culture consequently has some startling effects as children begin to associate themselves with products and demand more materialistic possessions.There are a few grounds or open space left in urban area of Bangladesh in which children can play. As a result children are spending most of their time in home watching TV especially watching cartoon related program. As the numbers of channels have increased in the recent years so as the Cartoon and advertisement related to cartoon which have allowed the companies to directly access their desired target market. In Bangladesh – Cartoon Network, Disney, Nickelodeon, Pogo and Disney XD provide such platform to the companies to reach the children market.Marketers adve rtise their products through different cartoon characters and promoting different premium offers which make the children to buy these products instantly. Cartoon has become one of the main sources of their entertainment. Accordingly, the cartoon industry is one of the most successful and bustling industries in the global market. Because cartoon has become one the main source of entertainment all around the world various company using cartoon, cartoon characters to sell their product. Today every child is trying to emulate the characters from which they get inspired and pushing themselves to be like them in every manner.If we follow a routine of a child, we can clearly observe that a child wakes up in the morning wearing Disney character Pajamas, roll out of bed sheet having some licensed character on it, his toothbrush and everything covered in his favorite cartoon characters and even in his breakfast he eats up cake or cereal packed in some cute cartoon box. Strapping his Ben Ten b ackpack he moves to school but this commercialism even does not stop in school boundaries. In today‘s world kids have more independence in making their decisions as compared to the earlier generations and they can influence their parents to buy what they like.Parents are spending more on their children these days because they have more disposable income in their hand due to smaller family size and dual incomes. So marketers are trying to catch the attention of children using different means like cartoon, cartoon related figure and advertisement to increase sell. In this research, researcher will try to find out how various corporate and market oriented company using cartoon to immerse young children with commodity(=products) and into popular culture and what kind of effects as children begin to associate themselves with more materialistic possessions.Researcher will also try to show how corporate company using globalization (in this case especially cartoon industry) to their a dvantage to produce a popular culture in order to increase their product sell. The present research proposal is contented in the following way: In 1st part, abstract, introduction, and background of the study, in 2nd part, conceptual and theoretical framework, statement of the problem, objective of the study, rationale of the study and finally research methodology, time plan are discussed. 4.Problematization: Background of study and Literature Review: Today‘s children are the future of the tomorrow. So basically the future depend on how children grow up, that‘s why it‘s important to know what kind of environment they‘re living in and what kind of mentality they‘re developing. If they don‘t learn how to treasure various social and cultural norms including family and friendship and if they grow up in the world of falsehood and consumption there is a possibility that they will become a doll of the corporate world.Bangladesh has a population of 160 mi llion and 73 million or 44 percent of the total populations are children. The total area of Bangladesh is 1,47,570 square km so it‘s a one of the densely populated area in the world. The urban area in Bangladesh is even more densely populated than the rural area and the numbers of urban people are increasing everyday as people from rural area coming to find a place to live in urban area. So there is a competition among people to occupy open space as there are almost no place left in residential area.As people occupying more and more open space and playground, children in urban area have few places left to play. They have to compete with each other to more and more to play in the ground. Therefore most of the children have no choice but to stay in the home and amuse themselves with electric media like TV, computer, video games etc. As the number of the channels grows in Bangladesh so are the cartoon channels. They spending countless hours in front of TV and watching various car toons like Doraemon, Pokemon, Ben 10 just by clicking their remote control.Various corporate company now aware of the situation where children spend a substantial amount of their time watching cartoon and they‘re now trying to use cartoon to take advantage of children. Marketers now see children as potential and lucrative consumers who can be influenced through advertising media to desire certain products and to either buy or persuade their parents to purchase for them. So now they‘re promoting cartoon which will specifically endorse their commodity.Furthermore, children, unlike adults, do not have the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to make informed decisions and analyze situations; thus they are more vulnerable to manipulations that could harm them. Now the situation is reaching an alarming stage. Children are very willing to buy and associated themselves more with the product that have their favorite cartoon character with it. They are now engulfing themselves in the sea of commodity without realizing it.Although it is natural for society‘s values to change, it is unacceptable that mass marketing and corporate manipulations force society in the direction of carelessness and superfluity. Children's values are degrading into insignificance as they are manipulated into believing the messages corporations advertise. In the following section researcher will try to review some of the existing literature related to child consumerism and globalization. Born to Buy – Juliet B. Schor ?Born to Buy‘ is an excellent book written by Juliet B. Schor.This book is a major contribution to our understanding of a contemporary trend and its effects on the culture. Marketing targeted at kids is virtually everywhere — in classrooms and textbooks, on the Internet, even at Girl Scout meetings, slumber parties, and the playground. Product placement and other innovations have introduced more subtle advertising to movies and tele vision. Drawing on her own survey research and unprecedented access to the advertising industry, Juliet B. Schor, examines how marketing efforts of vast size, scope, and effectiveness have created â€Å"commercialized children. Ads and their messages about sex, drugs, and food affect not just what children want to buy, but who they think they are. In this groundbreaking and crucial book, Schor looks at the consequences of the commercialization of childhood and provides guidelines for parents and teachers. Selling Out Childhood – Kiku Adatto In this article Kiku Adatto reveals that advertising for children has been changing rapidly. Where 25 years ago marketing children‘s products revolve around ? innocence of the child‘ now it is not selling innocence but the selling out of innocence.Today‘s advertisement and market strategy even involve teen nude and sexuality, Teen Vogue is the perfect example for this perspective. She shows how image especially photograp hy‘s theme has change since World War 2 and how image carries subliminal message and how does corporate company use it to sell their product among children. When Childhood Gets Commercialized Can Childhood Be Protected? –Juliet B. Schor In this excellent article Juliet B. Schor shows how childhood is being commercialized through media ( TV, cinema, radio, advertisement, internet etc) and she also turn our attention to how corporate power spends billions of dollars to ommodify children, how this corporate company influence government to stop taking preventive public policy regarding child safety. Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood – Susan Linn In Consuming Kids, psychologist Susan Linn takes a comprehensive and unsparing look at the demographic advertisers call â€Å"the kid market,† taking readers on a compelling and disconcerting journey through modern childhood as envisioned by commercial interests. Children are now the focus of a marketin g maelstrom, targets for everything from minivans to M counting books.All aspects of children's lives—their health, education, creativity, and values—are at risk of being compromised by their status in the marketplace. Globalization and Children: Exploring Potentials for Enhancing Opportunities in the Lives of Children and Youth. –Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Irene Rizzini In this book Natalie Hevener Kaufman and Irene Rizzini explore and explain how children have been excluded from our conceptualization of the world and our research about globalization.The contributors represent a variety of perspectives from different disciplines including anthropology, sociology, psychology, politics, international relations, law, and economics. Writers argued that Since today we look at the world from the vantage point and the sensibilities that came only through difficult conflicts about children and the meaning of childhood, unpacking those experiences will help us to bette r understand how other cultures are likely to react as their children become part of the forces altering the world everywhere today. Globalization (a Public Culture Book) – Arjun AppaduraiEdited by Arjun Appadurai this book is a collection of essays which makes a striking intervention in the increasingly heated debates surrounding the cultural dimensions of globalization. This books includes discussions about what globalization is and whether it is a meaningful term. Seeking an alternative to the dead-end debate between those who see globalization as a phenomenon wholly without precedent and those who see it simply as modernization, imperialism, or global capitalism with a new face, the contributors seek to illuminate how space and time are transforming each other in special ways in the present era.They examine how this complex transformation involves changes in the situation of the nation, the state, and the city. While exploring distinct regions—China, Africa, South America, Europe—and representing different disciplines and genres—anthropology, literature, political science, sociology, music, cinema, photography—the contributors are concerned with both the political economy of location and the locations in which political economies are produced and transformed.Apparently all the literacy discussed earlier focus on how media and globalization affect children but they did not focus on the idea that there might be a relation between cartoon endorsement and impulse buying and how various corporate and international companies using cartoon to immerse children into popular culture so that children will associate themselves with commodity. 5. Conceptual and theoretical framework For this study researcher is going to use various theoretical concepts. These concepts are drawn from various theorists.Researcher is mainly going to use Karl Marx theory on Media and commodity and also Arjun Appadurai‘s concept of ? Globalizationâ⠂¬Ëœ. First researcher is going to introduce and define the concept then researcher will try to show how they‘re related to each other and to the research problem and finally researcher will try justify why he‘s using these concepts. Cartoon: In this study researcher only going to refer certain type of shows as cartoon. Researcher define cartoon as, ? The two-dimensional illustrated visual art which is created to show on media (especially TV and internet) and supposedly to entertain children is called cartoon?.Researcher for the purpose of this study also called Japanese animation as cartoon. Biologically, a child (plural: children) is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as â€Å"a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier†. Children generally have fewer rights than adults and are classed as not able to make serious decisions, and legally must always be under the care of a responsible adult.For this study researcher refers child as anyone whose age is between (3. 5-12) years. Children: Capitalism and Corporate Capitalism: Capitalism is an economic system that is based on private ownership of the means of production and the production of goods or services for profit. Other elements central to capitalism include Capital accumulation and often competitive markets. Corporate capitalism refers to a capitalist marketplace characterized by the dominance of hierarchical, bureaucratic corporations, which are legally required to pursue profit.Commodification: By Commodification researcher refers to the process by which something which does not have an economic value is assigned a value and hence how market values can replace other social values. It describes a modification of relationships, formerly untainted by commerce, into commercial relationships in everyday use. Market: In capitali st society market is one kind of system where parties engage in exchange and usually these exchanges is conducted through money. There are usually two kinds of parties that mainly participate in market – 1. Buyer. 2.Seller Popular culture is a hopelessly commercial culture. It is mass produced for mass consumption. Its audience is a mass of non-discriminating consumers. The culture itself is formulaic, manipulative. It is a culture itself which is consumed with brain-numbed and brain-numbing passivity. Popular culture undermine folk culture in order to industrialized and commercialized society. Popular Culture: Globalization: Globalization is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.Put in simple terms, globalization refers to processes that promote world-wide exchanges of national and cultural resources. Advances in transportation and telecommunications infrastructure, including the ri se of the Internet, are major factors in globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities. In 2000, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people and the dissemination of knowledge.For this the purpose of this study researcher going to mainly focus on effects of the first two aspect of globalization. By ? imagined world‘ researcher refer to the community of people where they belief to have same culture. An important fact of the world we live in today is that many persons on the globe live in such imagined ? worlds‘ and not just in local communities and thus are able to contest and sometimes even subvert the traditional or indigenous mentality that surround them. Imagined World:Mediascapes: ‘Mediascapes' refer both to the distribution of the electronic capabilities to produce and disseminate informati on (newspapers, magazines, television stations, film production studios, etc. ), which are now available to a growing number of private and public interests throughout the world and to the images of the world created by these media. These images of the world involve many complicated inflections, depending on their mode (documentary or entertainment), their hardware (electronic or pre-electronic), their audiences (local, national or transnational) and the interests of those who own and control them.What is most important about these mediascapes is that they provide (especially in their television, film and cassette forms) large and complex repertoires of narratives and images to viewers throughout the world, in which the world of commodity is produced. What this means is that many audiences throughout the world experience the media themselves as a complicated and interconnected repertoire of print, celluloid, electronic screens and billboards. As a result the lines between the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œrealistic' and the fictional landscapes they see are blurred. Mediascapes ‘ produced by private company tend to be image-centered, narrative-based accounts of strips of reality, and what they offer to those who experience and transform them is a series of elements (such as characters, plots and textual forms) out of which scripts can be formed of imagined lives, their own as well as those of others living in other places. Karl Marx Marxist theory emphasizes the importance of social class in relation to both media ownership and audience interpretation of media texts.Whilst content analysis and semiotics may shed light on media content, Marxist theory highlights the material conditions of media production and reception. Marxist ‘critical theory' exposes the myth of ‘value-free' social science. Marxist perspectives draw our attention to the issue of political and economic interests in the mass media and highlight social inequalities in media representations. Marxism helps to situate media texts within the larger social formation.Marxists view capitalist society as being one of class domination; the media are seen as part of an ideological arena in which various class views are fought out, although within the context of the dominance of certain classes; ultimate control is increasingly concentrated in monopoly capital; media professionals, while enjoying the illusion of autonomy, are socialized into and internalize the norms of the dominant or popular culture. Mass media research in this fundamentalist tradition interprets the ‘culture industries' in terms of their economic determination.According to this view, ‘the contents of the media and the meanings carried by their messages are†¦ primarily determined by the economic base of the organizations in which they are produced'. Consequently, ‘commercial media organizations must cater to the needs of advertisers and produce audience-maximizing products. The base/superstructur e model as applied to the mass media is associated with a concern with the ownership and control of the media. The ideological operation of the mass media in the West contributes to the reproduction of the capitalist system.Neo-Marxist stances have typically come to grant more active roles to audiences. As Curran et al. put it, whilst dominant meaning systems are seen as ‘molded and relayed' by the mass media, they are also seen as ‘adapted by audiences and integrated into class-based or â€Å"situated† meaning systems'. Researcher found both traditional Marxism and Neo-marxism perspective useful. So researcher is going to use both perspectives simultaneously. Arjun AppaduraiThe central problem of today‘s global interactions is the tension between cultural homogenization and cultural heterogenization. A vast array of empirical facts could be brought to bear on the side of the ‘homogenization' argument, and much of it has come from the left end of the s pectrum of media studies and some from other, less appealing, perspectives. Most often, the homogenization argument subspeciates into either an argument about Americanization/globalization, or an argument about ‘commoditization‘, and very often the two arguments are closely linked.There will always be a fear in general public about cultural absorption or homogenization. The complexity of the current global economy has to do with certain fundamental disjunctures between economy, culture and politics. An important fact of the world we live in today is that many persons on the globe live in such imagined ‘ worlds' and not just in imagined communities, and thus are able to contest and sometimes even subvert the ‘imagined worlds' of the official mind and of the entrepreneurial mentality that surround.Because researcher‘s one of the main theme in this research is on about the effect of globalization and how corporate company use globalization to expand the ra nge of their product sell researcher found that Arjun Appadurai‘s concept of ? Mediascapes? is very relevant to this research. The main form of entertainment for Bangladeshi children living in Urban Area is watching Cartoon. Because children rely on cartoon for entertaining purpose these cartoon are made in such a way that children are inspired to buy the commodity show in these cartoons.These types of cartoon shows are usually sponsored by corporate company. They use highly advanced market and advertising strategy in cartoons to sell their commodity among children and expand their market zone. These corporate companies use globalization in their favor and try to inject certain kind of notion in children which undermine tradition cultural value and encourage children to think that they belong to popular culture and to an imagined community- The community where the protagonist of the cartoon lives.Because children tend to think that they belong to popular culture and to an imag ined community they tried to buy products that are shows in cartoons. So as we can see the main theoretical concept researcher using are related to each other in a deep level and they are also related to research problem. 6. Statement of the problem Cartoons are the most frequent and easily accessible source of entertainment which we provide to our children. With the vastness of media and extension of channels, it has become easier for children to watch their favorite cartoons on a single click and at he same time it has become more convenient for parents to provide children with this all-time favorite activity of theirs. Time which was previously spent by children in outdoor activities is now replaced, as now they can be found glued to the TV sets for long hours, peering at all sorts of cartoons, mostly without the supervision of elders who are mostly unaware that this might have certain effects on their psychological development later on displayed in their behavior patterns. Child ren‘s values are changing in accordance with the messages major corporations send through cartoon and its related advertising.Major corporations can use their power, money, and influence to sculpt society through advertisements and promote the value systems that will allow them to gain more profit by bombarding consumers with advertisements and connecting their products to certain feelings such as hipness or luxury. The strategy uses peer pressure and an acceptance factor to manipulate children into believing that if they buy product related to cartoon character they will be accepted. Advertisers use such connections to generate consumers‘ mental perceptions of their surroundings, which ultimately influences societal views.Adult consumers are less vulnerable to these advertisements and do not as readily modify their beliefs in accordance; young children, however, are more susceptible to their lure. Thus cartoon and its related advertisers persuade children to disregard t heir values and accept the new values that corporations formulate for them. Although all generations modify their values and beliefs, today's society is accepting and glamorizing current beliefs that are not only superficial—they are immoral. These beliefs are immoral because they disregard the qualities that make people caring and involved.Instead individuals become obsessed with consumption and rashness. Although it is natural for society‘s values to change, it is unacceptable that mass marketing and corporate manipulations force society in the direction of carelessness and superfluity. Children's values are degrading into insignificance as they are manipulated into believing the messages corporations advertise. Children are focusing more on materialism and forgetting and discrediting deeper, more intimate aspects of life such as family and friendship. Being a good person, being well-liked, being a good friend is no longer basic.Instead, consumerism has taken basic va lues of human goodness and warped them into being products in need of labels. To fit in and to be cool, children must wear certain brands or have a certain number of things. The evidence related to this issue is not hard to find. If we follow a routine of a child, we can clearly observe that a child wakes up in the morning wearing Disney character Pajamas, roll out of bed sheet having some licensed character on it, his toothbrush and everything covered in his favorite cartoon characters and even in his breakfast he eats up cereals packed in some cute cartoon box.Strapping his Ben Ten backpack he moves to school but this commercialism even does not stop in school boundary. Nowadays every food company is using some branded characters which gets associated with the company and hence promote the company name. The character of Doraemon is used to advertise the Prince‘s brand food product. Similarly KFC is using the character of Colonel Harland Sanders to promote its brand name. Mos t of the campaigns which became popular in children consisted of branded characters— characters which are used to promote the company products.There is a vast quantity of research that has been performed regarded children, some of them are -violence in mass media and their effects on children, psychological and behavior disorder in children watching TV- but there is not a single research has been done regarding how various corporate and international company using cartoon in their benefit to increase their product sell and also there is very little research has done in Bangladesh regarding this issue.This research will recommend strategies and measures, based on empirical findings, that will helpful to policy maker and law-enforcers to come up with new idea and law that will minimize the problem that have stated in this proposal and will also be helpful to parents who are most concern for their children. Hopefully this study will create some new perspective and knowledge that will help future researchers and educators in their studies. 7. Objectives of the study:The main objective of this study is to find out how various corporate and international companies using cartoon to immerse young children with commodity and into popular culture and what kind of effects children show as they begin to associate themselves with more materialistic possessions. The specific objectives of this study are to find out? how corporate company use cartoon to increase their product sell ? if there is a relation between cartoon endorsement and impulse buying. ? the effects of popular culture on children ? the effect of globalization on children 8. Rationale of the study:There is a vast quantity of research that has been performed regarded children. Children are frequently studied with regard to how the media influences. Most research in this area focuses on how television, movies, music, and video games affect children and adolescents, but relatively little research have bee n done on the link between cartoon endorsement and impulse buying and how various corporate and international company using cartoon to immerse young children with commodity and into popular culture and what kind of effects children show as they begin to associate themselves with more materialistic possessions.Also there is not a single piece of anthropological research has done in Bangladesh regarding how cartoon effect children mind‘s to buy more product. Based on empirical findings, the study will recommend strategies and measures that may be helpful to policy maker and law-enforcer to enforce laws that will minimize the problem and also to parents who are most concern for their children. 9. Research design and methods 9. 1 Assumptions about methodology: This study will follow a quantitative and quantitative research method by which the research will be completed systematically.Theoretically this study is based on Marxist media theory which highlights material conditions of media production and reception and Appadurai‘s concept of ? Mediascapes? which shed lights to how corporate company use globalization to expand the range of their product sell. So in the fieldwork, the relation between cartoon endorsement and children impulse buying, and the information about effects of media and globalization will be collected. Because this research problem is an observable phenomenon the researcher can assume that most of the research methodology that will be used in this research will rely on observation. . 2 Sources of Data: Collection of data is essential for any anthropological research. For the purpose of this study researcher will collect data from different sources which can be grouped into two categories: ? Primary Sources ? Secondary Sources 9. 2. 1. Primary Sources: Primary source of data will be collected for this research for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. That means all data that researcher will collect date directly fro m children, their parents, market and advertising specialist and shopkeeper. 9. 2. 2 Secondary Sources:For this purpose of the research data will also be collected from the secondary sources such as various books, various journals, research works, government publications , census etc. 9. 3 Selection of the study area: 9. 3. 1 Researcher has choosen Mirpur Thana under Dhaka district as study area. There are several kindergarden, elementary schools and shopping malls located in Mirpur and it‘s easy to reach Mirpur because of the various transportation facilities. Mirpur is chosen because researcher will be able to visit different school, malls and neighborhoods pretty easily. . 4 Data Collection Form Primary Sources: 9. 4. 1. 1. Observation Observation is a well-defined methodological component in anthropology. It involves establishing rapport with the research population. The researcher will try to build close relationship with children, children‘s parents and shopkeepers who sells child product. Through observation researcher will try to see how child reacted to product which is associated with their favorite cartoon character and their parent‘s reaction toward their children and shopkeeper strategy to attract children. 9. 4. 1. 2.Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) Focus group discussions will be held in the study area. The objective of these sessions is to collect appropriate and intensive information and create space for target people to discuss and explore issues pertinent to this research proposal. 9. 4. 1. 3. Case Study A case study involves the in depth study of a single example of whatever it is the researcher wishes to investigate. In this study, case study method will be used for focusing the data especially what parents have to say about their children behavior when it comes to the product related to cartoons. . 4. 1. 4. PUA (Participatory Urban Appraisal) This method is now popular in rural development sector. Because Participatory Urb an Appraisal ? emphasizes local knowledge and enables local people to make their own analysis of the problems they face and to identify their own solutions? this tool will help research to find out parents strategies regarding how they cope with their child‘s unreasonable pester for buy commodity and how they plan to discourage children from buying product. 9. 4. 1. 5.Questionnaire Survey This method is an appropriate method to get the required information. A set of questionnaire will be prepared to conduct the field survey. In the present study data will be collected from structured questionnaire. 9. 4. 1. 6. Field Notes: Taking field notes is a field technique which allows researchers to produce a lot of data. During the fieldwork the researcher will keep a notebook which will record a lot of data. 9. 4. 1. 7. Tape Recording: There will be a lot of information that might not be possible to write down on the spot.In this situation the researcher will use tape recorder to reco rd the information. 9. 4. 1. 8. Visual Technique: Different visual techniques such as taking picture, diagram, or video clips will be used to collect data and later explaining situation. For this purpose researcher will use a video camera. 9. 4. 2 Sample Size and Selection of Sample: 9. 4. 2. 1. It is important to select that population which share common characteristics so researcher will select middle and lower middle class children of age ranging from 3. 5 to 12 years as the spend most of their time in front of TV.The sample size of the questionnaire survey will include three kinder garden schools and 30 households 9. 5 Data Analysis and Report Preparation: 9. 5. 1. After completion of the initial search, the materials will be screened and preliminarily data will be sorted out on the basis on broad subjects. Each document will be summarized with a view to eliciting the major findings. 9. 6. Scope and limitation of the proposed research: 9. 6. 1 There will be limited time for this study which will not allow the researcher to study most of the children living in the Mirpur.There is a strong possibility that researcher will get bias response in some of the answers although care will be taken to word when selecting question. A few quantitative findings may have to be drawn on selfestimated data, which may not be very reliable. 10. Timeframes: Activities Fieldwork (Data Collection from primary & secondary sources) Data Processing Data Analysis Writing Revision for submission Print bind & Submit Month May/2013 May/2013 May/2013 May/2013 May/2013 June/2013 Date 1-18 19-22 23-25 26-29 30-31 1st June